The aromatic aroma stimulated my appetite, and when I picked one up, it was so hot that there is no other way to describe it but to say it was scorching hot.
It was French fries, the supreme B-grade gourmet food made by humans.
Once you start eating them, you can’t stop!
「Hey, you shouldn’t do that, it’s vulgar.」
「Vulgar!? B–But the image of eating takoyaki and the like this way is common.」
「I know. But vulgar is vulgar. At least don’t do it in front of me.」
「If that’s the case then…」
Following the advice of Rabbitfoot-san, who is sitting opposite me and chomping down on her freshly fried fries, I decide to wait for them to cool down a bit before I get to them. I had never been aware of it before, but now that she mention it, it’s true that huffing and puffing with food in one’s mouth may be vulgar.
「Is it not hot enough?」
「What is hot is hot, but not unbearable. Do you have a cat tongue?」
「I guess so…? Wouldn’t Rabbitfoot-san rather be more tolerant of heat?」
It’s a sensory thing to know where one is catty and where one is not. At least, I myself have never thought of myself as having a cat tongue.
I threw the fries in my mouth again to see if it was time, and this time they were just the right amount of heat. It’s delicious.
「It was delicious.」
「Wherever you eat fries, they taste good to some extent. It’s normal.」
「Would you say that in a restaurant you brought yourself?」
We are now in a popular diner called Ryūtei. To calm my confused state, Rabbitfoot brought me to this eatery that she said was her favorite. In my opinion, I liked it a lot because of the taste, atmosphere, and price, but Rabbitfoot was dry.
But I think she didn’t mean what she said. As we talked, I gradually came to understand that this person is not honest. She is what people call a tsundere. I haven’t been able to see the dereliction part, but the language is not sarcastic or serious.
「I mean, it was quite a distance, but why did you choose this restaurant? Was it because it was your favorite?」
「If you join forces with me, I will tell you. If you don’t, I won’t.」
「Eh— don’t be mean to me.」
「Shut it! I saved your life and you turned down my invitation, so you’ll just have to put up with that!」
Rabbitfoot-san sniffed grimly with a huff and started eating her fries silently. Surprisingly, she’s concerned about being turned down.
「—Ohh, wait for a second.」
I heard a notification sound from my Magiphone for a message app, so I declined and then checked it. The sender was Elephant-san.
The contents of the letter asked me to come to Room 3902, Tower A of the Magical World Tower Mansion as soon as possible. Carefully written instructions are also provided for passing through the auto-locked first floor lobby.
「I’m sorry, Rabbitfoot-san, I have to take care of something, so I’ll leave you now.」
「Hold on there. Who contacted you just now? Are you sure you’re okay?」
「Elephant-san contacted me and asked me to come to a Tower Mansion? She wants me to come to a place called like that.」
「…, just so you know, the hierarchy is below the 38th floor.」
「Ehh!?」
I think a simple interpretation of room 3902 is probably the 39th floor.
「Forget that, do you even know where and what Tower Mansion is?」
「The location was on the URL of the map, so it’s probably okay. What is it, you say, isn’t the Tower Mansion a tower apartment?」
Some of the Magical Girls are not only girls who have led normal lives, going to normal schools, but also girls who might have lost their lives if they had not become Magical Girls, or girls who had to sell themselves to make a living.
Jack had told me way back that there is a place where Magical Girls who have no place in the real world like that can live in a collection of residences and facilities. I think that is what this Tower Mansion is about.
「If you know it, fine. But the 38th floor and above of the tower apartments are privileged rooms for Witches. You will eventually be contacted by the Bureau of Magical Arts Facilities Management. If Elephant or whoever she’s called is on the 38th floor or higher, that story involves Witches.」
「Witches you say? I’m thinking of Extend-san here…」
「I don’t think that guy did anything just now, and I don’t think you need to worry about it, but just brace yourself and go.」
「I understand. Thank you very much.」
Rabbitfoot-san, you were right, it’s hard to believe that that Devil has already reached out to Elephant-san for her evil hand, but I am worried. I must head there in full speed.
.
I went to the lobby on the 1st floor and checked the machine that could call each room to confirm that Elephant-san was in room 3902, and I went to the room to get some relief. I was told that the door was unlocked and I could enter, so I took the liberty of entering, but immediately afterward I heard Blade-san’s loud voice.
「Senpai wouldn’t do something like that!! It wasn’t Senpai!! That was a fake!!」
Blade-san, who is usually intelligent and does not lose herself in anger when she is upset, is screaming emotionally like a child having a tantrum.
Wh–What, what happened here?
「Uh, uhm, excuse me.」
Uuuhh, it’s terrible to have to walk into the middle of a nasty atmosphere. I don’t know what kind of conflict happened there, but why did Elephant-san called me?
I entered the room with a small voice and found Elephant-san’s group and two others, Extend-san and Samurai Peach-san, in the spacious and stylishly decorated room. I guess this was Extend-san’s room.
I mean, I haven’t received any notice yet, but she already have a room, right?
「Ohh! You finally came, Wind Witch-dono! We’ve been waiting for you.」
「I’m sorry, Sylph-chan. I called you out of the blue.」
「Not at all! You don’t have to mind that! I just had something I wanted to tell you too!」
I went through Extend-san who calls out to me in a familiar manner and follow up with Elephant-san who looks apologetic. If Elephant-san calls me, I won’t hesitate to run to her even if I was sleeping or taking a bath.
「I’m sorry to have asked you to come so soon, but we haven’t finished sorting out the situation yet. Just as well, let’s review this again in order to explain them to Wind Witch-dono. First of all, Elephant-kun, can you do me a favor?」
The explanation from Elephant-san that began in this way was consistent with what I had heard from Rabbitfoot-san until about halfway through, but after Rabbitfoot-san took off, the rest of the story was astonishing. During the explanation about Dryad-san, Blade-san tried to interject something and was rebuked by Samurai Peach for not moving the conversation along.
The story was handed over to Extend-san from Elephant-san in the middle of the session, and the whole story was told. I pluck out the gist of the story and confirm the main points in a voice so terribly bottomless that I know it myself.
「So, a Magical Girl who calls herself Dryad-san and two Magical Girls who seem to be her cohorts. A total of three Magical Girls have attacked Sakira Town to make it their territory. They even have a witch as a backup force. If these people are not dealt with, Elephant and her team will not be able to fight in Sakira Town in the future. It all sums up to that.」
As I put it into words, my understanding of what was happening while I was drinking and talking to the Devil made me so mad I couldn’t laugh.
I was able to restrain myself from yelling, hitting things, and such blatant outbursts of emotion because I told myself that the remaining reason must have been that Elephant-san and the others must have been much more painful, frustrated, and mad than I was.
I am sure that if it had been me who was there instead of Extend-san, I wouldn’t have been able to think calmly like this.
…But, even if I was calm, it’s still unforgivable.
The Magical Girls who attacked the town of Sakira, had the audacity to restrain Elephant-san while I was away, and tried to harm her. This is not something I can kid around.
There is no way I can think that because nothing happened to Elephant-san as a result, it is all right.
It just so happened that nothing happened this time, but maybe it would have been much more difficult, something I don’t even want to think about.
Unforgivable.
This is absolutely unforgivable.
If I find them in Deception World, I’ll beat them up. I’ll hurt them so thoroughly that they will never have the desire to do such a thing again. I’ll make it so that they will never want to be a Magical Girl again.
…And that Devil, too. As far as I can tell, the timing of the raid would have been unstoppable whether I joined the faction or not. Rabbitfoot-san, you were right, that Devil was just trying to sway me by flashing information that she knew. I was never holding the reins of the Natural Extremists. Yet, she gave me the illusion that Sakira Town would be safe if I obeyed her.
The attack was certainly not the handiwork of that Devil, I’m sure. That’s why I cannot denounce it. But I will never forget this humiliation.
「That’s right. Their goal was only to seize territory, not to kill Magical Girls. That is why Elephant-kun and her friends are alive today. However, if we had made a mistake, they could have all died. Especially, Press-san was in very danger. If we ever go at it again, that one step could go wrong.」
I’ve heard her story that she was enveloped in a giant ball of water and suffocated until she lost consciousness. If she had been released too late, she might have been permanently injured, if not killed. As I said before, this is not a story that can be dismissed as “thank goodness nothing happened.”
「For real, I’m really going to come for her. Next time, I’m going to beat her to a pulp.」
Press-san woke up and is now able to have a conversation with me, but she looks pale by all accounts. It’s a hell of a mentality to come up with such belligerent words so soon after being almost killed by the same Magical Girl. At first, I thought she was just being cheerful, but the fighting spirit, or perhaps the will to kill, that burned in her eyes was genuine.
「I’m quite angry as well.」
How can someone as virtuous, kind, friend-oriented, and goddess-like as Elephant-san feel nothing when her friend is hurt? Even Elephant-san, who is like the sun, always smiling softly and shining warmly on everyone, was indeed angry this time.
「That person wasn’t Senpai. She was trying to undermine my Senpai. It’s unforgivable.」
I feel like Blade-san is the only one who is angry in a different way, but we are the same in that we can’t forgive them.
「I’m glad to see that you all are so motivated. I, for one, will be sad to see you guys go, as we have been in contact with each other for a long time. This is Sakira Town’s issue and we shouldn’t intervene more directly, but I don’t think they intend to leave as Dryad said they would.」
「Obviously!! If I don’t fight back, I’m a woman out of business!」
「I want to protect this town where I was born and raised with my own hands. So I won’t run away.」
「There is no way I would back down after being insulted by my Senpai. I will never forgive those three, especially I will never forgive Senpai who broke her promise.」
「That’s good. Then you’ll have to train. I have a better idea.」
Extend-san smiled with satisfaction and nodded yes with her arms folded.
The aromatic aroma stimulated my appetite, and when I picked one up, it was so hot that there is no other way to describe it but to say it was scorching hot.
It was French fries, the supreme B-grade gourmet food made by humans.
Once you start eating them, you can’t stop!
「Hey, you shouldn’t do that, it’s vulgar.」
「Vulgar!? B–But the image of eating takoyaki and the like this way is common.」
「I know. But vulgar is vulgar. At least don’t do it in front of me.」
「If that’s the case then…」
Following the advice of Rabbitfoot-san, who is sitting opposite me and chomping down on her freshly fried fries, I decide to wait for them to cool down a bit before I get to them. I had never been aware of it before, but now that she mention it, it’s true that huffing and puffing with food in one’s mouth may be vulgar.
「Is it not hot enough?」
「What is hot is hot, but not unbearable. Do you have a cat tongue?」
「I guess so…? Wouldn’t Rabbitfoot-san rather be more tolerant of heat?」
It’s a sensory thing to know where one is catty and where one is not. At least, I myself have never thought of myself as having a cat tongue.
I threw the fries in my mouth again to see if it was time, and this time they were just the right amount of heat. It’s delicious.
「It was delicious.」
「Wherever you eat fries, they taste good to some extent. It’s normal.」
「Would you say that in a restaurant you brought yourself?」
We are now in a popular diner called Ryūtei. To calm my confused state, Rabbitfoot brought me to this eatery that she said was her favorite. In my opinion, I liked it a lot because of the taste, atmosphere, and price, but Rabbitfoot was dry.
But I think she didn’t mean what she said. As we talked, I gradually came to understand that this person is not honest. She is what people call a tsundere. I haven’t been able to see the dereliction part, but the language is not sarcastic or serious.
「I mean, it was quite a distance, but why did you choose this restaurant? Was it because it was your favorite?」
「If you join forces with me, I will tell you. If you don’t, I won’t.」
「Eh— don’t be mean to me.」
「Shut it! I saved your life and you turned down my invitation, so you’ll just have to put up with that!」
Rabbitfoot-san sniffed grimly with a huff and started eating her fries silently. Surprisingly, she’s concerned about being turned down.
「—Ohh, wait for a second.」
I heard a notification sound from my Magiphone for a message app, so I declined and then checked it. The sender was Elephant-san.
The contents of the letter asked me to come to Room 3902, Tower A of the Magical World Tower Mansion as soon as possible. Carefully written instructions are also provided for passing through the auto-locked first floor lobby.
「I’m sorry, Rabbitfoot-san, I have to take care of something, so I’ll leave you now.」
「Hold on there. Who contacted you just now? Are you sure you’re okay?」
「Elephant-san contacted me and asked me to come to a Tower Mansion? She wants me to come to a place called like that.」
「…, just so you know, the hierarchy is below the 38th floor.」
「Ehh!?」
I think a simple interpretation of room 3902 is probably the 39th floor.
「Forget that, do you even know where and what Tower Mansion is?」
「The location was on the URL of the map, so it’s probably okay. What is it, you say, isn’t the Tower Mansion a tower apartment?」
Some of the Magical Girls are not only girls who have led normal lives, going to normal schools, but also girls who might have lost their lives if they had not become Magical Girls, or girls who had to sell themselves to make a living.
Jack had told me way back that there is a place where Magical Girls who have no place in the real world like that can live in a collection of residences and facilities. I think that is what this Tower Mansion is about.
「If you know it, fine. But the 38th floor and above of the tower apartments are privileged rooms for Witches. You will eventually be contacted by the Bureau of Magical Arts Facilities Management. If Elephant or whoever she’s called is on the 38th floor or higher, that story involves Witches.」
「Witches you say? I’m thinking of Extend-san here…」
「I don’t think that guy did anything just now, and I don’t think you need to worry about it, but just brace yourself and go.」
「I understand. Thank you very much.」
Rabbitfoot-san, you were right, it’s hard to believe that that Devil has already reached out to Elephant-san for her evil hand, but I am worried. I must head there in full speed.
.
I went to the lobby on the 1st floor and checked the machine that could call each room to confirm that Elephant-san was in room 3902, and I went to the room to get some relief. I was told that the door was unlocked and I could enter, so I took the liberty of entering, but immediately afterward I heard Blade-san’s loud voice.
「Senpai wouldn’t do something like that!! It wasn’t Senpai!! That was a fake!!」
Blade-san, who is usually intelligent and does not lose herself in anger when she is upset, is screaming emotionally like a child having a tantrum.
Wh–What, what happened here?
「Uh, uhm, excuse me.」
Uuuhh, it’s terrible to have to walk into the middle of a nasty atmosphere. I don’t know what kind of conflict happened there, but why did Elephant-san called me?
I entered the room with a small voice and found Elephant-san’s group and two others, Extend-san and Samurai Peach-san, in the spacious and stylishly decorated room. I guess this was Extend-san’s room.
I mean, I haven’t received any notice yet, but she already have a room, right?
「Ohh! You finally came, Wind Witch-dono! We’ve been waiting for you.」
「I’m sorry, Sylph-chan. I called you out of the blue.」
「Not at all! You don’t have to mind that! I just had something I wanted to tell you too!」
I went through Extend-san who calls out to me in a familiar manner and follow up with Elephant-san who looks apologetic. If Elephant-san calls me, I won’t hesitate to run to her even if I was sleeping or taking a bath.
「I’m sorry to have asked you to come so soon, but we haven’t finished sorting out the situation yet. Just as well, let’s review this again in order to explain them to Wind Witch-dono. First of all, Elephant-kun, can you do me a favor?」
The explanation from Elephant-san that began in this way was consistent with what I had heard from Rabbitfoot-san until about halfway through, but after Rabbitfoot-san took off, the rest of the story was astonishing. During the explanation about Dryad-san, Blade-san tried to interject something and was rebuked by Samurai Peach for not moving the conversation along.
The story was handed over to Extend-san from Elephant-san in the middle of the session, and the whole story was told. I pluck out the gist of the story and confirm the main points in a voice so terribly bottomless that I know it myself.
「So, a Magical Girl who calls herself Dryad-san and two Magical Girls who seem to be her cohorts. A total of three Magical Girls have attacked Sakira Town to make it their territory. They even have a witch as a backup force. If these people are not dealt with, Elephant and her team will not be able to fight in Sakira Town in the future. It all sums up to that.」
As I put it into words, my understanding of what was happening while I was drinking and talking to the Devil made me so mad I couldn’t laugh.
I was able to restrain myself from yelling, hitting things, and such blatant outbursts of emotion because I told myself that the remaining reason must have been that Elephant-san and the others must have been much more painful, frustrated, and mad than I was.
I am sure that if it had been me who was there instead of Extend-san, I wouldn’t have been able to think calmly like this.
…But, even if I was calm, it’s still unforgivable.
The Magical Girls who attacked the town of Sakira, had the audacity to restrain Elephant-san while I was away, and tried to harm her. This is not something I can kid around.
There is no way I can think that because nothing happened to Elephant-san as a result, it is all right.
It just so happened that nothing happened this time, but maybe it would have been much more difficult, something I don’t even want to think about.
Unforgivable.
This is absolutely unforgivable.
If I find them in Deception World, I’ll beat them up. I’ll hurt them so thoroughly that they will never have the desire to do such a thing again. I’ll make it so that they will never want to be a Magical Girl again.
…And that Devil, too. As far as I can tell, the timing of the raid would have been unstoppable whether I joined the faction or not. Rabbitfoot-san, you were right, that Devil was just trying to sway me by flashing information that she knew. I was never holding the reins of the Natural Extremists. Yet, she gave me the illusion that Sakira Town would be safe if I obeyed her.
The attack was certainly not the handiwork of that Devil, I’m sure. That’s why I cannot denounce it. But I will never forget this humiliation.
「That’s right. Their goal was only to seize territory, not to kill Magical Girls. That is why Elephant-kun and her friends are alive today. However, if we had made a mistake, they could have all died. Especially, Press-san was in very danger. If we ever go at it again, that one step could go wrong.」
I’ve heard her story that she was enveloped in a giant ball of water and suffocated until she lost consciousness. If she had been released too late, she might have been permanently injured, if not killed. As I said before, this is not a story that can be dismissed as “thank goodness nothing happened.”
「For real, I’m really going to come for her. Next time, I’m going to beat her to a pulp.」
Press-san woke up and is now able to have a conversation with me, but she looks pale by all accounts. It’s a hell of a mentality to come up with such belligerent words so soon after being almost killed by the same Magical Girl. At first, I thought she was just being cheerful, but the fighting spirit, or perhaps the will to kill, that burned in her eyes was genuine.
「I’m quite angry as well.」
How can someone as virtuous, kind, friend-oriented, and goddess-like as Elephant-san feel nothing when her friend is hurt? Even Elephant-san, who is like the sun, always smiling softly and shining warmly on everyone, was indeed angry this time.
「That person wasn’t Senpai. She was trying to undermine my Senpai. It’s unforgivable.」
I feel like Blade-san is the only one who is angry in a different way, but we are the same in that we can’t forgive them.
「I’m glad to see that you all are so motivated. I, for one, will be sad to see you guys go, as we have been in contact with each other for a long time. This is Sakira Town’s issue and we shouldn’t intervene more directly, but I don’t think they intend to leave as Dryad said they would.」
「Obviously!! If I don’t fight back, I’m a woman out of business!」
「I want to protect this town where I was born and raised with my own hands. So I won’t run away.」
「There is no way I would back down after being insulted by my Senpai. I will never forgive those three, especially I will never forgive Senpai who broke her promise.」
「That’s good. Then you’ll have to train. I have a better idea.」
Extend-san smiled with satisfaction and nodded yes with her arms folded.
