Prologue: Waiting to Board

(Sun Yao)

In the spacious airport boarding area, Miluno and I waited for our flight in half an hour when Miss Yin Wei came hurrying over, laden with bags of all sizes.

"All this luggage... Miss Yin Wei, are you coming with us too?"

"Mm. Someone has to be responsible for supporting you over there. For example, are your English skills good enough to communicate with the locals?"

Because of my childhood experiences, I could speak some Esperia, but my English definitely wasn't good enough for spoken conversations with foreigners.

"...Then we'll be relying on you."

Miss Yin Wei was very dependable. Having her around was reassuring.

"I'm the Association's liaison. This is part of my job. Also, both of you have first-class tickets, so there's no need to wait here. There's a dedicated VIP lounge and boarding passage ahead."

As she spoke, she flashed a professional smile that put even the ground staff beside her to shame.

"We're flying first class? What about you?" I asked.

"I'm in business class. My seat is right outside your first-class cabin. If there's anything inconvenient to tell the flight attendants, I can arrange it for you."

"Like a butler."

"Mm. For this trip, I'll be the two of you's butler."

As she spoke, she explained the situation to the ground staff nearby.

"These two ladies are first-class passengers. Please take them to the lounge."

"Oh, certainly."

This ground attendant didn't recognize us. Both Miluno and I were disguised.

Compared to mine, though, Miss Miluno's disguise was rather halfhearted. She had only put on a plain white mask and changed her clothes.

"I never thought we'd be at Longmoon Lake in the morning and heading to Hawaii in the afternoon... But is it really okay for Miluno and me to both leave?"

And for five whole days, at that. What if another Monster appeared in the D3 District?

"Don't worry. Other magical girls will be transferred over. These days, compared to Monsters that only show up once every ten days or half a month, there are relatively more magical girls than needed."

Miss Yin Wei's answer made me freeze for a moment.

"If there are enough people, then why wasn't another magical girl transferred here when Miss Heat Haze was hospitalized?"

"...Uh, there just happened to be a manpower shortage then."

No.

The so-called "filling the combat vacancy left by Heat Haze" had merely been an excuse to prepare me to become a magical girl.

Once I realized that, I felt a little deceived.

Rubbing my forehead, I sighed. "Sigh, I think I understand why Miss Miluno hates the Association."

They claimed to be an organization that served magical girls, but they were really full of schemes.

Still, I had no complaints about it. If Miss Yin Wei hadn't taken me out of the police station, not only would I have been unable to become a magical girl, I would have had to face the condemnation of public opinion. So... I was still quite grateful to her.

I asked again, "Then Yezi... my friend isn't taking this flight?"

Miss Yin Wei glanced at Miluno.

She answered, "I contacted your friend. He said he needed to prepare his luggage, so the ticket his grandmother booked for him is for tonight. He'll arrive in Hawaii a little later than us."

I did know that. Yezi had messaged me earlier too, but for some reason, he wouldn't answer my calls. I called twice without getting through, and he even turned off his phone after the second call.

After taking a photo of the waiting hall and sending it to him, I asked, "How long is the flight?"

"Eight and a half hours. If all goes well, we'll land around one or two in the morning. But Hawaii is seventeen hours behind here, so when we arrive at Honolulu International Airport, it should still be around eight or nine in the morning. So you absolutely can't get so excited that you stay awake on the plane. Get some proper rest so you can adjust to the time difference."

Then Yezi would arrive in the morning, and I would still have a chance to pick him up.

"Ladies, this way, please."

The well-dressed ground attendant checked our tickets, then led us toward the so-called VIP lounge.

It wasn't my first time flying, but I had never experienced first class before. If the goal was simply to reduce contact with ordinary people, then business class with Miss Yin Wei would have been enough.

Miss Miluno had barely spoken since earlier, and her expression was rather solemn, as though we were heading not to Hawaii, but Syria.

"Miss Miluno?"

Leaning closer and lowering my voice so the ground attendant couldn't hear, I asked, "You look like something's weighing on your mind. You really can't stop worrying about Skyreach City's safety, can you?"

"No, it's just that this is my first time flying..."

She let out a sigh.

"...I'm a little nervous."

(Bai Ziye)

Of course, I wasn't nervous because of the flight...

Well, I was a little nervous, but compared to the hell waiting for me afterward, that level of nervousness was nothing worth mentioning.

I'm finished!

Spending five days touring the Hawaiian Islands with Ceruno while simultaneously being Bai Ziye and Miluno?

Are you kidding me? There was basically no way I wouldn't get exposed, right?!

SpiCa, who arranged this, really didn't know my identity. Yin Wei had kept her word and guarded my secret well. She had even been pretending to be me and messaging Ceruno to ease her suspicions, but that wasn't a long-term solution. Aside from keeping my phone turned off whenever she sent messages, Ceruno would sooner or later get suspicious.

Just thinking about it made my stomach hurt like it was about to perforate.

It was just that Ceruno mistook my grave expression for worry over the city...

"If you follow this passage to the end, you'll reach the VIP lounge reserved for first-class ticket holders. The drinks, snacks, and meals inside are all included with your ticket. There are also hourly guest rooms. If you two would like to take a short nap or have a shower, that's no problem. Your journey to Hawaii can begin even before you board the plane."

The ground attendant gave her introduction, but remained standing at the entrance to the passage.

Clearly, her responsibility ended there. There should be more professional attendants inside to serve us... First-class tickets really were something else. Was this the power of money?

After passing through a corridor like one in a luxury hotel, we arrived at a lounge resembling a salon. There weren't many people here, only a few elegantly dressed men and women, so after some hesitation, I took off my mask.

After all, I couldn't eat with a mask on.

The female attendant who came to greet us visibly froze. This was Skyreach City, after all, so it wasn't strange for her to recognize my face...

"Um, excuse me, but are you Bubble Witch Ceruno?"

...Huh? Why?

Ceruno, who had changed her hairstyle and hair color, had been recognized. She gave a silly grin.

"Hehe, you could tell?"

"You're the magical girl who protected this city in Miss Heat Haze's place. You're everyone's hero. Everyone around me likes you, and they were just discussing this morning's battle! That Bubble Convex Lens move was amazing!"

The female attendant was thrilled.

"Oh, please take a seat first, you two."

But she still retained her composure, and at least hadn't forgotten her actual job.

Even though she had met one of her female fans, Ceruno sat down with her head lowered, looking uneasy.

"After causing a wildfire like that, can everyone still accept me?"

So she was still thinking about that.

Reflection was a good thing, but Ceruno spent all twenty-four hours of the day intensely reflecting on herself and always thinking she wasn't good enough. That wouldn't do either.

She lacked confidence far too much. For magic like hers, which required "belief," that mindset would greatly affect her performance.

"Battles cause destruction. That's already common knowledge. Besides, don't forget who your predecessor was."

I forced out a smile.

"That one blew up a building in the city center. Compared to her, you only set a few trees on fire."

It seems monthly tickets are connected to the contest recommendations, so I'd like to ask everyone for the monthly tickets in your hands...

If you can't find it by searching the book title, try searching for the author instead. Maybe it was just renamed!