Chapter 4
Chapter 4
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: Special Delivery
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I opened my eyes and blanked out for a full three seconds.
'Please be a dream.'
I bolted upright and checked the mirror.
Nope. Still the same. A disheveled white-haired beauty stood there with a sullen expression.
Truth be told, I'd known it wasn't a dream. After all the chaos yesterday, there was no way.
I groped around for my phone by the bed to check the time.
"Ack, hot!"
My smartphone was boiling like a hot pack.
The culprit behind the lag was the avalanche of KakaoTalk messages that had poured in while I slept.
Usually, it was just spam ads flying in nonstop, so what the hell was this? I opened the app.
"...?"
Six thousand? Was I seeing things? Not six hundred?
And the number was still updating in real time.
KakaoTalk!
KakaoTalk!
KakaoTalk!
I needed to get a grasp on the situation fast, so I opened the group chat that was the source of the notifications.
Supposedly the magical girl group chat, but what the hell was with this vibe?
'Is this the Magical Girl Gallery or a group chat?'
Overnight, every magical girl had shown up, turning the conversation into a full-blown feast about me.
The veterans were chomping at the bit, dissecting and savoring the rare newbie.
Replying to each one would snap my thumbs.
'Gotta sort this first.'
I boldly marked all as read. The 6000 vanished in a blink. Bliss.
Next, nickname change. Couldn't live as Dancing Aloha forever.
I didn't love "Neph" as a magical girl name, but the mascot had already bulldozed it in, so no choice.
Me, Neph.
The moment I changed it, the flood of messages screeched to a halt.
The calm before the storm.
I took a deep breath and tapped out a message.
The second I hit send.
The scroll exploded at double the previous speed.
Morning brain or whatever, they were all over the place, but I'd already opened the floodgates—might as well ask what I needed to.
I repeated yesterday's question.
I knew this would happen. Mascots are supposed to handle the tutorial, right?
Kidnapping me into a contract wasn't enough; now ghosting? Next time I see that mascot, my pink scissors won't stay sheathed.
Maknae would know
@Bella
Oh, not maknae anymore?
'So there was a magical girl training camp...'
Magical girls' ecosystem was shrouded in secrecy, not much known to the public.
But rumors floated like folktales, one being the training camp.
Average debut age: 12.
Couldn't just hand kids weapons and pit them against monsters.
Post-contract, basic training at Magic Castle camp—that rumor dominated communities.
Made sense; plenty debuted later than contract date.
Knowledge gained.
But I asked 'cause I knew zilch, and these vets' info seemed stuck five years back.
'No one to explain simply?'
That's when it happened.
A heavy nickname dropped into the chat.
"Sword...? No way, the Sword I know?"
Magical Girl Sword.
Debuted around 15 years ago, high school swordswoman concept. Now 30++, a fossil.
Miko outfit, wielding katana, cool beauty vibe—solid fanbase. But MIA lately, presumed alive?
Nick meant codename, right?
The chat flipped.
I gave my nick since she asked for nick, so why the laughter?
Was I getting roasted right now?
Somehow empathizing with Bella's feelings, my face heated up for no reason.
Sword reappeared.
"Ah."
Turned out it wasn't codename, but some unique ID for magical girls.
But I didn't know mine?
As I panicked, a pinned private chat at the top caught my eye.
Sender: Ramu. Time: 5 AM.
That mascot worked fast.
Hesitated a moment.
Sure, colleagues now, but spilling home address off the bat? Sketchy.
But vibe made refusing awkward...
'Neighborhood only, maybe.'
"Delivery?"
That's when it hit.
GRRRRRUMBLE!
A roar shook the ceiling.
KABOOM!
The studio apartment ceiling caved in, a mystery box plummeting straight down.
It slammed right in front of my feet. Scribbled on the side in marker:
What the—?
What abyss was this?
Asked just in case, but Sword stayed silent, true to concept even here.
Timing screamed Sword...
Was this it? Special delivery through the roof?
ID matched mine, so I ripped the tape and opened it.
First thing: a worn book.
"A book like this exists?"
I prided myself on devouring every domestically published magical girl book.
This one? Total stranger.
Rare edition I missed? Checked author.
[Author: Magic Castle Education Department]
"Ah."
Magic Castle published it themselves.
Internal textbook for magical girls only, not sold publicly.
Flipped through.
1. Where does a magical girl's power come from?
2. Properties and Understanding of Mana
3. Choosing Your Weapon
4. ...
"Magic Castle makes stuff like this. Neat."
All intriguing, but #1 hooked me: source of power.
Fans debated endlessly: love? Justice? Physics?
Community favorite: kids' pure innocence and imagination.
[Magic overlays imagination onto reality. Thus, mana comes from imagination.]
"Gallery was right."
Was a magical girl lurking on Magical Girl Gallery? Who knew.
Kept reading.
[Humans conform to reality's laws as they grow, imagination dulls.]
[Thus, Magic Castle selects girls around 10, rich in flexible imagination, as contractors.]
[Only their belief defies physics for miracles.]
Made sense so far.
Then the next paragraph grabbed me.
[But imagination alone insufficient. Needs concrete form.]
[Defining one's existence and immersing in the role maximizes imagination. This is why magical girls need a 'concept.']
"...Concept?"
Felt like a hammer to the head.
Magical girls all clung to unique characters.
Like villainess Aqua forcing "~hawayo" speech.
Not for fanservice?
Book explained clearly.
Plain middle-schooler A imagining fire from hands? Hard. Self-doubt creeps: "Me? Fire?"
But lock into "Flame Ruler Ignis," immerse? Fire becomes natural.
Self-hypnosis fooling self and world.
Essence of magic.
"Mind blown."
Deeper immersion into concept = stronger. Break concept = weaker.
Chills.
Speech, outfits, weapons, spells, signature poses, even theme songs.
All for this.
Even Frost, 30+, lisping third-person? Inescapable.
Book summary:
1. Grasp your concept.
2. Choose matching magic.
3. Select matching weapon.
4. Refine and strengthen concept.
Bottom of last page: Sword's handwriting.
[Pick weapon first (magic can wait)]
"Weapon first?"
Contradicted book, but field vet? Trustworthy.
Where to pick, though?
'Box felt heavy...'
"...Ack."
Opening the box, dozens of weapons burst out like fireworks.
Electric flyswatter, lightsaber, chair, can spray, even chainsaw.
This the support package?
"Magical girl, hello?"
Don't most think magic wand?
Most used wand-like. Prima too.
But these? All lethal gadgets that'd shred flesh on contact.
Gingerly picked a longsword.
"Ughk."
Couldn't lift.
Right, not transformed.
First time, confusing. This body was transformed, kinda.
"Transform!"
Nothing, obviously.
Now lifted longsword easy.
Next: infuse mana. How?
[Deeper concept immersion = greater power.]
Posed before mirror, arms wide.
"Scars on the back... are the shame of a swordsman."
VRRR!
Mana rose from blade.
"Whoa."
Imagination becoming reality. Believed swordsman, sword aura flowed.
Mana's power? Delusion's?
"Hehe."
First mana success. Grinning, chest swelling—
KakaoTalk!
Sword's private chat.
How'd she know I was picking weapons?
'What my heart tells me?'
Glance.
I looked down below my chest. Does this have the right to order anything?
Anyway, I rummaged through the box again. But no matter how much I searched, nothing appealed to me.
A baseball bat did catch my eye, but unfortunately, the bat overlapped with Ignis's concept.
According to the textbook, if concepts overlap, it’s a loss.
Even if rules are meant to be broken, I want to avoid splitting the limited pie of imagination between two people.
"Is there nothing that just clicks?"
At that moment, something stuck in the corner of the box caught my eye.
"Oh."
[Neph]: I picked.[Neph]: (Sent a selfie)
As soon as I sent the photo, the '1' disappeared.
And as a reply.
[Sword]: ?
I received a question mark.
Why? Senior told me to pick what my heart tells me. My heart wanted this.
[Sword]: That's not a weapon. It's packing material.[Neph]: What? It was in the box so I picked it, is it not allowed?[Sword]: How are you going to fight with that?[Neph]: I can swing it around.[Neph]: And if I stick a monster under the needle and press the pedal.[Neph]: I can go Druruk.[Neph]: (Heart exploding emoticon)
Why isn't a reply coming?
Ka-talk!
It came!
[Sword]: (Thinking emoticon)[Sword]: Okay.[Sword]: If you're happy then that's enough.[Sword]: Newbie do whatever you want.[Sword]: (Thumbs up emoticon)
Phew. Fortunately, permission was granted.
"As expected, this is the right fit for me."
I looked with satisfaction at the white-painted sewing machine I had excavated from the corner of the box.
Honestly, things like longswords or maces require learning to use properly. And learning is always annoying.
There is a saying that fighting is all about gear, and gear that your hand is used to is the best.
For a K-Fashion Design student, is there any weapon more familiar to the hand than a sewing machine?
So, this is the guy I chose.
When I lifted it, it was quite heavy; confidence welled up that just swinging it could smash a decent monster's head in one shot.
Above all.
"If I stick a monster's head in here and press the pedal…"
Druruk.
I can instantly punch air holes in the monster's head and give it an overlock finish.
Good.
In the meantime, Sword ended up pinning the photo I sent in the group chat.
[Sword]: (Sent a photo)[Sword]: Newbie's weapon pick.[Ignis]: ?[Terra]: Lolololol[Aqua]: Is that a sewing machine? For making clothes?[Pluto]: No Unni I just came back from washing up why did you crash into the newbie on your own that's my newbie not yours why are you doing this to me die[Sword]: ㅗ
As expected, it seems it's not a common pick.
That Pluto over there doesn't seem to be a normal person either. I should avoid her.
Come to think of it, I had never seen a Magical Girl use a sewing machine as a weapon. They say there's a reason for everything people don't do.
'But isn't it actually good because the concept doesn't overlap?'
[Ignis]: If you picked a weapon, try mana manifestation first. If you have questions, DM me.[Neph]: Yep![Terra]: Ah lol Why is answering every single thing so turning me on? Wanna live at my house?[Neph]: (Tilting head emoticon)
If it's mana manifestation, I tried it with the longsword earlier, so I was confident.
When I poured mana into the sewing machine I was hugging, the sewing machine started to vibrate with a woong-woong sound.
At the same time, a translucent mana pedal was created in front of my eyes.
With this, mana manifestation is done, and was the next step naming the weapon?
The textbook said a name for the weapon is essential. Since it's like an alter ego, the name becomes the trigger for magic or something. Anyway, simpler is better for names. If I named it something like Excalibur for no reason, my tongue might get twisted in a pinch.
"Let's go, Druruk."
You are 'Druruk' from now on. The name pops out just by rolling the tongue slightly; how efficient is that?
As soon as I gave it a name, Druruk rattled its body as if responding. It loves it.
"Then shall we test the performance a bit."
I targeted an empty box rolling around in the corner of the room.
Originally, sewing machines are used by placing them on the floor or a desk, but this is a magic weapon. My imagination is the usage method.
I tucked the sewing machine at my waist like a machine gun, aimed at the box, and stepped hard on the pedal floating in the air.
Dadadadadadadadat!
With a cheerful noise, the sewing machine needle began a piston motion at an invisible speed.
Threads of mana condensed at the tip of the needle shot out like bullets.
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwang!
"……Uh?"
The box wasn't pierced; it was sewn.
The mana threads, which traveled back and forth hundreds of times in an instant, had bound the box tightly from front, back, left, and right. Very sturdily at that.
"Oh."
It's more useful than I thought?
Physical strikes are basic, and I can even bind and restrain the opponent with threads.
A hybrid weapon that covers both DPS and Utility. As expected, I chose well.
"But… wouldn't this work for repairs too?"
I looked at the shattered window that the livestock broke when entering yesterday.
The glass was shattered, and cold wind was blowing in freely.
Visualizing the image of stitching the broken glass shards together, I carefully aimed the sewing machine at the window.
Druruk!
Tak. Ta-dak. Tak!
The mana threads snatched the broken glass shards and stitched them back into their original shape in an instant.
If looked at closely, there were minute thread marks, but from a distance, it looked perfectly fine.
With this, even if my clothes rip during battle, I can mend them in 3 seconds. It means I can completely block the exposure accidents that are a chronic problem for Magical Girls.
Conversely, I could cause them too.
Above all.
"It'll be great for assignments."
The past days of staying up all night hand-sewing flashed by like a revolving lantern.
With this, I can finish an assignment that would take a week in 10 minutes. To think I'd feel the worth of being a Magical Girl not in monster extermination, but here.
'Wait. Assignments?'
What time is it right now?
"……"
Late again.