CH 6

The First Battle

Translated by LyraDhani

Edited by LyraDhani

The battle by Magical Girls against the Demonic Beast was basically controlled by the government.

Those who become Magical Girls through the government’s selection process – so-called auditions – were assigned by the government to a specific location and shift, and then follow the navigator’s instructions to defeat a Demonic Beast of strength suitable for them.

–In the case of the Magical Girls who were not affiliated with the government, such as Tsugumi, how did they fight the Demonic Beasts?

Bell answered his question.

“You know there are grades of Demonic Beasts, don’t you? They are classified according to the amount of energy they contain, and are constructed in the present world by creating a dependent according to the amount of power they possess. Therefore, the time between the observation of energy and its appearance differs. Well, this much should be common knowledge.”

“Oh, I know that much. The predicted time of emergence changes depending on the grade, right?”

There were a total of five grades of the strength of Demonic Beasts. From the top, there were grades A through E.

The government had a machine, known as the “Yatanokagami,” that predicted the appearance of Demonic Beasts, and the map reflected in the mirror allowed the government to determine the location and time of their appearance with a high degree of accuracy.

Five hours for Class A.

three hours for Class B.

Two hours for Class C.

One hour for class D.

There was a time lag between the time of prediction and the appearance of the beast, which was enough time to evacuate the area.

Magical Girls were also ranked according to the grade of the Demonic Beast, and basically, they were to take the name of the grade of the defeated Demonic Beast as it was.

According to this list, the current Tsugumi, or rather Hagakure Sakura, would be in the F grade.

“For example, in class E, they take thirty minutes to appear. The government brings the closest Magical Girl to the scene during its first five minutes and sends them to the site. The system is not so different from the fire department.”

“Well, doesn’t that mean that Magical Girls who aren’t part of the government don’t have a chance to get involved in exterminating Demonic Beasts? If you interrupt them badly, you might antagonize them.”

“There is a loophole. If you have the power of transportation, it’s easy. In your case, you can go to the scene before the Magical Girl who will fight back are determined, that is, within five minutes of their predicted appearance, and declare to the government that you will respond to the situation. You will then automatically have the right to fight.”

“Is that so?”

“It’s not a problem. Other strays and highly motivated people in the government are all doing similar things. –And think about it. In this country, there are close to a hundred Demonic Beasts a day. If there are those who move of their own volition, the more they are the better.”　

“Well, you’re absolutely right.”

“Besides, depending on the relationship between the Magical Girls’ standby locations, there may be cases where the city is damaged because they are not able to cope with the situation in time. It may indeed be an advantage for the government to have Magical Girls on the government side ready to go into battle at any time, with Tsugumi and other Magical Girls in the field going into battle.

There are approximately 30,000 cases of Demonic Beasts per year. In other words, in one day, between 100 and 60 Demonic Beasts will descend on Japan. If this were to happen every day, it would be very difficult to deal with them.”

Thirty years ago, only a few cases per day could be confirmed, but over the next ten years, the number of cases gradually increased and settled at the current number. The number of occurrences had been about the same for the past 20 years, so it was unlikely that the number would increase any more than it was now.

On the other hand, the total number of Magical Girls was about 3,000, or a little less than 3,000 as far as they knew. If all of them were to engage in about 10 battles per year, the quota would be met.

–The problem here, however, was the rate at which Magical Girls retire and were killed in the line of duty.

In one year, there were 500 people who die in the line of duty and 500 people who retired. More than 30% of the personnel were replaced every year. …… It was safe to say that being a Magical Girl was quite a demanding profession, contrary to its glorious social status and fancy name. It was frightening just to think that he was a part of it, but thinking about it too deeply gave him a headache, so he wouldn’t worry about it too much.

“So, the enemy will be here in three minutes, I guess.”

Tsugumi muttered.

He was now standing in a forest on the outskirts of Kanto. According to Bell, a class-E Demonic Beast was scheduled to appear at this location.

Incidentally, the contact with the government itself was completed by Bell in a matter of seconds. 

“… but I wonder if it would be okay. It’s a thread manipulation skill. Should I sneak up and squeeze the other person’s neck?” 

While they were waiting, they tried to see what the skill [Thread] could do, but roughly speaking, it could only be described as ‘the ability to produce thread’ as it was.

A thin thread. A thick thread like a rope. Tsugumi was able to produce about any kind of thread he could imagine. It was possible to make it strong enough that a blade couldn’t cut it.

The only thing he didn’t test was how far it could be stretched, but if it was thin enough, it could cover the entire forest.

However, for some reason, the color of the thread was fixed at red, so it may not be suitable for surprise attacks.

When Tsugumi complained anxiously, Bell looked at Tsugumi as if she was looking at a troublesome object and answered as if it was obvious.

“I’m sure you’re ready to use it. You’ll naturally know how to use it when you get into battle. That’s what a unique skill is all about.”

“I hope so.”

As he continued to walk along as if to cover up his anxiety, Tsugumi felt a heavy pressure like a tingling, tiny needle pricking him. Without thinking, he looked up.

The sky was swirling.

“Oh, it’s coming. Be ready.”

He gulped and gasped for air. He was kind of swept along, but to be honest, he wasn’t really prepared for it.

–But I guess it can’t be helped. I’ll figure out the details later. I’ve always done that. I’m sure this time, too, I’ll figure it out.

A black haze of mist gathered in front of him in a circular motion. Slowly, it became a sphere and split in two, emitting a poisonous atmosphere.

“Wow, it’s big…”

There it was, a boar that must have been three meters tall. It looked like an ordinary boar, except for its size and the silver color of its tusks.

“Don’t just stand there, you idiot! –Activate the barrier!”

Bell kicked at Tsugumi, who involuntarily backed away from her due to the boar’s power. She then raised her voice and announced the creation of a barrier.

Normally, activating the barrier was the work of a Magical Girl, but since Tsugumi was a special case, Bell had been asked to perform some of the formulas on his behalf to prevent any problems from arising.

With such a declaration, the barrier spread out like an umbrella, covering the entire forest. He thought he heard a click as if the gears were meshing in his head. This sensation must have been the signal that the barrier had been properly set up.

Now, what should I do? –Just as he was thinking that, the boar approached him at a tremendous speed. Too fast.

“Whoa, whoa, ah!”

With an unintentional, uncool scream, Tsugumi reflexively leaped to the top of the tree.

While running up to the thick trunk using the branches as a foothold, he caught his breath when he calmed down. The boar stomped its feet under the tree and looked up at Tsugumi with resentful eyes.

“…I have a lot to say about this, Magical Girls move so much when they’re inside a barrier. They’re like ninjas.”

Moreover, his body moved before he could think. He was surprised at the potential of the Magical Girl’s existence. As one would expect from a front-line presence protecting Japan, they were of a different caliber.

“Hey, don’t run away! If my contractor does such a thing, it will lower my reputation!”

With a flap of her bat wings, Bell came up next to Tsugumi and shouted angrily.

“No, no, this is a strategic evacuation… Just to be safe, I’d like to check my other skills while I’m at it..”

The excuse was a little forced, but it was important to check his skills. He wanted to make sure that the new items he could see now were also properly checked in advance.

“Here, hurry up.”

He quickly followed the board handed to him checked it with his eyes. If he didn’t hurry, he felt like the boar below him might do something wrong.

“Thank you, Bell-sama. Well… hmm? This one only mentions the name of the skill?”

[Optimize] and [Physical Enhancement] were in the column of always-activated passive skills. One step down, it just said [Control Technique]. No details were given. Perhaps the above two were skills that the Magical Girl was equipped with in advance. [Manipulation] skill below might be related to Tsugumi’s unique skill, [Thread].

In the “Optional Active Skills” column, there were descriptions of “Invisibility/15 minutes” and “Gluttony/after a battle” with simple explanations. He could understand the Invisibility, but what did Gluttony mean?

As he twisted his head and thought about it, Bell called out.

“I’m not sure if it’s okay to keep checking the skills –It’s coming.”

Saying this, Bell dexterously squeezed his chin with a snap. With that, Tsugumi looked down to his left.

The first thing he saw was a twinkling of light, and beyond that, he saw a boar clad in a silvery-white light.

The boar was about to run toward the tree where Tsugumi held on, with a great deal of strength in its hind legs.

…This is not good. The moment he thought that, the boar’s figure scuttled away from below him.

Bekki-Bekki-Yee–!　

The tree trunks were crushed as if they had been greatly gouged out with a tremendous sound. Naturally, the trees were snapped off, and in the aftermath, the trees around them fell one after another, changing the landscape of the forest.

“I’m really glad I have the [Transportation] skill.”

Watching the destruction of nature from the treetops on the other side, Tsugumi muttered to himself. He made a hasty decision to move in just as the boar disappeared from sight, and it seemed he was right.

In reality, actual E-class Demonic Beasts were strong. He’d seen specials on TV and other media that show them as larger than a normal beast, but he didn’t know that they could use such techniques.

The boar was destroying the trees around it as if it were angry. It screamed.

“Bumoooooooooooooooooooooooo!” 

Perhaps it was looking for Tsugumi.

While paying attention to the boar’s movements, Tsugumi decided to try another of his unique skills. If he couldn’t come up with a countermeasure, he’d have to keep running until he couldn’t transport anymore. If that happened, what awaited him was death.

A sense of urgency was growing in his heart. He tried not to worry about it as much as possible, but the pressure from Bell beside him was also tremendous.

He let out a small breath. –It’s time to make up my mind.

He created a thread in the palm of his hand, as if he was praying. At that moment, some information entered his mind.

Threads, and the art of string manipulation. 

–“I see, so this is what it’s all about.”

This must have been why Bell had said so many times, “Use it and you’ll understand.”

He could pick up what he needed to do.

“Are you ready?. I’m getting tired of this.”

Bell said as if in a hurry. It might just be his imagination but she looked somewhat irritated.

“Oh, it’s okay now. –Come on, let’s start fighting back.”

Saying this, Tsugumi laughed, feeling invincible.