Regarding the fact that my best friend is a magical girl

(Albinocotyledon)

Although I really wanted to leave, I was worried about Yangyan's condition, so I came to the treatment center with her to complete the examination.

This is a subordinate organization of the Magical Girl Association. The association fully understands the psychology of magical girls who want to hide their identities, so even if you are a magical girl who has not yet registered, it is perfectly fine. As long as you are a magical girl, you can receive top-notch treatment here for free.

Although it sounds wonderful, I've never used it even once.

One reason is that I am too strong and have never been injured so far.

On the other hand, these so-called free treatments make it hard not to suspect that there are other motives involved...

I don't really trust associations; usually, it's organizations like that that are the real masterminds.

"You have eighteen fractures of varying sizes all over your body, as well as internal bleeding, soft tissue contusions, sprains, and so on. The doctor said you can't get out of bed for at least a month and can't fight for three months. If you turn off the transformation now, your life will be in danger. So let's keep the Star Crystal inside your body for now."

Unable to move, Yang Yan nodded and whispered, "Thank you, Miss Miluno."

I'm the one who should be thanking her. If she hadn't risked her life to save me, I would have lost my best friend.

After retrieving her battle armor and repairing it with the Star Crystal, Yang Yan, now dressed in the institution's hospital gown, looked like a sickly girl with bandages and a cast on her body, without her flashy outfit.

Her personality isn't as fiery as her nickname suggests; at least in front of me, she's quite docile.

"Don't say that. In order to completely hide my identity, it's inconvenient for me to move around during the day. You've been working hard all this time."

"Then why did you come this time? Could it be that you've seen through the enemy's characteristics?"

Because some idiot ran into the cordon without permission...

But I can't say that.

"No, I don't know the enemy's capabilities either, but your final explosion wasn't entirely useless. That thing becomes fragile when it's red-hot, which is why I was able to kick it to pieces with one blow."

She gave a bitter smile.

"Miss Miluno, you don't need to comfort me. You're so strong, that guy poses no threat to you at all, right?"

"Is that right?"

"Of course!"

During the conversation, a woman in a suit walked in from outside the ward.

Aside from medical staff, the only people in the treatment facility were the injured magical girl and association staff, so her identity was not hard to guess.

"It seems the association needs to see you. I'll be going now. Yang Yan, get some rest."

"Yes, Miss Miluno, take care."

Just as I was about to leave, the woman in the suit called out to me.

"Please wait a moment! I also have something I'd like to discuss with you!"

It makes me a little uncomfortable to be addressed with honorifics by people older than me.

"What is it? If it's something like trying to persuade me to register, then don't bother. I'm a proponent of protecting my identity."

"Of course, our association understands your difficulties. All your compensation to date has been accumulated and will be given to you when you are willing to register."

In other words, you don't get paid if you don't register...

They could have given it to me in cash, but mentioning it now is way too obvious.

"So what are you trying to say?"

“Miss Miluno, the association would like to ask you to continue your activities during the day as much as possible, since no one can fill the void left by Miss Yangyan at the moment.”

"That's no problem."

"In addition, the association has also arranged a new member, and we would like to ask you to be lenient with her and take some time to guide her."

"I don't need collaborators."

I declined because it sounded too complicated.

Although saying this might reinforce the stereotype of the "ice queen," my principle after transforming myself has always been to avoid too much interaction with others. The more I interact with others, the greater the risk of exposure.

Yang Yan, who was unable to move freely in his hospital bed, sighed.

"Sigh, how about... I take on the task of mentoring the newcomers?"

"Kagerou? But you're already like this, how can you still give me guidance?"

"Miss Miluno only needs to ensure the safety of the newcomer. I will communicate with her remotely and provide guidance during the day. You can continue to maintain your mystery, and the newcomer will be able to adapt quickly. Is that alright with you?"

"If it's just as a bodyguard, and there's no need for physical contact... that's fine."

Kagerou's proposal was quite constructive, so I agreed to it.

"Really? That's great!"

The woman in the suit looked surprised and then handed over her business card.

"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself... My name is Yin Lu, and I'm the association's liaison. I'm usually responsible for contacting the magical girls and handling various follow-up matters. If you two need anything, you can just ask me."

"Is this the liaison officer?"

"If you don't mind, you can call me Lu'er."

"Luo'er? That sounds like a magical girl's name?"

Yin Lu smiled wryly, "If I could find a matching Star Crystal, I would really like to become a magical girl instead of silently assisting everyone elsewhere, training new subordinates, and teaching them how to help magical girls with pre-battle preparations and concealing their identities."

This is not surprising; being a magical girl is the most ideal profession in today's society.

Not only are there high rewards for raiding, but during battles, people will help prepare various countermeasures, and afterwards, someone will come to clean up the battlefield. In daily life, because someone helps to conceal their identity, they won't be attacked like idols when walking at night.

Of course, as an unregistered, wild magical girl, I can't enjoy many of these services.

However, becoming a magical girl isn't something you can just decide to do. People who can resonate with the Star Crystal are already rare, and to actually encounter that one destined for you is even more difficult.

"Miss Lu'er, I have other things to attend to, so I'll be leaving now!"

"Oh, okay, Miss Miluno, please feel free to contact me anytime if you'd like to register!"

------

After leaving the medical facility, I found a corner on the street to deactivate my transformation, and then took a bus back to my high-rise apartment in the D3 area.

Of course, I also took my and Ayao's backpacks back with me on the way.

It was already evening when I got home.

I knocked on the door next door... but Yao hadn't come back yet.

After all that happened, and he was eventually taken away by the police, I don't know if he'll have to spend a few nights in detention.

I turned on the air conditioner and picked up the tablet computer from the sofa.

"The battle video has been uploaded. The association is really efficient today."

Reviewing my own battle replays and examining myself from a third-party perspective has always been a challenge for me. It's not about reflecting on the details of the battles; I'm just worried about giving myself away.

It was rare for them to be deployed in broad daylight, but surprisingly, they didn't become the focus of the afternoon's battle.

"An otaku broke into the scene to take photos, almost causing the magical girl's death..."

Ayao's appearance at the scene was captured by a drone, which led to Yang Yan being put on a stretcher, and all of this was broadcast live online.

"...We're doomed."

I finally realized how serious the problem was.

For a time, calls to condemn A Yao dominated public opinion, and some even called for the death penalty.

This kind of cyberbullying is irrational, yet it is also understandable.

As the only means for humanity to fight back against invaders from outside the world, the status of magical girls in this society is self-evident. Even a bomb maniac like Kagerou, who destroys an entire city block every time she makes a move, has a certain number of followers online.

Most of these followers, like Ayao, are fans of magical girls.

But right now, it's these magical girl fans who most want to tear A Yao apart.

Based on my understanding of this group, if they had the chance to witness the battle between magical girls, any of the other members of them might have done the same thing as Ayao. Irrationality is what they all have in common, and the long period of zero casualties has numbed their sense of crisis.

"Sigh, Ayao is truly socially dead."

I sighed, rubbing my forehead, when the doorbell rang.

It must be Ayao, right?

With that thought in mind, I opened the door.

"Released so quickly... Um, who are you looking for?"

Standing at the door was a pink-clad, very cute girl I had never seen before.

Chapter 4: She Became a Magical Girl!

(Albinocotyledon)

With a complicated expression, she spoke hesitantly.

"Ye Zi, can I come in and talk to you?"

My lips twitched uncontrollably.

The super-orthodox pink-clad magical girl in front of me is clearly Ayao.

That makes sense.

Under normal circumstances, if something like that happens, it's basically impossible to live a normal life anymore. It's even more terrifying than having someone impersonate you and steal your household registration. Even if there are no relevant laws to punish him, he will still suffer from the cold violence of the entire society.

After all, the video of that battle was on the association's website. Although the association had blurred A Yao's face, it wasn't during the live stream. That idiot's face had already spread all over the internet, plus the news that Yang Yan was unable to fight because of it...

I'm afraid that tomorrow morning, the apartment building will be blocked by unscrupulous media and angry young people.

At first glance, Ayao's only options seem to be exile overseas, or going to prison and spending his whole life there to quell the public's anger.

Either way, it's tragic; life ends prematurely.

But in reality, he didn't only have two paths to choose from.

Very simple.

All I need to do is abandon my current identity and become a completely different person.