Chapter 6: Ambush

Ambush

The day after our meeting at the Sousei Dome Tower, I visited the tower again.

I think it's okay because I've managed to focus the hate on me, but the fighting may have intensified since I left and there may already have been casualties. If there were casualties, it would ruin our plans, so I came here to check.

The number of seats in the Sousei Dome Tower corresponds to the number of magical girls. In the original work, this was merely a guess by Raika, but it is later confirmed by the death of a magical girl. In other words, by coming to the tower, you can at least confirm whether the magical girls are alive or dead.

In the original story, every time someone dies, one chair disappear, and with each episode the sense of despair grows that it's not the 'Eighth Person' again.

I entered the tower and descended to the lowest level. From a distance, I could see seven chairs lined up. If the "Eighth Person" hadn't been killed, then I knew the death toll had been kept to zero.

But there was no sense of relief.

Because there was someone there before me.

Asahina Shio, Yuzuriha Yuzuki, and Tengai Nemuri were waiting for me to show up.

There must be a reason for having three girls in wait. It's probably to avoid a one-on-one match between a magical girl and an "Eighth Person."

If there was only one person on standby, and I was the "Eighth," that person would be in danger, and if the person on standby was the "Eighth," I would be in danger. It was the same for pairs; if one of the waiting magical girls was the "Eighth," the other would be in a one-on-one situation with the "Eighth" while waiting for me.

The only time we can always have a numerical advantage over the "Eighth person" is when there are three or more people on standby. Even if the "Eighth" is among the three, the magical girl and the "Eighth person" will be outnumbered two to one, and if I'm the "Eighth person," it'll be three to one.

It was probably Raika's idea. Or maybe it was Alice.

"What should we do? We don't know what discussion took place between them after Sumire left yesterday. They may have concluded that you are the 'Eighth' and decided to eliminate you. Shouldn't we tell them who the 'Eighth' is after all?"

"I told you. It was thanks to 'Compensation Magic' that I was able to identify the 'Eighth Person'. However, unlike a point based on logical deduction, pinpointing the culprit using unique magic cannot be considered objective proof. Unless it can be proven that I am not the 'Eighth Person', they will not listen to whatever I have to say. Just think of Alice; you can see how people who baselessly label others as culprits appear in the eyes of others, right?"

"Hmm... That's difficult."

Yesterday, I revealed the true identity of the "Eighth Person" to Roy. Officially, I explained that I had identified the "Eighth Person" using Compensation Magic, but in reality, it was just knowledge from the original work. Compensation Magic is incredibly convenient excuse.

"Plus, they're not going to kill me out of the blue."

The fact that they were a group of three was proof of that. If they had decided that I was the "Eighth Person," then they could have just made it a group of two. After all, there couldn't be an "Eighth Person" in the waiting group, so even a group of two would still have the numerical advantage. Instead, they made it a group of three because they couldn't completely rule out the possibility that there was an "Eighth Person" on their side.

Well, it's possible that they weren't confident about two and decided on three... but if that's the case, they should have taken all seven of them. The fact that they've deliberately chosen the minimum number of people necessary to safely wait means that they're continuing this work in rotation, and that they haven't yet concluded that I'm a threat... It should be.　

Uh, yeah. This logic is fine, right?

You guys won't suddenly attack me, right!?　

I stepped timidly onto the ground.

"It's been a long time," Yuzuki said.

"We've been waiting for you!" Shio says.

"..." Nemuri said nothing.

I turned back without saying a word. I aimed for the sky as fast as I could. But it was just a pose. I knew from the start that I wouldn't be able to escape them.

Shio moved a step behind me, but in an instant she closed the distance between us. With too much momentum, she overtook me, then stopped in the air for a while to catch me as I slowed down.　

Her unique magic is "Acceleration Magic," which allows her to move at speeds many times faster than a normal magical girl.

In most cases, unique magic and magical tools are closely linked to "Wishes."

This is because a magical girl's status, such as her unique magic, magical tools, and personal color, is strongly influenced by her spirituality.

And a "Wish" reflects the feelings, thoughts, and background of the person making the wish.

In other words, "Wishes" are a kind of symbol of spirituality, and therefore "Wishes" and abilities are inseparable.　

For example, in my case, my desire to cloud others became my "Compensation Magic," and my hobby of becoming a mysterious character with mysterious attack methods took the form of a wire and became a magical tool.

Having spent half her life confined to a hospital bed, Shio's "Wish" was for a "healthy body." She wanted the "freedom" that everyone else is given for granted, and this was reflected in her unique magic, which took the form of "acceleration magic" (in this case, it would probably be something like "flight magic," but magical girls can fly by default).

"Hehehe! Please behave yourself!"

Shio was laughing with great enjoyment while holding me in a headlock.

Yuzuki caught up a little later and restrained me with magical chains.

"Capture...." Yuzuki paused for a moment. "Complete!"

I was tied to a chair on a round table. This chair wouldn't move if I tried to carry it outside, but otherwise I could move it around normally.

I couldn't break Yuzuki's chains. No matter how hard I tried, the chains wouldn't budge. There was no way they were going to tear apart like wire.

Well, whatever.

If I wanted to, I could use "Compensation Magic" to escape. But I won't. This is actually my chance.

I'll use this opportunity to say some incredibly suggestive things and earn some Mysterious Heroine points.

"Ah! Raika-san! A mouse's caught in the net!"

Shio was calling. It seemed she wasn't just calling Raika, but also Koharu and Kaoru. But she didn't call Alice. Poor her, being left out....

"Ahh, Tachibana-san, we have something we'd like to ask you."

"We'd like to see the 'Agent' you have signed a contract with!"

So that's it.

I've already told Roy what I'll do if this happens.

'Agent' is basically invisible to anyone other than the Magical Girl in charge. It can appear to people around it by turning the switch on and off. However, even if the switch is turned on, only the Magical Girl can see the 'Agents'

I told Roy not to show himself to the other magical girls until I gave him permission. If the original story was accurate , they would have shown each other their 'Agents' already, so if I was the only one who didn't show my 'Agent', they would mistake me for an enemy.

By looking away, I made it seem like I had something to hide.

"…………"

"Oh, you can't say it?

"…………"

"No, it won't do. You have to make eye contact when someone talking to you."

The chains tightened their grip. They wrapped around my body as if they were alive, tightening my skin and making me aware of my bones, which I normally don't notice.　

"Ugh! Ugh..."

"Hehehe, hehehehe..."

I was in so much pain that I broke out in a cold sweat.

Meanwhile, Yuzuki was holding her flushed cheeks with both hands and smiling blissfully.

"...There is an 'Agent,' but he's not here."

"But you're working with an 'Agent', aren't you?"

I nodded.

"That's why I can't show you my 'Agent.'

"That's true... But If I go to Tachibana's base, surely I can meet your 'Agent,' right?"

"I can't show you."

"Hmm. Could it be... Ah?!"

'BOOM!'

The next moment, there was a thunderous roar and I was blown away, along with my chair. The suffocating smell of gunpowder rose up. Was it an explosion?

Luckily, the impact came from behind, so I was saved by the back of the chair, but my face slammed into the floor and I got a nosebleed. I think blood might be coming from my forehead too. Damn, that hurt.

I almost cried out, but I managed to hold on with sheer determination. Someone please praise me for that.

"Black is... eliminated..."

It was a Nemuri's attack. The Nemuri's magic tool is a grenade. It must have been thrown at me.

"That's not okay! Didn't Raika-san emphasize that we should be careful when deciding on the "Eighth Person"?"

"…………I understand."

Nemuri, whose finger was on the pin of the next grenade, relaxed her combat stance and sat quietly in her chair.

More importantly, please do something about me, who got blown away by the blast.

As I was praying, Yuzuki came and raised me up, along with the chair. We ended up facing each other.　

"..."

"?"

Yuzuki's whole body stiffened. She fixed her gaze on my face, and remained silent with a dazed expression on her face, not even closing her mouth.

What, you don't like blood?

I was confused, but I didn't show it on my face.

"Ahaha," Yuzuki smiled, touching the blood on my face. I felt as if the chains had loosened their grip. Perhaps my injury had made her less cautious.

"What should we do until Raika-san arrives? Should we torture her?"

"No, you can't~ You should be careful not to do anything stupid~"

Yuzuki glared at Shio.

I could hardly bear the torture. I was getting anxious inside. Given Shio's character, she was probably just saying whatever came to mind and wasn't serious, and although Yuzuki was stopping her for now, I couldn't relax just in case something were to happen. I gently restrained myself without ruining my mysterious role.

"Torture is pointless. I'm not your enemy."

"Yes, I think so too."

Huh?

No, I'm the enemy.

I'm trying so hard to make moves that seem like I'm the enemy, so please just deny it.

Be skeptical! Don't take me so seriously!

"What, why would you think so? No matter how you look at it, this person is suspicious!"

"Hehehe. I know what you mean."

"Then why!"

"Because it's my wish."

"A 'wish'? What is your 'wish', Yuzuki-san?"

Yuzuki raised her index finger and placed it to her mouth.

"That's a maiden's secret."　

I know that "maiden's secret."

Her "wish" is...　

"Fated love..."　

....

.... Fuck!

I slipped up.

If my hands had been free, I would have covered my mouth, but that would have been too careless, so it was a blessing in disguise that they were tied up.

But even now, it's a serious gaffe.

Yuzuki stares at me with her eyes wide open.

Just as I was thinking this was bad, she brought her handsome face very close to mine and opened her mouth with a dazzling smile.

"So we two really DO understand each other!"

We understand each other?

Who?

With whom?

"Ufufufu, I'm so happy~"

Her hot breath tickled my face. Her sweet scent melted my nostrils. She brought her lips close to my ear and whispered something like a secret. It gave me goosebumps, but being the mysterious heroine that I am, I endured it desperately.

"Sumire, who do you think is my soulmate...?"

Yuzuki confirms the mysterious me with an expectant gaze.

Of course I know.

That's just how it is...

"Koharu...?"

No one else but her.

After all, that's how it is in the original anime.

The sight of Koharu fighting so hard to protect everyone, even while getting completely worn out, captured her heart.

Given the timing, it should have been much later that she fell in love with Koharu, but perhaps yesterday's events had marked a major development. There's a good chance that she's already in love with her.

"Huh?"

She glared at me with a ferocious expression.

The intense murderous intent was something I had never felt before in my life (including my previous life), and it made my whole body tingle with goosebumps. Even when fighting demons, I had never felt such chills down my spine. I was also chilled.

The chains suddenly became tighter.

Huh, did I make a mistake?

"Ughh!"

"This is punishment~"

The grip is much stronger than when I was being interrogated. I squirm in pain, but the restraints show no signs of easing.

This woman is a sadist!

Well, depending on how you look at it, maybe this is okay? Later on, when it turns out I'm not the enemy, she might feel guilty about this.

Hmm, that doesn't seem likely. She said she doesn't consider me an enemy.

Shio, help me!

"I see! Now I understand why Yuzuki-san trusts her!"

Shio looked back and forth between me and Yuzuki, her eyes shining.

"So it's 'love'!"

What do you mean 'I see'!

What have you understood?!

"That's right~"　

Yuzuki smiled nervously.

Please...

Bring someone who I can understand...

That's when it happened.

I wonder if my prayers were answered or not.

"You two seem to have become quite close."

Mitaka Raika made her entrance, moving like a heavenly messenger descending to earth, or like she was pantomiming a person descending in an elevator.

"Magical Girls Killing Each Others" main characters list:

Black - Tachibana Sumire (MC who want to cloud everyone) - Agent: Ryo - Unique Magic: Compensation Magic - Magical Tool: Wires

Pink - Kisaragi Koharu (The original anime MC, 100% all support stats, no offense) - Agent: Rococo - Unique Magic: Recovery Magic - Magical Tool: Shield

Red - Akabane Kaoru (Koharu's childhood friend) - Agent: Ross - Unique Magic:??? - Magical Tool: Sword

Green - Mitaka Raika (25 years old biker Onee-san who smoke) - Agent: Rod - Unique Magic: ??? - Magical Tool:???

Blonde - Alice (the pretend rich loli girl) - Agent: Rock - Unique Magic: ??? - Magical Tool: Gun

Orange - Asahina Shio (a real rich girl) - Agent: Loki - Unique Magic: Acceleration Magic - Magical Tool:???

Purple - Yuzuriha Yuzuki (tomboy) - Agent: Romeo - Unique Magic: ??? - Magical Tool: Chain

White - Tengai Nemuri (amnesiac girl) - Agent: Logos - Unique Magic: ??? - Magical Tool: Grenades