Little Thing

(Miluno)

In the end.

Did I absorb too much Dark Energy and turn into a witch?

But as expected of me, even my Witch Persona is so unique. Not only does it not need to be injected from the outside, but it is also very individualistic. She can even generate a chibi-style figure similar to me in my field of vision, and it can even simulate tactile feedback to me.

"Let me make it clear first, I have no intention of being your enemy, nor do I intend to replace you. I can guarantee that my existence will be beneficial to you."

She sat in the palm of my hand and introduced herself.

We're still eating, and neither Ceruno nor Xiaoling can see us, so speaking abruptly would make me seem like a lunatic. Luckily, this little thing lives in my head, so we don't need to speak to communicate...

That's not a good thing. Does that mean everything I'm thinking will be known?

We need to ask Jaeger to use that capsule to remove her.

"It's no use~ My Witch Persona is different from other witches'. I was naturally generated from your head~ That device can't detect my existence at all~ You can't shake me off anymore! Give up!"

She climbed up my arm to my shoulder and arrogantly poked my cheek. Although I could feel the poking on my face, there was actually nothing there.

I was disappointed to find that I was completely helpless against this little thing.

"I am you, and you are me~ Why are you so hostile towards me!"

You're a witch!

I suspect this is a trap set by Aldebaran; there's definitely something wrong with the twelve Black Crystal she made me absorb...

I looked at Ceruno and said:

"Morning exercise is canceled; I have something to do."

The carefree simpleton was drinking milk when he looked up, a ring of white mustache clinging to his lips. He licked it with his little tongue before asking:

"Huh? What's up?"

"Let's not talk about that for now..."

I need to go to a medical facility for a check-up, but I don't want her to worry.

Ceruno, however, puffed out her cheeks in dissatisfaction.

"Why are you being so secretive again? What do we need to hide from each other? You must be in trouble. If you don't tell me, I'll only worry more!"

Even the Doggy chimed in, "That's right! Just let me know if there's anything I can help you with!"

All she does is eat, sleep, and make gold, doesn't she?

"It's really nothing, it seems to be benign so far..."

This sounds a bit like a tumor.

But isn't Witchification a cancer for magical girls?

"It's clearly a higher level of power!"

The short, chibi-style Witch Persona even tried to punch me in the face.

Ceruno still said:

"Miluno, if you ever run into trouble, you must tell me, okay?"

"I'm afraid you can't help this time either. You know my Crystal is completely different from other people's Crystal... I'm just going for a check-up, I'll be fine."

"Then I'll go with you!"

"No need, you play games with Xiaoling instead."

The little thing jumped onto Ceruno's head and made a face at me.

If I don't get this thing out of my head soon, I'm going to go insane.

I'm too lazy to use the Wormhole Device anymore.

I opened a long-distance teleportation portal and went directly to the treatment facility in Skyreach City. I explained my purpose to the receptionist, and she kindly arranged a full set of physical examinations for me... To put it bluntly, it was testing some data related to magical girls, acting as a free guinea pig.

During this time, that little thing kept muttering in my head.

"Hmph! I knew I shouldn't have talked to you. I'm not only Witch Persona, but also your power. Don't you want to become stronger?"

I don't reject power, but I'm a little dissatisfied with the gifts that come with it.

"Don't hate me! I wouldn't hurt you!"

Who knows?

Seriously, why did this have to happen to me...?

After completing the physical examination process, a female doctor explained the report to me at the end.

"Miss Miluno, your Star Crystal hasn't changed much since your last checkup. The only anomaly we can detect is your compatibility with the Crystal..."

I asked:

"Reduced?"

The female doctor shook her head.

"No, it's even higher. Your adaptability has even exceeded the measurement range of existing instruments, and by many."

To put it simply, my synchronization rate is off the charts.

Barbara once said that my adaptability was originally due to the Crystal working in my favor, but now it's completely out of control... The consequence of not being able to suppress it... won't it turn me into a witch?

I asked directly:

"So, I didn't become a witch?"

The female doctor still shook her head and held up two fingers to explain:

"We have two criteria for judging whether someone becomes a witch. First, whether the amount of Dark Energy contained within their body is sufficient to form Black Crystal; second, whether they can hear the Dream Murmur of the gods on the 'The Other Side'... But your body is cleaner than that of ordinary people."

Do you also have Dark Energy within you?

She nodded, her expression somewhat helpless.

"As a heavily polluted area, the residents of Skyreach City and the magical girls all have some degree of contamination... but as long as it doesn't spread on a large scale, the darkness is harmless. The self-service purification devices deployed by the Association are sufficient to eliminate this level of darkness, so there's no need to worry for now."

The encroachment of darkness on this world has already affected ordinary people.

Even if things have calmed down on "the Other Side" for a while, has the crisis never truly ended?

"Don't worry! I'll save the world with you!"

The little thing popped out again.

A witch then suggested that we become saviors together.

Am I insane, or is this witch insane?

"I'm not crazy. Other witches have artificially implanted personalities; in their minds, they belong to the 'The Other Side' of warriors. But I'm different! I'm a witch born from the depths of your heart—your wish is my wish!"

She stuck to my face in a sticky, clingy way.

I just want her to disappear quickly.

But I have no darkness within me, so why is Witch Persona emerging?

Why are you being so cold to me?!

The little thing started tapping my face again.

The female doctor seemed to have something else to say, but my phone rang.

"Miluno, hurry back to the 'Zodiacal' entrance hall, there's an urgent mission that requires Galaxy's deployment."

This is SpiCa's phone number.

Her Witch Persona didn't disappear; rather, it was restrained by her own magic... For her, the gift of power was something she could refuse.

"What mission?"

"Witch Domain has appeared."

"Where?"

"Busan, the place you visited last time."

Places you've been?

"Then I'll just Past."

They fell through a teleportation tunnel in mid-air, with an inverted bell-shaped barrier beneath their feet.

Witch Domain.

The major cities at the southeastern tip of the Korean Peninsula also have a relatively high population density.

Such cities would become prime targets for the 'The Other Side' because a large population makes it easier for darkness to emerge.

SpiCa himself conducted the operational briefing:

"Miluno, the local magical girls have been imprisoned in Witch Domain. A defeat in this Witch Domain could very well lead to the birth of a new witch. Send reinforcements as soon as possible."

"Ceruno hasn't arrived yet, I can't get in!"

I am falling from a great height.

The little thing hugged the back of my neck and said:

"Even without Ceruno, you still have me! You're a witch now, so of course you can enter the Witch Domain!"

"Huh? How do I do that?"

"Let me show you the power of a witch!"