Special Monster

(Sun Yao)

Miss Sirius's new song is very nice.

However, a single song offers multiple sample versions with vastly different styles, and even the lyrics are altered for each style.

Do I have to choose one to imitate?

Yezi said these were exam questions to be assigned to all the magical girl candidates, but she gave me special treatment and got the exam papers in advance.

"However, these sample versions are probably not the correct answer; we need to find our own way of interpreting it...?"

This is indeed a test of ability. By having each contestant sing the same song, the judges and audience can directly feel the difference in their abilities.

But I don't know how good I am at singing. After all, I'm just an amateur idol who came to the profession halfway through. The magical girl contestants are definitely going to be professionals...

"Sigh, can we win?"

Someone lightly tapped the back of my head; when I turned around, I found it was Yezi.

"Are you kidding me? How can you think we can't win before the preliminary rounds have even started?"

"After all, I'm really just a half-baked amateur..."

"But there are many people like you who are amateurs... No, you can't really be called an amateur anymore... Be confident, I genuinely think you sing very well. Even if you're not a professional, you can hear clear and pure emotion in your voice, which not everyone can do."

"... Me?"

Yezi, who is always very strict with me, actually appreciates my singing so much.

"Yes, you will definitely become an idol who surpasses Sirius. Your ability has never been in question; what you lack is confidence."

What's wrong with the Yezi today?

But I'm very happy that he said that!

"I will work hard to practice this song well!"

Perhaps these praises are just empty words of encouragement, but they still ignite my motivation... No matter what, I will always believe in Yezi.

If I believe him, then I can believe in myself, right?

Then let's give it a try...

The melody echoed in my mind, and my breath naturally followed the beat...

"Wait a moment!"

"Cough cough cough!"

It was clearly an atmosphere where the song was sung in one breath.

Yezi's sudden call to stop almost choked me, and I even choked on my saliva and coughed.

"What are you doing?" I couldn't help but complain.

"Now is not the time for singing. SpiCa is calling a meeting with all the magical girls in the city. A very serious situation just happened... Several civilians have been injured or killed."

"Casualties?!"

There have been no casualties globally for several months now, and the Association will likely have a difficult time explaining itself.

Where is it?

"The Greenfield Park near Skyreach International Airport, SpiCa will explain it to you when you arrive at the branch."

"Summon all the magical girls in the city?"

"That's right."

It seems this is a serious matter.

The general meeting of all magical girls in Skyreach City.

I don't know if this has been held before, but this is my first time participating as a magical girl.

When Miss Metal and I entered the conference room, Miluno was already there. She was leaning against the corner of the wall, exuding a cold and aloof aura that kept strangers at bay.

My mother didn't come; her situation is rather special, so it's not appropriate for her to appear on such an occasion.

After being gridded, Skyreach City comprises 49 districts. All twenty-eight registered magical girls of the Association were present. The reason the number of girls didn't match the number of districts was because the magical girls in the suburbs were responsible for larger areas...

I was slapped hard across the back.

"Ceruno! You look much more energetic these past few days!"

"Ah! Miss Thunderous Resonance, good afternoon."

"Why are you being so polite to me? Are you looking down on me, a country bumpkin?"

"That's not true..."

For example, Miss Thunderous Resonance is responsible for four areas along the B2 to E2 Northern Suburban Highway, and even has the obligation to assist in the defense of all adjacent areas.

She asked, "Do you know why SpiCa called us over here?"

I didn't know the details either, I just said, "It seems like there's been an unexpected intrusion."

"Don't you know?"

Since the meeting hadn't started yet, Miss Fenghua, who pretended to be an expert by walking with her eyes closed, also came over.

"It's said that this invasion didn't involve a wormhole at all, and the airship didn't sound any alarms. This Monster appeared suddenly, which is why there were such heavy casualties. This is the first case of its kind globally, but it's unclear whether it will become a regular occurrence..."

No wormholes?

How did that Monster get here?

"Ahem, please return to your seats."

SpiCa, dressed as a magical girl, sat at one end of the long conference table, and only picked up the microphone after we were all seated.

"Let me make this clear from the outset: the contents of this meeting must be kept strictly confidential. It's not appropriate to disclose them to the public before we understand 'the Other Side's' methods, as it might cause panic..."

She turned on the multimedia system.

"... Although it's a coincidence, please take a look at this first."

Judging from the footage, it appears to be a surveillance camera at the park's main entrance.

A seemingly dazed man tried to force his way through the turnstile, and was unsurprisingly stopped by the security guard on duty, and then...

The giant pincers suddenly knocked the security guard away, and the man who had been there before was now transformed into a Monster red shrimp that smashed open the turnstile and forced its way into the park.

I couldn't help but cover my mouth, but apart from me, the others didn't show any panic, only their expressions were serious.

Miluno muttered beside her, "Have humans turned into Monster?"

"This is what happened in the park near the airport at noon."

SpiCa crossed her fingers and replied, "Our initial guess is that it's probably Infiltration Weapon like UI-31. However, this Monster was very purposeful. It rushed into the park and specifically killed a woman before indiscriminately attacking others. Fortunately, a magical girl from abroad arrived at the airport, otherwise the situation would have been much worse... The Association's early warning mechanism is based on the premise that the wormhole is open. Skipping this step and appearing directly is beyond the capabilities of our existing systems."

The methods of intrusion on the Other Side have changed.

Is this change related to Dad?

Miss Thunderous Resonance asked, "Director SpiCa, who is this foreign magical girl you mentioned?"

"It was Antarctic Star and Fula, the 'Harvest Goddess' from Britain. The incident happened suddenly, and the two of them failed to capture the Monster alive, defeating him almost instantly. Miss Fula also provided emergency treatment to the wounded on the scene. Even so, this invasion still resulted in the deaths of thirteen people."

Miss Antarctic Star has come to Skyreach City too?

Miss Sky Lock also raised her hand and asked, "If there really are infiltrator-type Monster who can disguise themselves as humans, shouldn't we tell the public? Why do we still need to keep it a secret?"

Because it's not certain yet.

SpiCa opens a document on the projected screen.

"This is the information on the man who became Monster. He and the woman who was the primary target were once in a relationship. We found some clues on the victim's phone. Before the incident, the woman had received death threats from this man."

"Death threat?"

"Would Monster do something like this?"

The crowd began to murmur amongst themselves, and Sirius, who had remained silent from the start, finally spoke up.

She asked, "Gentlemen, I'd like to ask you this first: if this isn't just Monster, but an 'ordinary person' who gained power from the Other Side and turned into a monster... could you still bring yourself to kill them?"

SpiCa's questions are not unfounded, after all, Empty Wormhole appeared recently, and those wormholes didn't just send nothing...

Sirius's question silenced the room as everyone pondered their own answers.

Me too.

If the other party is a human turned Monster, should you still kill them?