A Mother Never Hesitates

Bespredel went spinning through the air, whirling end over end. I'd grabbed it by the muzzle and hurled it, so the rifle was loaded with spin, cutting through the wind with a rising whir.

"It's magic, so you can't dodge it!"

That was these girls in a nutshell — they papered over everything with magic. Put another way, they were a bunch of sheltered bookworms who'd poured themselves into spellcraft and left their bodies to rot.

My prediction hit dead-on.

CRACK!

With a beautifully clean impact, Bespredel's stock smashed square into Aquamarine's forehead.

"KYAAAAAH!"

A raw, wretched scream tore out of her, and Aquamarine — who'd been hovering just off the ground — came fluttering down like a shot bird. The instant her concentration broke, the river she'd raised upright came crashing back to earth. An enormous waterfall of sound, and with it the underwater prison holding Kabe dissolved. Kabe flopped onto the ground in a heap.

"AQUAMARIIIIIIINE!"

You. I will never, ever forgive you.

My daughter. You dared — my daughter!

I ran. I ran with everything I had toward the spot where Aquamarine had fallen. A sidelong glance as I sprinted told me Kabe was down on the dirt, but her belly was rising and falling — she was breathing. Her life wasn't in danger.

Treating my daughter like a mount wasn't enough — she'd put her life at risk.

Unforgivable.

By the time I reached Aquamarine, she was staggering back to her feet.

"The hell do you think you're getting up for, you piece of shit?!"

The moment she saw me charging, Aquamarine started raising her hands to cast. I didn't let up. I drove my shoulder straight into her.

"Ghhhk—!"

An ugly scream, and Aquamarine went tumbling backward from my shoulder tackle, rolling over and over. I kept running. My breath clawed its way up to my throat and my lungs burned, but I didn't stop.

Aquamarine was getting up off the ground again.

I clenched my left hand into a fist. I didn't need to look. Dark mana was already boiling up around it in thick, rolling clouds.

"Ooaah—!"

I slammed a rocket punch straight into Aquamarine's vacant midsection, carrying every ounce of the momentum from my sprint. She hadn't even managed to guard. The blow folded her. She rolled and rolled until she finally fetched up against the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠wall of the Central Park restroom and stopped.

God. How far had I just run? I was going to lose my mind.

My breath had gone past the top of my throat — I could barely draw air at all. Aquamarine had lost the will to fight. She sat slumped against the restroom wall, staring up at me with vacant eyes as I stepped in close.

"You crazy... bitch..."

"You're— hah— not— hahh— the only— hah—"

"What are you even saying..."

"You're— hah— not— hehh— the only— hah— crazy— huuh— bitch— hah— around here— hoo— hah— got it?!"

I reached out, seized Aquamarine by the collar, and hauled her up. She didn't resist at all — just hung there against the restroom wall the way I'd stood her up.

"Who the hell uses a gun like that?"

"Right here, that's who. You fucking bitch."

My breathing was finally settling. Good thing I'd quit smoking.

As the ragged edge of my breath eased, Aquamarine's condition finally registered. The forehead Bespredel had smashed was split open, blood pouring down until her whole face was a red mask. The clothes over her stomach — where the rocket punch had landed — had burst apart, bare skin showing through, already blooming with a massive bruise. The collarbone running from her neck to her shoulder was broken and twisted at a grotesque angle from my tackle, and her left arm hung useless.

"Well, Madam Vice President? How's it feel getting the shit beaten out of you by the Mogumogu-dan boss you used to laugh at?"

"It feels like shit."

"And why the hell were you treating someone else's daughter like a ride? If you hadn't pulled that crap, it never would've gone this far."

"But a Shinsallang is just so cool."

"I'll give you that."

Fair was fair.

"Still. You don't torment someone else's kid. You get that now, right? You don't touch a child in front of her mother."

"Yeah. Sorry. I'll apologize."

She apologized readily, which I hadn't expected. I'd taken her for a human garbage heap rotten all the way through, but she could at least admit when she'd screwed up. Not completely irredeemable, then.

"I'm retreating now, so let me go. Honestly, this already hurts a lot."

"Fine... get out of here. I need to go see my daughter."

I released her collar and stepped back.

"You actually listened when I asked. But you know..."

Aquamarine suddenly smiled.

"What are you—?!"

Before I could finish, a violent jet of water erupted from behind the restroom wall she'd been leaning against.

"You should've finished me off faster. A restroom may not be a river, but there's more than enough water."

The water that had surged into the air broke apart into droplets, spreading. Every last tip was honed to a point, sharp as a dagger, and every last one of them was aimed at me.

"Ha. Unbelievable."

I took another step back and spread my dark mana wide. Water droplets began punching into the mana shield I'd thrown up in front of me, relentless. Every time one buried itself, a gap opened in the shield and mana rushed in to fill it — and a faint hollow ache started blooming in my lower abdomen.

I blocked. I patched. There was a limit to both. I kept getting pushed back, one step at a time.

"A girl who can't be vicious to the end has no business playing villain."

Aquamarine shoved her face in close beside me as I held off the droplets.

"When you've got the upper hand, you take it all the way. You don't dither. Understand?"

Is that right?

Yeah. She had a point.

I pressed the ring on the ring finger of my left hand — the hand I'd spread wide to project mana. Bespredel, which had been lying somewhere far behind me, returned to my grip as if nothing had happened.

"Bedel. That one-handed gun thing."

The rifle melted away and came back to my hand in the shape of a pistol.

Yeah. Just like she'd said.

I wasn't supposed to hesitate.

The way she was hesitating right now.

She'd mocked me for not finishing her — and then she hadn't finished me either, leaving me standing here blocking water droplets. She didn't have the right to laugh.

I pointed the pistol at Aquamarine and fired.

The droplets hanging in the air lost their control and scattered. I kicked the staggering Aquamarine — clutching her chest where blood was welling up — and knocked her down, then immediately mounted her.

"Thanks. That was a good lesson."

A fight's best as a brawl.

Weapons are fine, but this—

This is a fight. Blood flying every time you bury a fist in someone's face.

Right hand. One.

Left hand. One.

Both hands laced together. One.

"Stop— stop...!"

Stop, my ass.

If you'd left when you had the chance, you wouldn't be looking at this.

I staggered to my feet, dragging in rough breaths. I was too exhausted to hit her anymore. Aquamarine lay on the ground, staring blankly up at me.

"Now get out of here for real. I don't have anything left."

I pressed the muzzle to her forehead and pulled the trigger without a second thought.

It's not like she actually dies anyway.

BANG!

Aquamarine's pupils blew wide. The reflection in those eyes was me, grinning ear to ear. A thin line of blood ran down through her field of vision.

I watched Aquamarine vanish.

Yeah. I'll say it again — thanks for the lesson.

I won't hesitate next time.

I'm a villain, after all.

People can curse me for doing this kind of thing all they want. It's all true, so the damage is zero. Doesn't bother me a bit.

Now, what was left...

I checked the map. One magical girl marker remaining.

Evangeline.

And that marker was sitting right on top of my own position—

"You've done quite well, I see."

Ah, hell.

I lifted my head. Evangeline was floating in midair, looking down at me.

"Your boss already retreated. You go home too."

"I'm afraid I cannot do that."

I glanced at the map. Dusick's health had barely dropped. Sohee's hadn't either, and both of them were almost on top of me.

I was genuinely done. The hollowed-out feeling in my lower abdomen was brutal. I'd never dumped mana this recklessly before, and the drain was sliding straight into a bone-deep lethargy.

"You planning to take on three of us by yourself? Just go home."

"I would like nothing more."

Magic circles bloomed around Evangeline, lightning snapping and crackling across them. Something about the atmosphere was wrong. The circles were enormous — bigger than anything I'd seen so far. Blinding white radiance poured off them, and the more fully they took shape, the more lightning leapt around their edges, growing fiercer by the second.

"We have to run an ad once per battle, no exceptions."

Ah. Right.

Yeah, that part actually mattered.

But her energy was off.

"For a mandatory ad, you look like you're trying to kill me for real...?"

A strange little smile bloomed on Evangeline's face. I hadn't imagined it — from the center of the circles surrounding her, a colossal spear of lightning unveiled itself in all its glory.

You've got to be kidding me.

That spear was the size of a utility pole.

"We need to demonstrate the dignity of our Magical Girl Association. Right here. Right now."

Yeah.

I don't think I can stop that.

If that hits me, do I die?

I probably wouldn't actually die... but the Mains were pseudo-lifeforms, so they came back. I had been human, though...?

"I cannot kill you, of course."

Oh. So I don't die.

I should've asked sooner.

"But we do need to injure you rather badly, or we lose face, don't we?"

I'd rather not get wrecked for the sake of your reputation.

"Well then. Until next time."

Afternoon tea, Darjeeling Yung-Drip, fifteen ounces~

That ad was genuinely awful. They could ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠at least slap on something that fit. I should say something to Eve about it.

—was the stupid thought running through my head as I stared blankly up at the spear of lightning flying straight at my face.

Bright.

That white radiance.

I wanted one of those too.

When I opened my eyes after this, it'd be a hospital, right?

What about Kabe?

A black shadow planted itself in front of me.

A shadow shoving something enormous and rectangular forward. And then a burst of light, slamming into that shadow and spraying lightning in every direction as it scattered.

"Unni! ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Dusick! I beg you, get down!"

I didn't even look back. I dropped.

WHOOSH— whum-whum-whum-whum...!

The sound of something cutting the air.

"KYAAAAAH!"

That scream was Evangeline's.

"Boss. Are you all right?"

And that voice was Dusick's.

"Y-yeah. I'm fine. Help me up."

My legs had given out. I couldn't stand. I felt Dusick's pot-lid of a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hand wrap around my waist.

"Allow me."

"Thanks."

With Dusick's support I got to my feet, and the world around me finally came into focus.

Everything was burnt black, scorched in every direction. Trees were on fire. The stench of char was overwhelming. Every step I took made the ashes of grass and weeds scream underfoot.

My knee joints seemed to be screaming right along with them.

"Unni. Are you unharmed?"

"Sohee. Yeah — thanks to you, I'm fine."

"I am most sorry to have arrived so late."

"What are you talking about? You got here right on time."

"Is that so?"

Dusick on my left, Sohee on my right. Leaning on both of my girls, I managed to reach the place where Evangeline had crashed — and looking at the state of her on the ground, I was the one who'd gotten off easy.

Evangeline was on the verge of passing out from the pain. Hardly surprising, given the scythe buried deep in her side — Sohee's, from the look of it. Blood had soaked her pure-white dress a vivid red.

Wasn't that a farming sickle?

"Please remain still. Move, and you will die."

Sohee planted a foot on Evangeline's stomach to pin her, then pulled the scythe free of her side. Evangeline's scream of agony rang out one more time before silence finally settled over the area.

"...Retreat. I'm done. I won't do any more."

"You... are Mother... aren't you...?"

"Yeah."

"Ajax... no, Dusick... told me about you..."

"Told you what?"

"P-please retreat at once!"

Hey. What?

I held Dusick back as she hurriedly tried to insert herself between us, and I listened to what Evangeline had to say.

Why was Frilly coming up here?

"I... retreat..."

Evangeline's trembling form vanished, and from the direction of the magical girl lines a white flash of light split the sky and surged upward.

The magical girls' declaration of defeat. The declaration that the battle was over.

We'd won.

After ten years.

It wasn't that I had won.

We had won.