Summoned to the Watchtower

Unsurprisingly, the only person who would abruptly summon her from school was Tia.

“Is something the matter? To seek me out so suddenly, you aren’t perhaps contemplating some… lewd activities, are you?”

“Do I truly seem like that sort of person? Or, dare I say, Chloe is feeling a bit… frisky? How delightfully lewd of you, to be preoccupied with such thoughts even while still at school—a little fox with no inclination for studies,” Tia playfully retorted, a radiant smile gracing her lips as she gently pinched Chloe’s cheek.

“Absolutely not! It was clearly you… Oh, think whatever you wish! But what is the actual matter?”

“The Watchtower has informed me of their decision to allow you to conclude your probationary period ahead of schedule, officially appointing you as a full-fledged magical girl, and they are preparing to assign you to a combat squad.”

“Oh! That’s truly splendid!” Upon hearing this news, Chloe’s eyes immediately sparkled. Her hands clenched into fists, pressed against her chest, and her body unconsciously leaned forward, her excitement mirroring that of a squirrel delighting in a taste of honey.

Tia, however, did not perceive this as a cause for celebration. With a deflating tone, she continued, “I had rather thought you’d lost all interest in being a magical girl.”

“And you’re still talking? It’s all because of you! You tormented me so much because of my magical girl identity that sometimes I resent this very role. So please, be a little kinder to me, and then I can protect the world with a peaceful heart!” Directly and fearlessly, Chloe called out Tia’s transgressions, crossing her arms defiantly. After all, they were at school, where Tia would scarcely dare to do anything untoward. As for what would happen once they returned home? She would simply deal with that when the time came.

“But are combat squads truly mandatory?” If given the choice, Chloe harbored little desire to join any combat squad. She wasn’t particularly adept at interacting with others; merely handling Night Moon had pushed her to her absolute limit.

Tia dismissed the thought with a wave of her hand. “Based on my prior understanding, it wasn’t mandatory. However, this particular notice specifically stipulates that you must join a combat squad and are not permitted to operate independently.”

“Eh? Such an odd requirement? Is there something uniquely special about me that warrants this kind of… preferential treatment?”

Tia regarded Chloe with a gaze steeped in complexity, seemingly holding an answer, yet choosing not to vocalize it.

“Don’t celebrate too soon. The ranks of magical girls have swelled significantly due to the Watchtower’s extensive recruitment drive, and the group now bears little resemblance to its original, purer concept. Heh heh… individuals akin to Sera are far from being a minority.” Her tone was laced with unmistakable disdain.

Given that Tia’s past pronouncements had often been fraught with extremism, Chloe didn’t take her words too seriously. After all, wasn’t the core mission of a magical girl simply to battle monsters and safeguard world peace? How much more convoluted could it possibly become?

“So, does this mean I must make a trip to the Watchtower?”

“Yes, and what’s more, it’s now.”

“Oh? But I still have classes…” If she skipped another class, she might as well drop out entirely.

“Weren’t you a university student before? What conceivable meaning do these classes hold for you now? Moreover, as a magical girl, you no longer need to fret about employment. Your continued enrollment is merely a means to keep you occupied and to have you stationed at the school to deter monster attacks.”

By that logic, I could just as well be a security guard, couldn’t I?

“Then at the very least, I should request leave, shouldn’t I?”

“There’s no need. Lily High School and the Watchtower maintain a cooperative relationship, and information flows freely between both entities.”

“Sister Tia claims to despise magical girls and the Watchtower, yet she still seems quite invested in these affairs, doesn’t she?” Of course, Chloe felt a certain sense of credit for this. Had she not used her own body to purge the impurities from Tia, thereby preventing her descent into madness, the Watchtower might very well have found itself confronting a monster it had inadvertently fostered.

“My becoming a magical girl, it was all for…” Tia’s eyes were brimming with profound affection.

“It’s all for Yilan, of course! I understand~” Chloe interjected, quick to answer.

Arriving at the Watchtower once more, Chloe found herself overcome with a surge of emotion. Her last visit here had dramatically altered the course of her life; how would this one unfold?

As she ascended in the transparent elevator, Chloe observed that each floor was palpably more crowded than during her previous visit, a clear testament to the widespread recruitment of magical girls. The elevator ascended directly to the topmost floor, which served as the exclusive workspace for the Watchtower’s highest-ranking personnel.

Stepping out, Chloe immediately noticed numerous young women in formal uniforms. Her own simple, everyday dress felt starkly out of place, prompting her to shyly retreat behind Tia. This very action, however, drew the attention of those present. Everyone was captivated by the charming little girl, murmuring amongst themselves. Yet, the moment they recognized the person the girl was accompanying, they instantly reverted to feigning indifference, burying themselves back into their prior tasks.

Chloe couldn’t discern whether their demeanor towards Tia stemmed from awe or outright fear, but it certainly implied that Tia’s standing here was significant. Wouldn’t that mean there was no one left to keep her in check? Chloe’s fanciful notions of indicting Tia for her transgressions were instantly shattered.

Proceeding to an office door nestled in the deepest recesses of the floor, Tia bypassed the formality of knocking, simply striding directly inside.

The office was quite populated. Aside from several unfamiliar young women seated on a nearby sofa, Chloe recognized only one figure: the girl named Ke Lan, seated at the main desk, where a placard proudly proclaimed her title: ‘Supreme Commander.’

Ugh! Did becoming an official magical girl really necessitate an audience with the Supreme Commander herself? Chloe yearned to protest that she wasn’t prepared, yet in an instant, Tia propelled her forward. It felt akin to being thrust into a job interview utterly unprepared, causing her anxiety to skyrocket.

“I’ve brought the person,” Tia stated flatly, her tone utterly devoid of the respect a magical girl ought to show her Supreme Commander.

“Now, don’t be like that~” Ke Lan appeared to have anticipated Tia’s frigid demeanor. Unhurriedly, she drew the curtains over the surrounding floor-to-ceiling windows, softening the harsh glare. Following this, she pushed her own chair closer to Tia, gesturing for her to take a seat, while she herself opted to lean casually against the edge of the desk.

Their interaction bore little resemblance to a superior-subordinate dynamic; rather, it felt more like an encounter between two old acquaintances who had experienced a profound disagreement. Based on Chloe’s understanding of Tia, the only possible source of such a profound conflict would undoubtedly be Yilan. It seemed highly probable that this Supreme Commander also bore some connection to Yilan’s demise.

Considering this possibility, Chloe’s gaze towards Ke Lan held a distinct undertone of shared sorrow. Of course, no one could be more wretched than she was. Chloe suspected that Tia’s profound hatred for everyone deemed responsible for Yilan’s sacrifice had been entirely unleashed upon her.

Even more intriguingly, before the two highest-ranking individuals could commence their formal discussion, an unfamiliar magical girl, standing to the side, rose to her feet first.

“If the Commander has reconvened us simply to have her usurp Yilan’s position, then I apologize, but I utterly refuse!”