The Abyss's Bargain
Altair definitely said it. "We're fighting the Abyss." But this... this giant eyeball is the Abyss...? Am I supposed to fight something like this? ...It was only a day, but I, Yuseong-ah, was happy living as a magical girl.
You seem full of curiosity. Do you need an explanation?
At least it can communicate. No, it doesn't seem human. Anyway...
"O-of course... I don't know anything."
I just fell asleep because I was tired.
Good.
The giant eye blinks—blink.
The rifts appearing on your Earth and the Abyss are my fragments.
"Fragments...?"
Bring me my pieces, and in exchange, I'll make you stronger.
Fragments... like those black shards from when I burst that slime earlier?
"Th-then... couldn't we just prevent the rifts from opening? Since you said they're your fragments..."
My existence is too vast to concern myself with such tiny pieces. That's why I grant power in exchange for the fragments you bring me.
This doesn't seem like something you'd learn on your first day as a magical girl... But it's not like I can say "see you next time."
"Then make me stronger too. I gathered a little earlier..."
I tapped the earring where the fragments had been absorbed.
The deal isn't made that simply, Spica.
"Eh? Then what, like a contract or..."
No. My power is part of me. My instinct is corruption and erosion. If you want power, face it. The possibility of your defeat. Here, in this dream.
"...I don't get what you're saying."
Let me put it simply. Return the fragments you won to me, and I'll show you the possibility of your defeat by my fragments. Endure it, and the power is yours.
So... if I lost, it shows me that "what if" route.
"And if I can't endure it?"
If that's frightening, refuse the deal. There's no compulsion. The choice is yours, magical girl.
No, I need to know the risks before deciding. But it did say one thing. Deals for minor power come with light defeat burdens. The stronger the power you want, the harsher the possibility you must endure. High risk, high return.
Mom always said if a stranger offers conditions that sound too good, it's probably a scam.
...No. What would this eyeball gain by scamming me?
Have you decided?
"I-I'll try it for now. I don't have many fragments anyway..."
Wise choice.
A faint chuckle echoed, and something slipped out from my earring, flowing toward the giant eye.
Close your eyes.
"......"
Might as well do as it says. I squeezed my eyes shut.
And after about three seconds?
Now open them.
When I did, my surroundings weren't pitch black anymore. It was a familiar space, if not entirely comfortable. The dark alley from earlier with Altair.
And in the corner, that familiar mark. Black, torn long and irregular, wriggling.
Black slime oozed out from the gap.
Just like before.
"Feels like I'm dreaming... Well, it is a dream."
No sense of wrongness. Anyway, what did I do here? Oh, right. I swung this magic wand and burst it.
...I should ask Altair about proper magical girl fighting techniques next time.
Anyway, how do I lose here? Imagining defeat against this liquid slime monster... Hmm, tough.
Let's just fight like before. Grip the wand in one hand, swing it wildly with no technique.
The black slime that should have been crushed and burst on the ground under normal circumstances... was different this time. Or maybe I was.
The wand slammed into the empty ground beside it, and the slime, which had been sluggishly writhing, suddenly leaped—whoosh.
Splat—
"Kyaa, kyaah—! Wh-what, what is this...!"
It stuck right to my body—precisely, onto my chest.
There was clothing, but the sticky, slimy sensation was so vivid it gave me chills.
"Ugh, ah! G-get off!"
Cold yet viscous... hard to describe, but utterly disgusting. Trying to peel it off blindly had no effect. No fixed shape, so nothing to grab. Just slippery.
Then, at some point, the slime clinging to my chest felt slightly warm.
And—
"Hii, u-ugh...! What is this... th-this..."
The slime passed through my clothes as if they weren't there, touching my breast... and began seeping in.
A hot-yet-cold texture spread slowly through my chest. Like sticky jelly adhering to skin and being absorbed.
Before my shock could fade, the slime fully permeated my breast.
My clothes were pristine, the magical girl's dress neat as ever.
The only change... my breasts were a bit, uh, you know...
"...Bigger."
Not obviously at a glance, but my clothes felt a tad tighter. Looking down, there seemed to be a subtle difference... a bit heavier?
Was it just my imagination, or real? Time to check.
I glanced around cautiously, then gingerly cupped my breast with one hand.
Zing—
"Hah, u-ugh..."
A sharp, static-like jolt shot to my waist. And a slightly embarrassing sound escaped my lips.
"Hup. Wh-what... was that just now?"
Are my senses heightened...? Now that I thought about it, they felt heavier...
I-I don't know. Anyway, is it over?
"U-um... is that it now?"
I wondered if that giant eye was watching from somewhere.
Yes, the first time is enough.
"Wha— you startled me."
I knew it was coming, but that voice still unnerves me...
The deal is complete, Spica.
The scenery vanished, returning me to the pitch-black void. The giant eye I didn't particularly want to see loomed before me again.
A minor power, but you are stronger now.
"Um, one question..."
Speak.
It was a question born of slight worry mixed with personal curiosity.
"When I wake from the dream, everything goes back to normal, right?"
Absolutely not because my slightly larger breasts were bothering me.
Your real body isn't directly affected. That experience was a possibility—a falsehood and illusion I created. But your memories and sensations remain.
Hmm, so when I wake, my breasts return to normal.
...Not disappointing at all. Really.
What magical girl would be thrilled about absorbing an enemy and getting bigger breasts?
Then await our next trade.
The giant eye before me began slowly closing.
Eh... huh?
It's over just like that? Isn't this when it says something villainous like "You thought it was over~?"
With such trivial thoughts, my vision darkened. The dream was ending.
"......"
Familiar ceiling.
"Ugh, ahh... so sleepy."
Yawning, I slowly sat up in bed.
The clothes from my transformation were gone, back to normal attire, but the pink-gemmed pendant hung around my neck.
Getting out of a fluffy bed is tough, but mornings must begin.
"Uwaa, uwahh..."
With my daily weird motivational cry, I escaped the bed.
Same as always, but the pendant made me feel good. It made my magical girl status feel real.
"Humhum~ I'm the magical girl Spica, Spica~ Hum~"
Humming my just-made song, I headed to the bathroom to wash up.
Standing thoughtlessly before the large mirror, looking at myself.
"Hm...?"
Something... something...
"Umm... hm?"
Squinting, I focused on my chest. Slowly raised my hand, gently cupping it.
"A bit... bigger? Or not?"
Maybe imagination... but there was some change, unclear...
To check more firmly, I squeezed a little harder.
...Touching your own breasts is more embarrassing than I thought...
At that moment, a familiar prickly zing rose from deep inside.
"Hii, eep—"
My eyes met my dazed reflection in the mirror.
It said there'd be no real changes, right? Or maybe coincidence...
Ugh, no idea.
Knock, knock.
I flinched. Someone at the door. No one expected today. Maybe Altair?
Perfect, so much to ask. I rushed to the door and flung it open without hesitation.
And greeted the dazzling veteran magical girl energetically.
"Altair..."
Not her.
"Sorry to disappoint. I'm not Altair."
Her sparkling hair resembled frost. Sky-blue clothes wrapping her body, blue gem. Cold gaze fixed on me, lips unmoving.
First time seeing her in person, but I knew who she was.
The magical girl of the blue night, Sirius.