Mr. Magical Girl

Chapter: 97. 0-Rank Participation Record – 『Endemic Disease』 (2)

“What’s your name?”

“Al•Rib•••yo.”

“You’re an Awakener?”

“Yes? Ah, no.”

Huh? Something feels off here.

“Not an Awakener?”

••• No.

“Then you have no relation to the chaos happening here, right?”

All I got back was silence, but it’s clear this kid is an Awakener. They’ve been around ash for so long and show no signs of sickness. Plus, seeing that they temporarily healed the infected, they must know how to treat this disease.

“If it’s not about you, how did you treat that person earlier?”

“In the end, he died••• I just infused some power•••.”

Is that why they tried to run away, but I dragged them back over my shoulder? They’re strangely uncooperative.

Should I try a harsher approach?

“So, you really have nothing to do with this?”

Preparing my mind, I turned my gaze to Calavera.

“Calavera, open the window.”

“Hmm? Got it.”

With a rusty latch clicking open, a substantial amount of ash poured into the room. As dust swirled around, I lit a cigarette and continued speaking.

“Do you know what a Magical Girl is?”

“A Magical… girl?”

“It refers to an Awakener like me. Sure, there are some factors like changing appearance and clothing, and having a partner.”

Click.

As the cigarette embers touched the surrounding ash, a burst of sparks flew. While the chair I was sitting on creaked, struggling to bear the sudden weight, my transformation was undone, and I looked down at the girl with an elevated field of vision.

“The most important point is that a Magical Girl is uniquely not treated as an Awakener before transformation.”

Maybe it’s because of the transformation’s effect, but she looks a bit slender and androgynous compared to boys her age… Okay, that might be an exaggeration, but she’s definitely thin. My original appearance, the one I never wanted to reveal, showed up as I usually held off the transformation, fearing I might die from the ash.

“Look at that. Something’s already coming up.”

As ash touched my skin, gray spots slowly spread. The speed is notably slower compared to others, but the spots themselves are a clear sign of infection.

“What should I do? If there’s no one to heal this, I’ll die too.”

“Are you crazy?”

‘Crazy,’ she said.

“Well, if I’m crazy, then this world must be too. A plague spreading just by touching a corpse fragment doesn’t make any sense.”

Maybe it exists somewhere in the world, but it’s definitely not this bad.

“I know you’re planning to solve this by transforming. Earlier, when you transform…”

“Oh, that? Once it’s undone, I can’t transform for a day.”

That’s a lie.

Calavera seemed about to say something, but after I shot her a fierce glare, she quietly crossed her arms again beside the window.

“But considering the current situation, it seems you could hold out for a day…”

“All of a sudden, I want to go outside. Calavera, lend me your coat. Even if I can’t transform, I can still gather information. Well, I might get a bit covered in ash, but what could happen in just a day?”

Maybe it’s because I’m being so upfront about it, but Calavera’s expression, which had been watching me from the window, subtly changed.

In simpler terms, it probably conveyed something like ‘Is this guy crazy?’

“Still… really? But…”

Despite how forced my words were, the girl in front of me seemed shaken by my threat. Amidst that confusion, Calavera took off her coat and placed it on my shoulder, and the moment I stood up, she suddenly stood and grasped my hand.

“To me…”

A voice filled with pleading and requests.

“To me, what?”

“What are you going to say to me…”

“Who speaks poorly to a person trying to help?”

Well, there might be some weirdos out there, but I’m not one of them.

•••Even if I brought this disease, right?

The moment I heard those words, I understood the many scars etched on her body.

The story.
An Awakener.
Rejection.

Whose fault is it?

I grasped the situation regarding this incident. This used to be a common story not too long ago. The hatred of the people who misunderstood and thought it was the Awakener who brought the story. Followed by a failure in the initial response.

Moreover, this girl is an Awakener at a very young age, severely affected by a contagious disease.

It’s a perfect condition for hatred to blossom.

“Did you warn anyone that the plague was coming?”

“Yes… otherwise… people would die…”

The worst choice and the worst story, an immature Awakener.

What kind of ridiculous combination is this? Who would trust a child that looks about ten years old? But, once the plague truly starts and people die, the story will change. Initially, she might receive praises, but if it continues for a while, they might start thinking she brought the plague. Then, with the information about her being an Awakener added to the mix, witch hunts will begin.

I slowly knelt and met her gaze, looking into her watery eyes and crumpled face.

“How many times… have you gone through this?”

“In this city… about five times.”

‘In this city.’

Has she continuously been rejected and moved around like this? At this age?

As I placed my hand on her face, I felt a slight scab. Hidden behind her hair were the signs of violence.

The fine stitches felt like perhaps she sewed them herself.

Despite suffering from violence, she must have kept shouting.

That the plague was coming, that without preparation everyone would die.

She must have had countless choices. She could have kept quiet, could have left without saying a word.

Yet, she must have continued to call out. Even as she wandered away from home, she kept shouting.

“Calavera. Has there been another instance of an Otherworld-related plague event like this?”

“To my knowledge, no.”

Surely, this isn’t the first time a story like this has occurred. The one who stopped it was the small child in front of me.

I embraced her.

For a moment, the child struggled as if panicking, but soon began to tremble quietly in my arms.

She probably doesn’t truly hate it. Even Calavera, who has the physical ability to throw me off without transforming, wouldn’t be able to push me away.

That child, who quietly gasped in my embrace, was undoubtedly crying, although it was invisible. Thank goodness I transformed; I couldn’t have held her like this if she were still in her small form.

Once she finished crying, she slowly placed her hand on my gray skin.

With a slightly higher body temperature, as she stroked, the gray spots began to sink slowly.

“Is the method of treatment within the reach of an Awakener like you?”

“Ah, no, this is just because stories related to the plague can’t reach me. I’m merely pushing them away. There’s a proper treatment method, but…”

An immense sense of dread began to wash over me. I can already feel the malice of this story, yet a premonition surged that there must be something deeper to it.

“Did others refuse to accept the treatment method?”

“Yes… even the doctor said doing that would only make the plague spread faster…”

The fact that a doctor said it was an immoral method contradicts modern medicine. This is beyond imagination.

“Can you tell me? I promise I won’t laugh or ridicule you.”

She seemed to ponder for a moment, moving her hand over my skin, finally opening her mouth.

“A close person must place their hand on the skin of the infected. As many people as possible.”

Isn’t that the infection route?

“By sharing each other’s warmth, the infected person must maintain a happy thought that this disease will certainly be cured. They must have a mindset that they will never lose to this disease.”

Is this just a matter of simple mindset?

I expected there might be more to follow, but Al-Rib was just pushing the disease away while stroking my skin.

No way…

“Is that it?”

“Yes. Unless they have negative thoughts, that’s all there is. Oh, don’t get too emotional if you get infected; the ones who are touching will all get healed together.”

This is ridiculous. Is that really all there is? Just believe you’ll recover? Well, that’s…

-That sounds quite dangerous, kid.

While I was dumbfounded by the simplicity of that treatment method, Calavera, who had been listening quietly, interjected.

“You said that negative thoughts speed up the progress. So, in an area where they can’t escape, where a deadly plague is spreading, with loved ones potentially dying, isn’t that the worst-case scenario?”

So that’s why the progress of the surrounding residents has been so rapid. What the hell is this?

•••Yes, that explains why the plagues and the situation were so different thus far…

“How has it been until now?”

“Normally they would say drink water and rest well, or drink milk, or that I should get my shots, or stay isolated for 24 hours…”

It may sound a bit cult-like, but it falls within a realm that could be called medicine. If that truly works, even doctors would have to acknowledge it.

But this is different. One of the treatment methods induces infection, and the claim that the mind is involved is ridiculous. Plus, this girl’s reputation is already at its worst.

“This is a disaster.”

Just when I barely grasped a clue, but that clue turns out to fall within the impossible range.

“It’s finished.”

“Oh? Really?”

It didn’t take long. Maybe it was about 10 minutes or so. It’s probably helped by the belief that I can never die.

As I slowly concentrated my mind, particles of light began to gather around me.

A small kick off the ground and a single spin in the air.

As the particles gathered and brightly illuminated the surrounding area, I disappeared from the adult male form and landed back as a Magical Girl.

-You just said you couldn’t transform before.

“Ah, that was a lie. I figured that would be the best way to gain trust.”

Al-Rib’s face stiffened with a strange expression, but well, as long as it all worked out, it’s all good, right?

“See? That’s the kind of guy I am. I trick soldiers into thinking I’m a girl in my normal form. My main pastime is stealing smokes from rookie soldiers.”

Calavera must be insane.

“Who’s stealing from rookie soldiers? Where’s a guy as small as me sharing his smokes and having fun?”

“Well, you’re always borrowing smokes from soldiers, asking them to keep their lives safe. You might not realize it, but the soldiers’ perception of you seems to have risen to the level of faith.”

“That’s not my responsibility.”

I don’t even know. When I told them not to do that, they just stacked more the next day. What a mess.

“Hey, are you guys really Awakener-types or what?”

Listening to our strange discussion, Al-Rib asked, a puzzled expression on her face.

“Of course, we are! No one has been doing it longer than us.”

“Haram has a few years on you though.”

“Shut it.”

Despite the grim atmosphere we created, Al-Rib approached us trying to unravel her confusion.

“But all the Awakener-types I’ve seen didn’t seem to share jokes like this… They always carried the mark of being an Awakener… hiding themselves.”

The usual story of Awakener-types who don’t get their rights. It’s said to be severe in the Soviet regions.

“Oh, that? We’ve given up.”

“A gloomy life or a cheerful one. Which is more bearable?”

Looks like she doesn’t understand.

“Just because those around me are gloomy doesn’t mean I should dig a hole for myself. Everyone’s dying anyway; if I’m constantly gloomy, I’ll die before my time.”

“And also, if you don’t smile a bit, the people around us won’t join us, right? As time passed, it turned into an atmosphere that respects Awakener-types.”

“Well, that’s all relative, as we’re all just hanging out, sniffing the powder from our guns, and the upper echelons haven’t changed at all.”

“Those upper echelons have never been a part of our circle, right?”

“True, those guys are always munching on something. If they died from heart disease, what a relief it would be.”

Seeing that Al-Rib couldn’t understand the strange conversation, she looked at us with a blank expression.

There was this oddly dreamlike quality as if she wondered if this was all some dream.

“Let’s skip the nonsense. Hey, kid.”

“If this is your story, there’s a solution, right? I mean, we came here to help you, after all?”

I reached out to the child, smaller than me. Perhaps even younger than any Awakener.

“So let’s finish this hell together, shall we? You have a good method, don’t you?”

“There are three of us, though.”

“You’re useless.”

“That’s a fair point. I never thought I’d encounter a place with no soul at all, so next time I better bring a corpse or two. Setting a standard for bringing corpses to increase the quantity, talk about irony.”

“You’d get dragged under quarantine. Good thinking.”

••• I do have something.

“Then let’s go. We’ll discuss the details as we go, and people are dying even now.”

As we spoke like this, I held the kid’s hand and guided her. Two useless adults dragging the hand of a child, supposedly the solution to this crisis.

We slowly walked toward the battlefield.

“Are you really… going to help me?”

“Hmm? Otherwise, why’d we come to such a gloomy city? In this miserable life, Awakener-types have to help one another.”

“Awakener-types… together…”

“Yeah. Even that huge guy over there, this fake Magical Girl, and you. We’re all Awakener-types protecting the world. So let’s speak our minds in front of each other.”

‘Protecting the world.’ What an interesting phrase. There’s probably no one who hates this world quite like us.

But that phrase seemed to provide reassurance to the small child.

For the first time, she showed a smiling expression.

Well then. Let’s go end this hell with that smiling face.

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