Magical Girl? I Got Screwed Over!

If she could enter that secret realm and find a familiar she liked, she might gain a safer safeguard when facing Void Beasts.

"How do we get in?"

"Uh... on the full moon of every month, we can use magic to open a spatial gate leading to the secret realm. Then we just go straight in. But once you obtain a familiar, you can't enter again."

"I see. Thank you for telling me all that."

"You're welcome. It's not exactly a secret, so there's no need to thank me. Just leave Nanako here to play with us."

"Anyway, I still need to ask the commander for the keys later. We'll head back for today."

"Be careful on the way."

Since she was on break as well and had nowhere else to go, Ando Meiko could only bring Nanako to the base to pass the time.

The moment the child entered the lounge, the girls snatched her right out of Meiko's hands. Their frantic behavior, like they were fighting over an adorable teddy bear, even made Meiko nervous.

Yōichi took advantage of a break to leave the command room, planning to rest briefly in the lounge. Just then, he saw Ando Meiko walking toward him and said, "Morning, Meizi. You brought Nanako again today?"

"Yeah. Sorry to trouble you all again."

Why did this feel like a conversation between a kindergarten principal and a parent dropping off their child?

After quietly mocking herself, Ando Meiko continued, "Can I borrow the training room today?"

"Of course. You don't need to ask me next time either. Just go in whenever you want. The key I gave you yesterday works everywhere except the command room."

"Then thank you."

With that, Ando Meiko stopped bothering him, turned around, and walked straight into the training room.

[Master actually took the initiative to train in the training room?]

[What else would I do?]

Ando Meiko rolled her eyes where no one could see, directing it at Ruby.

Since she had decided to protect the ordinary life she wanted in the future, the only thing she could do whenever she had free time was keep making herself stronger.

A few days ago, she might not have felt this way. But the sight of Iris, that witch executive, appearing before them without the slightest hesitation had given her a profound sense of danger and tension.

Although Iris had not attacked when they met yesterday, Ando Meiko knew that if Iris had wanted to, neither she nor Kajieliena would have had any chance of escaping her.

To gain the power to contend with Iris, Ando Meiko could only use this clumsy method to uncover her own potential.

She transformed in the training room and entered the Void World. Once the spatial gate closed, Ando Meiko began researching by herself on the spot.

"Synchronization, begin."

This was a method used only when carrying out complex Aether conversion. If she was merely converting it into something like kitchenware or a bow, Synchronization was unnecessary.

"Master, are you trying to create that sniper rifle?"

"Yeah. Help me keep track of the time." Ando Meiko nodded, gave the instruction, then closed her eyes and focused all her attention on the ball of Aether light formed from her magic wand.

"Material... hardness... shape... curves... assembly points..."

The disassembly diagrams she had seen in books slowly transformed into three-dimensional images in her mind. Not a single tiny detail was omitted.

A few days ago, she had heard Aika say that Sunstone-type Magical Girls fought by strengthening their bodies and using Armaments. Meiko had been somewhat doubtful, but she had not voiced any objection.

During the mock battle at the welcome event, she had vaguely noticed that she could switch weapons rapidly, though part of that was certainly due to her increasingly skilled control over her magic.

But in truth, the greater reason was that Ruby, a magic wand designed to assist in battle, possessed an Armament storage function.

Although it could only store simple cold weapons and tool models, as long as she constructed them in advance, they could be saved in Ruby's memory.

When she wanted to use them later, she only needed to form an impression in her mind, eliminating the need to spend enormous mental effort imagining them from scratch.

Unfortunately, complex weapons such as firearms were different. Every time she used one, she had to construct every component through Synchronization before assembling them together.

"As expected, constructing a firearm through imagination is just too hard when I'm not in Starlight Radiance Form." Looking at the anti-materiel sniper rifle in her hand, which felt almost weightless, Ando Meiko sighed softly.

"Master, it took three minutes and twenty seconds from the start until the loading was completed."

Compared to the first time she constructed it, that was more than two minutes slower.

And the sniper rifle's magazine could only hold ten rounds.

Since ammunition models could not be stored either, she had to spend time reconstructing them whenever she wanted to reload.

Volume Two: The Vanished Everyday Life: You Don't Actually Need to Worry

"Master may not know this yet, but although the Holy Armament—Starlight Radiance can break through the upper limit of magic power, its greatest benefit is actually the enormous increase it provides to the speed at which you condense magic power."

"I understand that, but I can't use Starlight Radiance Form to save my life every time something unexpected happens, can I? I can't even be sure I'll be able to use it every time." Ando Meiko stuck out her tongue and spoke helplessly.

Besides, what if this thing had a beginner protection period?

You got a useful enhancement and kept relying on it, only for it to suddenly stop working one day after you had used it too much. That kind of thing was hardly uncommon in anime or tokusatsu shows.

When the most urgent moment came, perhaps the only thing she could rely on was her normal form. That was why it would be better to train some abilities in her normal form as much as possible.

Everything required practice to achieve mastery, and magic power was no exception.

It would be a lie to say Ando Meiko had not improved after several real battles. After all, she now had the ability to defeat a weaker General-Tier Void Beast by herself.

"As long as I'm improving, it's a good thing."

She waved her hand, turning the sniper rifle back into a magic wand, then closed her eyes again. This time, what appeared in her mind was the sword Edogawa Marugang used.

When she encountered those tentacles, the first thing she had thought was that she wanted her magic wand to turn into something like that. Yet it had unexpectedly become a fruit knife.

She had been unable to let that go ever since.

Shape, length, hardness, material... The seemingly ordinary katana was thoroughly broken down in Ando Meiko's mind into dozens of details.

The instant she assembled every component, she abruptly opened her eyes. The shifting Aether in her hand suddenly condensed, directly transforming into an exquisite crimson katana.

"I-I did it!" Looking at the lightweight katana in her hand, Ando Meiko was immediately overwhelmed with delight.

As early as when she had been Synchronizing the components, Ando Meiko had realized that the reason she could not correctly create the weapon she imagined was not because she had never touched such an item before.

It was because she did not understand how the weapon worked. She had only formed a vague impression in her mind, so it produced the closest thing among objects she had encountered.

That was why a fruit knife appeared when she wanted a katana, and a frying pan appeared when she wanted a shield.

To successfully create the weapon she imagined, she needed to satisfy at least three conditions among the many details: the weapon's appearance, material, and type.

This ability to transform her magic wand into a weapon might be the true combat method of a Sunstone-type Magical Girl... After learning that from Aika, she naturally did not neglect this aspect of her training.

What she had not expected, however, was that not only had she found the right direction for her training, but her proficiency in controlling magic power had also greatly improved through constant use.

Everything seemed to be changing for the better, if not for that witch...

Iris's figure surfaced in her mind. Although the image of Iris lifting her skirt to reveal her thong made Ando Meiko blush a little, Iris's attitude of not taking her seriously at all still made her grit her teeth in resentment.

"Actually, Master, you may not need to worry about Iris that much." Ruby's voice carried a thoughtful tone.

"What do you mean?"

"Whether she wants to take Kajieliena away or take Xiphias away, wouldn't that be a good thing for you?"

"Huh?" Ando Meiko froze. Then her eyes lit up with sudden realization. "Isn't that exactly right? Ruby, you're absolutely right!"

Ever since Ando Meiko escaped from Xiphias that day, she had never seen her again. And setting aside that girl who had already left God's Staff...

Kajieliena was a genuine witch who pestered her every day. If Kajieliena were taken back, then even if Meiko could not return to her ordinary life, at least her current days would be a little less troublesome.

"I never expected that stubborn white one to give up her mission for you, or even write a resignation letter to the organization."

Those words suddenly flashed through her mind, and the energy she had just built up deflated like a punctured basketball.

She had casually said it in anger, but Kajieliena had taken it seriously and carried it out without hesitation. It might not count as trust, but if she watched helplessly as Kajieliena was taken away by the organization, she would probably feel terribly guilty too.

The sound of a spatial gate opening behind her made Ando Meiko stop what she was doing and turn around.

A petite, pretty yellow figure stepped out of the spatial passage. "So Sister Ruby is here. What's wrong? Did you come to train?"

Ando Meiko nodded and did not intend to hide it. "Yeah. What about you? I remember you messaged me last night that you were going shopping today."

"Shopping doesn't take an entire day, does it? I came over as soon as I finished. I just didn't expect Sister Ruby to come here too."

"I can't help it. An executive has already appeared. If I still don't feel any sense of danger, wouldn't I just be fish on someone else's chopping block?"

Rin smiled faintly and suggested, "Then why don't we train together?"

"Sure, but what are we training?"

Rin touched her chin with her index finger, thought for a moment, then pointed at the katana in Ando Meiko's hand. "Swordsmanship. Sister Ruby seems to rely too much on magic attacks, so your close combat ability is disastrously weak."

"Uh..." Having her friend point it out so bluntly made even Ando Meiko feel a little embarrassed.

"Perfect timing. Isn't Sister Ruby going to participate in the Magical Girl Exchange Tournament? I can help you strengthen your close combat skills a little during this time."

When she heard that Rin intended to train her, Ando Meiko hesitated briefly before gritting her teeth and agreeing. "Then I'll be in your care. What should I do first?"

"Can you create a sword like mine? Preferably a metal one." With a wave of Rin's hand, a wooden sword appeared in her grasp.

Ando Meiko nodded and immediately closed her eyes. With the experience of creating a katana, she transformed her magic wand into a one-handed sword in only a moment.

"Have you ever learned kendo or anything like that before, Sister Ruby?"

"No. I've never touched a sword since I was little."

Hearing that, Rin sighed in relief and no longer hesitated. She extended the wooden sword in her hand, pointing it straight at Ando Meiko's chest.

"I don't know Japanese swordsmanship, but I can teach you the swordsmanship and martial arts from my side. A month won't be enough to master them quickly, but improving your reactions and ability to respond in combat should not be a problem."

"Then please take care of me!"

Volume Two: The Vanished Everyday Life: Arrival

After boarding the bus and reaching her seat, Kajieliena saw the girl lazily leaning against the backrest with her eyes half-closed and asked directly.

"What's wrong, Meizi? You don't look very well."

"It's nothing. I was too excited yesterday and didn't sleep well."

Ando Meiko had never expected Kajieliena to lean close without the slightest concern for appearances, then stick out her tongue and lick her face.

"It smells like a lie, Ando Meiko."

"Wah!" Covering the spot that had been attacked, Ando Meiko let out a strange cry. When she noticed almost everyone staring at her in stunned silence, she lowered her head even further and tried to keep her voice down.

"W-What are you doing?"

"Sweat can reflect a person's physical condition. Judging from your scent just now, you probably overexerted yourself yesterday."

"A-Anyway, it's none of your business!" With that, Ando Meiko turned to look out the window and ignored Kajieliena.

She was mainly feeling guilty, which was why she used that reaction to hide her panic.

After all, Kajieliena had guessed correctly. Yesterday, Meiko and Rin had spent an entire afternoon and night in the training room.

According to Rin, before learning martial arts, one had to clearly understand one's own body, such as its flexibility, resistance to blows, reaction speed, and so on.

But although Rin said she wanted to teach Ando Meiko, Meiko had not expected Rin to beat her up one-sidedly in the training room.

If not for the speed at which Aether repaired her body, she would probably have had to come to school looking bruised and swollen.

Afterward, however, Rin had kept apologizing to Ando Meiko after reverting from her transformation.

Thinking about it now, Meiko definitely preferred Rin's gentle and sweet appearance before transforming.

As time slowly passed, departure time arrived. After the bus sounded its engine, it left the school gates and headed onto the road.

For this training camp, each class was divided into groups of three, making six people in each group. Besides Kajieliena and Ando Meiko, Group Six also included a girl named Baigui Lingye.

The girls in the class got along fairly well with her, but this girl named Ling Ye had spoken fewer than five sentences to Ando Meiko even now, and every one of them had only been said out of necessity.

So apart from thinking that she was a very quiet and lonely girl, Meiko had little impression of her.

For the moment, she did not want to speak with Kajieliena. Kajieliena was not someone who actively sought topics of conversation, and Baigui Lingye was silent as gold.

The small space occupied by the three girls unexpectedly became the quietest area on the entire bus.

After winding through several unfamiliar places, Ando Meiko, who had been watching the scenery outside, gradually lost her sense of direction.