Witches are the ultimate culprits behind the world’s destruction, while Magical Girls are the heroes of justice who protect it.
A state of hostility has always existed between Witches and Magical Girls.
While some creators on certain fan-fiction platforms depict the relationship between Witches and Magical Girls as one of tragic lovers, this does not change the public’s general perception of them.
Witches are manifestations of calamity.
Once they appear, they cause severe destruction to the city within a radius of 1 kilometer, a force even more devastating than a tornado tearing through a parking lot.
To resist the destruction of the Witches and protect the city they rely on for survival, countless Magical Girls, much like the Survey Corps, throw themselves into battle against the Witches without hesitation.
The Magical Girl Association is the specific institution dedicated to recruiting and training Magical Girls.
Xiaoye had a secret buried deep in her heart that she had never shared with her brother.
That was the fact that, 1 month ago, she had passed the Magical Girl Association’s test and became an official Magical Girl, even though her rank was currently only C-rank.
Once someone becomes a Magical Girl, they will, to some extent, face combat against Witches, where the level of danger is incomparable to daily life.
Because of this, her brother had always opposed her becoming a Magical Girl.
But how could her brother understand how exhilarating it was to be a Magical Girl?
The grateful looks of those she saved after defeating a Witch, the envious looks of her peers, and the admiring looks of children gave her a massive sense of satisfaction.
‘As long as I become a world-renowned S-rank Magical Girl, I will become a dazzling existence in everyone’s hearts.’
The feeling of having every eye focused on her was something her mediocre brother would never experience in his entire life.
‘When that time comes, I can properly show off to my brother. If he knows I’ve already become an S-rank Magical Girl, he’ll definitely be speechless with surprise.’
—
Shock was written all over Xiaoye’s face as she personally witnessed her brother being swallowed by the Witch before her.
As soon as she had noticed the Witch’s attack, she had immediately pulled out her phone, preparing to launch the Magical Girl transformation sequence to fight.
However, she hadn’t expected her brother to suddenly burst in and shove her aside.
The transformation sequence she intended to activate slipped under her thumb, and she accidentally clicked on the Pink App next to it instead.
An ill-timed sound of *Hajimi oh nanbei lüdou* blared out.
Xiaoye had no time to worry about such bizarre noises.
Her transformation had been interrupted by her brother, and she could only watch helplessly as he was swallowed whole by the Witch.
“Humans… delicious…”
The Witch spoke in a stumbling voice, sounding like a child who had just learned human speech.
Xiaoye stared at the scene in utter shock.
The reason she had chosen to become a Magical Girl was to one day show off and be praised by her brother.
Yet, all of that had vanished into thin air because her brother had been eaten by the Witch.
‘My dream has become worthless, and fighting has become meaningless.’
Xiaoye clenched her phone, tears of frustration welling in the corners of her eyes.
Without a word, she activated the transformation sequence again.
In an instant, she transformed into a pink-haired Magical Girl, but her eyes were devoid of highlights, cold as the moon in a long night.
Generally speaking, a Magical Girl’s transformation should be performed in a private environment, much like a Virtual YouTuber protecting their privacy.
Once a Magical Girl’s true identity is revealed, the consequences could be disastrous.
But Xiaoye didn’t care anymore.
The people around her were in a panic due to the Witch’s appearance, and no one was looking her way.
In the blink of an eye, the Magical Girl Scarlet Moon made her appearance.
“I will never forgive you for eating my brother!”
Scarlet Moon gripped her magic wand and rushed toward the Witch with tears in her eyes.
However, just as she was about to attack, the Witch suddenly looked as if she had food poisoning.
She clutched her chest with a pained expression and let out a cry of agony.
“Ah — !”
The sudden turn of events made Scarlet Moon hesitate instinctively.
Before she could react, the Witch before her seemed to have her layers deleted.
The mass originally shrouded in black was instantly emptied out, transforming into countless white feathers that scattered everywhere.
The Witch had transformed into a petite, silver-haired little girl with a somewhat youthful face, looking like an angel as she landed gently on the jagged ruins.
The white cloth on her body, which resembled a bedsheet, fluttered in the wind, perfectly covering the tops of her thighs.
Whether she was wearing anything underneath remained unknown.
Seeing the black Witch suddenly invert into a silver-haired little girl, Scarlet Moon, who had been intent on revenge, looked lost.
‘What happened?’
The little girl also opened her eyes in a daze, staring blankly at Scarlet Moon standing before her.
But then, due to the sharp pain coming from the soles of her feet, she started moving while crying out in pain.
Consequently, she accidentally rolled down the ruins and ended up in the dust at Scarlet Moon’s feet.
Scarlet Moon stared in shock at the uncoordinated little thing before her.
Though she didn’t understand why this creature had changed into this form, the halo unique to a Witch was still shining above her head.
In other words, this creature was still a Witch capable of destroying the city.
She had to strike first.
“LIMITED EXPANSION: SWORD!”
Following the short incantation, a golden longsword appeared in Scarlet Moon’s hand.
However, just as she raised the sword to decapitate the silver-haired Witch, the creature’s next move left her in disbelief.
The silver-haired Witch crawled up from the ground, scanned her surroundings, and then looked up at the pink-haired Magical Girl before her.
“Um, excuse me, have you seen my sister? She should have been here just now. How did she disappear in the blink of an eye?”
Hearing those words, Scarlet Moon’s hand trembled.
The golden sword grazed the silver-haired Witch’s hair and slammed heavily into the ground by her feet.
This gave the little girl a huge fright.
She couldn’t help but retreat several steps and shout with lingering fear.
“Hey, I’m just asking a question! There’s no need to treat me like this, right? Did you hide my sister somewhere?”
This personality, this way of speaking… it was surprisingly similar to her brother.
Scarlet Moon looked at the little girl in disbelief.
Then, she tried to calm herself down and asked the little girl a question.
“Let me ask first. What is your name?”
“Hiiragi Mahiru. Why?”
Scarlet Moon gasped at the answer.
She had almost just hacked her brother to death.
‘Wait, I can’t be sure this person is my brother yet.
After all, monsters like Witches are entirely capable of swallowing human memories and using them to deceive others.’
“Hey, why aren’t you talking again? Hurry up and tell me where my sister is!”
The little girl asked anxiously.
She intended to step forward, but as soon as she took her first step, the white halo above her head flickered and dimmed.
Her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
“Eh?” Scarlet Moon looked on, bewildered.
In her 1 month as a Magical Girl, she had never encountered anything like this.
Although the being before her was definitely a Witch, for some reason, she kept claiming to be her brother, Hiiragi Mahiru.
While it was a Magical Girl’s duty to exterminate Witches, if she ended up killing her own brother because of it, she would probably regret it for the rest of her life.
After hesitating for a moment, Scarlet Moon scanned the area.
Once she confirmed that no one was paying attention, she picked up the little Witch and flew out through a broken window.