Tower of Solitude
Boom, ka-boom. The video of us fighting was playing on the phone Pink Star held out.
"...Hmm."
She stared quietly at the phone. Her pupils trembled slightly.
"Definitely... I can't hear the audio, so it's hard to say for sure, but the way you're fighting is completely different from before. With your sisters."
"Right?"
"Yes, you can clearly see someone giving orders and commands."
She turned her gaze toward me.
"...You're right, calling you a random nobody was rude of me. I'm sorry. I apologize."
She bowed her head. I immediately waved my hand dismissively.
"It's fine. You had reason to think that."
"And in this way too... you're different."
Her eyes sparkled.
"Most mascots wouldn't respond like that."
"...Is that so?"
"Complain all you want, I'll just do my job—that's how a lot of them act."
She clicked her tongue.
"You're competent, polite, and full of potential. There's no reason for me to pick a fight with you... Nothing good would come of it for me. Right now, you're the one in the superior position."
"Ah... yes."
"Anyway, with that level of power, I can feel somewhat reassured for now... but I still can't fully trust you yet."
She picked up her empty coffee cup.
"Sure, matching up with your sisters to take down a C-grade monster is impressive... but that doesn't mean I can hand you a location-type monster. That's... a completely different realm."
"...You seem to know a lot about location-type monsters."
I met her eyes. Her dark-circled eyes curved into a smile.
"Know a lot? Who knows... At least, among the people here, I probably know the most."
She gave a wry smile and looked away. After returning her cup to the counter, she gathered her things from her seat.
"No matter how capable you are, I'm not jumping into a location-type monster on your first try. I still need to see how well we sync first. I can decide later; it's not too late."
"Leaving already?"
"Aah, don't go yet! We were gonna hit karaoke after this!"
The magical girls tried to hold her back regretfully. But she deftly avoided their hands.
"Anyway, give me your phone."
"Pardon? Ah, here."
I handed over my phone. She fiddled with it on her own and handed it back soon after.
Bzzz—and right away, the call came in.
Magical Girl Black Fighter requests a call.
Will you respond to the request?
"Black Fighter... I see."
"Looks like it went through. Good enough. See you later."
Black Fighter waved lightly. She bowed her head to the other magical girls.
"Thanks, sisters. See you later."
"...Can't you really stay just a bit longer? It's so hard to see your face."
"I have to go hunt for more info. Sorry."
Black Fighter's face hardened apologetically. Without hesitation, she strode out of the cafe.
"...Whew. What the heck is going on with her..."
The blue magical girl sighed and grumbled.
"Mascot, was that true just now?"
"Pardon?"
"What Blackie said about dying... that."
Suddenly, all the magical girls' eyes turned to me.
"Yeah, that. My heart dropped when I heard it..."
"Dying—it's not exaggeration or metaphor, right? She really means dying?"
The magical girls muttered with dark expressions.
"Yes, probably."
"Oh my god... We had no idea."
"Yeah, but... honestly, I figured something like that might happen."
"True. But I didn't know she was struggling that much..."
"...Do you have some history with her?"
I asked cautiously. Every magical girl here was fawning over her. She was clearly deeply connected to them.
"...Blackie is a 2nd Class magical girl."
"Pardon?"
"Back when we all teamed up as magical girls... Wait, we're still kinda doing that. But a few years ago, when Blackie was with us, she was the strongest by far."
Blue Shine's face darkened.
"...So we thought she'd be fine. But of all things... her family got swallowed by a location-type monster."
"Ah."
The situation clicked into place.
"Location-type monsters don't wander like biological ones... If you don't dispel them, they stay put forever? So the people inside aren't officially dead—they're just missing."
"That's why she's convinced they're still alive somehow and keeps trying to conquer it... but it's been years of no progress."
Pink Star said with a grim expression.
"At first, she thought she'd clear it quick, so she wasn't that down. But after a week, a month... she started losing it, and now... she's ditched everything else and is clinging to it."
"If it were just a subjugation, fine... but 2nd Class magical girls avoid location-types, so she's basically soloing it... No news yet, I guess."
Sighs rose from all around.
"She won't say it, but... we're all worried sick."
"Yeah. Every time she shows up looking half-dead like that, how can we not worry?"
"Just conquer it and live, why die? Don't die..."
The magical girls muttered bitterly.
"...She survived running an errand alone, and it's not even her fault."
"I get the situation now."
The type who throws everything away in blind revenge. You can't force them away or snap them out of it. They seem fine one day, then hang themselves the next. No solution but resolving the issue itself.
"But... like you said, I'm not confident I can subjugate that location-type monster either."
My status window only works on monsters—living entities. No place or phenomenon types from my past life.
That was when it happened.
"If you succeed in subjugating it... I'll give you not just the core from that location-type, but rights to all the cores I get for the next half year."
"Sis!!"
Blue Shine approached me.
"I just... want us back to how we were. If that's possible... I don't need the cores that badly."
"...I'll yield my rights too."
Pink Star jumped up and came over.
"You're my exclusive mascot. Help me with this... no, please help."
"...Me too."
The magical girls approached one by one, pleading with me. I pondered for a moment.
"..."
No telling when it'd be solved. But success meant a haul of cores. And it'd leave a good impression on these magical girls.
"Alright."
I nodded carefully. Their faces lit up.
"For now... could we go to where that location-type monster is? I need to check it out."
"Ah, got it! I'll guide you!"
The magical girls quickly packed up. The one who went out called two taxis. A few minutes later.
"...Here it is."
It was wrapped in "no entry" tape. We got out of the taxi. Right in the middle of the city, yet no signs of life or lights. Like an abandoned city in the apocalypse.
"That's it."
Blue Shine pointed between the buildings. Something loomed in what looked like an apartment complex.
...A pillar?
It was a massive square pillar. A black tower piercing the sky.
I thought instantly: How is that a monster? Monsters at least lived. That was just a calamity.
"What do you think? Get anything?"
Pink Star asked. I shook my head.
"Not yet... no idea."
Everything was still quiet. A phenomenon I'd never seen in my past life. If the status window popped up, that would be weird. It'd mean the thing was alive.
"Yeah? Then... let's get closer."
Blue Shine headed inward. We reached right in front of the half-destroyed apartment complex.
Right then.
🏛 Type:D-Grade Dungeon
⚔ Clear Condition:Escape possible after clearing 10 floors
"...!"
I froze in place.
Dungeon. Places that appeared with monsters in my past life.
I stared blankly at the square pillar ahead.
This is a dungeon...?
In my past life, dungeons were underground. With clear entry and clear methods.
Wait, does that mean phenomenon-type monsters are...?
That was when.
"...No harvest after all, huh."
"Pardon?"
"It's fine... We didn't come with big expectations anyway."
The magical girls gave wry smiles as they looked at me.
"Better to come back later and investigate properly?"
"No, more like, shouldn't we share whatever info we got with Blackie first?"
The magical girls muttered with bitter expressions. My mouth moved on its own.
"No."
"Huh?"
"I think I know the strategy."
That instant, the magical girls' eyes widened as they stared at me.
"...What?"
"Eh?"
"What did you say?"
That went on for a while.
"...How?"
Blue Shine muttered.
"But to pull this off, Black Fighter alone absolutely won't cut it. We'll need at least four magical girls."
I scanned the window.
📍 Recommended Entry:4 People
⏱ Time Limit
💀 Slow Death
Not all info was there. But this was enough. What we lacked was manpower.
"Anyone here willing to join if we go for subjugation?"
I didn't expect much as I spoke. We'd just seen a location-type for the first time. Claiming to know the strategy out of nowhere? Normal people would pass to save their skin.
But.
Whoosh!
All the magical girls raised their hands. All six of them, ready to join.
"...Thank you."
"We should be thanking you... Mascot."
Blue Shine asked in disbelief. Her expression was a mix of emptiness and absurdity.
"How on earth did you figure it out?"