Jiuming Sea Branch.
The next day, Manjusaka’s news coverage shot back up to the top of the trending searches.
As soon as the Sea Jelly, who had been backing Manjusaka all along, saw the news broadcast, she jumped up on the spot in excitement, even bursting into tears.
“Haha! I knew Lady Manjusaka wouldn’t make such a rookie mistake! Of course it turned out this way!”
After such a major blunder, even those who supported Manjusaka found it hard to defend her so openly. When the truth came out, many Magical Girls had fallen into a slump, but fortunately, Manjusaka’s wisdom was as deep as ever.
She orchestrated everything herself, making all the nations show their true, ugly colors—public opinion instantly flipped!
The situation suddenly became clear!
Seizing this opportunity, Manjusaka’s approach would only gain more and more approval, and rooting out the traitors would be just around the corner.
“Is that so… Will it really go so smoothly?”
Huahua said worriedly.
“…Do you have a problem with it again?”
Sea Jelly pouted.
Ever since their last disagreement over Manjusaka’s methods, the two still hadn’t fully resolved their differences.
These past days, out of respect for Little Red Riding Hood, the two maintained pleasant interactions whenever they met, never bringing up the past.
But once the topic came up, the conflict was bound to flare.
“I just think, Lady Manjusaka’s method caught us off guard, but… will those countries and factions that got played really let this go so easily?”
Huahua looked at her seriously and said, “They were played like Monkeys, you know.”
Manjusaka made a mockery of various national Governments, leaving them utterly humiliated on the world stage—can that really buy their cooperation?
Cooperation was out of the question.
On the contrary, they would set up obstacles for the Magical Girls at every turn.
And those countries that remained neutral during this incident would also find Manjusaka’s actions distasteful.
Even though it was certain countries that acted like clowns and made huge mistakes, no one would defend them.
When it’s a struggle between nations, and one treats the other like a Monkey, it’s hard to accept but still understandable—after all, it’s country versus country.
But for an individual to toy with national powers—that’s unacceptable.
The vast majority of countries would unite in resistance.
To do so is an act of great insubordination.
It’s like in ancient times: the authority of the Emperor could never bow to an individual.
If the Emperor wrongly executed a loyal minister or an innocent civilian, he could amend things afterward, compensate the family in secret, or demote a few Ministers, but he would never admit fault face to face.
Nor could a subject publicly embarrass the Emperor—otherwise, it would damage imperial dignity.
Even in modern national governments, some structures are much the same.
This time, Manjusaka’s act seemed to only embarrass a few nations, but it also secretly offended most others as well.
And Manjusaka even explicitly called them clowns.
***
“Hey—your reasoning’s off, isn’t it?”
Sea Jelly puffed up her cheeks.
“That just doesn’t sound right!”
“For example. If I played a trick on you and you lost face, would some random strangers feel offended on your behalf?”
Huahua countered.
“…No, because they don’t even know me. It has nothing to do with them.”
“Now, what if it was a Monkey that ran circles around you and made you lose all your dignity? Would those random strangers feel annoyed?”
“Well…”
***
Sea Jelly twisted her mouth, “They’d be really mad, wouldn’t they? Both at me and at the Monkey.”
In the end, whether someone else’s misfortune arouses sympathy depends on whether it’s directly related to them.
If someone is made a fool of by a Monkey and the whole world knows, other people would feel like all of humanity lost face in front of the Monkey.
Then comes resentment, displeasure, and aversion to the Monkey.
Some mere Monkey—don’t think you can really arm-wrestle with noble humans!
That’s the sort of thing most people would think.
Huahua lowered her head and said, “Right now, most countries in the world probably think… ‘Just a Magical Girl, you only exist because we humans permit your kind, and now you dare treat national Governments like chess pieces and make them lose face? Don’t get too full of yourself!’—something like that?”
These words came from a third party.
Sea Jelly and Huahua turned around at the same time and saw a figure that made them unconsciously stand at attention.
“S-Star, Star Moon, my Lady!”
“You heard us?”
“More or less.”
Star Moon stepped lightly through the air, slowly descending.
Her holy aura made one instinctively want to prostrate in worship.
Huahua and Sea Jelly’s hearts started pounding wildly.
“Don’t be nervous. I’m not here to scold you for your thoughts.”
Star Moon radiated incredible warmth, instantly dissolving the tense atmosphere and even giving the two Magical Girls an overview of the current situation.
“You’re not wrong. The situation really has made other countries more resistant, but not as much as you think. Since Governments are collectively managed, they’re more rational.”
Of them all, that one nation—the only one in the world to control an entire continent—was making the loudest fuss.
This morning, that country’s President declared that Magical Girls were making a mockery of the world and had resorted to any means necessary.
If this continues, it’ll threaten humanity’s dominance over the world, and so on…
In the days ahead, other nations will surely make similar statements, but not too many.
Overall, the challenges facing Magical Girls are definitely on the rise.
After a moment, Star Moon asked, “I’m here to find Feiyu. Where did she go? I didn’t see her.”
“Ah, Lady Feiyu said she’s going to the hot springs to relax.”
“Hot springs?”
Star Moon looked a bit puzzled, then gave a mysterious little smile.
If she still has the leisure to visit hot springs under such circumstances, it means she’s come to terms with it to some extent.
She really does have the mental strength of one of the Ten Seats now.
If only Little Red Riding Hood could also gain that mindset, the Ten Seats would finally be complete.
“Lady Star Moon, will you go stop Manjusaka?”
Huahua couldn’t help but ask, even at the risk of being scolded.
Star Moon replied crisply.
“Perhaps. I’ve recently received news—her next target is… I can’t just stand by and watch.”
“Eh? Who’s the next target?”
“Who is it? Lady Star Moon, tell us!”
“Se~cret~. You two get back to your work. I’m off now.”
“Lady Star Moonーーーーーー?!”
The anguished cries of the two Magical Girls echoed to the heavens.
Looks like Lady Star Moon enjoys teasing people, too!
With Star Moon gone, the two immediately started bickering again.
***
Meanwhile, in the corner of the rooftop, Luo Zining lay quietly on the ground, mind completely blank.
“So Huahua and the others think about things this deeply… I really didn’t consider any of that. Compared to them, I…”
Luo Zining sighed heavily again and again, weighed down by her mood.
She could feel it—she still had a long way to go.
When she saw Star Moon appear just now, she couldn’t summon the courage to go out and ask anything.
“Ah, they’re arguing again… Should I step in or not?”
“As a Team Leader with no ideas and only ever worrying about what’s right in front of me, can I really go out and mediate their conflict?”
“The atmosphere in the team gets weirder by the day—what am I supposed to do?”
Luo Zining tossed and turned, more lost than ever before.
She didn’t know how much time passed before she finally made up her mind, slapped her own cheeks hard until they turned red and swollen, then stood up and flew into the sky.
It was time to go look for an answer.