Chapter 2: Plan

Plan

12 years ago, I died and was reborn.

At this point, it doesn't matter how I died. What's important is the world I've been reborn into.

This world is the world of the anime "Magical Girls Kill Each Other" that I watched in my previous life.

As you can guess from the ominous title, this is one of the many dark fantasy magical girl anime that became popular after a certain classic work.　

Set in Sousei Dome City, this is a world where seven magical girls are battling demons.

The protagonist, Kisaragi Koharu, receives an emergency summons to the Sousei Dome Tower, which towers over the center of town. When Koharu arrives at the tower, she is greeted by eight other magical girls, including herself.

However, there can only be a maximum of seven magical girls at any one time. The story soon reaches the conclusion that one of the eight gathered is a minion of the demon disguised as a magical girl.

And so, as the magical girls become increasingly suspicious, a bloody conflict unfolds...

And that's pretty much the plot.

In short, it's a dark fantasy that adds werewolf and battle royale elements to a magical girl story.

The thing that made me realize that this was a world where magical girls kill each other was the name I was given.

Tachibana Sumire.

She is one of Kisaragi Koharu's childhood friends and is one of the main characters.

She has a calm and cool demeanor and an adult tolerance that is unusual for a junior high school student, and serves as the protagonist's mental health provider, but perhaps for this reason she dies midway through the story, creating a depressing plot twist.

I realized that I had been reincarnated as such a person, but I didn't feel the slightest bit pessimistic.

After all, I was reincarnated into the world of my favorite work. What else could be more exciting?

For someone like me who has often fantasized about meeting this or that character in real life, the negative aspects of the story being a dark fantasy and the reincarnation of a character who died in the original were minor (I think there was also a normalcy bias that I wouldn't die).

Furthermore, being reincarnated as Tachibana Sumire made me realize a certain desire deep inside my heart.

My wish is to make the move of a mysterious heroine who just wants to save everyone but is so clumsy and suspicious that she ends up being labeled an enemy by the main characters.

It might be a little difficult to say.

Let me explain.　

Imagine there is an anime. It should be in a genre such as battle, fantasy, or suspense, where characters may die from time to time.

The anime features a mysterious character who is an enemy of the main characters.

The mysterious person is usually isolated and always works in the shadows of the main characters. Sometimes they are clearly in conflict with the main characters, so before long they are perceived as enemies by the main characters.

However, in reality, Mysterious-san has no animosity towards the main characters.

The reason they appear to be operating behind the scenes is because they act alone. Their actions are completely without malice, as they secretly help the main characters and senses danger before anyone else and moves to resolve the situation.

Even the conflicts were all started by the main characters, and for Mysterious-san, they were simply deflecting the flames that were falling on them.

If they were to open up and talk honestly, these misunderstandings would be cleared up, but Mysterious-san is clumsy and unable to express their true feelings well, or they just assume that they have been conveyed.

Such clumsiness creates a mysterious atmosphere, which in turn makes the protagonist more wary.

Of course, Mysterious-san's true intentions will eventually be revealed. Sometimes a settlement is reached, but sometimes it's too late...

I wanted to be that mysterious-san.

And the world of "Magical Girls Killing Each Other" was perfect for that role-playing.

So, in order to roleplay as a mysterious heroine, I made a life plan at the age of 0.

Well, basically, I just want to use my own hands to cloud Kisaragi Koharu and her friends.

If possible, I would like to have the main characters kill me, then have my true intentions revealed, and plunge the main characters into the depths of despair -- but perhaps that would be going too far.

At best, I'd like to be injured (preferably unconscious) when their hatred reaches its peak, and then reveal my true intentions when I think the matter is settled. Even if I want to cloud Koharu and friends, it would be a bit of a bitter taste to inflict irreparable emotional damage on them by dying.

And I don't want to die.

Also, the story of "Magical Girls Kill Each Other" is pretty tragic.

In the end, most of the characters don't survive. I would change this ending.

There is a fair amount of compassion, but the bigger problem is that even though people are dying left and right and a lot of depressing plot developments are being produced, the mysterious heroine actually had no animosity towards anyone... and even if the truth is revealed, the impression is only overshadowed by the other depressing plot developments.

I want to keep the number of deaths to zero as much as possible and make the main characters' biggest mistake is by turning against me.

Fortunately, I'm a viewer of "Magical Girls Kill Each Other," so I know who the eighth person is.

With some effort, I should be able to avoid the tragedy depicted in the original work.

Just follow my heart and do my best roleplay.

•

•

•

That's what I told Roy, without mentioning the circumstances of reincarnation or the original story.

"You're—you're crazy!"

That was Roy's impression.　

"Huh?! You told me that you wouldn't reject anything I said."

"That's certainly what I said, but that's a bit beyond the realm of possibility-- eh, 'ore'?"

"Well, well, don't sweat the small stuff. Come on, diversity, diversity."

"So you were pretending to be something you weren't until now..."

"Yeah, that's part of the roleplay."　

Anger is expressed by dots on Roy's display. How cute.

“Listen, what you are trying to do will leave irreparable scars on the healthy minds of these young girls. And all for the selfish and shameless desire of ‘seeing others regret what they have done to you, in order to confirm your own usefulness’. Do you think that is acceptable?”

"C-calling me selfish and shameless... You don't need to go that far..."

"S-sorry."

I was pretty hurt.

I do feel a bit guilty about it.

"Well, whatever. Because of my selfish and shameless desires, I'm going to get Roy to help me with my plan."

"Damn it--!"

"Don't look so frustrated. I intend to fulfill my duties as a magical girl. If I don't do good deeds behind the scenes, the impact when the misunderstanding is cleared up will be less."

"There's no need to create any misunderstandings."　

Let's ignore Roy's still uncooperative attitude.　

"Don't say it like that. What Roy needs to do is not that complicated.

First, don't reveal my true nature to anyone. That's obvious, right? Then, when the time comes, you'll reveal that I've actually been acting with the interests of all magical girls in mind. I might ask you to do other things from time to time, but that's the general outline. Simple, right?"

The original story begins two years in the future. The story begins when all the magical girls in the city gather in one place. If I can play my cards right, I should be able to save the magical girls who would have otherwise died. My plan will ultimately benefit everyone.

Of course, I can't tell Roy that.

"Why am I the one who need to reveal it?"

"I'm not good at this sort of thing. I was injured at the time and couldn't speak. Besides, I'm not the kind of person who would talk about my good deeds. That's the setting."

"Hmm. So that's how it is..."　

Roy seemed to have realized he had been swept away by the current and a startled expression appeared on the screen.

Then add lines that seem tacked on.

"No, I'm not going to help!"

"What are you talking about? The contract is already done, so Roy doesn't have the right to refuse, right?"

"I made a deal with the wrong person!"

Roy's scream echoed all around, but sadly, I was the only one who could hear it.

◇◆◇◆

With a sulky Roy in tow, I headed home in high spirits.　

I finally had a plan in sight that I could put into action after 12 years of planning.

Even though I had been reincarnated as Tachibana Sumire, the truth was that I still didn't know if I would be able to become a magical girl. Because the inside was "ore," there was a chance that the fate of the story would be twisted and Tachibana Sumire would not be chosen by the "agent."

With the uncertainty that had tormented me for 12 long years now removed, I felt brighter than ever.

It wasn't long before my light steps turned into skips.

"Looking at you like this, you do look like an innocent girl."

Roy said sarcastically.

Roy was right. To the naked eye, I was an innocent child. No matter how many dirty desires were swirling inside me, there was no reason for people to laugh at me.

I feel the best I've ever felt in my life. I wish I could just skip.　

However――

As I approached my house, my feet stopped.　

"You gotta be kidding...?"　

It's no wonder I muttered that without thinking.

When I got home, my house was gone.

Roaring flames were rising from what used to be my house, surrounded by fire trucks and curious onlookers.

Firefighters were working feverishly to put out the blaze, but so far there was no sign of their efforts bearing fruit.

What is this...?

"Sumire!"

As I stood there in a daze, someone called out to me.

It's my mother.

My parents run over to me.

My mother hugged me with tears in her eyes.

Ah, it's on fire...

Our home, which we have shared for 12 years...

Irreplaceable memories...　

"Was this house the price you paid for strengthening your weapons?"

Roy asked calmly, and I shook my head.

The price I specified was a rare card from my collection.

However, I felt it would be a shame to lose the rarest card, so I chose the fifth rarest card...

With the house like this, it's all in ashes anyway.

"I see. The possibility that it's something else is not zero, but the timing makes it seem unnatural to think of it as a coincidence. Perhaps the price Sumire paid was not commensurate with the power of the magic. In that case, the price to pay would have been chosen regardless of Sumire's wishes.

Well, anyway, I sympathize with you."

I cried, just like my mother.