CH 42

Two Of Rikka

Translated by LyraDhani

Edited by LyraDhani

“The Magical Girl is incapacitated, you say?”

Tsugumi felt dizzy at the current state of affairs that was passed on by the girls – the two members of Rikka.

–The fact that two of Rikka were here was astonishing, but to think that the Magical Girl he was counting on had already been killed. He was so shocked he couldn’t speak anymore.

And they were not just any Magical Girls, but the Rikka. No wonder they looked familiar.

These two, who were above the clouds to the average person, were standing in front of Tsugumi. That alone was a surprise, but to offer help would be unprecedented.

The two Rikka girls continued to speak to Tsugumi, who was astonished.

“To be more precise, we should say that she’s dying. There are a few hours left. –We’d like to get this over with before then, if possible.”

“…If civilians are inside the barrier, the right thing to do would be to run around and buy time. But we didn’t become Magical Girls to leave anyone to die. If it’s possible, we want to help her.”

The two Rikka members–Suzushiro and Mibu–speak apologetically. If the priority was on Tsugumi and other ordinary people, the smart solution would be to abandon the dying Magical Girl – or to give her up and let the backup Magical Girl defeat the Demonic Beast. But Tsugumi could understand their point of view, too.

–Magical Girls existed to protect the people of this country. Their job was to defeat Demonic Beasts, not to kill people. Even though the other party was also a Magical Girl, it would be against principle or belief to leave her to die.

…Tsugumi didn’t want the Magical Girl to die, either. If there was a way to save her, that would be best. But it was too risky to cooperate with them

The reason was because these girls, just like Tsugumi, had been blocked from using their powers as Magical Girls. They couldn’t act as Magical Girls, so even though they were Rikka, they were no different than any other high school girls. He was a little uncertain about counting on their strength.

“But can you guys fight a Demonic Beast? If there are Magical Girls as good as Rikka, shouldn’t we have been saved a long time ago?”

“I’m sorry. Our powers are restricted within the barriers of other Magical Girls. Don’t expect us to be as active as we normally are.”

When Tsugumi asked for confirmation, Mibu answered clearly without hiding anything. He already knew that, but it meant that there was no one here who could fight properly. This was effectively a dead end.

The other two who were listening to the conversation were clearly upset, perhaps thinking the same thing.

“You’re Rikka, aren’t you? Can’t you do something about it!?”

As if in despair, Yumeji choked loudly. Chidori supported her shoulder with caution, but her expression was one of deep anxiety.

“What should we do now? Even if we are told to cooperate, there is nothing we can do…”

When Chidori said so, Suzushiro smiled a little.

“Don’t worry. Even if you cooperate, you’re not going to fight the Demonic Beast. I just want you to help Yuri-chan and me to distract the beast until we can get the place in order.”

“Distract?”

Tsugumi asked back, and Suzushiro took out two small bottles.

“This is a poison that works on Demonic Beasts. …If you can get the beast to drink this, we’ll use our skills to do the rest.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll do all the actions! You guys can throw rocks from afar to distract the Demonic Beast or run to contact Ran-chan after I have poisoned the Demonic Beast. Then there won’t be any danger, right?”

The two Rikka looked at Tsugumi and Chidori as if waiting for an answer.

–That’s certainly not a bad idea. But there is one thing that bothers me.

Tsugumi made a thoughtful gesture and opened his mouth.

“Can you really use those skills? The way you were talking earlier, you said it would be difficult to use your powers as a Magical Girl within this barrier.”

That was the problem. Even before using a skill, Tsugumi almost vomited because he couldn’t take it anymore. It was still unknown what kind of side effects the girls would suffer, but he didn’t think they would be able to move properly under the influence of side effects. He didn’t want to be given a cheap shot.

When he asked that, Suzushiro looked at her left hand and turned to him with clear eyes, as if she had shaken off her doubts.

“No problem. –I’m going to get it done.”

Tsugumi involuntarily flinched under the pressure of her spirit.

–This was the dignity of Rikka. The quality of her determination was clearly different from those who became Magical Girls by chance, someone like Tsugumi. A strong will to protect others. It was very different from Tsugumi, who put the people he cared about first. He was both envious and saddened by this.

Magical Girls who put their lives on the line to save the lives of people in this country – in other words, they were nothing more than slaves. No matter how many pretty words were used to decorate them, it was a fact that they were being offered to numerous Gods to fight.

The obligation was light for strays, but how heavy was the pressure on the government-affiliated Magical Girls?

–What are the Rikka doing to support themselves in such a situation? It was strange for Tsugumi.

“So, did you get an answer? We’re running out of time, so please hurry if you can.”

Mibu told him to hurry, paying attention to the direction behind him. Perhaps she had noticed that the Demonic Beast had begun to move. She too could probably sense the presence of a Demonic Beast.

“…I don’t mind. I’ll help if I can. But the other three of you should stay in a safe place-“

As Tsugumi was about to continue his words, Chidori interrupted.

“No. I’ll help too.”

“But, Chidori.”

“If left alone, Tsugumi will do something reckless again. …I haven’t forgiven you for what you did earlier.”

When Chidori said this in a resentful tone, Tsugumi looked away awkwardly. She was apparently quite angry that he had pushed Yumeji on her and left them behind.

“Are we all on the same page? Let me give you the gist of the operation.”

◆◆◆

“I really feel bad for you guys. We’re not supposed to involve the general public in something like this. I’ll pay you the reward later. I’m well paid, in spite of how this looks!”

As Mibu, Chidori, and Tsugumi were on their way to the Demonic Beast, Mibu said something like that.

“I don’t need a reward. It’s an emergency situation, and I don’t think you need to worry about it.”

“No, even though she doesn’t belong to the government, the Magical Girl is causing trouble, so we need to be compensated for that, don’t we? It’s like I came all the way here to have fun and was forced to get caught up in a horror attraction. –And, you don’t have to use honorifics, okay? I’m younger than you. I don’t like to be treated with too much respect.”

“That’s, uh. I can’t be so familiar with Mibu-san, who is a Rikka.”

When Chidori said this in a bewildered manner, Mibu laughed out loud.

“I’m not that uptight about it. Even though I’m a Rikka, I’m just cutting down Demonic Beasts. Unlike everyone else, I don’t have such proud beliefs.”

Mibu smiled happily as she said this, picking up the kodachi she wore at her waist.

“Besides, there are very few opportunities to fight a Demonic Beast in such a restricted situation. I’ll take it as a test of my skill. Ran-chan said that, but I wouldn’t mind if I beat it!”

Her tone was light and she didn’t sound like she was about to challenge a Demonic Beast in the flesh. It was exactly the same [Mibu Yurie] as seen on TV, and Tsugumi involuntarily stared at her quizzically.

“Somehow, you’re very relaxed. On the contrary, Suzushiro-san seemed to be overdoing it.”

“Hey, Tsugumi.”

Chidori raised a small voice at Tsugumi’s comment, but Mibu opened her mouth as if she didn’t care.

“Ran-chan looks so serious. I don’t worry too much about the details as long as the Demonic Beast is out of the way.”

Tsugumi did not know what to say to Mibu, who said this easily.

He knew that some people ridiculed her as “a person whose only purpose in life is to cut up Demonic Beasts,” and some even called her “Sword Fanatic” with awe. But it was a gift to be able to maintain the usual mentality in this situation.

“…Why are you so obsessed with cutting down Demonic Beasts?”

When Tsugumi somehow asked her that, Mibu looked up at the sky vaguely and mumbled.

“Maybe because the only things I can cut down are Demonic Beasts.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Tsugumi was about to continue when a blue shadow slowly appeared from the far end of the road. The Ogre’s face was painted in a single color of rage, accentuating the horror of the situation. …It seemed to be annoyed by the attack on Tsugumi’s motorcycle.

Chidori let out a small scream when she saw the beast, but stayed on the spot and stared firmly ahead. As for Tsugumi, it would have been better if she had run away, but if that was what she wanted, he had no other choice. In the event of an emergency, Tsugumi would protect her at all costs.

“Hmm? Look like it’s here. Stay firm.”

Mibu, who sheathed out her kodachi said this, signaled to Tsugumi, and laughed ferociously.