Give children a little self-destruction shock to their worldview.

As the black-haired girl pondered this, she couldn't help but wonder if the dazzling hypnotic magic violated the rule that magical girls are not allowed to use magic on people indiscriminately.

I never imagined it was because I was too soft-hearted.

Since things have come to this, we have no choice but to accept reality.

Let's treat it as sprint training.

Mayumi Haga and Hitomi Tono took a bus to the mall together, but were attacked by a strange person within thirty minutes, and as usual, they got separated.

The former calmly merged into the crowd and fled, while the latter went to find a place to transform.

These days are really exhausting...

All that could be seen in front of Mayumi Haga were the backs of people's heads bobbing around. Although everyone was panicked, they were still able to evacuate in an orderly manner and head to a safe place to avoid the monster and the monsters it released.

Because there were too many people, Mayumi Haga couldn't run too fast. She adjusted her breathing to a jogging pace, slowed her steps slightly, and kept an eye on her surroundings.

Even though they knew there was no danger, some things had become instinctive and ingrained in their bones.

Suddenly, Mayumi Haga noticed something, looked up at the gradually cracking ceiling, and her eyes sharpened.

This attack was different from previous ones.

This time, there are two.

"Wa ...

The wailing, like an air raid siren, enveloped everyone, like sharp drills piercing their eardrums, causing splitting headaches.

A troublesome and useless fellow has arrived.

The weirdo who only knows how to cry, make a fuss, and cause destruction—the Sad Bear.

Its overall appearance is that of a chubby brown teddy bear, always with a crying face, appearing with wailing, and absorbing the sadness of those around it to become stronger.

However, because the magical girls in this world don't get sad during battles and their emotions are always positive and upbeat, and ordinary people are generally optimistic, the Sad Bear Doll is considered quite weak among the monsters.

Even so, it is still a threat to ordinary people. After all, it has the mind of a child and will cause destruction if things don't go its way.

For example, like this now.

The cracks overhead had reached their limit, and it looked like it was about to collapse.

—This is bad.

Mayumi Haga had deliberately slowed her pace and was now at the very back of the crowd. She could clearly see everything, including the collapsing ceiling and the debris about to fall on people's heads.

The magical girl should have made her appearance at this point.

But the situation is different now.

The only magical girl present, Crimson, was held back by another strange person, making it almost impossible for her to arrive in time.

If a piece of building debris of that size and weight were to fall on someone's head... someone would be injured, and might even die.

—Someone might die.

Such a thought only flashed through her mind, but her fear surged wildly, gripping Mayumi Haga's heart tightly.

In that instant when she focused her attention, everything slowed down, and the air seemed to turn into glue.

A golden ring appeared within his dark pupils.

"—" There were no random English words or other nonsensical transformation words; Mayumi Haga remained silent.

Then, project your past self onto the ground.

.................................................. .................................................. .

"This is bad, this is bad, this is bad, this is bad, this is bad..." The red magical girl flew at full speed, transforming into a crimson streak of light, "Why is there one over there too..."

After transforming, Hitomi Tono's hair, which was originally shoulder-length, has now grown to her waist and is tied in a side ponytail. At first glance, her dress appears quite simple, consisting of a short skirt for easy movement, paired with gloves and boots. However, upon closer inspection, one can still discreetly see the cherry blossom pattern.

She wore a small red cape on her shoulder, which rolled in the air in a beautiful arc with her movements.

Her appearance hasn't changed much... but even so, a magical girl won't be recognized by others.

What's more, her hair color has darkened! No one will recognize her!

Having just finished her battle with the monstrous figure representing fear—the Gentleman of the Abyss—Magical Girl Crimson only had a few specks of dust on her body. Her battle suit, after transforming, remained perfectly in place, without even a few wrinkles.

The Abyss Gentleman was indeed a formidable opponent; even after expending a considerable amount of Crimson's magic, she had not completely defeated him. He didn't seem inclined to fight her for long either, merely letting out two soft laughs before retreating.

Luring the tiger away from the mountain.

Magical Girl Crimson was, after all, a high school student of normal intelligence, and she reacted almost immediately. She then turned around and flew away without giving chase.

She broke out in a cold sweat.

When an eccentric person starts to play tricks, it's often the beginning of a major event.

This is quite different from a regular attack.

And... Mamiya is still over there!

Realizing this, the magical girl Crimson increased the magical output under her feet once again, and her speed increased to a point that was difficult to see.

Although this shopping mall is very large, and the Abyss Gentleman just transferred her away, she can return in just a few seconds if she flies at full speed.

Thirty seconds after the attack ended, the magical girl Crimson finally arrived at the scene.

There was a large hole in the ceiling on the first floor, and dust was still falling down. Dust-covered footprints were scattered at the doorway, but there was no one else in sight; the general public had probably already been evacuated.

Only the sad teddy bear lying unconscious on the ground, its clothes tattered and cotton wadding.

There were also strangers slowly getting up.

The stranger was also covered in white dust falling from the ceiling.

Her attire was not as ornate and elaborate as a magical girl's battle costume; it was very revealing, covering her entire body, with only her tightly pursed lips and scarred hands visible.

A dark hood embroidered with totem-like patterns connected to a small cape, covering the entire head. The leather armor was light yet sturdy, with a heavy shield and a black-gold scabbard fixed to the back, the sword held in the right hand.

The left hand looked a bit odd, and the cuff was a darker color than the other side, with dark liquid dripping down, making it hard to tell what it was.

Compared to the clean and refreshed magical girl Crimson after the battle, this scarred warrior's eyes were filled with only coldness.

Noticing the arrival of the magical girl Crimson, she merely turned her head slightly to the side before turning back, not taking the other party seriously.

Then, he raised the sword in his right hand.

Under the horrified gaze of the magical girl Crimson, the sword slashed down—

—Her own shattered left arm.

Blood splattered on the strange man's body and wounds, soaking into the white cotton and staining a large area red.

The heavy arm fell to the ground with a thud.

At the same time, the teddy bear's left arm also silently separated from its body, but there was no bleeding, and the cut surface was still a soft white piece.

The stranger paused, then let out a sigh that sounded like his throat was filled with blood, yet also like a soft laugh:

"...I see, so you don't bleed."

Main text: Chapter Three - The Taste of Sadness

On their way home, Mayumi Haga noticed that Hitomi Tono's face was deathly pale.

Both of them switched back to their normal state, so now they were two female high school students in casual clothes walking side by side on the road, the shorter one with a pale face.

Unlike magical girls, Mayumi Haga can't transform, but she can imbue herself with the concept of the past guardian, Mayumi Haga.

The guardian, Mayumi Haga, had white hair and was covered in scars from the life-and-death battles she had experienced. Her face was covered in huge scars, so her appearance was almost unrecognizable.

Realizing the profound impact her actions had on Hitomi Tono, a sense of guilt welled up within her calm heart, but not much.

That arm... wasn't intentionally cut off in front of Kotomi.

She used her left arm to block the debris from the building, but was later accidentally pinched by a sad bear, which couldn't control its strength and crushed her to pieces.

To be honest, it's not a big deal; she can recover on her own.

Her body wasn't as strong as the magical girls or monsters covered in magical fields, so it was normal for her to get injured accidentally. Anyway, she wouldn't die; as long as the necrotic parts were cut off, they could be replaced with new ones.

Mayumi Haga prefers to repair herself by replacing parts, which is faster. In her original world, although wounds can heal naturally, it's usually far less efficient than cutting them off and replacing them.

Furthermore, the "death" that lingers in the air can erode the body through wounds, and sometimes an injury can lead to infection, necessitating limb replacement.

Therefore, she developed the bad habit of replacing her entire arm even if it was just two cuts that exposed the flesh.

But to my surprise, both the Sad Bear and Xiaotong reacted so strongly.

The former, despite being the enemy, fainted on the spot because he was seriously injured.

She's probably a little afraid of blood.

That's good, it saves me a lot of effort.

The latter is...

Haga Mayumi was genuinely confused.

Would losing an arm really scare people?

Anyway, under the laws of this world, that arm will eventually melt into liquid and sublimate into nothingness after a while. It's just a bit shocking at first, but it won't pollute the environment, right?

Isn't this similar to the self-cleaning magic of magical girls?

I really don't understand.

Mayumi Haga, who once blew out the core hidden in her brain and then used the blast wave to send herself to another safe place to revive, finds this world a bit hard to understand.

But honestly, this world often seems cleaner than where she originally lived. There aren't countless rotting corpses, and the limbs she throws away are cleaned up by the laws of the world, so she doesn't need to find a place to bury or burn them... How convenient.

In fact, injuries, bleeding, and amputations are quite common occurrences.

I really don't understand why Xiaotong reacts so strongly to such an ordinary thing.

Compared to the nonchalant Mayumi Haga, Hitomi Tono's inner thoughts were much simpler.

...My arm...it's broken...so much blood...it's horrible...

The magical girl Crimson was in a daze, her face pale and her steps unsteady.

After dealing with the strange man, the unfamiliar black-hooded, one-armed man turned and left without even glancing at the magical girl Crimson.

The latter, in a daze, didn't chase after it. He just stood there and watched as the arm turned into a pool of orange-red liquid and gradually disappeared in front of him, which shocked him even more.

When she came to her senses, she had already deactivated her transformation and stood there dumbfounded, her mind filled with disbelief.

Even the thought of the severed arm, still bearing the white bone fragments, makes me feel nauseous.

How terrifying... How could this be...

This time, it wasn't Magical Girl Crimson who found Mayumi Haga after she deactivated her transformation; rather, it was Mayumi Haga who found her first in the ruins.

It's getting late, it's time to go home.

The two walked side by side, only a shoulder's width apart, but their minds were filled with completely different thoughts.

Hitomi Tono, who was usually very talkative, was unusually quiet.

Meanwhile, inside the ruins of the shopping mall.

The sad bear still lay there quietly, its severed left arm lying in a pool of blood. People would not approach the area until the logistics team that was handling its case arrived.

Even while experiencing a mental shock, Magical Girl Crimson carefully examined its core. She confirmed that its monstrous core had escaped, and the giant teddy bear here was merely an empty shell.

It was still a badly damaged shell. Its left hand had been removed, and its fur was tattered and covered in dust.

To be honest, I've almost never seen such a horrific scene in a battle against a monster.

Even though they had anticipated that Sad Bear would be defeated, the Abyss Gentleman was still surprised when he came to reclaim Sad Bear's body.

How could it be damaged like this...?

The man in the top hat and all-black suit was taken aback.

Two white orbs widened on his dark, empty face, and his white mouth, which had been curved upwards like a crescent moon, drooped down, displaying a sad expression:(.

He quickly approached Xiao Bei's body, but the Gentleman of the Abyss did not hear her crying.

How strange, I clearly sensed that Xiao Bei was nearby...?

The Abyss Gentleman pursed his lips, making a surprised "/" expression, then carefully avoided the rubble under his feet while raising his voice to call out to his twin sister: "Little Sorrow? Hello? Where are you?"

Unlike before, she didn't burst into loud, aggrieved cries as soon as she heard her older brother's voice.