Magical Girl? I Was Tricked Into It! Chapter 12

Ever since that day, she had been living day by day... but even if she hadn't been tricked into becoming a magical girl,

her usual vacation plans would probably have just been spending the whole day at home playing games.

But now there was Fuko, Ruby, and Nanako at home. She couldn't possibly have them all spend the entire day cooped up at home with her, could she?

Even if they didn't mind such an arrangement, she herself couldn't get past it.

Thinking that, Ando Meiko rubbed her aching head. "Let's go out for a bit. I can't exactly keep Nanako shut up at home all the time."

But phrasing it like that made Nanako sound like a pet that needed to be taken out for walks whenever she had free time.

Keeping a baby Evil God as a pet... heh heh, that really was a horrifying thought.

Volume One: About How I Was Tricked Into Becoming a Magical Girl: Chapter Nineteen: Of Course It Had to Be an Amusement Park

"Master! Vacation starts now! What are we doing today?"

It wasn't even time for school yet, but Ando Meiko had already been woken up early by that idiot staff, Ruby. During school days, Ruby slept more deeply than anyone else.

Yet now she was the first one awake. Even Nanako, who was sleeping beside Ando Meiko, found her too noisy and nearly summoned tentacles to tie her up.

Wait, Nanako, why are you sleeping beside me again? Could you get up onto the bed? And Ruby, seriously, don't turn into a human when we're sleeping. Three people crammed onto the floor makes even turning over exhausting.

Still, after Ruby woke her up like this, she couldn't be bothered to keep sleeping. Back when she played games, she used to deliberately set alarms to wake herself up too.

Not sleeping in was probably one of her few good habits.

"I haven't decided yet. We'll figure it out after we head out."

"Yay! I want to go on a date with Master!"

"What date? I just want to take Nanako out for some fresh air. You can turn back into a necklace and come along."

"Eh! That's unfair! Even I have dignity! If you take that away from me, don't blame me for getting angry... ow..."

The noisy thing made Ando Meiko unable to resist slapping her on the head.

What was this thing getting angry about? What dignity could she possibly have? Where was that dignity when she tricked people into signing contracts?

"If you keep getting carried away, don't come with us. Stay home and sleep by yourself."

"N-no, Master!" Seeing that her master was completely unmoved, Ruby swiftly hugged her thigh and begged pitifully.

"Hehe, hehehe... Master's thighs are so soft and comfy..."

"Hey, don't wipe your drool on my leg!" The next second, Ando Meiko swept her leg out and flung the shameless magical staff onto the bed.

"You keep turning into a human. What if Fuko comes in to wake me up and happens to see you? How are you going to explain your existence?"

"Eh? What explanation? I'd just say, 'Meiko is my master.'"

At that, Ando Meiko clicked her tongue in displeasure.

If Fuko really heard that, who knew whether that airheaded girl would misunderstand it as some weird fetish of hers? She might even suspect Meiko had imprisoned this trashy magical staff.

Ruby and Ando Meiko were making such a racket that even sleepy Nanako couldn't take it anymore. She rubbed her eyes and sat up from the bed.

"Good morning, Sister Meiko. Good morning, Sister Ruby."

"Morning, Nanako. How about I take you out to play today?"

"Going out to play! Yay! Going out to play!"

The moment Nanako heard the suggestion, she perked right up. The little Evil God suddenly leaped toward Meiko, who caught her in her arms.

"Nanako likes Sister Meiko the most!"

"There, there. Honestly, what's with the clinginess? As long as you're good at home, I'll take you out whenever I have time, okay?"

"Okay! Nanako will definitely behave!"

If playing with her was enough to make this little Evil God behave, then that was awfully cheap. In any case, the next thing to do was properly plan out the day's itinerary.

There was at least one benefit to being woken up so early by Ruby: she had a lot more time to use.

Yesterday's fight with the Void Beast had pushed her to her limits, but the magic power consumed by Silver Impact had fully recovered after one night's sleep.

Perhaps because she had grown somewhat more familiar with using magic power during the battle, her physical condition was much better than it had been yesterday.

"Master seems to be in pretty good shape today."

"You can tell?"

"Yep. Since you used magic power in battle, the body that had stagnated after accepting the contract has fused further with Aether. Maybe that's why you're feeling better, Master."

"I see. So as long as I fight more, my body will return to normal... You think I'd say that? Don't give me that crap. I don't want to fight."

Perhaps fighting could restore her body and turn her from Ando Meiko back into Ando Koichi, but if she had to Sacrifice herself for it, then there would truly be nothing left.

Forget fighting. Even the weakest trash-tier Void Wolves could leave her in such a sorry state. If she faced something stronger, could she still win?

No, that was impossible. She didn't even know how to fight yet.

Forget it. What was the point of thinking so much? It was a rare day off, so naturally she should enjoy herself.

"I've decided. We're going to the amusement park today."

"An amusement park? An amusement park sounds great! I love amusement parks, Master!"

"It has nothing to do with you. Just obediently turn into a necklace and follow along."

"Eh!"

"Playing the victim won't help."

This was already Ando Meiko's biggest concession. It wasn't that she didn't want Ruby to come along, but the magical staff's usual behavior had made her deeply feel that Ruby was a ticking bomb—one that could go into heat anywhere and anytime.

After changing into a cosplay outfit she didn't usually wear, one that was relatively normal, and washing up, she went to the living room as usual.

Fuko was already hard at work in the open kitchen early in the morning, and the aroma rushing into Meiko's nostrils swept away all lingering drowsiness.

"Smells so good." Nanako, who should still have been washing up, dashed ahead of her to the dining table to wait for food.

"Nanako, did you brush your teeth and wash your face properly?"

"I did."

She had been very quick, but since Nanako said she had, she probably wasn't lying.

"You're up so early today. Vacation started, right?"

"Why would getting up early mean vacation? Wouldn't people usually assume you'd sleep later during vacation?"

"I can understand not wanting to waste your break, but speaking of which, do you have any plans today?"

"Plans? No, but I'm thinking of going to the amusement park."

"An amusement park! Yay, can I come too?"

"Of course. We'll all go together."

Fuko had come to spend time with her because of problems at school, yet Meiko had left her alone at home to do housework while she went to school. Now Fuko even had to help look after Nanako.

Although quite a lot had happened in the meantime, Meiko still felt somewhat guilty toward this childhood friend she hadn't seen in so long.

Besides, she had originally intended to invite Fuko to the amusement park too. That was why she had strongly opposed Ruby using her human form.

She couldn't let Fuko discover Ruby's existence. Otherwise, it would only lead to even bigger trouble.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Fuko saved plenty of time since there was no need to prepare lunch. Besides, although the decision had been spontaneous, they weren't going on a hike, so there was nothing much to pack.

"Okay, everything's packed. We can head out now."

"Yay! Nanako's going out with her sisters!"

Volume One: About How I Was Tricked Into Becoming a Magical Girl: Chapter Twenty: A Dating Hotspot

Once they had decided, there was no hesitation. Ando Meiko and Fuko brought Nanako to the only amusement park in the city, a place full of memories for both of them.

"This really brings back memories, doesn't it, Meiko?"

When they were little, their families had no time to look after them. It was just Meiko, her childhood friend Fuko, and another girl a year older than them who played together.

Fuko's mother had still been a housewife back then. During her spare time after finishing the housework, she would take the three children out to play, and this amusement park was where they came most often.

"But compared to when we were kids, there are a lot more rides here. There's even a new attraction, though I have no idea what's inside."

Then again, perhaps it was only through adding new rides that this amusement park could keep itself fresh.

After paying for tickets, Ando Meiko led the two of them into the amusement park.

Today wasn't a holiday or a weekend, so there weren't many visitors. Most attractions were deserted, with only a few scattered people, and many areas were completely empty.

The only places that looked relatively lively were the convenience stores and snack shops. Though the people sitting inside looked idle, at least they seemed to be operating normally.

"First, that one! It has to be that one, right!"

"Then let's go."

She understood what Fuko meant.

Fuko was referring to the attraction they always rode first whenever they came to this amusement park as children: the roller coaster.

"It's great that we came at this time. There aren't many people, so we don't even have to line up."

"Exactly." As a popular attraction, they had always needed to wait in line for at least half an hour to ride the roller coaster when they were little.

"Nanako, are you scared?"

"Nanako isn't scared!"

"Oh! Nanako's so brave!"

"Hehe."

Fuko's wholehearted praise made Nanako smile happily. There was clearly a reason Nanako got along so well with Fuko. After all, Fuko had always been good at taking care of children.

"Please fasten your seat belts. The roller coaster is about to depart."

After fastening Nanako's seat belt and lowering the safety bar, they waited a few seconds before enjoying the roller coaster's gradual acceleration from slow to fast.

The roller coaster twisted and turned through one lap before slowing down at the finish, making way for a new batch of long-waiting passengers.

What had seemed incredibly thrilling when they were children felt rather ordinary now that they were older. Still, recalling the past through it gave her a warm feeling.

"Nanako, how was it? Was it fun?"

"Fun! Nanako wants to ride it again!"

"We can come back before we leave. For now, of course we should try more things."

Smiling, she and Fuko held Nanako's hands on either side as the little girl skipped along. They looked like three sisters from one family: the youngest playful and adorable, the middle sister virtuous and calm, and the eldest gentle and lovely.

The three girls formed a unique sight. Even passersby already out with their wives and children would glance their way from time to time, because they really were pleasing to the eye.

Of course, it might also have had something to do with Meiko's somewhat out-of-place cosplay outfit. No matter how plain a cosplay costume was, it was still a cosplay costume, and wearing one to an amusement park was a little strange.

Fuko had, of course, planned to have Ando Meiko try on the clothes she had brought.

But none of them fit. Fuko was more developed in the front and back, while Meiko's figure was petite to begin with, a full size smaller than Fuko's.

Fortunately, cosplay outfits had special ways of being worn, so even when she squeezed into a different size, it didn't look too unnatural.

Following the principle of going to the nearest attraction, after leaving the roller coaster, they entered the newly built attraction. They had initially thought it was a large haunted house, but after entering, they discovered it was another track ride.

But since they were already inside, they didn't plan to leave. Instead, they decided to experience it properly.

After fastening their seat belts, but before the ride started, the staff handed every passenger a toy gun.

"What's this?"

"You'll encounter monsters during the ride. When that happens, you'll need to use the weapons in your hands to defeat them."

Well, those were basically the game rules. It was probably score-based too. Playing something childish like this once in a while didn't seem too bad.

But the moment Ando Meiko took the gun from the staff member, she suddenly thought of something.

Could she use a gun to train her imagination? As long as she had handled one before, perhaps she could imagine how a gun worked in battle and fire continuous energy bullets.

Even if she had resolved not to participate in battles, she could never have too many ways to defend herself. After all, she could be dragged into another world by monsters anytime, anywhere.

If she had the chance, it wouldn't hurt to try out the shooting range too.