The Shocking Truth

(Sun Yao)

"Miss Thunderous Resonance and Miss Fahrenheit have also passed? That makes the main competition roster finalized."

The preliminary selection, which had been bustling all morning, has come to an end.

The list of magical girls who passed the auditions was also published online by the organizers.

Miluno seemed to recall something and picked at her ear.

"That guy Thunderous Resonance, with his Megaphone, turned the entire stadium into her death metal stage... But, Fahrenheit... that name just doesn't feel right..."

She didn't react at first, and I was confused for a moment too.

I chuckled and explained, "Well, those two little girls were actually the same person, you know?"

Ryu: "Oh, a magical girl who's essentially two people?"

Halley: "No, judging from this description, it should be described as one person with two bodies."

There were two Monster standing in front of me, still bickering with each other.

When did magical girls and Monster become so close?

Sirius seemed to know their identities, yet he let them act freely. Even if he didn't deal with them, shouldn't he have at least locked them up?

But they only sent Miluno to keep an eye on things...

Miluno is the same; she clearly says she doesn't want to be the Association's dog, yet she's been doing Sirius's bidding all along. Isn't that strange?

"Alright! To celebrate everyone successfully passing the auditions, where should we go for a meal? Even though it's already past lunchtime."

My mom, the only one who didn't pass the audition, put her arm around my shoulder and suggested with a grin, "Let's get to know each other better while we're at it, since we're all magical girls!"

Miluno seemed to oppose the proposal; her furrowed brow remained furrowed.

Liu raised his hand.

"If we want to eat, I need to call someone."

Completely oblivious to being Monster, she's even planning to invite someone over for a free meal?

Family restaurant

Six-person long table

I'm at a loss for words.

It's already absurd enough that a magical girl would eat with two Monsters, but then Ryu actually called in another one...

"Let me introduce you. This is Achernar. She's in charge of the singing portion of today's performance."

Halley blinked and smiled, "That's very professional. You're a professional singer, right?"

The woman named "Achernar" glanced at Hallley and nodded slightly.

She essentially admitted it.

"It should be the Shark Princess Witch, right?"

I bluntly exposed their identity, and regardless of their reason, I didn't want to play the charade anymore.

"Yes, but she's now like Liu, being hunted down for defecting."

Miluno offered an explanation, but added, "However, the enemy of my enemy is not necessarily my ally, and I can't trust her yet."

"At least, they're someone we can try to win over..."

Liu tried to smooth things over, and his mother added, "Oh dear, why are we making such a scene at dinner?"

Miluno remained silent, but Halley asked, "Excuse me, what kind of witch are you talking about?"

Although she became Monster, her level of understanding remained at that of an ordinary person.

Moreover, most magical girls are unaware of the existence of witches, so it's normal for her to have such doubts.

I thought for a moment and explained, "You can think of it as... Monster who used to be a magical girl."

"Magical girl?"

"No, it's Monster made from magical girls. Even though it has the shadow of a magical girl, it's no longer the magical girl it once was."

Miluno's correction.

She pointed at Halley with her fork. "I'll take this opportunity to make things clear. The other raw material for creating a 'witch' is the Black Crystal inside you, Halley. You're not a magical girl; you're just Monster transformed from a human."

Why bring this up at a time like this?

I hurriedly took out my wand and set up soundproof Bubble Membrane around the area.

"... A lie."

Halley looked pained.

"It's true, but the reason I'm telling you this is because those two are here... Possessing Dark Energy doesn't mean you have to be an enemy of humanity. If you don't intend to do evil, sneaking into the crowd like this is perfectly fine. Don't you want to be an idol? Then, continuing to disguise yourself as a magical girl is also fine. Sirius has plenty of ways to help you stay in the dark."

"Am I Monster? In the end, I'm just a fraud."

Halley seemed unable to accept this outcome.

I don't know what she went through in the Past, but even a normal person wouldn't easily accept becoming Monster...

"Take it easy."

But the mother spoke up.

"It seems you don't know yet, but everyone at this table except Miluno has already been tainted by the Other Side's power. Yao and I... and Ceruno are also on the path to becoming witches."

"... Huh? Wait! What?"

It was Miluno who got excited.

She stood up somewhat flusteredly, leaning on the table as she asked, "What's this about turning into a witch? I've never heard of such a thing!"

It's rare to see her so anxious.

"I stole this Crystal from my father, who was a witch, and it's therefore tainted with Dark Energy. My mother and Anjie also use Crystal that have been transformed by Dark Energy. This energy will slowly multiply over time, and if it accumulates to a certain level, I'm afraid I'll turn into a witch."

I recounted the conclusions I reached at the Association yesterday in detail.

"What about his mind? Won't he turn into Monster?"

"Won't."

"Won't you?"

"Probably not..."

Miluno's repeated confirmation made me less confident in my answer.

After all, no one knows how things will turn out until they reach that point...

"But... but the rate at which Dark Energy multiplies is very slow, and besides, neither the Shark Princess Witch nor Ryu has gone out of control, so Miss Halley should be fine too. Those Monster from the other day had serious antisocial tendencies."

"Halley, what are your own thoughts?"

Miluno looked at the succubus, but the latter shrank back.

"Can I continue to participate in the Idol Festival even though I'm not a magical girl?"

"Of course, Sirius tacitly approved of this, and she will definitely fulfill the conditions she promised you."

Miluno said that, and Ryu added in agreement.

"Hmm! Miss Sirius has a certain degree of empathy for people like us... because she's not human herself, after all."

Sirius is the Star Crystal.

This is basically an open secret.

"But I am a human being... no, what am I now...?"

Halley's emotions were fluctuating greatly, and the Dark Energy within her, which had been stable, began to surge.

Oh no, could this be a sign of turning evil?

What are Miss Halley's Monster abilities?

What should we do if it gets out of control?

There were other diners around, and although I tried to block out the noise, they must have noticed something was wrong.

Miluno gently placed her hand on Miss Halley's shoulder.

"Calm down, Halley. The darkness within you is swelling. Don't you still dream of becoming an idol?"

"Idol..."

Miss Halley murmured softly.

"If you give up on being a human being here, you'll never be able to stand on that stage again. Even though you're not a magical girl, you've still earned the qualification. Are you really going to give up like this?"

The surge of Dark Energy gradually subsided.

Dear readers, excuse me for interrupting.

The shark has a request.

I've been working late into the night these past few days, writing non-stop until I'm exhausted. Not only does my stomach hurt, but I've also had a rare nosebleed. But I don't want to sacrifice quality for quantity, and I want to try my best to write a good book.

Although there have always been enthusiastic readers complaining in the comments, there's always a lack of critical and insightful voices...

If you, dear readers, find any problems, please point them out directly in the comments. Although that chapter cannot be edited, I will pay attention to similar issues in subsequent chapters.

In this way, with the accumulation of time, I will surely be able to improve.

Please advise!