Poor magical girls, work for me!

[Defeat the vengeful rhinoceros beetle "Kabuto"]

[Recommended configuration: All characters are level 3 or higher, equipped with armor penetration abilities]

[Currently available team members: Homura Hisakawa (Level 4), Sena Momose (Level 3), Yukio Matsushima (Level 3), Kirion Nanatsuji (Level 2/Recovering)]

Estimated win rate: 98%

[Note: A 98% win rate is practically the same as a success. Hurry up, that Kabuto Martial God is also growing stronger; perhaps its power will surge again after tomorrow.]

You decide…

Is the win rate 98%? Raising Matsushima Yukio's strength to level 3 is enough to deal with that rhinoceros beetle.

Ryosuke Miyagi took out his phone and sent a message to everyone about preparing to hunt the rhinoceros beetle, "Kabuto Mushin".

It was still evening...

He really needs to plan ahead.

The next day, Ryosuke Miyagi didn't get out of bed all day. He wouldn't admit that he was resting in bed because his legs were shaking.

Nine times out of ten, it's still a consequence of making a deal with an evil god.

That's right.

Everything else is soft, except for her mouth, which remains stubborn.

……

The next day, in the evening.

The setting sun bathed the entire city in an orange-red hue.

There was a knock on Ryosuke Miyagi's apartment door.

He opened the door and was taken aback to see four young faces crowded in the doorway.

"You... you arranged to come together?"

"certainly!"

Himawari Homura was the first to squeeze in, her red ponytail swinging back and forth.

"For such a grand scene, they definitely need to appear together to look cool!"

Behind her, Matsushima Yukio wore the faded white wool sweater, her chestnut hair neatly draped over her shoulders, and she carried a convenience store plastic bag containing several bottles of tea drinks.

She stole a glance at Ryosuke Miyagi, then looked down and her face turned even redder.

"I figured we might have a long discussion, so I brought some drinks..."

As she spoke, her gaze shifted upwards, meeting that of Ryosuke Miyagi, before quickly looking away, her ears turning slightly red.

【Oh, you just got a leg massage last night, and you're already shy today?】

[However, she looks really good today, her skin is glowing. That's the effect of the magic unblocking! Maybe the milk in your apartment is working well, making your legs sway to produce more.]

Momose Sena followed behind Matsushima Yukio, still wearing that loose gray hooded sweatshirt, her hands in her pockets, her shoulders hunched.

Those eyes, which were always timid, shone with an astonishing brightness today.

She saw Ryosuke Miyagi, her lips moved, but in the end she only whispered, "H-Hello, boss..."

Then he quickly lowered his head.

The woman, burdened with 45 gold coins in debt, now looks at her boss differently.

That wasn't liking; it was... the awe of "you are my greatest creditor."

Of course, there might be other possibilities. Perhaps they're thinking about other ways to quickly repay their debts, such as... slowly kneeling down and raising their hands...

The last one to enter was Nanatsuji Kirion.

She was wearing that shrine maiden's outfit, her long hair neatly tied back with white sandalwood, and carrying a bulging cloth bag in her hand, exactly the same one she had brought when she last went to subdue the vengeful bull god.

"Ryosuke-kun!"

Her voice was clear and bright, and her face was beaming with an irrepressible smile.

"I brought everything I could from the shrine! This time I'm going to go all out: sacred salt, gohei (ceremonial hat), kagura bells, talismans—and this!"

She took a small wooden box, about the size of her palm, out of her cloth bag and presented it to Ryosuke Miyagi as if it were a treasure.

"Amulets bestowed by Lord Inari! One for each person! They can withstand one fatal attack!"

Ryosuke Miyagi took the wooden box and opened it.

Inside lay four small amulets, each embroidered with a fox pattern in gold thread.

"Thanks."

He distributed the amulets to the other three people, keeping one for himself.

"Please come in."

……

The small apartment was crammed with five people, making it feel rather cramped.

Hikawa unceremoniously took the chair in front of the desk and leaned the chainsaw next to it. Matsushima Yukio sat on the edge of the bed, and Momose Sena sat down next to her, holding her tea drink in both hands and taking small sips.

Nanatsuji Kirion sat cross-legged on the floor and took out the items from the cloth bag one by one and arranged them.

The items included Qing Shen salt, Gohei (imperial coins), Kagura bells, talismans, and several stacks of paper notes that looked very old.

Ryosuke Miyagi leaned against the window, holding the Witcher's Handbook in his hand.

The setting sun shone in from behind him, bathing the entire room in a warm glow.

"Now that everyone's here, let's begin."

He opened the manual and found the page about rhinoceros beetles.

【Forest Shrine - Wild God - Vengeful Rhinoceros Beetle: "Kurumi"】

[Strength: Near-High-Level Monster (Near-Level 4)]

Recommended configuration: Heavy firepower/armor penetration capability

"Let me first tell you what I know about the target."

"This rhinoceros beetle now occupies a 'shrine' near Yoyogi Park on the edge of Shinjuku Ward, built from scrap metal and industrial waste. Its shell is made of steel, making it largely immune to ordinary attacks. It has three weaknesses."

He held up three fingers.

"First, it loses its balance. It retains the beetle's fatal flaw: once flipped over, belly up, it will be paralyzed and unable to move for a short period of time."

"Second, the instinct for sweetness. It cannot resist high concentrations of sweetness, such as the sacred sake offered at shrines, or some kind of specially made sweet bait."

"Third, the joints are vulnerable. The moment it spreads its wings to prepare for flight, the 'shoulder' where the carapace connects to the wings will be exposed, which is the only part of its body that is not armored."

He paused, then looked at the four of them.

"This is the rhinoceros beetle's weakness, and also the key to our effective kill. So, is there a problem?"

Himawari was the first to raise her hand.

"Can we use a chainsaw to cut off its corners?"

"Yes, it's possible. But its horns are made of black gold drill bits, harder than ordinary steel. Are you sure you can saw through them?"

"I'm not sure." Hikawa grinned. "How will we know if we don't try?"

"Hikawa Homura, your mission is to break through armor, not to saw through that useless thing."

"Hehe, I was just joking."

Matsushima Yukio pondered for a moment before asking, "How fast is it flying? If it tries to escape, can we catch it?"

"Don't worry about that."

Ryosuke Miyagi looked out the window.

"As soon as it takes off, the bus will make it come down."

As soon as he finished speaking, a very soft horn sounded outside the window—it was the bus's spirit responding.

Momose Sena asked softly, "Then...how do we flip it over? It's so big..."

This is a good question.

How do you flip over a giant beetle that's 4 meters tall and covered in a steel-like shell?

Ryosuke Miyagi looked at Kirion Nanatsuji.

"Kiyone, how long can your barrier hold it?"

Nanatsuji Kirion thought for a moment.

"If it were me before, I probably could only hold on for a few seconds. But now..."

She clenched her fist, a confident smile on her face.

"After half of the curse was removed, my spiritual power has recovered considerably. If I use my full strength, I should be able to trap it for about ten seconds."

"Ten seconds..."

"That's settled then—"

He walked to the center of the room, squatted down, and drew a simple diagram on the floor with his finger.

"This is Yoyogi Park, and this is the rhinoceros beetle's 'shrine.' We'll split into three groups—"

"Hikawa and Hoshina, take the lead. Hikawa will be responsible for frontal restraint, while Hoshina will look for opportunities to attack its joints."

"Yukio, remote control. Use ice magic to restrict its movements, especially when it tries to take off."

"Mist Sound, Barrier, and Support. Use Cleansing Salt to weaken its resentment, and trap it with the barrier when necessary."

"I……"

He paused, then clenched his right hand, piecing together the matte-colored revolver to form the revolver [gun].

"I'll observe from the flanks and look for an opportunity to strike."

Inside the magazine, three bullets lay silently.

"Do you understand everything?"

Four pairs of eyes looked at him and nodded in unison.

"clear!"

"it is good."