Watching the Battle, Part 2

(Bai Ziye)

Ceruno seemed to have figured out the proper way to use her magic.

She trapped the Tiger Monster inside a gigantic bubble prison, neutralized its mouth cannon, then filled it with water, ultimately drowning the Monster.

"Mm, that felt a little cruel..."

Perhaps realizing that sounded somewhat accusatory toward Ceruno, Miss Luer quickly changed her wording. "But it was an External Invader that threatened humanity. No matter how it died, it wasn't worthy of sympathy!"

I thought it was cruel too, but I simply didn't say so.

In that regard, I was actually quite merciful. After all, the Monsters that died by my hand always went peacefully, without suffering much pain. Besides, seven-tenths of Monsters didn't seem to have pain receptors at all.

"What exactly are Monsters?"

"The Association and research institutions around the world have been studying that question. Unfortunately, those who entered the wormhole never returned, so humanity will probably find it difficult to get an answer..."

I knew about what Miss Luer was referring to.

Probably no one in this world didn't know. After all, it had been recorded in textbooks as a disastrous defeat.

Seven years ago, led by three powerful magical girls, this world organized an expedition. Thirty magical girls entered the "Other Side" through the wormhole, intending to eliminate the threat posed by the External Invaders once and for all.

The combined strength of thirty magical girls could nearly contend with all of humanity's conventional forces.

And the three leaders were among the original seven magical girls granted the "names of planets."

Seaheart Sword · Fomalhaut

Golden Consort · Aldebaran

Hunter · Betelgeuse

It had been a courageous surprise attack, but also an arrogance from which there was no return. Humanity lost thirty magical girls and the Star Crystal, yet gained no further understanding of the Other Side.

The External Invaders only lay low for a few weeks before resuming their attacks through the wormhole with even greater frequency.

At that point, everyone understood that the counteroffensive had failed.

"By the way, Miss Miluno, do you have any way of dealing with Miss Ceruno's ability?"

Luer's question pulled me back to reality.

"As long as I can touch the bubble, I can puncture it and get out."

"But there's nothing to brace against in a weightless, frictionless environment, right?"

The reasoning was actually quite simple, so I explained, "If it were smart enough, it could push itself toward the edge of the bubble, then use its claws and brute strength to break it. Ceruno couldn't possibly make an exception for its claws, so it could get out directly."

In order to drown the Tiger Monster, Ceruno couldn't make the bubble too large. With that Monster's absurd brute strength, it had every chance of escaping. Even that final steel needle could have broken the bubble if it had used a bit more force.

For it to be drowned so easily only proved that it truly wasn't very intelligent.

"I see. Miss Ceruno couldn't keep the Monster in the center of the bubble; it simply didn't realize that?"

"In a zero-gravity environment, even a tiny amount of force—even just blowing a breath—can push you backward. But that Tiger Monster only flailed and kicked wildly. The lightning it sprayed out seemed to be nothing more than discharging electricity or emitting light. It didn't have any meaningful recoil."

Miss Luer laughed. "It really was stupid. That hulking thing had a human shape, but not the intelligence to match."

Only after the cleanup crew carried away the Tiger Monster's enormous corpse did I speak. "It's over. The alert has been lifted. I'm heading back."

"Miss Heat Haze wants to meet Ceruno. Aren't you going with her, Miss Miluno? The reason that child is called 'Ceruno' is because the name carries her admiration for you!"

Miss Luer's emotional appeal was persuasive, but I didn't want to have anything to do with Ceruno in this identity. It wasn't just that I knew A-Yao; that idiot knew me just as well. I was afraid of letting something slip.

Besides, with her personality, who knew how excited she would get upon seeing me...

"No. Too much trouble."

I handed the girlish tablet back to the drone.

"Miss Miluno really is cold."

"That's just the kind of person I am."

"No way. You said so much just now... Don't tell me you're deliberately maintaining some kind of ice queen persona?"

I curled my lip, took off my headset, and tossed it to the drone too.

"I'm leaving."

Naturally, I could no longer hear Miss Luer's reply.

I jumped from the rooftop, swiftly left the cordoned-off area, then found a familiar blind spot to undo my transformation before blending into the sparse crowd heading back.

When I got home, A-Yao naturally still wasn't back.

So she really went to see Heat Haze. Was she planning to expose her identity and apologize?

I picked up the tablet on the coffee table and continued browsing the discussions online about tonight's battle. After looking through some videos and screenshots, I casually opened a local chatroom.

--By the way, Miluno didn't show up tonight?--

Oh? They happened to be talking about me?

--She did. I saw her out on the street while I was evacuating.--

--She probably stayed out of it to give the rookie junior a chance to gain experience.--

--She was definitely standing by somewhere near the battlefield. Miss Miluno looks like the type who's cold on the outside but kind at heart.--

--It's a shame we didn't get to see Miluno... Come to think of it, don't Ceruno's and Miluno's names sound pretty similar?--

--Oh, they do.--

--Could they be a pair of sisters?--

--Sisters would be great! But whether it's her tone or demeanor, Ceruno looks more girlish, like the younger sister. Miluno is beautiful too, but she doesn't really seem cute, so she can be the older sister!--

--"Both sisters are my wives!"--

What kind of skin-crawling statement was that? Getting along with A-Yao like sisters?

Just thinking about it was awkward enough to make my heart pound.

Besides, I had no intention of acting cute!!

I didn't want to see discussions about myself, so I deliberately typed something to change the subject.

--Everyone, any suggestions for Ceruno's nickname?--

Magical girls all had fan-given nicknames, second names that weren't recorded in Association files.

For example, because of my high-speed combat and nighttime operations, I was called "Moonlit Gale."

As for Miss Heat Haze, because of her wings, Fire Phosphor, and fiery temper, she was called "Fire Turkey"... Her magic was incredibly destructive, and sometimes caused even more damage than the Monsters did, so the nickname carried a hint of mockery.

--Based on the nature of her magic, how about 'Bubble'?--

--It's pretty cute, easy to remember, and suits Ceruno's image.--

--No, since she's Skyreach City's magical girl, how about 'Skyreach Girl'?--

What was with this person? To keep them from steering the conversation in that direction, I hurriedly typed a rebuttal.

--Linking a city to a magical girl is way too weird.--

--She was transferred here by the Association to fill Miss Fire Turkey's vacancy. What if she gets transferred away later?--

--I think 'Bubble' is pretty good, but it's a little plain.--

After they discussed it for a while longer, someone made a suggestion.

--Then how about 'Bubble Witch'?--

Can't find the book by searching its title? Try searching for the author instead—it may have simply been renamed!

At the request of many readers, VIP members can now browse without ads.

Click to view