On Becoming a Magical Girl

"Oh, I received it on my end too. Until support arrives, I'll prioritize helping the crowd evacuate."

"Understood. Please be sure to stay cautious until then."

"Got it. I'll play it by ear."

Efnir took a deep breath.

The deployment order had already been issued. The supporting agents should arrive soon.

Just then, a shriek suddenly came from above. Efnir looked up warily and saw something unusual happening on that massive floating island.

Sure enough, those Corrupted could not remain docile forever. The "Crows" that had merely been circling overhead seemed to have suddenly spotted prey. Their enormous, mournful beaks split wide open as they converged and flew toward Efnir, like droplets gathering into a stream, then becoming a river. Their numbers swelled and swelled before they suddenly poured down toward Efnir like floodwaters released from a dam, cascading like a waterfall.

Those Crows were flying toward Efnir... or rather, toward the venue beneath Efnir's feet, and the crowd still stranded there without time to evacuate.

Having prepared for this long ago, Efnir's gaze sharpened as she leaped from the steel framework at the same moment.

A "Stairway" condensed beneath her feet, providing footholds. She fixed her eyes on those falling black Crows, aimed herself, and rapidly leaped across the venue's roof framework.

"Codename Efnir, entering combat!"

She cut off her earpiece, and silver appeared in her hand, forming into a spear.

The strength throughout her body was drawn by the Order Force and condensed into a single point. Then, it transformed into a dazzling silver gleam and was hurled from Efnir's hand. Like a meteor cutting through the night sky, the silver light shot straight beneath the enormous black shadow, pointing toward the "floating island."

First, she would deal with the big one in the simplest way, just like last time.

But this time, it did not go so smoothly—the black waterfall formed by those twisted Crows abruptly forced itself into a turn and crashed head-on into the spear. Countless sparks scattered through the air as Efnir's strike nearly pierced straight through the black cascade.

But that was all it did.

The meteor was swallowed by darkness and ultimately vanished without a trace, while the "waterfall" gathered itself once more.

Silver flashed, and the spear reappeared in Efnir's hand. This was the Weapon Recall ability used by all agents. Efnir stared intently at the enormous black shadow overhead, her eyes blazing as her shoulders dipped slightly.

This method of throwing her weapon consumed a considerable amount of energy. Furthermore, before recalling her weapon, it left Efnir briefly vulnerable. In combat, she had to choose the timing of such attacks carefully to avoid putting herself in danger, and she could not use them repeatedly.

"What a pain..."

Aerial combat was Efnir's weakness. It was not that she had no means of dealing with airborne enemies, but that she had no effective way to win in one decisive blow. The longer a battle dragged on, the more power it consumed, and the more disadvantageous it became for an agent.

And it was an enormous threat to those who had yet to evacuate as well.

Efnir clicked her tongue irritably.

If the main battlefield had been between skyscrapers like last time, or if the main enemy had only been the "Whale," it would have been manageable. But now, Efnir was several hundred meters below the Whale, there were no sufficiently tall buildings nearby, and her only anti-air attack could be blocked by those troublesome Crows.

She gritted her teeth and leaped high into the air. A Stairway formed beneath her feet, and she used those "steps" to shoot rapidly upward.

There was no other way until the aircraft was in position.

Then she would just have to force her way through.

Shelter—

"Please maintain order and follow the staff's instructions. Evacuate in an orderly and swift manner... Please do not crowd together. Please make way for children, women... Please..."

Evacuation facilities were generally built at least a dozen meters underground. They were immense projects with extremely sturdy structures, like giant cocoons. It was said that shelters used the same relic technology as the Boundary Stele, allowing them to avoid detection by the Corrupted to a certain extent, and their defensive capabilities were trustworthy as well.

In any case, no shelter had ever suffered an accident. It could be said that this place was absolutely safe.

Yukina followed Shinomiyami Nami here. She quietly crouched against a wall. The wall behind her seemed to be made of concrete, yet perhaps it was some other material. Its chill seeped through the fabric on her back and into her spine.

The temperature here was far lower than it was aboveground.

Yukina shivered, but she did not leave this spot, because from here, she had a perfect view of the shelter entrance. Everyone who came in would enter her sight.

But even after all this time, she had not seen her brother.

This was the nearest evacuation facility to the venue. Normally, most of those evacuating from the venue would be directed here, so her brother should have come here as well. Yet even after no one else entered, Yukina had not seen Yanase Naoto.

Bright white light spilled down from overhead. Yukina hugged her legs and lowered her gaze. Her shadow split into several beneath the lights, and their overlapping portions darkened layer by layer. People around her dialed their phones over and over. Some suddenly burst into tears, some smiled despite their worried expressions, and some remained silent like Yukina.

After settling her down, Shinomiyami Nami went aside and spoke with someone through her earpiece.

Only today did Yukina learn that Shinomiyami Nami was not merely an agent.

Agents and the Orderkeepers organization—this was the overlooked side of Efnir and Shinomiyami Nami. They were first warriors who protected this city, and only then a public idol and her manager...

Yukina could not help wondering whether she had become a burden and caused trouble for Efnir and the others.

When she came in, Yukina had caught a distant glimpse of that nightmare-like sight on the horizon. An island where some enormous demon seemed to live, floating there in the sky.

She had never seen such a terrifying Corrupted before.

This disaster... was probably different somehow, wasn't it? If things were truly dangerous, would her brother be all right? Why had he not appeared here?

There was more than one evacuation point nearby, so it was possible that they had simply missed each other. Besides, Miss Efnir had said she would protect her brother.

But...

There were too many things to worry about, too many thoughts throwing her into turmoil.

It was hard not to think about them.

Yukina did not really understand. She only felt a terrible headache. Her brows lowered as a faint glimmer flickered in her beautiful eyes.

Brother...

She took out her phone, hesitated for a moment, then dialed a number like everyone else.

It was her brother's number.

Though they were underground, the shelter had a civilian signal station. The connection was poor because too many users had connected at once, but it could still be used in areas not covered by Corruption.

But her brother did not answer, even when the busy tone began.

Her brother had not answered the phone at all.

Yukina pressed her lips together, rested her face against her knees, and buried it in the crook of her arms.

"Yukina, do you feel unwell anywhere?"

By the time Yukina noticed, Shinomiyami Nami had come to her side.

Yukina raised her head.

"No, I don't feel unwell anywhere..."

But Shinomiyami Nami could probably easily see the thick worry in Yukina's eyes. She noticed that Yukina's phone screen was still lit.

"Are you still... worried about your brother?"

"Mm..."

"I see. You two really are close siblings... You're always talking about your brother. It would be nice if I had a little sister like you."

"No, it's not like what you think, so please don't tease me..."

Shaking her head in embarrassment, Yukina buried her face again.

Being judged that way without being asked gave her a strange flicker of joy, but even more disappointment.

Did other people think she and her brother were close?

Yukina wished that were true, but in reality, although her relationship with her brother was not cold, it was not close enough to be described as "getting along well."

"Did you call your brother?"

Shinomiyami Nami asked.

"Mm..."

"She didn't answer?"

"No..."

Of course he would not answer. Shinomiyami Nami looked at Yukina with an unreadable expression, then suddenly smiled and comforted her.

"I see. Maybe the signal is bad. Maybe he accidentally left his phone somewhere. Maybe he simply didn't hear it... But no matter what, little Yukina doesn't need to worry."

Shinomiyami Nami suddenly took Yukina's slightly cold hands in hers.

"Because Efnir is there, your brother will definitely be fine. I guarantee it! Efnir is incredible. Even the strongest Corrupted we've faced so far was defeated by her alone. This time will definitely be fine too. No matter what, little Yukina, please believe in Efnir! And... believe in your brother too..."

"Mm..."

Yukina nodded.

Yukina trusted Efnir without reservation.

Efnir was strong. She was the greatest agent in this city. Any Corrupted before her would be pierced apart like tofu. Of course Yukina believed Efnir would protect everyone.

"Then relax a little and wait patiently for your brother to come back."

Comfort was not necessarily effective, but it made people feel warm.

Miss Shinomiyami Nami's hands were beautiful and soft. Being held like this made Yukina feel calm inside.

"Mm..."

Yukina nodded without speaking.

"By the way, when did little Yukina become Efnir's fan?"

Shinomiyami Nami glanced at her watch and brought up a topic.

"That... when was it... Probably almost a year ago... Around last December."

"Eh? That's amazing! You're a founding-level fan! How rare—you've been around longer than I have. I hadn't been assigned to her yet at that time."

Shinomiyami Nami's smile was gentle, like that of an older sister next door, making Yukina feel a little embarrassed.

"It's nothing..."

"Come to think of it, how did you first notice Efnir? I remember she wasn't especially famous back then, was she?"

"Eh...? Th-that..."

For no apparent reason, Yukina's cheeks reddened, and she suddenly began to stammer.

Yukina rarely mentioned the first time she met Miss Efnir.

—Because it was not an experience she could describe casually.

At the time, Efnir pulled her out from underwater and firmly protected her while surrounded by Corrupted. Because she had nearly drowned, her memories from then were already unclear. In those blurry fragments, Yukina only remembered that Efnir's hands were soft and cool, and that stubborn, resolute look in her eyes was a match for her brother's.

What happened afterward?

She fainted, then discovered that Efnir had saved her. Her mouth had been covered, and Efnir gave her artificial respiration.

Efnir's lips felt like pudding freshly taken from the refrigerator—cool and soft. Perhaps that was because she had only just come out of the water then.

Yukina also remembered the faint fragrance in Efnir's breath. Resting against Efnir's shoulder, that warm and dependable feeling had put her at ease. Sunlight passing through Efnir's hanging, wet silver strands had become colorful like a rainbow.

Remembering the tenderness of that day, Yukina lightly pressed her lips together.

Of course, Yukina knew that Efnir's actions had not contained the slightest ulterior intent, so she had never thought about it in any other way.

She herself had never cared about it, either.

Probably?

Because Efnir, as an agent, was kind, but... for no apparent reason, a sharp pain suddenly stabbed at Yukina's heart.

Yukina suddenly realized what had felt somewhat "wrong" all along.

Precisely because Efnir was kind, she protected the people here and fought again and again... But... was that something to be taken for granted? Because all she could think about was her brother, Yukina had asked Efnir, "Please," and Efnir had responded with a smile. Like everyone else, Yukina had selfishly placed her own wish upon Efnir.

It felt terribly selfish.

She wanted her brother to be safe, so she shamelessly asked Miss Efnir for help. But if... if Miss Efnir was hurt, then who would protect her? In fact, Miss Efnir looked even younger than Yukina. What exactly was that pair of shoulders carrying?

Because Miss Efnir was always smiling, Yukina had deliberately or unconsciously overlooked many truths.

It was common for agents to die in battle.