The Magical Girl’s Journey ~It Seems the TS Magical Girl Has Bad Luck~

The true identities of the Magical Girl and the Witch remain unknown.

There were three pieces of data stored in the memory stick.

“A video in a notepad file, and an executable file addressed to Arcana.”

“There doesn’t seem to be any danger of viruses or anything. Which one should we look at first?”

It didn’t really matter which one we started with since there was no particular order.

“Let’s go with the notepad file, then the video, and finally the executable.”

“Got it.”

Demon skillfully used the mouse to open the notepad file.

The contents appeared to be observations about the Witch and the main members, presumably written by Rinne.

Or rather, it read more like a diary.

Though somewhat difficult to read, Demon and I went through it together.

It began with the day they met the Witch, followed by encounters with each member.

The Witch had shown them a clear vision of the future.

She had shared numerous pieces of knowledge and technologies about the world.

There were observations on Arcana and the Witch.

Mentioned were things like the will of the world that exists behind Arcana, and who exactly the Witch might be.

Initially filled with questions, over time the entries evolved into statements using phrases like “probably” and “perhaps.”

In the diary entries after I became a Magical Girl and met the Witch, Rinne’s struggles were evident.

Among these, one line caught my attention.

“So that’s how it is. Finally, everything makes sense. There is no Magical Girl in this world who can defeat her. After all, she is…”

While reading the notepad file, a noise ran through my head, and I felt dizzy.

As I knelt down, Demon came over.

“Aha. I see. Sorry about that.”

“What do you mean?”

“Haven’t we talked about things Arcana cannot teach? When a contractor tries to obtain information through means other than official ones, the information gets blocked.”

Official means, huh? This feels somewhat official, but probably anything other than hearing it directly from the source wouldn’t work.

It can’t be helped, but knowing the true identity isn’t that important anyway.

When I looked back at the notepad file, some parts were inexplicably unreadable and incomprehensible.

Giving up on those unreadable parts, I finished reading until the end.

It was quite long, but I was able to learn detailed information about the Doomsday Faction.

The reasons why the five people I’ve killed so far joined the Doomsday Faction were deeply rooted in darkness.

They may have had their own justice, but to me, it doesn’t matter.

They are simply convenient enemies to fight against without facing legal consequences.

Just an interesting new fact: It seems Rinne, like me, enjoys hot springs. She apparently went out of her way to install one at the Doomsday Faction’s base.

I also learned the names of all the members.

There were various discoveries, but personally, it felt somewhat underwhelming.

“Of course, the location of their base isn’t written here.”

“Yeah. Even Rinne wouldn’t write that down. I’ll send any useful information to Arongante later.”

Naturally, Rinne must have only included information she wouldn’t mind being known.

It might have been better to watch this with someone other than Demon, but it’s too late now.

By the time Demon checked, the important parts were already erased.

Next was the video, which was a short one, about five minutes long.

“Shall we move on to the next one?”

“Yeah. Let’s play it.”

“If you’re watching this, Inie, let me talk to you. Assuming you’ve read the notepad file before watching this video, let me proceed.”

Though the video’s Rinne was correct, why does it irritate me so much?

“Presumably, you’ve read the notepad file alongside Arcana, but I want you to confirm the Witch’s true identity with your own eyes. Now, as for why I sent this data in video form, everything I’m about to say is hypothetical, and putting it into words would be somewhat troublesome. ——So let me begin.”

Though the start was irritating, the hypothesis Rinne presented was very intriguing.

It was about the Witch’s uniqueness and her existence’s purpose, along with the world’s origin.

The Witch’s goal is to destroy the world called the “Primordial World.”

If the Primordial World disappears, all connected worlds will vanish as well.

This much I already knew.

Then why is the Witch trying to do such a thing?

I’ve heard the straightforward reason, but the details weren’t disclosed.

Rinne prefaced her hypothesis and continued cautiously.

Creatures and humans.

These two elements seem to be common factors in the world lines.

The world where the Witch was born had fewer creatures, but even the weakest ones were equivalent to B-class in this world.

The Witch, who fought for peace, was just one step away from eradicating all the creatures, but what awaited her next was betrayal by humanity.

Pure justice was nothing but a hindrance to the world.

Even most of the magical girls who were supposed to be allies betrayed her, leaving her in dire straits.

Though a few remained to protect the Witch, they were ultimately killed, leaving only the Witch standing.

Later, a creature sealed in the North Pole appeared in this world.

After various events, the magical girl who became the Witch was overwhelmed by despair and transformed.

All of this is based on Rinne’s hypothesis, but judging by Demon’s expression, it’s not entirely off the mark.

People are foolish, after all. Humans only seek their own interests.

Moreover, sharp forces are merely obstacles in a peaceful world.

“Lastly, I hope you become the Witch’s salvation.”

The video concluded with those words.

“Haruna.”

“Yes?”

“Are you alright?”

That’s rather abstract. They’re probably asking if learning the hidden truth behind all this has made you lose the will to fight.

If everything we just heard is true, it’s a story devoid of hope. Some might feel sympathy.

Well, it doesn’t resonate with me at all.

“No problem. Nothing about what I have to do has changed. Rather, let’s finish watching the last one.”

“…Alright.”

The last one wasn’t directed at me but towards Arcana, Demon.

Something is definitely going to happen, but it’s unclear what.

“Alright, I’ll open it.”

“Just a moment!”

As Demon was about to click, Hermes suddenly appeared, snatched the mouse from Demon, and clicked the file herself.

“Hey! What do you think you’re doing!”

Amid Demon’s yelling, a black window appeared, displaying a large amount of geometric text, which floated off the screen and was absorbed by Hermes.

Could this actually have been a trap?

“Hmm, just as I expected.”

“Are you alright?”

“I’m fine. And it wasn’t actually a trap. It was regarding certain information, but due to its peculiar nature, it was specifically designated for Arcana.”

Special information, huh?

Her phrasing is intriguing, but if Rinne had mentioned it before parting ways, it would have been helpful…

“What is this information? And why did you push me aside?”

“I thought the content might be a bit intense for the thievery cat. If you got upset, Shiro would be troubled, right?”

It’s true that if Demon got upset, it would be bothersome, but did it warrant risking her body?

Since both of your abilities are necessary for me, it would be inconvenient if either of you disappeared.

In the worst-case scenario, I’d prefer you both remain as abilities alone.

“Well, regarding the information, it’s about the Sun, who has been missing for a long time.”

“Sun? Hasn’t been seen for quite some time and couldn’t track their whereabouts?”

“That’s correct. As suspected, Sun fell into their hands. That’s why they could detect us whenever we used our abilities.”

Demon mentioned that using her abilities revealed her location, but there was such a backstory involved.

No matter how extraordinary the Witch might be, she still falls within human limits.

It shouldn’t be easy to pinpoint someone’s location just because Arcana used their power, but if the Witch has control over Arcana, determining their location becomes possible.

“I remember Sun disappearing first, but what does that mean?”

“The Witch incorporated Sun into a machine as a living unit, utilizing them as a weapon specifically designed against Arcana. Rinne didn’t know which Arcana was being used, but since Sun is the only one left, it’s confirmed.”

What a cruel thing to do.

The cunning aspect lies in the fact that Arcana is immortal, so as long as they aren’t pushed to extremes, they can be utilized indefinitely.

However, finding a way to deal with such a living unit in this world seems unlikely.

Still, having the information is better than not having it at all.

Though it’s unrelated to the battles in this world.

“I see. Though I hadn’t given it much thought, it’s important information. But did you really need to shove me aside?”

“No comment. Anyway, I’ve conveyed what I needed to, so I’ll leave now.”

After saying that, Hermes merged with me.

It seems like there’s more information she won’t share.

Still, the Doomsday Faction has a fitting name.

Their essence is both salvation and revenge.

Perhaps a world as corrupt as this one would be better off destroyed.

No, to be precise, it’s more like reselecting humanity.

Although it’s unfortunate, the current world is teeming with worthless people.

From the perspective of destruction alone, I agree with the Witch.

But if this world were to be ruined, it would be somewhat inconvenient.

Without enemies, there would be no battles.

To the Witch, those worthless people might be enemies, but to me, they’re just targets.

Ultimately, the Witch and I will never coexist.

…Speaking of which, I received a letter from Rinde.

Since I have time, I might as well read it now.

I pulled out the envelope from inside my sleeve and opened it.

Though I intended to read it, it was all in English, so it might take some time.

In situations like this, Demon is indispensable.

“Hey, Demon. Could you read this for me?”

“It’s a letter from Rinde, huh? …Ah, it’s written in English. Alright, I’ll read it.”

Though I can read English to some extent, I can’t read it as fluently as Japanese.

Demon read the letter from Rinde, which contained apologies directed at me and past events involving Rinne and Rinde.

It was revealed that Rinne can use recovery magic to at least heal deficiencies.

Meaning she has a fairly dark past.

Summarizing the content of the letter, it seems her father was killed under the guise of an accident involving the Magic Bureau.

The details are quite complex, but in short, that’s what happened.

There were hints of similar incidents in Rinne’s diary, so this must be true.

After her father was killed and she became a Magical Girl, she endured much suffering and eventually sided with the Witch.

Though I have some thoughts on the matter, since I’ve finished reading the letter, it’s time to head back.

Everyone fights for their own reasons.

That’s all there is to it.

“Our business is done. Let’s go back.”

“…Yeah. Until now, I hadn’t paid much attention to the Witches’ side, but they do have valid reasons.”

“The world works that way. But there are limits.”

Revenge should be directed at the person who committed the act, not others. Revenge that involves innocent people is just venting frustration.

Though I’m in no position to judge others, excess in anything is bad.

I handed Demon the memory stick I had removed from the computer and turned off the power, concluding my tasks here.

“Let’s head back then.”

Demon merged with me, and I opened the door to step outside.

“Ah!”

“Ah!”

“Ah!”

Coincidentally, Room 1’s door opened, and our eyes met, resulting in three voices overlapping in surprise.

I often wonder, isn’t Demon’s detection ability somewhat lacking?

---