A Magical Girl? I Got Tricked Into It!

She glanced at Ruby sleeping to her left and Nanako to her right, then picked up Yue, who was lying on top of her, and gently set her aside.

Originally, she had wanted to give the bed to Nanako and sleep on the floor herself, but every time it was time for bed, all three of them ended up sleeping with her.

After this happened several times, Ando Meiko simply gave up on the idea of sleeping on the floor alone and started sleeping with the three of them.

Ando Meiko struggled to crawl out of bed, but her movements stirred Ruby awake ahead of time.

Rubbing her eyes, Ruby saw what Ando Meiko was doing, then turned to look at the sky outside, which had not yet fully brightened. She asked in confusion, "Master, what's wrong? Do you need to use the bathroom?"

"No, the commander called me to gather."

"Mm, so that's it. Then let's go." With that, Ruby yawned, turned into a faint red glow, then shrank into an exquisite ruby necklace.

Before leaving the room, a sudden thought made Ando Meiko shudder, instantly sweeping away all traces of sleepiness.

Turning back to look at Nanako, who was still in bed, Ando Meiko scratched her slightly messy hair and muttered in distress, "This is bad. If we all leave, what will Nanako do?"

Whenever she had not been home before, Fuko had always been the one looking after Nanako. But now, Fuko had returned home because she needed to attend school.

After realizing she had to balance magical girl duties as well, Ando Meiko could already foresee that her free time would be severely reduced in the future.

But because she had never really taken care of Nanako before, she had completely forgotten about her.

After joining the magical girl organization, she needed to be ready for battle at any moment. Therefore, she and Ruby could not be separated now. But under these circumstances, who could she leave Nanako with?

Although this little evil god, who had lived for an unknown number of years, was very intelligent, whether she was hundreds or thousands of years old, her mind was at least as pure and innocent as that of a human child.

"Why not take her to the base too, Master?"

"Take her there?" Ando Meiko had not considered that.

After all, it was a proper magical girl base. The people working there had more or less dealt with Void Beasts and magical girls before.

In other words, some people or beings with more extreme inclinations would be somewhat more accepting than ordinary people.

But if she suddenly brought a girl who looked like an elementary school student there, how was she supposed to explain her? Was she supposed to introduce her in front of them by saying, "Hello, this is a little evil god named Nyarlathotep"?

Seeing through her thoughts, Ruby suggested again, "Just say she's your familiar."

"But familiars belong to the Azure Magical Girl, don't they? I'm the Radiant Stone Magical Girl. How could I possibly have a familiar?"

"Why are you so stubborn, Master? Can't you be flexible?" Ruby's tone carried a hint of exasperation. "Other than Rin, all the magical girls over there are rookies, and the human side definitely hasn't had contact with familiars either, so..."

Ando Meiko suddenly understood and finished Ruby's sentence. "So I just need to find Rin first, get our stories straight, then go to the base and explain it slowly to everyone there."

"That's exactly it."

The problem could be solved so easily. Thinking of that, a faint smile appeared on Ando Meiko's face. Without further hesitation, she walked over to Nanako and pulled her out of bed.

"Meiko... Nanako still wants to sleep..."

"Wake up, Nanako. Big Sister Fuko has already gone home. If you don't get up, I'll leave you home alone."

The moment she heard she would be left behind, Nanako immediately opened her eyes. A trace of mist seemed to gather at the corners of her eyes. "Big Sister Meiko doesn't want Nanako anymore..."

Seeing this, Ando Meiko heard Ruby's delicate laughter beside her ear. "Master, you bad person! You actually made Nanako cry!"

Ignoring her almost mocking tone, Ando Meiko awkwardly patted Nanako's head. "No, I'm not planning to leave you behind. I need to go out, and without Big Sister Fuko at home to take care of you, you'd have to stay home alone."

Hearing that she was not being abandoned, Nanako's sleepy smile returned. "Nanako wants to go outside with Big Sister Meiko."

Watching herself act as though she were coaxing a child, Ando Meiko helplessly shook her head.

She had not even gotten to experience the sweetness of first love, and she was already becoming a mother.

After going downstairs with Nanako and getting ready to leave, Ando Meiko watched Nanako wash up and get dressed by herself without worrying too much. She knew that was probably all thanks to Fuko.

Although she had wanted to make it by the meeting time Rin had mentioned in her message, by the time she reached the entrance and was ready to leave, she was already several minutes late.

After leaving the house, she saw Rin waiting in front of her door. Ando Meiko waved at her and said somewhat apologetically, "Sorry, I'm a little late."

"It's okay. Meiko, did you just wake up?"

"I hadn't even gotten up at that time..."

Rin did not mind her lateness. After all, giving a girl who had just woken up only ten minutes to get ready was a bit too demanding.

"Hm?" Spotting the timid little girl hiding behind Ando Meiko, Rin asked in surprise, "Meiko, are you planning to take Nanako with you too?"

"Yes. Fuko has already gone home, right? If I leave too, no one will look after her. I don't know how long I'll be gone, so I can't exactly leave her home alone."

"That makes sense."

"Besides..."

Volume 2: The Vanished Everyday Life: Chapter 2: Welcome Party

"Huh?" After hearing Ando Meiko's account, Rin stared at the harmless-looking, adorable little girl in disbelief. "Y-you're saying this child is actually the legendary evil god, Nyarlathotep?"

On the way to the train station, Ando Meiko told Rin everything about how she had met Nanako without holding anything back.

She did this not only because she needed to get their stories straight in order to bring Nanako to the base, but also because she had absolute trust in Rin, who was also a magical girl.

If the person in front of her had been Xiphias or Kajieliena instead of Rin, she definitely would not have told them about this.

"Mm. So now you understand why I need to keep her by my side, right?"

Rin nodded repeatedly like a pecking chick. "So that's how it is. Taking care of Nanako all by yourself must be hard on you."

"It's not too bad. Fuko has already done everything I wanted to do. Actually, even if I'm not around, Nanako should be able to take care of herself."

"Okay. Since you've told me, Meiko, don't worry. If the commander asks, I know what to say."

"Thank you." Giving Rin a grateful look, Ando Meiko lowered her head and said to Nanako, who was hopping around, "You can stay with me thanks to Rin's help. Smart Nanako should know what to do, right?"

Nanako nodded, circled around her, and came to stand beside the girl she was not entirely unfamiliar with.

She stretched out her tiny hands and gently held Rin's. A sweet smile appeared on her adorable face. "Thank you, Big Sister Rin."

Rin felt as though her heart had been pierced in an instant. Looking at the innocent and adorable little girl before her, she could not help reaching out to gently stroke her head. "Nanako is just too cute."

"Right?" Hearing Nanako being praised, Ando Meiko revealed a somewhat proud smile.

As they chatted and laughed together, the three of them caught the first morning train just in time.

On the train, an uneasy Ando Meiko turned to Rin and asked quietly, "What do you think the commander called us together for?"

"What else could it be? It's probably just a welcome party for the newcomer."

"A welcome party... for the newcomer?" Repeating Rin's words in confusion, her eyes rolled as she inconspicuously pointed a finger at herself.

"Stop doubting yourself. Have some confidence." Seeing Ando Meiko's comical gesture, Rin covered her mouth and chuckled. "That person still hasn't returned, so this time should be much easier for you, Meiko."

"What do you mean?" Ando Meiko asked in confusion.

Was there even such a thing as a welcome party being easy or difficult? Could it be that another magical girl with a strange personality was going to make things difficult for her?

Remembering Xiphias, who had tried to claim her for herself through special means, Ando Meiko shuddered all over.

In response to Ando Meiko's question, Rin merely gave her a mysterious smile and did not answer. She lowered her head and continued playing with Nanako.

Before long, the train arrived at the station.

Holding Nanako's hand as she stepped off the train, Ando Meiko took a deep breath of the cool, slightly damp morning air. Her lingering drowsiness immediately faded.

No matter what awaited her, it could not possibly be worse than being caught by Xiphias or being studied by Kajieliena.

Following Rin, who clearly knew the way, they arrived at the Catgirl Maid Café. After opening the door hidden in the staff break room, Ando Meiko and the others entered the elevator together.

"Ruby doesn't have a key to open the door yet, right? After a while, I'll mention it to the commander and have someone register your iris."

After entering the base, Rin changed the way she addressed Ando Meiko, using her codename instead of her name.

"Okay."

After responding to Rin, Ando Meiko saw her bypass the command room and continue straight down the corridor, which left her somewhat surprised.

Since this was only her second time here and she was unfamiliar with the place, she simply skipped the tedious questions and quietly followed behind Rin.

"Big Sister Meiko, this place is so huge and pretty. There are so many things you can't see in the city." Nanako curiously examined everything she had never seen before, her large eyes seeming to sparkle with stars.

She could not be blamed for getting so excited. After all, when Ando Meiko had first arrived here, she had been stunned as well.

A base hidden underground, an incredibly spacious area, technology she had never seen before—putting all of that together made it feel like a futuristic world straight out of a movie.

When they reached the end, Rin finally stopped before the last door. Taking a slow step forward, she pressed her thumb against the fingerprint scanner beside it.

With a beep, the tightly shut mechanical door split open down the middle, then slid left and right into the walls, revealing a massive passageway.

Ando Meiko curiously peered inside. It was completely white, and she could not see anything at all. This was quite different from the welcome party Rin had said they were holding for her.

"Come in. It's inside." With that, Rin pulled Nanako directly into the empty room.

However, when she turned her back to Ando Meiko, the corners of her lips curved into a crescent-shaped smile, and her sly expression was impossible to hide.

Completely unsuspecting, Ando Meiko curiously followed Rin inside. But the moment she entered the room, the door behind her suddenly moved and automatically shut, locking them inside.

She felt around the mechanical door, which had no apparent mechanism, then turned back in confusion—only to discover that Rin had transformed at some point.

"Three Purities, what are you...?"

"Stop dawdling and transform already."

Ando Meiko froze for a moment, but then did as Rin said. She tightly grasped her necklace and silently recited her transformation spell.

"Blessing of the Ruby, gather the Radiant Stone Power—Magical Girl Ruby, transform!"

A vast amount of magic rapidly poured from the girl's body, enveloping her in an instant and concealing her from outside view.

Moments later, the red light faded. Ando Meiko, now transformed into Ruby, stood not far from Rin.

With a swing of her right hand holding a wooden sword, the entire space seemed to be sliced open by the blade, leaving a tear in the air. Before long, the tear expanded into an oval, multicolored passage large enough for a person to enter.

"Come in." Leaving those words behind, she led Nanako through the doorway first.

"Huh? We still have to go into the Void World to talk?"

Scratching her head in confusion, Ando Meiko watched them disappear through the door leading to the Void World. After hesitating for a moment, she still jogged into the passage.

Volume 2: The Vanished Everyday Life: Chapter 3: Let's See Your Strength

Clap clap clap!

The instant Ando Meiko stepped through the door, the ball of magic floating above her head burst like a party popper, and the remaining brilliant ribbons of magical light drifted down onto her.

"Ruby, welcome to the Tokyo branch of Divine Shield!"

Looking up at the adorable girls chanting the same slogan in unison, a sincere smile appeared on Ando Meiko's face.

With her somewhat socially anxious personality, she had originally worried that suddenly joining this magical girl organization would lead to the others excluding her.

Now, it seemed she had worried for nothing.

It was not just Rin. Everyone was warmly welcoming her arrival.

"Thank you, everyone." Ando Meiko smiled as she replied, though she was still somewhat confused.

She did not understand why this welcome party had to be held specifically in the Void World. If they did it this way, Commander Tamura Yuichi and the other staff members would not be able to celebrate with them.

Seeming to see through Ando Meiko's thoughts, Rin explained, "Ruby, don't misunderstand. It's not that the commander doesn't plan to welcome you. It's just that before meeting him, there's a little welcome ceremony first."

"Hm? A welcome ceremony? Are we playing some kind of game?"

"That's right, just a little game." With that, Rin took a step forward.

The moment the other magical girls saw Rin move, they all jumped backward in unspoken agreement, leaving a large space for Ando Meiko and Rin to "spend time together."

"Hey, Furate, help me take this child over too."

"Huh?" Furate, who had been called out, walked over. Still confused, she finally noticed Nanako, whose hand Rin was holding. "Wow, what a cute little sister."

"Nanako, go with these big sisters for now."

Nanako turned to look at Ando Meiko. Only after the latter gave her a slight nod did she follow Furate, hopping and skipping toward the distance.

By this point, Ando Meiko had basically guessed what Rin intended to do.

Gripping her wooden sword with one hand, Rin slightly crouched into a fighting stance and said to Ando Meiko, "Ruby, let's see your strength."

"Honestly, you could have told me earlier that this was what the welcome party was about. At least then I could have prepared myself."