Self-Hypnosis?

Lead-gray clouds rolled up from the horizon, pressing the sky down low, while the outlines of distant high-rises blurred into vague ink-wash silhouettes within the gray curtain.

Ants formed long lines as they carried debris, winding across the asphalt ground.

Was it about to rain?

The sudden change in weather made Flona, who was squatting in a corner, feel even more irritated.

According to her plan, she had intended to stay in the house that once belonged to the Hero.

However, she had not expected that the house had already been destroyed by monsters three years ago, and the Hero had long since been declared missing.

Flona could only look for another place to stay.

After asking around for quite some time, she discovered a serious problem.

Unlike the inns back in her world, where one could stay just by paying copper coins, the hotels here required not only the local currency—credit points—but also identity registration!

At this moment, Flona had run straight into the biggest problem an otherworlder faces upon arriving in modern society.

She was undocumented.

Without an identity, it was practically impossible to get anywhere.

Although she could easily obtain both identity and wealth through divine arts, divine arts were meant to protect all living beings. Using them as tools to satisfy personal desires would only cause her to slowly become a prisoner of her own greed.

And so, the once-glorious former Saint ended up wandering the streets.

How miserable.

Dull thunder rolled in the distance, and the air grew thick and sticky with moisture, as if urging Flona to quickly find somewhere to shelter from the rain.

“Mm!” Flona stood up, still having no idea where she could go for the time being.

Should she try looking for a local church?

Relying on this nun’s habit, borrowing a place to stay for one night shouldn’t be a problem.

She just didn’t know whether they believed in the Goddess of Holy Light.

“You’re the nun who was attacked by a monster earlier!”

“!”

Flona turned around and saw a black-haired girl with a cute rabbit-ear hair accessory pointing at her, surprise written all over her face.

It was the witch from before.

Although the fluffy rabbit ears on her head were gone and her silver hair had turned black, just from the familiar magical aura and the malice that was about to overflow, Flona knew she hadn’t mistaken her.

But how did she find me?

That question puzzled Flona.

Unlike the cautious Flona, Kirishima Shiro was feeling extremely troubled.

With the disappearance of the raven monster, the last clue related to her senior had also been cut off.

On her way home with nothing to do, she happened to come across Flona squatting there counting ants.

Thinking of the flame that had burned the raven monster, which might have something to do with this nun, she blurted out words without thinking in her panic.

But hadn’t she just exposed herself like that?

What magical girls needed to pay the most attention to was protecting their privacy, otherwise nearby neighbors or friends and family could easily suffer retaliation from monsters.

Fortunately, there was still room to salvage the situation.

“Um, don’t misunderstand… I was hiding in the café at the time and happened to see that dangerous scene,” Kirishima Shiro said cautiously. “Good thing you’re okay.”

What a forced explanation.

Did she not want to reveal her true identity?

And it seemed she hadn’t noticed anything special about me.

A flash of inspiration crossed Flona’s mind—perhaps she could make use of this.

Putting on a shaken expression, Flona replied, “Indeed. If that monster hadn’t suddenly caught fire, I probably wouldn’t have survived.”

Yes, thankfully she reacted quickly—not only dealing with the monster using holy flames, but also successfully covering her tracks.

Just a little slower, and her retirement life would have been in grave danger.

After a pause, Flona continued, “Poor me, running into something like this the moment I arrived in this city.”

Hearing this, Kirishima Shiro was greatly disappointed.

Caught fire?

So even this nun didn’t know the reason?

That made sense—there wasn’t the slightest trace of magical energy on her. She really did look like an ordinary person.

It seemed more likely that someone behind the scenes had deliberately caused that fire, cutting off the clue so she couldn’t uncover her senior’s whereabouts.

Thinking this, the gloom in Kirishima Shiro’s heart deepened.

Raindrops began to fall from the sky one after another.

A hint of crimson dyed Kirishima Shiro’s eyes.

“It’s getting late, Miss Nun. Since you’ve just arrived in Qingten City, would you like to come sit at my place?”

Kirishima Shiro took out her keys and casually opened the door, her gaze sweeping over Flona with an aggressive edge.

Such bold words were completely unlike her earlier timid demeanor.

But in just a moment, the crimson receded like a tide, and those eyes were instantly veiled with fear.

Realizing what she had just said, Kirishima Shiro frantically waved her hands. “I’m sorry, Miss Nun—just pretend I said something wrong. You should leave quickly…”

Very soon, her tone changed again. “Leave? Why leave. My place is pretty big—if you get tired, you can just sleep there.”

Was she struggling with the malice for control over her body?

Even so, Kirishima Shiro’s invitation happened to align perfectly with Flona’s wishes.

“Just call me Flona,” she said calmly, the corner of her lips lifting ever so slightly.

“Oh?”

Controlled by malice, Kirishima Shiro hadn’t expected Flona to agree so readily.

Without saying anything more, Flona followed Kirishima Shiro inside.

Since the homeowner had already extended an invitation, it wouldn’t be too much to reward herself with a night’s sleep here.

…

Entering the living room, Flona sat upright on the sofa, anticipating what would happen next.

If Kirishima Shiro were to attack her, should she deal with the out-of-control witch on the spot, or simply eliminate her?

How did the Hero used to put it again?

That’s right—this would count as self-defense.

In a sense, Flona had also been corrupted by that unscrupulous Hero.

After all, what normal Saint would rush into retirement instead of enjoying fame and fortune after defeating the Demon King?

Meanwhile, Kirishima Shiro was struggling desperately against the malice.

Magical girls were not allowed to attack ordinary people.

Do you really think this nun is an ordinary person?

She doesn’t even have any magical power…

Not having magical power doesn’t prove anything. What if she’s hiding information about your senior’s whereabouts?

Then what should I do?

In an instant, Kirishima Shiro fell into hesitation.

What to do? Of course—test her with magic.

Tempted by malice, control over Kirishima Shiro’s body was completely seized.

Magical power surged, and a spell circle composed of pale blue runes formed in her hand, spreading toward Flona.

So she’s finally making a move.

Flona was ready at any moment to condense holy flames and deliver judgment on the spot.

“Thud!”

Before Flona’s stunned eyes, the spell circle was repelled by a layer of light the moment it drew near.

After producing a crisp collision sound, it rebounded straight back toward Kirishima Shiro.

Kirishima Shiro made no attempt to dodge, allowing the spell circle to sink directly into her body.

The next second, she clutched her head and staggered before collapsing onto the floor.

When Kirishima Shiro looked up again, her eyes were filled with nothing but hollow confusion. “A-ba… a-ba… a-ba…”

This was… the ice-type spell Frozen Thinking?

Frozen Thinking, as the name implied, used ice-attribute magical power to interfere with one’s thought processes, producing an effect similar to alcohol-induced numbness.

In this state of an emptied mind, no matter what others asked you, you would unconsciously speak the truest thoughts in your heart.

In other words, Frozen Thinking could be used as a truth serum—or even as a form of hypnosis.

The problem was that magic with such negative effects was naturally immune to her Blessing of Clarity, and even had a chance to rebound.

So Kirishima Shiro’s current condition was that she had tried to hypnotize her—no, to use Frozen Thinking on her.

And instead, foolishly ended up hitting herself.