Having lived in this world for so long, Qiluo had come to realize that whenever something special happened, Erosion Bodies would inevitably appear.
Crowds gathering, emotions running high, fluctuations in mana concentration... these conditions, when combined. Kizuna's debut performance had already proven it once; Qiluo wasn't naive enough to think that Erosion Bodies would observe the school festival and not cause trouble.
Star-trail was currently lying on Yuki Kurokawa's bedroom pillow, having its ears gently rubbed by Yuki. The phone screen beside them was still lit, displaying a chat log with Kizuna. The last message was from Kizuna: “Goodnight, is Star-trail sleeping at your place again tonight?”, followed by several emojis.
She didn't know when she'd started being like this. Every night before bed, her 'ownership' had to be transferred in the group chat, as if she were some pet being taken care of in shifts.
When she was first created, she was merely a mimetic clone for disguise, yet now she rotated between two beds every night.
Qiluo opened her eyes, stared blankly at the ceiling for a moment, then rolled over.
Fine, a pet it is. She didn't need to sleep anyway, and having her ears rubbed wasn't unpleasant. Sometimes, she could even sneak extra cookies when they weren't looking.
She found herself growing accustomed to being treated like a fluffy little creature, even automatically adjusting her posture when Kizuna buried her face in the fur on her belly, making it more comfortable for Kizuna to nuzzle.
Star-trail stood up from beside Yuki's pillow and shook off its ruffled fur.
Yuki felt Star-trail leave her palm, and she instinctively moved half an inch after it, gently scratching the now empty pillow with a slight frown.
Star-trail swept its tail across the back of her hand. She relaxed her brow and pulled her hand back under the covers.
Star-trail crouched on the windowsill. It closed its eyes, and the star-shaped mark on its forehead glowed faintly. A detection array silently unfurled, centered around itself.
The mana distribution within a few kilometers gradually unfolded in its consciousness like a map being lit up.
Heh heh, there were still some low-tier Erosion Bodies slowly forming in the city's corners.
Their mana fluctuations were weak, having just spawned, and their anchors weren't even fixed yet.
It glanced sideways at Yuki, who was leaning against the headboard reading a book, then looked at the newly formed Erosion Bodies still foolishly circling.
Enemies of this caliber were perfect for newcomers to practice on.
Kizuna hadn't had any real combat experience since waking up. Perhaps tonight, the two of them could team up.
Star-trail jumped back to the bed, landing on Yuki's knee.
Yuki was leaning against the headboard, holding a half-read book with a dried ginkgo leaf tucked between its pages—one she and Qiluo had picked up in the courtyard last time.
Though she held the book, her eyes had been following Star-trail's path from the windowsill to the bed.
“Why are you back again? Weren't you spacing out on the windowsill just now?” She tucked the bookmark into place, put the book on the nightstand, and reached out to rub Star-trail’s head.
She knew that whenever Star-trail jumped back from the windowsill like this, it usually had something to tell her.
“There's something I want you to do.” Star-trail looked up, rubbing against her with narrowed eyes, and voiced its thoughts.
“A few low-tier Erosion Bodies just spawned tonight. Kizuna hasn't had any real combat experience since waking up, so I want you to take her out for a fight.”
Yuki paused her hand on Star-trail's back. She wondered, “Has Hinata-chan really not fought before?”
“Does she know yet?”
“Not yet. You get changed first; I'll go call her.”
Yuki threw off her covers, stepped barefoot onto the floor, and walked to her wardrobe to pull out her active casual clothes.
Even if she transformed immediately after going out, how awkward would it be to cancel her transformation after battle and be in pajamas?
After changing, she tied her long hair into a neat ponytail, pulled open the nightstand drawer, and took out the Association's emblem.
Taking a newcomer into real combat—she'd never done that before. Mingyue had always guided her; now it was her turn to be the senior.
She adjusted her wrist guards in the mirror, took a deep breath, and pushed open the window.
Star-trail had already connected to Kizuna via contract communication. As soon as it connected, it heard faint rustling of fabric and deliberately hushed breathing from the other end.
Kizuna was wrapped in her covers, watching a Magical Girl stage video on her phone. The faint glow of the screen reflected on her face, and her blanket was mounded into a small hill.
“Kizuna, get dressed. There's a mission.”
From the other end of the communication came a rustle of blankets as someone tossed and turned, followed by a muffled yelp—Kizuna had probably moved too much in her blanket and hit herself in the face with her phone.
Rubbing her nose, she emerged from under the covers, her hair a mess of cowlicks.
“A mission? What kind of mission? Are we going to fight Erosion Bodies? Really? Just me, or with someone else? Do I need to bring weapons—oh, right, I don't.”
“With Snowrealm. She'll take you through a basic patrol route to get familiar with combat rhythm. Don't be nervous; tonight's targets aren't difficult. The coordinates have already been sent to your mark.”
“Snowrealm! That's Kurokawa-chan, right!” Kizuna bounced up from the bed, tossing her blanket aside and stepping barefoot onto the floor to find her clothes.
As she pulled on her clothes, she couldn't help but let her mind wander.
Kurokawa-chan is so quiet at school, what will she be like after her transformation? An ice-type Magical Girl, that sounds so cool.
She looked down at the light purple contract mark on the back of her hand, then pressed down hard on her unruly hair twice in the mirror.
First battle, she had to look at least somewhat presentable, couldn't let Star-trail down.
Kizuna! Attack!
She pulled open the window and leaped into the night sky.
A light purple glow of transformation bloomed around her, a bow formed in her palm, and her skirt billowed in the night wind.
The night was inky black, and the city lights in the distance spread out into a blurred sea of light.
The industrial district's iron frames cast crisscrossing shadows under the moonlight. Several low-tier Erosion Bodies slowly crawled between rusty steel beams, their dark green surface patterns emitting a faint glow in the darkness.
Snowrealm landed on the roof of a low building, her skirt gently fluttering in the night wind. Her straight sword was already drawn, angled towards the ground, her gaze fixed on the Erosion Bodies below that hadn't yet sensed danger.
A light purple glow streaked through the night sky beside her, and Kizuna landed next to her.
“...So many.” Kizuna whispered, her voice a little tense.
“Three low-tier ones. You can handle this level by yourself,” Snowrealm said calmly. “I'll be watching from the side. If anything unexpected happens, I'll step in.”
“Huh?! I'm fighting Erosion Bodies by myself? Seriously?” Kizuna turned, pointing a finger at herself, and asked nervously with wide eyes.
Rate on N.U.
