8. Maybe It's a Magical Girl's Occupational Hazard

"S-S-Senpai... D-Did I do something wrong...?"

My junior asked timidly as I let out a sigh. She was acting like someone facing a navy admiral who also ran a kindergarten... What was so scary about me since earlier? Well, now wasn't the time to worry about that anyway.

"No. Sigh. Junior? Mind if I drop the formalities?"

"Y-Yes!"

"Thanks. It's not your fault—it's mine. I was streaming."

"Streaming?"

"Internet broadcast. Inbang."

"Aha."

I'd wondered if she might know, but apparently not.

"I blocked the screen earlier, but forgot to mute the mic, so your voice went out live. That's why."

"I see! I'm fine with it!"

I nodded awkwardly at her overly spirited, somehow endearing overreaction.

"Mung. She's really okay, mung."

"Yeah! I've done interviews with reporters as a magical girl!"

"News is a bit different... but okay, I guess."

If even the mascot said it was fine, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠there shouldn't be any issues. Mascots, as partners to magical girls, were absolute allies and advisors who never betrayed you.

...Or not? Nah. No such traitors would exist anymore. Mascots were their magical girl's unwavering allies.

"Meow...? That was kinda creepy just now, mung."

"Anyway, if you're good, great. So... what brings you here?"

"Uh. J-Just to say hi."

"No need. I get the gist, so be straight with me. Oh, and let's sit—this standing around is awkward."

It couldn't just be a greeting. Magical girls rarely sought out seniors. They were fiercely independent, with strong territorial instincts that kept them from reaching out much. Even mental hurdles or growth plateaus were handled via mascot design.

That's why in the magical girl scene, you didn't approach juniors first, but if they came to you, you switched to full junior-love mode and helped with everything—material and moral. It was only natural. Newbies were cutest when they powered through solo until hitting an unbreakable wall, then came whining for help.

I'd gotten plenty of senior aid back in my isekai green days too.

"B-But senpai."

"Yeah? Sit comfortably now."

"I-Is that... okay...?"

"Mung. Stop staring at Seong-yoon, mung. It'll burn your eyes, mung."

...Hmm. The stream. I'd totally forgotten. No, with this setup, I'd planned a quick escape under the guise of mentoring, but got caught red-handed.

A quick peek at chat: abandoned chaos, me gone after the crackdown—it was a madhouse. Platform sanctions could hit any second.

"Meowng. Looks serious no matter how you slice it, mung. How'd it get this bad, mung?"

"Not for you to worry about, junior."

"Mung mung. We're here begging a favor, so ignoring your mess makes us uncomfortable, mung."

"Hey, Mung-mung!"

Hmm. Fair point. If roles reversed, I'd hesitate too. No helping it.

"Kinda embarrassing to spill in front of a junior, but... here's the deal."

I gave them the gist, skipping the pretentious bits.

"Whaaat? You're taking that hate for that reason?! Ridiculous!"

"Meowng..."

"That's the reason?"

The junior, who'd been shrinking moments ago, lit up like it was her fight.

"Especially since it's because of me."

"No, you're not the issue."

"Anyway! Perfect timing! I reveal the truth now, problem solved, right?!"

Where'd she get that from? I'd explained why I was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠doing this.

Junior, sweetie... can't drag you into my mess.

"Seong-yoon, senpai—calm down, mung."

The mascot soothed her overzealous charge, then turned to me.

"How about this, mung? Like I said, Seong-yoon needs help, so let's trade, mung."

"Trade?"

"We'll help with the stream, mung. Handles this mess, and Divine Blaze is famous—collab alone's a huge boost, mung."

"You're surprisingly inbang-savvy?"

"Mung mung mung~"

I pondered as the mascot grinned and whipped out a smartphone from somewhere.

As a senior, taking payment from a junior felt iffy, but... it wasn't uncommon. Independent types hated just taking help, so you accepted their "repayment" to ease their minds.

"Alright... wanna give it a shot?"

"Yes! Leave it to me!"

She huffed determinedly. Why so fired up now?

"Cam's going live—transform."

"Yes! Sacred flames!"

Her transformation chant? Each magical girl had unique ones, though some overlapped. Took me ages to nail mine early on.

As trivial thoughts flitted, flames engulfed her, completing the transformation.

Slightly slimmer build? A subculture-white nun outfit bulked with cute frills and ornaments. The classic staff screamed proper magical girl—elegant overall. Flickering crimson hair and eyes held faint pure-white glows.

This was the magical girl Divine Blaze. Her mana output, devouring like wildfire, was impressive for a fresh contract.

Why evaluate now? Untransformed, they're normal girls (though long-timers like me blur that line), so mana sense fails. Only post-transformation for accurate reads.

"Control's still rough, though."

"Yeah... it bucks no matter how I calm it..."

"Meowng. Wild mana nature—tough to handle, mung."

"Figures. Don't wanna clash and complicate—better suppress for now."

No Disinfection conflicts hurting her, I summoned simple mana. Ice crystals from my hand settled on hers.

"Eh? Wha? My mana?"

"Mung... Knew it, but untransformed, mung..."

Long time no use—hoped control held; looked fine. Just right suppression. Experience pays.

Who'd mess up here?

"Alright, going live for real."

"O-Okay!"

She struck a pose for the cam angle quick. Camera experience showed—good instincts.

Oof, should've warned before turning on. As cam lit, I cleared the explosive chat and fake-coughed lightly.

"Ahem. Warning first: Chat moderation gets stricter now. Not solo anymore."

Even deleting most, firepower raged.

...No way. How far'd it spread? Unimaginable levels.

"Sigh. Anyway, surprise guest joined."

A glance-cue, and she stepped up naturally from peeking chat in shock.

"Hello, viewers! First time greeting like this. Magical girl Divine Blaze here! Nice to meet you!"

"I'm Mung-mung, mung."

Whoosh—a tiny flame danced from her staff post-intro. Pure superpowered proof. She'd clocked the identity doubters.

"Uh... yep, it's me. Why here? Mung-mung said greet senpai's place. Yes, this is that senpai."

I let her chat-soc for a bit. Couldn't answer myself—got swept into stream help, never heard her story. Need deets ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠for banter.

"Yup, my rec, mung."

"Tsk. No badmouthing junior."

Endless slurs, trash, spam—even blocking couldn't catch wordplay slips. Hardware lag, not me. Her pace beat expectations, so minor misses okay?

"Kinda curious too, Mung-mung."

"Mung? Simple, mung. We fairy folk came spotting gates, mung. But not all magical girls contract with us, mung."

Concrete fans trickled back, chased by flames earlier. Lee Jeong-ah faking epiphany like other Frosts? Hilarious.

"Yeah, missed that earlier."

Stream started blind, huh. Watching her, her face twisted for the first time.

"I-It wasn't vanishing on purpose—just rushed to find senpai. Because..."

She ignored chat, face more pained.

"Last monster we fought... I lost bad. Urgent. Mung-mung said your help'd make me stronger."

Chat blazed anew—direction flipped. Puzzled why no reaction to her bombshell, she paled realizing.

"Uwaa. Right. That was classified..."

Her slip? Embargoed secret to avoid panic. I eyed her grimace and redirected chat, pondering briefly.

Maybe stirring drama was just a magical girl's job hazard.