V2: Chapter 9: It's Not That I Can't Swim, But...? (Part 1)

Chapter 9: It's Not That I Can't Swim, But...? (Part 1)

Thanks to her mascot-like appearance, the shocking pink-haired succubus is more cute than sexy. Even though she's wearing niche bondage armor, her soft, squishy appearance still makes her look cute, so even when she's in my room, it's not that... not that out of place...

No, it's definitely out of place.

"It's true that to suppress the effects of that Lust Mark, all you have to do is release your own desires, and that's certainly can be through—self-love, appetite, etc... you should be able to release a little bit of that."

"...Yeah."

"Even so... to be able to maintain your composure after using so much magic..."

"...Yeah."

It seems that my true nature is finally becoming impossible to hide.

The frequency, yeah, the frequency was too much...

I had resigned myself to the fact that it would be revealed, but... I didn't want to shatter Lux's dreams, who adores me...

I really didn't want to!

"What an iron will you have, Satellite-chan♡"

"...Eh?"

"A magical girl who fights desperately to protect those around her while battling her own desires... As expected of my light..."　

I suppose you could say a girl in love is blind.

She still seems to believe in me. While I can't betray her expectations, the thought of what would happen if she found out sends shivers down my spine. No, the feeling of guilt would definitely outweigh it.

"Will you be home late tonight? Your mother said we're having beef stew tonight."

"No, I'm planning to come home right away today..."　

When did she become so close to my mother?

And... what did she even say to her?

I don't know anymore. Basically, I... I like people who like me. I don't want to betray Lux's expectations. That's right, I'll try to hold back a little this time. Surely, there's no way I... would lose to something like sexual desire, right?

★

I looked out the window from the classroom while eating lunch. The weather was nice today, the summer sun was a little too bright, but... that's precisely why I was looking forward to swimming class. Of course I can swim. I'm the best Magical Girl, excelling on land, sea... and even the sky.

There's been no word from the stray magical girls' gathering since then...　

"It finally feels like everyday life is back."

"You... you just can't help but raise a flag, can you?"　

It's definitely not my fault, but the smartphone I had on my lap vibrated... I trembled involuntarily from the shock. Ah, this might be kind of good~

"You idiot!? This is an emergency summons. Well, you don't need to transform... come on, let's go!"

"There's no need for me to go..."

"You'll go, right?"

"...Yes."

Chloe, who tries to take me everywhere, is even more overprotective of me today. She doesn't need to follow me to the restroom, since I'm not a boy... though I can't really say anything if she says it's my fault. I slip out of the classroom with her.

An External Enemy that threatens humanity.

With a few exceptions, they are beings that only Magical Girls can deal with. When they appear... the association sometimes requests the deployment of any magical girl nearby. This time, there was a reaction about 10km from our middle school, so that's why we received the request.

★

We arrive at the nature park, the predicted appearance point. Even getting here isn't a big deal for a magical girl. Besides... even without transforming into a magical girl, I can still use some magic. The strength is considerably reduced, though.

By the way, this enemy extermination, which might seem troublesome at first glance... is actually quite popular.

It's partly a conceptual thing, like gaining fame and recognition, but...

"Here it comes, a cow-type, I suppose."

"Good luck, Gracia!"

"I don't need you to tell me that..."

Simply put... it's profitable.

Depending on the type of enemy, cow-types have their fur processed into armor, their horns into weapons, and their meat traded at high prices among collectors. It's truly an enemy with no waste.

On the other hand, if you lose, you'll be subjected to something huge by that huge thing. Most magical girls who lose to enemies either suffer that fate or become food on the spot.

To avoid that, it's generally recommended that magical girls work in pairs. It's rare for both to be cornered to the point of being unable to escape. That's not a guarantee, but... thanks to this, the number of magical girls kidnapped by enemies is decreasing year by year, which can be considered an achievement of the current association. 　

"Ice Surface String───!?"　

An opponent of this caliber is no match for the second-ranked fighter.

So, just as she was about to finish it off with one shot────a gust of wind from the side interfered. While Chloe was surprised and shielded me, a shot from another direction was fired, severing the head of the bull-like enemy in one blast… and its head fell to the ground with a thud.

"What would you have done if it had hit Shizuku!?"

"Look, Gracia… I'll be fine…"　

While calming down the angry Chloe, I observed the opponent's move.

It's not that there aren't Magical Girls who do things like this for money… but I can imagine who would do such a thing. Recently, there's been an increase in what you might call "snatching" by Magical Girls. While not illegal, I'd heard that groups engaging in extremely questionable practices were on the rise... but this was my first encounter like this.

"We delivered the final blow, so that's good enough, right? See, thanks for coming all this way."

"It's common sense that it's 'first come, first served' in these situations, isn't it?"

The Magical Girls with light orange and purple hair... I don't recognize either of them. They're probably not members of the association's Magical Girls, a group of stray Magical Girls rumored to be gaining influence recently.

Their lack of fear of Gracia suggests they've lived in a stifling environment, unable to even watch the news... or they're just plain stupid.

"The New Star Magical Girl Association, isn't it..."

"Oh, looks like we've become famous too."

The situation is on the brink of explosion. I understand their point of view to some extent, but their first attack was excessive. If Gracia had dodged... it would have hit me, a presumably civilian.

Perhaps they simply hadn't thought that far ahead... but they've picked the wrong opponent.

 "...Apologize."

"Huh? Why should we apologize?"

"Hey, wait, this one smells dangerous..."

"I'm telling you to apologize. If you do, I'll let you off with just a half-kill."

"H-huh!?"

Perhaps frightened by her impending danger, the girl instinctively unleashed wind magic. That... I can't overlook that.

"--Henshin!"

Transforming, I stood between them in an instant, dispelling the wind blades. If I let that go... I wouldn't be able to enjoy myself.

"Magical Girl Magical☆Satellite... Star Ride☆"

"What, Satellite-sama...!?"

I feel bad for surprising them, but I have someone I need to question.

"Gracia... you were planning to take the hit on purpose, weren't you?"

"...So you saw right through me."

If a stray Magical Girl were to harm her, the face of the Magical Girl Association and the daughter of the Tachibana Zaibatsu... various parties wouldn't stay silent.

I couldn't let my best friend so carelessly trigger a war. She must have been furious that I was nearly harmed.

Does she... like me too much?

Honestly, it's not that I feel compelled to protect Stray Magical Girls at all costs... but if my best friend is going to get her hands dirty, that's a different story. I want the people who like me to be happy. That's the kind of discriminatory principle I live by every day.

"For my sake, I'd appreciate it if you two would back off☆"

"...Okay."

After carefully watching the retreating magical girls leave, I turned back to Gracia.  

Her slightly uncomfortable expression suggested she'd realized the gravity of what she'd just done.

"Thank you for getting angry on my behalf, Gracia, I'm so happy about your feelings... Ughhh~♡"

"It trigger already?! Come on, over here..."

"I-I'll hold back today..."

"Hold back...? Can you really do that?"

Who does she think I am? Standing, I'm the number one; sitting, I'm the number one; walking, I'm the world's number one Satellite-chan.

I would never succumb to lust...!

"Of course! I'm... the strongest Magical Girl ☆"

★

To be honest, I've been absent from school without permission for a week... I'm starting to worry about my attendance record.

In the classroom, where the temperature was lukewarm in the early afternoon, I was overcome by a sweltering heat...

I was slumped over my desk, in a state that could hardly be described as perfect.

This is after only the first period? In the end... I couldn't resist pleasure...

"— then insert this formula to..."

"Huu... haa...♡"

"...Are you really okay?"

Did she just say "insert"? What should I do? I'm so hot... my whole body feels like it's burning. My vision is blurry, and my thoughts are hazy; all I can think about is naughty things. My senses are heightened, and even the slightest touch of my clothes sends a sweet tingle throughout my body.

"I-I'm okay...♡"

"With that expression on your face, I think I'm the one who's going to not be okay...!"

What would happen if the teacher called on me to answer a question in this state?

I stand in front of the blackboard and write the answer to the question in front of everyone. All my classmates' eyes were on me, and I was taking forever to write down the answers to questions I normally knew the answers to...

I wondered if they were starting to look at me suspiciously, or if they were worried.

The image I had painstakingly built up... crumbled before my eyes. Just thinking about it...

"Hmm...♡"

"Let's go to the nurse's office..."

The moment Chloe-chan tried to stand up to take me, the bell rang, signaling the end of class.

I somehow made it through, just one more hour. If I can just get through the next period... I'll win this battle!

"Next is... P.E.?"

"Are you serious?! Swimming in that condition..."

Of course, there's no turning back now. I took my change of clothes out of my bag and headed towards the changing room... when I realized something terrible.

"I... forgot my school swimsuit."

Of all things, I had mistakenly brought my gym clothes.

I've worked so hard to get this far... and now all my efforts have gone to waste. This can't be happening, it's just too much...

"I tried so hard..."

"Please don't look so sad, Shizuku... um..."

As she said that, she stroked my head, and I don't know if what she told me was good news or bad news.

"I... have an idea."

It was undoubtedly a secret plan.