Chapter 27: Magical Girl Magical Isis (1)

Swoosh! Bang!

From the corner of the set, a girl’s scream pierced the air, accompanied by the fierce sound of Ceres’ fists slicing through the air and mercilessly pounding a sandbag.

“No way! I can’t wear this! How can I wear something like this?”

“What’s wrong with the outfit?”

“What’s wrong with it?! Can you say that after looking at this?!”

The girl, neatly dressed in her school uniform, pointed at the outfit, which was far from proper, even with kind words.

The pure white top had no sleeves, exposing her underarms, and there was no fabric at all on her back.

In the midst of that, the collar seemed to hold everything together, but her collarbones and side chest were fully exposed.

And the skirt?

The matching pure white mini skirt came above her knees, made of a material that fluttered even with the slightest breeze.

Finally, the black knee-high socks completed the look.

It was the epitome of shamelessness, a dress that seemed designed to kill off any sense of modesty.

“How can the disciplinary committee, tasked with upholding school standards, wear something like this? This is humiliating!”

“You’re being so picky. I was going to go with garter belts, but I switched to knee-high socks and added safety shorts to avoid censorship. I even reduced the side slits. What else do you want?”

“If you were in my shoes, wouldn’t you be upset too?!”

“Well, you shouldn’t have done anything wrong in the first place.”

Allen waved a contract in front of the girl, who was shouting at him.

“Kylie, when people make mistakes, they need to face the consequences.”

“But still! Why am I the only one being treated like this? The others aren’t wearing anything like this!”

The other members of the disciplinary committee, whom she pointed at, averted their eyes.

At least they had it better.

Their combat uniforms, which at first glance looked like skin-tight suits, were actually worn under armor, so there was no sense of exposure.

In fact, standing next to Kylie, the others felt a surge of relief rather than embarrassment.

Being singled out like this, Kylie had every reason to feel wronged.

However, Allen had a point.

“The instigator and the accomplices shouldn’t be treated the same.”

After all, Kylie had been the ringleader of this particular disturbance within the disciplinary committee.

Of course, she understood that in her head.

But that didn’t make it any easier to accept.

“I won’t! I can’t!”

Crack.

Allen cracked his knuckles.

“Eek! What are you going to do?”

“If you keep this up, I’ll have to take you to the ‘Room of Truth.'”

Allen was an egalitarian, a true humanitarian who had no problem delivering a piledriver to anyone, regardless of gender, if necessary.

If she continued to resist, he had every intention of giving her a “massage” in a soundproof room. (For reference, this massage was known as chiropractic therapy.)

After Allen’s relentless persuasion, a pale-faced Kylie reluctantly put on the outfit.

Thus, the rival magical girl was complete.

After the battle with Scapul, Mari returned to her daily routine of defeating monsters.

However, since one of the executives had appeared, the monsters had grown far stronger than before.

It was as if the earlier monsters were merely scouts, and now they pressed Mari with new patterns of attack.

Each time, she somehow overcame the trials, growing stronger in real time.

A few months passed.

In terms of the story, about four episodes later, something unusual occurred.

Responding to yet another report of a monster appearance, Mari flew to the scene, only to witness two groups of monsters clashing with each other.

More precisely, one of the groups was a bit hard to categorize as monsters.

Clang!

A girl dressed in a radiant gown, much like Mari’s, stood at the forefront of one group, fending off the other.

The difference between her and Mari, however, was stark.

There was no skin exposed in her dress, her face was hidden by a mask, and she held daggers in both hands.

She looked more like a ninja or assassin than a magical girl.

On top of that, the monsters following her seemed odd as well.

They hadn’t undergone complete bodily transformations like typical monsters, but were instead wearing some kind of power suits.

Even though they were clad in black bodysuits, anyone could tell at a glance they were monsters.

“A magical girl? A monster? Lirpin, are there other magical girls besides me?”

“I’m not sure, meow! But if there’s another Heart Gem that escaped from the lab and someone picked it up, like you did, it’s not impossible, meow!”

“Then, is she on our side?”

“Hard to say, meow. But if she’s a member of the Twilight Council, be careful, meow.”

Mari nodded and cautiously approached the potential magical girl.

The girl noticed Mari, and their eyes met.

But the other side continued their assault on the magical girl, not caring about the eye contact.

And, for good measure, they attacked Mari as well.

“Where do you think you’re going?!”

Seeing that they were pointing their weapons at her, it was clear the opposing group wasn’t friendly.

“A warrior delivering love and justice! Magical Mari, appearing!”

The catchphrase seemed to have changed, but magical girls often change their introductions, so let’s move on.

“Introductions can come later; let’s join forces for now!”

The potential magical girl nodded and helped Mari.

Despite meeting for the first time, the two worked together as if they had known each other for years, perfectly in sync as they fought off the monsters.

It was like a painting, or a duet dance.

Daggers and bare fists swept through the battlefield in perfect harmony.

Before long, they had cleared out all the monsters.

The potential magical girl extended her hand to Mari for a handshake.

“Thanks. You must be Magical Mari?”

“Yes, that’s right! Are you a magical girl too?”

“Magical girl…”

The masked girl pulled down her mask, revealing her face. Despite a small scar beneath her chin, the first thought that crossed Mari’s mind was how beautiful she was.

The girl’s blue ponytail and cool beauty were striking, and her cynical smile had a charm that could make even another woman’s heart flutter.

“I’m sorry, but I’m not your ally.”

She pulled an insignia from her cloak, and it was something Mari recognized—the Twilight Council. The moment Mari saw it, her guard went up.

The girl noticed Mari’s reaction and let out a bitter smile before tucking the insignia away.

“Why are you showing that to me?”

“Well, we did fight together just now. It wouldn’t feel right to turn around and attack you the second it was over, would it?”

She pulled her mask back up.

“Mari!”

“I know!”

At Lirpin’s warning, Mari immediately assumed a battle stance, and the monstrous beings behind the girl also readied themselves.

Tension crackled between them, yet the masked girl seemed unfazed.

“What are you all doing?”

“Uh…?”

“Let’s go.”

“But, miss, if we get the Heart Gem, even the elders will—”

“Delta.”

“Yes, ma’am!”

“Let’s just go. I’m not in the mood today.”

At her words, the large man called Delta dropped the subject, and the others also began preparing to retreat.

“Oh, right. I didn’t introduce myself, did I? I’m Isis, and I hold the ‘Seat of Conformity.’ We’ll be leaving for now, but next time we meet, we’ll be enemies.”

“Wait! I can’t just let you—”

Before Mari could finish her sentence, the gem on Isis’s dagger gleamed brightly, and a blinding light filled the area.

When the light faded, Isis and her monsters had vanished without a trace, leaving Mari staring at the empty space where Isis had stood with a conflicted expression.

After that encounter, Mari and Isis clashed multiple times. Each time, though, Isis found a reason not to directly confront Mari.

They maintained a relationship more amicable than enemies but too antagonistic to be considered friends. Over time, their tenuous bond began to evolve.

One day, Isis’s subordinates suddenly appeared in front of Mari, begging for her help.

“Please, you have to help our lady!”

“Wait, what…?”

Though confused, Mari decided to hear them out. It turned out that Isis’s position within the Twilight Council had become highly unstable.

Isis, as they explained, indeed held a seat on the Twilight Council. However, the ties between council members were not strong or unbreakable—they were merely loose associations at best.

The council wasn’t just an organization that manipulated the world from the shadows. Each member held their own beliefs about improving humanity, striving to advance the species based on the principles of their respective seats.

Isis, holding the Seat of Conformity, came from the Opthepe family, who believed humanity could progress by accepting and conforming to reality. Their methods often crushed unrealistic dreams but ultimately set people on paths where they could thrive in more practical roles.

Yet, despite the harshness of their approach, their actions often left people better off. It was a complicated dynamic that even Ceres found hard to dismiss.

However, due to the varied beliefs between the council members, the bonds between them were fragile at best. Many of them coveted the Heart Gem possessed by the Opthepe family, eager to gain more power. Up until now, they hadn’t dared make a move because of the support from another council seat, the Seat of Submission, held by a group known as the Eternium Being. This group, with a pragmatic ideology of “seeking benefits even if it meant submitting,” naturally aligned well with the Opthepe family, and together they had formed a formidable alliance.

However, the delicate balance between these factions was shattered when a Heart Gem escaped from the Eternium Being’s research facility.

Hearing this, Ceres and Lirpin averted their eyes, guilt washing over them.

Seeing their discomfort, one of Isis’s subordinates gave a bitter smile.

“There’s no need to apologize. The ones at fault are the council members, not you two.”

“Still…”

“In any case, after that incident, the Eternium Being distanced themselves from the Opthepe family, leaving our lady exposed to attacks from other council members.”

With their former allies now unwilling to defend them, the Opthepe family became easy prey. Just as Magical Mari had been relentlessly pursued, so too was Isis, now hunted across the globe. Despite her best efforts, Isis was reaching her limit.

In desperation, her subordinates turned to Mari with an almost unbearable request.

“Please, take our lady’s Heart Gem.”

It was a harsh request for Mari, who was already being targeted by monstrous forces. Taking on Isis’s burden would only make things worse. Yet, Mari didn’t hesitate.

“Alright. I’ll accept your request.”

She had already accepted Lirpin, an enigmatic spirit, as her friend without a second thought. After having crossed the line between life and death with Isis numerous times, to Mari, she was no less than a friend now too.

A not-so-important Twilight Council emblem