Subway (1)
Some of the Negatives that assault us by crossing dimensions don't just target humans—they affect animals too. The result is the Infected. Lacking the characteristic mana barriers that envelop a Negative's body, even the Defense Force can take them on with guns. But that's only when there's just one. Once they start swarming like the animals they are, they become an army that no one but a magical girl can handle.
Still, they're just Infected in the end. Ordinary people can't stand against Negatives, and Infected can't stand against magical girls either. More precisely, no magical girl can lose before her mana runs dry... but if they're hit with relentless attacks from endless numbers, sometimes mid-tier girls get overwhelmed and dragged off to a nest.
In bad cases, mating between Infected beasts—tainted by Negatives—produces powerful mutants. Rarely, ordinary folks walking the night streets get jumped by Infected too. They lack mana barriers, but the Negative infection gives them a trickle of mana and strength no normal person can match, turning victims into easy prey both emotionally and physically.
That's why Infected need to be culled before they cluster too much. When there's no Negative raid, the Defense Force and magical girls focus on hunting them down.
Infected beasts hide in dark places—sewers sometimes, but most often subways. The most common subway Infected are rats and stray dogs turned Magic Dogs. Among them, Magic Dogs have a gruesome habit: they infect other dogs, treat males as food, and use females as sex toys before eating them.
To block Negative incursions, subways now burrow far deeper than before. Barriers drop between platforms and trains, only opening once a train arrives. The front of each train sports a metal-coated ram, shredding small groups of Infected... but swarms overwhelm even that.
To counter this, subway cars are built entirely from special alloys—not just the front ram—to protect passengers. And there's one more safeguard: assigning magical girls to each car.
Mid-tier girls mostly handle temporary barriers and civilian protection. The weakest might join the Defense Force, become True Vision mercenaries wielding gear, or serve as research subjects—or just live normal lives.
Top-tiers like Rapid, Ash, and Grape focus on mobile strike teams, ripping through dimension-tearing Negatives and occasionally rescuing other magical girls. They tackle executives that regular girls can't handle—the strongest foes, the riskiest missions.
Excluding top-tiers and the bottom rung leaves mid-tiers. Their main duties: mopping up Negative stragglers, erecting temporary barriers, rescues, and—most crucially—standing by in crowded areas.
Mid-tiers get posted to department stores, nursing homes, shopping districts, and such, but they have dedicated lounges with minimal civilian contact. The ones rubbing shoulders with people the most? Subway duty girls.
Subways see the most Infected action, perfect for gaining combat XP. Plus, all that civilian exposure racks up ViewTube subscribers. Tough gig, but the rewards are huge.
Working in shifts, mid-tier subway girls ride in the auto-piloted cabs, handling announcements, emergency stops, and door locks. When Infected are detected, they halt the train and purge them.
The problem? Fans. A few target their favorite girl's train. Some just want to hear her voice on announcements. Others stalk her all day, hopping shifts as she boards and exits.
Subway girls draw fans easily—and the worst ones too.
"Ugh..."
I arrived at the station a bit early for rush hour, grimacing at the fat, sweaty guys lurking around. It wasn't just their size. It was the creepy chatter from the weirdly obese or skinny ones.
"Hah... hah... Lui-chan..."
"Lu, Lui-chan... so cute today too... hah..."
These guys... members of the Lui-chan Watchers Club.
One of Magic Girl Fan Site's infamous toxic fan clubs. The biggest pack of subway girl stalkers, hands down.
Lui-chan's a mid-tier standout for all the wrong reasons. Magical Girl Lui: about 140 cm tall, kid-like looks, tiny frame, red hair, red uniform. Her weapons? Crystal Shield and Crystal Spear—gifts from rich fans. Same material as Grape's gear, punching above her mid-tier weight.
Her quiet personality contrasts her cute voice and body, making her popular. She barely speaks. Fan site intel says she's older but looks young—and hates her own cutesy voice.
Lui leverages her high-performance, mana-efficient weapons to hold mid-tier rank despite middling power. Oh, and she's 30.
The Watchers' motto? "Lui's legal."
She's one of four mid-tiers covering my home-to-office line on the Zone 6 to 12 subway route.
Rush hours pack trains, so they double up on girls for safety. My stretch? Prime territory for bumping into the Lui-chan fan club.
They've gotten so bad, Lui's shifted her schedule to dodge rush hour. But today? Bad luck for me. Good luck for them.
These days, jobbers and NEETs alike flood the trains. Fewer cars run thanks to Infected, so no choice if you wanna avoid being late. But spotting the club pre-boarding makes me wanna ditch and take the hit.
Zone 6 arriving. Passengers at the doors, please step back one pace and wait.
"Huff, huff... be the reason I live today too, Lui-chan..."
Please no, I prayed. But nope—her voice echoed from my train. Sighing, I steeled myself, picturing the circus inside.
Head racing through top Magic Girl Fan Site tips: How to Avoid the Lui-chan Fan Club. They swarm the middle car. Last car's too bumpy, drowning her announcements. First car? Close to her, but brutal on emergency stops.
I bolted forward before the barrier fully rose. Wanted the end, but train was here and too far. Once aboard, no car-hopping. Had to grab the front now.
"Wait! Let me off!"
"I'm not getting off, so don't push!"
"No, I said I'm getting off!"
Barrier up, doors open—and chaos before I even boarded. Fan club blocking exits, shoving anyone trying to leave.
I gritted my teeth past their gross chit-chat, shoving to the front car.
Attention passengers. Do not interfere with boarding and alighting. Repeat: Do not interfere with boarding and alighting.
"Huff! Huff! Huff!"
"Hey! Quiet breathing! It's picking up on the recording!"
"God, breathe softer!"
"You with the Lui-chan Watchers Club? Don't you know the basics?!"
Horrifying.