I can’t quite say I’m confident, but I wonder what the reason is that the magical girls can infiltrate this place like this.
From my perspective, it seemed like they were in a bit of a rush.
Of all days, today was the one when students from that magical girl’s school were on a field trip here.
The fact that they chose today to infiltrate suggests that someone higher up must have judged that there was no more time to delay.
I once again questioned whether this situation was something the company had orchestrated, taking control of things.
They had been keeping things under wraps, only to deliberately leak information at this point.
Magical girls’ battles were well-received by the public.
On the surface, they appeared to be righteous figures standing against a corporation that, while successful, was undeniably ruthless—albeit within legal bounds—protecting civilians and stopping corporate wrongdoing.
Before considering what’s right and wrong, people who see wealthy entities as evil and cheer on those who defeat them inevitably feel a sense of satisfaction.
This is especially true because Noir Corporation isn’t without its own questionable aspects.
Up until now, the magical girls have always shown a protective attitude towards civilians who get caught up in battles.
So why, then, are the magical girls being led here now?
There’s a world of difference between directly witnessing a battle and hearing about it on the news.
Company employees might grumble about magical girls online, calling them dangerous, but in the end, it would only come across as them defending Noir Corporation.
But the children who have to wake up in the middle of the night and run for their lives because of a battle—that’s a different story.
Moreover, those children are at an age when they are very active on social media.
If they’re asked for an interview by the news, they’re likely to accept.
The carefully constructed image must be maintained, or it will lose its meaning.
If it gets even the slightest scratch, it will stand out so much precisely because the image was too perfect up until now.
What they aim for is for the public’s perception of the Galactic Federation to be,
“Of course, that’s what would happen.”
Completely turning them into villains may not be possible with just this one incident, but merely lowering their standing will be enough for Noir Corporation.
Though I don’t know what kind of research they were doing, it doesn’t seem like the Galactic Federation intends to reveal the researchers’ studies to the public, which only benefits the corporation.
“Everyone, remember this.”
I kept my eyes fixed on a white dot in the distance as I spoke.
“If there are any civilian casualties, we rescue them first.”
That’s what I thought, but it was also the company’s directive.
By the way, since I’m also a student, my plan was to quietly disappear towards the end of the situation and blend in with the other students.
I’d probably get a little scolded by the teacher, but it would be the safest option.
The warp gate opened, and the first person to emerge was Iris.
The design of the gun she was holding had changed.
It wasn’t the long bolt-action rifle she had last time, but a shorter weapon—either a submachine gun or a compact assault rifle.
Well, since it’s magic, things like caliber don’t really matter, so I guess worrying about it is pointless.
In any case, it was a weapon that didn’t seem to suit a magical girl.
Next came Blossom.
Though her face was hard to see from a distance, she seemed to hesitate a bit, and even from what little I could see of her face, I could sense some unease.
“…Gasp.”
Beside me, watching from the same vantage point, Jiguppa inhaled sharply as three more figures stepped through.
Rose, Dahlia, and Delphinium.
The five of them had all gathered.
It had been a while since I’d seen them all together.
The company had instructed us to wait until as many magical girls as possible came into view before moving.
“Let’s go.”
I said, and opened the window to head outside.
I tried to approach as stealthily as possible—
“Ah.”
From a distance, I noticed Dahlia and Iris looking our way.
Iris wasn’t holding a gun. Instead, Dahlia raised her staff.
“Everyone, get down!”
I shouted, and the combatants following me immediately scattered.
Some rolled to the side with all their strength, while others threw themselves to the ground and managed to successfully escape the blast zone.
I spread my arms, drawing my blade, and swung it towards the mass of light flying towards me.
Thankfully, it was Dahlia’s attack.
If it had been Delphinium’s, I wouldn’t have been able to block it all.
The combatants probably wouldn’t have been able to dodge successfully either.
Boom!
With a flash of light, a massive magical explosion occurred.
My body—didn’t fly away.
The shattered magical energy left long traces on the ground.
The ruptured magic carved deep scars into the ground, forming an inverted V shape with me at its center. The windows of the building behind me shattered completely.
Immediately after, an alarm began blaring.
Did they give up on sneaking once they saw me?
At least the magical girls didn’t seem more flustered when they saw us.
Blossom’s face seemed to pass through a light of resignation, as if she had already expected this outcome.
“…Haa.”
I let out the breath I had been holding.
60 percent.
It’s hard to get used to the readings because the equipment keeps changing.
Though the figure was much lower compared to the previous battle, the equipment I had now had a larger capacity.
In terms of total energy, it was likely more than last time.
“Let’s go!”
Hiding further here was meaningless.
I shouted, and the combatants rose to their feet.
Normally, by this point, I’d expect at least one or two people to run away, given the situation.
After all, we were up against five magical girls.
Even if we weren’t the most coordinated team due to our distinct personalities, they had years of fighting together and each possessed considerable combat power.
Had our repeated clashes with them given my combatants newfound courage?
…No.
I could feel a few of the combatants looking at me.
It seemed like they sensed some possibility.
Maybe it was because I was here.
The only one who had succeeded in the operation so far—
And I was leading them.
Beep.
66 percent.
My body responded honestly, and that weight gradually built up, creating a sense of ‘despair’ in my heart.
The formation of the magical girls had changed.
Although my outfit had changed, it seemed that they all recognized who I was.
It makes sense, since the suit had a completely different design compared to last time.
Considering the suit almost broke during the last battle, it’s only natural they’d assume I received a new one.
The magical girl at the front was Blossom.
She had been wearing a troubled expression just a moment ago, but now she had a determined look on her face.
In her hand, she was holding a staff that resembled a bouquet of flowers.
Blossom, Rose, and Iris.
The three of them positioned themselves in a way that surrounded Delphinium and Dahlia.
Now I understood why Iris’ gun had changed shape.
A white light orb once again appeared at the top of Dahlia’s staff.
Delphinium held a thick book in one hand, and in the other, she wielded a conductor’s baton-like staff, swinging it around.
She seemed to be muttering some kind of incantation under her breath.
I took out one of my batteries.
It was a larger model with a higher capacity than the previous one, fully charged.
I pumped energy into the battery with my left hand, and it became so hot that it felt like it was about to explode.
While the exact structure was unclear, it was easy to tell that it was unstable.
The battery would burn out every time all of its energy was discharged at once.
The circuitry’s role was to control that energy, and also to recharge the battery without damaging it.
So, if the battery exploded, I could likely spread the energy in all directions.
It meant I could use something like Dahlia’s light orb, though in a limited way.
I hurled the battery with all my strength.
Blossom gripped her staff with both hands.
From the beautiful bouquet, a pink light surged forth.
It took the shape of a sword—flames of pure magic, burning fiercely, yet sharp enough to cut through anything.
Blossom, holding the sword like a hero charging at a dragon, sliced through the battery I had thrown in one clean strike.
She didn’t even move much.
It was as if she swung her sword like a swordsman from a fantasy novel, effortlessly cutting through the air.
Boom!
The battery split in mid-air and exploded.
But the explosion was halted midway.
It had been neutralized by the pink magical energy that scattered from Blossom’s sword strike.
It looked almost like cherry blossom petals fluttering in the spring breeze.
It was a powerful hope that could burn away all despair.
That was likely how it appeared to the people watching.
However, the battery wasn’t entirely wasted.
The magical girls, having distanced themselves a bit in preparation for the explosion, and Blossom, who had moved forward while swinging her sword, created a physical gap between them.
The greater the gap between them, the more likely it was that I could attack the magical girls further behind.
I had no chance of defeating Rose in close combat, and if I got on Iris’ bad side, she would send me flying.
And Blossom—well, she was out of the question.
That meant I had to neutralize the two magical girls in the back, who were the least likely to engage in close combat.
Even though each combatants here was weak individually, if they attacked in large numbers, even magical girls would struggle to handle them all.
The problem was—
“I can’t let you go.”
Blossom said.
—Right.
The problem is, any strategy I can think of, the magical girls can think of too.
Blossom held her staff with one hand and swung her other hand toward me.
She wasn’t wearing gauntlets like Rose, but pink light was swirling around the hand she had swung.
If I got hit, the damage would be significant.
If I jumped to the right or left, Iris and Rose were there.
Both of them were still engaged in battle with the combatants.
Beep.
70 percent.