Magical Girl Theater
Passing through a jungle of enormous pipes and a graveyard littered with metal scraps, a sign shaped like popcorn caught my eye. The sign's light wasn't flickering, and with only the wind whistling through the dilapidated building, it looked just like any other ghost town ruin. There was no way a ghost building would have popcorn, but there might be some edible food inside, so I parked the Kettenkraft and stepped in.
"Unnie, what's popcorn? Is that food too?"
"It's a snack made by popping corn from a plant called corn until it's crispy. They say people in the old days ate popcorn while watching movies or dramas."
"Movies or dramas... like living fairy tales?"
"Yeah."
"What does popcorn taste like?"
"It comes in all kinds of flavors. Sweet, salty, even some like the chocolate biscuits we had before."
"Chocolate flavor! I love that. It makes me happy when I eat it."
"Yeah, popcorn's the taste of happiness."
"Ehehe~ I wanna try it someday~"
"Someday you will."
Hope skipped along happily, imagining the taste of popcorn. Maybe because it was something they knew, the drone's chat sped up from before.
Maybe because I brought up popcorn, I started craving it. But with the world like this, no chance to try it again. Unless Eden really exists and has hope, who knows.
"So what is this place?"
"Dunno, doesn't look like a food factory... Hey, what does it look like to you guys?"
Sigh, fine. My bad for asking.
Like the buildings we usually scavenge, it was just full of debris and dust rolling around. Just when I was starting to feel deflated, expecting nothing different, I spotted a tattered large poster precariously stuck to a cracked wall.
The text was in a language I'd never seen, so I couldn't read it. But even though it was torn here and there, the illustrations were clear enough. They say a picture's worth a thousand words—even if you can't read, the images speak.
Girls in fluttering, vibrant outfits raised their staffs, facing off against monsters destroying the city. It looked just like something from my memories... almost exactly like...
Yeah, the magical girl the chat's spamming about.
"Wow..."
Hope's eyes sparkled at the sight of the magical girls.
"They're all wearing pretty clothes. Different from what we're wearing."
"You like it?"
"Yeah."
Hope nodded with a bright smile. Girls can't resist magical girls, huh.
"I wanna wear something like that with you someday, Unnie."
"M-me too?"
"It'd look perfect on you, Unnie."
No, even so, magical girl outfits are a bit... I shook my head to banish the image of myself in one. Yeah, that's a hard no.
The chat's exploding, desperately hoping I'll wear a magical girl outfit. Out of Hope's sight, I flipped them the bird—a perfect, majestic middle finger I'm proud of. Ignored the vulgar flood in the chat. Even if I had to wear one, I'd die before doing it in front of you lot.
But a poster like this means this place might be...
Entering a certain room, there was a glass-panel screen covering one wall and rows of tightly packed seats.
'Popcorn sign, poster, this room... Now I get what this building is.'
A movie theater. Now that I look, the inside does resemble one.
'Seems decently preserved, but no way we can watch movies.'
The machines are surely busted, and even if not, no film left. Still, since we're here, let's finish scavenging.
"Unnie, there's a weird-looking machine over there."
"That's probably a projector. It shows movies to people."
"Eh, really?"
I said "probably" because it didn't match what I remembered. Did people watch movies with this before the world ended? What a funky-looking thing.
"Can we watch movies with this too?"
"Wish we could, but it's too worn out."
"Yeah... disappointing."
Hope looked glum. I brushed the dust off the machine and touched it. Pressed what looked like buttons a few times.
A strange mechanical whir came from the projector, and light flickered on. An image played on the glass screen.
"Unnie, look over there!"
Hope bounced excitedly at the playing video on the screen. Wow, it's actually working?
I alternated between wide-eyed Hope and the screen.
"Hope, wanna watch a bit before we go?"
"Yeah!"
Plenty of empty seats anywhere. We picked the best spot for viewing. I warned her fidgety legs.
"Be quiet in a theater."
"Oh, right. Got it."
Hope sat up straight right away. Her first time, and she's beaming.
"No idea. Just feel it with your heart."
The viewers are baffled, unable to understand the video's language, and honestly, so am I. Just enjoying the visuals. Even if it's just ads, moving images are satisfying enough.
Doesn't seem like a 21st-century ad; viewers have no idea what it is either. If it had been one, would you have believed this scenery is the future? As I pondered that, something important hit me.
"Hope, use this while watching. This is what you wear in theaters."
"These are glasses. Different from Grandma's."
"Special theater glasses. Like this."
"Hehe, you look weird, Unnie."
I picked up ones rolling on the floor. They look like 3D glasses... Might as well go full vibe.
Put them on casually, and...
"Unnie, words appeared on the screen."
"For real."
Take them off, subtitles vanish; put them on, they appear. Auto-translation glasses? Wow, people lived so conveniently back then.
"Sorry, only two left. You guys just feel it with your heart."
The chat stormed like a hurricane, but I ignored it and focused on the video. The ad ended, and actual content started playing.
"Unnie, it's the girl from that poster!"
Hope jumped up from her seat in surprise. She started bouncing, so I cleared my throat a few times, and she sat back down with an embarrassed grin.
As she said, the girls from the poster appeared on screen.
'Never thought I'd catch an anime theater edition here. Lucky break.'
No videos, let alone anime, in this era. I played it cool, but my heart raced seeing characters move. Just suppressed it with Hope beside me.
'Great visuals. Maybe better than any anime I saw?'
Roughly, monsters from another world rampage in the city, chosen girls transform into magical girls to defeat them. The protagonist in that world...
"Why did you use that power? It's forbidden."
"A power that could destroy the world if misused. Do you even know how grave your mistake is?"
"You're such a good kid. Why would you do that?"
"'Cause it seemed fun."
⟨ Magical Girl Theater Edition ⟩
Whoa. Protagonist's no joke. She mastered forbidden power on a whim and doesn't bat an eye. The mascots are shocked at her nonchalance.
"Horrible nya~"
"She's insane."
"How can a magical girl give in to such petty desires..."
No wonder—the protagonist's magic felt alien for a magical girl. Tentacles slithering from the dark. Chilling sounds worse than monster roars. Eyes watching the mascots. Even borrowing power from something she shouldn't, the girl's face bloomed with an innocent smile.
"You deserve punishment right now nya! But to protect the city's love and peace, we need that power of yours nya~"
The mascots needed her power desperately, so they skipped punishment. The protagonist soloed monsters leisurely with her favorite magic—but a fierce, ominous power unfit for a magical girl.
Then she met what seemed like fellow magical girls, making her first friends.
"■■■ is so strong. You really feel like a magical girl."
"We'll work hard not to fall behind you."
The magic-obsessed protagonist started feeling human emotions. While enjoying magic and friendship...
A boss, presumed to be a monster exec, appeared.
"My love. My light. My darkness. My life. My hope."
The exec seemed obsessed with the protagonist. She had the power to beat him but hesitated to use magic. The unknown power bred fear and doubt; for the first time, harsh glares terrified her in crisis.
"Only I can understand you. Come to me."
Overwhelmed helplessly, her comrades arrived. Protagonist and comrades understood each other through magic. She decided to trust her friends, and they her.
And so...
"This is our combined magic!!"
Comrades pooled power into a spear of light. Infused with protagonist's black magic...
An unspeakable horrific spear, hard to believe born of magical girl power. The sky wept, the universe laughed.
"Guhhh, this can't..."
A massive hole tore through the exec's body, flesh scattering. Cloud-covered sky cleared transparently; stars watching from space vanished.
"Magic's the best after all."
"Me too!"
"What magic next?"
The city beyond crisis filled with the girls' laughter as the theater edition ended.
After finishing the movie and heading out...
"Amazing. So much fun. That's movies, huh. Magical girls rule! You think so too, Unnie?"
"Yeah, the best."
Not empty words. Combat scenes leagues beyond my past life's top anime studios. Wow... so this is what anime can be. Jealous of pre-apocalypse folks.
The chat's in shock too. Lingering feelings, but long road ahead. Time to leave the theater. Calling Hope, she's picked up a long iron rod from somewhere and mimicking the girls' poses.
"Unnie, do it with me."
"Huh?"
"Magical girls are together."
"But for Unnie, that's..."
"Pleeease~"
Couldn't refuse her earnest plea. It's fine—no one's here but us. Reassured, mid-pose with Hope, we face the drone.
Ah.
My face heats up under its staring lens.
... Aaaaaah!!
* The viewers watching the two girls' magical girl poses had their hearts stolen. If that cute, lovable sight doesn't move you, you're not human.
After this, way more people got into magical girls. Adults outnumbered kids trying to see the theater edition, or so they say.