Apocalypse, then transforming into a magical girl

"Are you... a genius?"

Xia Zhaozhao stared wide-eyed at Zhao Jia as if he were an alien, her mouth agape for a long time.

"I knew something was off about you the moment you lit the insecticide with a lighter! And now you're trying to steal my thunder and become a magical girl? Are you some kind of speedrunner? A bug hunter?"

Zhao Jia proudly raised his chin and said with a grin, "That's called using the rules flexibly, understand?"

"Luckily, we encountered monsters instead of supernatural tales, otherwise I would have been killed by you sooner or later."

"If you can't speak properly, then don't speak at all."

Xia Zhaozhao returned to seriousness, thought for a moment, and pondered, "...Actually, I don't know if it will agree."

"It may seem casual, but when it involves 'contracts' or 'wishes,' it gets very serious. However," she tilted her head, "it can't hurt to give it a try, what if it works?"

"Wait here!" she said, and ran back to her room.

This time, she returned quickly and showed Zhao Jia the badge-like object in her hand.

Zhao Jia took it and looked at it. There seemed to be some abstract lines on the badge. These lines twisted and coiled, forming an... indescribable deformed groundhog? Just one look was enough to drive one mad.

"Zhao Zhao... why do your contracted beasts look even more disgusting than the monsters outside? Or is there a difference between their aesthetic sense and that of humans? It's just too indescribable!"

"Pooh!"

Her face flushed red, and she snatched the item back fiercely.

"This... I drew this myself! When it was given to me, I thought the solid color was too monotonous, so I simply painted an impressionistic picture on it! Is that not allowed?"

"..."

She ignored Zhao Jia and began drawing crooked magic circles on the ground.

The magic circle was quickly drawn, and she carefully placed the badge with the deformed groundhog printed on it in the center of the circle, chanting the incantation in a rather eerie tone.

"Be full, be full, be full, be full, be full."

"Why does this feel so familiar?"

"Shut up!"

"...But you shall serve me with your eyes blindfolded in chaos; you are the one imprisoned in the cage of madness, and I am the one who holds the chains of that cage!"

"You, Kaka, are actually a berserker? You don't actually need to chant spells, right??"

"Shut up! Don't you know what a sense of ritual is?! Speak again and I'll chop you up!"

"—From the Wheel of Restraint, guardian of the scales!"

As the last syllable fell, she finally decided to imbue the badge with magic.

The badge instantly lit up with a dazzling purple light.

After the light faded, a pale purple creature appeared to float above the magic circle.

Zhao Jia's eyes widened.

This marmot is so fat, its belly is so big.

The groundhog didn't react to Zhao Jia's gaze, but simply greeted Xia Zhaozhao in a flat, childlike voice: "Long time no see, shrike."

"Shrike?" Zhao Jia was stunned for a moment, then realized, "So that's your magical girl code name? It doesn't sound good, but it suits you quite well, and it's quite similar to your slow-motion fighting style."

"That's because the corridor is too narrow, you can't wield the greatsword properly!" She glared at Zhao Jia, clearly still bothered by the code name.

Kaka had no interest in the two's bickering and said bluntly, "Contractor Xia Zhaozhao, your contract will terminate naturally after 40 standard Earth hours."

"I was a little surprised that you chose to activate your wish-granting privilege at this time."

"So—in this case, your wish is to extend the duration of your contract?"

"No." Xia Zhaozhao took a deep breath, then said firmly to Kaka, "My wish is—for you to sign a contract with him, Zhao Jia!"

Kaka's body swayed slightly in the air, and a brief silence fell over the living room.

Just when Xia Zhaozhao and Zhao Jia thought the plan was going to fall through, they heard Kaka's emotionless childish voice ring out: "Unable to understand. But the causal disturbance rate assessment is below the threshold. Wish granted."

"You just agreed like that?" the two asked in surprise.

"This behavior is extremely rare in our history, but it does not violate our contractual terms," ​​Kaka explained.

"However, given our considerable autonomy, we would normally reject such unusual requests outright, considering the potential risks."

"Then why did you agree now?" Zhao Jia asked, somewhat curious.

"Because the reality in which humanity exists is being eroded by some higher-dimensional being. Based on existing data models, the remaining 'total causality' of your civilization has drastically decreased."

"In other words, humanity is on the verge of extinction. Within the bounds of the rules, whatever you wish for will not cause any significant causal conflict in the course of this civilization."

"What?!" Zhao Jia and Xia Zhaozhao exclaimed at the same time.

It paused for a moment, then added: "Based on our calculations, human civilization has lost its value as a long-term 'food supplier.' We will collectively jump away from this planet."

"...You can predict the future? So you know that humanity will inevitably become extinct?"

"We cannot accurately predict the future, but we can make highly probabilistic projections—the conclusion is that, given the current level of technology and individual capabilities of humankind, the probability of surviving this disaster is less than 0.01%."

Zhao Jia felt a wave of dizziness; the hope that had just been ignited was extinguished by a bucket of ice water.

"...What exactly are you?"

Before Kaka could answer, Xia Zhaozhao whispered an explanation: "When I signed the contract with it, they claimed to be a kind of life form that could feed on emotions."

"To be more specific... the kind of monsters we usually have to fight, called 'nightmares,' are generated by negative human emotions—such as despair, hatred, and jealousy."

"And the price we pay for becoming magical girls is... anchoring ourselves to a virtue, such as kindness, piety, justice, and so on. The energy fluctuations generated by the collision of virtue and evil are the food that Kaka and the others need."

"Contractor Xia Zhaozhao's understanding is not precise enough," Kaka added.

"Not all negative emotions can produce valuable nourishment. What we need is narrative and complex evil that arises within a relatively stable social structure and moral framework."

"—For example, meticulously planned betrayal, plunder based on greed, and destruction stemming from jealousy."

"But when the social structure of a civilization is on the verge of collapse and basic survival becomes a problem, evil also becomes primitive, chaotic and lacking in depth."

"Therefore, this planet is no longer suitable as our pasture. So, the majority of us voted to initiate the jump procedure to search for other more promising civilizations in the universe."

"Is this... a betrayal?" Xia Zhaozhao's voice was filled with disappointment.

"No. Our relationship is based solely on equality and a contract. The contract is about to expire, the environment is no longer suitable, and leaving is logical."

"You're quite good at rhyming."

Seeing Xia Zhaozhao's obviously downcast mood, Kaka thought for a moment and simply added another sentence.

"Of course, not all individuals fully agree with this strategy. A small number of individuals who are interested in so-called 'miracles' are allowed to establish observation bases on the planet's natural satellite."

"They want to observe up close whether the human population can demonstrate a recordable level of resilience in this so-called 'apocalyptic' environment."

"Got it, they're using us as guinea pigs."

"Information disclosure has gone beyond the norm; let's get back to the main topic." Kaka didn't want to waste any more time on this subject.

Its small eyes looked at Zhao Jia again. "Contractor Xia Zhaozhao's wish has been granted. Human individual Zhao Jia, sign a contract with me and become a magical girl."

"According to the contract signing process, you need to choose a 'virtue' as your power anchor. This is the price you pay to become a magical girl, and also the source of your power. Once chosen, it cannot be changed."