Chapter 1: Wish

Wish

It's been 12 years since I was reincarnated into this world.

The time has finally come.

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The city was enveloped in a strange atmosphere.

I was walking home from school with my school bag on my back.

Although there were no clouds, the sky was gloomy, and the cityscape, blocked from sunlight, was still dim even though the sun was high in the sky.

The murky air is unpleasant, as if you were being bombarded with black smoke from passing trucks.

There was no sign of life in the people walking along the streets.

The sight of them walking slowly in the same direction with their arms hanging limp was simply eerie. If you listen carefully, you can hear them all muttering to themselves, with depressing things like "I want to die," "There's no point in living," and "I want to be relieved as soon as possible."

I know that if I leave it alone, they might actually put their ideas into action.　

Among all the abnormal people, I was the only one who remained normal.

Or maybe I'm the one who's abnormal in this situation - but anyway.

I remember this situation.

I look around the area looking for "That guy."

At that moment, a voice was heard. No one could be seen. The voice was flying around in 360 degrees like a stereo sound.　

"Can you hear me, Tachibana Sumire?"

"……who?"

I had a hunch, but I pretended not to know.　

"You must have noticed something strange. If things continue like this, many lives could be lost. You are the only one who can save them."

"I..... can save them?"

"That's right. I want you to make a contract with me and become a magical girl."　

Here it comes!

"Of course, it won't be free. I have the power to grant your wish. In exchange for granting your wish, you will gain power and be destined to fight demons.

However, this fate is a harsh one. If you are ready, I want you to make a contract with me and save this city."

My answer has been decided for 12 years.

"I'll fight! So please grant my wish."

"What is your wish?"

"I want you to cooperate with my plan."

"Understood. Now you're a magical girl."

With those words, he appeared.

No, it was there the start, I just couldn't see it.

He looked like a cube with a display attached to one side. His face seemed to be made up of dots like a digital clock, but he was probably an expressionless character, his expression was stiff and fixed. He looked more like a mascot from a science fiction story than a mascot from a magical girl story.　

"But was that really the right wish? Not every wish is granted unconditionally, but most wishes are granted. You could have wished for the 'fulfillment of the plan' instead of 'cooperation with the plan', you know?"

"That's fine. It's not the end result I want. The process is what's meaningful."

"...I see. It is because of your noble spirit that you were chosen to be a magical girl. You will become a more wonderful magical girl than anyone else."

"I'd love to talk about the plan, but now's not the time."　

I look up at the sky. A large shadow covers the entire sky.

'It' looked like a gigantic airship. It didn't seem alive, nor did it appear to have a will of its own. But that was just an appearance, and it was actually moving with a clear purpose. 'It' seemed to be heading towards the center of the city, just like the passersby who had lost their identities.

"You're right. He's heading for 'Sousei Dome Tower'. We mustn't let him go there!"

The Aosei Dome Tower stands in the center and is the symbol of the city.

At that moment, something fell from 'it'. This 'something' made a squishy sound when it hit the ground, but after a while it began to wriggle and crawl towards the passerby. It then climbed up the passerby's body and sat on their shoulders. It then stretched out part of its body and whispered something in the passerby's ear. I'm sure that's how it incites suicidal thoughts in people.

It was squishy and had an incredibly disgusting shape.　

"What can I do to defeat that?"

"Shout 'Henshin'."

"Henshin!"

Then a ring of light appeared. As the ring of light moved from top to bottom, scanning my entire body, my outfit changed.　

It has a gothic dress-like feel with a black base.

My hair color remains black.

In the original work, Tachibana Sumire's personal color was supposed to be blue... but perhaps this is influenced by "my" mentality.　

Through transformation, I learned how to use my powers.　

First, get rid of the flabby creatures sitting on the shoulders of passersby.

I pulled out endless wires from the sleeves of my costume and tied up all the passersby at once.

Then, I fired a cannonball of light at the passersby I had gathered in one place using my [Personal Magic].

As the cannonball of light passed through them, the blob on their shoulder disappeared.　

"...My heart went cold. I thought you were going to blow away the civilians as well."

"The current version has been adjusted so that it only works on the blobs"

"Hmm. Your unique magic is like a magic cannon that can be set to any target?"

"More importantly, even after defeating the blobs, their behavior hasn't changed."

"They're probably under the influence of the miasma emitted by the demon."

"In other words, it's pointless unless I hit the main body."

"That's true. However, you may not be able to handle the main body on your own. It would be better to wait for reinforcements--"

"No problem!"

I jumped towards the demon. I was able to move through the air naturally, as if I had been given the ability to fly since birth. Wow, that feels amazing. It's fun.

"He's so powerful he can materialize miasma and create clones. It would be reckless for you to take him on alone. Fortunately, you defeated his clone, and now the risk of suicide among civilians is no longer an urgent matter. We should wait for backup."

"Backup?"

"There are a maximum of seven magical girls in this city, including you. If he's such a gigantic demon, they should already be aware of his presence."

But it's my debut, so I want to go big.

I can wait for support, but it would feel so good to be able to beat that thing on my own.

I moved to the top of the demon's head and created a net out of ultra-fine wire. I placed it at the point where the demon would pass through and ripped it apart. The demon, whose only ability was to charge forward, was sucked into the net with amusement.

It didn't work. I wanted to cut it into cubes, but it was tougher than I thought. My body was being pulled through the wire. I cut the wire off.

Undeterred, I produce a new wire, whips it like a whip, and strikes the demon's face with it.

It scratches the surface, but it doesn't seem to be strong enough to cut through the thing's body.

At that moment, the demon spat something out from the wound. It flew towards me at high speed and stuck to my arm as I reflexively shielded my face. It was the same blob from before. It was sucking the blood from my arm.

"Gross!"

I forcefully peeled it off and threw it in a random direction. I unleashed a whip-like blow at the blob flying straight through the air. The blob was split in half, and immediately afterwards, it disappeared.　

"Demons leave no corpses behind. 

I told you, you can't defeat this demon on your own."

Ignore those negative comments.

I got on the demon's back.

Uses unique magic to strengthen the wire.

I got on the demon's back.

I used my unique magic to strengthen the wire.

I threw the reinforced wire at the demon's back, and the demon's body was easily torn apart. It seemed to be held together by a thin layer of skin, but it looked like it would tear off on its own if left alone.

An ear-splitting roar—a scream.

Immediately after, the demon's body tilted and began to fall toward the ground. If I was going to die anyway, I wanted to cause as much damage as possible, right?

"Sumire!"

"I'm okay!"　

It got to the point where it would fall and quickly set up a wire net.

The demons that passed through the net were cut into fine mesh, just like dough being processed into rods in a noodle machine.

The corpse vanished just before hitting the ground, leaving no damage to the city.　

I landed in a deserted alley.　

"My eyes were not mistaken. No, perhaps it would be more accurate to say that you are beyond my imagination. You seem to have the qualities to be an amazing magical girl."

I receive praise from my partner.

"Sorry for the late introduction. I'm Roy, your 'Agent.'"

"Tachibana Sumire"

"Sumire, what exactly is your unique magic? Being able to defeat such a powerful demon with such ease...that's beyond the ordinary."

"'Compensatory Magic'."

Let me explain briefly.

'Compensatory Magic' is the power to use extremely powerful magic by sacrificing one's possessions or one's own body. The effect of the magic can be freely set each time. The greater the price paid, the more powerful the magic.

“I see. So by imposing restrictions, you were able to use more powerful magic. The versatility of ‘Compensatory Magic’ is what allowed you to use multiple abilities, such as strengthening magic cannons and weapons…

However, the power to defeat such an enemy must have come at a great price. I have burdened you with a harsh fate, but I do not wish for excessive self-sacrifice. If only you had a companion with a more powerful unique magic to back you up, you would not have had to pay the price. I would like you to refrain from reckless behavior in the future."

"I understand."

"That ability is very powerful. If something were to happen, that unique magic might be able to save you or someone important to you. So it would be a good idea to save the ability for such an occasion. It might also be useful for this plan you mentioned.

…That’s right. We haven’t talked about your plan yet. What exactly is your plan? What do you want to do?”

"……-one"

It's been 12 years since I was reincarnated into this world.

The time has finally come.

I've always had a certain desire.

It's a shameful, dark desire that I'm embarrassed to even tell anyone about.　

"Everyone..."

But now I'm starting to get scared.

Even though the other person is not human, is it okay to express such a desire in front of other people?

No matter how you look at it, people will think I'm crazy and weird.

"What's the matter? It's your wish. Now that we've signed a contract, I will cooperate with whatever your plan may be."

That's right. The contract has already been signed.

Even if I'm insulted, despised, or rejected, Roy has no choice but to go along with my wish fulfillment.

However――

Even if that's the case, it's still scary.

When I try to confess this desire, I am overcome with embarrassment, like when someone I meet for the first time starts talking dirty to me, and I can't find the words to say.

"A-as expected, I can't say it!"

"Why?"

"It's embarrassing! If I say it, people will definitely think I'm gross!"

"I've come to understand in this short time that you are a wonderful person. No matter what you ask, I will never reject you."

"R-Really...?"

"Yes. More importantly, since I have an obligation to grant your wish, it would be more troubling if you wouldn't tell me the details."

If that's what you want... I decided to speak out the desire I'd kept secret for 12 years.

"I want to save everyone, but I want to make a mysterious heroine move that makes me so suspicious that the main characters see me as an enemy!"

"Eh?"