Chapter 24: The Ever-Positive Angel Is in Charge of the Magical Girl's Mental Care

Magical Girl Blue (Cold)

What is an angel?

In the Book of Revelation, they’re the ones who blow the trumpets of the apocalypse.

In the Bible, they’re the ones who deliver the will of God.

I’m not particularly religious, but those facts are common knowledge.

Which means it’s all just overused, cliché information.

So what is this girl who calls herself an angel supposed to be?

People who introduce themselves as angels or gods fall into exactly two categories.

They are either crazy people or even crazier people.

That’s not an insult. There’s just no other explanation.

If they had introduced themselves as a freak or a magical girl, I wouldn’t have reacted like this.

It’s a pretty old story, but there were people like that in the past.

Of course, most of those people were out of their minds.

‘A textbook case of a delusional freak...’

I figured I’d just ask her to leave.

But the moment I lifted my head—

Beaming.

It was as if that sound effect floated above her head, you know, like an onomatopoeia.

The girl was looking at me with the kind of smile that made me instinctively avert my gaze.

It was the same kind of smiling face as Cyclamen’s, but it was overwhelming in a different way.

If Cyclamen made you uneasy because of that uncanny valley effect,

Then this self-proclaimed angel felt like someone had shoved a fluorescent light right in my face.

No, wait, maybe it was something else.

That awkward feeling when someone you barely know suddenly acts way too friendly.

Yeah. That was exactly it.

“Um…”

“Yes!!”

She replied with a blindingly cheerful smile, and I felt my energy drain away.

Ugh, this level of positivity is too much... She’s so bright I think I might puke.

Still, I had to say it…

This is my home. My cradle…

“I-I don’t know who you are, but… could you please leave…?”

“Should I? In that case, I’ll come back tomorrow!”

“…”

That defeats the whole point.

No, more importantly, if she shows up like this again tomorrow, the damage will be catastrophic.

According to Cyclamen’s report, it took three different classes of weaponry just to try stopping this self-proclaimed angel:

Thermal weapons, sonic weapons, and even magic weapons using the magic power I personally charged.

It may have looked like only three, but when broken down, there were probably dozens of variations in total.

Considering that I use half of half of half of that to kill monsters, it's ridiculous.

In terms of sheer firepower alone, it wouldn't be strange if I had obliterated a freak...

And yet—

‘Not even a scratch…’

The self-proclaimed angel before me stood there completely unharmed, no matter what I did.

Even the clothes she was wearing were intact.

‘Can I even win…?’

Even if I account for every possible tactic, use every weapon at my disposal—

I couldn’t imagine a scenario where I won.

Fire missiles, launch hundreds of drones to self-destruct, trap her with sonic disruption, hit her with a magic cannon—

No matter what I imagined, the only image that came to mind was her smiling like that, effortlessly smashing everything apart and pressing forward.

‘…She’s a monster.’

There’s just… no way I can win.

And the fact that this kind of opponent was standing right in front of me, smiling cheerfully—that alone was terrifying.

I had no idea what she was thinking. And the worst part was this was a situation where I had to be grateful that she wasn’t hostile.

That’s how terrifying it was.

Because if that monster suddenly flipped her mood like flipping a switch and decided to kill me… it wouldn’t be surprising in the slightest.

And just today alone, 25% of this place had been destroyed.

If she pushes through tomorrow the same way she did today...

Even if I tried to minimize the damage, this place wouldn’t last a month before it was completely wiped out.

‘I’d have to rebuild everything from scratch...’

And if this place collapses, the city’s defense infrastructure collapses with it.

Then, I'm left with only one option.

That is to quietly comply with whatever she asks.

“…Is something wrong?”

“Ah, n-no… it’s nothing.”

“Then, is it alright if I come again tomorrow?”

I wanted to scream "Absolutely not", but all I could do was nod.

If I refused here and she lost her temper, my cradle would be shattered in an instant.

And if she destroyed this place, it’d be no different from destroying the city itself.

‘I have to prevent that.’

I don't want anyone to get hurt because of me.

Not again…

Because then they’ll blame me again… Just like that time…

Sparkle… sparkle…

“Hmmm… Seventy points.”

For some reason, the angel, whose ring now looked slightly dimmer, pouted with a slightly disappointed look.

It had been bothering me since earlier, but what are those scores supposed to mean?

She gave me 80 points earlier. And it’s 70 now...

A chill ran down my spine, and I shivered.

…What if the score hits zero and she goes berserk?

Terrified but forcing myself to speak, I swallowed hard and opened my mouth:

“E-excuse me… th-those scores… what do they mean?”

“Hmm… You mean these scores? Are you curious?”

When I nodded, the self-proclaimed angel crossed her arms and closed her eyes, as if preparing a dramatic answer.

…What if she really does go berserk?

Can I stop this monster from going wild by myself?

Should I evacuate the civilians first?

What if everyone ends up blaming me for the city's destruction?

The longer she stayed silent, the more horrible thoughts flooded my head.

Cold sweat dripped down my forehead, and my whole body trembled.

[Rapid increase in stress level detected. Initiating stabilization protocol.]

Cyclamen stepped forward, her hand reaching out to cover my eyes.

I instinctively grabbed her hand and stopped her.

“W-wait, Cyclamen… just a moment… n-not now…”

To be sung a lullaby and have my head patted in front of that monster…!?

Forget stress levels, it'll just increase my embarrassment level…!

I let out a sigh of relief after stopping Cyclamen, but suddenly felt an overwhelmingly intense stare that made me flinch.

I turned to the side and sure enough, there she was.

The angel had opened her eyes at some point and was staring straight at me.

…Had the score dropped again?

The brightness of the angel ring above her head seems to be the same as before, so maybe not…

As I trembled slightly, the self-proclaimed angel gave a soft smile.

“The scores… well, they don’t really mean anything. Think of them more like an exclamation.”

What kind of exclamation even is that…?

“So please, don’t be afraid. The kind of thing that Han Soyu-ssi is imagining won’t happen.”

She said it so calmly, not as a reaction to my expression, but with an eerie sense of confidence.

But what shocked me even more was that she said my name.

I never told her.

Only a very small number of people know my name.

That’s because those who do are either dead, or they're magical girls who don’t have the time to come see me anymore.

So how did this self-proclaimed angel know my name?

“H-how do you know my name…!?”

Could it be that she read my mind!?

“Nope, I didn’t exactly read your mind.”

“Eek—! Y-you’re lying! You totally just read my mind…!!”

Panicking, I wrapped both arms around my head and curled up.

Even though it wouldn’t protect me from anything…

“I’m serious. I didn’t read your mind. It’s just that… everything you’re thinking is written all over your face.”

…All over my face?

Is that even possible?

Am I really that bad at hiding my emotions?

“If you don’t believe me, try looking in the mirror—Oh, wait, you don’t have one here, do you?”

“I just… I don’t like looking at my face…”

Because I feel bad every time I see my reflection.

Because the sight of me looking at myself with that dead expression disgusts me.

Because every time I look at my face, I remember that day, and it makes me want to throw up.

I bit my lip and lowered my head.

[Rapid increase in stress level detected. Continue stabilization protocol?]

“Did you know?”

At Cyclamen’s prompt, the self-proclaimed angel suddenly spoke again.

When I raised my head and looked up at the self-proclaimed angel, the girl smiled softly at me.

Our eyes met, and she smiled with a face so pure it almost looked holy.

Then, without warning, she stood up and began walking toward me.

Startled, I tensed up—but she didn’t do anything in particular.

No, it's not that she didn't do anything.

Because she pulled me into a tight hug.

“Fweh—? Huh?”

“They say that sharing body heat through hugging brings emotional comfort and psychological stability. Something about hormones? I don’t remember it all that well, but apparently it helps relieve stress too.”

I know that already.

It’s oxytocin, that hormone that makes you feel happy when you’re hugged.

I know it well.

But that’s not the point.

What I don’t understand is why is this so-called angel showing me such kindness?

And—

‘It’s warm…’

Why am I feeling this warmth from someone I just met, from a self-proclaimed angel of all people?

This is strange. It's obviously strange.

Is this a psychological attack? Brainwashing? Hypnosis? Suggestion?

I don’t know.

None of those feel right.

It felt… fundamentally different.

Something deeper. More primal. Nostalgic.

This strange, inexplicable feeling.

A warm, fuzzy feeling that made my chest tighten in a tender way, that I don't want to let go of.

“There's not much I can do for you, but if you ever need my embrace, I’ll always be here with open arms.”

Maybe it was because my guard was down, but now I was noticing things I hadn’t before.

The pleasant scent of lavender.

The soft thump, thump of my heartbeat.

A body temperature slightly warmer than average, like that of a child.

The soothing touch of wings gently wrapping around my body.

It felt like…

“I’m on your side.”

No.

No, no, no, no.

Don’t believe it.

It was like that last time too.

I was deceived by this feeling, deceived by this warmth…!

“Get away…!”

I bit my lip and pushed the self-proclaimed angel away.

I thought she’d resist, but she quietly stepped back.

“Are you going to deceive me again with those sweet words…? Don't make me laugh…! I won't be fooled anymore…!”

I glared at her, grinding my teeth, and the self-proclaimed angel smiled bitterly as she nodded.

“…I understand. Then, I’ll leave for today. But as promised, I’ll come again tomorrow.”

“Don’t come.”

I rejected her flatly, but she just smiled like before.

“Then, I’ll see you tomorrow, Han Soyu-ssi.”

With those words, the self-proclaimed angel passed through the wall and vanished.

Left alone once again, the silence settled in.

The room looked just as cold and lifeless as it always had.

“…Like I’d ever believe that.”

I hugged Cyclamen tightly, trying to calm my mind.

It felt like the same cold, hard steel as always—

But somehow, today, it felt even colder than usual.

To forget that warmth…

I curled up inside that cold steel embrace.

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