Chapter 4

“Kisaragi-san!?”

“It’s Usami-sama…!”

“Aahh!”

“It’s the Student Council members!!”

The moment the two of them appeared in the classroom, shrill cheers erupted from the magical girls around them.

They gazed at the pair I had saved this morning with eyes full of admiration and respect.

It seems the two of them are quite popular here.

Responding to the cheers of the magical girls around them, the pair walked over to me.

“You’re Reiya Toujou-kun, right?”

“So you’re Toujou-kun, then?”

“Y-Yes, but…?”

Addressed so suddenly, I answered nervously.

The attention of all the magical girls instantly focused on me.

“First, let us say this.”

“Congratulations on your enrollment in the Magical Girl Training Academy.”

“Ah, thank you…”

“And one more thing… about this morning… We’ll be direct. Was it you who saved us?”

“…Uhm.”

“We saw you leaving the scene.”

“There was no sign of anyone else… so we thought you were the one who saved us… Are we wrong?”

“…That is.”

I hesitated, wondering how I should answer.

It seems they saw me leaving the scene.

I normally hide my magical abilities.

That’s because, in the eyes of the world, magic is something for girls, not for boys to use.

So if it got out that I, a boy, possess magical power, I have no idea how I’d be treated.

That’s why this morning, I could only save them while remaining hidden.

I thought I’d made a clean getaway after defeating that monster with magic, but it seems the two of them saw me.

“…Yeah, that’s right.”

After hesitating, I decided to admit it honestly.

Even if I lied, the truth would come out eventually.

Besides, I figured that if they understood that I, a boy, have the same powers as the magical girls, maybe their hostility toward me would lessen a little.

“So it was you.”

“I knew it was you…”

Hearing my answer, the two of them looked at each other, and in the next moment, they bowed deeply with graceful movements.

“Thank you very much.”

“Please, allow us to thank you. If it weren’t for you, we would have died.”

Seeing the two of them thank me and bow, the other magical girls’ eyes widened in shock.

As a murmur spread through the room, the pair raised their heads and looked at me with friendly eyes.

“That monster was incredibly powerful. We couldn’t have won on our own.”

“If you hadn’t saved us, that monster would have killed us both. We are truly grateful.”

“…Y-You’re welcome.”

“We’re so happy you’ve enrolled in this Magical Girl Training Academy. To think you could defeat such a strong monster. You’re a very reassuring ally to have.”

“Welcome to the Magical Girl Training Academy. My name is Kisaragi Mikan. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“I’m Usami Chiyo. We’d be happy if you’d remember us, Reiya Toujou-kun.”

“O-Oh… I’m Reiya Toujou. Nice to meet you, too…”

I took their outstretched hands.

“Well then, until next time.”

“Let’s meet again, Toujou-kun.”

After shaking my hand, the two left the classroom with those words and a smile.

I hadn’t expected to be thanked so sincerely by the two I’d saved, and I was left dumbfounded.

It wasn’t my first time fighting a monster, but I had always hidden my identity.

So being thanked face-to-face by someone I’d rescued was a strange feeling.

“What’s going on…? Why are the two from the Student Council with that boy…?”

“He made the Student Council members bow their heads to him… What kind of dirt does he have on them…?”

“They said he ‘saved’ them… You don’t think he actually rescued them from a monster, do you?”

“…Could that even happen? They’re both far stronger than any of us… There’s no way they’d lose so easily to a monster…”

“But if what they said is true, that would mean that boy can really use magic…”

“I’ve never heard of a boy being able to use magic… It’s hard to believe…”

“But… he doesn’t seem like a bad person. Maybe I’ll watch him for a little while…”

“Are you serious? You’d better be careful he doesn’t eat you alive.”

The magical girls who had watched the exchange between Kisaragi Mikan, Usami Chiyo, and me began to speculate wildly.

But, perhaps thanks to the girls’ attitude toward me, I felt that the number of friendly gazes directed my way had increased, if only slightly.

◆

“So, Venom has been defeated…”

“Yes. It would appear so.”

A subspace, existing between one dimension and another.

In that place where none could enter, a lone monster was enthroned.

A malevolent aura radiated from its entire body, overwhelming any who gazed upon it.

Before the monster, a low-ranking monster, its servant, knelt on the ground, head bowed.

“Who defeated it…? I created that monster so it couldn’t be beaten by any run-of-the-mill magical girl… It shouldn’t have been taken down so easily…”

“We do not know… However, according to our investigation, it is certain that it fought with and cornered at least two magical girls… It was unfortunately defeated due to an intervention by some unknown party, but we can confirm it pushed the magical girls to their limit…”

“An intervention by an unknown party… A new magical girl?”

“We do not know. We are currently investigating.”

“I see… Report to me immediately if you find anything.”

“Yes, my lord!”

“I will now begin the creation of an even stronger monster. The monster Venom was powerful, but it was incomplete. My completed monster will possess the power to surpass all magical girls. Fufufu…”

The monster’s eerie laughter echoed throughout the subspace.