Magical Girl? I Got 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 holiday 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 see a problem with that arrangement, she herself couldn't get past it.

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

But put that way, it made Nanako sound like a pet she took out for walks whenever she had time.

Keeping a baby evil god as a pet... hehehe, that really was a shocking thing.

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

"Master! It's finally vacation time! What are we doing today?"

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

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

Wait, Nanako, why are you sleeping next to me again? Could you get up on the bed? And Ruby, seriously, don't turn human when you're sleeping. Three people squeezed together on the floor makes even turning over exhausting.

Still, now that Ruby had woken her up like this, she couldn't be bothered to go back to sleep. Back in the day, she had deliberately set alarms to wake up for gaming too.

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

"I haven't decided yet. We'll figure it out after we go 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 keep depriving me like this, don't blame me for getting angry... ow..."

Ruby was making such a racket that Ando Meiko couldn't help smacking her on the head.

What was this girl getting angry about? What dignity did she even have? Where was that dignity when she tricked people into signing contracts?

"If you get carried away, then don't come along. Stay home alone and sleep."

"N-no, Master!" Seeing that her master was completely unmoved, Ruby swiftly hugged her leg and pleaded bitterly.

"Ehehe, ehehehe... Master's thighs are so soft and comfy..."

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

"You keep turning 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 hobby of hers? She might even suspect Meiko of imprisoning this trashy staff.

With Ruby and Ando Meiko making such a commotion, even sleepy Nanako couldn't endure it any longer. She rubbed her eyes and sat up from the bed.

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

"Morning, Nanako. I'll take you out to play today."

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

The moment Nanako heard her suggestion, she perked right up. The little evil god suddenly leaped at her, and Meiko caught her in her arms.

"Nanako loves Sister Meiko the most!"

"There, there. Honestly, why are you acting spoiled? As long as you're good at home, I'll take you out to play whenever I have time, okay?"

"Okay! Nanako will definitely behave."

If playing was enough to make this little evil god behave, then that was really cheap. In any case, what she needed to do next was properly plan out today's itinerary.

There was an upside to Ruby waking her up so early. At least she had a lot more time to make use of.

Yesterday's battle with the Void Beast had taken everything she had. The magic power consumed by using Silver Impact had completely recovered after a night's sleep.

Perhaps because she had gotten somewhat used to using magic power during the battle, her physical condition was far 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 further merged with Aether. Maybe that's why you're feeling so good."

"I see. So if 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 died because of it, there would truly be nothing left.

Never mind fighting. Even the weakest trash-tier Void Wolves had left her in such a miserable state. Could she win against something stronger?

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 had to have fun.

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

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

"This has nothing to do with you. Just be good and turn into a necklace so you can follow along."

"Eh!"

"Playing the victim won't help."

This was already Ando Meiko's greatest concession. It wasn't that she didn't want Ruby to come, but the staff's everyday behavior made her deeply feel that it was a ticking bomb, the kind that could go into heat anywhere at any time.

After changing into one of the relatively normal cosplay outfits she didn't often wear and washing up, she headed to the living room as usual.

Fuko had already been working hard in the open kitchen early in the morning, and the fragrance rushing into Meiko's nostrils swept away the remnants of her drowsiness.

"Smells so good." Nanako, who should have still been washing up, raced ahead of her to the 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 waking up early mean it's vacation? Don't people usually assume you'd sleep in during vacation?"

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

"Plans? Nope, 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 stay with her because of problems at school, but Meiko had left her alone at home to do chores because she had classes. Now Fuko even had to help take care of Nanako for her.

Though quite a few things had happened in the meantime, Meiko felt more or less guilty toward this childhood friend she hadn't seen in so long.

Besides, she had intended to invite Fuko to the amusement park from the start. That was also why she was so strongly against Ruby using a human form.

Fuko couldn't be allowed to discover Ruby's existence, or it would only cause bigger problems.

Once they had eaten and drunk their fill, Fuko saved a great deal of time since there was no need to prepare lunch. Besides, although the decision had been made on the spur of the moment, they weren't going on a hike, so there was nothing much to prepare.

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

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

Volume One: About How I Got 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 filled with memories for both of them.

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

When they were little, their families were too busy to look after them. Only she, Fuko, her childhood friend, and another girl a year older than them played together.

Back then, Fuko's mother was still a housewife. During her free time after chores, she would take the three children out to play, and this amusement park was where they came most often.

"Compared to when we were kids, though, there are a lot more rides now. There's even some new attraction where I have no idea what's inside."

But perhaps it was precisely the addition of new attractions that kept this amusement park fresh.

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

It wasn't a holiday or weekend, so there weren't many people here at this time. Most rides were deserted, with only a scattering of visitors, and quite a few places were completely empty.

The only places that looked remotely lively were the convenience stalls and snack shops. Although the people sitting inside looked idle, at least they appeared to be open for business.

"The first one should be that, right! It has to be that, right!"

"Then let's go."

She understood what Fuko meant.

Fuko was referring to the ride they always went on first whenever they came to this amusement park as children: the roller coaster.

"It's great we came at this time. There are barely any people, so we don't even need to line up."

"Exactly." As a popular attraction, riding the roller coaster as children had meant waiting in line for at least half an hour.

"Nanako, are you scared?"

"Nanako isn't scared!"

"Oh! Nanako, you're amazing!"

"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 pulling down the safety bar, they waited a few seconds before enjoying the roller coaster's gradual acceleration from slow to fast.

The roller coaster looped around once, then slowed at the finish line to make way for another batch of long-waiting passengers.

A ride that had felt incredibly thrilling as a child now felt fairly ordinary as she grew older, but being able to reminisce about the past through it gave her a warm feeling.

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

"It was fun! Nanako wants to ride it again!"

"We can come back before we leave. For now, of course we're going to try more things."

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

The three girls seemed to form a unique sight. Even passersby who were already married with 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 it was, a cosplay outfit was still a cosplay outfit, and wearing one to an amusement park was a little strange.

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

But without exception, none of them fit. Fuko was more prominent in the front and back, while Meiko had a petite figure and was a size smaller than Fuko to begin with.

Fortunately, cosplay outfits had special ways of being worn, so even putting one on across sizes didn't look too out of place.

Following the principle of going to whatever was closest, after leaving the roller coaster, they entered the newly built attraction. Meiko had thought it was a large haunted house, only to discover inside that it was another track ride.

But since they were already in, they had no intention of leaving and decided to enjoy the experience properly.

They had fastened their seat belts, but before the ride began, the staff handed each rider a toy gun.

"What are these for?"

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

Well, wasn't that just a game? It was probably score-based too. Playing with something this childish once in a while didn't seem so 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 to use a gun in battle and fire continuous energy bullets.

Even though she had made up her mind not to get involved in fighting, one could never have too many means of self-defense. After all, she could be dragged into another world by monsters anytime, anywhere.

If she got the chance, it might not hurt to try shooting at some targets.