After transforming, Miri Dreamwell stepped out of the deserted corner, then removed the bell from her waist and gently shook it toward the crowd.
A series of tinkling chimes pierced through all obstacles, resonating in everyone’s minds and restoring their rationality.
Along with it, a message was planted in their thoughts: Please evacuate this area quickly and orderly. A Calamity is nearby.
Miri put away the bell, ignoring the panicked crowd fleeing around her, and pushed forward against the flow.
With the activation of Mirage, Miri had now isolated herself from the world. She passed through one shelf after another, rushing in the direction the crowd had just come from.
Meanwhile, Eve Nightburn still hadn’t recovered from the confusion of the ring devouring the mist.
The unfamiliar girl’s voice in her head had startled her yet again.
“A Magical Girl?!”
Eve pondered everything happening around her. Had she already been discovered?
No—how had she even been exposed?
Please let it be another Calamity, please let it be another Calamity, please let it be another Calamity… Just not me, just not me, just not me… Important things must be said three—
“Ow!” ×2
Before Eve could finish her silent prayer, something suddenly crashed into her.
Rubbing her head, Eve stood up from beside the shelf.
“Ugh…”
She opened her eyes and, through her sunglasses, looked at the person who had bumped into her.
It was a white-haired girl about a head taller than her.
But before Eve could even start cursing, the other girl had already drawn a pistol in midair and pressed it against her forehead.
“Are you a Magical Girl?”
The moment she heard the voice, Eve suddenly remembered—this was the same voice that had broadcast the emergency alert in her mind earlier.
So… was this girl a Magical Girl?
“Y-yes! I’m a Magical Girl!”
Eve nodded frantically. Being mistaken for a Calamity would be disastrous.
“What’s your codename?”
Ah…
That question instantly petrified Eve. How could she possibly have something like that?!
Whatever, desperate times called for desperate measures. She’d just make one up on the spot.
“Codename… Nightburn!”
Mentor?!
Miri froze. Wasn’t that the name of the person she played cards with? One character from a game, another from That Goose…
Still, codenames like that did exist, so Miri decided to pull out her phone and check.
[The account you searched for does not exist.]
Miri was now certain the other girl was lying.
But she kept up the act—pretending to search on her phone with her left hand while keeping the gun pressed against Eve’s forehead with her right, preventing her from moving.
Miri quickly pulled up Eve’s That Goose account, opened the sticker pack, and spammed a barrage of stickers at her.
The next moment, Eve’s phone started ringing incessantly from her pocket.
Ding~ Ding~ Ding~…
By now, Miri’s face was completely deadpan.
Every sticker she sent triggered a ding from Eve’s phone—the timing was so precise it felt like cheating.
“Let me guess… Your full name is Eve Nightburn, right? You recently quit Celestial Corporation, and in the past few days, you’ve been playing card games with someone called Magical Girl Ellie-chan?”
“Huh?”
Eve was stunned.
Did she install surveillance in my house?
Wait, can I get it removed?
Eve’s brain spun rapidly before landing on the only plausible explanation.
“You… wouldn’t happen to be Miri Dreamwell, would you?”
“Yes, my esteemed Mentor.”
Miri exhaled sharply and released her grip. The pistol in her right hand dissolved back into a Crystal pen, which she pocketed.
“Wait, seriously?!”
Eve’s mind short-circuited from the sheer volume of revelations.
As Eve struggled to process how to face her disciple from now on, Miri was also lost in thought.
So my Mentor… is just a kid?
“Mentor, I’m really curious—how did you even get a job? Has Celestial Corporation sunk so low they’re hiring child labor now?”
Eve’s brain, already on the verge of overheating, practically smoked at the question.
“Never mind. Mentor, you should leave now. I need to deal with the Calamity.”
Miri didn’t have time to chat about life with her Mentor. She’d already wasted too much time—questions could wait for later.
With that, she phased through the shelf beside Eve and continued sprinting in her original direction.
Watching Miri walk through walls, Eve stood dumbfounded for a long moment.
Should I run?
But wouldn’t it be bad to just leave her?
She’s a Magical Girl—what’s a useless person like me worrying for? I’d just be dead weight.
Even if I really am the strongest Calamity, I can’t even use my powers. Why should I care about others? I should focus on saving myself.
“Just run.”
Eve muttered the words to herself, then quickly jogged away.
As she fled, the mall’s previous song ended, and a new one began—a classical music box melody.
Für Elise.
The ethereal notes carried a hint of loneliness, even something oppressive.
It weighed on Eve’s chest, making it hard to breathe.
She turned to look at the empty mall. Everyone who could escape had already done so—only she remained, foolishly standing still.
“I don’t have much time left… Why can’t I just let go?”
Eve stared at her own shadow, vaguely feeling as though it was mocking her.
“Is running away really worth it?”
She felt like she was being torn apart. Just flee—it’s not like I have any responsibilities. This isn’t my fight.
So why do I want to go back? To play the hero?
Hero? That’s a joke. I’ve already thrown away all my dignity—what face do I have left?
“I… I just care about her safety!”
“If… if Ellie-chan dies, who’ll play cards with me? The stupid game’s already boring enough—if I lose my only friend, where else will I find happiness?!”
“If these are my last days, shouldn’t I go all out? After a lifetime of being meek, can’t I afford to go crazy just once?”
Fine. Let’s go crazy.
Eve turned around and marched back the way she had fled.
She took off her sunglasses and stuffed them into her pocket.
Raising her left hand, she stared at the ring on her finger.
“Promise me—be reliable this time, okay?”
“Your master’s about to do something stupid. You’re not just gonna sit back, are you?”
