Magical Girl? I Got Tricked into It!

Rin's fighting style left no room for restraint, nor did she leave herself any way out. She fought desperately, completely like some reckless brute.

Though it had only lasted for an instant, when she had fought alongside Rin, she had sensed the emotions Rin carried toward Void Beasts: anger and... hatred.

According to what Rin had said, after she left her family, the so-called duty of slaying demons should no longer have been compulsory. Why did she still fight so desperately? It couldn't just be a habit, could it?

Transformation should only change one's clothes and appearance. It shouldn't affect one's original personality.

Though it wasn't too extreme, Rin before transforming and Rin afterward were practically two entirely different people.

"Rin, do you hold a grudge against Void Beasts?" Ando Meiko exhaled softly and asked in a low voice.

Rin, walking ahead of her, trembled. Her body suddenly stiffened, and the smile froze on her face. For a moment, she stood there blankly.

"Rin?"

"Actually..." The smile faded from Rin's face just as she was about to say something, but then she sensed an enormous surge of magic power suddenly rushing toward them.

Like a gale, the magic power swept in from afar. As it passed through the greenery beside the road, the leaves were severed as though sliced by blades, exposing smooth, clean cuts.

"Meizi, watch out!"

[Master, watch out!]

Two girlish cries rang out at the same time, one beside her ear and one within her mind.

While Ando Meiko was still wondering why Rin and Ruby were so tense, Rin had already lunged before her, grabbed her sailor uniform, and pulled her behind herself.

Rin clenched her empty hand, and as Aether flowed, a wooden longsword abruptly appeared in her grasp. She swung it down.

Two different kinds of magic power collided violently in an instant. Rin's expression clearly strained as she was forced back several steps.

Having snapped out of it, Ando Meiko also sensed the magical fluctuation. Instinctively, she stretched out her right hand and grabbed the Ruby Necklace hanging around her neck.

After calming down a little, Ando Meiko looked at the mass of magic power colliding with Rin's wooden sword, and a stunned expression immediately appeared on her face.

The mass of magic power that had attacked them did not dissipate after being barely blocked by Rin. Instead, it shot backward a short distance before suddenly spreading two pitch-black wings, each half a meter long.

With a flap of its wings, the strange black beast turned into a streak of black light and flew back to a spot not far away, where it slowly hovered in midair.

The black feathers left behind by its fluttering wings had not even fully fallen to the ground before turning into specks of Aether and vanishing silently into the air.

"Who are you?" Rin's tone carried a trace of chill.

She did not know who the newcomer was, but since they had already launched a sneak attack on them, they certainly were not here with good intentions.

Ando Meiko and Rin turned around at the same time, following the direction in which the black shadow had flown. Once it stopped moving and hovered in midair, the two girls' astonished gazes locked onto a girl standing atop a utility pole.

"Ando Meiko, Sawamura Rin, hello." A soft, feminine voice tinged with mockery drifted down from above them.

Volume Two: The Vanished Daily Life: Witch Executive

The beast that had attacked Ando Meiko and the others was an owl with a rather unusual appearance.

Standing on the utility pole beside the owl was the girl who had just greeted them.

She wore round glasses, had a pretty face, and dazzling golden hair tied into spiral twin tails that hung all the way down to her calves.

Unlike the luxurious puff-sleeved top that tightly covered her upper body, she wore only a very cool-looking ruffled miniskirt below.

Because she was standing on the narrow utility pole, her long yet shapely legs were pressed together. The large expanse of exposed skin was rather eye-catching.

This girl, brimming with noble elegance, gave the impression that after speaking with you at a party, she would lift her skirt and give you a slight curtsy like some aristocratic young lady.

"Wh-what are you doing?"

She did indeed curtsy after offering what sounded like a greeting, but after lifting her skirt...

"Exactly! Y-you're being completely unreasonable! You actually used that move!" Unlike Rin's slightly bashful reaction, Ando Meiko widened her eyes and was not distracted by the girl's actions in the slightest.

If you wanted to talk, then just talk. Why did you have to pull that stunt? Completely unreasonable, seriously... Though, things that were half-hidden really did have more charm. Being too direct ruined the feeling.

"Good morning, you two. I'm Iris. I just arrived here, so I came specifically to greet you both."

When the girl spoke again, Ando Meiko wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth, only for an unpleasant memory to suddenly flash through her mind.

"The Witch Organization is basically an Aggregate of interests. Everyone in it acts more or less for their own benefit. Not everyone is like me and enjoys research. Executive Iris is one example."

"Iris?"

"That's right. She's a pervert who likes wearing thong underwear and miniskirts, then walking up to you with some excuse and lifting them to show you her butt... right?"

Kajieliena had mentioned this during one of their chats.

Judging from this person's behavior, and the fact that her name really was Iris, could she be...

"Y-you're an executive of the Witch Organization's God's Staff?" The two impressions overlapped, and Ando Meiko blurted it out without thinking.

"Oh? I didn't expect you to know me." Iris raised an eyebrow when Ando Meiko directly identified her, but she did not seem surprised. "That white one told you, didn't she?"

When Iris mentioned the white one, Ando Meiko nervously stepped back.

Obviously, and naturally, if this witch had not come here for the Dragon Vein, then she had almost certainly come for Kajieliena.

"What an interesting little girl. I never expected that stubborn white one, stiff as a bull, would abandon her mission for you and even write the organization a resignation letter."

"A resignation letter?" Ando Meiko frowned and cried out in disbelief.

She had indeed casually said something like, "If you want to study me, then leave the Witch Organization," when Kajieliena had said she wanted to research her. Kajieliena had also seriously said she would consider it.

But Ando Meiko had never expected that joke, spoken in a moment of irritation, to be taken seriously by Kajieliena—and that she would actually write a resignation letter to God's Staff.

Kajieliena, could you please take a little longer to think next time? Writing a resignation letter so quickly was just causing me trouble! Even if you really wanted to leave the organization, at least give me some time to prepare myself!

Ando Meiko laughed bitterly to herself. She had not expected one careless remark to bring about the disastrous consequence of drawing out an executive-level member of the Witch Organization.

She had been a magical girl for less than a month, yet now she was facing a witch executive. It was no different from throwing a hero who had not even left the beginner's village straight in front of the Demon King.

"A witch executive?" Upon hearing Ando Meiko's words, Rin's expression turned completely solemn, and the hand gripping her sword unconsciously tightened.

Though she did not know why Ando Meiko knew Iris's identity, since the person standing there was an executive, she definitely would not be as simple as she appeared.

A magical girl's first duty was to slay Void Beasts and protect the Reality World, but during that time, they would occasionally encounter witches who came to harass them.

Rin had once encountered a witch called Orbital during a King-Tier Void Beast extermination battle and fought her.

Although Orbital was a Starry Magical Girl, she had not used any Star Tarot at the time. With physical strength alone, she had fought Rin to a draw.

Though Rin had not used any of her trump cards either, that was when she learned just how troublesome witches could be.

The strange girl before them was not only a witch, but an executive-level witch. Rin could not help becoming cautious.

"Don't be so nervous. I don't want to oppose you."

"You already ambushed us once. If I hadn't noticed in time, Meizi would be injured by now. And you call that not being hostile?"

"Tch." Hearing Rin's words, Iris clicked her tongue, her tone taking on a hint of impatience. "Anyway, let me make this clear. I came here to take the white and purple ones back. I won't interfere with you, so you'd better not cause trouble for me either."

After saying that, the black owl hovering in midair suddenly flapped its wings and began circling Iris.

The countless black feathers it generated quickly wrapped around the girl's body completely.

A moment later, under the unwavering stares of Ando Meiko and Rin, the girl's figure and the feathers turned into nothingness and vanished completely.

"Rin, let's go first. Hurry and put your sword away." Ando Meiko tugged gently on Rin, who was still frozen in her combat stance, and spoke softly.

More and more passersby had unknowingly gathered around. Quite a few people cast curious looks at Rin when they saw her holding a wooden sword and posing so convincingly.

Hearing Ando Meiko's words, Rin froze slightly. When she raised her head and saw so many pedestrians staring at her, a faint blush rose to her face.

She casually swung the wooden sword twice, then copied the Kendo Club's movements and sheathed it in the invisible scabbard at her waist. After that, she simply held the wooden sword in her left hand and left with Ando Meiko.

"So embarrassing... Ugh, that was so embarrassing."

Watching the girl walk faster than a run and hearing her mutter those words, Ando Meiko could not hold back her laughter.

Volume Two: The Vanished Daily Life: The Smell of Blood

Hearing the girl's soft laughter, Rin turned around and lazily glanced at Ando Meiko with her large eyes. "Meizi, what are you laughing at?"

"I-I just thought of something happy."

Seeing that Ando Meiko showed no sign of restraining her smile, Rin puffed out her cute cheeks and complained, "Meizi really knows how to bully people."

"Although you said last time that the difference between me before and after transforming was rather big, I think the contrast in Rin is pretty big too."

"What do you mean?"

"Haven't you noticed it yourself? In real life, you're such a shy, gentle, adorable girl, but the moment you enter battle, you instantly turn into some burly man."

Rin could not take hearing Ando Meiko say she was like a burly man. She reached out and pinched her, then blushed as she asked in a soft, coquettish voice, "Is that how Meizi sees me?"

Her pure and adorable appearance left Ando Meiko staring for a moment, but she quickly recovered and smiled. "No, I was just joking."

Honestly, perhaps the Great Will truly had some unusual preferences. That guy really was rather talented at picking pretty girls.

Seeing the two girls playfully teasing each other and laughing, many passersby sent heated looks their way. Some confident young men even wanted to come over and strike up a conversation.

However, after seeing the wooden sword in Rin's hand, they felt a strange chill rise from their spines to their brains. Their instinctive sense of danger instantly scattered their less-than-healthy thoughts.

"By the way, Meizi, what did that witch named Iris mean when she said that the white one gave up her mission for you? Who was this white one?"

"Th-this... I-I don't know either..."

Seeing her expression, Rin naturally recognized her guilty conscience and changed the question. "Then what about the purple one?"

"Uh..." Ando Meiko instinctively reached out and covered her lower abdomen.

But when she saw Rin's slightly bewildered gaze and realized how suspicious her action looked, she gave an awkward smile. "I-I don't know either. Maybe she's someone from their organization."

Rin had naturally noticed the small gesture, but for the moment, she could not figure out what Ando Meiko's action meant or why she had made it.

Seeing that Ando Meiko clearly knew something but was hiding it and desperately trying to cover it up rather than say it aloud, Rin did not press further. She slowly shook her head and looked toward the school gate just ahead.

"Then, Meizi, see you after school."

"Good luck on today's test."

After changing into her indoor shoes and temporarily parting with Rin, Ando Meiko walked toward her classroom.

[Ruby, how is Nanako doing now?]

After finishing a meeting in the base's command room and leaving Nanako at the base, Ando Meiko had headed to school with Rin.

To monitor Nanako's movements, Ando Meiko had put the hairpin Ruby once used to watch her onto Nanako, allowing her to learn of Nanako's current condition through Ruby.

Though Nanako always looked innocent and optimistic, curious about everything and eager to play, she was still a little Evil God who had lived for who knew how long. At her core, she was quite clever.

This was evident from the fact that whenever Fuko taught her something, she learned it immediately.

Therefore, Nanako fully understood what Ando Meiko meant, and she would coordinate their stories at the right times so that no one could find even the slightest flaw.

Before leaving, Ando Meiko did not even need to suggest it. Furate and the Azure Magical Girls had all volunteered to help her look after Nanako.

While thanking them, Ando Meiko had also learned from Rin that, aside from Aika, all the other magical girls were university students in the Reality World.

With the military special department's academic exemption privileges and their credits guaranteed, they no longer needed to return to school to continue their coursework, leaving them with much more free time.

But there was no helping it. Though the Tokyo base was only a branch of Divine Shield, with the Dragon Vein so unstable, they could not risk having no one available.

Though Rin was already the face of the Tokyo Branch, she was still the youngest there. Guard duty naturally would not be assigned to high school students like them.

Being able to return to school and attend classes instead of staying in that base all day was wonderful news for Ando Meiko.

She slid open the door and entered the classroom, just in time to meet Kajieliena's swiftly directed gaze.

Ando Meiko returned it with a faint smile, then sat at her seat and began arranging the books she would need that day. However, when she saw Kajieliena still staring fixedly at her, she frowned in discomfort.

"Kajieliena, what's wrong?"

"You haven't come to training in a long time. Did something happen?"

"Nothing. I just had some things to handle, so I was delayed for a while. Don't worry, if nothing happens, I'll still follow your training plan from now on."

Kajieliena ignored that excuse of an explanation. Her little nose twitched as she sniffed the faint fragrance emanating from Ando Meiko.

"This smell..." At that, Kajieliena stood up directly and leaned close to Ando Meiko without the slightest restraint, carefully sniffing her body scent like a pervert.

"The smell of blood?"

"Stop messing around! Get away from me!" Ando Meiko pressed down on Kajieliena's head and shoved her away, secretly breathing a sigh of relief.

Was this terrifying child a dog or something? She could smell blood even after several days had passed. She might as well change careers and become a shark. Why be a witch?