I sat opposite the admirable leader. She was as smart as always, her handkerchiefs wrapping around her arms and neck. She grinned wildly, spinning her marker around, before dropping it accidentally. I let out a small chuckle and she instantly snapped her finger towards me. “Pay attention now, remember rookie you need a strong focus like mine.” She said before raising her feet and dropping them onto the table. She lowered her arm and fell off her chair while trying to pick up her marker, slamming into the whiteboard behind her.
Despite this clumsiness and regular comedic occurrence, she was truly my leader. An irreplaceable genius that tutored me in everything that I did and will do. She was truly…
“Shima?”
“Yeah that's correct.” Our newest member stood on the other side of the round table, directly opposite from me. She placed two folders on the table which had multiple images and documents regarding our other member.
She was the magical girl of knowledge and she interrupted this meeting with one simple message.
“Shima is the magical girl of Cuteness.”
She turned the pages of the stapled document and lifted one towards me. It had multiple images of Shima surrounded by a red bird similar to the one mentioned by Protection.
“So that nameless greenhorn was the killer? Of course, someone Softness took a liking too would be a psycho.”
“Shut your mouth Justice.” I leaped from my chair and into Knowledge’s personal space, making her flinch from the sudden dash. I grabbed the paper and skimmed them through one more time. This proof was 100% true evidence at worst and extremely suspicious at best. It really seems like Shima was the magical girl of Cuteness. Not only did she share similar traits like extreme regeneration but there were so many photos of her and this bird.
Is this bird a monster? A smart evolved invader capable of brainwashing a magical girl? Is this even possible? Wait what is this?!
I raised the photo and blinked rapidly. It was a photo of Shima performing on a small stage next to some underground idols. “Why is this here?”
“Umm,” Knowledge backed away a little, “I just gathered every image I could find, this image isn't necessary proof.”
“I see, it does seem weird that they both appeared in such a close period of time… Justice, can't you handle this?”
“Me?” Justice chucked silently and crossed her arms. “I think it's about time I said this but I'm retiring! I'm gonna go off and live by the beach surrounded by a vast amount of cash.”
“Nice.” Said Knowledge nodding slowly.
“Not nice! What do you mean you're retiring?!”
“The idea has been in my mind for some time now, Softness. I have seen a lot of death and I was thinking of using my savings and retiring in Hawaii or some other tropical place, if I stay I'll end up like Abyss.”
“You coward! Aren't you the magical girl of Justice?! Mori, this is your duty! Give Justice to Ayaka and kill Shi-, give justice and kill Cuteness!”
“Mori isn't lying… It's been months since she wanted to retire.” Added Kohaku, her face looking away from mine.
“The hell do I care for that! If you won't do it then Kohaku, you do it!”
“Give me that.” Transport snatched the documents off my hands and skimmed through them. “I’ll handle this Okumura, me and her will handle this.” She said pointing to the seat of Combat.
“But she was able to kill Ayaka, do you really think you two can handle her? I'll come with you two.”
“No.” She snapped her fingers and her robotic suit magically appeared on her. It was black in color and had multiple lines on it that glowed in bright white light. “You keep stopping the invaders, I'll try to contact Chiasa and get her to join us, I reckon she has a lot to say to the person who killed Ayaka.”
“We should talk about that. Why are there so many invasions and big ones at that? In the whole world the number of invasions had quadrupled in the past couple of days.”
Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.
“Well that-that's because of certain recent events.”
“And what are those, Kohaku?”
“Well um, from what I understand it-it's from-”
“She doesn't really know, or she's hiding it.” Interrupted Mori. “Either way she said she will handle it so go and have fun with that vermin Cuteness and the invasions in the meantime.”
“Yeah yeah sure. Go leave already, Mori.”
“If you insist Softness, but before I go, how about one more fight?” She said, summoning multiple floating arrows in the air.
“No. Not this time Mori… meeting dismissed.”
----------------------------------------
I lost. I lost hard. If it weren't for Chiasa. No I was sure this was gonna happen. That's why I called her, to save me from my reckless charge.
“Well.” I dragged a rich and expensive chair out from the other room. I sat on its velvet cushion and gazed directly at the person in front of me, well the picture of a person.
“Vanessa.” I dragged my fingers down her stoic expression. “You were a very good mother figure for me… no for Cosette. You tried your best to raise her well despite all her quirks.”
She was certainly the only person that was around Cosette’s life, aside from her sister but that girl was gone at the later half of Cosette's life.
“But you are still a bad person.” I grabbed onto the top of the frame and plopped it down, covering Vannesa’s face. “As a maid, you weren't required to help out Cosette with her peculiar evil habits and activities. And you definitely could have drilled in some morals when she was young.”
I stood up from the chair and kicked it back, knocking it over on the burnt dark floor. As much as I love to stay here and mourn your death, I have much better things to do than to roleplay and empathize with a monster like Cosette. “Bye bye Vannesa, I have known you for a total of zero seconds.”
“Finished?”
“Yeah.” Chiasa was near me, leaning on the door frame while glancing at me occasionally. Apparently just a couple moments ago she was beating Cossette hard but she suddenly ran away in the middle of the fight.
“You okay?”
“I'm fine. Just a little tired? I think.” I stumbled towards Chiasa, my arms felt heavy and my feet moved much slower than before. After she devoured some of my body, it seems Cossette drained me of my strength. Reminds me of how I consume most of the monsters I kill, I wonder if she also has this unsatisfiable hunger.
“Shima, I'm gonna go now. I won't stop until that bastard is dead, so.” She pulled her spear off the ground and kicked her shield up into the air before grabbing it. “Don't bother finding that bitch. I'll kill her myself.” She marched across the room, moving through a hole on the wall to the other room before jumping into another hole on the ceiling.
She left a trail of fire behind.
Chiasa is truly a league above my power. I wonder how she feels right now. Is she okay? No that's a stupid question, of course she's not okay. Ayaka is dead.
I looked around the room, admiring the massive paintings that were, covered in blood, burnt from fire or full holes. This whole mansion is filled with such expensive stuff like this, I hate how loaded her family was.
“Heh…” I summoned my glaive and tore the painting into shreds. I swung up, then from the right, diagonally, all the good stuff. I stood back admiring my mess on the wall. “It's sad that such a fun event ended so fast.”
I skipped towards the other room, kicking the door open. “Good thing this whole place is filled with such breakable items.”
I went to town, smashing vases and ripping art to shreds. Who cares if this somebody’s precious home, I certainly don't. I ran across the wall, stabbing my glaive and dragging it across the expensive wallpaper painted by some rich snobbish painter. This mindless fun destruction of her property was fun but I think it's time I took it to the main attraction of this show.
I gently opened the door… and threw my glaive violently across the room, stabbing it in the mannequin wearing the clothes of a magical girl. The magical girl of Love to be exact.
This weirdly fragrant room belongs to that prick Cossette, a place filled with disgusting idolizations. I walked towards my weapon and ripped it off the mannequin, the costume was still fine, the only broken thing was this faceless mannequin, face… well umm head.
“But enough about this well crafted high quality costume.” I jumped on her bed and reached under her pillow. I'm not entirely sure but I think it was around this part. I lifted the mattress and grabbed a pink book with a small plastic lock. I snapped the lock in half and opened the book to a random page.
“Ahem! Dear diary, Today I was taking a walk with my best friend. We walked for hours, moving in a circle around the flower-filled nature park.” Hehehe how sweet of this maniac. “She was talking about something boring so I left her stranded when it started raining.” Hehe… heh? That isn't…
I ripped the diary apart and jumped from her now untidy bed. I grabbed onto the closet door, trying to swing it open before failing. I then slid it across to my left and swung my glaive across, slicing all the clothes in half. Now this may seem wasteful but honestly all of these outfits are too flashy. Does she not wear any normal clothes at all?
“Huh? What's this? A doorknob on the wall? Is this a hidden room?” I tried to open the door but it seemed to be locked. Probably just some random storage room filled with even more weird magical girl merchandise. Not really my cup of joe. Hmm but yet again this room could be something important…
Maybe I will go back here later. I have to destroy that stupid TV first. Annoying scrap of metal, nonstop feeding Cossette a stream of magical girl content. Additionally, I always wanted a TV so I'm much more pissed off.
----------------------------------------
“That was fun~,everything in the whole mansion has officially now been branded by me.” Hopefully if she returns, she gets greeted with the sight of my perfect scoring performance.
I walked down the street and all the way to the nearest train. Like Chiasa said, she will handle the whole problem with Cutenes. Well I wish I can help but sadly I do think I'll just get in the way with my current strength. I'll just return to stopping the invasions.
“Huh?” Where is everybody? This train is empty, barren of life except for me, and it's taking longer than usual too. “This isn't go- Aahh!” The train shook rapidly, the lights dimming suddenly.
“What the?!” The train flew off the rails and spun in the air, the view in the windows changing from the same boring old white walls to the light blue clouded sky. I grabbed onto the rails of the train, the vehicle rapidly fell down towards the ground. It slammed into the asphalt ground, crashing and tumbling. I remained gripping on the rail, my vision swirling around nauseously.
Is it over? Damn. “Haaahh… ha?” I leaped forward, dodging a huge mechanical hand coming my way. It ripped through the train, leaving behind a dark purplish mist. I cracked my knuckles and swung my arm down, summoning my glaive in one quick motion.
I took a running motion and leaped out of the newly constructed hole. I rolled on what seemed to be a highway. A place that some people just don't use anymore after the magical girl of transport appeared. The robotic arm’s boosters vomited fire, curving it and ramming at my direction.
I raised my glaive and planted my feet. Taking a swinging motion, but then suddenly I was suddenly stabbed in the back, a sharp pointed weapon piercing my chest. The hand flew at me, grabbing me and lifting me into the air.
“Hey!” A familiar sounding voice greeted me in the air. Adrinia floated in the air, carrying a serious look in her eyes. The mist from earlier flew quickly next to her, dispersing and revealing the magical girl of Combat.
“It seems my suspicion was correct and better yet, my excused absence seemed to not have been a waste.”
“Any words Shima? Maybe some defensive arguments?”
“Guys? What are you doing?! Why are you attacking me?!”
“Now that's not convincing at all.” Adrinia raised her arm and pointed it at me. “Goodbye then.” Multiple black and white explosions occurred around me, summoning robotic arms that aimed to crush me.