Regarding the fact that my best friend is a magical girl

In just a few days, he shattered the "zero casualties" streak that had lasted for some time, with more than a dozen lives lost in the monster's attack...

"Mom, whether it's the Hunter Witch or the Sword Witch, you've spent some time with them. Putting aside what Dad thinks, do you think they're people you can negotiate with?"

The mother shook her head.

“I have never crossed paths with the hunter witch. I can sense that her helping your father is just a mission, an act of obeying the orders of some will.”

"A certain will?"

"That is the leader and ultimate producer of the witches, and even the entire monster army. You could say it is the supreme will of 'the other side'."

The enemy's leader.

Using a game analogy, that's the final boss we're facing.

Even powerful figures like Milno and Sirius needed to support each other and rely on the assistance of other magical girls to barely defeat the witches. So what about the leader of these witches…?

"It sounds ridiculously strong. It would be a bit reckless to attack 'the other side' so rashly."

After all, that will can transform magical girls into witches who obey its commands. If it cannot be defeated in one fell swoop, it may instead allow the enemy's combat power to increase exponentially.

"That's not something we need to consider right now."

My mother stood on tiptoe and gently tapped my forehead.

[This is an urgent announcement. Passengers on the platform, please leave the platform immediately! To reiterate, passengers on the platform, please leave this station immediately...]

As soon as we got off at the subway platform, we heard an announcement from inside the station. The station staff seemed to have received some urgent report and began to guide passengers to evacuate.

The mother grabbed one of them and asked, "What happened?"

"Ladies, please go to the upper level for safety! A runaway train is heading this way!"

No sooner had the words been spoken than a huge commotion approached from inside the subway tunnel, the ear-piercing sound of metal scraping against metal causing physical discomfort.

An out-of-control train is approaching, but the evacuation here is not over yet.

The accident happened so suddenly... it's too late!

"Yao'er... no, Seruno!"

My mother's voice reminded me of my identity.

Remove the disguise of her hair color and summon her battle armor and magic wand.

Everyone within my sight was locked onto by my magic... Then, a protective bubble membrane was generated on their bodies, which could withstand a certain degree of impact and increase their survival rate even if they suffered any accidents.

The passengers on the platform are safe.

But there were still people on the bus.

How can we slow down the train?

Using giant bubbles to eliminate kinetic energy to slow down?

Or should we use the flexibility of bubbles for cushioning?

Or... use both methods together!

The entire tunnel was covered with a giant bubble, then the guardrail was flipped over and filled with a large number of smaller bubbles.

I myself must also be positioned at the front of the train to continuously create new buffer bubbles in front of it.

"No problem! I can do it!"

I must believe that my magic can stop a speeding train.

At the other end of the tunnel, a high-speed train, streaking with sparks and flashes, rushed toward me.

boom--

The moment I was hit by the train, I almost thought I was going to be crushed by the bubbles.

The buffer bubbles were dissipated, but the train, still surging forward, carried me into the next tunnel... The large bubbles couldn't eliminate the kinetic energy either. Was it because my "belief" was insufficient?

wrong……

The out-of-control train is still accelerating!

Why? The railway control center didn't cut off the power supply?

Impossible, there's no reason for someone to make such a basic mistake.

If we keep accelerating like this, we'll eventually crash into the previous train. But if the train still has power, no matter how many buffer zones I create, it will be in vain.

The subway is powered by its tracks. My bubble can make the train body an insulator, but it needs to cover six carriages...!

Just then.

I saw the culprit behind the train's loss of control.

The strange, metallic figure, with a head resembling a U-shaped magnet, was perched atop the train. Its rigid body was covered in electrodes that emitted high-voltage currents to power the traction units beneath the train.

"No passage allowed here!"

boom--

Using the train's own kinetic energy, the strange man who had hit the bubble wrap was pulled off the roof. Without power, the traction unit finally lost power, the brakes started to work, and with my buffer strip, the train's speed dropped rapidly.

The situation was under control, but I had left the strange man behind the train. By the time I ran past the six carriages, the strange man with the magnetic head had vanished.

"Miss Spica! I've run into that weirdo who was hiding!"

I dialed Miss Spica's number.

She must be allowed to close the subway line as soon as possible.

"We know everything about this. You did a great job. Thank you for your hard work."

Security personnel and medical staff ran over from the next platform.

Spica replied, "Leave the rest to us... Leave now and don't go back to check the carriages."

What does "don't go back" mean?

…………

……

"Miss Spica, how many casualties are there in the train carriage?"

Chapter Twenty-Three: The Riddle

(Albinocotyledon)

"Miss Knight, how is the princess doing?"

When Liu asked that, I scrolled through the news reports on my phone again.

"It's come to an end. Serino is fine and did a great job... But this accident resulted in the immediate death of 27 passengers and serious injuries to 34 others. There wasn't a single person standing on the train, and some of them may not survive... This is even more serious than the accident this morning."

The shocking death toll is not just a cold, hard number; once vibrant lives were taken by that strange man's high-voltage electricity.

Two bizarre attacks in one day, resulting in the deaths of nearly fifty citizens, have served as a stark reminder to people accustomed to peaceful lives.

War has never gone away; its shadow still looms over the world.

"Look at this, witch. This is how you do things. In our world, even when two countries are at war, the side that attacks civilians will be despised by everyone..."

However, the Mermaid Witch showed no reaction on her face.

Expecting her to feel guilty about something like this is definitely overthinking things.

Witches are weirdos too, and weirdos don't have compassion.

Fortunately, most citizens had already experienced that difficult period, and the pervasive panic did not last long. Apart from reminding humanity of the numerous crimes committed on the other side, it did not cause any unacceptable consequences...

Liu then asked, "Has this strange man been caught?"

"Um... he was shot dead."

Liu asked in surprise, "Kill them? Not capture them alive?"

That's what they say. I'm not sure about the actual situation.

"The media reports that he was killed by the magical girls who surrounded him, but we'll have to ask Spica for the specifics later."

I rubbed my temples and put my phone back in my pocket.

"But how well did you check the surveillance footage?"

"Uh, hasn't the weirdo you're looking for already escaped?"

"Then I also want to know who it originally belonged to."

"Wait for me a moment..."

Liu spent a considerable amount of time reviewing surveillance footage from the past few days and finally identified a suspect.

"It must be this woman. She's been walking along this road more frequently than the patrolling security guards, but I've never seen her go into any shops to buy anything. She clearly has some kind of intention..."

A suit with a large lapel, bell-bottoms, and a single-sided fringe.

Wait, isn't that Qiao Lina?! After all, I just met her, there's no way I wouldn't recognize her…

The reason she "wanders" in the mall is mostly to discover newcomers who are more suitable to be idols.

"Are you sure?"

I confirmed with Liu.

"It's confirmed. Apart from her, no one else was walking around the mall during this time."

She seemed normal in the morning; although she was in despair, she didn't seem to be turning into a weirdo.

Wait, despair?

The man in the morning was dumped by his ex-girlfriend, which led to his desire for revenge and violent tendencies.

I have a guess.

The black energy sent from the wormhole will choose to parasitize people with negative emotions, devouring and amplifying the darkness in their hearts. When it reaches the critical moment, it will hatch monsters from their bodies... just like the Alien!

After all, strange people only appear after a period of time.

"Send me the suspect's record. You two go back to the villa first. I'll go find Sirius to collect the reward..."