About Becoming a Magical Girl

A piercing whistle tore through the sky. A silver streak shot straight across the heavens and plunged into the giant monster's body. One of the three Floating Islands in the sky let out an ear-splitting wail under the blow, then slowly began to descend, dissolving into faint starlight before it could hit the ground.

On top of a building, Fifina stared blankly at the scene.

Blood and grime had been smeared haphazardly across her pale little face. Her right arm was completely gone, leaving only a mangled, blood-soaked sleeve and crude bandaging—she had lost an arm, and with only one hand, she could no longer perform proper emergency treatment. With every passing moment, her blood was slowly draining away.

"Master..."

She watched that moon-bright figure streaking through the sky like a meteor, the yearning and admiration in her eyes utterly undisguised.

That was her master, Magical Girl Avenil—the brightest shooting star in the city, and the person she respected and admired most.

She took a deep breath, clenched her teeth, turned, and ran toward West Capital Tower.

Unable to Connect

Youcheng Girls' Academy.

Among the dozen or so high schools in Xijing City, Youcheng Girls' Academy was considered one of the best.

This was Shiomi Yukina's school. It was now 3:40 in the afternoon, and the academy was deserted. The traffic jam at the gates, which had lasted for a full hour, had completely cleared within half an hour.

"A Class-A Corruption disaster has suddenly occurred in the city center and is currently out of control. Therefore, all classes are canceled for today. Students, parents, and teachers, please leave campus in an orderly manner and proceed to evacuation shelters."

The evacuation alert played over and over through the broadcast system.

At first, students and teachers had found it strange that a disaster in another district would require them to evacuate despite being so far away. Then they learned that Orderkeeper Headquarters had reportedly been attacked by Corruption. What had initially been an ordinary localized Corruption disaster now seemed to have developed into an uncontrollable incident, so evacuations had been organized in preparation for the disaster that might spread here.

For that reason, the first-year parent-teacher meeting was naturally canceled as well.

The planned meeting had turned into an emergency evacuation, with parents coming to the school to take their children to underground shelters.

At the edge of her vision, the sunlight was scorching and dazzling, while the air carried the unpleasant smell of sweat and acrid smoke.

Shiomi Yukina tightly clutched her school bag as she drifted aimlessly with the crowd.

Her gaze was lowered. A chibi plush doll of Magical Girl Avenil hung from the side of her bag.

Around her were peers traveling with their families, along with teachers and parents.

The crowd was noisy.

Cries of alarm, shouting, panic, and tension pressed in on her until she could barely breathe.

"Don't be afraid. Mom and Dad are right here."

Other people's parents said things like that to comfort them. Yukina, however, had always been alone.

The only "family" she had in this city—her older brother—had not come.

Just like at her graduation ceremony, the school festival, the sports day, the opening ceremony, her birthdays, and when she was sick.

When she had been caught up in a Corruption disaster, her brother had not even called her. It was the same in everyday life. No matter how much she did not want to admit it, she had gradually realized one fact: her brother was deliberately distancing himself from her, and that distance had become absolute and merciless.

If Avenil had not appeared in time during that disaster and nearly risked her life to save Yukina, then Yukina would surely have died long ago, wouldn't she?

Her brother would no longer appear by her side. He had changed and left. She had tried to hold on to him, but failed. Now, their relationship was like that of strangers.

The figure she had longed for and awaited countless times had never appeared before her. He was completely different from the gentle figure in her memories. Her brother was already far too distant from her.

No matter how outstanding she was at school, she did not even have anyone to share her joy with.

When she was little, she had always chased after her brother.

How she wished her brother would chase after her too, just once, and come to her.

Even if he only patted her head like he had when they were children.

But he did not.

Even when it was time for the meeting to begin, she still did not see her brother.

She held her phone. Because of the Corruption attack, the network and communication signals had been completely cut off. Slowly, she entered his number on the keypad, then deleted it again.

She had lost count of how many times she had done this.

Before she realized it, her vision had blurred.

She bit her lower lip and stubbornly raised her sleeve to wipe away her tears.

The more she hoped, the greater the disappointment. She should have gotten used to this by now.

But...

Where was her brother? What was he doing?

"This is a notice from the Xijing Special Disaster Response Mobile Division."

"A special incident is occurring in the northwestern district, centered around the Orderkeeper Headquarters building and plaza."

"The disaster is spreading."

"All non-combat personnel nearby, evacuate immediately."

"Those remaining at the scene, please follow instructions and take shelter in an orderly manner."

"Repeating..."

The evacuation broadcast echoed through the empty streets.

Water sprayed from broken fire hydrants, filtering the sunlight as it scattered.

All around were blaring alarms, vehicles, and the shrill anti-theft sirens of shops.

A girl ran frantically through the rubble, breathing hard and glancing back every so often.

Several Dregs and a massive Erosion Entity that looked like both a spider and a mantis were relentlessly pursuing her.

She was a student who had come with her club to visit a nearby commercial plaza around noon. When the disaster struck, she was separated from the others and trapped in a stairwell when the passage collapsed. By the time she found tools to break through a reinforced window and escape, the streets had already been occupied by Erosion Entities and Dregs.

With no other choice, she could only continue hiding and wait for rescue.

But unfortunately, she had still been discovered by an Erosion Entity.

She ran with all her strength, but the Erosion Entity was faster. Gradually, her strength failed her. Oxygen deprivation made her head swell, and aching pain weighed down her legs like lead.

The Erosion Entity climbed and leapt between buildings. Its huge yet agile black shadow chased after her, inch by inch swallowing her in darkness.

She lowered her gaze in despair, watching the enormous shadow on the ground slowly solidify and expand until it devoured her own.

Then, a heavy roar exploded overhead.

She instinctively looked up.

Above her, the giant monster was crawling along the buildings in an unnatural posture. But then the structure beneath it suddenly exploded. Amid countless shards of glass and chunks of rubble, a flash of bright silver like moonlight passed through her pupils.

Her eyes widened.

It was a petite figure holding a silver spear, dressed in lavish attire utterly out of place amid this smoke-choked disaster.

Magical Girl Avenil.

There was a severe shortage of manpower. Simply allocating enough combat strength to intercept the Erosion Entities had already stretched them to their limits, let alone clearing every Erosion Entity from the area. Every agent was nearly crushed by the immense black shadow overhead, fighting without pause. The worsening situation had nearly broken the agents' Defense Line, and only Avenil's support as a mobile combat force had barely held it together. Now, at last, the battle had been dragged toward its conclusion.

Among the agents, Lily had been injured. Continuing to fight would be dangerous, so Avenil took over the cleanup of this area in her place.

Just then, Fifina sent word that someone was being chased by an Erosion Entity on the street directly opposite and needed rescue. That was why Avenil had appeared here.

Dust and rubble swirled through the air.

Avenil's gaze swept over the lone girl below. After roughly confirming that she had not turned into a Dreg, Avenil let out a breath of relief and looked away.

Light flickered beneath her feet, condensing into a mirror of light like water. Suspended in midair, Avenil twisted and flipped, stepping on the mirror's surface to propel herself. In the next instant, the silver spear in her hand shot free. Like a cannon shell, its silver trail completely pierced through and pulverized the giant monster along with the entire section of ground beneath it.

The Erosion Entity shattered with a cry, turning into stardust that drifted down.

Avenil descended on starlight.

She appeared before the girl, wrapped an arm around her waist, and swiftly carried her away from the spot. The next second, shattered bricks and rubble came pouring down, smashing into the place where she had just stood.

It had been a close call, yet she handled it with effortless ease.

"Phew..."

Avenil set the girl down. She was breathing lightly as silver light flashed in her hand, and the spear she had thrown reappeared in her grasp.

She turned around and carefully looked the girl over from head to toe.

There were no obvious wounds, and her school uniform did not appear significantly damaged. It seemed she had not been directly attacked by the Erosion Entity.

The situation had been urgent, so Avenil had resorted to the reckless tactic of forcing her way directly through the buildings.

In any case, she had made it in time.

"...Are you all right?"

Avenil asked.

"I-I'm fine..."

"Looks like you weren't infected... What a relief... I'm so glad I got here in time."

If someone was infected by an Erosion Entity, their bodily functions might fail in mild cases. In severe cases, they would become Dregs, lose their human emotions, and turn into monsters filled with bloodlust and destructive urges. Such an outcome was far too tragic for any human being, which was why people fought with everything they had.

"Um... th-thank you..."

Still shaken, the girl could barely speak clearly.

"Don't worry about it. You're safe now. I'll get you out of here."

The girl nodded timidly without saying anything.

It was her first time seeing Avenil from so close.

Avenil herself was even prettier than she had imagined, and much younger as well... But... blood seeped from the alarming wound beneath the lining around Avenil's waist, dyeing the hem of her outfit bright red. Blood dripped from her elbow and skirt.

Her idol, her hero, had suffered serious injuries.

Once she understood that, she could not help but stand there in a daze, not knowing what to say for a moment.

Then another girl came running up from behind.

She too wore a combat uniform and was clearly an agent. Her face was smeared with blood, and the fabric over her left shoulder was torn, exposing a smooth, lovely shoulder. But her arm hung from it like a puppet with snapped strings, her sleeve soaked through with blood.

Clutching her shoulder, she took care of the several Dregs pursuing her from behind, then came before Avenil.

"A-Avenil, ma'am! Thank you so much for coming..."

"Lily."

Avenil greeted the approaching Lily, her gaze falling on Lily's blood-covered arm.

"That's a serious injury... You've worked hard. Leave this area to me from here on."

Avenil glanced at the girl in the school uniform again before continuing.

"Also, take this child back to the headquarters building and rendezvous with Elincia. Wait for further instructions."

Lily looked at the dazed girl, nodded, then showed a hint of concern.

"Leave her to me. But Avenil, ma'am... aren't you coming with me...? Your injuries..."

"Don't worry, I'm fine. More importantly, can you, as an injured person, escort her back to headquarters?"

"Escorting her won't be a problem."

Lily raised her left hand and patted her chest, giving her a serious assurance.

"Then show me you can carry out the mission properly."

Avenil smiled gently.

Because I'm a Reliable Senior

Avenil watched Lily lead the girl away until they disappeared from sight.