The Bridge of Encounter

As she left the convenience store, she glanced at the electronic clock above the door.

Eight thirty-three.

If her sense of time was accurate, she had walked for another hour and eighteen minutes since then.

“…Nine fifty-one? I thought I could at least hold out until ten.”

She felt tired and numb. Her thighs were as heavy as lead. Even while gritting her teeth and pushing through with sheer willpower, she had finally reached her limit.

“This spot will do.”

She found a bridge underpass. It blocked the wind and rain, and at this hour, few people would pass by. Still, if she could hold out until eleven or later, the area would be even more deserted.

She found a relatively dry corner, spread out the plastic bag from the convenience store on the ground, and sat down with her back against the concrete wall.

It was cold.

The chill seeped through her thin clothes and into her spine, like tiny needles piercing her bones. She instinctively curled up tighter, wrapping her arms around her knees, making herself into a small ball.

Her consciousness felt like it was drifting away.

No. I can’t sleep.

If she fell asleep now, she wouldn’t be able to react if someone approached.

…Right. Think about something. Keep my mind occupied.

Summer 2074. The first battle commanding combatants against magical girls ended in victory: two repelled, one captured, only one combatant lightly injured. The only casualty… the only casualty was me. An errant magical explosion shattered the rock structure of a distant cliff, causing me to fall while observing the battle. Severe injuries, three months of recovery.

Autumn of the same year, the second major operation. Defeated a magical girl squad, seized several transformation items.

Spring 2075…

She sat there, eyes wide open, staring at the pitch-black night sky outside the underpass, recalling events one by one.

Back then, the genius strategist known as “Samuel” struck fear into all who heard his name. Ever since he had taken full command of the ‘World-Devouring Serpent’ and assisted His Excellency, the ‘Great Overlord of Hatred,’ the myth of the invincible magical girl had become history.

“I never thought I’d fall not to a magical girl, but to a fairy.”

Samuel curled her lip in self-mockery. “Sure, magical girls draw power from fairies, but the fairy itself… that creature had no combat ability at all. Ah, how embarrassing. Even in defeat, I would have wanted to lose with some dignity—at least to a magical girl…”

Suddenly, a pink light streaked across the night sky.

Her bitter smile froze.

The pink light seemed to lock onto her location from afar. It hovered, aimed, and then in an instant changed direction, flying straight and unwavering toward the bridge.

Samuel’s body reacted before her mind.

She shot up, taking half a step back against the wall, her right hand instinctively reaching for her waist where an enhanced tactical dagger for executives should have been. But there was nothing there.

She was unable to fight. Her weapon had been washed away when she fell into the river.

Her thoughts tangled. Before she could figure out a response, the light landed on the ground. The cocoon-like mass of light gradually dispersed, fading away in an orderly, incorporeal fashion.

It was a standard transformation.

The girl who appeared was a perfectly proportioned beauty. Her features were indeed exquisite—by far the most stunning woman Samuel had ever seen—but that wasn’t the point!

If there was a fixed template for magical girls, this was it.

She wore a frilly dress laden with lace, an exaggerated star wand impractical for actual combat, and layers of gem jewelry that served no purpose yet overwhelmed the aesthetic. Her rainbow-bright pink twin-tails matched her outfit’s color scheme perfectly.

Undoubtedly a magical girl. And the most troublesome kind.

A Pink Magical Girl.

In the world of heroes, if one magical girl existed at a scene, there were usually more nearby. Magical girls almost always operated in pairs at the very least. And among them, the pink magical girl was absolutely, definitely, one hundred percent the core of the team. Even if she wasn’t the official leader, the team revolved around her.

Cheerful, warm-hearted, remarkably approachable, and perhaps a bit airheaded—these were the tropes. But the key, the most important thing, was this:

Pink is always the strongest!

Back in the distant past, when magical girls were fictional characters in children’s media, pink was the favorite color of young girls and thus the primary color for the protagonists. Pink-themed magical girls were always the most powerful fighters.

And now, one was standing right in front of her.

“Huh?”

The magical girl tilted her head.

Her cherry-pink eyes curiously examined the small figure under the bridge. She tilted her head slightly, as if confirming something, then broke into a brilliant smile.

“It’s so late, little sister. Why are you here alone?”

What now?! Should I run? No, she probably hasn’t recognized me; otherwise, she’d attack immediately. Without being able to use curse power, I can’t defend myself.

Samuel’s heart pounded, but her expression remained still.

She knew the situation well. Many people misunderstood pink magical girls, thinking they weren’t smart because of their ditzy behavior. Only veterans who had fought them often knew the truth. Perhaps to compensate for their intellectual shortcomings, pink magical girls possessed far superior intuition compared to other colors.

Lying to them was harder than lying to blue magical girls, who represented reason and wisdom.

“Ah~ I get it!”

Before Samuel could answer, the magical girl exclaimed as if a lightbulb had gone off. “A girl of this age, at this hour, in a place like this… hmm hmm, that’s unlikely. Simply put, for example, it’s probably, maybe, somewhat… that’s how it is, right?”

She bent down slightly to match Samuel’s height. Her serious expression seemed to suggest she had seen right through everything.

Samuel shivered uncomfortably. Her mind raced, desperately trying to figure out how to handle the magical girl’s suspicion.

“You’re not an ordinary girl, are you?”

Samuel’s eyes widened. Found out? So soon? I haven’t even said anything yet!

The magical girl smugly rubbed her chin, her sharp eyes scanning Samuel up and down repeatedly.

This is it.

Despair crept into Samuel’s heart. She closed her eyes.

“You’re a lost girl, right?”

“…Huh?”

They both blinked at the same time.

“Eh? You’re not lost?”

“Ah? Uh, well…”

What am I doing! That was a golden opportunity, and I hesitated!

Samuel felt her heart bleed. Under such pressure, even she had been too tense. When the magical girl made an unexpected guess, she hadn’t immediately agreed. That only made things worse.

Since she wasn’t “lost,” only one logical option remained.

“I… I ran away from home.”

Samuel lowered her head, letting her bangs cover her eyes. Her voice was very low, with just the right amount of tremor—the optimal solution she had quickly calculated.

A runaway girl.

This identity would explain why she was alone under a bridge at this hour and would evoke the magical girl’s sympathy rather than her suspicion.

“Huh?! Ran away from home?!”

The magical girl’s voice shot up, her cherry-pink eyes wide. “That won’t do! Your family will worry! You—no no no, wait, don’t cry…”

“I’m not crying.”

Samuel looked up, meeting the girl’s gaze with her amber eyes. She really wasn’t crying. Her eyes weren’t even red.

“…You really aren’t crying.”

The magical girl paused, then gave an awkward smile. “Ahaha, I thought you were about to burst into tears… no no, this isn’t the time!”

She took a deep breath, clenched her fists as if to encourage herself, and then posed.

“Nice to meet you! I am the dreamlike ‘Fairy Angel,’ the magical girl Chocola!”