CH 119

The Last Gift

Translated by LyraDhani

Edited by LyraDhani

Unfortunately, Hagakure Sakura wasn’t able to fight like the other Magical Girls, who use their strength to overpower everything. Tsugumi understood this better than anyone else. But there were other possible ways to fight.

–If you lack pure power, you can use the power of those around you to fight. Observe the enemy thoroughly with eyes that can see through their weaknesses, and create a stage that gives you an advantage by guiding the environment, the enemy’s attacks and habits, and sometimes the opponent’s actions. Yes, like a spider hunting its prey.

…From the point of view of an orthodox Magical Girl, it might be despised as a way of fighting for the weak, but this was the only way for Hagakure Sakura to fight her way through on the front lines.

However, because of this strategic fighting style, it turned into a terrifying attack that could take down even higher-ranked enemies if suited well. —Even if the opponent was a Demonic Beast with enough power to lightly devour a Magical Girl, it was no exception.

The more the grasshoppers struggled against the invisible attack, the more they were entangled in the soft threads, involving the compatriots around them. Even if they launched a wind attack to escape from the threads, they couldn’t escape as the threads cut through them, and if they tried to use lightning to burn out the threads, they were scorched to black together –The attempts to use lightning to burn out the threads resulted in a scene of self-destruction.

The grasshoppers that barely escaped from being caught tried to make new individuals by eating the trapped grasshoppers, but when they jumped on the bait, they were caught by the invisible threads, and the mass of insects snowballed and grew larger.

Because they had a collective consciousness, they had little ego and didn’t care about themselves. This was both their strength and distinct weakness.

If their nasty attacks and inexhaustible reproduction as a group were blocked, these grasshoppers would be reduced to little more than hardened insects. Once that happened, there was nothing to fear anymore. All that remains was to crush every single one of the large cocoon insects that were lying around.

Receiving a resentful gaze that looked up at him with resentment from the gap between the cocoon balls, Tsugumi raised his arm like wielding a baton and gently swung it down.

The large cocoons filled with grasshoppers were twisting and turning, making a noisy, unpleasant sound as if in tandem with the grasshoppers. …It was an indescribable sight.

The only surviving grasshoppers that were flying in the sky fell to the ground as if they suddenly lost their power. Perhaps the number of magic nuclei he had destroyed exceeded the regulations. All that remained was to clean up the place.

–Geez. It was ironic that insects with little ego were much more terrifying than the Demonic Beasts with a will.

Staring at the mouth of the ravenous creature as it swallowed the cocoons, Tsugumi gave a small chuckle….Although it looked as if he easily conquered the Locust in the end, if he had misread them, he would have had to fight an incredibly hard battle. In the worst-case scenario, he might have to cut up himself again.

“I guess I should be glad that I got lucky this time. –I’m sorry about her, though.”

As he quietly said this, Tsugumi picked up a hair clip that had fallen at his feet. It was covered in mud and blood and sadly had lost its original beauty.

“…Ah, I guess I shouldn’t be a Magical Girl after all.”

Tsugumi muttered in a voice so small that no one could hear him and lowered his eyes.

◆ ◆ ◆

After finishing his gluttonous meal and removing the barrier, he brushed the dust off his clothes and walked to the set-up area where the staff was waiting for him.

The staff members who saw his return to the office were saying thank you for his hard work, but their expressions were very dark. It wasn’t unreasonable that they were depressed. …They had lost a Magical Girl who was said to be on the verge of A-class–an important friend that they had a long relationship with. It would be strange if they weren’t depressed.

Then, Tsugumi said, “Excuse me for a moment,” and passed by the staff, heading to the one in the back who was holding his head–the person in charge this time.

“Thank you for your hard work. Hagakure Sakura has returned.”

When Tsugumi announced this quietly, the staff raised his gloomy face.

“…Ah, Hagakure-san. Thank you for your quick response to our sudden battle. The entire staff is grateful. I am sure Shiraki will be rewarded as well.”

Saying this, the man bowed deeply.

“I’m sorry about Shiraki-san.”

“… Haha, that’s right. We thought that she would surely win, so it’s a shame.”

The staff member smiled weakly and ruffled his hair with a sad face.

“She also worked as a Magical Girl for a long time, so she had a long relationship with the staff. …At times like this, I feel ashamed of myself for not having the means to fight.”

The staff member clasped his hands together as if regretting something, and his eyes were downcast with a somber expression.

…There was nothing that Tsugumi could say to him. And he felt like there was something wrong about offering words of comfort here.

Those who fight and those who support them. The purpose was the same, but their positions were completely different. Their feelings were unknown to Tsugumi, just as Tsugumi’s feelings were incomprehensible to them.

So Tsugumi silently offered the thing wrapped in a handkerchief to the staff member.

“This is…?”

The staff member who received the package fearfully opened the handkerchief and found a dirty hair clip in it. Tsugumi told the staff member, who was wide-eyed and at loss for words.

“I found it in the barrier. Please pass it on to her family.”

“Ah, thank you! …I’m so glad there’s a little left over.”

The staff member who held the hair clip carefully said so with tears running down the corners of his eyes. The way that grasshopper looked, he might have thought that there was nothing left.

Tsugumi bowed slightly to the staff who thanked him, and slowly walked out. –In this place, it felt a little suffocating.

Was it because of the gloomy air that filled the area? Letting out a sigh of melancholy, Tsugumi looked up at the sky. The sky was creating a beautiful sunset, paying no attention to what was happening on the ground.

As he gazed up at the sky in a daze, he received a discreet tap on the shoulder.

“The staff member said, ‘This is the end of your work for this time. Good work’.”

“–Kazaguruma-san.”

Kazaguruma, who suddenly popped up, said so in her usual tone. No, maybe they were just fixing things up, but Tsugumi couldn’t tell.

“I’m sorry, I’ve forced you into a role you don’t like.”

“Don’t worry about it. Just this time, I was the better choice.”

In response to Kazaguruma who apologized in an embarrassed manner, Tsugumi replied with a troubled smile. Although he suffered minor cuts, he eventually returned home without serious injuries. Looking at the result of the A-class matches, it was a good one.

“Then we’ll disband here. What about you, Kazaguruma-san?”

When Tsugumi said that, Kazaguruma tilted her head with a puzzled look.

“Hmm? What are you talking about?”

“Eh?”

When Tsugumi curiously asked back, Kazaguruma said like a child whose prank had succeeded.

“I told you. –I’d make reservations for dinner.”