Tokyo: Magical Girl Shatters My Dream of Going Public

inside the room.

Dinner from the hotel has been delivered and placed on the low table.

Grilled saury, steamed egg custard, pickles—simple yet exquisite.

Kurokawa sat opposite Chika and Kaoru.

He slowly picked up a piece of saury and put it in his mouth.

Across from her, Chinatsu, biting her chopsticks, stared at Kurokawa's face for a long time before finally unable to hold back and mumbled, "President... what happened to your face? It looks a little swollen?"

She pointed to her left cheek.

Kaoru also raised her eyes, her gaze quietly falling on Kurokawa's face.

There was indeed a noticeable red mark there, and there was a small wad of rolled-up tissue stuffed in his nostril.

Kurokawa chewed and swallowed the fish.

He closed his eyes briefly, his tone calm and even: "It's nothing. I just bumped into it by accident."

But in his heart, he silently complained.

That slap was absolutely world-class.

The force, angle, and timing were so perfect that his vision went black for a moment, and he even lost consciousness for a few seconds.

Next time there's a chance, I should really recommend her to participate in a professional slapping competition.

They'll definitely make it to the finals.

"Oh—" Chika drawled, accepting the explanation.

She couldn't believe that the usually steady and reliable president would be slapped for "peeping".

She quickly turned her attention back to dinner, chatting animatedly with Xun about which dish was the best.

Kaoru's gaze lingered on Kurokawa's face for a moment longer; she had a rough idea of ​​what was going on, but ultimately didn't ask.

After dinner.

Kurokawa got up and walked to the armchair by the window to sit down.

Outside the window, the mountain night was so thick it seemed to melt away, with scattered lights in the distance.

Having eaten and drunk her fill, Chinatsu sprawled out on the tatami mat without any regard for appearances, and rolled over contentedly.

Xun quietly tidied up the tableware and pushed it out into the hallway.

She walked back, carrying a white porcelain teacup, and gently placed it on the small table next to Kurokawa.

"President, please have some tea."

Kurokawa glanced at the elegant young woman beside him: "Thank you."

Xun didn't leave immediately.

She then took out a small ice pack from behind her, wrapped it in a clean towel, and handed it over.

"President, this is... I borrowed it from the hotel." Her voice was very soft. "Applying it should help it heal faster."

Kurokawa paused for a moment, then took the ice pack: "...Thank you."

He didn't explain much, and Xun didn't ask any more questions.

Despite the complaints, tonight wasn't entirely fruitless.

At least he confirmed it.

Xuecun Baihua is not the same as Baihua.

This means that the only magical girls he needs to directly face are Tenshou and Hiyori.

He knows Hizakura too well.

The woman was extremely clean, hated sweating, and disliked going out at night.

In her past life, the company hired her as a consultant, and she repeatedly refused to make moves at night.

As a result, the company's combatants dragged the battle into daylight before her reinforcements arrived.

If he schedules the operation for late at night, the threat posed by Hiiro will be greatly reduced.

He gently placed the ice pack on his left cheek, and the cool touch relieved the lingering burning pain.

Xun was still standing beside him, not leaving.

She pursed her lips slightly, her fingers unconsciously twisting the cuffs of her yukata, as if she had something to say but didn't know how to begin.

Kurokawa could probably guess what she wanted to say.

She was probably trying to explain why she had a momentary loss of composure when she saw Tian Shan.

"If you don't want to talk about it, you don't have to force yourself." He looked out the window, his voice low, and gently comforted her. "As long as it doesn't harm the company, I won't ask everyone to reveal all their secrets."

Xun's body trembled slightly.

She looked up at Kurokawa's profile, a complex mix of relief and gratitude flashing in her eyes.

Just then—

There was a knock on the door.

Before there was a response from inside, the door was pulled open a crack.

A head with twin ponytails and dyed blonde hair peeked in, a smile that was too bright on its face:

"Ciallo～(∠・ω)⌒☆! Sorry to bother you—!"

When Chinatsu saw Saki, she immediately jumped up from the tatami mat.

"Saki! Where did you go? I couldn't find you in your room."

Saki chuckled and mysteriously held up one finger: "Secret operation~"

"What operation?"

Saki didn't answer. Holding a futuristic-looking, sleek silver laptop, she walked straight into the room.

Kurokawa glanced at the notebook.

It's from the "Cosmos People" brand; their laptops are both extremely expensive and high-performing.

Judging from her appearance, this girl is quite the computer enthusiast...

"Excuse me!" she said politely, but her actions were anything but.

As soon as she entered, she went straight to Kurokawa by the window.

"Excuse me, sir!"

She deftly closed the window, drew the curtains tight, then jogged to the door to check if it was closed properly, and finally even checked the vents.

After doing all that, she returned to the low table in the center of the room, put down the computer, and while turning it on, whispered to Qianxia:

"Of course, it's the 'Highway Grandma' special project!"

Kurokawa shook his head helplessly as he watched her series of actions.

This girl is way too outgoing.

And isn't this just too oblivious to everyone else?

Kaoru looked at Kurokawa, her eyes filled with questioning and worry.

It was clearly a question to Kurokawa: was there any way to stop Hoshino Sakihiko?

After all, the High-Speed ​​Granny really exists, and if Sakihiko were to get too close, she could really die.

Kurokawa gave her a very subtle look and said in a voice only the two of them could hear:

"It's simple. Just point her in the wrong direction. We'll get it done before she does."

Xun's eyes lit up.

Yes.

Since we can't stop it, we'll mislead people.

Let her waste her time in the wrong place.

She nodded slightly in thanks, then turned and walked to the low table to join the conversation.

Kurokawa showed little interest in these kinds of "paranormal adventure projects".

The windows were closed, so we couldn't see the night view.

He took out his phone, preparing to consider his next move.

But the next second, the conversation coming from the low table made his fingers stop, and his whole body tensed up instantly.

Saki Hikari lowered her voice and said mysteriously:

"Chinatsu, do you remember? You asked me before if I believed in the existence of magical girls."

Qianxia was taken aback for a moment, then nodded: "I remember."

That happened before she joined the company, when Saki visited her in the hospital.

She mentioned it to many of her visiting classmates, but Saki was the only one who didn't laugh at her.

Saki leaned forward, lowering her voice even further, yet it reached Kurokawa's ears with crystal clarity:

"I'm telling you, there are two magical girls in this hotel we're staying at right now!"

She paused, then spoke slowly and deliberately:

"Moreover, their target was also the highway grandma. I heard them say... something about a tunnel."

"Grandma Highway is right inside the tunnel!"

Kurokawa's pupils contracted sharply, and he abruptly raised his eyes.

—What?!

Kurokawa's pupils contracted sharply as he stared intently at Saki.

How could she be so certain?

Before he could speak, Xun asked the question for him, her voice filled with obvious surprise and doubt: "How...can you be so sure?"

Saki Hikari shook her head smugly and pulled out a device from somewhere as if by magic.

It was a device with a horn-shaped microphone.

She shook the thing in her hand, then lowered her voice with a grin:

"Of course it's because I overheard it!"

Kurokawa: "..."

He felt a throbbing sensation in his temple.

and so……

While he was busy probing Yukimura Hakuka's identity, this audacious high school student actually sneaked off to eavesdrop on the conversation between [Ten-Shan] and [Hi-Ying]?!