Regarding the fact that my best friend is a magical girl

My mother didn't come; her situation is rather special, so it's not appropriate for her to appear on such an occasion.

After being gridded, Changkong City comprises 49 districts. All 28 registered magical girls of the association were present. The reason why the number of girls did not match the number of districts was because the magical girls in the suburbs were responsible for larger areas...

I was slapped hard across the back.

"Serno! You look much more energetic these past few days!"

"Ah! Good afternoon, Miss Jizhen Haoyin."

"Why are you being so polite to me? Are you looking down on me, a country bumpkin?"

"That's not true..."

For example, Miss Jizhen Haoyin is responsible for four areas from B2 to E2 along the North Suburbs Highway, and even has a duty to assist in the defense of all adjacent areas.

She asked, "Do you know why Spica called us over here?"

I didn't know the details either, I just said, "It seems like there was an unexpected intrusion."

"Don't you know?"

Since the meeting hadn't started yet, Miss Feng Hua, who was pretending to be an expert by walking with her eyes closed, also came over.

"It's said that this invasion didn't involve a wormhole at all, and the airships didn't sound any alarms. This strange entity appeared suddenly, which is why there were such heavy casualties. This is the first case of its kind in the world, but it's unclear whether it will become a regular occurrence..."

No wormholes?

How did that strange person get here?

"Ahem, please return to your seats."

Spica, dressed as a magical girl, sat at one end of the long conference table, and only picked up the microphone after we were all seated.

"Let me make this clear from the outset: the contents of this meeting must be kept strictly confidential. It is not appropriate to disclose them to the public before we understand the methods used by 'the other side,' as it might cause panic..."

She turned on the multimedia.

"...Although it's a coincidence, please take a look at this first."

Judging from the footage, it appears to be a surveillance camera at the park's main entrance.

A seemingly dazed man tried to force his way through the turnstile, and was unsurprisingly stopped by the security guard on duty, and then...

The giant pincers suddenly knocked the security guard away, and the man in front of him was transformed into a red shrimp monster. It smashed open the gate and forced its way into the park.

I couldn't help but cover my mouth, but apart from me, the others didn't show any panic, only their expressions were serious.

Milno muttered to herself, "Have humans turned into monsters?"

"This is what happened in the park near the airport at noon."

Spica crossed her fingers and replied, "My initial guess is that it's probably an infiltration weapon like the UI-31. However, this monster was very purposeful. It rushed into the park and specifically killed a woman before indiscriminately attacking others. Fortunately, a magical girl from outside arrived at the airport, otherwise the situation would have been much worse... The Association's early warning mechanism is based on the premise that the wormhole is open. Skipping this step and appearing directly is beyond the capabilities of the existing systems."

The methods of intrusion on the other side have changed.

Is this change related to Dad?

Miss Jizhen Gouyin asked, "Director Spica, who is this foreign magical girl you mentioned?"

"It was Antarctica and Fura, the 'Goddess of Agriculture' from Britain. The incident happened suddenly, and the two of them failed to capture the strange man alive. They defeated him almost instantly. Miss Fura also provided emergency treatment to the wounded on the scene. Even so, this invasion still resulted in the deaths of thirteen people."

Miss Antarctic Star has come to Changkong City too?

Miss Tensaku also raised her hand and asked, "If there really are infiltrator-type monsters who can disguise themselves as humans, shouldn't we tell the public? Why do we still need to keep it a secret?"

"Because it's not certain yet."

Spica opens a document on the projected screen.

"This is the information on the man who became a monster. He and the woman who was the main target were once in a relationship. We found some clues on the victim's phone. Before the incident, the woman had received death threats from this man."

"Death threat?"

"Would a weirdo do something like this?"

The crowd was buzzing with discussion when Sirius, who had remained silent from the beginning, finally spoke up.

She asked, "Gentlemen, I'd like to ask you this first: if this isn't just a freak, but an 'ordinary person' who gained power from the other side and turned into a monster... could you still bring yourself to kill them?"

Spica's questions are not unfounded, after all, empty wormholes appeared some time ago, and those wormholes did send something...

Sirius's question silenced the room as everyone pondered their own answers.

me too.

If the other party is a human turned monster, should you still kill them?

Chapter Sixteen Black Crystal

(Sun Yao)

"It depends on the situation, doesn't it?"

Miss Metal was the first to speak.

Although she had transformed, she didn't wear the JK uniform-style battle outfit; she was still wearing her dark green work clothes.

"Whether a person can turn back into a monster after becoming one, whether they acquired their power voluntarily, whether they can maintain their rationality and self, and how to deal with humans who have turned into monsters, require further observation before a conclusion can be drawn."

A very rational answer.

Sirius pressed further: "You mean, once you're certain the other person can't turn back, you'll kill them?"

"That's right, but it's out of necessity."

Sirius then looked at the others and asked, "Do the others have similar thoughts?"

Miluno simply said, "Save them if you can, otherwise deal with them on the spot. Let's capture a few alive first before drawing any conclusions."

“I agree with Miluno’s opinion.”

When I said this, the other magical girls all agreed, and no one raised any objections.

Spica continued, "Judging from the battle on Antarctica, the monsters that humans have turned into are not as strong as the monsters from the other side. Their fighting style is closer to that of instinctive beasts than to warriors with combat intelligence. The problem is that this unpredictable stealth greatly increases the number of casualties."

Metal added, "There have been two 'empty wormholes' in the last two days, right?"

“That’s right. There’s at least one more weirdo or someone who has gained weirdo powers lurking in Changkong City. This man himself has extreme violent tendencies, which is why he was exposed so quickly. If the remaining one is good at hiding, it will be difficult for us to find him with our current technology.”

Miss Feng Hua asked with her eyes closed, "So how does the association plan to respond, and what kind of cooperation do they need from us?"

"If possible, I hope everyone will take the initiative to patrol their respective areas so that we can arrive at the scene as soon as possible after an incident. If a wormhole appears again, the association will designate a one-kilometer radius around the wormhole as a restricted area and dispatch personnel to search for the whereabouts of the 'other side' forces..."

“I disagree, Spica.”

Sirius, however, objected.

"A prolonged lockdown will cause public protests, you know? Do you know how many people will be affected within a kilometer of the city center?"

Miss Spica replied, "This is just necessary patience; it's better than someone dying, isn't it?"

"You always think everything will go according to your plan, but the association is in the eye of the storm. Any unreasonable measures will be met with resistance. Even if the government is willing to cooperate with the association, the public will definitely protest... Sigh, only after becoming the acting chairman myself did I realize how amazing Aji is."

Is this her way of acknowledging her father?

Miss Spica countered, "Then what are your brilliant ideas?"

Sirius stood up, holding the microphone.

"The time is ripe, Spica! Our wormhole technology should be ready for practical application! Use our wormholes to block the wormhole on the 'other side'! No matter what kind of monsters or things come out, send them all to the battlefield we've prepared. As the defenders, we can gain the upper hand!"

"Phew, you think I haven't thought of this option?"

Miss Spica shook her head and said, "Since the other side made the first move, no matter how fast our calculation speed is, our deployment speed will always be a step behind, and we will be unable to intercept what the 'other side' throws out in the first instant."

"..."

If it's about interception, my magic seems capable of that too...

But I'm alone, so I can't always be exactly where the wormhole unfolds, especially if there's an empty wormhole.

“If there are no other problems, let’s proceed with my plan… Seruno.”

"Ah? Yes!"

Being suddenly called out by Ms. Spica made me a little nervous.

"You stay behind; some research requires your assistance. Everyone else, please increase security in your areas."

"okay!"

"Well, that concludes the agenda for this meeting. Dismissed."

------

Everyone else left first.

I was the only one who went with Spica and Sirius to the branch's upper-level research department, but I still didn't know what kind of research it was...

"Let's do it here."

They simply led me to a reception room.

"Serno, deactivate your transformation and show me your Star Crystal."

That's what Spica said. I instinctively resisted turning back, but after only a moment's hesitation, I obediently deactivated the transformation...

"what?"

Sirius asked, "It seems like it can't be resolved either?"

"...Hmm, what's going on?"

"Serno-chan, I'll be blunt: your crystal has been corrupted by the power of 'the other side,' and you are now a magical girl close to a witch."

Do I possess the power of a witch?

When was it...?

"what!"

I've got it.

“That’s right. Your crystal was retrieved from Aji’s broken horn, but it contains not only the Star Crystal, but also the black crystal he absorbed before… That is probably the crystallization of power from ‘the other side’.”

It was after absorbing the Black Crystal that my father's strength increased dramatically, transforming him into the Gun Witch with the Dragon Factor.