Tokyo: Magical Girl Shatters My Dream of Going Public

"sand……"

The faint footsteps were incredibly clear.

Without the slightest hesitation, and before he could even turn around completely, Kurokawa slammed his left foot against the ground, reached up with his right hand, gripped the edge of the ventilation duct tightly with his five fingers, and with a burst of strength from his waist and abdomen, he "whooshed" back into the duct!

The movement was so fast that it left only a blur in the air.

Almost at the same moment his body was fully inside the pipe, he swiftly reached behind him with his left hand, precisely scooped up the metal grille that had been pried open to the side, and with minimal effort and maximum speed, snapped it back into place perfectly.

The space inside the pipe was extremely narrow, and his sudden retraction caused his body to inevitably press heavily onto Chika, who had come up first.

"Ugh!" Chika groaned as she was pressed down, and the documents she was holding tightly almost slipped from her grasp.

next second.

A foul odor, a mixture of blood, burnt bits, and some kind of biological slime, wafted from Chika's soaking wet combat suit.

Kurokawa's brows furrowed unconsciously beneath the mask, and his nose twitched slightly.

This subtle movement was keenly observed by Chinatsu at such close proximity, where they were almost face to face.

A young girl's mind is always delicate in some ways, especially in such a disheveled situation.

Her cheeks flushed, and she was about to whisper an explanation, "It's not my fault that it tastes like this," when Kurokawa's hand was already a step ahead, firmly covering her mouth.

"Shhh."

Kurokawa gave a warning, indicating that someone had arrived.

Chika immediately fell silent, her eyes widening as she listened intently.

Hey.

Da, da.

The sound of boot heels lightly tapping the ground grew louder as they approached, stopping at the damaged doorway of the archives room.

Chika held her breath nervously and peered cautiously down through the gaps in the grille.

A tall figure stepped into the room.

The bright yellow magic dress seemed to glow in the dim environment.

Her skirt flowed smoothly, and her high ponytail swayed slightly with her movements.

What is most striking are the blue lines on the outside of her thighs that seem to be formed from leaping electric light, which faintly shimmer with a magical glow even when she is still.

Magical girl [Sky Flash]!

Kurokawa felt a chill run down his spine.

I didn't expect her to come too, and it seems she's acting alone with a clear objective.

Tian Shan below seemed unsurprised by the mess in the room. She frowned and quickly scanned the room, focusing on the overturned filing cabinet and scattered documents.

She began searching purposefully, her movements not rough, but with a clear sense of urgency.

Occasionally, I would pick up a document, quickly glance at it, and then discard it in disappointment.

What is she looking for?

Is it aligned with Kanzaki's goal?

Or something else?

Time passed second by second, and Kurokawa could feel the stiffness of Chinatsu's body beneath him.

His own muscles were tense, ready to deal with the worst-case scenario at any time.

Tian Shan seemed somewhat frustrated as his search yielded no results.

She straightened up, looked around, and finally... her gaze fell on the ceiling, or more precisely, on the ventilation shaft where they were hiding!

Kurokawa's heart skipped a beat.

At this critical moment—

"call out!"

A shadow so fast it was barely a blur flashed past in the corridor outside the door!

The speed was astonishing, even creating a slight gust of air.

Kurokawa's remaining magical perception detected a familiar energy fluctuation.

It's the "Highway Grandma"!

She wasn't quite dead after all, and it seems she's wandering around nearby!

The commotion outside the door instantly drew Tian Shan's full attention.

Her eyes flashed with a sharp light, and she sneered, "Trying to run away?"

Before the words were even finished, the bright yellow figure had already transformed into a bolt of lightning, swiftly chasing after the archives room, the footsteps and energy fluctuations quickly fading into the distance.

After waiting for another ten seconds or so, and confirming that there was no further movement outside, Kurokawa slowly released his hand from Chika's mouth and let out a long sigh of relief.

His brows were furrowed.

The appearance of Tian Shan and her search target made things even more complicated.

The secrets of this research institute are likely far-reaching, even attracting the attention of magical girls who are secretly trying to obtain them.

"Mission accomplished," Kurokawa said in a low voice to Chinatsu, who was still slightly out of breath. "This place is not safe to stay any longer. Let's retreat."

As he spoke, he adjusted his posture, preparing to crawl forward.

Just then, Chika, who was pinned beneath him, suddenly muttered something earnestly, with a hint of barely perceptible grievance:

"I...I shower every day! My combat suit...it just got dirty from the battle!"

Kurokawa paused, "...?"

He hadn't expected that after just surviving a life-or-death chase and being surrounded by powerful enemies, the first thing this girl cared about would be this.

"I'm telling the truth!"

"...Let's go."

------

The torrential rain brutally washed away the lingering smell of blood from the mountains, washing it into the mud.

The terrifying, vibrant pulse deep underground had long since died out under the even more powerful magical force.

Under the makeshift rain shelter, the dim light illuminated the busy figures in yellow and blue protective suits.

The procedures for cleaning, sealing off, and sampling were carried out in an orderly manner.

At the edge of the shed, the rain curtain hung like a screen.

"call……"

A sigh, undisguised and filled with deep weariness, rang out.

Scarlet Cherry Blossom.

Or rather, the girl who has deactivated her transformation.

He was casually sitting on a simple folding chair.

The glamorous and powerful pink battle dress had disappeared, replaced by a slightly oversized black streetwear T-shirt, the hem barely covering the hot pants, revealing a pair of straight, long legs.

Her original cherry pink long hair was now dyed a more trendy light gold, with a few strands of hair wet from the rain and sticking to her smooth forehead.

Her face showed some fatigue from the battle, but it couldn't hide the exuberance and vitality that belonged to a young college student.

She didn't care much about her status.

As one of the few magical girls officially registered and participating in operations, concealing her identity is of little use to her; in fact, it would only cause her trouble.

She let out a soft sigh of relief as she took off her small black patent leather shoes.

My feet, which had been wrapped up for so long, were finally freed. My slightly red ankles were slender and my arches were beautiful.

The delicate toes, painted with light pink nail polish, first playfully curled up a few times inside the semi-transparent white stockings, feeling the slight constriction and dampness at the toes, before finally stretching out comfortably, letting the edges of the stockings leave faint marks on the instep.

She wasn't wearing shoes; her bare feet were directly on the slightly cool ground covered with a tarpaulin, and her toes unconsciously scratched the fabric.

She stretched her arms and yawned, causing the hem of her T-shirt to rise slightly, revealing her firm, flat stomach and a striking silver navel ring.

"The battle is finally over~" Sakura snorted lightly. "I never expected those guys to be hiding something so dangerous."

Although it is dangerous...

As a C-rank magical girl, she ranks quite high in the Magical Girl Association.

I wonder how many resources I'll get after this battle...

Her gaze casually swept across the outside of the awning, and she happened to see a young male employee wearing a blue hazmat suit that was different from that of combatants, carrying a file box and hurrying past with his head down.

"Hey, you over there—" the girl said, her voice hoarse from the recent battle and with a touch of natural laziness, "Yes, it's you, wait a minute."

The employee paused and turned around.

Even through the protective mask, one could see the surprise in his eyes quickly transform into the unique respect and caution one displays when facing a "special being".

"Miss Hiiro, what are your instructions?"

"It's not really an instruction," the girl said, swinging her dangling legs, her toes, encased in white stockings, lightly touching the ground. "I'm just... a little thirsty. Could you please go down to the convenience store and buy me a bottle of strawberry milk, iced?"

After she finished speaking, she rested her chin on her hand, blinked her large eyes with delicately drawn eyeliner, and added, "Hurry up, I want to drink it now."

The employee was clearly taken aback, seemingly not expecting this kind of task.

He held the file box, somewhat embarrassed, and said, "Miss Hiyori, I'm about to submit these..."

"Hmm?" Hiyori rested her chin on her hand, raised an eyebrow slightly, and a half-smile curved her lips. She was about to say something more—

"Miss Hisakura, please enjoy."

A gentle yet clear female voice came from beside me.

A young woman in a well-fitting uniform skirt was already standing inside the awning, handing her a carton of strawberry milk still glistening with icy water droplets.

The woman had an extremely beautiful face, with her long, dark chestnut hair neatly tied up in a bun at the back of her head. She had a gentle demeanor and a formulaic yet not unpleasant smile on her face.

Hiyori's gaze lingered on the bottle of milk for a moment before she took it.

A cool sensation came from my fingertips.

She blinked in surprise and looked at the other person.

The woman gave her a gentle smile, then turned to the employee who was still frozen in place, speaking softly.

"You go ahead and get busy. I can handle things with Miss Hiiro."

The employees, feeling as if they had been granted a pardon, nodded hurriedly and quickly left with their boxes.

"Miss Hiiro, please let me know if you have any other needs."

The woman turned to Fei Ying and bowed slightly.

"I'm one of the people in charge of coordinating this on-site. Is there anything else you need?"

Fei Ying held the cold milk carton, tilted her head, and glanced at the woman's dignified face before shaking her head: "Not for now."

"Then I'll take my leave."

The woman nodded politely again, turned and walked toward another busy sampling team, and soon the sound of her gentle conversation with the staff could be heard.

Hiyori bit her straw, watching the other person's back as they weaved through the crowd, a vague emotion flashing in her eyes.

"Tch, she still got away."

Just in time.

A voice, clearly tinged with frustration, broke in.

A sporty girl with short, neat hair and a healthy tan walked over. She still carried the faint aura of electric current from her high-speed movement, indicating that she had deactivated her transformation.

She looked annoyed and unceremoniously pulled over another chair and sat down.

"Grandma Gao Su?" Fei Ying took a sip of her cool strawberry milk and asked slowly.

"Hmm," Tian Shan scratched his head, "that guy's instant acceleration and weakening properties are really hard to deal with, and she managed to escape."

"Is that so?" Sakura's reply was devoid of emotion, as if she didn't care at all. "That's a real shame. That speed trait is such a perfect match for your abilities."

She really didn't care much.

It's just an E-level vengeful spirit; even if it escapes, it won't cause much of a stir.

Upon hearing this, Tian Shan pursed his lips and didn't reply, clearly still feeling frustrated about losing his target.

The characteristics of the [High-Speed ​​Granny] are a perfect fit for her. If she could get it, she could probably advance from E-rank to D-rank, right?

Hiyori's gaze drifted to the distance again.

Sakura was slightly bent over, whispering instructions to a worker who was moving equipment. Her profile looked focused and gentle under the light.

"Who's that over there?" Hiyori casually pointed in Sakura's direction with the hand holding the milk carton.

Tian Shan glanced in the direction she pointed.

"Oh, her. I think her name is Kondo Sakurako, one of the logistics and technical supervisors at Yagi Heavy Industries. I've heard she's quite capable; she's in charge of logistics and on-site coordination for this operation. What's up?"

"Hmm~? Is that so—" Sakura drawled, looking away and gently biting the straw in her mouth. "It's nothing."