Paa!
A massive silvery light shot up into the sky from a gigantic lighthouse beyond the plaza.
“Wow! It’s beautiful!”
The silvery light soaring into the crystal-clear sky spread out so widely at the edge of the heavens that it could be seen from space. The scene resembled a huge silver net unfurling over a blue canvas, and I could feel the awe of the thousands gathered in the plaza.
“Are we going to start right away?”
“Of course.”
After hearing the goddess’s answer, who was sitting with her eyes closed atop the lighthouse, I focused my consciousness on my doppelgänger in the plaza.
“What’s that?”
“So cool.”
Today, I was wearing the same white dress as the other magical girls, so no one paid me any mind as I stood among the thousands of magical girls gathered. They only tilted their heads at the three shining lights hanging from the glass star at my waist.
“That’s right.”
I wasn’t any different from them.
“I’m not special.”
“I’m not a goddess.”
“I’m just like them…”
“Hikari-chan!”
“Hi, Hana-chan.”
Sato Hana, who spotted me and came running, seemed to have made friends with a few of the 1-Star girls from the island and rushed over with them. The once shy Sato Hana had become someone who reached out first to those who couldn’t fit in with others while helping many people as a magical girl.
“Did your parents come?”
“Yes! We’re all going camping today!”
“That’s great.”
I patted Hana’s head and moved forward.
“Leader!”
It was refreshing to see Ichika, who usually only wore shorts, in a skirt. Thanks to her performances in the friendly matches and her achievements in China, Ichika had become a well-respected martial arts magical girl, even more famous than Yuki now.
“What are you planning to show us next? Huh?”
“Hoho, just you wait.”
Thud!
Ichika just smiled and gave me a fist bump.
“Hikari!”
“Yuki doesn’t look any different from her magical girl outfit.”
“Hehe, right?”
“…She looks just as cute as a magical girl uniform.”
“Hikari, you look good in a dress!”
“Let’s cheer each other on later.”
“Okay!”
Yuki and I exchanged smiles for a moment. She had managed to escape the shock from the truth revealed by the goddess. Although not all the scars deep in her heart had healed, she at least kept a bright smile around me and cherished her everyday life.
“Silver Sis!”
“Dorim, you’ve worked hard.”
“It’s nothing. Just this much.”
After hearing about the wounds of the star, Kang Dorim no longer worried too much about President Yang, but President Yang, under strong pressure, even went so far as to separate the Supernatural Ability Response Team as an independent agency. Earlier, during the talks, Oh Sang-hyuk had been subtly trying to show his recognition from afar while sneaking a picture of Dorim’s dress.
Unaware of that, Dorim and I gave a high five with enthusiasm.
Clap!
And so I took a step forward.
One step at a time.
“Leader! You haven’t been to the café lately! It’s been sad!”
“Kyoko, I’m sorry. I’ve been busy. Please take care of the Master from now on.”
One step at a time.
“Wow, [Start] you! You were hiding such beauty under your mask? Compared to me, I’m slightly superior! Hoho!”
“What are you talking about? Stop rambling, [Start], you’ve done something impressive again?”
“Lee Meirin, Lina. You’ve worked hard.”
One step at a time.
Sumire just smiled and held the hem of her skirt politely while bowing. I also greeted her with my skirt held, thanking her for not shying away from unpleasant tasks for the magical girls.
One step at a time.
“Indeed, it’s a city that truly deserves the name Elysion.”
“Laura, thank you as always.”
One step at a time.
“……”
“……”
The crowd, who were thrilled by the stunning silver light adorning the sky and the beautiful scenery of the miraculous city, quietly watched every single step I took.
They recognized the faces of the famous people greeting me.
They were shocked as they grasped the meaning behind the greetings.
As I finally reached the fountain, they caught on to my identity.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Shirogane Hikari or Kang Eunbit.”
For the first time, I greeted them without my mask.
“I am the successor of the will of the one who shared starlight with humanity, leading the magical girls with gentle lies in this chaos-filled world.”
As I revealed everything about myself, my heart felt like it would burst.
No longer would we mistake each other for enemies and hurt one another.
No longer would we ignore each other, distinguishing ourselves apart.
“And I am a magical girl just like you all…”
“Ordinary…?”
I heard a girl’s stunned whisper.
“Just as you are someone’s daughter and friend before you were a magical girl, I, too, am a little human who hopes for the happiness of those I love.”
“Really… are you really human, [Start]?”
“I’m just a human who knows a bit more about magical girls than others.”
“What do you mean by ‘gentle lies’?”
I looked up at the completely silver net now covering the sky.
Though I couldn’t accept the Born 3-Star [Revelation] as my ally, if I combined her world-changing power with my own, there were things we could do.
“……”
Countless people watching me.
They weren’t seeing the magical girl of [Start], but the Hikari who wanted to save this world.
I had become someone who could make them listen to me, no longer a magician performing a show to demand their attention. The first step of the shabby girl who stepped into this world on a rainy summer night was now moving toward a path much larger than the will of the goddess.
It’s time.
Like the silver net that completely covered the sky, I had gained a presence so vast that I could exist all on my own.
With a moment’s silence, I directed my gaze at the crowd staring at me intensely and revealed my truth.
“I have been lying to all of you magical girls while chasing after a certain goal.”
“L-Lies?!”
“The reason magical girls must grow stronger and gather dreams among people is not merely to exist as magical girls.”
Then what are magical girls for?
I could feel that everyone watching this place had questions for me.
I had come this far to become someone who could say these words.
“Humanity has been under a massive threat since June of this year. If we don’t overcome it, we’ll face destruction.”
“W-Wait a second, does that mean…”
“Monsters with endless malice toward humanity will pour down from the sky, and we’ll be entangled in the curse of transcendents who can disrupt human fate with a single word.”
“……”
“Magical girls were born to stop that.”
“……”
I gazed at the crowd stunned into silence by my outrageous declaration and pointed my finger to the sky.
“You don’t have to believe me right now.”
“Huh?”
“I will always be preparing close by for you all.”
Paaaaaa!
The dazzling rainbow light that climbed up my hand extended out into the net space spread by the goddess, filling the gaps between the silver frames.
Amidst the radiance that was so bright it obscured the sky, familiar landscapes began to appear.
“Wha?! Isn’t that Beijing? Next to it is Shanghai!”
“Huh? Seoul? Busan?”
“Wow! The Eiffel Tower too!!”
“Brussels?”
A kaleidoscope.
It became a kaleidoscope that reflected the images of the cities where humanity lives, merging the powers that change the world and the powers that distort it.
A miracle that the three successors left by the goddess could create together.
“Statue of Liberty? New York?”
“Oh! Taiwan is here too!”
“Cairo?! Did a magical girl organization exist in Egypt?”
“Moscow’s here too!”
The view inside the kaleidoscope, engulfing the island, divided into thousands of paths, revealing places that weren’t part of the magical girl society.
Colorful cities.
Our worlds.
The foundation of human life.
The world.
The kaleidoscope endlessly transformed above the miraculous paradise created by the girls, showing the landscapes where humanity lived. And as the silvery starlight shimmered, countless stars floated up right above the cities in the images.
“I will remain in this Elysion nation and protect humanity from the threat of destruction.”
I carefully brought my mouth to the silver seashell tied to my belt and blew into it.
―――!
Gu-gugugugu!
“What?! It’s really moving?!”
“It’s rising into the sky…!”
“It’s so amazing!”
With a slight tremor, the island began to move smoothly. Some reporters, as previously prepared, boarded silver gliders to capture the sight of the island rising.
“If we face an attack from monsters and request help, we can go anywhere.”
Since I had already informed everyone that the Elysion nation was a moveable island, there was no chaotic disruption, but the sight of the immense kaleidoscope rising from the sea was overwhelming.
“Until that time comes, Elysion will be a playground, training ground, and treasure house for all magical girls.”
As the island finally rose high enough to reveal the scenery right beneath the Chiba Prefecture,
“It will serve as an observation post to monitor monsters, an ark to evacuate people, and a meeting place that is always open for everyone to gather and unite their strengths.”
Everyone turned their eyes from the sea to watch me.
“Elysion does not belong to any nation, but we will rush to help any nation that requests it.”
I said, giving them the brightest smile I could show.
“…Just like a magical girl.”
Swish!
An elderly gentleman watching everything from a distance trembled slightly as he asked me a question.
“W-Who is the one giving you such power? C-Could you be a servant of God?”
“……”
The goddess of [Start].
She was omnipotent enough to be called a goddess, but she didn’t want to be treated like one.
The Daughter of the World always played next to the humanity she loved.
“Because of the sacrifice of the very first magical girl… we have become magical girls.”
I decided to remember her not as a goddess, but as one magical girl.
“I am the one who carries on the will of the very first magical girl who loved people and showed miracles to humanity long ago.”
I too would save this world not as a successor of the goddess but as an ordinary person.
“……”
I finished speaking and cautiously approached the crowd.
The girls in white clothing like mine seemed to be a little scared.
‘Is it really that hard to break through their reluctance with such a show?’
A bittersweet smile almost escaped me.
“Hikari-chan!”
“Hikari!”
“Wow! Leader, that was awesome!”
“You always have a habit of saying profound things, huh?”
“Your Majesty!”
“Hmph, it was kind of cool.”
People who knew me rushed over, chatting and buzzing.
Watching this, others began to relax their tense expressions and gradually approached me.
“C-Can I call you Shirogane-sama?”
“I made a flower crown, please accept it!”
“Are you going to create a training ground here too?”
“I-I will definitely become stronger!”
The magical girls, instead of panicking and fainting at the word destruction, simply began to ask their questions comfortably, intrigued by what I had said. Soon, thousands of people cautiously approached, watching us.
Some thought seriously about the threats from the monsters.
Some considered the benefits they could gain by interacting with Elysion.
Some were just excited about the thought of hanging out with the magical girls they knew.
I smiled with a flower crown given to me on my head.
Yeah.
Little by little,
As if it were the most natural thing,
As long as they acknowledged my presence without fear,
That was what it meant to be a magical girl.
“Magical girls exist to protect everyone.”
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