Magical Girl? I Got Set Up!

Rin fought without holding anything back, leaving herself no room for retreat. She fought with the sheer desperation of a reckless brute.

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

According to what Rin had said, after leaving her family, the so-called duty of slaying demons and vanquishing evil should no longer have been mandatory. So why was she still fighting 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 overly extreme, Rin before transforming and Rin after transforming seemed like two completely different people.

"Rin, do you hold a grudge against Void Beasts?" Ando Meiko let out a breath and asked softly.

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

"Rin?"

"Actually..." Rin drew back her smile and was just about to say something when she sensed an enormous surge of magic power hurtling toward them.

Like a gale, the magic power swept in from afar. As it passed through the greenery lining the roadside, the leaves were severed as though sliced by sharp blades, revealing smooth, even cuts.

"Meizi, watch out!"

[Master, watch out!]

Before Ando Meiko could figure out why both Rin and Ruby were so tense, Rin had already lunged in front of her, grabbed her sailor uniform, and pulled her behind herself.

She clenched her hand around empty air. As Aether circulated, a wooden longsword abruptly appeared in her grasp, and she swung it down.

The two different types of magic power collided violently in an instant. Rin, whose expression showed obvious strain, was knocked back several steps.

Having recovered her senses, Ando Meiko finally felt the magical fluctuation as well. She instinctively stretched out her right hand and grasped the Ruby necklace hanging around her neck.

After calming down slightly, Ando Meiko looked toward the mass of magic power colliding with Rin's wooden sword, and shock immediately appeared on her face.

After being barely blocked by Rin, the attacking mass of magic power did not dissipate. Instead, it shot backward a short distance before suddenly spreading a pair of jet-black wings half a meter long.

With a flap of its wings, the strange black beast turned into a streak of black light, flew back to a nearby spot, and slowly hovered in midair.

Before the black feathers left behind by its flapping wings could fully fall to the ground, they turned into specks of Aether and vanished soundlessly into the air.

"Who is it?" Rin's voice carried a trace of coldness.

She did not know who the newcomer was, but since the other party had already ambushed them, they were definitely up to no good.

Ando Meiko and Rin turned around at the same time, following the direction in which the black shadow had flown. Once it stopped in midair, their astonished gazes immediately settled on a girl standing atop a utility pole.

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

The Vanished Everyday Life: Witch Executive

The beast that had attacked Ando Meiko and the others was an unusually shaped owl.

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

She wore round-framed glasses. Her lovely features were framed by dazzling golden hair, tied into spiraling twin tails that fell in loops all the way to her calves.

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

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

This girl exuded such nobility that one could imagine her as the sort of aristocratic young lady who, after speaking with someone at a banquet, would lift her skirt and give a slight curtsy.

"W-what are you doing?"

She did indeed curtsy after saying what sounded like a greeting. But after lifting her skirt...

"Yeah, y-you're being way too unreasonable! Y-you actually used that move." In stark contrast to Rin's bashful reaction, Ando Meiko widened her eyes, completely unfazed by the girl's action.

If you wanted to talk, then just talk. Why pull something like this? It was unfair—seriously unfair... But sure enough, something half-hidden was more interesting. Being too direct ruined the feeling.

"Good morning, you two. I'm Iris. I just arrived here and specifically came to say hello."

Upon hearing the girl speak again, Ando Meiko wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth. Then an unpleasant memory suddenly flashed through her mind.

"The Witch Organization is basically an alliance built around mutual interests. Everyone in it acts more or less for their own benefit. Not everyone is a researcher like me. Executive Iris is one example."

"Iris?"

"That's right. She's a pervert who likes wearing thong panties and ultrashort skirts, then walking up to you with some excuse to lift them and show you her butt..."

Kajieliena had once mentioned this while chatting with her.

Judging by this person's behavior, coupled with the fact that her name really was Iris, could she be...

"A-an executive of the Witch Organization's God's Staff?" Combining those two impressions, Ando Meiko blurted it out before she could even think.

"Oh? I didn't expect you to know me." Iris raised an eyebrow upon hearing her identity stated outright, but she was not surprised. "Did that white one tell you?"

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

Obviously, if this witch had not come here for the Dragon Vein, then her target could only be Kajieliena.

"What an interesting little thing. I never expected that stubborn white one to abandon her mission for your sake, or 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 her joke, spoken in a moment of irritation, to be taken seriously by Kajieliena—and for her to actually write God's Staff a resignation letter.

Kajieliena, could you at least spend a little longer thinking next time? Writing a resignation letter so quickly was just making trouble for me! Even if you really wanted to quit the Organization, at least give me some time to prepare myself!

Ando Meiko smiled bitterly to herself. She had not expected one careless remark to result in drawing out an executive-level figure from the Witch Organization.

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

"A witch executive?" Upon hearing Ando Meiko's words, Rin's expression turned completely grave. Her grip on her sword tightened unconsciously.

Though she did not know why Ando Meiko knew Iris's identity, if the person standing there was an executive, then she could not possibly be as simple as she appeared.

Although a magical girl's primary mission was to kill Void Beasts and protect the real world, they would occasionally encounter witches who came to cause trouble.

Once, during a King-Tier Void Beast extermination battle, Rin had encountered a witch named Orbital and fought her.

Though Orbital was a Starry Magical Girl, she had not used any Star Tarot at the time. Relying solely on physical strength, she had fought Rin to a draw.

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

And the girl before her, whose behavior was somewhat perverted, was not merely a witch but an executive-level witch. Rin had no choice but to be cautious.

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

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

"Tch." Hearing Rin's words, Iris clicked her tongue, her voice taking on a hint of impatience. "In any case, let me make this clear. I came here to take the white one and the purple one back. I won't bother 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 circled around Iris.

The densely packed black feathers that continuously formed soon completely wrapped around the girl's body.

Moments later, under Ando Meiko and Rin's fixed gazes, both the girl and the feathers turned into nothingness and vanished completely.

"Rin, let's go first. Put your sword away quickly." Ando Meiko tugged at Rin, who was still frozen in her battle stance, and spoke softly.

More and more passersby had gradually gathered nearby. When they saw Rin holding a wooden sword and posing so seriously, quite a few of them cast curious glances her way.

Hearing Ando Meiko's words, Rin paused. When she raised her head and saw numerous pedestrians staring at her, a faint blush appeared on her face.

She casually swung the wooden sword a few times, then imitated the Kendo Club's movements and sheathed it in the invisible sword scabbard at her waist. She then held the wooden sword in her left hand and left with Ando Meiko.

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

Watching the girl walk faster than she ran, muttering those words under her breath, Ando Meiko could not hold back her laughter.

The Vanished Everyday Life: The Smell of Blood

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

"I-I just thought of something happy."

Seeing that the smile on Ando Meiko's face showed no sign of fading, Rin puffed up her cute cheeks and said reproachfully, "Meizi really knows how to bully people."

"Last time, you said the contrast between me before and after transforming was pretty big. But as far as I'm concerned, the contrast in Rin isn't small either."

"What do you mean?"

"Haven't you noticed it yourself? In real life, you're such a shy, gentle, lovable girl, but once you enter battle, it's like you instantly turn into some macho man."

The moment Ando Meiko said she was like a macho man, Rin could no longer take it. She reached out and pinched her, then softly said in a delicate voice with a red face, "So that's how Meizi sees me?"

Her innocent and adorable appearance left Ando Meiko staring blankly for a moment. But she quickly recovered and smiled. "No, I was only joking."

Honestly, perhaps the Great Will really had some peculiar tastes. That old man truly had a talent for picking pretty girls.

As the two girls laughed and playfully jostled each other, quite a few passersby cast heated gazes toward them. Some confident, handsome young men even wanted to go up and strike up a conversation.

But when they saw the wooden sword in Rin's hand, it was as if a strange chill climbed from their spines into their brains. That instinctive sense of danger instantly scattered their less-than-wholesome thoughts.

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

"Th-that... 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 somewhat stunned expression and realized her action was too revealing, she gave an awkward smile. "I-I don't know either. Maybe she's someone from their Organization."

Rin had naturally noticed that little movement, but for the moment, she could not figure out what it meant or why Ando Meiko had done it.

Looking at the girl who clearly knew something but kept dodging the matter and desperately concealing it because she did not want to say it, Rin did not press further. She slowly shook her head and looked up at the school gate close at hand.

"Then see you after school, Meizi."

"Good luck on today's test."

After changing into her indoor shoes and temporarily saying goodbye to Rin, Ando Meiko headed 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 given her the hairpin Ruby had once used to monitor her. That allowed her to learn about Nanako's current situation from 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 heart, she was quite clever.

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

So Nanako fully understood Ando Meiko's intentions. She would also coordinate their stories at the right moments, leaving no flaws for others to find.

Before they left, Furate and the other Azure Magical Girls had volunteered to help look after Nanako without Ando Meiko even needing to suggest it.

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

They had the military's special academic exemption privileges. With their credits guaranteed, they no longer had to return to school and keep up with their coursework, making them far freer.

But there was no helping it. Though the Tokyo base was only a branch of Divine Shield, with the Dragon Vein unstable, they could not afford to leave it understaffed.

Though Rin was already the face of the Tokyo Branch, she was also the youngest one there. Guard duty naturally would not be assigned to the few high school girls.

Being able to return to school and attend classes instead of staying at that base all day was tremendously good 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 desk and began arranging the books she would need that day. Yet when she saw that Kajieliena was still staring at her without blinking, she frowned in discomfort.

"Kajieliena, what is it?"

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

"It's nothing. I just had some matters to handle, so it delayed me a little. Don't worry. If nothing else comes up, I'll still follow your training plan from now on."

Kajieliena ignored that hardly convincing explanation. Her small nose twitched slightly as she smelled the sweet scent coming from Ando Meiko.

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

"The smell of blood?"

"Quit messing around and get away from me!" Ando Meiko pressed down on Kajieliena's head and pushed her away, secretly letting out a sigh of relief.

Was this scary kid part dog? She could smell blood that had lingered for several days. She might as well switch careers and become a shark—why be a witch?