This is our second loop of the magical girl team

“…What in the world was that?!”

Violet Lightning felt the abnormal surge of energy and froze mid-flight in the narrow alley.

She grabbed a clothesline stretched between two houses, executed a flawless aerial turn like a gymnast, and landed steadily on the ground.

Behind her, her three teammates followed suit, each performing a controlled landing as they halted their advance.

“Violet Lightning, why’d you suddenly stop?” Captain Frostail complained.

“Did you guys feel that?” Violet Lightning turned to her teammates.

“Yeah, I felt it,” Heron said, adjusting her glasses. “Somewhere in the Fourth Ring? No… farther than that. That’s Fifth Ring territory.”

“…Was that magic release? The output is insane!”

Yu Bing, the last member of the Second Ring’s magical girl squad, spoke up.

A petite girl with long, wavy white hair down to her waist, she looked like a soft, fluffy cloud—light, gentle, and relaxed.

Yet her actual demeanor—slumped shoulders, dull eyes, and a voice drained of energy—was the complete opposite.

“I was almost asleep mid-flight just now,” Yu Bing mumbled. “That blast woke me up real quick.”

But the massive dark circles under her eyes made her words sound more like a joke than a statement.

“Yu Bing being surprised is one thing,” Frostail shot a look at Violet Lightning and Heron, “but we’ve seen the Senior before. Who else could release that much magic?”

She raised her voice, issuing the next order. “Alright, no slacking. Keep moving! We’ve only got four hours left—let’s finish this thing before then!”

“Understood.”

“Copy that.”

“…ZZZZZZZZ.”

The Second Ring magical girl squad was in the middle of a mission to eliminate the A-rank aberration known as the Nightmare Fiend.

It wasn’t particularly strong in direct combat, but it was cunning and cautious. Including failed attempts, the four of them had been tracking it on and off for three months.

Finally, the previous night, following a carefully laid-out plan, they had cornered it into this densely packed urban village, full of tightly packed buildings and complex terrain.

Agents from the Anti-Aberration Special Operations Bureau had pre-deployed a magical barrier from the Magic Kingdom. For twelve hours, no magic-based entity could enter or leave the area.

In effect, the urban village had become a time-limited steel prison. For the past eight hours, a game of cat and mouse had been playing out within this sealed zone.

“…Captain, next is the C5 to D5 sector. Should we split up?”

In mid-flight, Heron unfolded a color-coded satellite map and called out.

“No,” Frostail immediately rejected the idea.

She glanced at Violet Lightning on her left and Heron on her right, then continued.

“Eight hours have passed since the operation began. Physical stamina aside, all three of us are nearing our mental limits. Splitting up might be more efficient, but given our current state, we risk being picked off one by one.”

As captain, Frostail had many things to consider.

But above all objectives—above mission success, above expectations—there was one principle she would never compromise: the safety of her comrades.

Even if the mission failed, even if the outcome wasn’t perfect, she didn’t care.

From the moment she took command, this belief had never changed. In every mission, she upheld it through cautious judgment and the solid shield she carried.

“You’re right,” Violet Lightning agreed.

“To be honest, this is the longest I’ve ever stayed transformed as a magical girl,” she said with a tired smile, weariness flickering in her eyes.

“…I really want to soak in a hot spring,” Heron sighed.

“Just sit in the water, do nothing, think of nothing, zone out… and fall asleep.”

“Alright. Then it’s decided.”

Frostail picked up where Heron left off. As captain, she needed to boost morale.

“After the mission, we’re all going to a hot spring inn together! First, a long soak. Then hotpot. Then we’ll crawl into bed and sleep until we wake up naturally!”

“Awesome! All three of us—let’s do it!”

Violet Lightning, excited, sped up again and took the lead.

The three of them imagined their peaceful, leisurely vacation at the inn. But in the midst of their cheer, they suddenly realized something.

Wait. Wait a second.

…Three?

But… weren’t they a four-person team?

The realization hit them all at once. Their bodies froze mid-air as they stared at each other.

“…Crap. Where’s Yu Bing?” Frostail asked.

****

After eliminating the Shadow Hunter, You Dong didn’t return to the office.

He went straight home and collapsed into a deep sleep.

The constant switching between identities had worn him out completely—his body and mind ached, his chest throbbed. He had no choice but to rest.

When he finally woke up, it was already 7 p.m.

He must have woken up at this exact time out of habit—he always watched the news on schedule.

He went downstairs, turned on the TV, and found both Shangjing One and Two broadcasting the same headline.

[Major Victory—Second Ring Magical Girl Squad Defeats A-Rank Aberration, Nightmare Fiend]

The camera focused on a pale, petite girl with dark circles so deep they were visible even on screen.

A caption appeared: [Magical Girl—Yu Bing]

Behind Yu Bing, You Dong could see her three teammates—Frostail, Violet Lightning, and Heron—lying flat on their backs, fast asleep.

A few seconds later, several black-clad agents from the Special Operations Bureau entered the frame. They carefully placed the three unconscious girls into cocoon-like sleeping bags and carried them away.

“Miss Yu Bing, how did you manage to defeat the Nightmare Fiend alone after all your teammates were incapacitated?” a reporter asked.

“The thing just got careless,” Yu Bing replied.

“It thought I’d pass out like the others. But I was still awake. I waited until it let its guard down, then hit it with everything I had. Most of its body got blown to pieces… Ah, too bad it still managed to escape.”

“But it’ll probably take a long time for it to recover from those injuries.”

With that, Yu Bing let out a long, loud yawn.

“So, does that mean you’re immune to the Nightmare Fiend’s attacks?” another reporter asked.

“Not at all,” Yu Bing shook her head.

“I was hit by its [Nightmare Bind], and I was about to collapse too. But faintly, I heard it say something like, ‘Once hit, you’ll be trapped in endless nightmares for a week, unable to wake up—completely helpless’…”

“The moment I heard that, I literally scared myself awake.”

“A week of sleep? No way. I’m a med student—fifth year. I’m doing my ER internship. If I sleep for a week and don’t show up at the hospital, I’ll never graduate…”