Returning Snow White's Hunt Chronicle
Snow White
“Choose today’s target for me, pong…”
On the desk in the room. A holographic Fav floated lazily above the Magical Phone.
From the very beginning, she had considered smashing the master terminal. But Fav never lied. No—more accurately, he was a being designed never to lie.
Instead, he simply exploited the gaps in the rules, using the name “selection exam” to enjoy a slaughter.
Snow White spoke quietly.
“…There is a question.”
“What is it, pong?”
“You said you were to designate a magical girl to kill.”
She paused for a breath, then asked.
“Is designating yourself possible as well?”
Fav looked startled.
“There is no such rule, pong… What are you planning, pong?”
“Then do it that way.”
For a moment, Fav’s hologram shook slightly.
This choice was equivalent to Snow White declaring she would be the first to stand in front and die.
“No no no, pong! The high-combat-power Snow White must remain until the end, pong!”
“…I’m sorry, but I cannot revoke it.”
“You won’t regret this, pong?”
Regret
For Himikawa Koyuki, had there ever been a day without regret?
Her childhood friend in the past had been murdered by the Forest Musician Cranberry.
When she learned that truth, she had been devastated.
Ako Hatoda had felt the same.
If they had stayed together a little longer, perhaps no one would have died?
Akari had felt the same.
If she had investigated a little more, the artificial magical girls might all have survived as well.
But this time was different.
This time, she did not want to regret.
Snow White said without hesitation.
“I won’t regret anything like that.”
Notifications began to appear on the Magical Phone.
“Ah, ah. Then I will announce the magical girl with the most designations, pong.”
After a brief pause, Fav shouted with delight.
“The magical girl with the most designations is…”
“Snow White, pong!”
Snow White silently gazed at the small, worn-out item in her hand—the lucky rabbit’s foot.
It was an item obtained by sacrificing two years of life.
But the one who had acquired it was not Snow White.
Just before dissolution, Hardgore Alice had handed it to her.
“You’re giving this to me?”
Alice answered in a small voice, avoiding her gaze.
“…I’m going to be an immortal anyway…”
Snow White remained silent for a moment.
And then she gently stroked Alice’s head.
She was wearing a sad smile.
“Thank you…”
La Pucelle, who had approached from the side, glanced at Alice and said.
“The sixteenth magical girl… was that kid? It’s surprising.”
“Souta-chan, are you acquainted?”
“I’ve seen her a few times in winter. It was a bit awkward to remember… but she wasn’t a bad person.”
La Pucelle said, narrowing her eyes.
“More importantly, when you’re transformed, you’re not supposed to be called Souta-chan, remember?”
Snow White scratched her head and smiled.
“Sorry…”
Alice tilted her head, glancing between the two of them.
Her tone was stiff, as if reading from a textbook.
“…You two… are you… acquainted with each other?”
“Yeah. Childhood friends.”
“See you again, Alice.”
When Snow White returned home, she passed through the window and stepped into the room.
The moment she reverted from transformation, she collapsed onto the bed.
Her tired body sank into it.
The rules of this game would not end until one magical girl died.
At first glance, it appeared to be the rule to kill the designated magical girl.
But that was not the reality.
Whether the designated magical girl died or another magical girl not on the list died,
as long as one magical girl died, the first game would end immediately.
In other words, the game was not on the side of either side.
The hidden objective was actually to reduce the number of magical girls, making the selection exam itself disappear.
“Butterfly effect…? No, that’s not it.”
That hypothesis had already been refuted by the existence of Gaku Shinomiya and Kurei.
Originally, Snow White would have been nearly killed by Magicaloid 44, and Hardgore Alice would have saved her.
But that reality had not occurred.
La Pucelle,
Top Speed,
Sister Nina,
all of them were now worried about her.
“……”
She could not simply run away.
She had to make sure everyone could see the chance to destroy Fav as much as possible.
At that moment, a voice flowed from the Magical Phone.
“What are you trying to do, Snow White?”
The remaining time appeared as numbers.
47 hours 58 minutes 36 seconds
The countdown had begun.
Snow White did not tell La Pucelle or Sister Nina her exact location.
She did not know the full rules yet.
But one thing was certain.
She had to keep running.
In this rule, the most disadvantaged was the first designated target.
Moreover, the designated target was restricted from learning the detailed contents of the rule.
『Snow White has no permission to ask questions, pong』
Even if she protested to Fav, only macro-like replies came back.
“Okay, okay. Then I will announce the magical girl with the most designations, pong.”
“The magical girl with the most designations is…”
⟨ Snow White ⟩
Calamity Mary
“This is pretty fun, isn’t it?”
Mary, leaning back against the luxurious sofa, shook her wine glass and laughed.
“Voluntarily stepping into hell. What a pathetic creature.”
Even at this very moment, Snow White was being watched by several magical girls.
Mary took a sip of the wine in her glass, then looked at Magicaloid 44.
“I bought a ‘pocket.’”
Magicaloid 44 silently raised her hand.
In her hand was the “anything goes into this bag.”
“This is what you mean? A four-dimensional pocket that can hold anything regardless of size and weight. The cost is ten years of life.”
“This is convenient~”
Mary smiled contentedly.
“What did you buy?”
“Because life is too precious.”
“That’s boring~”
Mary clicked her tongue and tilted her glass.
“By the way… you’re openly pushing for each other to kill, aren’t you. I did expect this when I saw the past logs, though.”
“That’s why you teamed up with me, right?”
Magicaloid 44 answered without a trace of agitation.
“I didn’t become a magical girl to fight to the death. I just need to survive.”
“Ah, I see.”
Mary muttered with a smile.
After a moment, Magicaloid 44 looked at Mary.
“What is it?”
Mary smirked.
“There’s one good thing.”
“The fact that someday when I’m sleeping, you’ll come after my neck.”
“Chasing an upperclassman’s neck? That’s ridiculous~”
“Today or tomorrow, if not tomorrow, the day after.”
Mary said, swirling her glass.
“That’s why I like the idea of aiming for that chance.”
“Watch over me, please.”
“Treat your subordinate with top-tier credit~”
“Credit…”
Mary set her glass down and laughed.
“Well, if you pass the exam, I’ll leave the rest to you.”
“The exam?”
Mary propped her chin up and said.
“The current target is Snow White.”
“Kill her.”
Magicaloid 44 answered calmly.
“No. It seems simpler than I thought.”
Mary’s eyes narrowed.
“…Simple?”
“My magic is the ability to pull out things made in the twenty-second century.”
She faintly smiled.
“Up until now, it had only been random items that were useless… but…”
She paused for a moment, then added.
“This time, I got a really good item to kill people.”
Mary stared at her for a moment, then burst into laughter.
“Calling killing people ‘simple’…”
The corners of her mouth twisted.
“As I thought, you and I are both rotten inside.”
Her expression was still smiling.
If anything, that made it more unsettling.
“Well, good.”
Mary waved her hand.
“Then go kill her quickly.”
The overall process had changed greatly, but
unfortunately, the essence had not.
The fact that Magicaloid 44 was targeting Snow White remained the same.
“The knight… is Ruler, right?”
“Too much noise from humans is troublesome, pong. It’s also planned to increase in the future, pong.”
“But will it really go that smoothly? I already know it’s been leaked to the outside, however.”
“It will go smoothly, it will go smoothly, pong.”
“So this time, the selection exam has been changed to a ‘social game’ format, pong. Young ones are full of energy, so just add a little fuel and they’ll ignite on their own, pong.”
“With the addition of items, isn’t there a possibility that the objective will be shaken?”
“There might be cases where the weak one wins and rises.”
“…You’re warning against Snow White, pong?”
“If they’re going to die anyway, their strength is only that much, pong.”
“They must not die from items. Those who die are just extras, pong.”
“You’re the type who’s satisfied just fighting strong opponents, pong.”
“The usual lukewarm selection exams didn’t satisfy you, did they?”
“Then it’s simple, pong.”
“The one who wins is the one who wins, pong.”
“Not just quick-witted ones or good tacticians will survive—”
“The real hero dies in the end.”
“That’s the direction of this exam, pong.”
“…Is that so.”
“And I’m fulfilling your wish as well, pong. And I want to see something more stimulating, pong.”
“That’s the contract, master, pong.”
Snow White (remaining time 36 hours 27 minutes)
She had not gone to school since morning.
Transformed, Snow White continued to keep watch around her.
If anyone approached, she immediately moved while entrusting the detection to Fal.
She was Fav’s successor mascot.
But
right now, she could not contact Fal.
In the end, she had no choice but to resolve it herself.
In the dim place where containers were stacked—
she had hidden here before too.
She felt footsteps.
…Tap tap.
Snow White immediately twisted her body and turned.
And Hardgore Alice was slowly approaching.
It looked like she wanted to talk to her.
But if someone else saw it,
it would appear as though Alice had come to kill Snow White.
…
However, Snow White knew.
Alice was not a magical girl aiming for her.
After obtaining the lucky rabbit’s foot,
she had begun to faintly hear the “voice of the heart” as well.
At that moment.
Another being’s consciousness brushed past.
(There are two magical girls… I must be cautious.)
The voice of Magicaloid 44.
Next moment,
thud.
Hardgore Alice’s head fell to the floor.
For a normal magical girl, it would have been instant death.
But
“……”
Alice’s body stood upright.
Snow White said in a voice mixed with a sigh.
“What happened?”
Her gaze was already fixed on a point in the darkness.
“I know you’re there.”
A brief silence.
And then, calling her name coldly.
“Magicaloid 44.”