Magic Girl? I Got Scammed Into It!

But festival stalls were not primarily meant to make money. What they sold was only slightly more expensive than the cost of the ingredients, so they were basically just breaking even.

In other words, the money that normally bought one serving could now buy three, or even four or five!

She had luck, location, and company all on her side. If she did not eat now, then when would she!?

Volume One: How I Got Scammed into Becoming a Magical Girl — Chapter 33: Scream

"Nanako, while I can still afford it, eat as much as you want!"

"Yay!" This little evil goddess who could really eat naturally did not stand on ceremony with Ando Meiko. Especially after receiving permission, her eating speed doubled once more.

Good grief, this little girl had been holding back? How could Ando Meiko admit defeat first? Of course, she decisively rose to the challenge!

And so, they became the most eye-catching group in the entire venue...

Five distinctive girls had formed a group. Three chatted while two cleared the food, and the girl and little girl in particular had absolutely no elegance in the way they ate.

That contrast alone was incredibly pleasing to watch.

"Alright, Meiko, have you eaten enough? People are watching you two make fools of yourselves."

Fuko's reminder snapped Ando Meiko out of her brutal battle with the snacks. When she raised her head, she realized she had attracted quite a few glances, and her face flushed with embarrassment.

"I'm so jealous. You can eat so much, so why did it all grow in the right places!"

Right there in public, Rei showed no restraint at all. She walked directly behind Ando Meiko and, while both of Meiko's hands were occupied, launched a sneak attack on her impressive breasts.

"Tickles... It tickles so much! Rei, s-stop it!"

So many people were watching... This public execution was way too embarrassing!

Ando Meiko's heart twitched. Without noticing the strength in her hands, she accidentally crushed the carton of yogurt.

Thick white yogurt splashed through the air, spilling all over her and Rei. Quite a bit of it even mischievously slid beneath their clothes.

The icy sensation made her shiver instinctively.

"Whoa, you sprayed yogurt everywhere. Meiko, you were way too careless."

"And now you're trying to blame the victim. This was obviously your fault! You actually did something like that to me in public! At least..."

At least wait until no one was around before doing that...

Of course, saying the rest aloud in public would have been inappropriate, so Ando Meiko swallowed those words after only getting through the first few.

But at that moment, Rei leaned closer and gently blew into Ando Meiko's ear. "So does that mean we can secretly do it when no one's around...?"

"Enough! You two are still pressed together—separate already!" Fuko and Rin appeared at just the right time, each grabbing one of them and pulling them apart.

"So sticky. Gross." Ando Meiko ran a hand through her hair, which still had plenty of yogurt left in it.

If she left it for too long, it would be especially troublesome to clean up.

Straightening her clothes, Rei suggested, "We don't have much of a choice. How about we go wash up a little?"

"Where?"

"Of course I know a way!" She winked at Ando Meiko and the others, signaling them to follow her.

Only after they got there did they discover that her solution was to sneak into the school pool area while no one was around and use the showers in the changing room.

"Um, I don't think I have any clothes to change into..."

"It's fine, I do. I'll go back and get some for you. Meiko, just wait here for a bit." Rin volunteered and headed off toward the school building.

"Then Nanako and I will wait outside for you."

Inside the shower room, Rei was right next to Ando Meiko, separated from her by nothing more than a sheet of frosted glass.

The thing was thin enough that when Ando Meiko turned her head, she could vaguely make out Rei's flat yet exceptionally well-proportioned body through the glass.

She hurriedly turned on the shower, relying on the cold water pouring over her body to barely suppress the heat within her.

Just one look had already left her like this. If she looked again, she might actually explode.

Not long afterward, Rei called out from next door, "Meiko, are you not done yet?"

Before Rei asked, Ando Meiko had actually already finished washing. She just wanted to wait for Rei to leave and get dressed first, then casually walk out afterward.

Otherwise, in front of the girl she liked, she did not know how long she could hold herself back.

"Almost... Whoa~!" Just as she answered Rei, she felt pressure against her chest, followed by a delicate, smooth sensation covering her back.

"Eek! Rei, w-what are you doing? Why are you pressing against me?"

The cold water had made Ando Meiko even more sensitive to Rei's body temperature. What looked like a simple hug from behind nearly evaporated all her reason.

"Hehe, even if you scream your lungs out, no one will come save you. Take this, Meiko!"

"D-don't do this..." She had never imagined there would come a day like this.

This felt completely different from Fuko and Ruby. Being teased like this by someone she liked brought not only physical pleasure, but emotional pleasure as well.

One plus one was already greater than two.

Her last shred of reason roared, and Ando Meiko gained a trace of clarity from it. She quickly pried Rei's hands off herself.

Puffing out her cheeks, she said irritably, "Honestly, if you keep this up, I'm going to get mad."

But the blush on her face and the rapid breaths mixed into her words robbed that threat of all persuasion.

Seeing Ando Meiko puffed up in anger, Rei giggled. "Alright, alright, I was wrong. Is that good enough?"

Of course, she was only saying it. She had no intention whatsoever of reflecting on her actions.

"Honestly, you're still laughing."

Ando Meiko turned to leave the shower room, but in her carelessness, she stepped on the towel that had fallen to the floor when she pushed Rei away.

As her body tipped forward uncontrollably, she fell and knocked Rei, who stood in front of her, to the floor as well.

Their bodies pressed even more tightly together, and the dangerous thing hidden within her body nearly erupted in an unbelievable way.

"Sorry... I-I'll get up right—mm..."

Before Ando Meiko could rise, Rei had already wrapped an arm around her head.

Then Rei leaned in with her entire body, making Ando Meiko's eyes widen in disbelief.

After Ruby's ambush in the shower room, she was attacked in a shower room once again. This time, it was by the person she had always liked...

Something she had once begged for but could never obtain was now being offered to her by its owner.

Two trails of tears slipped from the corners of Ando Meiko's eyes, but she knew perfectly well that they were not tears of happiness.

She only felt as if something inside her was falling apart... The line she had always guarded was being eroded, bit by bit, then shattered.

This was the scream of her original self, the scream of Ando Koichi.

Although she had not been a girl for very long, when she came back to her senses, she suddenly realized that everything she possessed and everything she tried to possess was being taken away little by little by the identity of Ando Meiko.

If it really came to that, would she still have the courage to face life after changing back from Ando Meiko into Ando Koichi? Could he still accept Rei's cold expression?

It was like someone who had already grown used to darkness suddenly seeing and enjoying the light through a chance encounter. If given the choice, could he still return to the darkness?

Rei, Rin... perhaps I could no longer go back...

[Master, what's wrong? Your body has fallen into a state of chaos, Master?! Don't overthink things! Calm down, quickly!]

Ruby's call restored a little clarity to her muddled gaze.

She gently pushed Rei away from herself. It was as if she had entered sage mode, without the slightest ripple of emotion.

Volume One: How I Got Scammed into Becoming a Magical Girl — Chapter 34: Changing Locations

"Meiko... I-I'm sorry... I went too far. I shouldn't have just... without asking for your permission..."

Faced with Rei's self-blame, Ando Meiko shook her head.

She did not blame Rei. She blamed her own pathetic self. She was already timid enough normally, yet she had to start pondering life at the most critical moment.

There was just one thing that bothered her greatly... Compared to that time with Ruby, this time felt like it carried a special sweetness.

"Meiko, I'm back... What's wrong? Did you two have a fight?"

When Rin came in, Ando Meiko and Rei had already separated. Having not seen what happened earlier, Rin only felt that the atmosphere was a little off.

"No, Rin, you're overthinking it."

She changed into the clothes Rin had brought over, but halfway through, she noticed a problem... This was not a school uniform, nor was it anything one could wear in everyday life.

It was a maid outfit!

"Rin! What did you bring me? Oh my god, a maid outfit? You want me to go out dressed like this? How am I supposed to face anyone?"

"Huh? What does it matter? It's the school festival, so plenty of people are wearing strange clothes."

"That doesn't mean I should wear a maid outfit, does it?" Ando Meiko complained, but she still put the maid outfit on.

She had no choice but to wear it, since she had already washed her school uniform. Now, the only thing she could change into was the outfit Rin had brought.

"It fits perfectly, Rin. This isn't your outfit, is it?"

"Of course not. Our class was originally planning to open a café, but we decided at the last minute to switch to a stage play. We happened to have extra costumes."

"Then hurry up and get dressed. Fuko and Nanako are waiting outside too."

Rin left, and Ando Meiko turned back to look at Rei, who still seemed at a loss. "Alright, I really don't blame you. I just don't know what expression I should make."

"Really? That's great. Hehe." Hearing Ando Meiko's explanation, Rei regained her energy.

"If you're changed, let's go. Don't keep them waiting too long."

"Okay~ Meiko really is the best." Rei lightly hugged Ando Meiko from behind.

But she quickly let go and did not make any more strange moves.

Perhaps that was a small change too. Still, it would not really be a problem if she made a few more intimate gestures like that.

"I knew it! How could it possibly be normal?"

After leaving the pool changing room and returning to the field, Ando Meiko became the center of attention once more. Nearly anyone whose peripheral vision landed on her would turn to look at her.

"Don't say that, Meiko. You look really cute in a maid outfit."

"Even Fuko says that... Honestly, what am I supposed to do from now on?"

"Don't worry. Meiko is so cute that someone might spot you and drag you off to become an idol."

"Absolutely not. I'm never becoming an idol in this lifetime."

What nonsense? Asking a shut-in to become an idol? Just standing on stage would probably make my legs go weak, let alone anything else. Besides, where would I even find the time to become an idol?

If she were suddenly dragged into the Void while singing and dancing, not only would she vanish in front of everyone, but if she emerged as a magical girl afterward, the news would explode the next day.

Under Ando Meiko's strong protest, their battlefield finally moved from the field into the school building.

She still drew looks, but not many. At least it was within the range she could accept, unlike on the field, where merely walking around made her the center of attention.

"Is there anything fun in here?" Fuko asked curiously.

As someone who had once been a student here, returning to this familiar yet unfamiliar environment filled her with emotion.

"There's an entire classroom-sized space to work with, so the results of renovations naturally can't compare to those mobile stalls outside. There are plenty of fun places, like cafés, musicals, and even a haunted house."

Fuko smiled and secretly glanced at Ando Meiko. "A haunted house! That sounds great. I really want to try it."

They had also planned to visit a haunted house at the amusement park, but the appearance of the Void King Serpent had disrupted all her plans, forcing them to head home early.

"The haunted house you mean should be the one run by the first-years, right?" Rei recalled. She had read through the information submitted by the other classes, and the only haunted house was in the first year.

"Yeah."

"Come to think of it, why didn't the upperclassmen make things like that?" Ando Meiko asked curiously.

"Because more complicated classroom renovations need to be prepared and submitted in advance. Only lowerclassmen who do not have to worry about exams have the time. For people like us, who are preparing for exams while joining at the last minute, it's already good enough if we manage to make anything at all," Rei explained.

"Yeah." Rin nodded and took over the topic. "We started preparing two weeks ago to open a maid café. The maid outfit Meiko is wearing was also made back then, but because of a last-minute staffing conflict, we altered the unfinished costumes and changed the event from a café into a stage play."

"Good thing you changed it." Rei shrugged. "Our class is running a maid cake shop."

If there was not enough information, this kind of conflict really could happen. If several maid cafés were open at once, no one would know which one to choose.