*
Jinmei and Yuuka came running the moment they heard of my return. Well, I didn't exactly go anywhere though. In the week while I was gone, these 2 had become unnaturally close. Was it because they came from the same shelter? Or did they tie the knot while I was out? In the end I chose to reject Yuuka, so I can't exactly complain.
Occasionally, learning supplies could be recovered from the wreckages. Things like paper and pencil though extremely scarce now, are still available. When I'm not scavenging for food in the old ruins or helping out at the farm, I would take the time to improve my drawing. You could say it was an after effect of becoming an otaku in this post-apocalyptic situation.
Everyday was rather dull, but the old farm hands and new colleagues were nice enough to keep the boredom away. Who knew I had this much talking ability, I could have made more friends before they died. School became twice a week instead of taking place in 5 days, due to the abysmal number of teachers left. It was a miracle they could rebuild and make a school function in the first place. Some others were still injured in states worst than when I was in a coma, so they needed people to look after them as well.
Before long, the sun would fall and a mellow orange light would dye the world, signifying the time for rest. We would die if we overwork after all, proven by many salaryman in the past. It had been a couple weeks since I woke up, having Yuuka call out for a meeting near the back of the residential building.
"So about that offer..."
"... What? Was Jin not satisfying enough? Cheating is bad you know... Even if the law is basically gone..."
"Pfffft hahahah! Did you see us get closer and got jealous? We're just close because my 2 other friends are busy all the time, they tend to the injured and disabled. So, would you reconsider? "
"... The magical girls are allowing society to quickly stabilise again, what would be-... I see... I have chosen my path. It will be a no. "
"... I see... Then I'll be going now. "
Even if she sees it that way, the look Jin gave was unmistakable. Jinmei loves yuuka, is it a sort of dependence due to this situation? Well, it was best after all. To stay outside the circle of malice, being unrelated will make it less complicated.
***
A few metres away, dark yellow hair as if ink had spilled over actual blonde hair swayed in the darkness. A look of grimace and frustration at the realisation. Would it have been better to learn or not to learn? Was it better to understand and prepare for death one day? Or blindly live out a life of blatant ignorance? Which would dish out less pain? No one could decide the answer, in any case it was a time bomb. The feverish look of the maiden of solitude, unmatching the her usual demeanor and betraying her motives. While the one being talked to was deep in thought as always. What a disastrous combination, I'll have to warn him. Thought the boy hiding behind the corner, after eavesdropping.
***
Wails and shrieks of unadulterated terror echoed over the distance reaching the residential buildings. The ground shook under my foot, disorienting my footing as I organised my thoughts. From the direction it came from, my colleagues at the farm were being attacked. Subconsciously, I had grabbed my left eye with my left arm. Ever since that attack, I had lost vision in my left eye. It was obvious after all, a harder than steel tentacle pierced it in an instant. I was lucky it had come from a higher angle and didn't take anything else out before exiting my head. It was completely propable for the attack to have pierced my brain and leave me dead in an instant.
.... My hands shook uncontrollably, my breathing steadily growing uneven. Even though the shockwaves have stopped, my sense balance was still being decreased, the sky itself wobbled around. Fluids gathered, threatening to spill out of my throat. My right arm had clutched my waist, unlike my eye, the pain from that time was still present albeit at a faint amount.
I had worn an eyepatch the whole time to hide my left eye socket. After all, what was suppose to be there was not. It would only serve to scare the little kids away. My knuckles grew white as my fingers broke into severe tension, gripping my eyepatch as tightly as it could. The eyepatch was made of black leather since the clothes production facility only had that material left, and I decided to dye it black. It wouldn't break easily no matter how much I grabbed at it.
Before I knew it, I had already been reduced into a pathetic state. My hands were completely shaken with cold sweat pouring down, yet my legs continue to move on their own. I grabbed the farming sickles from their storage cabinet that my legs guided me towards, and secured my grips on their handles. KUGH, this is no more time to cower! If I can't even fight some bandits, how would I take revenge on the monsters in the future?
Yes, this was the path I chose. I would train my body, push it past its limits and fight back at the monsters. Of course I was too weak right now, but I have to start somewhere. I heard from my colleagues, uncle Kan, the master of gossip, that even normal humans have a chance of using magic. They would muster a strength many times weaker than that of a magical girl's, but it was still magic. It was out of the ordinary and necessary to defeat the monsters.
After losing everything from the disaster, an otaku without his technology was nothing. My collection, my memories. Everything that had mattered in my life up until now was gone. Maybe this was the path of a fool, maybe I'll die an agonising painful death on my very first battle. But it didn't matter. Nothing did. Everything no longer did. The moment I had accepted it, my only path left would be one of revenge and violence, so I could not accept Yuuka's offer. I would never be able to settle down and live a quiet life. This was ultimately a path to destruction, if I managed to succeed the first battle, my chances of dying would only go up. Why? Because I will continue, and continue, and continue, and continue, and continue, and continue until I can no longer continue. I would live and die by the battlefield. It was a weird otaku's dream, but it was what was what I had left.
Arriving at the source of the screaming and groans of pain, it was a sea of blood. No, they were just large puddles, they were numerous. But nothing else can describe it. The stench of iron permeated my nostrils, the sight drilling itself into my eyes. If these grown men could not stand a chance, what chance did I have? A path of ultimate destruction? What path? I was foolish enough to think up such nonsense and arrive here...
As if out of utter ill will, a tentacle struck the same eye again. Instinctively, I blocked with the sickle and twisted my body to the side, barely dodging. So there was a correction, I was almost hit by the tentacle, the impact it brought upon the sickle broke the wooden handle into countless splinters. My body was flung by the resulting shock wave throwing me a good 10 metres away. It was strong enough for me to feel my bones creak vigorously.
"Ughhh, not here... I'm not going to die here..." A Freudian slip, my lips trembled and throat screamed hoarse. My thoughts were jumbled to the max, cramming into a dense mass of 'I don't want to die'. It didn't seem like escape possible, perhaps a suicide attack will bring it down. At least I will be remembered by the residents around here. One sickle gone, I had one left. I struggled but managed to lift my body back up anyway. Lowering my pose, my legs arched forward while lifting off the ground. At an unfamilair speed, I shoved the sickle in my right hand into the monster's chest.
It was the same monster as the one that attacked me before. It had a large crocodile mouth and gorilla-like body, a deep black fog that was slightly translucent covered its body. However it was distinct and easy to tell the texture under the fog, a grotesque mix of fur scales and feathers wriggled around on its exterior. The sickle broke on impact. If the tentacles on its back were as hard as steel, perhaps its natural covering was tougher?
Well it didn't matter, as long as I bought enough time for the magical girls patrolling this region to arrive. It would be okay. My colleagues seem like they fought to the bitter end, so I have to do my part as one of them.
A new emotion welled up in my chest. One other than pain had suddenly filled my heart and soul. It was excitement. Leaping forward once again, I swung my fist at the hard covering. I could feel a migraine assault my cranial nerves, my body itself refused any more movement. I could not stop. It was inexplicable, but I felt that continuing to fight was the only course of action. Jumping out of the monster's attack paths, I leapt back in to deal punch. Repeated after 3 times, my right hand felt strange.
Stronger, it felt stronger and at the same time lighter. A feeling of weightlessness occasionally floods my body as my legs take off from the ground. Slowly, the monster seemed to be taking more and more force from my hits, a visible push back could be seen as it had seemed to lose its own orientation from my constant barrage. It had also seemed to grow larger as it started to tower to more than twice my height. Originally it was barely twice my height.
On the final hit, my fist busted through the monster's tough flesh. Dark purple blood gushed out at once, covering me completely with viscous fluid. The stench was also awful to the core, a visceral disgust permeated my conscious. I wrinkled my nose in response while pulling my fist out. Sparkles flew out of the wound as if they were injected in. Maybe something inside the demon gave off sparkles when destroyed. Scouring my game and light novel knowledge from before the disaster, it may have been a magic stone, spirit stone or some magical core that powers the monster.
My fist had also taken a clear beating, in particular the knuckles had been knocked as purple as the monster's blood. But that was the least of it. More importantly, my wrist had strangely gotten small, nails longer and fingers supple with smoothness... What?!?!! Checking out the rest of my body, surprised leaked from my voice.
"Eh???!!.... Ah. Ah. Ah. Ah...."
From there I had immediately started to test out my voice. The initial leak of surprise sounded unnaturally high, a test was needed to see my new vocal range and the newly adjusted normal chord.
" Ah. Ah. Aaaaaaaa~ Umu! Aaaaaaaa~"
After a thorough check for an hour, it seemed my head felt slightly heavier due to the weight of my longer hair. The colour of my hair had also changed from an average all black to white with a transition to black at the tips. It was a strange colour that seemed rather silvery in the middle, and was surprisingly soft. Unconsciously, I placed my left hand on my lower abdomen. Yeah, my son is definitely gone now.
Bracelets with tiny black gems had also appeared on my now smaller wrists. I had a sleeveless grey top that fitted well to my skin and a cloak that covered the upper half of my chest, shoulders and split into 2 on each side. Above the cloak was some feather like cloth attached to a distinct white collar. The collar was a layer of cloth over the top that exposed a bit of the collar bone while covering the middle with a napkin like structure. Below that middle area was a large white gem that hung over my chest. From that chest, clear small bumps could be observed, they were akin to one's of a developing body.
Below was a double layered skirt with each layer leaning towards one side. One covered the left, the other covered the right. Below was some thigh-high socks with some solid pads that seem to be a form of protection. The boots worn on my feet also seemed to have armour.
There was no doubt now. After checking myself out for 15 minutes, there was no mirror around so I struggled to crank my neck all over. I have become a magical girl.