Hacking the Former Magical Girl
At Euphonium's words, Cho-hee made a startled face. A magical girl? Hadn't she already passed twenty? If anything, magical woman would be more fitting.
"W-Why bring that up out of nowhere? Is something wrong with the current magical girls?"
"No idea! But it seems Her Majesty senses something ominous!"
Cho-hee shook her head. She sometimes missed her middle school days as a magical girl, but that didn't mean she wanted to do it again.
Unless time turned back, it was nonsense for a proper self-employed adult like her to don a magical girl costume and hunt monsters.
"I've already retired. Magical girl again? No way that's possible."
"How could it not be? This concerns the peace of the human world!"
"That's for the current magical girls to handle. Just like we did back then. I wondered why you showed up after all these years... and it's about magical girls...."
"Cho-hee! Please, I beg you! You're humanity's hope!"
Euphonium whined and approached Cho-hee, rubbing its fluffy cheeks against hers.
The soft sensation tickled her cheek, loosening her resolve a bit. But Cho-hee refused like a stubborn pumpkin.
"Still no! I have my own work. I'm a proper member of society now. Plus, it's been years since I retired—I've forgotten how to fight."
"Don't worry about thaaat! We've got this Muse Watch, right!?"
With that, Euphonium pulled out the Muse Watch. Seeing the familiar item after so long stirred old memories in Cho-hee. Her wrist now bore a simple watch instead.
"This Muse Watch links to the Akashic Record, storing all your combat data! Just transform into a magical girl, and all your experience will come flooding back!"
"Huh!? For real!?"
"For real! Hehe. So, how about it? Becoming a magical girl again..."
"No way! I have to mind the shop. Sales have been down lately—I need to research ways to draw more customers. Can't just laze around hunting monsters."
"Hehe! Your priorities are totally backwards! Ugh! I won't leave until you agree to be a magical girl again!"
Euphonium threw a tantrum. Cho-hee raised both hands first. She'd said no, but her innate goodness as a former magical girl wouldn't let her ignore a crisis in the human world.
"Fine. But exactly one month! Got it!?"
"Deal! Thank you! My partner as always!"
"Ugh.... Becoming a magical girl again.... Wait!? Does that mean I'll meet the others too?"
"We're looking for them first!"
And so, Cho-hee became a magical girl once more.
"A magical girl?"
The woman blocking my path nodded at my words.
"You know about magical girls, so you must be from the Shadow World. Do they even have monsters that look this human now?"
The former magical girl.
According to the lore, she held the title of strongest ever. But in the original anime, only Ji-eun as the former Carol White appears. The rest are just names.
'Hmm. This is a hassle.'
"Whoa! It's a magical girl, kishit! Be careful, Master!"
"A former magical girl with a mascot, huh. And that on her arm looks like a Muse Watch. Weird. Were magical girl careers always this long?"
The red-haired woman blushed at my words.
"I-It’s temporary! I don’t wanna be a magical girl at my age either!"
"Cho-hee! Blast 'em! Transform!"
"Ugh! Do I really have to transform!?"
"What’re you saying now? How else you gonna fight without transforming!?"
The magical girl bickered with her spirit. From their conversation, this woman was the former Carol Blue, Heo Cho-hee. I slipped away while they argued. Kishishi piped up beside me.
"Master! Master! With your power, you could kill a punk like that easy, kishit!?"
"True, but look at that pretty face. Would be a waste to kill her."
"Ah! Gonna rape her then, kishit!? That sounds good too, kishishit!"
"That works too. Lure her somewhere deserted first. No people around now, but it's still a street."
Watching us flee, the mascot yelled.
"Cho-hee! They're running! Transform quick!"
"Ugh! Fine! I will!"
A bright light erupted behind me. The magical girl's transformation. I glanced back leisurely while running, watching the scene.
She touched the Muse Watch to transform. Years after retiring as a magical girl, the sensation of transforming hadn't faded one bit.
A blue glow enveloped her body. Her clothes dissolved in the light, reconstructing into new attire.
A blue-based magical girl costume laden with frilly lace. The adorable outfit, perfect for flaunting cuteness, wrapped around Cho-hee's form.
"To the ends of the world in the color of justice! Executor of order, Muse Blue et... Ugh! Habit!"
She cut off her line, blushing and turning her head. Euphonium eyed her disapprovingly.
"Why not finish it!? That's a magical girl's identity!"
"It's childish at my age! What’s with this outfit? It's just scaled up kindergarten play clothes! Can't believe I wore this in middle school."
"The ritual auto-linked to the Akashic Record! Feel your combat experience coming back!?"
At Euphonium's words, Cho-hee closed her eyes and focused. As promised, compressed memories of countless past battles flooded her brain and muscles. Visions of her younger self soaring through the skies stirred nostalgia, clouding her mind.
"Cho-hee! Stop spacing out! They're getting away!"
"Ugh! Got it! I'll chase 'em!"
Cho-hee pursued the fleeing targets. They ran with monster-like speed. Though her physical abilities amplified instantly upon transforming, the distance didn't close.
"Ugh! A monster specialized in escape!?"
The sun—wait, Taeyang—had fled to an abandoned construction site a bit from downtown. A bankrupt developer left half-built buildings to rot. The eerie, deserted surroundings fit perfectly.
"They went into the building!"
"Perfect! Dead end! Your escape ends here!"
Cho-hee charged forward boldly.
While luring her to a deserted spot, I pondered how to fuck her. Overpowering her by force was simplest, but boring.
"Simple is best. Sometimes straightforward's the way."
Decision made. Pin her down with strength and ravage mercilessly. She'd sob under me, raped. Virgin? Hope so.
"Master! How ya gonna rape that magical girl!?"
"Backstab? Hmm, yeah. Slam her from behind till she's a mess—should be fun to watch."
"Kishit! Even for you, Master, don't underestimate her! Magical girls are famously dangerous in the Shadow World."
"No need to mind those losers."
"B-But they say magical girls' powers counter ours, kishit! So unfair, kishit! Humans using magic world power!?"
"It's the Muse Watch's power. They draw spells and energy from the Akashic Record. A seasoned former Blue like her can ramp up combat power instantly."
The Muse Watch details appear at the anime's end. It's a terminal accessing the Akashic Record, storing past magical girls' knowledge and experience. Former Blue should pull it off seamlessly.
'Hm? Wait—the Akashic Record is a magical system, right? Then...'
◈ A tablet PC that can hack systems. Capable of hacking nearly all system types, consuming credits each time. Credit cost scales with system complexity.
◈ ※ Abstract systems can be hacked if structured.
Could the Hacking Tablet hack the Akashic Record? Curiosity struck. I pulled it out.
Powering on displayed nearby hackable devices. Shockingly, a Muse Watch was listed.
[Spend 10,000 credits to hack 'Muse Watch'?]
10,000 credits. A huge sum. Hesitant to burn that casually—one skill's worth.
'Still, intriguing. Who knew the item worked like this.'
I bit the bullet and spent them. Credits from Credit.com flowed steadily now, less burden than before. Still, 10k was big money.
'Think of it as a tip for fucking the former Blue. My pleasure's what matters, kekeke!'
Payment done, options appeared on the tablet.
I scanned the tablet's readout. What caught my eye: "Combat Data."
"Can I mess with this?"
[Additional credits will be consumed.]
"Ngh. But this could be fun?"
I pulled out my smartphone. Loaded with 20GB+ of hardcore porn and manhwa.
"Wonder what happens if I upload this."
Transferred data for another 2,000 credits.
[Overwriting Akashic Record data.]
"Found you! Monster!"
Heo Cho-hee burst into the construction site building, silk-like hair swaying confidently. Her mature age clashed with the outfit, but her aura screamed apostle of justice.
'What? No visible change?'
I scratched my cheek, checking the tablet. Overwrite succeeded.
"Surrender quietly. I'm too old for pointless brawls."
"Cool, Cho-hee!"
"Ugh! Gotta get back to the shop—left it with my part-timer."
"Hehe! No worries! They're rats in a trap now."
I tapped another tablet section. Touched "Status," and a message popped.
[Cancel transformation? 500 credits consumed.]
"Thieving bastards. Let's try it."
I switched Heo Cho-hee's status to untransformed. Instantly, a blue glow shimmered around the magical girl.
"Wh-What!?"
Heo Cho-hee shrieked in surprise at the sudden change. Tablet worked perfectly.
"Ch-Cho-hee! Why cancel the transformation!?"
"I didn't do it!? Is the Muse Watch busted!?"
"Muse Watches don't break! Transform again!"
"Damn it! Nothing goes right! Fine! Transforming again!"
Heo Cho-hee touched her Muse Watch and transformed once more.