Let’s Get Some Fries

Water flowed over the foam in the porcelain bowl, reflecting a smooth sheen.

Kirishima Shiro hummed a tuneless melody, her ponytail swaying along with it.

Recently, since Natsume Oto had destroyed the city’s largest monster organization, most monsters were too scared to show their faces.

As a result, Kirishima Shiro herself had been enjoying a much more leisurely time.

In the days following the shopping trip, Florna had taken over the kitchen to avoid the problem of “long-term vegetarianism,” turning Shiro into the designated dishwashing tool.

Shiro didn’t mind it at all.

Florna’s cooking was far better than hers, and to her surprise, she discovered that Florna’s dishes even boosted her mana.

If not for the desire to keep her identity as a magical girl hidden, Shiro would’ve loved to properly discuss it with Florna.

Completely unaware that her magical girl identity had been exposed from the very beginning.

Suddenly, the ringing of a phone interrupted her movements.

She wiped her hands on her apron.

“Hello, it’s Shiro… looking for Florna?

Oh, okay.”

She placed the phone in front of Florna.

“Anna-chan is looking for you.”

“Seriana?”

While answering the call, Florna was visibly excited.

“I’ll be right there.”

Her identity issue finally had a solution!

After telling Kirishima Shiro, Florna picked up the eyeball and hurried off to Anna’s place.

Leaving behind a slow-to-react Shiro, deep in thought.

“When did Florna and Anna-chan get to know each other?”

Upon arrival, Florna took out a key and pushed open Seriana’s room door.

“I’m here.”

The key had been specially left for Florna by Seriana, who had said that if Florna ever felt uncomfortable staying at the Kirishima household, she was always welcome to live with her.

“Coo!

Those are mine!”

A pigeon wearing a tiny top hat flapped its wings, pecking toward the fries in Natsume Oto’s hands.

“Damn pigeon, don’t steal my fries, woof!”

Natsume Oto guarded the fries, her other hand gripping a rolled-up paper tube as she sparred back and forth with the audacious pigeon.

“Florna’s here.”

Seriana, who had been dozing off moments ago, instantly perked up.

She leapt forward and was caught steadily in Florna’s arms.

“If I’d reacted any slower, you would’ve fallen on the floor,” Florna said, smoothing Seriana’s messy hair with mild reproach.

“I trust that you’d catch me.”

Meanwhile, Natsume Oto was so shocked she forgot to keep waving the paper tube.

“The sleepyhead actually woke up, woof.”

During the time she’d spent with Seriana, Natsume Oto had never once seen her fully awake.

For the sake of smoother communication, she had even reached Level 3 proficiency in Anna-language, barely able to piece together full sentences from a few short words.

Seizing the opportunity, the pigeon grabbed the box of fries and flew upward.

“You foolish two-legged creature.

In the end, this pigeon is still superior!

Ah!”

Just as the gloating finished, Natsume Oto reacted in a flash, grabbing the empty paper tube and hurling it with force.

Down you go!

The paper tube struck the pigeon squarely.

Its claws loosened, and the fries scattered through the air.

We’re crashing!

The pigeon screamed, “My fries!”

In the blink of an eye, Natsume Oto leapt up, snatched the box back, and flicked her wrist so fast it left afterimages.

Before the fries could hit the floor, she scooped every last one back into the box.

The tragedy of fallen fries was averted.

“Whoa!”

After placing the clingy Seriana back on the bed, Florna applauded the impressive display.

Natsume Oto glared.

“What are you staring at?

Never seen someone fight over fries, woof woof!”

She had absolutely no goodwill toward Florna, who had once threatened her.

“You look really cute with that speech habit,” Florna teased, unbothered, as she examined the scale pendant near Natsume Oto’s collarbone.

Earlier, Natsume Oto had been distressed about her half-witch appearance and hesitant to go out in public.

Seriana had suggested using illusion magic to alter her look.

However, Natsume Oto’s demon horn was too prominent.

Forcibly hiding it would drain too much of Seriana’s daily energy.

In the end, they opted for a compromise.

The demon horn was replaced with dog ears, paired with her constant “woof woof” verbal tic.

It was hard not to associate her with the canine beastfolk from Florna’s world.

“The texture still feels like a horn.”

While Natsume Oto was setting the fries on the table, Florna reached out to touch the dog ears.

What she felt was solid and hard.

Turning a horn on the forehead into ears on the head was the kind of strange thing only illusion magic could accomplish.

“Changing the tactile sensation would be too troublesome.”

Seeing that there was no Florna left to hug, Seriana pulled out a pillow and hugged it instead.

Under the illusion, anyone seeing Natsume Oto would just assume she was wearing a very realistic dog-ear headband.

“Don’t touch me while taking advantage, woof!”

Natsume Oto bared her teeth.

If Florna hadn’t withdrawn so quickly, she really might’ve bitten her.

“Even more like a puppy now.”

Before Natsume Oto could erupt, Florna asked, “Didn’t you have your own place?

Why are you still staying with Anna?”

“None of your business.”

Natsume Oto turned her head away haughtily.

“Magical girls are supposed to keep monsters under watch, woof woof.”

“Not monsters.

Nightmarekin,” Seriana corrected.

A girl who once despised monsters had been deceived by Ulru, who called himself a “magical girl partner,” and later helped by Florna and the others.

Those tangled emotions pushed her to want to understand more.

At the very least, she couldn’t stay as blindly arrogant as before.

Florna couldn’t guess Natsume Oto’s thoughts, nor did she want to.

She was more concerned with something else.

“Anna, what about my identity?”

Florna didn’t want to live as an undocumented person for even one more day.

Every time she went out, she worried about being invited for tea by the police.

“Here.

I checked it for you—no problems,” Seriana said, pulling a file from inside her pillow and handing it to Florna.

“Let me see.”

Opening the folder, Florna found a neatly arranged set of documents inside.

Seriana had even thoughtfully prepared a mobile phone for her.

“Refugee from Yunqiu City.”

After flipping through the ID several times, Florna asked in confusion, “Why a refugee?

Was that city destroyed?”

【Yunqiu City is a region occupied by the Monster King.

Any citizens who manage to escape from there naturally become refugees.】

The book opened, and the eyeball proactively explained.

“Refugees like that are pretty common,” Natsume Oto said.

She knew many cities were under the Monster King’s control.

She often intercepted monsters at the borders of Qingteng City and casually rescued a few refugees along the way.

Unfortunately, magical girls could only operate within their home cities.

Otherwise, she would’ve liked to see just how strong the Monster King really was.

Thinking about it now, Ulru restricting the activity range of magical girls was likely his way of hiding the witch problem.

“Did the other party make any demands?”

Florna had been an adventurer before.

Once benefits were confirmed, it was only right to talk about the commission.

There was no such thing as a free lunch.

Seriana looked toward the pigeon, who was busy stuffing fries into its beak.

“That part will have to be explained by Mr.

Potato.

He specifically brought a commission with him.”

“Potato?”

“Coo.

Miss Florna, this pigeon is Potato.”

Caught red-handed mid-snack, Potato lifted his head.

One wing pressed to his chest, he removed his little hat and gave a salute.

If not for the red ketchup smeared around his beak, he really would’ve looked like a proper gentleman.