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

As the holder of this aura, Haga Mayumi will become the target of everyone's attacks.

However, this was nothing to her.

As long as we stall for time, we won't lose many lives.

In Megaranes' view, Mayumi Haga didn't really need to concern herself with this matter.

After all, Mayumi Haga's own life is also quite limited. It's one thing not to cherish the remaining life, but to waste it on people she has only known for a short time in this world... She's incredibly foolish.

“I don’t understand,” Megrana said, puzzled. “Why are you helping them? What good will it do you?”

Although Mayumi Haga is someone who likes to meddle in other people's business, at a time like this, does she still have the mind to join in the fun?

“…I need to enter the spiritual veins of this world,” Mayumi Haga explained to Megaran.

She had actually thought about what she could do with the rest of her time.

She couldn't fight the calamity for long... but the Guardian Cores she kept in her backpack could still be awakened.

In the original world, Mayumi Haga carefully stored all the Guardian Cores she could collect in her backpack, but due to a lack of revival energy, these predecessors remained dormant.

According to Ulzana, the energy of the [Fire Seed] can currently only be supplied to Mayumi Haga.

After becoming a magical girl agent, Mayumi Haga read a lot of books about magic and learned that the existence of spirit veins is quite similar to the river of life to some extent. So she wondered if she could use the spirit veins to nurture the "fire seed" and awaken other guardians.

The spiritual vein itself is a highly secluded and special place, and only those with the corresponding qualifications can enter it.

If Mayumi Haga had placed the crucial [Fire Seed] and core inside, perhaps a hundred years later, another guardian could have awakened.

This was her little selfish desire; after all, she couldn't let the last trace of her world disappear with her.

To accomplish this, one must first obtain the qualification to enter the spiritual vein.

Therefore, she chose to cooperate with the Abyss Gentleman who had access to the spiritual veins.

So the guardian girl, disguised as a strange person, stood before the magical girl who couldn't transform.

Chapter 129 I Trust You Completely

What appeared before Hitomi Tono was Mayumi Haga's transformation into a monster.

This was a fact that was completely incomprehensible to her little mind.

In fact, Hitomi Tono's mind works much faster than usual when it comes to romance, but faced with this situation, and with Mayumi Haga involved... her brain almost overloaded and shut down on the spot.

You're kidding me...? Mayumi turned into a weirdo?

Although she didn't listen to Sugiyama Rika's teachings much, nor did she actively study magic knowledge, she was still aware of the common-sense fact that freaks wouldn't be born among humans.

The Mayumi Haga I saw not long ago was clearly a completely human being, so why is she now...?

Could it be that people from another world have different physical constitutions?

But in any case, now is not the time to stand here and daydream.

Tono Hitomi took a slight breath, and just as she was about to speak after organizing her thoughts, Haga Mayumi spoke first calmly, "Are you going to seal me away?"

Hitomi Tono's words caught in her throat.

Before she could answer, Mayumi Haga continued, "As a magical girl, you should have sent a signal the moment you discovered me, so that others could come over."

"How... how can you hear telepathic communication, Mayumi?!" Hitomi Tohno exclaimed in surprise. "Is it because you're a monster now?"

Although I still find it hard to believe, Mayumi is indeed a strange person now.

Seeing her reaction, Mayumi Haga realized that Hitomi Tono had no intention of making a move. While she breathed a sigh of relief, she was still a little disappointed.

Since her brief time fighting alongside Hitomi Tohno, she has come to realize that magical girls, to some extent, play a role similar to her own guardians, and can be trusted in certain situations.

However, Hitomi Tono is too naive. After realizing that the enemy is herself, she doesn't even have the slightest defense... Such qualities cannot be called those of a warrior.

The feeling that Mayumi Haga had for Tono Hitomi, who showed no improvement whatsoever, could perhaps be described as disappointment and frustration.

Normally, Mayumi Haga would rarely have such meddlesome thoughts, but given her current unusual state, it's understandable.

Mayumi Haga gave up on leaving through the open window behind her. After all, in this world, her best hiding place was still this home protected by the barrier set up by Rika Sugiyama.

If Hitomi Tono reveals her location, the pressure she will face will increase dramatically.

It has to be said that Hitomi Tono's arrival was unexpected... This little accident, while not ruining her plans, was still enough to make her suffer a little.

—If Hitomi Tono intends to betray her.

But it's clear that Hitomi Tono is a selfish person whose personal interests far outweigh her responsibilities.

One reason she didn't send a signal immediately was to investigate what had happened to Mayumi Haga, and the other reason was that Mayumi Haga was someone she liked, and she was more inclined to side with Mayumi Haga.

Tono Hitomi's lips curled down as she stared intently at Mayumi Haga's eyes as they drew closer, without backing away as she approached.

There was no wavering in her clear pink eyes. Even though she was no match for her opponent without transforming, and even though his height made her feel intimidated, forcing her to tilt her chin up as he approached, she did not back down in the slightest.

She looked directly into those dark, golden eyes, but her words came out perfectly justified: "I'm not covering for you, Mayumi."

"...If you were working with me, you would have completely failed in your duty from the very first second you didn't take any action," Mayumi Haga said, sounding inexplicably annoyed.

Her shadow loomed over Hitomi Tono, and because they were so close, Hitomi subconsciously lowered her voice.

She took something out of her backpack, something cool and damp, and pressed it against Tono Hitomi's neck. Because they were so close and Mayumi Haga moved so quickly, Tono Hitomi didn't see what it was, and simply obediently raised her chin without resisting.

After Mayumi Haga finished pasting the things, Hitomi Tono, who finally realized she had been used as a "hostage," smiled and said, "To me, this is called 'trust.' Mayumi, you won't do anything bad, right?"

“But I just stuck a homemade bomb on your neck,” Mayumi Haga said, trying to be as fierce and serious as possible with this grinning guy.

Hitomi Tono sniffed: "It doesn't smell like a bomb. And even if it were, it would only explode if Mayumi activated it."

Mayumi Haga remained silent.

This was indeed a homemade bomb she made using her own materials, powerful enough to sever Tono Hitomi's neck... provided she actually knew how to activate it.

For a typical magical girl, transforming and donning a magical shield would prevent her slender neck from being blown apart. However, Hitomi Tono is currently unable to transform, and from that perspective alone, she can indeed pose a threat.

But Mayumi Haga's goal was merely to buy time, not to wreak havoc in this world.

Of course, he had no intention of harming Hitomi Tono in front of him.

It was precisely because the other party was so familiar with Mayumi Haga's temperament that they acted so recklessly at this time.

“Someone is really being completely controlled…” The voice of a water demon’s head slowly came from Mayumi Haga’s waist.

All that could be seen was Mayumi Haga tucking Megaran's head into his belt. Megaran overheard the conversation between the two and couldn't help but sigh.

"Tono, that move of yours is really powerful... mmm?"

To prevent Megaran from revealing his plans, Mayumi Haga casually put her into his backpack and went to eat at the buffet.

I originally didn't want this guy to stay in my backpack, lest I get bitten every time I wanted to take something out.

Now... there are two people in the backpack, they should be keeping an eye on each other, right?

...I think so, right?

do not care.

Mayumi Haga had a bit of a headache.

Not only towards Megaran, but also towards Hitomi Tono standing in front of him.

One or two of them are not easy to deal with.

After dealing with the noisy Megranie, the only sounds in the room were the whistling wind and the soft breathing of the two people.

Mayumi Haga was the first to look away, no longer meeting the gaze of Hitomi Tono, whose neck was covered by her own flesh bomb.

She glanced at the clock; there were still twelve hours until dawn.

Mayumi Haga would try to distract the magical girl as much as possible at night, so that at the moment the sun rose, the Gentleman of the Abyss would be ready to enter the ley line... That was the plan.

Then, Mayumi Haga glanced at Hitomi Tono, who had run to the refrigerator to pour drinks, completely oblivious to the fact that she was being held hostage.

This seems to be a way of diverting attention... right?

Main text: Entering a new phase, and resuming updates tomorrow.

I've finally moved out of the dorm and am renting an apartment on my own! Wuhu!

I've been busy with this for the past few days.

The broadband is set up, and most of the things have been bought. Now I can make my own decisions about all my time... It feels quite different.

As you all probably know, I've been busy with graduation lately, and things like my thesis and defense have been taking up a lot of my energy. Actually, there's still a whole host of graduation-related issues to deal with. The school's administrative efficiency is too low, so I'll inevitably have to go back and deal with them later.

But at least the aimless busyness has come to an end, and I'm out of the big picture. The next thing to think about is how to support myself.

I moved out of the dormitory and left home, using my writing fees to rent a place, intending to support myself with my strengths first, and then improve myself in the process.

(In plain language: work full-time for a while and save some money)

Therefore, I will write this book with a different attitude than usual. You don't need to worry that I will run away, because once the arrow is released, there is no turning back. The pigeons need to make some rice.

Updates will resume tomorrow!

Text: Chapter 130 Mayumi? !

“Sugiyama Rikka”.

A cold voice came from the shadows that had appeared overhead, and Sugiyama Rika knew who it was without even looking up.

She pounded on her phone, which had lost signal in this place, and after trying for a long time, she still couldn't transfer files in the deep cave. She had no choice but to give up and, in a fit of frustration, banged the edge of the phone against the rock wall.

The woman suspended in mid-air felt a pang of heartache upon seeing this.

"You can give me your phone if you don't need it anymore..." the woman said.

She wore a white robe with gold trim, her long, blue-purple curly hair cascading over her shoulders, the ends brushing against the gold star brooch on her chest, and her whole body shimmering.

To be honest, the woman and the pitch-black cave, with Sugiyama Rika exploring this godforsaken place in her adventurer gear, are completely different in style.

She seems more like the intellectual, indoor type who'd be better suited to sitting in a single reading chair, sipping coffee and reading a book, preferably wearing coral fleece pajamas and slippers.

In fact, this is how women spend most of their time inside the Star Tower.

The Tower of Stars contains all the books of this world's past, present, and future. Even if her lifespan has been extended to an incredible number, it would be impossible for her to read all of them.

Moreover, the Star Tower has Wi-Fi. Recently, women's hobbies have shifted from reading to gaming, and they wish they could spend 24 hours a day playing games.

The woman is satisfied with her life, but feels a little lonely.

Only when she is needed will she reluctantly emerge from the most comfortable doghouse in the world and slowly make her way to her workplace.

In fact, she usually handles the work, after all, she is the least senior member of the Star Tower, and even so, she is over five hundred years old.

The magicians of the Star Tower don't really like working, so after accepting new recruits, they leave the less important tasks to them while they themselves go off to maintain the order of the spirit veins—which is actually just sleeping within the spirit veins, waiting to be awakened during a crisis someday.

She's the only one left who can work at the Star Tower now.

She really wanted to recruit... no, I should say invite a new member into the Star Tower.

That way, she can enjoy her retirement life... cough cough.

In short, the immediate priority is to find qualified newcomers.

The woman had already identified a promising young man.

The other person came into contact with a spiritual vein and became a half-elf, yet was able to maintain a human physical form. They have a cheerful and upright personality and were once a magical girl.

Having been a magical girl, one's work enthusiasm is undoubtedly exceptional; after all, not everyone is willing to work for free for five or six years straight.

They are the perfect candidate.

Unfortunately, this magician named Sugiyama Rika had no intention of entering the Tower of Stars.

The woman did not give up. When she was out on field missions, she would always send messages to Sugiyama Rika's side, trying to persuade Sugiyama Rika to become her successor.

However, this time, she came to see Sugiyama Rika for something important.

Before we could even get down to business, we saw this spendthrift magician tapping his phone against the wall, listening to the sound as he tried to physically activate it. I couldn't help but feel sorry for him: "If you don't want the phone, you can give it to me..."

Interestingly, Star Tower magicians don't actually receive a proper salary.

They gained long life and access to infinite knowledge, but they had no worldly wealth and were often penniless. Moreover, because they stayed in the Star Tower, the outside world changed rapidly, and they rarely went out to earn money to travel in the world.

In other words, they've been staying home for too long, haven't had a proper job, and are short on cash.

In contrast, Sugiyama Rika, who has never had a proper job but has no financial burden due to her family's circumstances, said: "Huh? But this phone doesn't work... Here, take it."

Sugiyama Rika felt a little embarrassed to give away his secondhand phone, so he decided to prepare a new one for the woman next time, so she wouldn't have to send it to him every time and nag him about it.

Can't I make a phone call?