Riho had finally earned enough to comfortably purchase a cellphone. It was her first time really exploring the wider area of Kiaba, and it took a couple hours of walking in the crowded streets for her to find a trustworthy looking place. After she had found it the process was as simple as any other transaction and she left the store with a satisfied smile. Upon returning to the apartment complex she noticed the light on Nagi's office in that building was on. 'I should probably give her my number in case something comes up,' she thought, and knocked on the door.

“Yes? Come inside,” came the quick reply.

Riho entered, and made her way to the small cluttered desk in the back of the room.

“Ah, Riho-chan. What can I do for you?”

“Oh, it's not super important, but I got a cellphone today so I thought I'd give you my number, in case of an emergency or something...”

“Is that so? Well, that certainly will make getting in touch with you much simpler. It seems like you're always wandering about...” Nagi commented.

“Ah ha ha...I'm not the type to stay cooped up in a room,” Riho replied.

“Register mine as well, since I'm not always here.”

“Thank you,” Riho said politely.

“I'll pass your number along to Kikyo as well.”

“Why!?”

“Why not? You probably don't have many friends yet, and she's a responsible girl, even if she's a misfortune magnet.”

Riho turned red, “I-I have friends!”

“Then what's the problem, if you have so many friends one more number won't change a thing.”

“Isn't this a breach of privacy or something?!”

“It would be if you both were humans. But neither of you are, so it's not a big deal.”

“That's discrimination!”

“Whoever said I was human?”

Riho stopped in her tracks.

“What?”

“I said I'm not a human either, and things will be more convenient for Kikyo and yourself if you have each others numbers. Since you'd never give it to her of your own will, I'm just greasing the gears a little.”

“There's a lot I want to point out, but exactly what kind of relationship are you trying to make out of us?”

Nagi met Riho's gaze, her own overpowering the agitated Magical Girl.

“Something that isn't enemies. I don't expect you to get all buddy buddy, but if you could cooperate every now and again I think that would be wonderful.”

Riho calmed down a little, “Alright then,” she looked up quickly, “Wait! You said you're not a human either? What are you?!”

“Ask yourself that in a few days.”

“What do you mean?”

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

“If you can't figure it out, you've still got a ways to go.”

Riho genuinely couldn't tell what kind of being Nagi was. She had initially taken her for a human after all. That unnerved her a little. Magical Girls and Mazoku should be distinct beings that could be discerned as one or the other at a glance, and yet even with the knowledge that Nagi was one or the other, she couldn't tell. The only evidence one way or the other was her reluctance to tell her outright, which in Riho's mind tipped the scales towards the Mazoku spectrum.

Riho was about to step out when something occurred to her. Something that sent a tremble of existential dread through her.

“What is the true nature of Otomi Mao?”

All her life in Priripon Riho had been taught that the Overlord of Makai was a blasphemous conjurer with immense power and pride, and ruled over Makai with an iron fist. However her interactions with him through Kikyo conflicted harshly with that image. He seemed if anything humble, and not one to overstep his bounds, or perhaps even afraid to. She did feel a kind of pride though, or perhaps more a deep sense of duty? From how Kikyo spoke of him, it seemed more likely the Mazoku followed him of their own will. Which brought her back to a basic question she had never really seriously considered, what exactly were Mazoku? Or Magical Girls for that matter? She had never considered herself or Kikyo human, despite how similar they looked and acted to the rest of the people around them. But what exactly was the difference? Assuming they could use magic, would there even really be a difference?

Nagi answered her with a question of her own, “What kind of answer are you looking for? His nature now, or his origins?”

Riho thought about it, “Whatever you're willing to tell me I suppose.”

Nagi smiled, “I like that answer. Very well, I will tell you who I think Otomi Mao is,” she stood up from her desk and walked over to a window.

“He is a father. He is also a king. Makai is his home and estate, and he will do whatever he must to protect that place for his children and subjects. Children who look up to their parents naturally want to be like, and to be of aid to them. I believe that is the secret to the fierce loyalty he has earned from his army.”

Riho considered this.

“Take your time, you know someone who would gladly tell you all about it,” Nagi said dismissively.

Her train of thought interrupted, Riho shook her head, “I-I'll think about it,” she was reluctant to consult Kikyo about anything. She still felt that they were enemies, something that couldn't and shouldn't be so quickly looked over.

Kikyo on the other hand was busy constructing a complex magic circle for the Magical Girl and as far as she was concerned, they were one step away from becoming friends. Though for her part she never bore Riho ill-will to begin with. Mazoku tended to look on Magical Girls with either fear or pity, the general populace with fear, and the Overlord's Army with pity for they held some information that neither the general Mazoku populace or Magical Girls were aware of.

Riho returned to her room and lazed about for a while, her mind full of various half finished thoughts that always ran into dead ends where she lacked sufficient information. As she halfheartedly messed around with her cellphone she came across something called SupaEats. Curious she looked into it further and found she could order food and it would be delivered to her!

“That's like something only the elites get in Priripon!” she thought aloud.

She was distracted for a while, and slightly amused that she could see exactly who was bringing her order and the estimated time it would arrive. While she waited though, the thoughts came back. Just as she was about to spiral down into confusion and despair, there was a knock on her door. She jumped to her feet and answered it, taking her food inside she found herself smiling more than she expected. It felt nice to have something delicious delivered.

Kikyo had discovered SupaEats earlier, and had been using it to maximize the time she could spend composing the magic circle. She was a little concerned that her arms were getting a little flabbier, but Maou-sama had given her a mission, so she wanted to do it as best she could! It was coming along at a good pace, she thought she would be able to finish by the end of the week. Of course, this also meant she hadn't been able to search for work outside of writing the summoning spell and the annotations to help Riho understand exactly what was happening, since it was pretty far removed from the magic the Magical Girl would be used to taking advantage of.

Kikyo wasn't the type to be overly concerned about her weight to begin with, she enjoyed delicious food and tended to prioritize her missions and convenience. She thought she was doing a decent job at nutritional balance, so it was likely a problem of quantity rather than quality. She admitted she was eating a lot more often than she might have in Makai, but there were so many new things to try on Earth that it made holding back seem silly. For that purpose, a few additional inches to the waistline wasn't a high price to her.

Riho on the other hand had a strict regime practically beaten into her as part of her Magical Girl duties, this regime had been slowly decaying the longer she was on earth, as her job at the convenience store and other day to day obligations started to eat into the time she needed for it, she too was beginning to notice some unwelcome changes to her physique.

That said, she had begun to have moments of rebellion, when she found a new treat and enjoyed it during a time she thought she should normally be training, her heart raced a little. Inwardly she realized this, outwardly she blamed Kikyo, who she hadn't even seen for several days.