Shoot You

“…Alright. If I say too much at once, you won’t remember any of it. That’s enough for today.”

Seeming to hesitate, as if wary of something, Lao Lin abruptly ended the topic.

“In general, we consider a Two Rings [New Bud] level magical girl capable of soloing a C-rank aberration. Don’t aim too high. For now, focus on reaching that level!”

“O-okay! I’ll work hard!” Raging Flame nodded earnestly.

Though he hadn’t expected his niece to become a magical girl, as Tidal glanced at Raging Flame—eyes shining with excitement and determination—he couldn’t help but feel a quiet sense of relief.

If she truly wanted to become a magical girl who fought evil and protected the city, then he would quietly play his role as the senior who watched over her.

“Lao Lin, let me confirm. The Shadow Hunter you mentioned earlier—is it still hiding on this floor?”

After Lao Lin’s lecture, Tidal asked.

“Yes. The Shadow Hunter can only move through continuous shadows. If light breaks the shadow path, it has to re-materialize and use its ability again to enter another shadowed area.”

“It appeared from that corridor earlier, attacked Raging Flame, then retreated back in.”

Lao Lin pointed to the long passage where they had fought. On the ground lay half of the Shadow Hunter’s severed limb.

“It hasn’t shown itself since, which means it’s still in that corridor—maybe on the wall or ceiling, but definitely still there. One end is blocked, and the other leads to the escalator near us. That side is now exposed to strong light due to the broken wall. The shadows are broken and discontinuous. It can’t cross over.”

“In other words, it’s temporarily trapped—on this floor, in that corridor,” Lao Lin concluded.

“I see. I understand the situation,” Tidal nodded.

Then she turned to Raging Flame.

“Can you fly?”

“Huh? Fly? Yes, I can!”

Surprised that her senior was speaking to her directly, Raging Flame perked up.

“Good. Let’s go outside.”

“Outside? Okay!”

Raging Flame didn’t fully understand the order, but if Senior Tidal said so, she’d follow without question.

She turned toward the stairs, but as she took a single step, a hand grabbed the back of her collar.

Tidal sighed behind her.

“…This way.”

Tidal pointed at the hole she had just crashed through in the wall.

“Why do you think I asked if you could fly?”

“O-okay!”

Through the gaping hole, the two girls and the cat emerged outside, hovering in midair.

After signing the contract, magical girls naturally learned to use and sense magic particles—almost as instinctive as eating or sleeping. Even without formal training, basic abilities like flight, high-speed dashes, aerial recovery, and magic release could be performed through instinct. Of course, proficiency still varied between individuals.

“Senior, what now?” Raging Flame asked.

It was then she suddenly realized—she was floating in midair, wearing a light, fluttering skirt…

“Wah!”

Imagining how she must look from below, Raging Flame’s ears turned red. She yelped and quickly pressed her hands down on her skirt, squeezing her legs tightly together.

Compared to her flustered panic, Tidal remained calm and composed.

Unbothered by the wind whipping her clothes, she stood with arms crossed, calmly studying the hole and the corridor inside, as if planning her next move.

Is this what a mature, powerful magical girl looks like?

Raging Flame silently admired her in awe.

But what she didn’t know was that Tidal’s composure came not from experience—but because her true self was a thirty-year-old man who simply didn’t have the instinct to protect his “modesty.”

After a few seconds, Tidal raised her hands, positioning them with palms facing opposite directions, thumbs and index fingers forming a rectangular frame.

“…About this thick should be enough.”

Using the makeshift sight, she judged the direction and width of her next attack.

Try not to cause unnecessary damage.

Though magical girls weren’t held accountable for collateral damage, as a person with normal moral standards, Tidal still carried the instinct to protect public property into her battles.

“Get behind me.”

“…Stay ten meters back. Better make it fifteen.”

The noisy wind carried Tidal’s voice to Raging Flame.

It was soft, emotionless—yet carried undeniable authority.

Raging Flame didn’t ask. She just obeyed.

She vaguely sensed that what was about to happen was beyond her ability to participate in. For now, staying out of Tidal’s way was the best thing she could do as a junior.

The air around them began to grow hot.

Only when the scorching wind burned her exposed skin did Raging Flame realize why Tidal had told her to retreat.

…Magic is burning.

From her perspective, she could clearly see a deep blue aura forming around Tidal. This was clear evidence of highly concentrated magic particles burning and vaporizing into heat.

Within a spherical space of about ten meters centered on Tidal, high-density magic particles defied the laws of the physical world, surging forth like a tangible flood.

A blue sun now hung in the sky.

At its center, Tidal raised her magic wand.

“—”

Imagine a magnifying glass.

Sunlight, harmless on its own, focuses into a single point through a lens—burning paper, scorching insects.

The crystal embedded in the wand of a first-generation magical girl works the same way.

But instead of sunlight, it focuses magic.

…I haven’t thought of a name for it yet.

Anyway—

“Damn it. Blow you to hell.”

Tidal swung her wand toward the broken wall.

The surge of magic was focused by the crystal into a searing beam several meters wide.

The beam shot straight through the hole, piercing the entire corridor.

The Shadow Hunter hidden in the shadows, the air, the dust, every molecule in that space—everything was instantly vaporized, leaving behind absolute vacuum.

Through her enhanced vision, Raging Flame saw a white magic crystal lying silently on the molten battlefield—the proof of the Shadow Hunter’s destruction.

The battle was over.

Tidal released her magic output. The warped, distorted space around her returned to normal.

“…Is this the power of a true Senior?”

Raging Flame floated in stunned silence, unable to speak.

There was admiration. A hint of fear. A touch of inferiority.

But above all—there was longing.

“—So cool.”

Staring at the blue figure before her, the girl made a quiet vow in her heart.

“…Someday, I’ll become a magical girl just like her.”