Tokyo: Magical Girl Shatters My Dream of Going Public

12 pm.

Inside the hotel's most luxurious suite.

Aiko Furukawa was reclining on the large sofa.

She was wearing a silk bathrobe, the belt loosely tied at the waist, revealing a section of her fair calves and bare feet.

Her long, pink hair, still damp at the ends, was casually draped over her shoulders.

At this moment, she was slightly bent over, intently applying toenail polish.

One hand supports the sole of her foot, while the other holds a small brush, her movements slow and deliberate.

Her rounded toes were slightly curled, with the tips tinged with a healthy pale pink.

Under the light, her feet were small and delicate, and her skin was so smooth that her pores were almost invisible.

At the other end of the room, Hayami Tenshou paced back and forth like a trapped beast.

Her steps were light, yet they betrayed an barely suppressed anxiety.

"I said—" Aiko didn't even look up, her voice trailing off lazily, "You're confusing me. Can't you just stop for a second?"

Tianxiang paused, muttered "Sorry" in a low voice, but remained standing in place with a furrowed brow.

"I have a feeling... that something bad is going to happen," she confessed.

After becoming a magical girl, her intuition gained an almost supernatural precision.

Aiko gently blew on her freshly painted toenails and switched to the other foot.

As a fellow magical girl, she naturally understood the value of this "intuition".

"Because of that... Suzukawa Chinatsu?" she asked casually.

Tianxiang paused for a moment, then shook his head.

"Her presence here...it really surprised me. I always thought she was a genius, very capable. But now..." She paused, "we're no longer in the same world. There's no need to worry about her."

"Why is that?"

"I don't know." Tianxiang rubbed his temples. "It's just... I feel waves of sharp pain in my consciousness."

She hesitated for a moment and looked at her son.

"Furukawa-senpai... could you come with me tonight?"

Aiko finally raised her eyes, glanced at her, and then shook her head.

"No way. I hate going out to fight at night."

Her tone was matter-of-fact, but not entirely heartless.

Seeing Tianxiang's still tense face, she put down the nail polish bottle and reached into her small bag to take something out.

It was an exquisite round powder compact, its outer shell inlaid with tiny sequins.

She clicked open the box.

The interior is not a mirror, but a strange space filled with shimmering light and color.

A soft ray of light flashed by.

A crystal the size of a thumb, with what appears to be a slowly rotating pink nebula inside, emerges from the "mirror" and floats quietly in the air.

"You don't have a D-rank magic core yet, do you?" Aiko gently pinched the crystal between her fingertips and handed it over. "Here, take this. Also, put on the life-saving pendant issued by the association."

She leaned back on the sofa, her tone relaxed.

"That way, even if you really run into trouble... it'll be enough for you to handle."

For her, it was simply a matter of dealing with an E-level vengeful spirit.

Using a D-level crystal core is already considered an over-the-top treatment.

Tianxiang accepted the crystal core with both hands and bowed solemnly: "Thank you very much, Senior Furukawa."

Once she got her hands on the crystal core, she could feel the powerful magic surging within it.

The unease in my heart seemed to be soothed somewhat by this force.

She put away the crystal core, then remembered something else.

"By the way, the tunnel map... hasn't been sent yet."

Aiko had already picked up her nail polish again, and upon hearing this, she casually said, "Then let's call and urge them."

Tianxiang hesitated for a moment: "It's...almost 12 o'clock now."

"So what?" Aiko raised an eyebrow, speaking matter-of-factly. "Isn't this what they do? We're the ones dealing with those disgusting monsters; we're all 'working overtime,' so why should they get a break?"

Tianxiang thought about it and felt it made sense.

Without hesitation, she immediately took out her phone, found an encrypted number, and dialed it.

The call was connected.

Her voice regained its usual crispness, urging him on with unwavering authority:

"Please send the map immediately."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

2 points in the early hours.

The entrance to the lobby on the first floor was dimly lit.

Saki and Kaoru, both of them dressed in casual dark clothes that allowed them to move around easily, quietly slipped away to this place.

Saki looked back, but there was nothing behind her.

"Where are Chinatsu and Uncle?" she asked in a low voice.

Xun remained calm and explained softly, "My sister is sleeping too soundly to wake up... Uncle worked very late last night, so let him get some rest tonight."

In fact, Kurokawa and Chinatsu had already set off ahead of time.

Saki Hikari pouted and muttered under her breath, "That's so disloyal... We agreed to go together."

She turned to walk back, intending to call for help again.

Kaoru reached out and grabbed her wrist: "Time waits for no one. If we're too late, the magical girl competition might already be over."

Saki Hikari paused, hesitating.

Xun is right, time really waits for no one...

She gritted her teeth: "Let's go! We'll settle the score with them when we get back!"

The two gently pulled open the wooden sliding door of the inn.

A night breeze swept in, carrying the unique coolness of the mountains.

however--

"Where...are you going?"

A calm female voice came from the shadows outside the door.

Saki Hikari froze.

Xun also stopped what she was doing.

The two slowly turned their heads.

Beside the stone lantern at the entrance of the inn, Xuecun Baihua stood quietly.

She was still wearing that plain-colored yukata, with a dark haori from the inn draped over it.

The thick, black-rimmed glasses reflected the dim light of the lanterns, making it impossible to see her eyes clearly.

Saki's eyes widened: "W-Teacher?! What are you doing...?"

"Where are you going?" Xuecun asked again, his tone unreadable.

"We're going for a walk! Yeah, a walk..."

"A walk?" Xuecun's voice was soft. She touched the back of her neck; it felt cool. "Two in the morning, taking a camera for a walk?"

In Saki's hand, the action camera had a red light on, indicating it was recording.

"Haha... well," Saki chuckled dryly, her mind racing, "I'm a video blogger, you know, what if I stumble upon some good material while taking a walk..."

"go back."

Xuecun interrupted her, his tone unusually firm.

She stepped forward and grabbed Saki's ear.

"Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Teacher! Be gentle!"

"Now, let's go back to the room." Yukimura remained unmoved and pulled Sakihiko inside.

Xun silently followed.

Back in the lobby, Xuecun didn't let go of Xun's hand and turned to her.

The gaze behind the glasses is unfathomable.

"You go back too. Don't even think about going out tonight." She paused, then added, "I'll be checking on you later."

Kaoru lowered her eyes slightly: "But... Uncle Kurokawa is also in the room."

Xuecun's cheeks flushed almost imperceptibly, but his voice remained calm.

"Then...I'll go too! If I find you're not in your room, I'll bring him to the school for a talk!"

After she finished speaking, she grabbed Saki, who was still about to speak, and walked towards the guest room corridor.

Xun stood there, watching the two figures disappear around the corner.

He sighed inwardly.

Mr. Kurokawa is amazing...

He had actually anticipated that the teacher would indeed be guarding the door in the middle of the night.

She didn't stop and walked steadily back to her room.

The room was dimly lit when the door was opened.

With the faint light filtering in from the window, you can see two quilts piled high on the tatami mat, as if someone is fast asleep.

Kaoru quickly changed into her own kimono combat outfit.

The moment the fabric touches the skin, the senses are subtly enhanced.

She pulled out the [Puppet Control Plugin] and inserted it into the magic battery in her lower back.

Click.

A slight clicking sound.

The perspective of the battle geisha suddenly shifts.

Before her lay an abandoned highway, and the night wind made her feel a chill.