A Fair Contract

A fair contract. To become a magical girl, two conditions must be met. First, one must possess the aptitude for it, just like a hero. At first glance, that might not seem like much of a hurdle. But in truth, quite a few people have the latent qualities to become magical girls. The real problem lies in the second condition.

A partner is absolutely essential to form a contract with. A magical girl cannot simply transform whenever she feels like it. If that were possible, just about anyone and their dog would be running around as magical girls or heroes. Naturally, the choice rests entirely with the partner. These partners are alien lifeforms infused with mana. They personally select magical girls who possess outstanding potential. Therefore, unless your latent ability is exceptional, getting chosen is nearly impossible.

And right now, Kyuri found the current situation utterly incomprehensible.

The sheer injustice of it all made fat tears the size of chicken droppings roll down Kyuri’s cheeks. Lee Ji-hoon—no, the girl now called Lee Chae-rin—nodded as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“Hiiik!”

Lee Chae-rin raised her staff like some thug in an alley, threatening the creature. To an outsider it might have looked like mere teasing, but Kyuri—who had already tasted that staff—knew better. One more solid whack and its skull would crack open like an egg.

Kyuri wanted to argue, but it had nothing to say. The only issue was that the weapon gained through their contract was currently being aimed at its own head.

While Kyuri wallowed in its overwhelming sense of injustice, Lee Chae-rin tapped the staff against her palm like a disciplinarian’s rod and spoke.

Well, to be honest, Lee Chae-rin knew it too. The contract terms were completely insane. Even she—who had once been called the Heavenly Demon of the Demonic Cult—could only click her tongue at its contents. She suspected that even Sim Jin-myeong would hesitate to call her the Heavenly Demon if he saw this.

Ah, whatever. I’m still the Heavenly Demon anyway.

In any case, there was no denying that this was an utterly one-sided contract. However, there was a reason she had made it this way.

First of all, this thing is way too suspicious.

And at a glance, it was obvious what the creature needed from her. For some reason, it had clearly noticed that the original owner of this body had changed. If it were truly a friend, it should have raised hell the moment it realized. Yet for some reason, even though it knew, it hadn’t shown much reaction. No—in fact, it had looked even more shocked.

That was how she had figured it out. This thing needed her.

And she wasn’t wrong.

In its heart, it didn’t want to sign that contract. But the martial prowess the girl had just displayed was truly overwhelming. It was nothing like a magical girl should look. If anything, it resembled someone from an evil organization. Still, the power she had shown was, without a doubt, at the top tier among magical girls.

Just what she showed earlier was already that strong, bi.

If she revealed her full strength, she might even surpass the top tier. For a partner whose greatest desire was to raise its contractor into a powerhouse and climb the ranks, letting a talent like this slip away was unthinkable.

Lee Chae-rin extended her hand with a wicked grin. Was this what it felt like to make a deal with the devil? Kyuri wanted to slap the hand away, but the power she offered was far too sweet to refuse. With no other choice, it took her hand and said,

At those words, Lee Chae-rin bit her finger hard. Drops of blood from both Kyuri and Lee Chae-rin fell onto the contract. The next moment, the document floated into the air and vanished into thin air.

With those final words, Lee Chae-rin followed Kyuri’s guidance and began to walk.

Upon arriving at the house, I found myself at a complete loss for words at the current situation. The fact that this was another world was something I could figure out with just a little thought. Everything around me was completely different from the world I had known. But that wasn’t what left me speechless.

What truly shocked me was something else entirely.

It was because of a food called chicken. A crispy, crunchy fried shell on the outside, paired with tender, juicy meat on the inside. How could anyone eat this and not be shocked? I had lived my entire life at the pinnacle of the Heavenly Demon Cult, yet I could confidently say there was no food more delicious than this.

Crunch. Crunch.

Kyuri watched me with its tongue practically hanging out. I ignored the creature and washed down the chicken with a fizzy drink called cola. After devouring every last piece, I patted my full stomach and declared,

When I narrowed my eyes suspiciously, Kyuri shrugged its shoulders and answered with surprising composure.

Kyuri nodded at my question. I stroked my chin and fell into deep thought.

So this world is completely different from the one I came from.

In this world, there was no Murim Alliance, let alone any martial artists of the gangho. Instead, what existed were the magical girls and heroes I had seen earlier. The only difference was that women became the former and men the latter.

Honestly, none of that matters much to me.

Although my transformation had been released, I could still tell. This body’s dantian was overflowing with internal energy.

So this is what they mean by the potential of a magical girl.

I quietly observed Kyuri before asking it directly.

……

That meant some people possessed power even without transforming. And right now, I was the same. Even in this state, I was confident I could manipulate the internal energy within my body. Of course, I couldn’t guarantee it would be as much as when I was transformed.

It seemed all the kids who attended this academy were quite diligent.

When I threatened it with a chicken bone, Kyuri’s eyes began to tremble violently. Without a moment’s hesitation, it completely changed its tune.

……

Is this thing really a spiritual beast?

Feeling utterly dumbfounded, I set down the chicken leg I had been holding. Then I sat in the lotus position and spoke.

Seeing my serious expression, Kyuri covered its mouth with both paws. I quietly closed my eyes.

Time to try some qi meditation.

With that thought, I slowly began absorbing the energy present in the atmosphere.