Tokyo: Magical Girl Shatters My Dream of Going Public

Five o'clock at dusk.

Preparations are nearing completion.

Xun stood in the center of the open space, trying on her new combat suit.

It was a kimono with a dark blue base and light silver flowing water patterns printed on it.

Long sleeves, ankle-length skirt, and an extremely well-fitting cut.

The soft yet resilient special fabric hugged her body curves, perfectly highlighting her calm and elegant temperament.

It also has a magic battery interface at the back, but the overall design is more understated and doesn't seem suitable for direct frontal combat.

Kurokawa walked past, carrying a black flight case.

"President! Look, look!" Chinatsu immediately jumped over, pointing at Kaoru as if displaying the most beautiful pearl in the world, "What do you think? Isn't Kaoru super—pretty!"

Xun subconsciously raised her hand and tidied her perfectly styled hair at her temples.

She looked at Kurokawa, a hint of tension flashing in her deep purple eyes.

Kurokawa stopped and glanced around.

Appreciating beauty is always pleasing to the eye.

"Yes." He nodded. "It fits perfectly and looks beautiful."

Xun's tense shoulders relaxed almost imperceptibly.

"If the size is okay," Kurokawa continued, his tone unchanged, "let's change out of the combat suit first. Chinatsu, come help me move these things."

"Yes—" Chinatsu replied in a drawn-out voice, jogging to catch up with Kurokawa and arriving at a corner where several boxes were piled up.

She picked up a silver-gray suitcase; it was a bit heavy.

As she put the box into the back of the van, she noticed a familiar "Night Watchman" emblem printed on the corner of the box.

This is Kurokawa's personal equipment case.

Out of curiosity, she entered the password, lifted the clasp, and opened a crack.

Inside, a brand-new combat suit was neatly folded.

The color is a low-key dark gray, and the style is similar to a stand-up collar jacket and cargo pants, but the fabric looks unusually crisp.

In the adjacent slot, five black plug-in cards are fixed side by side, their edges gleaming with slightly different sheens.

"President!" Chinatsu turned around and called out to Kurokawa, who was carrying a drone chassis, "Is this your new combat suit?!"

"Hmm." Kurokawa didn't turn his head, picked up the box, and said, "This combat suit has average basic attributes, with only 3 points in all attributes, but it has 15 points in load capacity."

"15 points!" Chinatsu exclaimed enviously. "That's great... I even get a new combat suit to wear."

The company currently houses five vengeful spirits, and her battle suit is still the original JK battle suit.

If possible, she would also like to try other combat suits.

Seemingly noticing Chinatsu's disappointment, Kurokawa added, "If we can successfully contain the E-rank [High-Speed ​​Granny] tonight, the company's first E-rank combat suit will be made for you first."

Chika's eyes lit up instantly: "Really?!"

"When have I ever lied to you?"

"Long live the president!"

Chika cheered, her energy immediately soaring, and her steps became much lighter as she picked up the next box.

Soon, all the equipment was loaded.

Kurokawa quickly took stock of the equipment for the trip.

Four stealth patrol drones.

Eight fully charged magic batteries.

One [F-rank Battle Masquerade] doll, properly wrapped in shockproof material and in a dormant state.

Three sets of combat suits, packed in separate boxes.

In addition, there are two higher-specification [Class E containment cages] specially prepared for this mission, with fine energy patterns engraved on their silver-white shells.

Kurokawa finished counting and closed the list.

Xun had also changed out of her combat suit and was carrying her equipment box when she came over.

She handed the box to Kurokawa and watched him put it into the reserved space in the car.

"Mr. Kurokawa," she spoke softly, finally asking the question that had been weighing on her mind, "you said before that this time there would definitely be a direct confrontation with the magical girls... what did you mean?"

Chika, who was fixing the equipment nearby, also perked up her ears.

She was also curious as to why Kurokawa was so certain.

Kurokawa closed the carriage door and dusted off his hands.

"The abilities of [High-Speed ​​Granny] are one of the most suitable 'pieces' for the magical girl [Sky Flash], and they best complement her combat system."

He paused.

"Given that guy's personality, he would never give up the hunt before he personally purifies and seizes this ability."

Kurokawa silently added in his mind.

Even more than a decade later, in her previous life, [Sky Flash], who had been promoted to B-rank, still relied on the "extreme speed" and "weakness" characteristics of Granny High Speed ​​as one of her most frequently used and signature abilities.

That is the core of her fighting style.

According to the original timeline, [Sky Flash] should have completed the "purification" of Grandma High Speed ​​during the operation at Xiapu Lake Observatory.

But in this life, due to his and Chika's intervention, the timeline has shifted.

"Magical Girl [Sky Flash]!" Upon hearing this, Chinatsu wasn't scared at all; instead, she became excited. "Will I get to see her again?!"

Although this meeting is unlikely to be a friendly exchange.

But seeing the magical girl she had been longing for still made her feel a sense of trepidation, like she was about to meet her idol.

Xun's reaction was completely different.

The moment she heard the name "Sky Flash," her expression clearly darkened.

Kurokawa keenly noticed the subtle changes in Kaoru's expression.

He looked at her.

The girl's fingers tightened slightly as she gripped her sleeve.

A complex emotion flashed in her beautiful eyes.

Kurokawa couldn't discern what emotion it was, but it was definitely not admiration or curiosity.

Xun immediately noticed his gaze, and as if burned, she quickly looked away, lowered her head, and tried to hide it.

But Kurokawa had already noticed that momentary loss of composure.

Based on previously obtained information...

A year ago, a vengeful spirit attack occurred in the shopping district, severely injuring Chinatsu and leaving her with a hidden injury that prevented her from running. The magical girl present at the time was none other than [Tensen].

In addition, Xun once said that she wanted to join the company not only because she was worried about her sister, but also for "other reasons".

Kurokawa looked at the girl in front of him, who had her head down and lips tightly pursed, and gradually understood.

Could it be that Chika's injury was caused by [Heavenly Flash], so Kaoru wants to get revenge on that guy...?

Kurokawa wanted to ask something else.

"President! Time to go!"

Chika had already jumped to the side of the car, opened the car door, leaned half her body in, and turned back to wave vigorously at him.

I can't wait any longer.

Kurokawa glanced one last time at the silent Kaoru, then temporarily suppressed his questions.

If her goal is truly revenge against [Sky Flash]...

That was unexpected, as it partially overlapped with his purpose.

"Ready?" He didn't linger and walked to the driver's seat. "Get in. Destination: Ome City. Approximately 100 kilometers away."

Chika was petite, and she squeezed into the gaps between the back row and the passenger seat, which were piled with equipment, and barely found a place to sit. Her knees were almost touching the front seat.

She simply hugged her combat suit case and huddled behind the driver's seat.

Xun silently opened the passenger door, got in, fastened her seatbelt, and gazed at the deepening twilight outside the window.

The car started, drove out of the factory, and merged into the traffic on the suburban highway.

After driving for a few minutes, Chika suddenly poked her head out from behind, put her arm on the back of the passenger seat, and whispered in Kurokawa's ear.

"Oh, right, President!" she remembered something, "When you were making Kaoru's equipment, you also received a new trait injection, right? What new skill did you get? Show me!"

Kurokawa held the steering wheel with one hand, and with the other hand pulled a folded piece of paper from his pocket, handing it to the back of him without turning his head.

See for yourself.

Chika took it and unfolded it.

Xun also turned her head slightly, casting a curious glance.

That was Kurokawa's body presentation, formatted the same as theirs.

In the ability bar below, the previously blank area is now neatly filled with the newly added characters for the five elements.

Chika's gaze swept over the first line, and she blinked.

Then I scanned the second line, the third line...

"This is--!?"

She suddenly widened her eyes, her voice rising to a high pitch, almost cracking.

Xun was startled by her sister's reaction and turned around completely.

Chika looked at the report and read it aloud, word by word:

"[Speed ​​Boost]...[Recovery Enhancement]...[Weakness Detection]...[Control Enhancement]...[Invisible Hand]..."

Five skills.

The name is concise and its meaning is clear.

The "speed" of patrolling office workers.

The "regeneration" of fleshy people.

The stalker's "voyeurism and prediction".

The "manipulation" of geisha dolls.

And... the "concealment" of that invisible vengeful spirit.

What shocked her most was that the descriptions of these five new passive skills all revolved around enhancing close-quarters combat.

Speed, endurance, guard penetration, control, and surprise attacks.

Furthermore, each item is followed by a line of small print: "When equipped with the corresponding type of combat suit, you will receive an additional boost...".

"That's so cunning!" Chinatsu looked up, her face almost pressed against the back of Kurokawa's chair, her voice filled with envy and jealousy. "President, you learned five all by yourself! Five!"

Kurokawa looked straight ahead, smiled slightly, and said matter-of-factly:

"Well, that's what happens when I'm the president. Besides... not everyone can withstand five special injections in a row within an hour."

He paused, glancing at Chika's puffed-up face in the rearview mirror.

"Under normal circumstances, it is recommended to wait at least one month to allow the body to fully adapt and stabilize. Injecting too many substances in a short period of time can lead to irreversible damage to the body."

"Then, President, you did it five times in one hour!?" Chinatsu's attention was immediately diverted, and she became worried. "Th-then, President, your body..."

"My situation is special," Kurokawa interrupted her, offering no further explanation. "Don't worry."

He glanced at the time on the dial.

"Alright, let's get some rest. We need to be fully refreshed. Tonight... will be a tough battle."

The carriage fell silent.

Chika shrank back into her seat, looked at the report a few more times, then carefully folded it and returned it to Kurokawa.

Chika may not have noticed, but Kaoru saw a statistic that shocked her immensely.

Kurokawa's compatibility in all four aspects is above 70%.

Of the four compatibility categories, the compatibility for [physical enhancement] is above 85% for all of them!

If the older sister is a genius with the highest talent value, then...

I am an ultimate genius in a specific niche field.

So, this club president in front of us is an all-around close-combat genius?!

Xun sat up straight again, gazing at the rapidly receding scenery outside the window. Her eyes reflected the flowing lights, revealing no emotion.

The bread truck drove smoothly along the highway leading to Ome City, gradually leaving the lights of factories and the city behind, heading into the deepening night.