Tokyo: Magical Girl Shatters My Dream of Going Public

Xun jogged along the path outside the factory.

She was far less adept at running than her sister, and her breathing quickly became rapid.

As he ran, he kept looking back, afraid of seeing that familiar figure.

Finally, the outline of the factory on the hillside came into view.

She stopped in front of the factory, and sweat immediately poured out.

She braced herself on her knees, breathing heavily.

Sweat trickled down his temples, soaking the collar of his school uniform shirt.

Black over-the-knee socks clung tightly to the calves, the skin above the sock tops glowing a light red from exercise.

She raised her hand to wipe the sweat from her forehead, her chest heaving.

She looked up at the slightly large door in front of her.

Her state of mind was completely different from when she came last time; last time she came with anger and fear.

This time, however, she unexpectedly felt a sense of anticipation and security.

She took a deep breath and knocked on the iron gate.

"Please come in," Kurokawa's voice quickly came through.

Xun pushed open the door, poked half her body in, and quickly scanned the workshop.

I didn't see my sister.

She finally breathed a sigh of relief and stepped completely into the factory.

At that moment, Kurokawa came out of the restroom, his face still wet with water droplets.

He casually wiped it with his sleeve.

Kaoru carefully examined Kurokawa.

Mr. Kurokawa, your eyes look a bit dark and you look very tired. Could it be because you didn't get a good rest last night?

"Mr. Kurokawa, has my sister arrived yet?" Kaoru asked softly, her breath still ragged.

"Not yet. But soon," Kurokawa said, glancing at her.

A puppet silently approached, its tentacles offering a clean towel and a glass of water.

Xun was stunned for a moment.

"Wipe your sweat." Kurokawa walked towards the worktable. "Running all this way must have been tiring."

"How did you know..." Xun took the towel, somewhat surprised.

Kurokawa pointed to the ceiling.

"The company has drones patrolling. I noticed you entering the area as soon as you entered."

Xun subconsciously looked up and saw only empty steel frames and dim lights.

Drones?

She was completely unaware.

"You can't see them when they don't want you to," Kurokawa added.

At that moment, his wristwatch vibrated briefly.

He glanced down at the screen.

"Say who it is, and they'll come." He turned to Xun, "Your sister, she'll be here soon."

Xun tensed instantly, her eyes quickly scanning the empty workshop, searching for a hiding place.

"Second floor, the research and development lab." Kurokawa gestured with his chin toward the stairs. "Go wait there first. The puppet will take you to the training room in a bit."

"Thank you." Xun nodded immediately and turned to run towards the stairs.

"There are chairs upstairs," Kurokawa's voice came from behind. "You can sit down and rest for a while."

"Okay~"

Xun responded and quickly climbed the stairs.

Upon arriving on the second floor, Xun pushed open the door to the research and development room.

The room wasn't big.

At the center is a large research table, where something seems to be being studied at the moment.

She didn't quite understand what was written on it, but it seemed to be about studying some kind of humanoid doll, which looked a bit scary.

There was a faint smell of engine oil and circuit boards in the air.

There were several cabinets about half a person's height standing next to them, filled with blueprints and some important documents.

The only chair was placed against the wall, with a black men's jacket draped over its back.

She walked over and wanted to sit down.

He had just bent over when he stopped moving.

She looked down at herself; her clothes were already soaked with a thin layer of sweat...

I was covered in sweat from running all the way here.

If she sits down like that, her coat will probably smell of her sweat.

She pursed her lips, reached out and took off her coat, intending to fold it neatly and place it aside.

The fabric feels slightly cool to the touch, carrying a very faint, indescribable scent.

Like clean cotton, mixed with a bit of metal and lingering body heat.

She didn't dislike it; in fact, she wasn't sure if it was because she had run all the way here...

Looking at this outfit, she actually made my heart race a little.

This scent is definitely completely different from a girl's...

If you were to smell it.....

Just imagining it for a moment, she suddenly felt a flush on her cheeks and immediately suppressed that inexplicable impulse.

If someone were to smell this and get caught, they'd definitely be considered a pervert!

She lowered her eyes, folded her coat in half, and smoothed out the cuffs.

Move as lightly and as quickly as possible.

Just as she folded the clothes in half for the second time—

"Smack."

A flat, black, hardcover notebook slid out of the inner pocket and fell to the ground.

It's all laid out.

A photograph tucked inside drifted to the side.

Kaoru's heart skipped a beat: "Oh no."

She first gently placed the folded coat on the chair before squatting down to pick up the photo.

Even if she didn't intend to peek, she still inevitably saw the contents of the photo.

That was a graduation photo.

Kurokawa stood in the center, wearing his doctoral gown, his smile bright and flamboyant, a stark contrast to his current composure.

According to Mr. Kurokawa, he must have graduated a year ago, right?

Can a person's impression change so much in just one year?

Standing beside him was a woman with long, dark chestnut hair, a gentle smile, and curved eyebrows.

"So beautiful." Xun exclaimed to herself. Among all the women she had ever seen, this woman's appearance must rank in the top three.

"Is this Mr. Kurokawa's girlfriend?"

After a moment of wild speculation, she quickly put the photos away; one shouldn't pry into other people's privacy.

When she picked up the notebook from the ground, her gaze inevitably fell on the open notebook.

The pages contained neat handwritten notes, the handwriting crisp and clear.

【Magical Girl·Sky Flash】

[Abilities: Long-distance acceleration, lightning control]

[Features: Peak speed... Weakness prediction...]

Magical Girl: Scarlet Cherry Blossom

[Ability: Area-of-effect attack, buff/debuff magic]

[Characteristics: Mana Reserve... Attack Animation...]

Magical girl [Sky Flash]...?

Xun's pupils contracted slightly; she wanted to see more clearly.

"President! I'm here—!!!"

A burst of energetic shouts erupted from the first floor as footsteps thumped in.

Xun shuddered, her heart nearly leaping into her throat.

She hurriedly stuffed the photos back into the pages, closed the notebook, and shoved it back into her coat pocket.

The movements were quick and light, almost silent.

After doing all this, she pressed her back tightly against the cold wall and held her breath.

Kurokawa's calm response came from downstairs, along with his sister's excited chatter.

Xun closed her eyes and slowly exhaled.

Chinatsu hasn't been to the factory in a long time.

As soon as she entered the room, she noticed the faint bluish shadows under Kurokawa's eyes.

"President," she leaned closer, her amber eyes widening, "you look terrible...didn't you get enough rest?"

"I was working on new equipment last night." Kurokawa rubbed his temples, his voice a little hoarse. "I didn't get much sleep."

"That won't do!" Chinatsu frowned immediately, her tone genuinely anxious. "President, you need to get some sleep! If you don't sleep well, your health will collapse!"

Xun, on the second floor, leaned against the wall, hugging her knees, listening to her sister downstairs' undisguised concern.

It's been a long time since I've heard my sister so happy since what happened a year ago.

"Oh, right!" Chinatsu suddenly remembered something, turned around and took out a rectangular dark blue gift box from her backpack, the ribbon tied neatly.

She handed it to him with both hands, saying, "Here, this is for you."

Kurokawa took it.

The box is not light and has a very good texture. The logo of a well-known chocolate brand is printed in gold on the side.

"Chocolate?" He raised an eyebrow. "Is it some kind of holiday today?"

"No, no." Chinatsu waved her hand. "I saw it when I passed by a display case in the mall while I was buying discounted groceries for Kaoru... They said it was a spring limited edition."

She paused, then touched the back of her head a little embarrassedly.

"I just... wanted to thank the president for taking care of me during this time. Really, thank you so much."

She spoke very seriously, her eyes shining.

Kurokawa looked at her, remained silent for two seconds, and then chuckled softly.

"Okay." He didn't refuse, placing the box on the worktable beside him. "I'll accept it. Thank you."

Chika seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and immediately smiled again.

Then she took out an even larger foil box from her backpack.

"Um, President..." she blinked, "Does the factory have a kitchen? Like an induction cooker or a microwave or something?"

"The kitchen?" Kurokawa glanced at the foil box in her hand. "What are you going to do?"

"I want to melt this chocolate," Chinatsu said honestly, holding up the box. "I'll let it solidify again and take it back to Kaoru."

Kurokawa paused, then asked, "...Why?"

"Didn't we get a bonus for the last mission?"

Chika lowered her voice a little, her toes unconsciously rubbing against the ground.

"I want Kaoru to try this too... but if she knew I spent tens of thousands of yen on a box of chocolates, she'd nag me for days. She'd even ask me where my money came from."

She frowned, looking like she was already having a headache from her sister's lecture.

Kurokawa couldn't help but chuckle softly after hearing this.

He raised his head, glancing almost imperceptibly towards the research and development lab on the second floor before turning back to look at Qianxia.

"This brand of chocolate," he pointed to the dark blue gift box, "is expensive, half because of the ingredients, and the other half... is its design, packaging, and the word 'limited edition.' If you melt it down and then solidify it, it's just a regular chocolate bar, worth at least 20% of its original price."

"Ah—" Chinatsu's face fell. Looking at the box in her hand, her expression was so conflicted that she looked like she was about to cry. "Th-what should we do...?"

Kurokawa looked at her and shook his head, his tone gentle with a hint of helplessness.

"Take it back. Tell your sister," he said slowly, "it's a company employee gift. Since Valentine's Day was three months ago, it's a clearance sale of old stock, so it's very cheap."

Chika stared at him blankly.

Two seconds later.

"Oh—!!!" Her eyes suddenly lit up, and she clapped her hands. "That's right! You can say it that way too!"

The gloom on her face vanished instantly, replaced by a radiant smile.

Kurokawa smiled again, this time more relaxed.

"Alright." He turned and walked towards the coded door leading underground deep inside the workshop. "Come with me. I'll show you the newly built underground base, and... the training room you've been longing for."

Kurokawa led Chinatsu down to the first basement level.

The scene before us is completely different from the desolate mess of just over ten days ago.

The hallway was spacious, with even, soft, cool white light streaming down from the light strips embedded in the ceiling.

The walls are covered with matte gray-white alloy panels with tight seams.

The floor has a dark gray non-slip coating, making it almost silent when stepped on.

There was a faint hum of a fresh air system running in the air, as well as a faint, clean smell similar to ozone.

"Wow..." Chika stopped in her tracks, her eyes wide open, like a child entering an amusement park.

Kurokawa walked ahead, pointing to the doorplates on both sides in a steady manner.

"This is the examination room. It's for emergency treatment."

"The equipment room and energy center are located in front."

"The containment area is at the end of the road. It's soundproof."

His voice was not loud, but it echoed clearly in the quiet corridor.

Chika followed, looking left and right repeatedly, her fingers carefully brushing against the cold wall.

As you approach the training room, a double gray sliding door automatically opens to both sides.

The training room is now fully open to view.

Chika stood there, mouth agape, completely stunned.

To the left and right of the entrance are men's and women's changing rooms, with soft indicator lights on the door signs.

Further inside was the equipment area, with dark black strength training racks, neatly arranged weights, and strange machines she couldn't name, equipped with complex sensors and cushioning devices.

The equipment here looks very high-tech.

Further inside, there is a spacious shower and relaxation area.

The most striking feature is the huge sunken space at the deepest part of the training room.

It looked larger than a standard football field, with a dark blue high-density alloy floor and transparent energy barriers covering the surrounding walls, clearly designed to resist magical energy.

This is the battle zone.

It allows company combatants to engage in training-style battles against the contained magical vengeful spirits here.

Directly above the battle zone, on the second floor, extends a glass-walled observation room, from which one can overlook the entire battle zone.

"This...this was built in just half a month?"

Chinatsu finally regained her voice, turned to look at Kurokawa, her face filled with disbelief.

"Hmm." Kurokawa stood by the door, looking at the undisguised amazement on her face, and a faint smile appeared on his lips. "This is... the power of magic."

"Magic is amazing!"

Chika blurted it out, her voice filled with pure excitement and admiration.

The emotional value this girl provided was incredibly high; even Kurokawa found it extremely beneficial.

All the fatigue I've experienced lately feels worthwhile at this moment.

"Alright," he said, drawing Chika's attention back. "Go change into your combat suit. Then head to the battle area. You haven't had any real combat in a while, this is a good time to warm up."

"Yes, President!" Chika immediately stood up straight and responded loudly, her face still flushed with excitement.

She jogged towards the women's changing room.

Kurokawa turned around, walked towards a metal staircase on the side, and went up to the observation room on the second floor.

The observation room is small, with three walls of one-way glass, overlooking the entire sunken combat zone.

In the center is a row of curved control consoles, with several screens displaying different data parameters and monitoring perspectives. The chairs are ergonomic black office chairs.

He pulled up a chair, sat down, and brought up the training program.

A few minutes later, there was a soft knock on the door behind me.

The doll led Xun in.

As soon as Xun entered, her gaze was immediately drawn to the vast training ground below.

She carefully walked to the glass wall and gently touched the cold surface with her fingers.

"You can just watch your sister train here. Whether or not she should quit her job, you can decide after watching this training session..."

"Um....."

Before he could finish speaking...

The entrance to the battle zone below slides open.

Chinatsu jogged in, already dressed in her JK uniform-style combat outfit, the magic battery on her lower back gleaming with a faint blue light.

Xun instinctively took a step back, almost hiding to the side of the control panel.

"Don't worry, she can't see." Kurokawa's voice came calmly. "Many vengeful spirits have rules related to vision. So the glass here is one-way; your sister can't see us from below."

Xun finally breathed a sigh of relief, but her fingers still unconsciously clenched the hem of her skirt.

She moved closer to the glass, her gaze fixed on her sister below.

At that moment, Chika looked up, waved her arm vigorously in the direction of the observation room, and smiled brightly.

"President! I'm ready!"

The sound came through the hidden microphone clearly.

Kurokawa pressed a button to turn on the full-area microphone.

"Listen carefully." His voice rang out through the broadcast system in the open combat zone. "For this training, you will use the [Tentacle Regeneration] and [Patrol Acceleration] plugins. The focus is on adapting to multi-limb coordinated combat."

"Yes!" Chika stood at attention below, her voice clear and crisp.

"Your opponent is a flesh-and-blood man," Kurokawa continued, his fingers rapidly swiping across the control panel. "This time, don't try to fight him with speed."

"Okay!" Chika immediately replied.

Xun paused slightly upon hearing this.

She turned sharply to look at Kurokawa, her eyes widening.

My sister is going to fight that terrifying monster?!

Kurokawa met her gaze, his eyes showing no wavering, only an almost cold certainty.

"Focus and watch. Your sister is stronger and more resilient than you think."

Xun's lips moved, but in the end she said nothing.

She turned around and braced her hands on the glass.

Below, Chinatsu had already pulled out two black cards and deftly slapped them into the slots on the side of the magic battery.

"Click. Click."

The sound of the connection was faint.

Buzz————

A deep blue flame rose from her body, and four semi-transparent energy tentacles suddenly popped out from below her shoulder blades on her back, swinging nimbly in the air to gather power.

Almost simultaneously, the isolation gate on the other side of the war zone slowly rose.

A familiar, sweet-smelling, putrid odor spread out.

Dark red chunks of meat wriggled and "flowed" into the arena from the shadows behind the gate.

It was larger than I remembered, and the constantly opening and closing cracks and the waving, slimy tentacles were still nauseating.

"babble--!!"

A piercing screech or explosion.

The battle begins.