Reborn as a Magical Girl Mascot

The sword slipped from my hand. As my vision darkened with my eyes slowly closing, I heard the monster's roar.

[KRAAAAAH!]

"Ha."

A hollow laugh escaped me. It was pretty damn painful. I could instinctively sense that thing wouldn't last much longer either.

"At least... I'll take that bastard with me on my way out..."

Bzzz...

My head spun. The sounds faded away like sinking into deep water.

...My little sister.

She needed to eat to survive. That was my final thought as my mind went blank.

And just like that, I met my end.

I had no idea back then. That I'd get another life.

"...Hey, newbie. Newbie!"

"Huh... Yeah?"

Shake, shake. My senior was shaking me from the side.

"No way you were dozing off, right?"

"No? I wasn't."

"Didn't get enough sleep last night?"

"No, just... some old memories popped up. I zoned out for a bit. I'm fine."

"Yeah? Well, you're still pretty new here, so you're right in that phase."

Senior patted my shoulder understandingly. The plush doll's signature squishy softness transmitted through.

"So, where was I up to?"

"You said I came back to life and got hired here."

"Oh yeah, that was it. Sorry! Maybe it's 'cause we're plush dolls now, but my brain feels smaller—keep forgetting stuff, y'know?"

Senior playfully bopped my head with a cotton fist. Despite the gruff old-man speech, the kid's voice and plush look made it kinda cute.

"Still, you're really calm about this? The newbies before you either cried all day asking what the hell was going on or totally lost it."

"I'm just as confused."

A dry laugh slipped out automatically.

"I clearly died fighting that monster, so why am I suddenly in this unfamiliar place with a body like this... I still haven't adjusted, honestly."

I looked down at myself. A neatly stitched bear plush body made of fabric moved ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠at my command—no loose threads anywhere.

This is my body now...

I poked it lightly with my hand.

Boing.

The plush's bouncy resilience pushed back against my fist. At the same time, sensations of touch and pressure flowed through the fabric to my head.

"Anyway, this makes you ace material. Know how rare it is to get someone who can even hold a conversation?"

"...The idea of cases that can't talk is scarier."

"Alright, enough dark talk!"

Senior clapped his paws with a pat-pat.

"Anyway, starting from the top: You died and got a job in this kinda heaven? Afterlife? Whatever you wanna call it."

"...Feels like divine malice forcing us to work even after death."

"If there was a god, sure. But turns out there isn't."

Senior waved his arms dismissively.

"Anyway, like I said, you get options here: Take the job and start a second life, or just vanish."

"And I chose the job."

"Yuppers, yuppers. So what do we ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠do? This!"

Clap.

A whiteboard crashed down from the sky with a thud.

"...Magical girls, huh."

"Just to check, your world had those too, right? Like in kids' anime and stuff!"

"Of course."

I recalled from memory. Magical girls: Warriors of justice fighting evils threatening humanity. Pioneers of girl-power PC ideals in a world where only women stood against them.

"So we're those... tiny things that pop ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠up next to them, chattering away... right?"

"Yuppers! You get it quick, huh?"

"Not that hard."

"Some guy from a world without the concept took forever to teach. Ugh, don't get me started."

Senior shook his head. Then he pulled a lollipop from his pocket and stuck it in his mouth.

"Want one?"

"...Instead of smokes?"

"No cigs here. No coffee either."

"That's kinda sad."

"Why do we keep veering off? Anyway, our job's exactly like those sidekicks."

Senior pointed at the whiteboard with his lollipop, slurping away.

"Find someone with magical girl potential, turn 'em into one, support 'em fighting monsters. So... support, supporter! Yeah, that's what the kids call it these days?"

"Act as their secretary so they can focus purely on fighting?"

"Exactly! Man, you're a real ace."

I nodded with a grin.

"Yeah, I might be."

"Kya~ Cocky punk."

I laughed back at senior's words. Good thing it was my strong suit.

The world before I died was a disaster zone. Monsters beyond human limits poured out. Phenomena that could wipe Earth a dozen times spread with malice. We fought them—hunters, they called us.

We weren't bare-handed, of course. I had a Status Window, a system thing, but that's not the point.

Bottom line: I had experience fighting those monsters... as a plush now. I knew instinctively what support fighters needed.

"Anyway... yeah, you look like you'll handle combat support fine, so no need to explain more. Cool?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Whoa, whoa, someone might think I'm bullying you. Loosen up."

"Got it."

"Yeah, anyway. That's our job, but not the final goal."

"Huh?"

Senior rummaged in his pocket and pulled out a glowing stone-like thing.

"...What's that?"

I asked without thinking. It looked anything but ordinary.

"Called a Core. When magical girls kill monsters—magic beasts, whatever— one drops. Our ultimate goal is grabbing those."

"So not the girls, but this is our real target?"

"Eh... technically, yeah. But helping the girls is our goal too. This is more like... performance metrics?"

It half-made sense. Like how hard work doesn't always mean results. Helping girls doesn't guarantee a Core.

"Can't force it if the girl won't hand it over. That's the rule."

"So we gotta cozy up to her and snag it."

"Yuppers. Don't count on it, though—they hate giving 'em up."

"...Then how?"

The words slipped out.

"Schmooze like crazy."

"Ah."

"No firing if you don't get any. But good performance gets rewards—to boost motivation."

"Rewards?"

"Yeah, more than you'd think. Like... restoring your original body?"

"...!"

I inhaled sharply.

"Not stuck like this forever?"

"Nah. It's just for being friendly and on-brand with the girls. Oh, you can pick other rewards too—check the company board later."

Fling.

Senior tossed something my way.

"This is..."

"Smartphone. You know how to use it?"

"Ah... yeah."

"Everything's explained there—human world access, etc. Figure it out. I'm off!"

"W-Wait, senior?"

Flap, flap.

Senior had already spread wings from his back and soared into the sky. No time to call him back.

"..."

I stared blankly at the phone in my paw. Still confused about everything. Why I revived. Why this second chance.

Still, my hand turned it on automatically.

The text vanished, leaving a blank home screen. Only two apps:

[Human Realm Access]

[Magical Girl GPS]

I tapped Human Realm Access.

Ding!

A pink portal shimmered into view. I stepped through.

"...Whoa."

A glittering night street unfolded. Lights flickered from apartments and buildings. Smoke rose from bars and eateries amid chatter. Blinking streetlamps and signals.

All painfully nostalgic.

...

Flap, flap.

Lost in longing, I flapped the wings on my back and drifted forward. People didn't notice me—even up close.

Then, in a discarded mirror from someone's move, I caught my reflection.

That's... me.

Dark circles under my eyes, necktie, full suit. Plush, so cute-ish, but the impression was no joke.

Suddenly, an odd energy prickled.

...That way?

How far did I fly? A few kilometers in, something weird appeared.

A rift like shattered glass in midair. Harsh, beastly breathing scraped from within. And it was growing.

That's the rift.

Why this world needed magical girls. Why we scouted them.

Leave it, and it'll shatter soon...

Monster pops out, area's hell. Stragglers die. Lucky if ignored; unlucky...

I'd envied this world a bit, but this soured it. Same old everywhere people lived.

First, find nearby magical girls.

As I reached for my phone—

Shatter!

The rift exploded wide.

[ROOOAR!!!]

Something burst out with a bellow.

"...Huh?"

That's when it happened.

A translucent window popped up before my eyes. I froze in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠shock.

The Status Window system. My hunter life's ace up to the end.

It was here now.

...Why now? And why me, not a magical girl...?