Chapter 7
Chapter 7
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: Everyone, Rest Assured!
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"..."
Waking up from sleep and opening her eyes revealed nothing but pitch-black darkness.
At a glance, it might seem like an ordinary midnight room, but considering the current time, it wasn't a particularly natural scene.
-Swish...
Placing her hand over the screen of the phone she'd silenced and set aside nearby displayed 5:30.
5:30 PM.
It was absolutely not a time when normal people would wake up from sleep.
Unless it was a nap, of course. Otherwise, it would mean the person's daily rhythm was utterly wrecked.
"...Haven't slept this well in a while."
She'd gotten home yesterday, showered, browsed the internet a bit, and fallen asleep around 5 or 6 AM.
That meant nearly 12 hours of sleep, so it was fair to call it a sound rest.
...Ah. Not yesterday—today.
'Definitely feels like the sleep gets more comfortable after taking down those Nightmares.'
According to the mascot, Magical Girls weren't really affected by low-grade Nightmares, but for some reason, she felt refreshed after cleaning them out.
It would probably cycle back to periodic insomnia and nightmares after a few days...
But hey, she'd slept well today, so that was enough.
"Ugh..."
-Crackle...
After stretching her stiff body from the long sleep with a big yawn, she lay back on the bed, spacing out a bit before picking up her phone.
The state of the world only brought sighs, but even amid that, interesting things popped up now and then.
[Title: The Exposure Level of Magical Girls These Days.jpg]
[Author: Anonymous]
[(Image of a Magical Girl in doctor cosplay) Hello, I'm Dr. Title-and-Viewcount Studies.]
Anonymous (175.224): Fuck, didn't you retire? Why are you still researching?
ㄴAnonymous: She retired from being a Magical Girl, not from being a doctor!
"..."
With Magical Girls so integrated into society, you could hear about them anywhere, even without visiting dedicated sites.
In a world where any news spreads everywhere instantly, it wasn't surprising anymore to stumble on this while checking game release dates.
...
For the record, don't think she clicked it out of any ulterior motives.
She was just curious how the rookies were dressing these days.
Anyway, the game she'd been waiting for announced another delay, as always, so no more business here.
She left the site—lingering there never did any good—and turned on the TV casually while rummaging through the fridge.
Gotta eat to live, after all.
-Click.
Rummaging through the fridge, her first meal of the day at 6 PM consisted of a leftover hot dog and a cup of instant ramen.
-Bubble bubble...
-Ding!
While the water boiled, the hot dog finished heating in the microwave first, so she took it out and waited for the ramen...
[...Han Sejin! Sorry about this...]
-Sizzle.
-Crunch.
Yeah. Not like it was the first or second time.
At least it hadn't been after she'd added water to the noodles—count that as a small mercy.
Otherwise, she'd have had to toss precious rations.
-Munch munch.
'Transform. Alice.'
-Flash!
A Magical Girl's response time meant fewer casualties the faster she arrived.
Conversely, any delay led to damage proportional to the dawdling, and the resulting public backlash fell squarely on the Magical Girl.
There were more than a few who'd gained popularity, slacked on response times, gotten exposed, faced the fury, and quietly vanished—so better to be cautious.
-Pat pat.
In the blink of an eye, she twirled her now-lengthened snow-white hair around her finger, patted herself down in case anything stuck to her clothes, and surrendered to the familiar warping of space.
It was now between 6 and 7 PM. Prime time for people finishing grueling workdays and heading home, so the streets would be packed.
'Mind Control... Mind Control...'
Before landing in public, she switched masks from gloomy shut-in to the devoted Magical Girl 'Alice' for all humanity—response prep complete.
-Flash!
"Kyaaah!! Run away!!"
"Everyone, rest assured! With starlight filled with love! Magical Girl Al...ice, arri...ving!"
The hot dog got stuck in her throat from gulping it down in a rush, nearly breaking her line, but she finished it safely.
Teleport complete—she quickly scanned the surroundings. Priorities: Abyss Being's position and traits, then civilians' locations and status.
"No, Sua!!!"
"Waaah!! Mommy!!!"
"Grrr..."
Sure enough, amid the chaos, an Abyss Being was targeting a child already separated from her parents.
She got the sentiment... but in front of Abyss Beings that sensed negative emotions keenly, reacting so openly painted a huge target. No helping it, though.
Starlight Shower
-Pop pop bang!!
"Gyaak!"
"Uh...?"
"Back to where you came from, yap!"
-Boom!
Starlight exploded, leaving only traces of the already-vanished Abyss Being.
-Pat pat.
"You okay? No injuries anywhere?"
"N-No..."
"See? Your mom's worried. Hurry to her."
"Suaaaaaaa!!!!!"
"M-Mommy!"
-Hug!
A tearful mother-daughter reunion.
She'd witnessed scenes like this dozens of times over eight years as a Magical Girl... but in this crazy world, they happened that often.
The world where people forgot Abyss Being dangers because Magical Girls handled them—until big incidents started popping up one by one.
Many strove to eradicate Abyss Beings entirely or sever the Abyss-Earth link... but according to mascots, it wasn't easy.
Even mascots focused on supporting other worlds against Abyss invasions rather than direct confrontation. For Earth, just a decade into the war, how groundbreaking could their methods be?
Comet Smash
-Kaboom!
Even as she pondered this, her staff relentlessly purged Abyss Beings nonstop.
Of course, while beaming Alice's signature bright smile.
If someone asked whether smiling so brightly while fighting monsters was "proper Magical Girl behavior"... answers would vary, but for 'Alice,' it fit perfectly.
A cute girl smiling innocently through any crisis—that was Magical Girl Alice's concept.
No questions about why the concept, please.
It wasn't her choice.
"All the monsters are taken care of! Everyone, rest assured!"
"A-Already...? Really...?"
"W-Wait, none left? How so fast..."
Ha. Seriously. When the pro says it's done, just believe it quietly instead of doubting like that.
"Alice doesn't forgive bad monsters that torment you all."
"But... why alone? Usually 2-3 Magical Girls come..."
"Unni!!! Thank you!!!!"
While citizens struggled to accept reality, the kid she'd saved earlier waved from her mom's arms.
"I'll grow up to be a cool Magical Girl like Unni someday!!!!"
Hmm. Where to even start correcting that.
First off, she wasn't "unni," Magical Girls weren't cool, and it wasn't a job you could just choose.
Not a single correct word—total disaster of a sentence.
'Well... if she's got aptitude, a mascot will find her... but better not to contract.'
[Shall we check? Looks like she's got decent potential on the surface.]
'No need. Why push that on her.'
She wouldn't stop someone determined, but she didn't recommend it.
Kids that age changed dreams daily anyway.
One day princess, next scientist, then president, world-conquering villain—gradually worn down by society's edges until dreams stayed tucked in the heart, landing a company job to join the societal machine. No need to crush a kid's dreams early in such a world.
"Stick close to your parents from now on!! Alice can't always protect you!!!"
"Yes!!!"
"Then! Have a peaceful day, everyone! This has been your Starlight Alice!"
"H-Hey! Wait! An autograph..."
-Flash!
Another day safely dodging autograph requests on the way home.
* * *
[Title: Do Magical Girls usually not give autographs?]
[Author: Anonymous]
Feels like they all run away when I ask for one.
Anonymous (211.234): Look in the mirror first, maybe?
Anonymous (203.236): Even if I were a Magical Girl, after busting my ass on Abyss Beings, some sketchy guy popping out demanding an autograph would piss me off. You probably didn't even evacuate properly.
ㄴAnonymous: But aren't Magical Girls supposed to do that much? That's their role.
ㄴㄴAnonymous (203.236): Who'd think you're paying their salary?
ㄴㄴㄴAnonymous: There's Magical Girl support funds, right? From taxes?
ㄴㄴㄴㄴAnonymous (203.236): This guy's treating them like civil servants lol. Magical Girls are volunteers lol. Taking favors for granted lololol Get stomped by an Abyss Being already.
Anonymous (59.11): Peak Magical Girl forum lololol