The Strongest, but the Genre Is Magical Girl

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And intertwined with those unnatural parts, there’s a conspiracy theory suggesting that there was some sort of transaction between the monsters and the magical girls in the Incheon area, or that the monsters are plotting something together.

In rough terms, the conclusion the writer came to is twofold.

Rather than being a conspiracy theory, it seems more accurate to view it as a deduction based on results.

The writer, declaring themselves a resident of Incheon, said they hadn’t received much news about monsters appearing during dawn or morning hours but recently started to experience inconvenience when they began surfacing again…

Suddenly pondering, “Since when did monsters only start appearing in the afternoon?” and focusing solely on researching the appearances of monsters in the Incheon area, they uncovered such facts.

Anyway, based on that conceptual post, the monster gallery began heating up.

Posts like “Release the restrained monsters!” and “Admit that monsters are sentient beings!” were popping up every three minutes.

In fact, organizations and magical girls already know that certain monsters can communicate, depending on their appearance or personality.

However, the relevant organizations and magical girls have been denying that the monsters are sentient thus far.

While it’s not out of malice… There are people in the monster gallery who have repeatedly claimed, based on observing the monsters’ behaviors, that they possess “intelligence similar to ours.”

Regardless of which side is correct, the fact that there’s an issue cannot be denied.

Everyone is just pretending to be oblivious.

Logically speaking, creatures capable of space expansion wouldn’t just casually possess intelligence similar to that of cows, chickens, or pigs, right?

What’s the difference between that and saying members of the National Assembly don’t accept bribes?

“Let’s just let it slide.”

Ultimately, the people in this monster gallery want to have that recognized “officially.”

I’m not sure why.

Is it to bring it into public discourse? Who knows.

If you were to ask for a reason, perhaps an unexpectedly romantic answer of “Because we want to” would come back.

Buuuuung, the vibrating smartphone once again trembling in my palm.

Caller ID restricted.

Even without answering the call, the question coming from the other side was obvious…

“Sigh.”

Letting out a sigh, recognizing this as my karma, I slid the green button with an old-style receiver sketch aside with a hint of tension.

Formally saying the usual greetings into the phone.

“Yes, hello.”

“Yes, I wanted to hear the opinion of Ms. Mari, who is in charge of Incheon, regarding that post.”

Hearing an interest in my opinion…

If it had been the former Minister, they would have directly asked, “What have you done, speak honestly.”

This current Minister, while asking much more politely and in a softened manner…

That they would go so far as to call me directly and specifically ask for my opinion on that post meant the underlying meaning was essentially the same.

It seemed probable that something had gone awry here, yet I had no concrete evidence, only a strong suspicion.

It looked like the former Minister had properly handed things over, as they didn’t even bother with Siyeon’s contact details and got straight to me.

No, I’m not that much of a problem child, you know.

Sure, the fact that monsters had only started appearing in the afternoons was my doing, but…

“Ah… that’s, um… somehow it turned out that way.”

In any case, I was in a position where I couldn’t exactly refute that fact, no matter how many mouths I might have.

Stuttering yet acknowledging that I was indeed the cause of this phenomenon, I scratched the back of my head in embarrassment, though they couldn’t see me through the smartphone.

What was wrong was wrong, yes.

After all, who would have thought I’d need to delve through regional hour-by-hour monster appearances for a magical girl retiring from a mundane life?

“Ha….”

A short sigh from the smartphone speaker.

I’d gotten used to hearing the former Minister’s sighs, but this was my first time hearing the current Minister sigh.

Sorry about that.

Following that brief sigh came the words.

“Then, we will handle this amicably, so could you join the scheduled plans afterwards?”

“Handle amicably,” and yet, asking me to join some “scheduled plans” thereafter.

What those “scheduled plans” might entail was unclear.

However, since I was in a position of overwhelming obligation for having caused trouble, even if I didn’t like it, I had no choice but to respond.

“Ah, yes… well, that’s fine.”

“Thank you for taking the time out of your valuable schedule.”

Immediately after thanking me, the call ended.

I felt like I had suffered a huge loss, yet there was nothing to be done about it.

What those “scheduled plans” were, I only hoped they wouldn’t be particularly burdensome.

Afterward, I witnessed with my own eyes as posts in the monster gallery, which had been ablaze, began to disappear one by one.

“Handling it amicably” was probably a veiled threat of a lawsuit.

In any case, they went so far as to use public authority to clean up the mess I caused…

I was filled with fear, wondering what burdensome task they would assign me, spending two weeks in worry and anxiety.

Thus, as summer break set in—the midterms, finals, winter break, the first semester of third year, summer break, and high school admission surveys…

Before I knew it, we were on the brink of winter break, having finished three years of middle school.

And just as the vague anxiety and tension surrounding the phrase “scheduled plans” began to fade from my mind…

It was already the weekend of our regular meeting before winter break, which now didn’t even seem all that unique.

Having gathered my clothes and prepared to head outside.

This time, the meeting would take place in Chungju.

Regular meetings, which had always started at a specific café…

This time, due to the owner’s personal reasons, we couldn’t use that place, so we decided to simply eat together at a restaurant and part ways afterward.

Given the nature of the location, we probably couldn’t directly discuss magical girls or monsters, but then again, as long as we kept it clean, we were fine.

The new magical girl, who had just turned into a middle school student, was entrusted to those I didn’t even know were newly minted magical girls.

By age, we could just as easily have been sitting at that table, but given our experience—and having mostly become adults—we found ourselves at the same table as the older sisters, acting as the ones footing the bill.

“Wait, you guys are already going to be high school students next year?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Wow, time really flies… Have you decided which high school to go to?”

The conversation among those gathered for the regular meeting was pretty standard.

Recent happenings, asking how old each other was, whether studies were going well, and if a high school had been chosen.

Questions had no particular relation to being in third year, coming from adults who didn’t have much to say when conversing with middle or high school students.

“Yes, well… I’m thinking about going somewhere nearby.”

“Right, that makes sense. Nearby is good.”

Clatter, the sound of bowls being placed down lightly at the nearby table.

While dealing with the barrage of questions from the older sisters, Siyeon returned to our side with a plate full of food.

This restaurant was a buffet housed within a large supermarket.

In meetings of girls, who consider their items to be the most precious in the world, there would never be a scenario where they’d leave their bags unguarded and rush off collectively for food.

Once Siyeon and a few others returned to their seats, we subsequently got up to grab food ourselves.

As long as we exercised as much as we ate, it would be fine.

With that lighthearted mindset, we filled our plates with cuisine that was anything but healthy, neglecting the vegetables entirely and piling up heavily on the fried dishes and fried rice instead.

After loading my plate high with food, I adjusted my skirt beneath my thighs before sitting down.

On the plates of the older sisters I had set out to gather food with were sushi, salads, fruits, and soups.

There were indeed some fried items, but they were the plates typical of girls trying to avoid such things as much as possible.

In contrast, our plate was greedily filled with whatever food we desired without a care.

Unlike people who wouldn’t gain a pound, our plates were overflowing with foods, prompting surprised questions from the sisters at the same table.

“Are Siyeon and Mari not the type to gain weight?”

Naturally, given our figures, which could be described as a bit chubby, it wasn’t a surprise question.

It wasn’t like we looked particularly fat when seated, and we didn’t have a single sign of being overweight.

Watching us indulge in our fried food like it was a last meal for a condemned prisoner seemed to make them want to blame it on our body types.

Having lived as a girl for 16 years now…

I had begun to understand subtly the language of women and the implicit meanings behind their words.

To ask, “Are you not the type to gain weight?” when looking at a plate full of fried food is essentially a sneering question like, “Can you maintain your weight with that much food? I envy your body type; what a blessed girl you are.”

…Though, I mean, it’s not like the other sisters at the same table would genuinely think that much, but it’s a possibility.

“If you think you’ll gain weight, I’ll drag you out to work out.”

“Working out is hard…”

“Still, we have to do it; otherwise, we won’t go out except for school or drawing.”

Putting a piece of maple croquette, named “Fried Mandu Mat-tang,” into my mouth, I jabbed Siyeon with sharp words alluding to her plight.

If we kept sitting around eating at home, it wouldn’t take long before we started gaining weight.

At least for now, due to the regularly scheduled monster removals on odd and even days, Siyeon had been walking as exercise.

However, while brushing off the exercise topic lightly, the older sisters took an interest in other matters.

“Oh, Siyeon can draw too? Can you show us?”

“Ah, yes…”

“Wow, you really drew this, Siyeon?”

With a conversation unfolding as usual, without warning I redirected the older sisters’ attention to Siyeon.

Thanks to that, our dining time became more leisurely, and the challenge of stuffing as much food into our mouths as possible began.

Since it was a casual meeting that had not even involved a café, the farewell was also light.

Just as I thought the day full of a relaxed weekend with the regular meeting was coming to a close…

“Huh?”

Upon returning home, my smartphone in my pocket buzzed precisely at the right moment.

The tension and unease associated with the worn-out phrase “scheduled plans” resurfaced.

The season for harvesting the ripened fruits of that labor had come crashing down.