Chapter 1: Magical Girl Floss
Chapter 1: Magical Girl Floss
[1km to target. Focus on the containers at the end of the pier.]
“Copy that.”
[The location is confirmed, but there are quite a few containers there. You’ll have to open them yourself to find the right one. Expect resistance from the syndicate members.]
“You worry too much, Operator.”
I gave a casual reply to the man’s voice echoing through my earpiece.
The moon was bright, so the night wasn't particularly dark. I was currently sprinting along a quiet coastline. The weather was pleasant, the night sea was strikingly beautiful, and the enemies were nothing more than a handful of punks. This was basically a leisurely stroll to kill some time.
[…I suppose, Floss. For you, a job like this is a piece of cake.]
The man was right. He was only being cautious because it was his job as an ‘Operator’ to support hero activities from behind the scenes, but as a frequent partner, he knew the extent of my power better than anyone.
“Y-You’re…!”
“It’s a hero! I’ve seen her before, she’s definitely a Magical Girl…”
“Shut it.”
Crunch!
Just as he predicted, I took down the syndicate members I encountered along the way in one fell swoop. I didn't have a personal grudge against them. It was just their bad luck that they happened to be on night guard duty today.
I dashed at a speed that left gouges in the asphalt, neutralizing every guy I saw. They weren't villains with superpowers or terrifying monsters; these guys weren't even enough for a warm-up.
“Is this the place?”
It didn't take long to reach the pier. It was filled with containers of all colors—red, blue, and everything in between. Finding a single specific container here seemed like an impossible task.
But it wasn't a problem.
First, I circled around to the very end, heading exactly to the point the Operator had indicated. That alone narrowed down the candidates significantly, but there was a limit to how much the predicted area could be narrowed.
Sure enough, when I arrived, there were ten containers at the predicted spot. I had to pick just one from these candidates. The other nine were likely just ordinary cargo.
Sniff…
To pick out the container holding ‘it,’ I took a deep breath through my nose.
I filtered out the sight of the dark night sea filling my vision and blocked the sound of the crashing waves from my ears. Once I forgot the taste of the salty sea breeze and the texture of the ground beneath my feet, only my sense of smell remained.
What entered my nose was the sharp scent of seawater. Beyond that, an indescribable variety of smells mingled from inside the container ships, where all sorts of goods from around the world were gathered.
But I didn't let them distract me. Out of the countless scents, I searched for the one I was looking for.
…The acrid, dry smell of gunpowder.
“Found it.”
My eyes sparkled as I leaped toward the red container stacked at the very top. With just a light kick off the ground, I soared over ten meters into the air.
[You found it by smell? That didn't take long at all.]
“What’s the surprise? It’s not like we’ve only worked together once or twice.”
[True. But a physical-type Magical Girl… it’s impressive every time I see it.]
“…Shut up. Just call me Floss.”
While it was an undeniable fact that my hero name was ‘Magical Girl’ Floss, it felt strangely annoying. I was fine with the ‘Magical’ part, but I couldn't quite accept being called a ‘Girl’ yet.
However, lacking the wit to banter back playfully, I refocused on the task at hand.
Creeeeeak!
I grabbed one side of the steel container, ripped it open, and looked inside. Sure enough, the container was packed with explosives hidden under white tarps, just as expected.
[That’s enough to level a small city with ease. To think they were smuggling this much.]
“Tell them to tighten up their management.”
[I’ll keep that in mind.]
This gunpowder was originally secured by the government to wipe out monsters from the Gates.
The culprit behind this incident was a government official who also happened to be the head of a shady organization. It seemed he had planned to secretly siphon off the explosives and sell them elsewhere. If this plot were exposed, the government would be in a tight spot.
I was a freelance hero secretly dispatched at the government’s request to recover the explosives. The Operator was a government-affiliated hero tasked with supporting me from the shadows during this operation.
Anyway, once I took this back, my tedious mission here would be over.
[Wait, Floss. Someone is approaching your position.]
“Another one? I took out everyone I saw on the way here.”
[Not from land. From the sea. It looks like the main attraction is showing up after realizing they’ve been raided.]
“Perfect timing.”
Before the Operator could even finish his sentence, I leaped out of the container. My superhuman vision captured an object far in the distance.
A single boat was cutting through the calm night sea. And through the binoculars looking this way, I could clearly see eyes filled with anxiety and fear.
Boom—!
I lunged forward like a bullet, closing the distance in an instant. I didn't slow down or brake; I slammed directly into the boat.
It was an impact that should have resulted in broken bones and gushing blood—worse than a typical car accident—but the body of a Magical Girl who had reached the realm of a superhuman was perfectly fine. Even I found my physical specs absurd sometimes.
“What… what is this monster?!”
Seeing me unfazed, the organization boss’s eyes widened. Still, as a big shot who had the audacity to steal government explosives, his judgment was quite fast.
“D-Die!”
He pulled a handgun from his coat and fired several shots at me from point-blank range. But before deciding to attack, he should have considered whether a human who was perfectly fine after ramming a boat would be hurt by a gun.
“It’s useless.”
“What the…!”
Bang! Bang!
He pulled the trigger repeatedly as the muzzle flashed, but it only resulted in my clothes getting slightly torn.
The boss, perhaps thinking the bullets were blocked by something, aimed for the spots where my clothes were torn and bare skin was exposed, but of course, it was pointless. It wasn't my clothes that refused to let the bullets penetrate; it was my body.
Only then did he quickly change his tune.
“I… I know who you are. A-Rank Hero, Magical Girl Floss, right?”
“…….”
“Yes, I’ve heard of you. They say that even though your rank is A, you’re practically the strongest hero out there! If you join my side—no, if you just let me live—I’ll make sure you’re compensated beyond your wildest dreams!”
…As expected of a former government official, he had a good eye for people.
But he must have known that I wouldn't accept such an offer.
“If I were chasing money, I wouldn't have become a hero in the first place.”
Thwack!
I knocked him out with a light blow, dragged his limp body back to the pier, and secured the container full of explosives.
[Good work, Floss. We’ll make sure you’re handsomely rewarded for this.]
“Forget it. You heard him. I don't do hero work for the rewards.”
[I’m glad I pushed to hire you instead of letting the internal heroes handle it. I didn't expect it to end so cleanly. Maybe I could treat you to a meal sometime…]
“No thanks.”
The Operator replied in a slightly sulky voice.
[Heroes have their own gatherings quite often. Why don't you ever show up?]
“There’s no reason to. It’s a burden.”
[Is it because your transformed appearance is different from your everyday self? If you’re worried about other heroes noticing you in your normal form, you could just come transformed.]
When I didn't answer for a while, the Operator added briefly.
[Well, if you don't want to, I can't force you. Anyway, good work today. I’ll be in touch.]
Static—
The communication cut off with a burst of noise. I sighed as I waited for the government agents to arrive and take the container.
“Haaa….”
It was a sigh of frustration.
“Being a hero is great and all, but why did it have to be a Magical Girl?”
*
The reason I didn't meet other heroes. Beyond that, the reason I didn't make friends.
It wasn't for the usual reasons heroes hide their identities—like having a separate private life, worrying about the public eye, or being targeted by villains.
‘It’s because it’ll be a problem if they find out I used to be a guy…’
Whether hero or villain, everyone gains superpowers through an Awakening at some unexpected moment in their lives. Though rare, there are cases where a sort of side effect occurs during that process.
I was one of those cases. I gained powerful strength upon awakening as a superhuman, but it came with the shocking penalty of my perfectly fine dick disappearing.
‘My cock…’
After finishing work and returning to the house where I lived with my family, I squeezed my legs together, conscious of my empty crotch.
It happened just six months ago, during the summer of my senior year in high school. Not only my family and I, but even the government agents who rushed over after hearing about my awakening were baffled by the unprecedented side effect.
The solution the government and I chose for this unprecedented situation was simple. Live a new life and distance myself from everyone I knew when I was a man—except for my family. There was no other way.
No matter how much it was a side effect of awakening, there was no telling how a person who turned from a man into a woman would be received by society. At the very least, it didn't seem like it would be entirely positive.
Furthermore, I wanted to be a hero. If I became famous later and it was revealed that I used to be a man, I didn't know what kind of ridicule I might face. I was afraid of that.
‘It couldn't be helped.’
The government also recommended that I be reborn under the name ‘Do Min-jeong’ after a background scrub.
However, their reason was a bit different from mine.
It might sound a bit cruel, but they said it was to maintain society’s expectations regarding Awakening.
The world is full of people waiting to awaken and gain superpowers. Whether they become heroes or villains, people admire superhumans who have transcended the boundaries of humanity.
And the government hoped that most of those superhumans would become heroes and deal with the monsters inside the Gates that had begun appearing all over the world. Monsters were even more terrifying than villains.
But what if rumors spread that Awakening came with the side effect of gender-swapping? People who wanted to awaken might become hesitant, and in extreme cases, a social atmosphere of despising and avoiding Awakening and superpowers could form.
I doubted it would go that far, but their stance remained unchanged.
‘What if I slip up and they find out I was a guy? What if I meet the Operator and he’s someone I knew when I was a man?’
Unless I confessed my past, he would treat me normally as the female hero ‘Magical Girl Floss,’ but that wasn't the point. I would be the one feeling uncomfortable.
So, if there was even a slight possibility, I wanted to avoid it. There was no absolute need to meet, anyway.
‘We can just do our own jobs well. Why do we have to meet? The Operator is a guy, and since he knows I’m a girl, is he trying to make a move or something?’
Realizing once again that I was now in the position of a woman being hit on by a man, a wave of self-loathing washed over me.
“Uwaaaaah….”
Moving far away after cutting ties with my past life was partly for this reason. What if a friend I was close to as a guy suddenly saw me as a girl and confessed his feelings?
Ugh.
I really don't think I could handle that.
It wasn't baseless confidence. It’s a bit much to say it myself, but I have a pretty face. Just this week, I received three emails inviting me to appear in commercials.
The day I first became a woman, I looked in the mirror and marveled at the elegant black bob, the small head, the sharp nose, and the doe-like eyes, thinking she was my perfect ideal type.
‘They could have at least made it so I only become a girl when I transform. To think I’m stuck in a girl’s body even when I’m not transformed.’
That wasn't all. When I transformed into a Magical Girl, my black bob turned into pink twin-tails, my black eyes turned pink, and no matter what I was wearing, I was changed into a specific magical girl costume that looked like it came straight out of an anime.
Though it hadn't been long since my debut, I had a decent fandom. Unlike the overwhelming power that came with my abilities, my body itself had quite feminine lines, and it seemed many fans were captivated by that contrast.
Well, it was a bit disappointing that most of them were men, but a fan is a fan. I’m always grateful. Enough to constantly check their reactions.
…Yes, reactions. Fan reactions. Specifically, internet reactions.
Once I got a taste of it, it was surprisingly hard to resist.
“Alright, then, today as well…”
Click.
[Female Hero Gallery]
Time to start. ‘Ego-surfing.’
[Search: Floss]
Searching with the hero name Floss didn't bring up many posts. But when I swallowed my pride and searched for ‘Magical Girl,’ there were quite a few results.
Lately, perhaps because I hadn't had many public activities due to classified missions, there weren't many posts. I expected as much, so I wasn't too disappointed, but…
“Oh?”
In the ‘Creative’ tab, where hero fanart is usually posted, there was a post with my name on it.
And it was a popular post.
“…A popular post?”
I couldn't believe it. To make it to the popular posts with fanart in the Female Hero Gallery, you usually had to draw a famous S-Rank hero and get an overwhelming number of upvotes.
But I wasn't that famous… which meant that the fanart was simply of such high quality that users couldn't help but smash the upvote button in admiration.
Since high-quality fanart like this could bring in new fans, I moved the mouse with a joyful heart.
I wondered how much effort went into the drawing. With a heart fluttering like I was opening a gift box on Christmas…
Click.
I clicked on the post.
【Drawing of a Magical Girl who lost her womanhood to a blonde tanned delinquent and became his bitch... [72]】
…Without properly reading the title.