Getting Clothes
(Bai Ziye)
I underestimated the remoteness of this factory area; there really weren't many places to buy clothes. I wandered around the neighborhood with the Golden for almost an hour and didn't see a single clothing store.
"Woof!"
The Doggy suddenly started barking at an intersection.
"Ah, I've got it."
I jogged Past to take a look.
Surprisingly, we actually found a clothing store through the back gate of a factory.
"Goldie, well done... But custom-made work clothes... Ah, is this what it is? It's something you'd see in a factory... Well, at least it's a piece of clothing."
Wearing work clothes is always better than wearing ill-fitting women's clothing.
With a sense of helplessness, I walked into the store, only to see a man with a short buzz cut, thick eyebrows, and wearing a blue jumpsuit sitting on a chair behind the counter. Perhaps feeling the summer night was hot, he pulled down half of the jumpsuit zipper, revealing a strong, muscular chest.
"... Excuse me, do you have any ready-made work uniforms for sale?"
"Young man, how many sets do you want to order?"
The deep voice gave me the creeps, so I stood at the door and answered from a distance.
"... I only need one set."
"One set? Ninety-eight! Go get it from that shelf over there."
As he spoke, he raised his thick eyebrows at me.
The UI-31 is similar in build to me, so I don't need to try it on; I can just pick it up and see if it fits.
"No change needed!"
He grabbed an item at random, left a hundred-yuan bill on the counter, and hurriedly left the store.
That man is no ordinary person.
Before I could even catch my breath, I turned around and found that he was chasing after me with one hand raised.
"Young man, here's your change."
"It's only two yuan! I already said I didn't need it!"
"In business, integrity is paramount."
What does this have to do with integrity?
Because the Star Crystal was integrated into her body, her physical abilities were enhanced even when she wasn't transforming, but she never expected that she wouldn't be able to shake off this persistent and good man.
We even left the Golden behind.
"Haha, don't worry, I won't do anything to a budding boy like you."
Flowers, flower buds...
The hearty yet chilling laughter sounded terrifying in the night.
Not only are we unable to shake them off, but the gap between us is actually widening... Is this factory area really so full of hidden talents?
"I've already said I don't need it!"
I took a sudden step, and the world became eerily quiet. I was familiar with this state. I actually activated "Time-Freeze" in my male form, which allowed me to shake off my opponent.
"Am I... being pushed to my limit?"
A feeling of relief at surviving the ordeal welled up within me.
The moment I stepped into the store, I had the illusion of becoming prey. It was a sense of oppression I had never felt even when facing Monster. If I got caught, I knew I wouldn't get a good drink.
So, what about the Golden?
[Ahem! Alert! Phase Wormhole has been detected in C4 Area! Expected in five minutes--]
Broadcast throughout the area.
You can see the location by looking up; the wormhole appears in the factory area on the north side, near the C3 Area, very close to Metal's small factory.
"I really do end up working for free no matter where I go..."
Is the appearance of this Monster due to Ceruno's influence, or is it another coincidence?
Or is it because of UI-31?
The Star Crystal is inside my body. If Metal doesn't act, I'll be the only one left to deal with it.
"Wait a minute."
A woman's voice came from behind me.
Looking back, I saw UI-31 with a female face running towards me.
"... What's going on? You can talk, huh?"
I took the opportunity to hand Past the work clothes I was holding.
"Have you forgotten? Sirius adjusted the structure of my throat. I didn't speak before simply to avoid any unnecessary complications."
That night, I went to see Sirius as Miluno.
This guy... seems to have known who I was all along.
But I didn't admit it; I just asked, "So what are you planning to do?"
"Ms. Metal expended a considerable amount of magic to repair my armor, so in return, I'll deal with that Monster."
He gave himself a thumbs-up.
"It's fixed already?"
He raised his hand and touched the Simulacrum Factor on his chest. The Werewolf Armor materialized from it and quickly covered his entire body... Ceruno's women's clothing was burned. So that's why. This guy burns all his clothes when he transforms.
But why leave the underwear behind?
Is that a concept similar to the Hulk?
"Very new!"(HenShin!)
He shouted that.
"What kind of Japan special effects) film protagonist are you?"
"I mean the armor is very new."
Only an hour Past, and the armor was being repaired faster than expected.
He patted his breastplate and then pointed to the wormhole in the sky.
"I'm going now, knight. You should return to the princess."
"... Can't you speak like a human being?"
The Werewolf turned around, jumped onto the roof of the factory, and quickly left.
The number of people seeking refuge in the Industrial District was less than expected.
This was also unexpected.
Factory.
Especially many heavy industries.
Stopping production in five minutes is simply wishful thinking.
Similarly, hospitals, ICU patients who cannot be moved, or ongoing surgeries cannot be stopped.
However, ordinary Monster can't handle UI-31, so it's safe to leave it to him... right?
"It's really strange of me to believe in Monster, but Miluno's presence here will definitely arouse Ceruno's suspicion."
After hesitating, I decided to trust him this once.
Although he's a guy who exudes an unpleasant aura, he hasn't done anything to harm Ceruno so far.
I returned to Metal's factory.
Bang bang--
There were voices coming from inside the roller shutter; as I expected, none of them chose to evacuate.
There's no need to evacuate the bunker where the two magical girls are stationed.
"Ah! Yezi, here, here!"
Ceruno's head popped out from the side of the factory building.
"There's a side door?"
Following her into the factory, Metal was resting on a recliner in the break room.
Upon seeing me, he greeted me, "Oh~ are you Ceruno's boyfriend?"
"If you're referring to male friends, then yes..."
The television was on inside, showing footage of a live broadcast that was about to begin.
"Miss Metal, what about UI-31? Aren't you two planning to deploy it?"
I asked the question knowing the answer already, Ceruno replied, "Mr. Ryu went to fight in place of Miss Metal, who had run out of magic."
"How about handing over your assigned area to Monster whose allegiance is unclear?"
Metal shrugged.
"Boyfriend, you wouldn't expect me, without magic, to wrestle with Monster, would you?"
"My name is Bai Ziye."
Seriously, why does everyone I meet have to tease me and Ceruno about being "boyfriends"? We're clearly not in that kind of relationship.
"As far as I know, your strength ranks among the top of active magical girls. You could probably knock down Monster with your fists, right, Miss 'Steel Dragon'?"
Hearing me say that, she excitedly sat up in the recliner.
"What kind of magical girl relies on her fists? Besides, I'd rather be a support-type magical girl, enhancing and modifying everyone's equipment, analyzing the metal composition left behind by Monster... If this Werewolf Monster is reliable, I'll leave him to it. I'll upgrade his armor, and he can just help me deal with the Monster."
Are you the type who doesn't want to fight?
So, when I first met her last year, she was just watching me fight monsters from the sidelines... even though she was incredibly strong.
Ceruno added, "Miss SpiCa is searching for its whereabouts... but Sirius wants it to roam freely; you can decide what to do."
"Of course I'll pretend I don't know. Who's going to pay my salary if I offend Sirius?"
The logic is clear: everything revolves around making money.
"Ah, it's starting."
The live stream from the lounge switched to the wormhole site.
Like Monster mixed with a yak and a rhinoceros, it had fallen and crashed onto the open roof of a factory building.
But what awaited it was a piercing blow from behind.
UI-31...
They even launched a sneak attack?