魔法少女?被坑成的啦! 第28章

For the sake of her dinner, Ando Meiko had no choice but to drain the entire Pacific Ocean.

"Yay! See? Hmph, I finally managed to beat you for once."

"Yeah, that was really impressive, Fuko."

She was so happy just because she had won under such obvious handicap. Meiko really didn't know why her former self had been so heartless.

If she had put a little more thought into it back then, Fuko might have become her girlfriend long ago.

All she could say was that she had been too young to appreciate her childhood friend, mistaking games for treasure instead.

Volume One: How I Got Tricked into Becoming a Magical Girl: Chapter 48: Running into an Acquaintance

"That's enough. I've already won once too, so I have no regrets now."

"Want to go to the mall?" The mall nearby was the largest in the area. Even on weekdays, it attracted quite a crowd, let alone during the holidays.

"Mm, of course. There are quite a few things we need to prepare today."

"There's that much to do?"

Fuko counted the things they needed to bring home on her fingers. "Yeah. We need to restock household supplies and ingredients, and buy some cat food, canned cat food, and so on."

"Huh? It's already almost gone?"

"Yeah, Yue can really eat. One bowl per meal isn't even enough for her."

"Don't feed her too much. If you spoil her like that, she'll turn into a fat cat!"

Restocking cat food was the last thing Meiko had expected. Before Fuko arrived, Meiko had already prepared plenty. It should have lasted over a month without any problem, yet it had only been a few days.

"It's fine. Besides, aren't cats a little cuter when they're chubby?"

"A little chubby is cute, sure... but don't raise her like a pig." Meiko was speechless. Just in case, she decided she would weigh Yue once they got home. Chubby cats looked nice, but being too fat could affect their health.

"Nanako, make sure you stay close to us, okay?"

"Got it, Meiko."

The crowd was not overly dense yet, but lines had already formed outside some of the more popular shops. If Nanako walked around on her own, she might get separated from them. Meiko did not dare let this little evil goddess out of her sight.

They did not make any particular plans while shopping. Whenever they saw a shop that looked interesting, they simply went in to take a look.

"Is this all accessories? They're so cheap." After wandering around for a while, Meiko and the others entered a jewelry shop.

Perhaps because it catered specifically to students, everything sold there was affordable jewelry and handmade trinkets.

Meiko did not have much use for these accessories, nor did she intend to buy any. After all, she already had a pink hair clip from Ruby for teleportation.

Still, they seemed like nice gifts. Since they had come all this way, buying everyone a little present would not be bad.

After splitting up to shop, Meiko and Nanako waited outside for Fuko to come out.

"Meiko, you came out so quickly? Did you find something you wanted?"

"Of course."

"Perfect, I bought one too."

They took out the accessories they had purchased at the same time. Both were hair clips, and though the styles were slightly different, each one clearly suited the other's style.

"I was planning to give this to you."

"So was I."

They personally put the gifts they had chosen onto each other, making Nanako pout nearby with an adorably jealous expression that was rather amusing.

"Of course, we got something for Nanako too."

"Exactly. How could we leave Nanako out?"

The gifts they had bought for Nanako were hair clips too, and the two clips were exactly the same.

They truly were childhood friends. They might not have been able to guess each other's thoughts, but they cared for each other in exactly the same way.

"Thank you, Fuko. Thank you, Meiko. Hehe." The child excitedly shook her head over and over in front of the mirror outside the shop, admiring the gifts from her two older sisters.

If Fuko and I had a child too, maybe she would be like Nanako?

Shaking her head, Meiko threw the thought out of her mind.

No, why would I have such an unrealistic thought? This is ridiculous.

"Why didn't you tell me about something like that earlier? Honestly, where are you? Got it, I'll be right there."

Fuko and Nanako were having a great time in front of the mirror when Meiko heard a familiar voice from behind her.

Turning around in confusion, she saw a familiar figure—Sawamura Rin.

Why was Rin here on her day off too? If I'd known, I should have asked her yesterday.

"Hey, Rin."

The surrounding noise drowned out Meiko's call. Rin, who had been heading straight in one direction, soon blended into the crowd and vanished from Meiko's sight.

Her intuition told her something was not quite right, but she had promised to go shopping with Fuko, so she did not chase after her.

They were in the same mall anyway. If fate had it, they would run into each other again.

"Meiko, who were you calling just now?"

"Oh, Rin. I saw Rin walking past behind me by herself, but it was too noisy around here, so she didn't hear me calling her."

"That's really a shame. It would've been nice if she could come along too. The more people, the livelier it is."

Meiko shrugged and glanced at the crowd over there.

Forget about searching for her. Besides, she might not even want to shop with us. I'll just say hello if we run into her later.

For a better shopping experience, Meiko had no intention of going anywhere crowded. After leaving that shop, the girls headed all the way up to the third floor.

"Isn't this where they sell clothes? Weren't we supposed to buy daily necessities?"

"Let's buy you some clothes first. Meiko is so cute, but my clothes seem a little old-fashioned. They don't suit you very well."

Fuko's fashion sense was reliable. As a girl, she never slacked off when it came to dressing well. The clothes she gave Meiko had been specially matched, with colors and styles that suited her perfectly.

"What are you talking about? I think they all look pretty good."

"Anyway, let's go, let's go. We have plenty of time, and we need to buy some for Nanako too." Fuko's adorably pleading expression left Meiko with no reason to refuse.

"Look, isn't it lovely? Meiko, you're just too cute in a short skirt."

Inside the clothing store, Fuko forcibly dressed her in a white off-the-shoulder camisole casual top.

She paired it with a black ultra-short pleated skirt. The thick-strapped undershirt deliberately showing underneath kept her upper body from looking too bare and added a more composed feel.

From her hair and top to her skirt, the black-white-black combination separated the colors without making them clash too stiffly. Combined with her original white stockings, it elevated the whole outfit to another level.

Though they were only a few cheap pieces of clothing, Fuko had considered not only the styles but even the colors.

"Meiko is so cute! Meiko, you're way too cute!"

The moment Meiko came out of the changing room, Fuko pulled her tightly into her arms and vigorously rubbed her head. Even the hairstyle Meiko painstakingly fixed every day was messed up.

"Next outfit. Nanako, bring that one over."

"Okay."

"Huh? There's more?"

"How can a girl only have one outfit?"

Is that really how it works? This feels like an excuse Fuko came up with... No matter how I look at it, she seems to be enjoying herself.

Volume One: How I Got Tricked into Becoming a Magical Girl: Chapter 49: A Lord-Class Codename

Having become a dress-up doll, Meiko changed into one outfit after another under Fuko's direction. The styles varied, but the taste remained dependable.

"Meiko looks as pretty as an idol. No matter what she wears, it suits her perfectly. Why don't you become an idol, Meiko? You might gain hundreds of thousands of fans."

"I'll pass on the idol thing." In the end, she bought the outfits that suited her best out of the ones she had tried on.

"We bought too much. What are we going to do later?"

"But..." Fuko frowned and pointed behind her. "It doesn't seem all that heavy."

Following the direction she pointed, Meiko saw that Nanako had picked up everything they had just bought. Bags of all sizes hung from her body, yet she looked completely unaffected, her expression still calm and relaxed.

Even this elementary-school-aged loli could carry so much stuff. No wonder Fuko felt like nothing was heavy.

She was an evil goddess, after all... Meiko had emphasized that to herself countless times already, but not being able to say it aloud was still rather frustrating.

"Meiko, it's really light. I can carry it."

"Even so, that won't do. How can we let Nanako carry everything by herself?" Meiko hurriedly took all the things from Nanako's hands.

Even if it truly was light, she could not let Nanako carry it all alone. Otherwise, anyone who saw them would think the two of them were abusing a child.

Meiko did not really understand why girls liked shopping so much, but time passed quickly as they wandered around.

They had come out early in the morning, bought clothes, and eaten a meal, and before they knew it, it was already noon.

As afternoon approached, they stopped shopping at the mall and instead searched nearby for various snack shops.

After all, it was rare for Meiko to travel this far from home. Since they had satisfied Fuko's urge to shop, they might as well satisfy Nanako's appetite too.

"This looks good! I want one." Ever since eating a crepe, Nanako had remembered its special flavor. The moment she saw one, she pointed at it and said she wanted it.

"What about you, Fuko? Do you want one?"

"I want strawberry flavor."

"Then we'll get two strawberry ones." Just as Meiko finished paying, she suddenly felt something strange. Raising her head, she looked toward a corner at the end of the street.

She spotted a familiar petite figure—Rin. Looking frantic, Rin spoke with another girl traveling alongside her while hurrying toward the corner. Meiko had no idea what they were going to do.

"She was in such a hurry when I saw her in the mall too. Did something happen? Maybe I should go take a look." Meiko murmured worriedly.

"Fuko, I just remembered there's something else I need to buy. I'm going back for a moment, so could you stay here with Nanako first? I'll be back soon."

"Okay, I understand. Nanako and I will stay here until you come back."

Fuko did not ask Meiko why. She took Nanako to sit somewhere nearby and quietly watched Meiko's departing figure.

Following the direction in which the girl had disappeared, Meiko reached the corner. Once she spotted Rin's back through the crowd, she slowly followed her.

Rin seemed to be looking for something.

"Is she waiting for someone?"

Meiko followed behind her for some distance. But after following Rin's footsteps into an alley, she found that the girl she had been tailing had vanished.

"Huh? Did I lose her?"

Meiko had seen Rin turn in here with her own eyes, and this alley was a dead end. She could not understand how Rin had disappeared right under her nose.

Forget it. Since I lost her, then...

Just as Meiko considered turning back, a mysterious person covered her mouth. Before she could struggle, she was dragged into the alley.

Before Meiko could call for help from the crowd outside, her abductor turned her around. Once she clearly saw the mysterious person's face, she frowned in confusion.

"Kajieliena? Why are you here too? Don't tell me you were following me?"

"No." Kajieliena turned her face away.

And you say you weren't! If you weren't, why won't you look at me? Could it be because I separated from Fuko and the others, so she dared to make a move against me?

Kajieliena's awkward gesture lasted only a moment. She quickly adjusted her expression, looked back at Meiko, and said in a low voice, "I advise you not to go in."

"Go in? Go in where..." This alley was a dead end... Wait, could Kajieliena mean—

A terrifying thought arose in Meiko's heart. "Are you talking about the Void World? What happened inside the Void World?"

Kajieliena tilted her head, somewhat puzzled. "You were heading this way, so I thought you already knew. Was it just a coincidence?"

"It really was a coincidence." There was no way she could say she had come to this godforsaken place because she had been following a friend.

"So what exactly happened inside?"

"There's a Ghost Grade Void Beast nearby."

"Ghost Grade? What's that?"