Chapter 37
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 37
Chapter Title: Magical Religious Activities (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Taishi's words carried a strange allure.
"It is something the girl dearly loves."
Just a single phrase, yet it held something captivating that drew people in.
Was it Taishi's unique charisma? Hard to pin down exactly, but it had this subtle charm that naturally enchanted listeners.
Even an atheist like me was hanging on her every word, eagerly awaiting what came next.
And then, Taishi continued.
"The precious Magical temple cuisine funded by Magical taxes, the clear Magical wooden bell that shatters Magical defilements, the faint Magical crickets chirping in the quiet night when all are asleep."
Taishi paused for a moment, closing her eyes and smiling radiantly.
It was a scene straight out of a painting.
"All of it is something the girl dearly loves."
Clack, clack. Taishi walked slowly.
"I wonder if you all feel the same. Don't you enjoy a cup of Magical tea while gazing at the bright moon on a dark night?"
Then, with a thud, she stopped and turned her head.
"Surely, you all have your tough Magical days as well. I understand completely. The Magical defilements filling the world are truly harsh Magical trials."
A somber expression clouded her face.
"But we must not stop."
Yet that quickly turned into a wistful smile.
"To reach the realm of Magical enlightenment, we must press on, no matter how arduous the Magical journey."
Taishi paused briefly, surveying the Magical Girls. It was as if she wanted to give them time to mull over her words.
And then, once more.
"That is why it is something the girl dearly loves."
Her soft, gentle voice seeped into everyone.
"The Magical cherry blossoms scattering on a warm spring day, the serene Magical lotus blooming quietly above the Magical pond on a sweltering summer day drenched in Magical sweat."
Slowly, very slowly.
But relentlessly layering on.
"The Magical maple and ginkgo leaves drifting in the Magical autumn breeze, the Magical snowflakes crunching underfoot on a winter day that nips at your fingertips."
And just as everyone's hearts began to with it.
"All of it is something the girl dearly loves."
Taishi's smile blossomed fully.
"Oh."
An admiring sigh escaped me unwittingly.
A voice as clear and resonant as a struck bell.
A comfortable rhythm that was easy on the ears.
A length that wasn't too short, yet not overly long.
And content that preserved Buddhism's essence while being carefully tuned to avoid obscurity.
It was flawless, without a single flaw.
An incredible sermon. Enough to pique the interest of even someone like me, who had zero prior thoughts on Buddhism.
Honestly, at this point, I had no choice but to admit it, reluctant as I was.
Even if Taishi wasn't entirely right in the head, she was still a proper Magical Girl.
She'd only spoken of Magical Buddhist doctrine so far, but in my eyes, Taishi looked every bit the Magical Girl.
A real Magical Girl, like the ones I knew.
Guardians of hope, singing of love and dreams.
Unknowingly, I found myself stepping toward the Magical temple.
Of course, I had no intention of fully converting to Buddhism. I'm root-and-branch non-religious to begin with. If I'd been devout, I never would've howled at the moon like that.
But.
A spark of curiosity ignited. I wanted to know more.
What Magical Buddhism taught.
How they practiced their teachings.
At that moment, Taishi opened her mouth.
"And!"
But something felt off.
Up until now, her tone had been soft and peaceful, but now it was sharp and explosive, completely different.
As if she'd unleashed something long suppressed.
"The unparalleled excellence of Magical Girls belonging to Magical Buddhism! Their overwhelming Magical dharma power! The new Magical policy to 'cleanse' all those inferior, loathsome, pathetic Magical mongrel faiths!"
Finally, Taishi slammed the podium.
A that seemed to split her face erupted.
"It is truly something the girl dearly loves!"
Taishi's red eyes gleamed ominously.
"We Arhats, superior to all others, are the race befitting Magical Girls!"
The fragile mortal from moments ago was gone. In her place stood precept-breaking monks gripped by mania.
No, even that wasn't quite accurate.
They had merely been holding their breath, waiting.
Until the moment to reveal their true nature arrived.
And now, here, they had fully unleashed it.
"Has your devotion been rewarded?"
At Taishi's words, the Magical Girls shook their heads glumly in unison.
No.
It hadn't.
But Taishi didn't stop.
"Even if it hasn't been rewarded, that's fine! Just remember this one thing!"
She simply forged ahead steadfastly.
"True bliss lies not in defilements, but in meditation!"
The Magical Girls in the Magical temple stomped their feet, raised their right hands, and bellowed powerfully.
One unit!
One faith!
One Magical Girl!
Finally, Taishi raised her right hand as well.
"All this is for the sake of Nirvana!"
And with that, Taishi's sermon concluded amid the Magical Girls' cheers.
Yep, Taishi was definitely a Magical Girl.
"These are Magical octopuses, you crazy bitches."
Meaning lunatics.
I could personally see why Sora and Whitey struggled to describe Taishi.
How do you sum up a Magical Girl like that simply? She was one of the craziest I'd ever seen.
Thanks to that, my interest in the religious event vanished. Naturally, any thought of going to see Whitey went out the window too.
I just wanted to get out of there fast.
I didn't want to get any more involved.
Staying here longer might drive me a little insane too. Maybe I already was.
I quickly turned on my heel.
"Huh?"
At that moment, an eagle flew off.
If it had just been an eagle flying in the sky, I wouldn't have paid much mind.
Eagles were a dime a dozen in the military, and probably the same in a Magical Girl unit.
But its landing spot was weird.
The Magical temple's Buddhist symbol. A single kanji embodying good fortune, auspicious omens, and lucky signs.
Yeah.
A red background with a white circle.
Inside, a black swastika ().
The eagle perched right on that character with a thud.
And spread its wings wide.
"Uh......"
Suddenly, the swastika looked different.
It was just the eagle landing and spreading its wings, but somehow the direction of the swastika had changed.
It no longer looked like a Buddhist symbol. It resembled the cross of a certain nation that once rocked the world long ago.
A horribly twisted cross ().
My mind was in turmoil.
"Sunbae, what's with that face? You've been weird ever since coming back from the Magical religious event."
"......Just feeling a bit worn out."
It was a shock realizing I was the only normal one in the barracks.
One was a Magical racist.
Another a Magical sycophant.
And the last a Magical Nazi.
"Fuck, seriously."
Where was a normal person like me supposed to find some peace? Truly tragic.
Even Whitey, who I usually didn't give a second thought to, was worrying about me.
"You okay? Did you catch a Magical ghost? Wanna go to the Magical cathedral later? They said a Magical exorcist is coming next time."
"I'm good......"
Of course, maybe it was just Magical Buddhism that was like this. But no guarantee other Magical religions were sane either.
Magical Christianity was obvious without seeing it, and I'd confirmed Magical Buddhism was nuts firsthand.
Two out of three were that bad—what were the odds the last one was normal?
I didn't know.
And honestly, I didn't want to.
At that moment, Sora met my eyes head-on.
"Sunbae, what the hell happened? Spill it."
Sora must've been seriously worried seeing my grim look.
"I didn't know Taishi was an octopus......"
"Ah."
Sora gave a wry smile at my words.
"That's why I said it'd be boring. I told you she's a devout Magical believer, and a bit off."
"Yeah, you're the only one I can trust in this world, Sora."
"Then act like it."
Sora stuck out her tongue with a coquettish look.
Not that it stirred my heart, knowing her true nature was lesbian, but anyway.
Now Taishi's behavior from the start made sense.
Calling me an inferior race outright had its reasons. With that mindset embedded in her skull, no way she'd treat me normally.
Still, no plans to join Magical Buddhism. Seeking validation from lunatics by entering their den would be idiotic.
I just needed to get my Magical sergeant's stripes.
Then I'd be free from these nutjobs.
"But why hasn't the octopus come back yet?"
"It's fine, sunbae. They said roll call tonight is just gonna be lax."
"Well, if that's the case, good."
Still, I couldn't figure out why the octopus hadn't returned.
It was bedtime soon, and her absence was making me uneasy deep down.
Not that I was worried about her safety, of course.
She's a Magical Girl—tougher than me, she'll survive fine on her own.
But she might cause some incident.
Like, say, launching a midnight 'assault' somewhere.
"She'll probably head back soon."
"Hope so."
All I could do was pray the octopus bitch returned without stirring up any trouble.
Fortunately, right as I finished speaking, the barracks door burst open.
"The girl has returned!"
The one entering was, naturally, the octopus.
"Octopus, what's that?"
"Ah, you mean this?"
But there was one difference from before.
"It is the girl's hobby!"
In her hand was a guitar.