Magical Girl? I Got Tricked Into It! Chapter 3

"Why are you only telling me something this important now...? Cancel it! Right, cancel the contract for me! Now! This instant! Immediately!"

"No, once it's signed, it can't be canceled unless... Master..."

"Unless I disappear or make a wish?"

Ruby's expression gave her a rough idea of what was going on, so she could only let out a helpless sigh.

Even if she'd had some unrealistic thoughts in the bathroom earlier, they had only been self-indulgent fantasies. Compared to life-threatening battles, Ando Koichi much preferred an ordinary everyday life.

At this point, nothing could surprise her anymore. Rather than struggle against some vague, intangible reality, she wanted to find a way to keep living here in this body.

"I'm sorry, Master..."

Ruby lowered her head in apology. Her expression and tone were incredibly aggrieved. Whether she was faking it or not, Ando Koichi found it hard to say anything else.

After washing up, she sat down to a breakfast for one. Even though it was her favorite French toast soaked in cream and honey, it now tasted like wax.

She sighed as she ate, her mind filled with what to do next. She repeatedly ran through ways to safely get through her first day of school, but Ando Koichi rejected most of them herself.

"I'll just have to take it one step at a time."

"I'm heading out."

After closing the front door, she hung her head. Who knew how long this state would last? Since she didn't want to waste her attendance rate by taking leave, she could only grit her teeth and step outside.

Come to think of it, after living here for so many years, this was probably the first time she had felt that the road from home to school... was this short.

Volume One: The Story of How I Got Tricked Into Becoming a Magical Girl: Chapter Four: The Magical Girl Went to School Under a New Identity

"First of all, I need to give myself a name and an identity. I can't exactly meet people using my own name, can I?"

Before leaving home, Ando Koichi's mind raced. It didn't take him long to arrange a new identity for himself.

"Meizi. Yeah, from now on, I'm Ando Meiko, Ando Koichi's cousin? Second cousin? Whatever, I'm his little sister."

If she ignored the speechless nonsense involving magical girls, living life as another gender under a different identity might actually be nice.

In any case, he... no, she was now Ando Meiko. For the time being, she would live as Ando Koichi's younger sister.

"Ah!"

A strange yet familiar cry pulled Ando Meiko out of her fantasies. When she turned around, she saw a girl standing behind her.

"Um, excuse me, who are you?"

Although she had spoken first, the girl who had asked the question quickly realized that her behavior was somewhat inappropriate. After thinking for a second, she promptly introduced herself.

"I'm Ando's neighbor. My name is Sawamura Rin. Why did you come out of Koichi's house? I don't think I've ever seen you before."

Sawamura Rin was a cute girl with her hair tied into a side ponytail by a yellow ribbon. Although she wore the same sailor uniform as Ando Meiko, she was as petite as a middle school student.

She was someone Ando Koichi knew, the only daughter of the neighboring family, Sawamura Rin.

They should still count as acquaintances, right? After all, Rin had grown increasingly cold toward her former self, and in the blink of an eye, they had not seen each other for over half a year.

Meeting at a time like this really was perfect "timing."

Still, hearing her call her Koichi was strangely satisfying. If Ando Meiko still had her old identity, she might have gathered the courage to go over and hug her, kiss her, and lift her into the air... though that was only a fantasy, of course.

"So you're Sawamura. I've heard Koichi mention you before. Oh, right, I'm Koichi's cousin, Ando Meiko."

They clearly knew each other, yet she had to pretend to look surprised. The situation left Ando Meiko somewhat at a loss.

And the moment she introduced herself, she realized something was not quite right.

What the hell was Meiko? Giving herself such a generic, overused name had been way too careless!

"So you're Koichi's cousin. I thought you were..."

"I was?"

"N-Nothing. Your uniform is the same as mine, so you go to our school too, right? Since we're heading the same way, want to walk together?"

"Sure."

They were going the same way anyway, so there was no reason to refuse. Besides, it had been a long time since she had walked to school with Rin. The feeling was somewhat nostalgic.

"Sawamura... can I call you by your given name?"

"Of course. In that case, I'll call you Meiko directly too."

Rin readily agreed to Ando Meiko's suggestion, which made her breathe a sigh of relief.

They had called each other by their given names ever since they used to play together. Suddenly using surnames felt unfamiliar and awkward.

The breeze brushed through the leaves with a soft rustling sound. On the quiet road that few people traveled, the crisp footsteps of two girls joined the silence.

They both seemed to enjoy the feeling. Though they had only just "met," neither of them broke this unique tranquility.

It reminded Ando Meiko of the past, when Sawamura Rin had first come to this town.

Their parents would occasionally run into each other while taking walks, and as the families gradually became familiar, Rin's parents often had to travel for work.

At those times, Rin's mother would bring her over and ask the Ando family to look after her. Back then, though, Ando Koichi had usually been the one keeping her company.

That was why they had been close from middle school onward. She just didn't know why they had gradually drifted apart after starting high school.

"Meiko, you said Koichi mentioned me. What does he think of me?"

"Huh?"

Ando Meiko was left speechless by the sudden question. She had only said that casually and had never considered what the answer would be.

"He... he said the girl next door was cute, kind, gentle, and things like that?"

Only after speaking did she realize she had ended on a questioning tone. She didn't know whether Rin had noticed, because before she had even finished, Rin had already turned her head away.

There were not many friends to talk to on the way to school. With someone beside her to chat with, she temporarily forgot the troubles of becoming a girl. As they neared the school gates, Ando Meiko suddenly wanted to tease the younger girl who had always been so innocent.

"Rin, what do you think about my brother? Koichi, I mean."

"Huh? Why bring that up all of a sudden? What could I possibly think about him?"

"He seems pretty concerned about you."

"Huh... He... really cares about me...?"

After hearing Ando Koichi's words, Rin suddenly stopped walking. Covering her mouth, she looked utterly incredulous, and a charming blush rose to her cute cheeks.

Rin, making that expression is practically a crime. If you keep this up, I'm going to start wondering whether you actually like me.

Of course, even Ando Meiko herself did not really want to believe fantasies like those, one of life's great misunderstandings.

"Koichi is a really good person. When I first moved here, I didn't know anyone. My parents were busy running around for work, and Koichi would always come take care of me and play with me. Whenever someone bullied me, he would stand up for me like a prince and save me."

After receiving a good guy card and a long string of praise, the person involved awkwardly touched her cheek.

Too bad the prince in your story has completely fallen into being a shut-in nerd. I wonder if you'd be disappointed...

"See you later, Meiko."

"Okay, see you."

After saying goodbye to Rin, it was time for Ando Meiko to represent Ando Koichi.

It was still early, so there were not many people at the school gates. And even if there were, they couldn't possibly know who Ando Meiko was, right?

She had not drawn any suspicious looks largely thanks to the girls' uniform her childhood friend had given her to keep instead of throwing away after transferring schools.

Thinking it would be a waste and bringing it home as a treasure had truly been the right choice. Ando Meiko wanted to give her past self a huge thumbs-up.

Entering the school building, Ando Meiko headed straight for the principal's office. She needed to find a way for the current Ando Meiko to attend school without affecting Ando Koichi's perfect attendance.

"Hello, Principal. Sorry to disturb you."

Before opening the door, she had assumed the principal would not have arrived this early. To her surprise, he was already seated at his desk.

What was going on? Why was the principal here so early? Ah... right, I remember now. The teacher for our first class today was the principal, wasn't it?

"Hm? And who might you be, young lady? I don't believe I've seen you before."

The principal, who had been preparing to make his morning tea before starting the day's work, stopped what he was doing and looked at Ando Meiko in confusion.

From his subtle expression, it was obvious that he was trying hard to remember whether he had ever seen her before.

"Principal, I'm Ando Koichi's cousin, Ando Meiko."

"Ando's cousin, huh? What can I do for you?"

"It's like this. Koichi has some health problems and can't attend school. He doesn't want his attendance rate to plummet, so he plans to have me attend classes in his place, take notes, and bring them back to him..."

"This..."

When she saw the principal's body trembling, Ando Meiko became frightened. She knew her story was full of holes, but in such a rush, she really could not come up with a suitable excuse.

The next moment, the trembling principal actually shed tears of emotion.

"W-What a strong child. Even while sick, he still wants to protect his attendance rate. Approved. Your name is Ando Meiko, right? Sign this document, and I'll go explain things to the teachers immediately."

This time, she was even more surprised. She had never expected the principal to accept such a casually made-up setup so directly.

While she filled out a questionnaire resembling a new student enrollment form, the principal had already left the office.

Fortunately, this school assessed students based on attendance rates. If students did not want to come to school, they could simply not come without even asking for leave. They just would not be allowed to graduate if their attendance rate was too low.

Because of that, Ando Meiko did not have to worry about the principal calling her family to ask about the situation.

She had once wondered why there was such a strange and irresponsible school, but now she could only feel grateful.

"Come with me."

By the time the principal returned, Ando Meiko had finished filling out the form in her hands. When he turned to leave, she quickly followed him.

"Everyone, quiet down."

The principal was this class's English teacher. As soon as he entered the classroom, he began clapping for his students to quiet down before even reaching the blackboard.

"Today, I'd like to introduce a... transfer... exchange... substitute? A substitute student."

Since Ando Koichi had been slowly following behind him, she only entered the classroom just as the principal finished speaking.

At the principal's signal, Ando Meiko picked up a piece of chalk from the desk and wrote her name on the blackboard in the best handwriting she could manage, then turned around.

"Um, h-hello, everyone. I'm Ando Meiko. I'll be temporarily attending school in place of my brother, Ando Koichi. Please take care of me during this time."

Introducing herself in this familiar classroom with a new identity, new gender, and new name gave her an indescribably strange feeling.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!! She's actually a beautiful girl!!"

"I get to experience something that only happens in anime?"

"Claim her!! Claim her!! I'm definitely making this girl my girlfriend!!"

"Whoa, Meiko! Meiko is so cute! It's not just her face, the important part is her chest, her chest, and her chest is huge too!"

"Hey, do boys only look at that part? How vulgar!"

Her mental defenses instantly shattered. If possible, Ando Meiko just wanted to cover her face and bury her head in the ground like an ostrich.

Why had she never noticed that the boys in her class were like this? There were quite a few pretty girls in the class too, so why didn't they go hit on them? Was this some kind of transfer-student bonus debuff?

But she did not care about that in the slightest, because the only person she cared about in this class was her one true best friend, Hirata Yuya.

When the principal slapped the desk and looked ready to start scolding them, the discussion abruptly stopped. For a moment, the room was so quiet that the sound of a fly passing by could be heard clearly.

"Quiet down. Stop making noise."

The principal's intimidation was as well-deserved as ever.

"Now then, Ando, your seat..."

"I'll just sit in my brother's seat."

Ando Koichi's seat was right beside her buddy Yuya's. Even with her eyes closed, she was confident she could walk over without bumping into anything.

Of course, as she headed toward her seat, nearly everyone in class watched her. Some bastard boys even lowered their heads to stare at the long legs wrapped in white thigh-high socks—legs that made even Ando Meiko herself want to drool.

Endure. I have to endure. When the hell will that damned magical power fusion finally be complete?

Bathed in burning stares, she finally sat down in her familiar seat just before her mind could collapse. But before she had calmed down, she noticed Yuya looking at her.

Hey, bro, could you not look at me like I'm some blonde heroine from an adult manga? I'm your brother Ando Koichi.

Though she felt deeply out of place inside, she still looked calmly at Yuya. "Morning, Yuya."