So Peaceful. A Few Days Later.
A few days later, in the sweltering heat, I headed to the bus stop, our meetup spot.
I spotted a familiar bobbed haircut from afar.
"Unni! Over here, over here!"
It was Hasol-a, fully decked out in her vacation look.
"Did I keep you waiting long?"
"Nope! I just got here too! But didn't you say your sister was coming with us?"
"Oh."
Seol Yuna had seemed busy ever since that day. We'd originally planned to go together, but it ended up just being us.
Of course, two little kids heading out alone would've been a no-go. We had a guardian with us, naturally.
She said she'd be waiting around here somewhere, right?
That's when I saw a green dumpling-head bobbing toward us at a sprint from way down the road.
"Huff, huff! Am I late?"
The girl skidded to a stop in front of me and looked up, panting hard.
Green hair twirled into round buns on either side. Stylish sunglasses perched atop her forehead. Water park toys equipped on both arms.
She looked like a kid around nine or ten, innocent and childlike.
It was the magical girl Terra.
"Uh... so..."
Hasol-a blinked wide-eyed at Terra, then glanced at me.
"Who's she? A friend of yours, unni?"
"Well, it's like..."
"Hi! I'm Harin's cousin, Lee Taera!"
Terra cut me off and jumped right in.
I had no choice but to reveal my cover story to her. I'd heard that the magical girls assigned to protect me from now on would need my personal info anyway.
Still...
"I'm in third grade. Harin's mom asked me to hang out with her today. Nice to meet you!"
That brazenness! That natural flair! A magical girl's experience never fades.
"T-Tera... cousin unni. Looking forward to today!"
"You got it!"
Terra was a third-generation magical girl, debuting alongside Sword.
The difference? Sword debuted as a high schooler, while Terra started out looking just like this—back in elementary school.
She probably wasn't that old. Mid-twenties, maybe.
Hasol-a wouldn't have a clue, of course. Even if she was into magical girls, how much would she know about ones active before she was born?
"Taera... Taera unni, got it."
Hasol-a nodded, convinced.
She had a subtle possessive streak with me, so she might've gotten jealous, but "cousin" seemed to sell it.
Up close, though, I could sense faint mana emanating from Terra's body.
Mana curtain?
The perceptual filter magical girls used on their faces. Terra had layered an extra one on top.
Even I could see through it easily now. Still, it worked like my glasses—nobody around would recognize her as Terra.
To pull that off without an artifact? That's veteran-level stuff.
Then Terra whispered sidelong.
"...Wearing a kids' swimsuit at my age is kinda soul-crushing, honestly."
"Ah, yeeeah..."
Her ear tips flushed pink.
I got it, really.
MagGal had its share of shady classifications whispered among fans.
Child-type magical girls versus teen-types. Unofficial, of course. Taking it too seriously would be weird...
Usually, ones debuting between eight and twelve—prime elementary kid age—fell into child-type. Terra fit perfectly.
Frost was in a league of her own with shamelessness there. How does someone push past thirty and still third-person herself so boldly?
So Terra feeling embarrassed about her kid form? Totally normal human reaction!
Yeah? Excluding me.
After that quick intro, we hopped on the shuttle bus to the waterpark soon after.
Terra crossed her arms and closed her eyes the moment she sat down. She looked asleep, but I could see it.
Her mana waves steadily flowing into the ground.
Ground sense.
Terra's signature earth-attribute magic.
A radar spell that detected vibrations and mana in the earth to track enemies.
Whoa.
Constant protection even on the move.
Just knowing someone like her was by my side washed away some of that hopeless anxiety from days ago.
This is what reliable feels like.
[Harin.]
"Eek?"
"Huh? What's up?"
Hasol-a yanked out an earbud, eyes going wide at my sudden yelp.
"N-Nothing. Thought I saw a bug."
"A bug? Where?"
"It got away."
What was that? Did someone implant a chip in my brain?
As I flapped my mouth in confusion, Terra's—eyes still closed—lips twitched upward.
[Whoa, neat. You can hear this?]
...?
[Your senses have grown way sharper than expected. Good thing.]
Terra's voice echoed in my head.
[This is mana resonance. Like telepathy. Only high-rank magical girls with matching waves can do it.]
...Telepathy?
[Tried it on a whim, but it worked first try. You're growing faster than I thought?]
Terra sounded impressed, praising me.
Normal C-ranks struggled just reading mana waves, but I'd interpreted hers effortlessly.
I really am growing...
I hadn't even realized.
Terra kept sending mana resonances my way after that.
It was cool and all... but I could hear her fine, just didn't know how to reply.
Tried shouting in my head a bunch, but no reaction. Guess she couldn't hear.
Gotta ask her to teach me later.
Way more efficient than talking out loud.
[If it's weird, lemme know. First time doing close protection like this—kinda awkward for me too.]
I shook my head with a smile.
About an hour later, listening to Terra's stories...
"We've arrived! Next stop: Caribbean Waterpark!"
The bus halted with the announcement.
Finally at the waterpark. Stepping off, the choking heat hit first, then the sea of people crowding the entrance.
"Whoa..."
Weekend crowds were insane. Half water, half humans.
"Hurry! Gotta line up!"
Hasol-a ignored the masses, yanking my hand toward the ticket booth.
"W-Wait for me!"
Terra grabbed her tube and followed.
"Whoaaa! So many people!"
"Harin! Don't let go or you'll get lost—and I don't wanna go viral as the kidnapper!"
Hasol-a gripped my hand tight. Terra took the other. Hand-in-hand, we headed to the changing rooms.
I pulled out the swimsuit I'd bought with Seol Yuna and slipped it on.
A sky-blue frilly one-piece. Back was a bit low-cut, but not a bikini. Decent enough.
"Ta-da! How do I look?"
Hasol-a spun in her yellow rash guard.
"Cute. Like a chick."
"Hehe. Unni looks pretty too! Like a princess!"
Mid mutual flattery, Terra pushed aside the changing curtain and stepped out.
"..."
"..."
Hasol-a and I went silent.
Green bikini. Leopard print, even.
"...Unni."
"Yeah?"
"Isn't that a bit much for a third-grader...?"
Terra glanced down at Hasol-a's innocent jab, flustered.
"Huh? Y-You think? I picked it for easy movement..."
"No way! It's super cool!"
Hasol-a's positivity saved the day.
But looking closer...
That's an artifact.
No ordinary swimsuit. Each leopard spot woven from mana—a defensive artifact.
In a pinch, those fabric scraps would turn to armor. Pros gear up different.
We rented life vests and headed to the outdoor pools.
Scorching sun, cool splashes, laughter everywhere. The crowds buzzed with life, almost suffocating.
"Let's go! Wave pool! Wave pool!"
"Hold on! Stretching and sunscreen first!"
Hasol-a bounced wild; Terra reined her in.
I grabbed the sunscreen and snuck behind Terra.
Then asked softly.
"Um... could you share a bit of your mana?"
"Mana...? Oh, right. Your unique magic copies that, yeah? Sure, take as much as you want."
Terra offered her back readily.
I rubbed in the lotion, feeling her mana flow through her skin.
That collected Terra's Dress Code too.
But...
...Huh?
The sensation was totally different from before.
Never lingered on someone else's mana this intimately.
Maybe that's why. Terra's mana crystallized into a vivid image in my mind.
Illusion? Hallucination? Dunno, but something appeared.
Rocky mountains? Or endless plains.
A bone-deep steadiness. Unshakable calm that could bear any weight, support anything.
Terra's origin... her Mental Theme?
Thud!
H-Heavy...!
Compared to Aqua's recent mana, Terra's was dense like iron, profoundly heavy.
But I didn't let go.
I have to take it in.
Bear this weight. Only then could I prevent collapse, catch what falls.
Overlay that day I lost Gold Luli with this heft. Focusing with that resolve.
"...Harin?"
Terra glanced back, sensing the odd mana flow.
"You're doing..."
"All done!"
I pulled away quick, beaming.
Hasol-a, already lotioned, grabbed my hand. I grabbed Terra's.
"Ready! Let's dive in!"
Hasol-a dragged us into the wave pool.
"Kyaaaa!"
Woooosh!
Ship horn blared; waves surged. Hasol-a screamed, floating airborne.
I clung to my tube, tossed by the rough water.
Splash!
Salt stung my nose and eyes, but laughter bubbled up anyway.
"Pffft! Unni! Your glasses are crooked!"
"Argh, seriously! Stupid sunglasses!"
Terra, direct hit, flailed with her shades askew, choking on water.
The ultimate veteran magical girl thrashing? Hasol-a and I clutched our sides, howling.
Yeah. This is everyday life. This is peace.
So peaceful.
Maybe too peaceful—unsettlingly so.
After splashing around, we dragged our tired selves to the lazy river.
My favorite spot. Just float on a tube, nothing else.
Lounging in the sun, eyelids drooped fast.
Sleepy...
Same time.
Ulbr Ulvia stormed out of the meeting in a foul mood.
Using Neff as the Demon King's vessel.
The executives' collective decision. Now scattered, desperately hunting methods.
Ulbr was no exception.
Ridiculous.
Just Per and Mer covering their embarrassment with nonsense.
Believing it hook, line, sinker—and planning a massive Neff capture op? Laughable.
But it twisted Ulbr's gut. Like the Association divvying up her prey.
I marked her first.
I reserved her, I raised her, I was gonna devour her.
Now they wanna spoon in?
Sit idle, and Neff might really get snatched soon.
"No choice."
Planned to savor her slow, nurture carefully. But circumstances forced her hand.
Ulbr murmured low.
"Mantis."
A chilling metallic scrape from the shadows; a massive mantis monster burst forth.
Sickles on its arms oozed menace.
"You called."
"Go. Time for vengeance."
"...!"
Mantis's eyes flashed manic at those words.
Mantis. Buddy of the first mantis Neff ever fought post-debut.
Got butchered by Bella without a chance back then—but that was Bella.
Prime nightmare for current Neff.
"My friend's killer... magical girl Neff...!"
True culprit was Bella, but Mantis blamed Neff. Couldn't beat Bella. Revenge matches ranks.
Anyway, Mantis—who'd honed his blade for this day—roared furious.
"I'll sever her head and bring it to you!"
Ulbr tsked at Mantis leaping into the gate.
A gamble for her too. Bad luck, and Neff dies by Mantis.
But if she overcomes...
Means our fist-clash ain't far off.