“Look, look!”
“Look at what?”
The Magma Demon had been slain, the monsters repelled, and the combatants, heads bowed in defeat, were being handcuffed in a long line and loaded into police cars. Bystanders whose homes had been damaged sat amidst the rubble of what were once their homes. Their faces bright with anticipation, they cheerfully debated whether the Banjao Disaster Management Fund or the Magical Girl Support Association would offer more compensation. As they chatted, one man, with black hair, checked his phone and stumbled upon a major news story.
He quickly nudged his blond-haired friend beside him and handed over the phone.
“You actually follow Banjao’s official channel?” The blond-haired man exclaimed, shocked to see the official Banjao channel on the phone.
The black-haired man replied, “I can’t help it. The videos of monsters humiliating defeated magical girls in there are just too lewd.”
They exchanged a silent glance. The blond-haired man sighed briefly, confessing in a tone that implied mutual understanding.
“It’s fine. It really is quite lewd. So good! I follow it too.”
The two friends, the blond and the black-haired man, burst into laughter. They clicked on the latest video, expecting to see another lewd video of a magical girl. But upon opening it, their faces gradually flushed crimson.
“Damn it, Scarlet Magical Girl actually did something like this!?”
“Magical Girl Grey Moon was truly wronged! Scarlet Magical Girl was tied up and sent to Banjao’s base entrance, then she went ‘underground’ to film explicit content for everyone to see!”
****
Does this seem familiar? Such events were, in fact, unfolding across the entire nation.
“Scarlet Magical Girl!!”
Emerald Magical Girl, likely without a phone, was perhaps the last to learn of Scarlet Magical Girl’s outrageous actions. And even she, seeing the video Glimmering Yellow Magical Girl had shown her—pouting and holding her phone awkwardly before her chest—was now glaring furiously at Scarlet Magical Girl.
“Aieeeeee…” Scarlet Magical Girl sank to her knees, emitting the pitiful shriek of a small fry, even squeezing out a few tears to garner sympathy.
Yet, even this failed to quell Emerald Magical Girl’s rage; she wanted to kill her, absolutely kill her.
Glimmering Yellow Magical Girl hugged Emerald Magical Girl from behind, urging her to calm down, to be calm.
“Violence won’t solve anything, meow.”
“Violence *can* solve the problem of *this traitor*!” Emerald Magical Girl’s gohei pointed directly at Scarlet Magical Girl’s nose, as she tapped Scarlet Magical Girl’s head with its slender stick.
“Oh dear, oh dear…”
Just as Glimmering Yellow Magical Girl was fretting, Magical Girl Grey Moon, meanwhile, had returned to the television tower.
Glimmering Yellow Magical Girl turned, keenly observing a mosquito attempt to land on Grey Moon’s shoulder to feed, only to instantly turn to ash.
For some reason, Glimmering Yellow Magical Girl’s cat-like mouth widened, her pupils contracted, and she felt an intense envy for that particular ability.
“What’s wrong?”
*Tap-tap*, Grey Moon’s heels echoed on the wooden stage of the studio. The chair in the center remained, but the obese monster who had occupied it lay dead, ten meters from its feet. A white cloth covered Black Iris.
Grey Moon didn’t know this magical girl well, so after a brief moment of mourning, she turned her attention to the troublesome Scarlet Magical Girl.
Though Emerald Magical Girl had been fuming at Scarlet Magical Girl, upon seeing the victim herself arrive, her eyes darted about and a cold sweat broke out on her forehead. After all, with Scarlet Magical Girl causing such a scene, Emerald Magical Girl, as her captain, bore some responsibility for inadequate supervision.
“Um…”
However, there was no hiding it now. So, after apologizing, Emerald Magical Girl revealed everything to Grey Moon, who simply nodded upon hearing it. ‘What was all the fuss about?’ she thought. Scarlet Magical Girl had already informed her of her past actions and her ulterior motives for approaching her. Scarlet Magical Girl certainly deserved punishment, but not to the extent of atoning with her life.
As everyone in the venue hesitated on how to punish Scarlet Magical Girl, who was currently performing a dogeza, she suddenly lifted her head.
“Unless I make the most important decision of my life—”
“I’ll join!”
“The prison for magical girls, meow~”
Scarlet Magical Girl had intended to shout “community volunteers,” but the hand she had raised, clenched into a fist, was promptly cuffed by Glimmering Yellow Magical Girl with shiny silver handcuffs.
“Eh?”
Scarlet Magical Girl stared at Glimmering Yellow Magical Girl in disbelief, finding the latter pouting and smiling, utterly adorable.
“Pri… prison inmate?”
“That’s right, meow~”
Glimmering Yellow Magical Girl nodded repeatedly, clapping her hands like one praising a child who had learned a new word, and continued. “My hometown, meow~ The EU region has a special prison for magical girls. I just contacted them. For egregious behavior like Scarlet Magical Girl’s, twenty years inside should suffice.”
“Twenty years!!!”
Scarlet Magical Girl was so terrified her soul nearly left her body. She hadn’t even lived for twenty years! If she were locked away for two decades, she’d emerge an old maid, unwanted by anyone. ‘Such a fate…’ Scarlet Magical Girl shed tears of regret. Her overwhelming feeling was simply regret, profound regret.
“Wuwuwu, I don’t want that kind of ‘medicine’…”
“If you regret it now, why did you do it then?” Glimmering Yellow Magical Girl pulled Scarlet Magical Girl’s arm, and with two sharp clicks, fastened the handcuffs.
“Wuwuwuwu…”
“Don’t worry,” Glimmering Yellow Magical Girl said, pulling Scarlet Magical Girl to her feet and comforting her. “They won’t actually imprison a magical girl for twenty years. The flow of time inside that prison is different from the outside world. Roughly one year inside is only a little over a week outside. No need to fret about coming out an old hag that no one wants after twenty years, meow.”
“But won’t I still be locked up for twenty years!?”
Scarlet Magical Girl struggled, attempting to resist arrest, but Glimmering Yellow Magical Girl delivered a swift chop to the back of her neck. Scarlet Magical Girl let out a yelp, and her vision went black.
“Is this alright, Little Grey Moon?”
‘Hm?’ Grey Moon hadn’t expected Glimmering Yellow Magical Girl to specifically ask her in the end. ‘Could I actually have an opinion? On second thought, twenty years seems about right.’ ‘Whatever.’ All Grey Moon wanted now was to finish things here quickly and return to comfort Zhou Huanan while she had the chance.
“Um, I’m sorry.”
But Emerald Magical Girl, true to form, still wanted to apologize to Grey Moon. Grey Moon rolled her eyes, feeling as though this person had been apologizing to her all day. With that, she simply turned, flew out of the television station, and headed straight for her beloved’s home.
“Ah, well…”
Emerald Magical Girl watched Grey Moon leave without a word, her expression filled with worry. She couldn’t shake the feeling that something was her fault, that she hadn’t done something right. Anxiously, she brought up the matter with Glimmering Yellow Magical Girl, articulating her concerns.
Glimmering Yellow Magical Girl listened, a bit bewildered, and blinked. ‘Man?! You’re a caveman without a phone! What in the hell does Scarlet Magical Girl’s information crime in modern society have to do with you? What business is it of yours to meddle?’ But a cat-girl had to be elegant, unable to speak her mind so directly, so she offered a polite smile.
“Oh, don’t take it to heart~”
‘Maybe she just wanted to go home early and snuggle with her man.’ Glimmering Yellow Magical Girl suppressed the urge to voice the latter half of that thought. She had assumed comforting Emerald Magical Girl like this would suffice. However, Emerald Magical Girl stubbornly shook her head, digging herself deeper into her anxieties.
“No, I must confront my own inner issues.”
“Oh? How so?”
Glimmering Yellow Magical Girl raised an eyebrow, a flicker of interest sparking within her. ‘Was this primitive finally going to make a decision against her ancestors, disregard family rules, and buy a phone?’
“If some things aren’t clearly communicated, it will only lead to two people drifting further apart.”
Emerald Magical Girl wore a regretful expression, hinting at a past full of stories and lessons learned. Glimmering Yellow Magical Girl let out an ‘oh’ of sudden enlightenment, no longer wanting to hear Emerald Magical Girl’s stories about her ex-boyfriend. She quickly feigned busyness, contacting friends to send Scarlet Magical Girl to the EU prison, dealing with media interviews, and so on. She left Emerald Magical Girl alone, rambling earnestly to the air.
By the time Glimmering Yellow Magical Girl returned after her flurry of activities, Emerald Magical Girl was still there, recounting tales of her ex-boyfriend. It seemed she truly couldn’t let go, couldn’t let go at all. ‘Big sister…’ Glimmering Yellow Magical Girl was utterly exasperated with her. ‘When she was dating him, she wouldn’t let him kiss her lips, wouldn’t let him touch her body, and even holding hands required the watchful eyes of the shrine deities. Now, he had, quite naturally, run off, and here she was, filled with bitter regret. If you really miss him that much, apologize properly, offer your body as an apology. Maybe he’d forgive you for the sake of your body, meow? But even if that were true, it’s probably too late now, lol.’ Glimmering Yellow Magical Girl mused that Emerald Magical Girl’s ex-boyfriend was probably now accompanied by Grey Moon, with her stunning looks, her splendid outfit, and her sense of security.
“I’ve made up my mind!”
Emerald Magical Girl, having spoken so much to herself, finally came to a decision.
“I’m coming back! I need to properly apologize to Grey Moon, and to *him*!”
‘Tsk-tsk-tsk.’ Glimmering Yellow Magical Girl made a ‘keyboard keycap’ expression, watching Emerald Magical Girl leave the television station with such gusto, and shook her head in disdain.
“Loser.”
Her demeanor was one of utter disappointment, as if declaring a lost cause.
****
Then, in the vast hall, only Glimmering Yellow Magical Girl remained. A sorrowful sigh escaped her. Glimmering Yellow Magical Girl’s face settled into a solemn expression, one no one had ever seen before. She slowly approached Black Iris, knelt, and lifted the white cloth covering her.
Reaching out, she tenderly caressed Black Iris’s cheek, then carefully removed the two hair ties that had held her bun.
If any sharp-eyed, well-meaning citizen had witnessed this scene, they would surely have gasped in shock. Why? Why were the hair ties on Glimmering Yellow Magical Girl’s head identical in style to those she had taken from Black Iris, differing only in color?
Glimmering Yellow Magical Girl knelt before Black Iris, gazing at her for a long, long time. Mourning her old friend. She pulled out her phone and made a call. The person on the other end answered with noticeable hesitation.
“This isn’t what you agreed to.”
“I want to see Magical Girl Violet.”
“No. No, you don’t understand the situation. I’m merely informing you.”
Glimmering Yellow Magical Girl didn’t wait for a response before hanging up. The phone’s black screen reflected Glimmering Yellow Magical Girl’s expressionless face and serious, golden eyes.