Chapter 97: My life is already at zero.

Translator: Soafp

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On that day, my phone rang, and I tapped to answer the call.

“Hey, it’s me.”

“Hello.”

It was the fortune teller. I regularly keep in touch with her to receive predictions about upcoming disasters. Although the detailed results of the fortune telling were not clear yet, her call implied that something had been divined.

“I’ve got the results of the fortune telling. A fierce warrior with many lives will shatter the blue light… or so it seems.”

“I see… I’ve got a general idea.”

“Oh, you understand? By the way, the disaster is supposed to strike in three days.”

“I understand. Thank you.”

A fierce warrior with many lives… That’s likely referring to Asura, one of the Four Heavenly Kings. He’s silent, has four arms, and makes an appearance in the latter half of November as a formidable opponent. He appears after the mid-stage power-up and engages in a serious battle with Aoi. The others will provide support, but Aoi will play the most crucial role. However, at the current moment, Aoi hasn’t awakened.

Her inability to awaken is likely due to insufficient intimacy. Unyielding love. It seems simple, but it’s not as easy as it looks.

It’s currently August. According to the “Story,” Aoi’s awakening will occur during the “Cultural Festival” in October, where she makes a certain mistake and is comforted by the Magical Girl members. This significantly boosts intimacy. However, I don’t want her to make that mistake. I genuinely want her to spend more time with everyone and naturally increase her intimacy.

Furthermore, according to the “Story,” Asura appears after the Lion, which means he comes after Aoi and Karen’s awakenings. However, the plot has deviated quite a bit, and now Karen and Kohaku have awakened. With these two around, I believe they won’t have any issues this time.

The mid-game Four Heavenly Kings typically appear to showcase the powered-up girls’ abilities. Karen will defeat the Lion, Aoi will confront Asura, and Moegi will handle the Fallen Angel, each in their respective battles. If that’s the case, having Karen and Kohaku awakened poses no problem. However, the Fallen Angel’s strength is on a different level…

To be honest, even with me around, I’m likely just a liability. I’ll provide support as much as I can, but it’s probably best to entrust the situation to Karen and Kohaku. …It’s frustrating. If only I were stronger…

And then, three days later.

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[Aoi PoV]

On that day, a large black hole appeared. We heard that something ominous was coming, put on our magical outfits and arrived at the rooftop of a building.

From the large hole emerged a creature with four arms. Its strength was palpable, sending shivers down my spine. I closed my eyes, but then I felt something strange. When I opened my eyes, I saw beams of light and a fiery storm enveloping the creature. Kohaku and Karen, both moving faster than I could follow, were filled with determination. They had been told by Mel to give it their all, and it seemed that both their magical power and new weapons were significantly affected by their emotions.

The two of them unleashed a tremendous display of high firepower. On the rooftop, me, Moegi, and Izayoi could do nothing but watch in awe.

It was like a colossal monster battle. The two girls overwhelmed the creature with their relentless attacks, beams of light, thunderous sounds, explosions, and a stream of flames. Under this continuous assault, the creature’s form became nearly invisible.

“T-They’re incredible…”

“Incredible…”

“This is insane…”

Moegi and Izayoi, along with me, felt that our previous expectations were crumbling in the face of this otherworldly power. Their relentless attacks continued.

I thought, “It must be done now, right?” But one hour passed, then two, and three, until finally, the sky cleared.

The creature had been reduced to dust, and the two girls returned with smiles on their faces.

“Both of you are amazing!”

“Ehehe, you think so?”

“Well, this much is natural.”

He praised the two of them. Of course, considering the incredible battle they had just fought. I couldn’t use those weapons, though. But if I could, would I be praised like them? My heart felt restless, and something about me seemed off lately.

Beside me, Moegi watched the three of them with a hint of envy. However, when he turned to her, Moegi quickly reverted to her usual cheerful demeanor. It seemed like she was forcing something.

I hated something about it.

There was something I couldn’t stand about this scene. Something about it just didn’t sit right. They had defeated the creature without anyone getting hurt, and it should have been the best outcome. Why, then, was my heart so restless?

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[Izayoi PoV]

“So, you managed to avoid the disaster,”

“Yes. I thought it was best to leave it to them…”

“Umu, sometimes it’s good to rely on others,”

“Well, putting that aside. What about the next disaster?”

“The next one involves lightning, but it should be safe for a while,”

“Good to hear,”

“But…”

“But?”

“No, it’s nothing important. Anyway… it’s about time for women troubles to increase,”

With that, she ended the call. She said something at the end, but it was probably just my imagination. This time, I left the disaster to them and it was a success. They really are amazing. This time, they managed to defeat the enemy most smoothly.

Next is Moegi’s disaster… Should I handle it like this time? However, maybe it’s best if I just leave it to them and have minimal involvement. But… well, let’s see. Next is the cultural festival in the story. This event had caused quite a commotion online, with Aoi feeling the most sad, Karen still down due to her recent divorce, and even Moegi getting hurt somewhat. The “if story” caused the most uproar, but even in the main story, the cultural festival arc was intense.

However, there was also an event that fostered bonds. I’m not the type to keep my hands off, even if I think it would be better not to. Currently, their bonds have been nurtured, so there shouldn’t be any issue with getting involved. I’ll take the rather dark ending of the cultural festival arc and turn it into a happy ending with my hands.

If that’s the case, there’s a possibility that the rumors around the school might become even more outrageous… Haha, my mental state is already quite resilient; there’s nothing to worry about.

Kukuku, I chuckled with a sense of satisfaction as I thought about what’s to come.

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[Aoi PoV]

I was alone in the training room, practicing with my new weapon – a blue short sword. I don’t know why. My body seemed to move on its own, bringing me to this place. I swung the sword with the hope that something would happen.

If, at that time, I had been the one receiving praise… such a thought fleetingly crossed my mind. As I trained alone, the door opened, and Moegi entered with her new weapon in hand.

“Aoi-chan, are you training too?”

“Yes,”

It is rare for me to be alone with Moegi. We are together sometimes, but it is rare for us to be alone together.

“Are you training as well, Moegi?”

“Yeah, Karen-chan and Kohaku-chan have gotten quite far ahead. I have to work hard too. I don’t want to be left behind…”

“I see…”

Although Moegi was smiling, there was a shadow in her expression. She seemed to be restraining something, struggling to keep herself composed, and her emotions seemed tangled, preventing her from moving smoothly.

“Why are you training, Aoi-chan?”

“Well, I wanted to get better at using the new weapon too.”

“…Just that?”

I thought it was an uncharacteristic turn of phrase for Moegi. She would have at least responded to my answer and hugged me. She wouldn’t make such a complicated face.

Not knowing how to respond to this indescribable version of Moegi, I fell into silence.

“Sorry, forget what I just said! Anyway, let’s train together!”

“Yeah…”

Moegi bowed her head in apology, then quickly returned to her usual smile. We trained together, swinging our new weapons in the training room, but there were no changes – just the sound of blades slicing through the air echoing in the room.