The Regressed Magical Girl's Return
She had lost.
Her own weakness had finally claimed her.
It had allowed death to take her.
A magical girl had ended her life.
And she had died.
She should have been dead.
The sensation of her flesh tearing apart, her bones shattering, and her consciousness fading still lingered vividly.
Yet when she opened her eyes, she was not dead.
No, there was more.
She was… back in middle school.
And in her hand, the smartphone terminal’s screen still displayed the game that had felt so familiar yet now like a nightmare.
Magical Girl Raising Project
Abbreviated Mahoiku, the social game everyone whispered about.
Almost immediately, a familiar voice flowed from the screen.
A chubby, marshmallow-like figure.
Half black, half white.
Pink eyes and a short tail striped black and white.
That mascot character, twisted yet strangely endearing, waved its tail and scattered green particles.
And as if nothing had happened, it greeted her brightly.
Welcome to the world of dreams and magic.
Magical Girl Raising Project is the RPG for becoming the greatest magical girl.
You have been appointed a guardian by the Magical Kingdom.
By wielding the magic to crush evil and extinguish darkness, you have been bestowed a fate as a cute, fierce, strong, and powerful magical girl who will fight the darkness.
Those words hung across the screen.
Rare Item Acquired.
Lucky Rabbit’s Foot Acquired.
Will something lucky happen when you’re in dire peril? Whether you can escape the danger— that’s up to you!
……
Memories returned faintly.
After defeating the monster in the tutorial eighteen times, she had been bitterly disappointed by the drop item that was nothing more than this.
And right after,
A phrase had floated up like a phone ad.
The world is always under threat,
and magical girls are always lacking.
Take courage and step forward for the first time.
Your dream will surely come true.
Koyuki Himekawa had wanted to throw her phone away right then.
Her stomach twisted.
She felt nauseous, as if she might vomit.
She had not died, had she?
She should have ended there.
Yet why.
Why had she returned to the past?
The next morning, Koyuki Himekawa took the bus to school.
And her friends were looking at the internet article.
The conversation that day was the same.
Multiple Magical Girl Witnesses: Appears in the Sky Riding a Broom
“A magical girl?”
“Doesn’t it look like someone wearing a hat somehow?”
“What do you think, Koyuki?”
Two friends asked her.
But she clearly remembered saying that day,
I don’t think she’s a magical girl.
But now? No.
In the past, her friend would have nodded and agreed with her.
With that outfit, she’s more like a witch than a magical girl.
But now… she could never say that again.
I don’t think such a thing exists.
She smiled awkwardly, forcing her expression to stay calm.
Right~
One friend held up the article.
Look, this.
There’s even a site that summarizes it all.
Noticed on the Highway, Speeding Violation
That was Top Speed’s article.
Blocked a Truck about to Run Over a Child with Bare Hands
That was Souta-chan… or La Pucelle’s.
Helped Amidst a Tough Hunt
That was Tama’s magical girl article.
Eradicated the Continental Mafia?
That was Calamity Mary’s— the insane magical girl.
She was a villainous magical girl, then and now.
Another friend spoke up.
What’s this? Why is a magical girl fighting the mafia?
Still, there are so many witness reports. It’s amazing, right?
If someone at the scene submitted the report, it’s too detailed. Mafia don’t do stuff like that in the first place.
If it’s real, that’d be so fun, magical girl!
At the time, she had told Yoshiko and Sumire,
If there really were magical girls, they wouldn’t do something like that.
Her opinion of magical girls had always been simple.
They were the side of justice, helping those in trouble.
But she could not say those words now.
Koyuki simply sat there with a dazed expression, thinking about what would happen next.
Yoshiko spoke first.
By the way, Koyuki, your face looks off.
Is something worrying you?
She needed to talk to someone.
But Yoshiko and Sumire were not magical girls.
Yeah, I’m fine…
Sumire noticed the Magical Girl Cutie Healer Deform Goods Koyuki received from Souta-chan and said,
Come to think of it, you really like those.
That had never been debatable— then or now.
Well… I don’t dislike them.
Hey, isn’t that the thing I just mentioned?
Sumire raised her phone.
The screen showed a site with the Magical Girl Raising Project logo.
Have you heard of Mahoiku?
It’s pretty popular.
I heard the game company is scamming by promoting it.
Sumire poked Koyuki.
Are you playing it too?
Sometimes… I play it.
But more than the urge to delete the game,
the desire to save the people she could not protect had grown stronger.
You are.
……
Back then she had said it was free, had nice graphics, and was fun to play.
And both Sumire and Yoshiko asked exactly the same question.
Hey, Koyuki, you’re not actually believing that rumor, are you?
Sumire’s eyes widened in doubt.
Rumor?
They say only one in tens of thousands will become a magical girl after playing Mahoiku.
That’s weird…
Isn’t it suspicious? That’s why there are also those witness reports— supposedly connected to the rumor~
Sumire deliberately changed her tone.
So… the adults’ world is dirty~
So, are you believing that rumor, Koyuki?
Since she could not say it was true,
she answered vaguely.
There’s no such thing…
You’re cruel.
Whoa.
The bus jerked sharply over a speed bump.
A warning announcement followed.
Watch out for the jolt.
Don’t say anything after the jolt.
That’s what I was saying…
Yoshiko and Sumire muttered on.
Somehow, time had flown by amid all the worries at school.
It was time to go home, and she entered the house.
And she had barely realized that her fate’s time was running out.
Koyuki Himekawa sat at her desk, head lowered, eyes closed.
……Ever since she was little, the magical girl she had truly wanted to become was Snow White.
But… Snow White had lost her childhood friend.
Koyuki Himekawa had wanted to flee from magical girls.
Yet the words of the child who believed in her remained like a curse, forcing her to become one.
So, even if twisted like this sad fate…
She wanted to save the people she could not protect.
She continued playing the game on her bed again.
She did not know the conditions or qualifications,
but she needed it to become a magical girl.
Eventually, as evening approached, her mother’s voice called out.
Koyuki, time to eat.
Yes~ I’m busy right now, so I’ll come down in a bit.
Somehow, that time had come.
It looked like a surprise event, but…
The chubby, marshmallow-like figure.
Half black, half white.
Pink eyes and a short tail striped black and white.
That mascot character, twisted yet strangely endearing, waved its tail and scattered green particles.
Congratulations-pong! You are the mascot character, Fav-pong!
You have been selected as a real magical girl-pong!
This was not a guerrilla event.
This was real.
So she did not panic.
From now on, this was the beginning.
Fav, the mascot character, spoke from the phone.
Himekawa Koyuki, based on your actions, personality, and intelligence, Fav has judged you to possess the aptitude to become a magical girl-pong!
That not only made her feel the return to the past was real,
but it was also an opportunity.
She did not know exactly how she had returned to the past.
But this was certain.
When she showed no expression, Fav asked.
You do not want to become a magical girl-pong?
No, that’s not it.
You don’t look very happy-pong.
On the phone screen, the words Would you like to become a magical girl? floated, with two choices.
YES / NO
If it had been her who had only run away in the past,
she probably would have chosen NO.
But this was an opportunity.
An opportunity to change the past with her own hands.
Koyuki Himekawa clicked YES.
She transformed into a magical girl in a white sailor uniform with pink hair, blooming like cherry blossoms.
She stood there blankly, ignoring her mother’s voice for a moment.
Koyuki, time to eat! …Hey, are you listening?
The past flickered before her.
The time when she had happily jumped on her bed, saying she had become a magical girl.
Reach out-pong.
A shape like an egg appeared in her palm—the Magical Phone.
Magical Phone-pong.
Use this to learn the basic tutorial of magical girls-pong.
You can also communicate and interact with other magical girls-pong.
There are currently fifteen magical girls in this village-pong.
Snow White is the fifteenth-pong.
Each magical girl possesses a special power-pong.
Snow White’s power is to hear the voices of those in trouble-pong.
Snow White knew.
The competition for Magical Candy had not yet begun.
Before that, the only thing she could do was help those in trouble and increase her Candy.