/
Chapter 4
Chapter 1 — Blow all of heaven and earth to smithereens! • Episode 1-1 • Transformation ③
Translated by KaiesV
Edited by KaiesV
It was late in the day when I felt something unusual. Insomnia is not just the inability to sleep at all. There are many different types of sleepers, including those who have difficulty falling asleep and those who have shallow sleep.
On this particular day, my sleep was very shallow and I was awakened by a faint noise.
What I saw was a pumpkin head floating in the air.
「Was that Jack…? What the hell do you want, it’s the middle of the night…」
I endure a headache and rub my eyes, which are shaggy with sleepiness. I tried to wake up only my upper body, but I was too sleepy to get up.
Something was strange. Usually I’m sleepy, but it’s a soft torturous feeling, like I can’t actually sleep, but today I’m really sleepy.
If I were to relax at this point, I would instantly fall asleep.
「Come to think of it, Ryōichi was an insomniac–ran. That was a close call–ran. But I’ve already taken care of my business–ran.」
「What do you… mean… by that…」
Gradually, I become unconscious and my eyelids gradually fall off.
In the darkness, I thought I saw a pumpkin head laughing.
「You should be very sleepy due to side effects–ran. Thank me for that–ran. You’ll sleep better tonight–ran.」
The word had already not reached me.
Entangled in a whirlpool of sleep that had not been visited in a long time, I fell into a deep, very deep sleep.
.
When I woke up the next morning, my chronic headache was gone. Perhaps it was because I was able to sleep soundly for the first time in a long time. Truly, I couldn’t remember when I had had such a pleasant morning.
Come to think of it, I think Jack was doing something last night. There are questions about why Jack was there again in the first place, but if he helped me sleep soundly, I might be a little grateful. At this point, let’s make no bones about the trespassing and pushing.
Feeling refreshed, I got out of bed to complete my usual routine and felt slightly lightheaded. It’s as if my center of gravity is unstable, or I’m moving my body in the wrong way…
Then I suddenly realize that my perspective is lower than usual. Furthermore, the vision, which would have been blurred without the glasses, is uncomfortably clear.
…What? What’s going on?
My thoughts, which had been dulled by sleep, slowly begin to move with confusion.
I checked my whole body as if I were being played, and then I realized.
「T–This is a lie…」
Short limbs.
Long hair. Different color.
High pitched voice with a lisp.
There is nothing between my legs that should be there.
I run into the bathroom and try to look in the mirror, but I am too short to reach it.
It’s strange, wasn’t it? I was using it normally until yesterday.
I looked into the mirror, using a nearby object as a stepping stone, and saw a beautiful girl with a frighteningly pale face.
「I’m a girl~!?」
Skin as beautiful as white porcelain. Eyes shining with the color of jade like jewels. Her hair is silky and shiny emerald green. Her age is probably around 10 years old.
What is this beautiful girl who seems to exist only in anime and manga?
No, no, no, it doesn’t.
Yes, I was a lovely looking girl, but this is no time to be gawking.
This is definitely the work of that guy. Was this what he was doing yesterday?
「Ohh, you’re getting so much cuter–ran! I knew my eyes were not mistaken–ran!」
Just like yesterday, that pumpkin-headed monster had appeared behind me before I knew it.
Yesterday I was so upset that I fell down, but today I let my anger take over and hit him. But the fist doesn’t reach Jack. I lost my balance due to a sudden attempt to move on an unstable step, and ended up falling again.
「What does this mean!?」
I realize now that the words I tried to speak were converted into honorifics on their own. Even my voice is cute and fits the impression of my appearance, and I am not angry at all.
This must be Jack’s work, too.
「What does this mean, you weren’t a girl, so I just made you into a girl–ran. Now you can be a magical girl–ran!」
「I told you that I wouldn’t be!」
「Eh—? Did you–ran? Remember, I’m pumpkin-headed and empty inside–ran.」
Jack laughs, looking deeply amused.
You pumpkin bastard……!
Yesterday, he was trying to catch me off guard by pretending to go home like an adult.
I was so fooled, and now this, this is happening!
「Please bring me back now!」
「Impossible–ran. There’s no medicine–ran. You need a sex change drug and an aging drug to get back to–ran. Besides, I have no intention of reverting you back–ran. If you want to go back, you’ll take care of it on your own–ran.」
「Please stop kidding around! Do you think that’s allowed!?」
There is no way that such an unreasonable practice of changing a person’s gender or age without his or her consent should be allowed to stand.
If such an absurdity were allowed, I would not have bothered to persuade him.
「Who won’t allow it–ran? Even if Ryōichi doesn’t allow it, there’s nothing you can do–ran. Would the judiciary or the government believe that you woke up in the morning to find that some strange force had turned you into a girl–ran? Even if they believed you, what could you do–ran?」
「Th–There must be some organization on your side that would crack down on brutality!」
That’s right. When Jack explained about magical girls, he explained that they have a variety of powers, including magic and witchcraft. It is inconceivable that such power could prevail without any control or rule making.
I can’t imagine what form it would take or on what scale, but I am sure that there must be rules to follow on their side as well.
Otherwise, this society would be even more of a mess.
「If they don’t find out, there is no problem–ran. Ryōichi doesn’t know anything about our side–ran.」
「I–If I take care of it over here, they’ll get the info!」
「Will you be safe until it arrives–ran? Taking care of it means taking the brunt of it–ran. You know what you’re getting yourself into–ran. Ryōichi is quite a beautiful girl now–ran. I think if she becomes famous badly, there will be some unscrupulous people–ran.」
「T–That…」
I can’t speak for myself, but it is true that my current appearance is at the level of a ridiculously beautiful girl. I have a mysterious charm that is as strong as that of even top-level idols. Perhaps this is because it involves a magical element, not just simple facial modeling.
If I were to make myself look bad without any backing, things might happen that I don’t want to imagine.
But that doesn’t mean I can’t stand it when things go the way Jack wants them to.
「Even if I give up punishing you, did you think that turning me into a girl would make me mature enough to become a magical girl?」
「It will be–ran. Or rather, it has to be–ran.」
Jack seemed confident and had no doubt that it would happen.
Even if I looked like this, I couldn’t be a magical girl if I said I wouldn’t be. I was made into a girl without my permission, but I must always have my consent on that one point of becoming a magical girl.
That’s why Jack is taking such a roundabout and sure-to-be-antagonistic approach. And yet, what is this confidence? It’s as if he’s convinced I’m going to become a magical girl…
「…What do you mean?」
「I will ask contrarily–ran. You can still work with that body, right–ran? Can they believe you are Mizukami Ryōichi? Now that person has no family register. In the first place, you can’t do the job because of the age of your appearance. There’s no place that will hire you–ran.」
「Kuh…!」
It was a matter of course. I was so confused by the situation, and even more so because I was filled with anger toward Jack, that I hadn’t even caught up with such a fundamental thought.
I refused to become a magical girl to protect my life and my livelihood.
So how can I go on with my life as it is, looking like this? Can I continue to move forward on the rails I have spent so much time laying?
There is no way I can.
「Or would you like to sell your body? They are very cute and are sure to be very popular.」
「Please stop!」
I thought about it. I imagined. This frail body of mine…
I feel disgusted.
I feel nauseous.
What is this?
Why is this, why is this happening…
「There is only one way for Ryoichi to live in peace from now on–ran. Become a magical girl, be active, and get medicine for your achievements–ran. Then you can return to your original form–ran. Until then, I’ll manage to do your original work–ran.」
「…So, when I get back to normal, will you make me a girl again!」
I held my mouth shut and held back the nausea, but still yelled as hard as I could.
Now that I know that there is nothing more I can do, that there is no escape, I look backward, thinking that there will be no hope beyond that point, that there will be no end to my despair.
I knew it was a bad habit.
「I won’t do that–ran. There is a big, very big fight coming up soon–ran. I need Ryōichi’s help at that time–ran. And when it’s done, I promise not to touch you again–ran.」
「Are you asking me to believe in such things…?」
「You may not believe it–ran. But you have to believe me–ran. I do apologize for such a forceful approach–ran. But as you’ve noticed, I always need your consent to make you a Magical Girl–ran. You are necessary for the coming battle–ran. That’s why we want you to fight with us–ran!」
Now that you mention it…!
Now you’re just spouting all that beautiful stuff!
「If I’m going to do it, then be evil to the end! Your circumstances are none of my concern! No matter what happens from now on, I will never forgive you people!」
「That’s still better–ran.」
「～～!! I will be! I just have to become one! A Magical Girl!」
I slam down the answer in desperation.
I am very unwilling and unconvinced, but I still have to do it.
From this day forward, I am a magical girl.