Mahou Shoujo Ikusei Keikaku - Volume 1 - Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

THE PRINCESS AND HER FOUR FOLLOWERS

Magical girls weren’t so different from normal humans, in terms of their species. They were human, and humans could become magical girls. But the ones who made that leap could no longer be compared with normal people. Magic allowed them to draw forth exponentially more power.

“To lose the right to become a magical girl is to lose one’s essence as a living being. In other words, death, pon.”

“But that’s exactly the problem! I’d rather go back to being normal than die!”

“Complain all you like, there’s nothing that can be done now, pon.”

“Nothing that can be done?!”

“Magical girls are natural-born warriors—their destiny is to fight, pon. Unflinching in the face of danger, they use brains, courage, and magic to overcome any crisis. The stronger the foe, the greater the joy—”

Snow White shut off her magical phone, abruptly ending her conversation with Fav. A few days ago she’d read through the logs and found the conversation between Cranberry and the mascot, which had led to a never-ending argument that only spun its wheels. When she said she’d rather quit than die, Fav revealed that if she quit she’d die anyway.

“You should have warned us!”

“No one forced you to pick up the game.”

On and on the argument stretched. They were like two parallel lines, never meeting in the middle.

Snow White sighed. She couldn’t tell anyone what she was. Doing so would mean she’d forfeit her powers and die. She couldn’t even tell her parents or friends her life would end, or she’d perish on the spot.

Two days after the chat, a small blurb in the obituary section of the local newspaper revealed that a twenty-four-year-old female, one Nemu Sanjou, had passed. Her time of death was the time the chat had ended, and the cause of death was a sudden heart attack despite no history of illness. All these factors led to one conclusion. It had to have been Nemurin.

We’re really… gonna die.

Snow White sighed again, then gazed out at the horizon. With her magically improved eyesight, she could see every detail of the ocean, even from atop the steel tower. Dozens of fishing boats were setting out for the open ocean. They get to be so carefree, and I have to deal with this. She felt an unreasonable anger inside, but knowing it was irrational just made her depressed.

I’ve just been worrying about myself. I’m putting my own life above Nemurin’s death. We talked so much, and we were such good friends, but after some crying and a night’s sleep all I can think about is myself. I feel guilty. I’m scared to die. My stomach hurts. I wanna throw up. But I don’t wanna die. I don’t wanna die. I don’t wanna die. I don’t wanna die. I’m scared to die.

An electronic beeping brought her back to reality. Next to her was La Pucelle, fiddling with her magical device.

“What are you doing?”

She heard a noise like a level-up chime from an RPG.

“Mind checking your magical phone for me?”

“Sure, but… what are you doing?”

She turned on her phone and checked the screen. Displayed were the time, humidity, temperature, her magical candy total…

“Huh?”

Assuming her memory wasn’t off, she’d had more candy the previous night. Yet somehow her total had been cut in half.

“Wait, what the heck happened? Oh my gosh!”

“Calm down. I’ll send them back.”

Again came the level-up sound, and Snow White’s candy total was the same as she remembered.

“What is this?”

“Fav told us there’d been an update to the magical phones. They added the ability to share magical candy. You can do it even if the other phone is off. It takes a little while to complete the transfer, though.”

“Oh… So?”

“It’s probably Fav’s way of telling us to work together to get more candy, considering the timing of the update.”

Snow White studied the knight sitting next to her. Even with the cold and cloudy night sky as a background, her face was noble and beautiful—and just a little bit excited.

“Sou, are you gonna go get candy?”

“Stop calling me Sou. And if I don’t gather candy I’m gonna get the ax, literally. So it’s better than nothing.”

“You’re not scared or anything?”

“Are you scared, Snow White?”

“Sure I am. I don’t want to let anyone else die, or die myself. Then I wouldn’t be able to see my parents, my friends, I wouldn’t be able to watch magical-girl anime, eat good food, see cool stuff, laugh…”

“I know it’s scary. I’m scared, too. Who wouldn’t be?”

La Pucelle’s expression hardened. Startled, Snow White tried to distance herself, but La Pucelle placed a hand on hers. Snow White swallowed, finding herself unable to reject her.

“But if we let the fear paralyze us, it’ll be us on the chopping block next. You don’t want that, do you? So let’s work hard together.”

She would have been right at home with the girls on TV she’d cheered for all those years—ready to challenge even the strongest enemy with a heart determined to protect those important to her. Were the others thinking the same thing? Were they steeling their resolves, just as La Pucelle had? Snow White felt like the odd one out for being so scared. Was she the strange one? What would Nemurin say? Snow White recalled her smiling face, all ears to yet another story of adventure. She wiped her eyes with her sleeve.

“Don’t cry, Snow White.”

La Pucelle drew her sword from its sheath, offered the handle to her, and took a knee. The blade was nearly two feet long, its steel sparkling.

“My sworn friend Snow White, I vow to be your sword, no matter what befalls me.”

Her words and actions seemed rehearsed, but her eyes were sincere. Despite being told not to cry, Snow White couldn’t suppress the great big tears spilling forth. She hugged La Pucelle tightly and put her lips to her ear.

“Thank you…”

Sensing the warmth of La Pucelle’s body, her face began to burn. She glanced at her friend, whose cheeks also seemed to burn a deep shade of red.

Ripple had no idea what Top Speed liked about her, but she was acutely aware of her new title—partner. In chat, the witch went on about “my partner this” and “my partner that” and then made sure to let Ripple know, even though she never asked. It annoyed her. The only sounds from her mouth were tongue clicks. But the ninja never turned her away or yelled at, abused, or hit her, instead choosing to let her talk. Top Speed, taking Ripple’s silence as approval, showed up almost daily to pick her up for a night of candy gathering. But Ripple hadn’t simply caved. She wouldn’t be putting herself through hell for no good reason.

Ripple’s pinpoint accurate shuriken only helped those in need if they were in a very dangerous situation, and those didn’t happen every day. Ripple’s only recourse was to use her enhanced physical abilities, something any other magical girl could do. She had no special advantage.

Top Speed, on the other hand, had the unique ability of flight, thanks to her magic broomstick, Rapid Swallow. This was far more useful than Ripple’s ability to throw things. It wasn’t a matter of helping people more easily—it was much easier to search from the skies for chances to lend a hand.

When she heard about Nemurin’s death, Top Speed raged and cried. Ripple, however, calmly considered what actions to take in the future. Of course, she couldn’t deny she was angry at the mysterious force putting her life in danger, and the fear of death was so painful she wanted to clutch at her chest to suppress it. But still, she did her best to remain calm. She had to gather candy like her life depended on it, because it literally did. Everything that could be used, should be used. If Top Speed provided a unique advantage, she had no choice but to put up with the irritation in silence.

From Rapid Swallow’s rear seat, she zoomed around her designated area earning points. Top Speed’s dedication to survival was greater than expected. “I can’t die,” she’d declared to Ripple with an oddly serious expression. The silence she got in response had prompted an addendum. “I just need at least another six months,” she’d whispered. Ripple questioned this oddly specific amount of time, but Top Speed simply smiled wryly and didn’t answer. She wrote it off as more babbling.

“So today we’ll be flying along the national highway, okay?”

“Roger…”

“I wish there was a place we could earn a little more points, though.”

Ripple had suggested the red-light district would be more profitable, but the largest one in the city was in the Jounan district. That was Calamity Mary’s territory, and Top Speed had firmly rejected the idea. Ripple had questioned her lack of dedication, considering they could die if they failed, but Top Speed insisted it made no sense to put themselves in danger when the goal was to live longer. In the end, they settled on making do with the districts they’d been assigned.

Nakayado and Kitayado had respectable populations, but the militaristic air of their castle-town days was long gone. Truthfully, the people were quite mellow. This was not a bad thing—in fact, she preferred this—but that naturally came with a lower number of opportunities to assist.

The two of them stayed up all night searching for problems to solve, even skipping meals, and generally kept quite busy. Of course, once a magical girl was transformed, hunger and fatigue became nonfactors. But above all, they didn’t want to die.

While “annoying but useful, thus worth putting up with” was Ripple’s appraisal of Top Speed, something she’d obviously never say out loud, she couldn’t help but raise that evaluation a little every time they landed on the roof of the Seventh Sankou building after a ride on her magic broomstick.

Since each girl had her own unique ability, forming a team with trustworthy people was the best way to gather candy efficiently. But for Ripple, who preferred to be alone and had always avoided contact with her colleagues other than Top Speed, this was no easy task.

For this reason, Top Speed flew in two more of their number. With her wide network of connections as a regular chat attendee, it was no surprise she knew a few who could be trusted not to stab them in the back, at least.

The two introduced themselves as Sister Nana and Weiss Winterprison. Sister Nana’s appearance was obviously that of a nun. Her costume resembled the traditional habit, especially the veil and long skirt, and her face had an air of kindness to it. Yet a real nun would never allow a thigh-high slit on her skirt or wear a garter belt on top of white stockings. Ripple wondered if it was just magical-girl style to inspire lust with normally impossible combinations.

On first glance, Weiss Winterprison seemed to be a man. Her brown hair was trimmed short, and she was a head taller than Ripple. A coat covered in belts, almost like a straitjacket, draped over her body. The scarf around her neck was so long it dangled by her feet, and she used it to hide her mouth. Her austere garb was colored black from head to foot, and while her face was beautiful, as befitting a magical heroine, it was an androgynous beauty. The coat around her hid all signs of feminine lines. She most strongly resembled a prince of a foreign country.

“It’s good to meet you, Ripple. I am Sister Nana. Pleasure to make your acquaintance. This is Weiss Winterprison.”

“Hi.”

Sister Nana spoke softly, which to Ripple meant she was slow of mind. Winterprison’s voice was low, her demeanor curt. To Ripple, this was a sign of a superiority complex. Neither made an incredible first impression, but then again, no one had ever made a good first impression on Ripple. That wasn’t hugely concerning. What was concerning was Top Speed’s troubled expression as she dropped them off. After a few more formalities, Sister Nana began.

“I think this is wrong.”

She got straight to the point.

“What’s wrong?”

“This situation. We were given power to bring peace to the world of man, not to hate, quarrel, and compete among ourselves. What good can this accomplish?”

She clasped Ripple’s hands and drew closer. Ripple frowned, but the nun paid her no mind and continued.

“It is during times like these that we must band together.”

“Yeah, but what exactly are we supposed to do?” Top Speed asked in Ripple’s stead. Sister Nana turned her head to face the witch, her hands still gripping Ripple’s, and smiled gently.

“That is what we should first consider. If we put our minds together, we can surely come up with a sound idea.”

Top Speed grinned awkwardly, Ripple tsked, and Winterprison coughed. It was entirely possible the cough was meant as a warning to Ripple for clicking her tongue, but either way, Sister Nana continued unfazed.

“Only the mind of a magical girl can solve this. I submitted a formal complaint to the management through Fav, but it was ignored.”

“Oh, you did?”

“Yes, but it did no good. Fav told me to give up because that’s just how things are… But this is not an issue we can afford to give up on! One poor soul has already fallen victim to this vicious system. Nemurin… What regret, what sadness, what pain she must have felt… The poor thing.”

A single tear spilled from Sister Nana’s eye. Ripple clicked her tongue. Just like the class president she’d had in second grade, Sister Nana expected people to flock to her side by spouting pretty words. Just like her seventh grade homeroom teacher, she pitied others in order to think of herself as kind. Just like… well, many women, but her mother most of all, she felt no shame in crying.

She also didn’t seem to be proposing they work together to gather candy.

Ripple wrested her hands free from Sister Nana, sending her toppling into Winterprison’s arms. The nun’s shoulders quivered as Winterprison held her close.

“Oh… The poor soul…”

Behind Sister Nana, Winterprison glowered at Ripple, her eyes ablaze with anger. The gesture was returned with murderous intent. The taller girl narrowed her glare, and Ripple moistened her lips. Winterprison stepped in front of Sister Nana as if to protect her. The ninja moved her right hand to her back and found the hilt of her sword.

“All right! I see what you’re trying to say!” Top Speed shouted, and clapped her hands loudly, attempting to dispel the tension. “I need to discuss things with my partner, so let’s leave it at that for today. Okay?”

“We need to act fast to prevent any more victims—”

“Yeah, I know. Understood! Which is exactly why we want to talk things over first. We know how important this is, and that’s why we don’t want to decide lightly.”

Sister Nana seemed unsatisfied but grudgingly nodded, and the two girls hopped on Top Speed’s broom and zipped away. Upon her equally rushed return, Top Speed put her hands together and bowed deeply to Ripple.

“Sorry.”

“Go to hell.”

“Seriously, I’m sorry. They just said they wanted to talk, so I was like, why not? I didn’t think you’d get so pissed. And on the off chance they had a good idea, why not go along with it? I really don’t want to die either. At least not for six months.”

Why was she so insistent on six months? Ripple clicked her tongue. How many times had she done that today?

“So irritating…”

“It’s not like they meant any harm, y’know? You guys just didn’t gel, I guess. Don’t go starting any fights here. No way I’m gonna let myself die. I’m not getting caught up in some brawl between you and Winterprison.”

It seemed to Ripple that Top Speed’s insistence on survival wasn’t because she was simply afraid of dying. Six months, huh? What’s in six months?

Ripple pointed at Top Speed.

“Your back…”

“Hmm?”

“It says ‘No Gratuitous Opinions.’”

“Oh…”

“You have no spine…”

“Yeesh, you’re harsh. I really don’t recommend fighting Winterprison, though. Remember what I said before? Apparently she saved Sister Nana from Calamity Mary by tackling her head-on. Sister Nana told me all about it with a little blush.”

Ripple remembered Sister Nana’s tears as she lay in Winterprison’s arms and scowled. That they didn’t “gel” wasn’t even the half of it. The point was Nana’s plan wouldn’t do any good.

“She’s not a bad person.”

“Delusional religious fanatics disgust me…”

“I don’t think she’s exactly delusional. More like rotten, I think. Well, either way, we’re back to patrolling the roads for candy.”

“We’ll still need to defend ourselves…”

“We can just run away. I’m the fastest in town, y’know. They don’t call me Top Speed for nothing. I’ll always leave the rear seat open so I can swoop down and rescue ya. No one’ll ever catch us. That’s why I’m playing this game fair and square. I’ll keep watch from the skies and intervene when something happens. That should be enough to land us tons of candy.”

Ripple knew any further discussion would only prove fruitless, so she silently sat behind Top Speed and wrapped her hands around her waist.

N City’s Nishimonzen was crowded with temples. From grand, enormous structures to tiny ones tucked away in between buildings, shrines lined the streets. And of all the temples in Nishimonzen, Ouketsuji was the oldest—or rather, the most decrepit. It was not some ancient and storied place, and it had no one to look after it. It had simply been left to rot. And as far as the middle of town went, it wasn’t a bad place to hide magical girls. Specifically, five of them.

Ruler fingered her tiara, then adjusted its position and sat down, using her long cape as a cushion.

“As you know, our magical phones have received an update.”

As she spoke, Ruler focused on a decapitated statue of a bodhisattva. Kneeling there was a girl in swimwear. Ruler found herself thinking that if the pure white school swimsuit and goggles dangling from her neck reflected her identity as a swimmer, then the headphones and curls were pointless additions serving as her magical-girl chic. The swimsuit meant for younger kids combined with that voluptuous body made for a morally indecent picture.

“This update allows us to move magical candy between us.”

A few feet in front of her was a girl with doglike ears, only her head visible above the hole in the dirt floor. According to her, she felt most at home in holes she dug herself. She wore a hooded cape, and her dog ears peeked out from holes on the top. Paw gloves covered her hands, and around her neck hung a collar. The patches of fur on her outfit and tights were white with black polka dots, and her shorts had a hole in them near her butt to allow her tail to poke through.

“Does everyone understand what this means?”

Perched on a beam was a crow wearing a ruby necklace. The next second, it was a black cat in boots. The second after that, two magical girls sat in its place, swan-like wings on their backs and rings of light above their heads. Despite their many forms, this was their true one. They appeared to be ten years old. Their dresses and headbands were a matching navy blue, their blouses and drawers white, perfectly matched like members of a choir. There were only two ways to tell the girls apart: whether their short bobbed hair flipped under or out, and whether the ribbon each wore around her ankle was on the left or right.

“Those who have lots of candy should share with those who don’t?”

The dog-eared Tama cocked her head and made a suggestion, to which Ruler responded coldly, “Zero points.”

“We should form teams and try to make sure we all have enough candy?” “Oh, that sounds right. Sis, you’re so magi-cool.”

The twin angels Minael and Yunael, known as the Peaky Angels, pointed at each other.

“Thirty points,” Ruler announced. “Swim Swim, what do you think?”

The girl dressed for the pool, Swim Swim, said not a word but shook her head. Her sizable breasts shook in unison with her head. Ruler spat silently. She was not particularly endowed, neither as a regular human nor in her transformed state, and had a considerable complex about it.

“I’m surrounded by idiots.” She glared at them all. “Idiots, every last one of you.”

The Peaky Angels looked away, Tama lowered her ears apologetically, and Swim Swim continued to stare at Ruler without moving. They weren’t the only idiots Ruler was referring to, however. Every last magical girl running around to help others in an effort to save themselves after Nemurin’s death was an idiot.

“This is a message from the management. They’re telling us to steal from each other.”

“What? We’re allowed to steal?” “Really?”

“We don’t need anyone’s permission. We can just take their magical phone and perform the transfer ourselves. I’ve already tried it.”

“Seriously?” “That’s amazing.”

“If all you’re capable of is kissing ass, then shut up, you obnoxious idiots.”

The twin angels once again averted their eyes. Ruler snorted, then continued.

“I’m going to have you follow my orders. Work hard if you don’t want to end up like Nemurin.”

“Orders?” “What are you going to make us do?”

She wanted to yell at them for trying to kiss ass again, but Ruler decided it was more important to proceed than to give the twins a tongue-lashing.

“Simple. We’ll steal from the one with the most candy: Snow White.”

Sanae Mokuou had been so happy to become a magical girl and finally attain the greatness she deserved. She’d gone to highly acclaimed elementary and middle schools, then it was high school, university, and straight into employment at a top-class company. All the while, she had been surrounded by idiots. She constantly wondered why she was forced to work with morons who couldn’t understand her value, and she even said so out loud. Because of that, she had no friends and had spent her whole life alone.

She’d picked up Magical Girl Raising Project as a pastime, and when she transformed, she finally had a clear answer to her eternal question of why all the stupid people around her couldn’t recognize her worth: She was the ugly duckling. Though she was a swan among them, none of the ducks appreciated her beauty. That day, Sanae quit her job.

The heroine in the mirror filled her with pride. Her lustrous satin cloak, encrusted with jewels, flowed all the way to the floor; an eagle with a jewel in its claws topped her yard-long ivory scepter; and long gloves fit for a party and a tiara finished off the set. The tiara was small and simple in design, but the diamond embedded in it was of unnatural size and clarity. Ornaments held her regal purple updo in place, while her feet rested in glass slippers. Her eyelashes were so long you could almost hear them when she blinked. She had no need for foundation or makeup. She was free of all the miscellaneous chores she’d hated as a normal human. Now she could join her fellow swans. But Sanae’s joy vanished when she met her mentor, Calamity Mary.

The other girl smoked a cigar, blowing the smoke in Sanae’s face, and knocked back her bottle of booze at regular intervals. The minute Sanae decided she’d had enough of her delinquency and stood up to leave, a gunshot rang out, and an explosive roar boomed from behind her. She turned to see a hole nearly ten feet wide in the wall behind her.

“Do not go against me. Do not give me trouble. Do not piss me off. Okay?”

Sanae was frozen, half sitting, half standing.

“Okay?”

At some point, Calamity Mary’s gun had made it to her hand. The only explanation for the hole in the wall was that a bullet from that gun had created it. But no pistol was capable of such results.

“Is this… your magic?”

“Why are you asking me that? I asked you a question first, little girl, so answer. Nod like an idiot if you have to. Okay?”

After a long, long time, Sanae nodded deeply.

“Okay, okay. Good answer.”

Her quick draw was fearsome. Sanae hadn’t even seen her take out her weapon, let alone cock the hammer or fire. By the time the wall had exploded, everything was over.

Calamity Mary blew away the smoke trailing from the barrel of the gun with a quick puff, spun it a few times, then holstered it in one smooth motion. Then she tilted back her bottle of booze and gulped loudly. The amber liquid dripped from the corner of her lips and splashed onto her breasts.

Sanae’s blood boiled from the humiliation, and she bit her lip. She’d been powerless, cowed by violence. She understood her own magic, of course, and was satisfied with its strength, but Calamity Mary completely outclassed her in speed. If she tried to use magic on her, she was more likely to end up with a hole in her, just like the wall. She understood her own body. While it wasn’t as fragile as a wall, the best she could hope for was a critical injury—at worst, she’d die instantly. Basically, she was no different from a normal human facing a normal gun.

The moment she thought she’d become a swan, her head had been grabbed and shoved underwater. Sanae chewed on the humiliation and learned her lesson. What she needed were bodyguards, she realized—human shields that could withstand punishment until she could cast her magic on Calamity Mary and exact her revenge. Thus, every time a new girl joined, she volunteered whenever she could to be their mentor, solicited the easily manipulated ones, and formed her own faction. It consisted of the slow-headed Tama; the Peaky Angels, who blindly followed any and all orders; and the taciturn Swim Swim.

Tama was a dog, a foolishly faithful creature who obeyed a strong owner. No matter how many times she was beaten or kicked, she would continue to wag her tail happily for her master. When Sanae gave her a collar, she joyously ran laps around the temple.

The Peaky Angels were cowards. One strong word from her rendered them speechless. Sanae still had no idea which was Yunael and which was Minael, but they’d never made a fuss about it.

Swim Swim’s silence stemmed from ignorance. Sanae had once discovered her staring at a Nishimonzen directory sign. When she asked why, the girl had responded with, “What does this mean?” while pointing at the English letters of “Nishimonzen.” She remembered everything she was told, so it wasn’t that she had terrible memory, but she often couldn’t read simple kanji, either. They did say women with big breasts were stupid, though.

All of her followers were idiots. None of them could think and act on their own. But by following Sanae’s orders, they could do something of significance. They were happier this way, even if they had to die for her.

The Peaky Angels agreed to the candy theft strategy easily, saying, “Sure, that’s easier.” “Super-cool, huh?” and Swim Swim nodded silently, but Tama was the only one who couldn’t get past the ethical problem—should magical girls be stealing from others?

“You have to listen to what the leader says,” Swim Swim warned, and in the end Tama, too, nodded.

Ruler had a rough understanding of Snow White’s usual patterns, but to confirm that nothing had changed recently, she sent out Tama and the Peaky Angels to scout. Only she and Swim Swim stayed behind at Ouketsuji. Ruler found herself repeatedly glancing at Swim Swim, sitting on her knees and not moving a muscle. She just wouldn’t move, so finally Ruler opened her mouth.

“Why are you on your knees?”

“This is the proper position to assume when before our honored leader.”

“… Is that something I told you?”

“Yes.”

She had a habit of reciting Ruler’s past instructions at every opportunity. She remembered everything, even the meaningless insults and thoughtless narcissistic declarations Ruler had forgotten herself. She had accepted Swim Swim’s behavior as simple loyalty, but there were times that it wore on her.

“Just as you may not tell regular humans your true identity, you may not share it with other magical girls without my permission.”

“Your leader must be the object of your affection. The organization is most effective when everyone tries to imitate her.”

“Above all, deal with strong enemies swiftly.”

“Never let down your guard, even after becoming a magical girl and gaining mystical powers. If any enemies that can fight us exist, they, too, will have similar powers.”

Sometimes she’d run her mouth based on whatever was happening at the time, but Swim Swim remembered it all. Ruler walked over to her, crouched down, and patted her head.

“Even an idiot can be slightly bearable if she fills her head with noble things.”

“Noble things like what?”

Ruler smiled and answered, her voice cold as ice.

“My words.”

Ruler’s strategy was simple. It had to be, or her brainless subordinates would fail to keep up, make stupid mistakes, and bungle the entire operation. They would attack the Kubegahama steel tower where La Pucelle and Snow White met—before they could join forces. She knew they met up there because they’d left discussions mentioning the fact in the chat log. “My idiots aren’t the only ones, it seems,” she’d gloated when she found the logs.

But just because they met there didn’t mean they arrived at the same time. There was a small window when one would be alone. If La Pucelle arrived first, the Peaky Angels and Tama would attack and attempt to delay her. Then, when Snow White showed up, Ruler and Swim Swim would attack and steal her candy. If Snow White arrived first, the order would be reversed.

Ruler had no experience in battles between magical girls. Nor did she have any information on what kind of special powers they’d be up against. It was concerning, but the same went for her opponents. Most likely neither La Pucelle nor Snow White had ever fought another of their kind before, and no one knew what magic Ruler’s group was capable of. Tama’s ability to instantly dig holes was well suited to ambushes, and the Peaky Angels’ abilities to transform and fly were perfect for diversions. Ruler’s magic was unbeatable as long as she had a guard, which made Swim Swim perfect for the job, since she could nullify physical attacks with her magic. As a team, they weren’t too shabby.

As long as the idiots don’t make stupid mistakes…

Then the magical candy theft would be a success.

This would be a practice run, a test of sorts. If they succeeded, they could move on to the next step: assaulting Calamity Mary and stealing her candy. Ruler’s humiliation still smoldered, and its embers would never be extinguished until Calamity Mary was on her knees.

“There!” “I see La Pucelle!”

The Peaky Angels reported through their devices. Apparently, they had spotted La Pucelle from their vantage point above.

“She’s running toward the tower!” “She’s pretty fast with all that armor!”

“Execute the plan accordingly.”

Swim Swim and Ruler leaped from the bushes beneath the steel tower and began to ascend.

La Pucelle slowed when she noticed the two angels descending upon her.

Yunael and Minael together formed the Peaky Angels. She’d seen them in chat before, but never in real life. The sneers on their faces half explained what was going on, but their next action—simultaneous dive kicks from the front and back—made their intentions perfectly clear. She dived off the gravel path and rolled over some bushes, drew her sword from its sheath, and, still crouched, pointed its tip at the twin angels. With one hand she easily wielded the two-and-a-half-foot blade, stopping it on a dime.

“What do you want?”

“‘What do you want?’ she asks!” “Isn’t it obvious?” “Candy, please!”

Her blood boiled with anger at the magical girls so weak-willed that they instantly turned to stealing others’ hard-earned reward—and just a tiny bit of excitement at the opportunity to unleash her full power. Ever since she’d obtained this strength, she’d dreamed of victory over a powerful enemy.

The twin angels flapped their body-length wings and circled from above. They seemed to be looking for the right moment to strike. They’d definitely attack as soon as she tried to stand. La Pucelle slowly moved her left hand, then stopped. Something was vibrating ever so slightly.

Below!

Just as the circling angels rocketed toward La Pucelle, a three-foot-wide hole opened up below her. If she didn’t jump, the opening would swallow her, but if she did jump, the angels would attack her while she was unable to move freely in the air. Both choices would lead her to a worst-case scenario—so she chose neither. Instantly she reacted, jamming her sword beneath her feet and jumping on it. Width, length, and thickness all grew to five times the original size, until the sword could support La Pucelle and keep her from falling into the hole.

This was La Pucelle’s magic: to change the size of her sword at will. She could choose the perfect length for any moment. She could hear scratching from within the hole, but it was impossible to nick the enchanted sword.

Hesitation flashed across the angels’ faces. They tried to stop their descent, but instead they lost their balance in midair. Noticing this, La Pucelle leaped off her sword and swung her sheath at one of the angels.

The angel tried to dodge, but was surprised when she couldn’t. She had thought she was far enough away, but failed to account for the sheath’s newly gigantic size as well. The sword wasn’t the only thing that could expand—the sheath covering it was also capable of this. Its flat side connected, smacking the angel to the ground. La Pucelle landed and dashed toward the hole, shrinking her sword to a little under two feet. With the cover on the hole gone, someone appeared from inside it.

“Hey, what the heck—”

Tama popped her head out of the ground, sensing something was amiss, and La Pucelle attacked without mercy. The solid kick to her temple sent Tama flying straight back into the hole with a muffled grunt. Their formation broken, La Pucelle picked up her sword and turned to face her last enemy.

“What do you want?”

She repeated the question she’d asked when they first attacked, but the angel was gone. All she could see was a single crow cocking its head at her. La Pucelle glanced back at the angel she’d brought down, but no one was there, either—just a rubber ball. Before she could figure out what was happening, the crow took flight, picked up the ball, and flew off toward the steel tower. Their forms stretched, bent, morphed, and changed color until they were no longer a crow and ball, but two angels.

Transformation? Is that their magic?

“That’s good enough of a diversion, right, sis?” “Yeah! No problemo!”

A diversion?

La Pucelle looked up at the top of the steel tower. She could see one, two, three silhouettes—clearly Snow White was not alone up there. Her boiling blood chilled in an instant.

“Damn it!”

She cursed loudly—unbecoming of a gallant knight—and ran up the tower after the two angels.

Meanwhile, the plan went perfectly for Ruler and Swim Swim. They’d scaled the steel tower and attacked the magical girl standing there—the one in the white school uniform, and the darling of Internet news sites. Without a doubt, she was Snow White. Her face twisted in fright as she looked from Ruler to Swim Swim.

“Wh-what?” she asked, voice quavering. She looked and sounded more like a civilian than a fighter, a victim more than a perpetrator. Clearly, she had no intent to fight.

Fool, do you still not realize what I’m here for? Or do you just not want to fight, even knowing what I want? Either way, you’re a fool, Ruler venomously thought to herself. She raised her staff—her royal scepter—pointed it at Snow White, and made her magical decree.

“In the name of Ruler, I order you, Snow White, not to move.”

Snow White froze as she prepared to run, her face still taut with fear. Swim Swim took out her phone, aimed it at Snow White, and began the candy transfer.

This was Ruler’s magic—the ability to make others obey her decrees.

Her power had a few rules. She had to point her scepter at them and strike a pose. She had to hold the pose to keep the decree active. She had to say, “In the name of Ruler.” She could not be more than fifteen feet from the person. And she could have a maximum of four people under her command. However, such an ability was powerful enough to require such limitations. Once she made her decree, it was checkmate.

The Peaky Angels, Tama, and Swim Swim weren’t aware that she had restrictions. She’d merely explained that her magic allowed her to order others around. She wasn’t foolish enough to tell her subordinates her own weaknesses. It was much more convenient for them to think of her as an all-powerful leader.

The decree “give me your candy” would have been less complicated than “do not move,” but it didn’t prevent the problem of an immediate counterattack once the candy was transferred, so she prioritized safety. Ruler was clever, and clever people were careful.

“Swim Swim, are you done yet?”

“Almost.”

“Honestly. This pose is tiring, you know.”

“Just a little more and I’ll be—”

Swim Swim cut off. Ruler looked to where she was gazing, and down below them, two angels hurtled toward the tower. Behind them she could see a knight charging through the gravel and leaving a cloud of dust in her wake.

“Those stupid, idiotic, garbage… They couldn’t even manage to be a distraction?”

“I’m almost done.”

“Shut up, fool!”

Snow White was under attack. Images of her crying and afraid—and finally of the human Koyuki Himekawa—popped into La Pucelle’s head. She felt like her heart was being ripped in two, but at least the blood that had been pounding angrily in her head was now circulating through her body.

To La Pucelle—Souta Kishibe—a magical girl was a heroine who fought. He had no problems with the old-school ones who solved problems around the neighborhood, but to him they were warriors who stood bravely in the face of giant enemies and never gave up protecting what was important to them.

At the top of the steel tower, Snow White needed rescue. However, if La Pucelle just ran straight up, the flying duo was sure to attack her. If the Peaky Angels had completely lost the will to fight, that would be one thing, but from the looks on their faces as they glanced back occasionally, they weren’t exactly running in fear. She’d be forced into a two-on-one midair battle if they attacked while she scaled the steel tower with no stable footing. Even if she did win, it would only help them with their goal of stalling for time. Her opponents had the numbers and the terrain advantage—the fight probably wouldn’t be over quickly. For all the exhilaration she felt at finally being able to unleash her full power, she was acutely aware of her limits. I really am a natural-born warrior, she gloated, but soon snapped herself out of it. She didn’t have many options to save Snow White.

In the few seconds before she reached the tower, La Pucelle observed, thought, found a solution, and acted on it—she charged at the tower with everything she had and shoulder-tackled one of its legs with all her momentum, weight, and power.

From below, the tower’s shaking seemed violent, but at the top it was far worse. The power lines snapped and flailed in the air. They felt like they could almost touch the ground, the shuddering was so violent. Ruler, posing with her scepter, and Snow White, forbidden to move, lost their balance and were hurled from the top. Swim Swim, also falling from the tower, grabbed Ruler’s hand and threw her high into the air, where the twin angels caught her.

Meanwhile, La Pucelle raced to intercept Snow White’s deadly plunge. She caught her, and the two tumbled about thirty feet before finally stopping in some bushes.

Ruler glared angrily at Snow White and La Pucelle, dangling by the arms between the Peaky Angels. They had saved her from the fall, but the position was hardly elegant and only infuriated her. Swim Swim, on the other hand, had no one to save her and would hit the ground. Luckily, her magic would allow her to nullify the damage. Once they all grouped up, they’d be four against two. As Ruler thought about this, she remembered something.

“Where’s Tama?”

“La Pucelle kicked her and that was it.” “Dunno if she’s alive or dead.”

This was the same knight who had managed to shake the giant steel tower, nearly toppling it or even breaking it. It wasn’t hard to imagine one blow taking Tama out of commission. So, considering the fact that Tama and the Peaky Angels had roundly lost in a three-on-one…

“Okay, let’s retreat.”

“Huh?” “Seriously?”

“It’s a strategic retreat! Stop blathering and about-face right!”

As Snow White and La Pucelle picked themselves up, the angels made their escape with a sharp turn to the right, leaving the pair behind.

Ultimately, the cowardly-seeming strategic retreat turned out to be correct. Tama had made her way back to Ouketsuji on her own. Her memories were a bit scrambled, but then again her brain was normally scrambled, so Ruler deemed it not a problem. Swim Swim had not just returned, but returned victoriously after completing her task—she’d succeeded in stealing Snow White’s magical candy and come home in style. Her magical candy stores, formerly 826 pieces, had jumped to 2,914 pieces after the operation. She had taken 2,088 pieces, which was more than anyone in their group, including Ruler, possessed by a factor of two.

“She collected 2,000 pieces on her own?” “How do you even get that many?” “So bourgeois.” “This is a modern-day revolution!” “Sis, you’re so magi-cool.”

“Uhhh, so what do we do with the candy?”

“We snagged 2,088.” “Divided by five, that’s 417, remainder three. It’s uneven.”

“Yuna-Minael, you’re so good at math!”

“No, there’s no remainder.”

Their math had been correct, but they’d used the wrong equation, so Ruler corrected them.

“826 from 2,914 gives 2,088. So far, you’re correct.”

“The rest is wrong?” “How?”

“What makes you think we’re splitting it evenly? 2,088 divided by two is 1,044, which goes to me, the leader. The other half we divide by two again, which is 522. That’s Swim Swim’s share. 522 divided by three is 174. Yunael, Minael, Tama, that’s your share. See? Perfect.”

The run-down temple went silent. The hushed stillness, which should have been normal for the abandoned temple, was eerie. Ruler immediately broke the silence she had created.

“Anyone have something to say?” She glared. “We have you incapable idiots, who couldn’t even do the job you were given, a helpful idiot who actually managed to fulfill her task, and me, the leader—creator of the plan and executor of its most important role. So what would make you think we get equal rewards? Are you stupid? Oh, yes, you are. I knew that. You’re senseless, incapable, and can’t even stall one person three-on-one. You almost screwed up the whole plan! But out of the kindness of my heart, I’ll forget this.”

Ruler pointed at each of them in turn and scowled. The twin angels looked away, Tama’s ears drooped, and Swim Swim just listened, kneeling with perfect posture. Ruler snorted and jabbed her scepter into the temple ground.

“Know your place, idiots. Just be grateful you haven’t been punished.”