Magical Girl? I Got Tricked Into It!

"Although I haven't decided to join yet... I can still fight alongside you..."

Upon hearing that, Yōichi slapped the table and shot to his feet, saying excitedly, "Great! With you joining us, our combat strength will skyrocket, and our chances of winning will go up by at least twenty percent."

From how eager he looked, it was as if he feared Ando Meiko would change her mind the very next second.

"Huh?"

The image on the big screen changed. It was a long video shot from Rin's perspective. A crimson arrow streaked through the sky toward the center of the mall, piercing straight through the Void Spider's tough carapace and striking it in the abdomen.

After that scene, the rest of the video turned to static.

Ando Meiko calculated that this was when the Witch's orbital strike occurred—when Kajieliena arrived at their side. The electronic device had likely stopped working after being affected by the "isolation field."

"One attack seriously injured the spider. At first, I wondered who this person was, to have such a powerful means of attack. But now that I think about it..."

"Mm." Yōichi looked Ando Meiko over again. "Looks really can be deceiving."

At first, she had not known they had recorded this video. Now, Ando Meiko had practically exposed herself.

And was that method really considered that powerful? I'm obviously so weak.

Could it be that I was actually strong? It was just that everyone around me was even stronger, so I had completely lost confidence in myself?

She could not build up confidence so casually in a situation like this. After all, she did not want to become a tool just because of her power.

"Then let me briefly summarize." Yōichi slowly stood up and organized everything they had discussed into a single line of thought.

"First, Furate will use her speed to lure the Ghost Grade Void Spider out of its nest and into the city. Once it enters the city, we'll commit all our forces to a feint attack and keep it pinned there."

What Yōichi meant by "pinning it down" had a basis.

The Void Spider's traits were not much different from those of spiders in the real world. Its speed, reflexes, and jumping ability all made for an agile fighting style.

But that agility only applied in open areas. Once its enormous body entered a place crowded with obstacles, all sorts of things would get in its way, preventing it from moving freely.

The others only needed to hold it there until Rin burned those cocoons. Then they could focus all their strength on dealing with the Void Spider.

"Next, we'll discuss the specific details. Don't relax until we've won."

Because he had misjudged the Void Spider's strength last time, several magical girls had been injured. As the commander, Yōichi felt deeply responsible.

Although Rin and the other magical girls had comforted him and told him not to dwell on it, he did not see it that way.

He was making a group of underage girls go out and fight while he could only hide in the back and enjoy everyone else's protection. Could he really fail at even something as simple as making plans and commanding a battle?

Volume One: How I Got Tricked Into Becoming a Magical Girl: Operation Begins

"I didn't expect you to agree, Meizi. This has nothing to do with you."

It really had nothing to do with Ando Meiko. But now that she knew Rin would also be fighting, if she ran home alone and something happened to Rin, she would regret it for the rest of her life.

"Whatever. What's the point of thinking so much? I already agreed to help."

"Will you join us, Meizi?"

"I'm still considering it." Ando Meiko gave an ambiguous answer, then continued tapping away at her phone without looking up.

If she had not been worried about Rin, she would never have gotten involved in this mess.

Seeing Ando Meiko absentmindedly playing with her phone, Rin puffed out her cheeks around the spoon in her mouth, looking somewhat displeased.

"Who are you chatting with?"

"Your sister Fuko. I told her I won't be home for dinner tonight."

"Oh, I see. Mm."

Maybe it was just her imagination, but although Rin's words carried no particular meaning, Ando Meiko felt as though her tone had become much happier.

The tactical discussion took nearly two hours. The time for exterminating the Void Spider was set for tonight, and filling their stomachs before the battle was important.

So she and Rin came to the catgirl maid café that concealed the base and ordered food. Employee meals here were free, and Ando Meiko had been granted special privileges by the commander, so like Rin, she could eat without paying.

After receiving Fuko's reply, she put away her phone and focused on finishing this pre-battle dinner.

"Where are we going from? Do we enter from here, or take the train over there first?"

"Take the train. If we enter the Void World from here, we'll have to walk the whole way."

Even though they were in the same city, walking to the mall would take quite a while. Even if they left now, they would not make it in time for the extermination battle.

Still, that was fine. Going from here to the mall they had visited last time was also on the way home.

After finishing dinner and resting briefly, the girls set off for the train station.

The moment they boarded the train and found empty seats, countless curious eyes turned toward Ando Meiko and Rin.

"Look, those two girls are so cute!"

"Yeah! Are they cosplayers or active idols or something?"

"Probably not. If they were that cute, there's no way I wouldn't follow them."

The rumble of the train could not cover up the discussions inside. Most of the passengers, upon hearing there were two adorable girls here, squeezed over to get a look.

As the two girls sat beside each other in the increasingly crowded space, they felt somewhat helpless, but there was nothing they could do.

Maybe I should wear a mask whenever I go out next time... This can't keep happening. Then again, who told me to be this cute? Ando Meiko chuckled inwardly.

Fortunately, that agonizing time did not last long. The moment the train arrived, they both fled off it as though by mutual agreement.

The burning gazes finally disappeared, and Ando Meiko let out a breath.

She really was not suited to showing her face in public, even if people had only noticed her on the train.

Once the uncomfortable stares were gone, Rin adjusted her breathing, then turned back to smile at Ando Meiko. "Let's go, Meizi."

"Okay."

They entered an empty public restroom. After confirming that no one would come in anytime soon, they transformed together and opened a doorway to the Void World.

Moving through the Void World was much faster. It was not only spacious, but completely empty. They could sprint at full speed without anyone complaining or getting in their way.

"Meizi, take this."

"What is this?" She accepted the tiny object Rin handed her, which looked like a button battery, and asked curiously.

"A miniature communicator. We'll use it to communicate during the battle."

"Okay." After answering, she tucked the communicator into her ear and followed Rin to an underground passage not far from the mall.

"Rin..."

"What is it?"

"No matter what, I'll protect you."

"Hahaha, don't worry, Ruby. Even if I look like this, I can still protect myself." Rin laughed and blinked her adorable eyes at her. "But I'll leave my back to you."

Looking up into the distance, they saw a huge creature bracing itself on eight legs embedded in the mall, protecting a massive white cocoon that had already developed faint cracks.

The giant spider lying in the middle of the mall inspired fear no matter how many times one saw it.

If someone who was particularly afraid of spiders saw that sight, they would probably foam at the mouth and faint on the spot.

The Void Spider had not noticed the magical girls who had already set their sights on it and remained completely still.

This was the agreed-upon meeting point. Once Ando Meiko and Rin arrived, everyone was present.

"Good, everyone's here. First, let's go over the battle plan again." Commander Yōichi's voice came through their earpieces, and everyone, including Ando Meiko, tensed up.

Ando Meiko had listened through the entire meeting, so she remembered all the important points clearly.

As the person whose attack could pierce the Ghost Grade Void Spider's hard carapace, her task was to assist Rin in destroying the cocoon that was close to hatching.

"Try not to hold me back." Furate, the blue-haired magical girl traveling with them, wore a confident smile.

She pulled out a Star Tarot card from her card pack and swept it over her wand. The wand, which transformed into Aether and fused with the Star Tarot, floated behind Furate and became externally mounted jet wings.

She stretched out both hands and pushed forward. Two hollow tubes a meter long extended from the wings. These cannon barrels, which looked somewhat impressive but weak, were among her few offensive methods.

"Move aside a little, or the jet exhaust will burn you." Seeing Ando Meiko still standing behind her and eagerly watching her wings, Furate smiled and reminded her.

Hearing that, Ando Meiko smiled awkwardly and hurried to the side, clearing a path for Furate.

"Ten, nine, eight, seven..." As Yōichi counted down, the turbines behind the external wings spun wildly, drawing in massive amounts of magical power and storing enough force for their owner to fly.

"One! Battle begins!"

The bursting exhaust trailed behind her in a dazzling tail several meters long, and the thrust instantly launched Furate into the air.

"She's flying! She really flew!"

Volume One: How I Got Tricked Into Becoming a Magical Girl: Domain

As a magical girl of the stars, Furate's theme was fighter jets. She was also one of the few magical girls who could use external equipment for extremely high-speed aerial combat.

However, while this equipment was useful, depending on the intensity of the battle, it could last for no more than five minutes.

"Fire!" Two missiles launched from the barrels and struck the Void Spider, immediately causing violent explosions.

But they were merely magical replicas. Since Furate was using all her magical power to maintain flight, the missiles' power had been reduced by at least half.

The Void Spider, struck by the missiles, suddenly raised its head. All sixteen eyes focused on the mosquito that had dared attack it.

The power might have been low, but the intended result had been achieved.

As expected, it gave chase, and the horn of battle sounded at that moment.

The ocean-type magical girls and several others with weaker combat abilities remained behind, ready at any time to support Furate and assist the others.

"Let's begin, everyone." Watching the spider take the bait and chase after Furate, Rin, who had been hiding below, rose from behind the cover.

With a wave of both hands, three red talismans appeared from thin air in each hand. The runes printed on the talismans were different on either side.

"Got it." Ando Meiko responded.

Magical power flowed into her wand. Before releasing her skill, she gathered the energy it required.

"Three, two, one... Fire!"

"Silver Impact!"

Ando Meiko gave a sharp cry. Magical power surged from the tip of her wand, and the wide-range red beam intertwined with the three talismans Rin flung out, completely enveloping the spider's cocoon.

Gigigigigigigi!

Sensing that its cocoon was being destroyed, the Void Spider let out a bizarre cry. It immediately abandoned its pursuit of Furate and burst toward the mall at a shocking speed without the slightest hesitation.

"It's coming back! Run!" Before leaving, Rin casually threw out the other three talismans in her hand, each marked with flames.

The talismans transformed into blazing fire, igniting all the spider silk in the span of a single breath. That special fire also spread upward at a terrifying speed.

By the time the Void Spider returned to its nest, the little spiders that had already been ravaged by the light cannon were crackling as they burned in the strange flames.

These Void Beasts were clearly aggregates of Demonic Aether, yet when burned by those bizarre flames, they gave off the smell of scorched protein.

The disgusting stench instantly spread through the Void World, making the fleeing Ando Meiko cover her nose.

However, black, viscous fluid slowly dripped from within the spider cocoon being consumed by flames, and Ando Meiko's body was struck by a nauseating wave of dizziness.

[I was wondering why it didn't have a territory... So it had condensed all its Demonic Aether inside the cocoon.]

Ruby's incredulous voice echoed in her mind, and Ando Meiko finally understood.

If that Demonic Aether had not been gathered into the spider cocoon back then, she might have been pulled into the Void World immediately and left at the mercy of that Void Beast.

With no hope of saving its children, the Void Spider lowered its head and absorbed all the Demonic Aether flowing from the cocoon back into its body.

"Stop it! Don't let it absorb that!" Rin cried urgently through the communicator. The magical girls who had been covering the retreat changed their objective, turning their cover into an attack.

Colorful beams representing magical power were unleashed without restraint, but because of the distance, by the time the light cannons reached the spider, most of their power had already dissipated.

Beams at that level were no more than tickling to a Ghost Grade Void Spider.

But even so, faced with something that terrifying, who would dare charge in and fight it directly? Wouldn't that just be asking for death?

While Ando Meiko's thoughts ran wild, a yellow figure shot past her and rapidly closed in on the Void Spider.