Magical Girl? I Got Tricked into It!

"Don't! No, anything but this, please! I—I don't want to be treated like this again!"

Kajieliena walked toward her like the Grim Reaper, removing her gloves to reveal her fair, slender, delicate hands. "Come to think of it, I discovered something rather interesting while scanning your body."

The red glow in her eyes dyed Kajieliena's pupils the same crimson color they had been when they first met. Being stared at so brazenly, Ando Meiko could only close her eyes and pretend she knew nothing.

"What you're interested in... Eek!" A moment later, an electric current surged from her stomach, and she finally understood what Kajieliena was interested in.

A torrent of magic power nearly twenty times stronger than what Ruby had used flowed in, causing the Magic Mark to burst with an intense pink radiance—and yet it remained fixed in its original position.

As the Magic Mark fully activated, every sensation was amplified by more than tenfold. At that moment, she felt as though Kajieliena's fingertips had pierced straight into her heart.

"Don't do it like thaaat..." Her words had begun to slur, and her only remaining thought was to completely vent what was building inside her.

"Immediate results. I don't know who put this Magic Mark on you, but it's quite useful."

"Stop it, ah..." Her body was already protesting on its own. "Pleaaase..."

"Hm? Meizi, what did you say? I can't hear you if you don't speak louder."

She did not know whether Kajieliena was doing it deliberately or not. She only felt that her reason had been completely overwhelmed.

"Please... give it to me!"

"If that's what you want..."

Kajieliena put the video she had just watched into practice, but that alone was no longer enough to satisfy her.

Kajieliena pressed down on the switch, and her glistening hand reached directly into the source of the spring.

"I'm going to become... an idiot..."

If the exaggerated expressions from anime could be used in the Reality World, there would definitely have been an adorable little peach-colored heart in Ando Meiko's eyes right then.

A leaf-like boat battered by a violent storm could not escape the raging waves no matter how hard it struggled. Then, the fiercest wave yet roared past, and the boat capsized.

Did I pass out again?

The dim ceiling told Ando Meiko that she was still in Kajieliena's laboratory.

The dizziness in her head had yet to fade. When she raised a hand to rub her temples, she realized that the restraints on her body had already been removed.

"You were practically dried out. Drink some water and replenish yourself. I got the data I wanted, but I didn't expect the Magic Mark's effects to be so obvious. I should apologize for that."

Although Kajieliena said that, her fingers never stopped tapping at the keyboard. There was not the slightest trace of apology on her exquisite face as she focused on the data.

Still, Ando Meiko, whose mouth was indeed parched, grabbed the water bottle beside her and drained it in one go.

"How long was I out this time?"

"More than ten minutes. Still, you should probably put your clothes on. Don't catch a cold."

"You don't need to tell me that!"

When she reached for the clothes beside her and saw the scene of water flooding the ground, her old face could not help turning red.

Kajieliena, seriously... After doing those things, at least clean this place up first!

After getting dressed, she used a nearby towel to wipe the metal slab and floor clean. Then she turned back to Kajieliena and asked, "By the way, can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead."

"Can that Magic Mark be removed?"

Just injecting magic power increased her sensitivity by nearly tenfold. This thing was truly terrifying. If Kajieliena really decided she was an enemy, she would probably be brainwashed by it before long.

"While you were unconscious, I looked into it. This Magic Mark was created by a Magical Girl who has already vanished."

"Someone who could develop a mark with that kind of ability must have been very strong, right?"

"She was very weak... As an Azure Magical Girl, although her familiar was a very powerful sword, she lacked the ability to support it in battle."

"Why?"

"Her Succubus Constitution meant that most of the magic she mastered was related to seduction. But on the battlefield, that seductive power indiscriminately affected both enemies and allies. And those allies included her familiar."

"T-That really is a useless ability. But a Succubus..." The person she thought of was Xiphias.

Xiphias had placed this Magic Mark on her, but neither Xiphias's support abilities nor her familiar matched Kajieliena's description.

Besides, Kajieliena had said from the start that this Magical Girl had already vanished.

"As for how to remove it, all I can say is that the one who tied the knot must untie it... Every Magic Mark has a special Magic Lock set upon it, and only the creator's magic power can remove it."

Given Xiphias's situation, Ando Meiko felt that if she really went to find her, removing the mark would be the least of her concerns. She might not even have a chance to resist before being allowed to complete the remaining parts of the mark.

"Forget it. So, what exactly did you research?"

She was also very interested in her own body. She wanted to take this opportunity to understand it better—perhaps she might even find a way to recover her original male body.

She walked over to the computer, but the screen was full of complicated data that she could neither see clearly nor understand. For a high school student, this was simply too complex.

"Kajieliena, are you really only seventeen?"

"Eighteen." Kajieliena added, "My birthday was a couple of days ago."

"Huh? Really? Happy birthday, Kajieliena." It was a little late, but ignorance was no sin. It should be fine to make up for it now, right?

"Thank you." Kajieliena paused for a moment, then turned her attention back to the data on the computer.

"A Half-Aether Body is an extremely special constitution. Only one other has ever appeared in the entire history of Magical Girls."

"Your body looks no different from an ordinary person's, but Aether has completely merged into every part of it. When you are in an extremely excited state, the magic power activity within every cell of your body seems to be activated."

"I don't understand." Kajieliena glanced at her, then pointed at the data on the screen and began explaining slowly.

Ordinary Magical Girls directly formed contracts with the Great Will. Their bodies connected to the Great Will and transformed directly into Ether Bodies.

Their physical age was fixed at the moment of transformation, and every particle within their bodies, including their bones, became Aether.

Therefore, when Magical Girls died, their bodies turned into Aether and dispersed rather than leaving behind corpses.

But Ando Meiko's situation was completely different. Rather than being a half-finished product of transformation into Aether, she was forcibly merging with Aether using a human body.

Because my body clearly looks no different from an ordinary person's, yet every cell is filled with abundant Aether. I'm like the perfect fusion of human and Aether, rather than simply turning a human into Aether.

That was why she felt pain when attacked and bled when injured.

Was that a good thing? At least for Ando Meiko, it was. In any case, she could now confirm that she was still half human.

"In other words, when a certain emotion of yours reaches a critical point, your body responds by activating the Aether in every cell, causing your combat strength to soar."

"Fine, so I'm a Magical Girl powered by willpower?"

Wasn't that exactly like those anime protagonists who suddenly powered up whenever they got angry? Why did that sound so cliché? Couldn't there be something more original?

"You could say that. However, the specific data will have to wait for the next round of resear—"

"No! You've used up your chance. It's over. Forbidden. I refuse to be researched by Kajieliena again."

"Fine. You're tired today as well, so get some rest. Next time—"

"Not next time either! You don't have any more chances! I will never compromise."

Kajieliena thought for a moment, looking troubled. "Then what would it take for me to continue researching you?"

"Hmph. Talk to me after you're willing to betray the organization for me."

"Mm." Although her expression did not change, Kajieliena actually nodded at her seriously. "That is a very tempting condition. It is worth considering."

"Idiot! Don't consider it!" In short, she really did not want to become this girl's test subject anymore. Although it felt good—although that feeling was really good... it was still far too embarrassing.

This had completely exceeded the limits of what she could mentally endure, okay?!

"Forget it. Haste makes waste. I learned enough today anyway."

Hey, that disappointed expression of yours completely contradicts what you just said. If you're giving up, at least look relieved, okay?

Complaining inwardly, Ando Meiko followed Kajieliena out of the laboratory.

Once outside, Ando Meiko took a careful look around. Kajieliena's so-called secret laboratory was actually just the basement of a private residence. She could faintly see the shopping mall she had visited with Fuko that morning in the distance, which told her that this place was not far from where she had gone shopping.

This might be Kajieliena's base, so she deliberately memorized its location.

"One final reminder: after breaking through your magic power limit, you should stabilize the strength you gained properly."

"Wait."

"What is it? Did you change your mind and decide to cooperate with my research?"

"Kajieliena, during the fitness test, you said you hadn't transformed. But was that kind of strength really your own?"

"It was. Many Magical Girls think their enhanced abilities only take effect after transforming, but they have no idea that their bodies themselves are an ability."

Kajieliena stopped walking and pulled out her magic wand, waving it in front of Ando Meiko. "Most of my magic consists of long-range attacks that require lengthy guidance. Once an enemy gets close, my abilities become ineffective, so I can only strengthen my close-combat capabilities."

"Huh?" Ando Meiko tilted her head, making a confused sound.

"Although Magical Girls are Ether Bodies, the Great Will allows our bodies before transformation to retain human characteristics so that we can live normally."

"So the strength you used to carry me and leap ten meters into the air was all trained?" Hearing that, she sucked in a breath.

Kajieliena nodded. "My hometown is rather special. After I was summoned as a child, I constantly sparred with my pet bear."

Huh? Sparring with a pet bear? A bear as in an actual bear? One of those bears bigger and stronger than a grown adult? Sparring with a bear? As expected of Russians. As expected of the fighting nation.

Kajieliena walked over to a small car, and before Ando Meiko's stunned eyes, she lifted it with one hand alone.

"Things like this are easy to do even without transforming."

That was far too terrifying, wasn't it? A Magical Girl could lift a car through brute force without even transforming. Fortunately, no one was nearby to see it, or they would probably be scared half to death.

"Do you want to become stronger, Ando Meiko?"

"No!" she answered firmly. "But... if I could gain at least some ability to protect myself..."

"I understand. How about I train you?"

If she trained me, wouldn't that mean I'd be sparring with a bear? And I'm not a pure Ether Body either. Would that kind of training even work on my Aether-fused body?

Still, no matter what, she had long felt that her body lacked exercise. Even a small improvement in her physical fitness would make her feel a little safer.

"I suppose that could work."

"Then it's settled. See you tomorrow, Ando Meiko."

After saying goodbye to her, Ando Meiko hurried toward the meeting place she had arranged with Fuko.

Fortunately, neither of her two blackouts had lasted long, so Fuko had not waited too long. Still, she felt somewhat regretful that she had not seen Rin.

Before heading home, she went to the library and borrowed several books that offered the most detailed analyses of weapons.

These books broke down and explained cold weapons and firearms, going into such detail that they even described the function of every component in each part.

She did not know whether they would help, but her soul as a military enthusiast seemed to have awakened without her noticing. She simply found books like these quite interesting.

After returning home, she threw herself almost completely into the sea of knowledge. Relying on the extraordinary memory she had gained after becoming a Magical Girl, she memorized quite a few weapon diagrams showing disassembly and assembly in a single night.

If Ruby had not reminded Ando Meiko that it was time to sleep, she would have accidentally stayed up all night because she had become too absorbed in reading.

The next day.

Because she had already made plans with Kajieliena, Ando Meiko set an alarm and got up early to tidy up her appearance.

"Meizi... Mmm... Are you going out so early in the morning?"

"Yeah, I made plans with someone to do morning exercises."

"Huh? You're going to work out?" Fuko rubbed her eyes, raising her voice slightly.

Although Ando Meiko still looked half-asleep, the disbelief in her tone was obvious.

"Yeah. I'm heading out, then." She nodded and did not linger any longer before turning and walking out through the entrance.

"Okay. Be careful on the way."

After leaving home, she headed straight for her destination.

In the direction opposite to the route to school, there was a small river at the end of the road where many children usually played by the bank. Beyond the spaced railing on the sloping shore was a very wide pedestrian path.

The pedestrian path extended all the way to a large bridge, passing several open platforms along the way. It could be said that this was an ideal place for nearby residents to exercise.