Knight Returns
Magical Girl Association · Local City Branch, Underground Training Ground.
"Bang!"
The alloy dummy's chest caved in under a straight punch. The entire dummy slid three meters backward before crashing into the cushioning pad with a dull groan.
The girl who had pulled back her fist shook her silver high ponytail, her brows furrowed.
"Something's off."
"You've already done very well." Old Wei flipped through the records in his hands. "Your energy-use efficiency has improved by four percent since you left. Looks like that training method from the neighboring province really works."
At the mention of the neighboring province, Knight's brow suddenly twitched.
"The punk guitarist with the smoky eye makeup better have some effective training method, or I'll thank heaven for nothing."
Who knew what she had been through these past few days.
The girl sighed softly, then turned around.
Silver light armor covered her body. The curves of her pauldrons were sharp and clean, as if cut by a blade, and a shield-shaped emblem was emblazoned on her chest.
Matching that knightly outfit was a strikingly heroic face—sword-like brows, thin lips, and eyes as sharp as a drawn blade.
Magical Girl · Knight.
A Magical Girl stationed permanently in Our City, at Firefly Rank.
"Uncle Wei." Knight folded her arms, her face solemn. "I heard about it as soon as I got back yesterday. While I was away these past two days, apart from the Fallen Beast, an... unregistered Magical Girl also appeared in the western district?"
"That's right."
"What rank?"
Old Wei lowered the record board and fell silent for two seconds.
"Suspected to be Dawn Rank."
The Underground Training Ground fell silent for a moment.
"...Dawn Rank?" Knight's voice rose eight octaves. "Dawn Rank?! One of the few Dawn Rank Magical Girls in the entire country?! Appearing in our retirement city, where we haven't even seen a Second-Tier Fallen Beast in half a year?!"
"That's why the Branch Director's blood pressure has been unstable these past two days." Old Wei rubbed his temples. "You went to inspect the site too. What did you think?"
Knight's expression grew solemn.
This morning, she had deliberately taken a detour to the western district.
That fan-shaped trench, that factory building with its neatly severed cross-section—she had walked around the site three times, and the more she looked, the more alarmed she became.
"The power behind that attack is far beyond what I can reach right now."
She admitted it frankly.
What tremendous power... The opponent had to be a formidable warrior.
In Knight's mind, the image of a handsome, formidable warrior radiating sharpness gradually took shape.
"We're looking for her now. Our only lead is the testimony of the rescued couple." Old Wei said, "Pink and white as her main colors, starry eyes, and she called herself 'Pure-Love Warrior Ai,'"
"Pink... pink?"
The corner of Knight's mouth twitched violently.
The glorious image of a mighty warrior shattered at once, replaced by a petite, soft, and adorable girl bouncing into her mind, hopping around while drawing hearts with her fingers.
"Love you~ Mwah!"
What a joke! (Kiritsugu.jpg)
"What ancient relic crawled out of where? What era is this?"
No... Knight... Follow the virtues of a knight. Don't be prejudiced against people...
Knight took a deep breath, then returned to normal.
At the very least, the other party's strength was beyond doubt. On that basis alone, she ought to offer her respect.
"Have her actions shown any pattern?"
Old Wei shook his head.
"So far, there's only been one sighting... But the couple who were rescued said she seemed to have been drawn there by the pure love between them."
"Drawn there by 'love'..."
Knight mulled over the words, then her eyes suddenly lit up.
"Uncle Wei, I understand!"
"What do you understand?"
"The pattern behind her appearances!" Knight slammed a fist into her palm. "She doesn't appear randomly. She's drawn to 'love'! In other words, as long as sufficiently passionate, sufficiently pure love appears somewhere in this city, she'll show up!"
"In theory... that's the idea."
Old Wei nodded.
It wasn't difficult to figure that much out. It was like being told that one plus one equals one, then asked what one plus one equals.
"Then this will be easy."
A confident curve rose at the corner of Knight's mouth.
"From now on, wherever there's love in the city, I'll go there."
A bad feeling suddenly rose in Old Wei's heart. "...Where exactly are you planning to go?"
"The entrance to the Civil Affairs Bureau." Knight looked righteous and awe-inspiring. "So many newlyweds register their marriages there every day. The love must be intense."
"..."
"And the matchmaking corner in People's Park, the street lined with bridal shops, the entrance to the obstetrics and gynecology hospital—"
"Stop, stop, stop!" Old Wei's vision went black. "You're a Magical Girl, not a pervert! If you stand outside the Civil Affairs Bureau in armor all day, you'll be on the local news tomorrow, you hear me?!"
"Then I'll go undercover."
"Being undercover would be suspicious too!"
"Uncle Wei." Knight turned back, her eyes blazing frighteningly bright. "As long as we can find that Dawn Rank Magical Girl, it'll all be worth it, won't it?"
Her voice dropped.
"Fallen Beast attacks have been increasing in cities across the country lately, and we seem to be showing the same trend... If someone like that were protecting the city, we could prevent who knows how many losses, couldn't we?"
"Besides... a Dawn Rank..."
"I've been stuck at Firefly Rank for almost a year without advancing an inch... This isn't what I want... I want to witness even greater power!"
After a long while, Old Wei waved his hand.
"...Go. Undercover. Keep a low profile. Don't frighten the civilians."
"Understood!"
The silver figure swept out of the Underground Training Ground like the wind.
Old Wei watched her back, put a cigarette between his lips, and forgot to light it.
"That brat isn't going to see the light." He muttered under his breath, "She clearly wants to shine herself."
Three days later, evening.
People's Park.
On a bench, a high-ponytailed girl wearing a baseball cap and an ordinary hoodie held a cup of milk tea, her eyes sweeping like torches over the couples scattered throughout the park.
Her third day staking out undercover.
The Civil Affairs Bureau had yielded nothing. The matchmaking corner had yielded nothing, and she had even been hit on.
"Hmm?"
Suddenly, Knight's gaze locked onto two figures not far away.
Two girls who looked eighteen or nineteen were walking side by side along the tree-lined path.
One girl was gesticulating wildly as she talked, while the other listlessly carried two schoolbags.
"Yang Chen! Are you even listening?!"
"I'm listening, I'm listening. You were saying that the cat kept by your best friend's older brother's girlfriend—"
"The cat isn't the point!"
"Then what is the point?"
"The point is—" Chen Qianqian faltered. "The point is, give me back my milk tea first!"
"You've already drunk half of it. How can you still call it 'your cup'?"
"It's still mine if I've drunk from it!"
Knight narrowed her eyes.
Youth was wonderful...
No! This wasn't the time for sentimentality!
But, sigh... After staking out for three days, she hadn't found a Dawn Rank Magical Girl. Instead, she had nearly mapped out the entire city's dating scene.
Holding her milk tea, Knight suddenly felt her cheeks grow warm.
It, it was fine.
Protecting love and all things beautiful was part of a Magical Girl's duty...!
Just as she was convincing herself of that—
Without warning, the light above the park dimmed by a fraction.
It wasn't a cloud.
Knight jerked her head up.
In the deepening twilight, a wisp of nearly imperceptible gray-black mist flowed slowly along the treetops, like ink dripping into clear water.
The surrounding pedestrians remained oblivious, still chatting and laughing.
Only she sensed that bone-chilling malice.
"Fallen Beast reaction..." Knight sprang to her feet. Beneath her hoodie, silver patterns had already begun to glow. "Here of all places? And at this exact moment?!"