Chapter 148: Magical Girl Vivid Cure Star (1)
Chapter 148: Magical Girl Vivid Cure Star (1)
“What was your name again?”
“Christina Vladimirovna Blanter!”
…Damn Eastern Europeans and their long names.
Nothing for it, then.
“And your Hero name?”
“It’s Vivid Cure Star!”
“That’s a cute name…”
“Yes! I love it too!”
I see…
I wanted to give a proper response, but looking at the Young Girl beaming in front of me, I felt all the energy drain out of my body.
How should I put it?
She was so incredibly bright that a dark, gloomy person like me felt like I shouldn't even be standing near her.
Of course, Baek Si-hyun was a similar type.
But if Baek Si-hyun was a grown woman who was a pure white blank slate bordering on idiocy, this girl possessed a purity that actually suited her young age.
That was why I had been lost in thought ever since the introductions.
I don't see an answer here…
What should I call her?
Normally, the nickname ‘Chris’ would be appropriate.
If I went by her Hero name, it would be ‘Vivid.’
But how do I say this? It just feels… awkward to say.
The names don't really roll off the tongue.
If she were an adult, I’d just say, ‘I’ll call you Chris, okay?’ and be done with it, but…
“Then, can we just call you Chris?”
Baek Si-hyun’s single sentence blew my worries away.
“Yes! You can call me that!”
And the answer was just as bright as expected.
…What was I even agonizing over?
Regardless, with Chris’s answer as the starting point, Han A-bin joined in, and a warm conversation began to blossom.
“How long has it been since you became a Magical Girl?”
“Oh, it’s been about a month now!”
“What’s your mascot’s name?”
“It’s Pan!”
“I am called Pan. I look forward to working with you, bear.”
Did it realize it had been called?
The Bear Mascot named Pan moved its body and waved its hand from atop the table.
…That thing uses a weird sentence ending too, bear.
Well, regardless of my discomfort, she seemed like a decent roommate.
She already seemed to have hit it off with Baek Si-hyun and Han A-bin.
She was bright and seemed to have great social skills.
“Then, that older sister over there is…”
It seemed their individual introductions were over. Just as all eyes were about to turn toward me—
—Attention, please. The Dining Hall is now open for dinner. Those who wish to eat, please make your way there. The Dining Hall will remain open until 10:00 PM…
An announcement regarding the meal echoed from the speakers on the ceiling.
“Do you want to go eat right now?”
“I’m fine whenever!”
“I’m good to go too.”
“If the older sisters are going, then I’m okay with it too!”
We were in agreement.
“Then, about me… let’s talk while we walk.”
“Yes!”
As we left the dormitory, a voice followed us from behind.
“Have a good trip, bear.”
It was the voice of the mascot called Pan.
It didn't seem to have any intention of going to the Dining Hall; through the closing gap of the door, I could see the stuffed bear waving from the table.
“Does that thing not eat?”
“Because he’s a teddy bear!”
“…I see.”
That was an answer I hadn't even imagined.
My bewilderment aside, Chris, our new companion…
“What’s your name, sister? What kind of Magical Girl are you?”
“I’m not a sister. I’m a brother.”
“Huh? Wait, are you a boy? Wow! I’ve never seen a male Magical Girl before!”
To put it bluntly, she was too bright.
To a burdensome degree.
I didn't expect it to be this noisy in the hallway before we even reached the Dining Hall.
“Yeah. So, when you’re changing clothes or something, make sure to tell me in advan—”
Stretch.
I felt a slight pain in my cheek.
“Wait, so is your original form this cute too? Even though you’re a boy?”
It was the pain of a fearless Magical Girl pulling on my cheek.
“….”
What is this creature?
“Your age… I heard from the two sisters that you’re older. But you’re smaller than me!”
“….”
It hurts.
I didn't know innocent words without malice could hurt this much.
“Your hair is so soft too… Are you really a boy? You’re joking, right?”
Save me.
I looked back at my disciples with those feelings in my eyes, but…
“….”
Han A-bin looked away and pretended to be busy with something else.
“Can I touch it too? Please? Master. Just for a second.”
Baek Si-hyun was showing off some bizarre hand movements, revealing her wicked intentions.
“Is this hair ornament seriously floating in mid-air? How is your hair even tied?”
…Is this hell?
Un-ho. Save me.
* * *
After somehow making it through the hallway that had inflicted severe damage on my mental health…
The Dining Hall we arrived at after that long period of suffering didn't look very good at first glance.
Wooden tables and wooden chairs. Tacky tablecloths. Lightbulbs that looked like they were about to burn out.
Even the cutlery seemed to be communal, shoved haphazardly into containers in the middle of the tables.
Since the Dining Hall was below expectations, I wondered if hoping for decent food was asking too much, but…
The moment I saw the food laid out in the center of the hall, those worries vanished.
Piles of meat.
Vodka sitting out in the open.
Skewers rotating over charcoal fires.
It was all buffet-style. Food perfectly suited to my tastes.
“I guess it’s a buffet.”
“Looks like it.”
“Then let’s each grab some food and meet over by that window.”
“Yes!”
Leaving only those words, I dashed forward.
To heal the mental trauma I had received since arriving here.
The first thing I put on my plate was a massive bone.
The flesh clinging to the bone was clotted with cooked blood; by all appearances, it looked like something you weren't supposed to just eat, but rather take the cuts from underneath it.
But what did it matter? This kind of thing was a delicacy in its own right.
I laid the bone on the tray as a base.
Then I piled Mongolian cheese on top of it.
The moment I picked up the cheese, a gamey smell wafted up, but for someone like me who sought out pungent food, this too was a treat.
Bone on the tray, cheese on top, then dumplings, lamb skewers, meat soup, and even vodka.
Hum, hum, hum.
A hum escaped my lips involuntarily.
After finishing my inspection and moving to the pre-designated spot…
“…Senior, are you really going to eat all of that?”
Han A-bin greeted me with a skeptical look on her face.
“Would I have brought it if I couldn't eat it?”
Thud.
The heavy plate landed on the table.
I sat down and pulled out the bone I had placed at the bottom.
The meat, which hadn't even been properly bled, gave off a gamey odor.
As I took a bite, the clotted blood filled my mouth with that characteristic pungent smell, added to the tough texture of the meat.
How should I describe this bitter meat flavor?
Regardless, it wasn't bad, so I finished one bone and set it down on the plate.
“…You have quite the appetite.”
“Aren't you eating?”
“It’s just… it doesn't really suit my palate…”
As she said that, Han A-bin was merely poking at the meat in front of her with her chopsticks.
Well, compared to me, who used to eat wild animals cooked without any processing, this was bound to be a bit of an acquired taste.
“If it’s hard to eat, you don't have to. You can go to the PX and buy some bread or something…”
I tried to comfort her, but…
Clang. Thud.
The sound of two plates being set down cut me off.
One plate piled with meat, though not as much as mine.
One moderate plate consisting mostly of dairy products.
“Thank you for the food!”
“Oh? Are we saying grace? Then me too!”
And then, food began to disappear into two mouths.
Baek Si-hyun was shoveling it in as if she intended to clear everything in front of her.
And Chris, who looked gentle but was stuffing cheese into her mouth at a fairly rapid pace.
“…They’re eating well.”
“They sure are.”
To my surprise, the other two seemed to have no aversion to the unique Mongolian food.
Even though the gamey smell must have been strong, they ate as if they didn't mind at all.
I could understand Baek Si-hyun, whose sense of taste was broken, but…
“Chris, you eat well too.”
“Ah. Well. Ugh. Grandpa told me not to eat like this.”
Was she embarrassed by my gaze? Chris suddenly turned bright red, put down her meat, and began wiping the grease from her hands onto the tablecloth.
“Grandpa?”
“Yes. I live with my grandpa, who’s a hunter.”
“Ah. So that’s why.”
I wondered how she could eat this gamey meat so well, but it made sense if she grew up in a hunter’s household.
Wait, something’s a bit strange.
“You said he’s a hunter? Are there no cities nearby?”
“There’s one close by! There’s a school about an hour’s walk away.”
Um, people don't usually call that ‘close by.’
Then it’s even stranger…
Just what kind of things does this girl, Chris…
What does she fight?
“Sorry to bother you while you’re eating, but…”
“Yes! It’s fine. Meals are supposed to be noisy anyway.”
Well, that’s a relief.
“Can I ask about the enemies in your story? And your abilities too. We’ll probably be assigned to the same team.”
A perfect question, combining curiosity and practical benefit.
Even I thought I phrased that well.
“Ah. You mean my enemies? Um… what were they called… those… people who take animals…”
“Poachers?”
“Ah! Yes! That’s it! It’s a story about catching Poaching Monsters who take animals and remodel them into bad monsters.”
Tsk. That sounds like a nasty business too.
“Then you’d have to kill the monsters every time, so is it a lethal-type ability… What specific magic do you use…”
“Huh? I don't kill the animals.”
What kind of nonsense is this?
“You said they remodel them into monsters?”
“Yes. They remodel them into monsters.”
“Then you have no choice but to kill them, right?”
It’s not like you can turn them back once they’ve become monsters.
Or is it a story about saving them before they get remodeled?
“Eh? Why would I kill them?”
“Because they’re monsters.”
“That’s true.”
Wait. Something is fundamentally mismatched here.
Let’s organize the story for a moment.
“Your enemies are a weird group that remodels animals into monsters, right?”
“Yes!”
“And you fight those monsters every time.”
“Yes!”
“Then you kill those monsters, right?”
“No!”
What the…
“Then what do you do with those monsters?”
“I fire a magic beam and turn them back into Animal Friends!”
“…Huh?”
Wait, did I hear that right?
“…Turn them back into Animal Friends?”
“Yes! Then they become my friends, we can communicate, and I can draw out powers related to that animal! That’s my power!”
What kind of crazy talk is this?
“A-bin.”
“Yes?”
“If you’ve somehow learned how to use hallucinations and are playing a prank on me, stop it now.”
“Senior, I don't have that kind of power.”
No, you must.
You have to.
“…Animal Friends?”
“Yes! I can even show you right now!”
Wow. Something like that actually existed.
It was so absurd that I could only laugh.
“Hahahaha…”
“Ah! You don't believe me. Then I’ll show you!”
Saying that, Chris stood up on her chair.
She circled her hand once.
Pyororong!
With a bizarre sound effect.
Pop!
A Magic Wand appeared.
Swish!
As she cut through the air, light scattered.
“Come here! Smil!”
The light gathered… and became a hawk with a sharp beak.
“Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.”
“Master, what’s wrong with him?”
“Maybe he’s having a hard time believing what’s right in front of his eyes?”
“Isn't she just a normal Magical Girl?”
“The ones Senior has seen… must have been completely different, right?”
Yeah. They were completely different.
I knew that some stories were a bit childish. I knew for a fact that they existed, even if they were extremely rare.
But…
“Kieeeek!”
“See? I wasn't lying!”
I didn't expect it to happen right in front of my eyes.
A Magical Girl from the television of my past, which I had long since forgotten…
To think she would appear before me again.
“Hahahaha.”
“Senior, now that I’m getting used to the food, it’s actually not bad. Oh, I’m taking a dumpling.”
“Hahahaha.”
I feel like I’m going crazy, seriously.
“Kieeeek!”
The hawk began to peck at my hair ornament with its beak.
Did it find it interesting because it was shiny?
“Smil! You can’t do that!”
Un-ho. Save me.