Chapter 95
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 95
Chapter Title: Between Reality and Fairy Tales
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"What exactly do you want me to help with?"
"Hmm, where should I start?"
Sora let out a soft hum, pondering for a moment before opening her mouth again.
"Unnie has one bad habit."
"What habit?"
I tilted my head.
Sora began to explain slowly.
"It's not always like this, but when she thinks things might blow up, she shoulders it all herself and holds back. She calls it her own version of Magical communalism."
Then she gave a bitter smile.
"Of course, real Magical communalism isn't like that, but that's how she sees it."
Not from where I'm standing. Sora added under her breath, clenching her fist tight.
And she showed that fist to me.
"Well, when it gets too hard to bear, she does squeeze her fist like this. But she still never says a word to the end. She's stubborn in the weirdest ways."
Sora unclenched her fist and shook out her hand.
"That's probably what's happening now too. Unnie's definitely forcing herself to tough it out."
Even though she'd only clenched it briefly, nail marks were etched into Sora's palm.
As deep and vivid as her bitter smile.
Sora steadied her breathing for a moment, then launched into a lengthy explanation.
"Actually, during this vacation, Unnie and I planned to go out for Dad's Magical surgery. We even booked it for this time."
First, the reason for White Phoenix's vacation.
"Unnie needed the time off for this. Unlike me, her Magical vacation cycle didn't line up, so she had to take leave."
The reason White Phoenix had been obsessed with getting vacation time before.
"But that fucking turtle bitch—that is, Magical Girl Mint Turtle—suddenly pushed Unnie's vacation aside and took it for herself. I overheard it by chance a few days ago."
Next, the culprit who stole White Phoenix's vacation.
"She claimed it was to visit her mom, but I doubt it. Last time, she used her mom's funeral as an excuse to sneak off to a Magical Vocaloid concert and got caught. Probably something similar this time."
Sora's own suspicions about why the culprit suddenly took vacation.
"That's why she rushed here to see you now. Unnie would just grit her teeth and let it slide. Please, just help Unnie this once."
And finally, her desperate plea directed at me.
There were other details too—like the surgery date and Dad's current condition.
At that moment, Sora poked her head forward.
"Sunbae, are you listening?"
"Ah, sorry. There was too much info, so I zoned out after the middle."
"When someone's talking to you! Ugh... no, forget it. It's a lot, so it's fine..."
Sora bristled but quickly regained her composure.
"Got it, Sunbae. Time's short, but I'll explain again. How far did you hear?"
"So, White Phoenix has some habit?"
"You didn't listen from the start at all!!!"
Well, her composure didn't last long.
I waved it off playfully, soothing the fuming Sora.
Anyway, to sum it up simply:
White Phoenix had taken vacation for her dad's surgery, but that dickhead Mint Turtle swooped in and took it instead.
But the victim herself, White Phoenix, wasn't doing anything—just silently enduring. So Sora was trying to do something about it.
White Phoenix is probably holding back so we don't get dragged in. She thinks if she just bears it alone, it'll all be fine.
That tracks. She probably had no intention of mentioning it, but spilled only because we pried.
Still, one question lingered.
"Why me, of all people?"
If the goal was convincing White Phoenix, it'd be better to talk to her directly. Family words should carry more weight than some outsider's.
So why ask me?
What could I even do?
Sora hesitated a bit before speaking.
"I want you to talk to Magical Girl Purple Snake for me."
Now it clicked.
Sora wasn't aiming for anything grand. She knew Purple Snake doted on me and figured she'd leverage that.
In short, use my connections.
And conveniently, Purple Snake was a real power player.
That must've been why Sora was desperately trying to butter me up with all sorts of offers.
"Want me to order more food? Or just cash? It's tough right now because of Dad's surgery, but I'll pay you back later for sure."
Like offering more food.
Or straight-up money.
"Or anything you want? Name it, whatever. I'll do my best to get it for you."
Or procuring whatever I desired.
"Or even my body—"
"Hey, stop. Right there."
But this time, she crossed the line.
"...Sorry."
"Don't go saying stuff like that anywhere."
"It's not something I say to just anyone..."
I brushed off Sora's mumbling and spoke up.
"So, you want me to tell Purple Snake... I mean, Magical Girl Purple Snake, right?"
"Yes, Sunbae. Please, just this once."
I met her desperate, amber eyes sparkling with hope and gave a casual reply.
"Doesn't seem like it'll work."
"What? Why not!"
Sora's idea wasn't bad, honestly.
If they were pulling rank, we could pull rank right back.
Magical Girl life was just like the military.
Everything could be settled with rank.
That's why Sora was going all out to win me over.
But I figured it wouldn't fly.
"I don't have a way to contact her."
For starters, I had no easy way to meet Purple Snake.
"Can't you just call her?"
"I don't have her number?"
Sora looked shocked at my words.
"What? Aren't you two close? That's why rumors were flying that you had Magical backing."
"We've met face-to-face twice, tops. One was by chance. No number or anything."
"No way..."
And more importantly.
"She's in a different unit anyway."
"Oh, right."
Different affiliations.
No matter how influential Purple Snake was, this would just be meddling from an outsider.
Interfering in internal affairs, basically.
If the Magical Girl in charge of the unit had lower rank, maybe. But White Phoenix was a Magical Major General too—same as Purple Snake.
Couldn't pull rank.
And they weren't even friends who'd do that.
Plus, going through Purple Snake instead of talking to White Phoenix directly? The optics were off.
The usual sharp Sora would've caught that, but she was too frantic now.
Sora's face dawned with realization, then hesitation, before she spoke.
"Then... what if you meet White Phoenix directly and ask her?"
"That's tough too."
"Why? She's our direct Magical superior!"
Not wrong.
But the issue was.
"You can't just meet a general whenever you want."
"Yeah, true..."
Generals were harder to see than you'd think.
Even in my military days. I'd waited ages just to confront the division commander one-on-one.
Lucky I grabbed his back with a gun and mess knife, or a mere A-rank like me wouldn't have gotten close.
So White Phoenix would be the same.
That prior meeting about the Magical lanterns? Only possible because everyone mobbed together and officers paved the way.
Alone? No chance. Hell, I didn't even know where she was now.
And even if I did meet her.
"Would she fix it right away?"
"...No guarantee. White Phoenix is a stickler for Magical principles."
A subordinate's plight weighs light to superiors. Just a scrap of paper with a few words.
That flimsy, yet they'd never truly heed the cries of injustice.
Nope.
At best, empty promises like "We'll prevent this next time" before brushing it off.
Magical Girls probably no different.
World's the same everywhere people live.
And even assuming White Phoenix took it seriously, prospects stayed dim.
"Time's running out anyway, right?"
"Yeah..."
No assurance it'd resolve quickly.
If White Phoenix was the principled type Sora described, she'd follow procedure to the letter.
Meaningless for White Phoenix, who needed vacation now. By the time red tape cleared, it'd be too late.
Harsh, but the case wasn't black-and-white wrong procedurally. Morally condemnable, sure.
Going public via media? Buried for sure. Vacation would've passed before it blew up.
Dead end, basically.
"So yeah, looks impossible."
Of course, I could be wrong.
White Phoenix might charge into injustice despite appearances.
But realistically? Had to side with no.
"Then what should we do?"
Sora's visibly downcast expression didn't last; she fixed me with desperate eyes.
"No other Magical advice, Sunbae?"
"Advice, huh..."
I hummed thoughtfully, then spoke.
"Drawing from my past experience, here's some advice..."
"Yes, tell me!"
Sora's amber eyes sparkled.
"But thinking about it, my life was smooth sailing compared to your unnie's. If I were her, I'd just give up."
"Ugh, seriously! You've been pissing me off all along!"
Too bad the sparkle faded fast.
Honestly, couldn't help it. My life was better—simpler—than White Phoenix's mess.
Pre-isekai, just grind cash and dump into stocks. Post? Kill everything. Not much "advice" there.
"So what do we do?"
Sora slumped, head hanging.
"Why agonize so much?"
"How can I not?"
"Your unnie's F-grade or whatever, but she didn't do anything wrong this time. Right?"
"True..."
"So even with drama, she'll get her vacation eventually? That dickhead did wrong, so she'll pay—"
"Don't make me laugh!!!"
Suddenly, Sora slammed the table.
The food atop it floated briefly before settling. Some hit the floor.
But Sora ignored it all, glaring only at me.
"Do good and get rewarded, do evil and get punished? Like that actually happens!"
Her amber eyes brimmed with tears.
Desperation, frustration, pleading—all in that gaze.
"Fairy tale bullshit like that doesn't exist in reality!!! It doesn't!!!"
Then Sora's head slowly drooped.
"That crap...!"
Her raised voice softened in tandem, growing misty.
"There's no way it exists..."
Finally, unable to hold back, Sora buried her face. Her shoulders began to tremble.
Not an incomprehensible reaction.
In reality, the strong prey on the weak with impunity—slap on the wrist at worst, rarely even that.
Good rewarded, evil punished.
Justice prevails.
Karma bites back.
Meaningless drivel in the real world. Hollow screams from the weak to the strong.
Light, worthless words that exist only in fairy tales.
Nothing more.
Reality isn't a fairy tale.
"Anyway."
I'd heard enough; no reason to stick around.
"Nice seeing you. I'm out."
"Sunbae, wait! I wasn't done!"
Sora finally lifted her head to grab me, but I kept walking.
"Sunbae, where are you going!"
I didn't stop at her shout.
Just turned my head and flashed a faint smile.
"Where else."
Off to write a fairy tale.