Chapter 42
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: Preventing the Magical Company's Demise
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An utterly unexpected situation unfolded before me.
The octopus girl, captured by magical girls and sobbing her eyes out.
And three magical girls grinning wickedly at the sight.
"Give back the girl's Magical bag!"
"Come on, why are you making such a Magical fuss? I just wanna peek inside."
No matter how you sliced it, this was straight-up bullying. If I had to use one of those terms from sensitivity training, it'd be a textbook case of an absurd power imbalance.
"Why on earth are you doing this?!"
"What, we felt like it, so we did it? You open it if we say open it."
From what I could overhear, it seemed like someone had put them up to harassing the octopus girl. I had no clue why, though.
Still, it wasn't like I couldn't guess at all.
Bullying someone doesn't usually need a special reason in the first place.
They just don't like them.
Or they're in a foul mood that day.
Or the target looks like an easy mark.
That's all it takes.
It's the same everywhere in the world—not just here, but in that other world too.
Of course, there was every chance the octopus girl wasn't some innocent victim.
Let's not forget what kind of magical girl she was.
Yeah. F-rank.
Unlike me, a solid A-rank. The real deal F-rank.
Even someone as upright and normal as me found her inferior, so you can bet she acted the same way around these psychos calling themselves magical girls.
In the end, this was probably some grudge-holder getting revenge. Totally plausible.
But that didn't mean I was just gonna stand by and watch.
No love lost there, sure, but she was still a dormmate. I could hear her side and judge from there.
With that thought, I started walking toward them—right as one of the magical girls pulled something from the octopus girl's bag.
A single white envelope, elegantly wrapped.
"Oho, what's this? Money, maybe?"
"N-No, you can't!!!"
This time, even the octopus girl didn't stay quiet.
She shoved the magical girls off and snatched the white envelope back in a flash.
"Anything else is fine, but not this—never this!"
Her sudden outburst twisted the magical girls' faces into ugly scowls.
"Ah, you fucking bitch."
And then her body twisted violently too.
One of the magical girls had kicked her—full force, no holding back.
"Guhhh!"
The octopus girl let out a pained groan, but she didn't yield. If anything, she clutched the white envelope even tighter to her chest.
But it wasn't an effective move.
"Quit being such a pain in the ass, seriously!"
"We're just asking to see it once—why the freakout?!"
"We ask nicely and you think we're pushovers?!"
She was now fully exposed to their violence.
It was excessively, brutally over the top.
Way more than one magical girl could handle.
It didn't take long before the octopus girl collapsed to the ground, beaten to a pulp.
Tears streamed from her eyes.
And the precious envelope slipped from her hands.
Head bowed, she sobbed pitifully.
"Sniff... P-Please stop..."
"You should've just handed it over sooner. What's the big deal?"
This was crossing a line.
No matter how much karma the octopus girl had racked up, there were basic human decency standards.
And these magical girls had blown right past them—by a mile. It was exactly the kind of shit those otherworld bastards pulled on me.
Time to step in.
Sure, I didn't know the full story between her and them. Still no clue who was right or wrong.
Even so, I figured some intervention was needed. This was just wrong, plain and simple.
But then...
"That's... that's the girl's Magical manuscript for submission to Novelpia... Please give it back..."
Her words changed everything.
Some intervention?
No.
I needed to dive in headfirst.
Make damn sure these bitches couldn't pull any more crap on my future Novelpia author.
"This Magical trash? You're ridiculous."
"Just rip it up. No one's gonna read it anyway."
"Yeah, true. You're dropping it midway anyway, right? We'll wipe it out for you beforehand."
These... fucking bitches.
Daring to mess with my future Novelpia writer.
I marched right up without a second's hesitation.
"Hey, you piece-of-shit cunts."
"Huh?"
All three magical girls turned to me.
I met their gazes and murmured quietly.
"Drop it and fuck off nicely."
Tear them apart—these psychos.
Novelpia needed more content, not less.
And they weren't gonna take responsibility if Novelpia's stock tanked because of this.
Novelpia and I were one and the same. Attacking its stock was attacking me. No way was I letting that slide easy.
Naturally, the magical girls didn't give a damn.
"Who the hell are you?"
"Hey, that's the Magical psycho. The retard who thinks he's a Hero."
"Heard he even kicked some grandma. Total Magical trash."
"Oh, that guy? Nosy much?"
The magical girls mocked me thoroughly.
Instead of responding, I silently closed the distance.
That's when a figure suddenly blocked my path.
"Halt."
It was a magical girl with messy yellow hair, holding a bubble tea.
Her blunt tone was directed at me.
"Please leave."
Of course, my answer was set.
"Move."
She had no intention of obeying, not budging an inch.
"Consider this a warning. Leave."
"Move."
"I warned you."
Finally, the messy-haired girl shrugged, eyes locked on mine.
"This has nothing to do with you anyway. Leave while I'm asking nicely."
As if my actions made zero sense to her.
"Living like that just wears you out. Who appreciates unasked-for good deeds?"
Her blank face twisted into a creepy smirk at the corner of her mouth.
"Last warning. Come any closer, and I can't guarantee your safety."
She even drew her magic wand now.
A sign she was ready for violence—or worse.
"My last words too."
My response didn't change a bit.
"Move."
Before I actually killed her.
Sharp words nearly slipped out.
She was grating on me that much. Infuriating.
Pretending politeness with formal speech while ignoring me completely.
Especially that preachy, holier-than-thou bullshit—it scraped my nerves raw.
I couldn't pinpoint why. Maybe lack of sleep dulled my brain.
Just... an unpleasant sense of déjà vu.
Like I'd run into one of the types I despised most again.
That's why the rage boiled up so unnaturally.
"Do you really need to see blood before backing off?"
Already irritable with a foggy head, and this messy-haired bitch grated on with her bullshit.
"If you don't want that, shut your mouth and leave quietly."
Not once, but twice now.
I snapped.
I smacked the bubble tea from her hand.
It flew free, soaking her abdomen and legs. The tapioca pearls plopped to the ground.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?"
The messy-haired girl glared daggers.
I looked at her, feigning surprise.
"Oh, Magical ovulation day."
"...What nonsense are you—"
"On ovulation day, clamp those thighs shut."
I wagged my finger with a grin.
"Or all those pretty eggs'll spill out."
"Hah."
She sighed, glaring with murder in her eyes.
"...Don't make me mad."
"Look at that temper. Ovulation confirmed."
"Shut your mouth."
"You first. Don't want more leaking."
The air between us sharpened to a knife's edge in seconds. One wrong move, and it'd erupt into bloodshed.
"You really wanna see blood?"
"Yeah, you bitch."
I quietly prepared.
Poised to draw the Moonlight Sword the instant balance broke.
But it never happened.
"Hey! Everyone, let's head back!"
One of the girls bullying the octopus girl called out abruptly.
"They say to come back now."
She waved her phone, matching her words. Looked like their backer had called them off.
Things hadn't gone as planned for them.
Or maybe they'd achieved their goal fully.
In a way, it worked out. No pointless fight breaking out here.
But honestly...
It felt unsatisfying. Anticlimactic.
I'd wanted to snap at least one leg.
Still, I tamped down the killing urge. At least she'd secured her manuscript. It was crumpled bad, but not torn.
Good outcome in the end.
Stopped my future Novelpia gig from tanking.
And kept Novelpia's stock from dipping, as a bonus.
The bullying magical girls, sensing something from the vibe earlier, eyed me warily and slunk away.
Didn't matter to me how they saw me. Not my problem.
I memorized their faces, though.
No intention of letting it slide forever.
"You."
Meanwhile, the messy-haired one was different.
Her tone switched back to polite, but the hostility lingered in her eyes.
"I'll say this now."
She glared a moment longer, then turned to leave.
"Soon enough, you'll pay the price."
Dropping those ominous, grudge-filled words.
She probably felt the same dissatisfaction. Drew her wand and all, only for it to fizzle out like this.
Come to think of it, something was off.
Head too hot earlier to notice, but now calmer, my mind churned out a cautious theory.
She'd provoked me on purpose.
Not certain, just a gut feeling—like she was baiting me to strike first.
Probably gunning for self-defense justification.
Then I scratched her unexpectedly, derailing things.
Smarter than she looked. Trying to grab the moral high ground to minimize her disadvantage.
Deepened that déjà vu even more.
Whatever.
Situation wrapped up, so I headed to the octopus girl.
"......"
She was utterly shocked, staring blankly without a word.
Even left her precious manuscript behind.
I picked up the crumpled paper from the dirt, dusted it off, and handed it over.
"......"
No response. She just silently clutched it as I offered.
Felt uneasy.
No matter how F-rank she was, this wasn't okay.
Regret hit late.
Should've stepped in sooner.
"Hey, you alright?"
Finally, she met my eyes.
Her face still streaked with dried tears—it really worried me.
Was she gonna break completely?
"Inferior breed..."
Fuck, she had the energy for that crap.
I was the idiot for worrying.
"Back in gear? I'm grabbing coffee."
If she could talk shit like that, she was fine enough. I turned toward the Magical Cafe.
But her next words grabbed my ankle.
"Why... did you help the girl...?"
Hard enough to ache.
—"Why... did you save me...?"
A memory flashed through my mind.