Near the checkout area.
Dark and gloomy, all the lights had now gone out.
The music box’s tune grew increasingly piercing.
Miri Dreamwell pushed through the frenzied, swarming crowd around her. Her bells were no longer effective, so she relied on her “Flowers in the Mirror, Moon on the Water” ability to forcibly phase through the bodies of the masses.
When Miri reached the center of the crowd, she saw that the once petite pink plush rabbit had now grown enormous.
Inside its body, the music box’s Für Elise reverberated loudly.
Its arms stretched out countless vines, piercing through the hands of those who reached out to touch it.
The moment the victims made contact, thorn-covered vines burrowed into their bodies, rapidly draining their blood until only blissful-looking dried husks remained.
Miri pulled out her crystal pen and swiftly drew a crude longsword in midair.
She hurled the blade at the plush rabbit’s arms, but the flimsy weapon barely did any damage—only managing to sever a single vine before becoming useless.
At that moment, the doll, still feeding on the surrounding people’s blood, noticed her.
Its button eyes gleamed with an inexplicable expression, as though her attack was something utterly abnormal.
The plush rabbit then severed all the vines connected to the people, stood up, and looked down at the girl below.
“Welcome to Happy Land~”
The music box tune inside the doll’s body stopped, replaced by a nonsensical phrase.
“Welcome to Happy Land~”
“Welcome to Happy Land~”
…
The same words played over and over. The surrounding crowd, following the chant, began committing a series of suicidal acts, dying right before Miri’s eyes.
And at this moment, Miri hadn’t yet painted her next illusionary image with magic.
For a brief second, she envied those who could unleash attacks with just a casual flick of the wrist.
But her faith as a Magical Girl quickly dispelled such thoughts.
I will defeat you. Today. Right here!
Miri drew a flashlight, then conjured a small mirror shard from her hand, crushing and scattering it into the air.
[Dream Refraction]
She turned on the flashlight, directing its beam at the scattered mirror fragments.
Instantly, the light refracted through the shards, flooding every corner of the checkout area.
By the time the plush rabbit adjusted to the magical light, it looked around to find countless Miri Dreamwells surrounding it, each poised to attack from different angles.
Without thinking, the doll instinctively spun, its massive arms smashing through every illusory Miri—each one reverting into glass shards upon impact.
Including the real Miri.
“Cough—!” The hammer-like force sent her flying several meters.
Miri struggled to stand up from the shelves, her legs trembling, completely drained of strength.
But she didn’t despair. Miri knew her objective had been achieved.
“End this.”
She pressed the detonator she had just drawn.
In the next instant, the magical bomb she had planted on the back of the doll’s neck exploded, blowing its head clean off.
“S-succeed…” Before she could even finish her cheer, her relief vanished.
The headless plush rabbit continued rampaging. The blood gushing from its severed neck was quickly absorbed by the vines on its body, fueling its movements.
Miscalculation. The plush rabbit wasn’t the true body at all!
“So… still… not enough?”
Miri clutched her aching body. She had no strength left to fight.
“Stop right there!”
A sweet, childish voice cut through Miri’s thoughts. Before she could react, flames erupted around her.
Eve Nightburn tossed aside the lighter she had grabbed from the shelves, ignoring the corpses she had set ablaze, and sprinted straight toward Miri.
She grabbed Miri’s hand, not caring if it hurt, and dragged her away in a desperate escape.
“Mentor?” Miri didn’t understand. Hadn’t Eve already run away?
“You didn’t leave?”
“If my disciple didn’t run, why would I?!”
“I told you—if you can’t win, run! Now look at you!”
Eve ran wildly with Miri in tow, trying to escape the inferno she had ignited.
Even so, she couldn’t help but spew sarcastic remarks, as if to remind herself she was still alive.
But when they reached the stairwell’s corner, Eve realized the path ahead was blocked by flames.
Slap!
She smacked herself hard.
“Well, I really screwed myself this time…”
“Cough—!”
Hearing Miri’s cough, Eve quickly tore off her own mask and put it on her.
“This should block some of the smoke, right?”
“Welcome to Happy Land~”
“Welcome to Happy Land~”
The plush rabbit’s voice echoed from behind—mechanical and cheerful, like some sadistic children’s show host.
The rustling of vines dragging across the floor and the clicking of metal joints signaled its approach.
Eve turned to see the giant plush rabbit slowly advancing through the flames.
In her eyes, it no longer resembled a rabbit—just a monstrous tangle of machinery and vines.
“No time left.”
Miri was now too weak to move. While the doll was to blame, Eve’s arson had also contributed—smoke was something the human body couldn’t endure.
“I’ll carry you.”
Eve tried to lift Miri, but given her own size, it was less of a piggyback and more of a desperate drag.
Straining under the weight, she forced herself forward step by step.
“Mentor…” Miri fought against the carbon monoxide-induced drowsiness. “Leave me… just go…”
“No way!”
Eve refused to let Miri give up.
“Forget about me… you can still… escape alone…”
Eve froze.
She suddenly realized—she was still running away.
The only difference was that this time, she had brought Miri along.
But what did that change?
Running was running.
She wasn’t a hero, not a Magical Girl, not even a proper adult.
She was just a victim of fate—some unlucky fool who’d been turned into a Loli after being forced to wear a ring.
If she couldn’t even save herself, what made her think she could save anyone else?
“I…”
Her throat tightened.
“What kind of mentor abandons her disciple?!”
Eve’s voice erupted in a scream—illogical, but it was the only reason she held onto.
Pathetic, right? But Eve Nightburn was determined to be that fool.
“But… if you leave me… at least one of us… can survive, right?”
“Don’t be ridiculous!”
“I’m already on borrowed time! Even if I don’t die today, I’ll be gone soon anyway! But you—if you live, you still have a future! The Divine Continent needs you, not me!”
“Today, you’re going back with me to play cards—alive!”
“Mentor… thank you… for coming back for me.”
Tears welled up in Eve’s eyes.
“Thank me my ass!!”
“I didn’t come back to hear that kinda crap! Got it?!”
