Kiyono Inori lived on the seventh floor.
By the time Elysia Cat finished opening the door, taking the elevator, swiping the access card, and finally making her way downstairs, it was already 1:15 a.m.
The residential complex was quiet at this hour. A few scattered orange streetlights glowed faintly, and on the rain-soaked pavement, shallow dents had filled with tiny puddles.
"Meow?!"
The fresh scent of wet earth after the rain tickled Elysia Cat's nose, drawing out a pleased little purr.
She looked around, surveying her surroundings.
Kiyono Inori's apartment was in the city center, where the roads were tangled and complicated. Elysia Cat had expected the simple lines and distance markings on Inori's hand-drawn map to be hard to follow.
But it turned out not to be a problem at all.
Once she memorized the map and got downstairs, it was basically obvious at a glance which way she needed to go.
"So impressive. But I'm impressive too, meow. Looks like I can find the place even without the map this time, right?!"
It really stood out.
As the second-strongest warrior of Fire Moth, even after turning into a cat, Elysia still had extraordinary physical abilities and a sensitivity to unusual energy far beyond ordinary people. Or rather, an extraordinary cat.
The moment she stepped outside, she caught a strange scent riding on the wind. And the direction it came from lined up almost perfectly with the direction Inori had drawn on the map.
MIYA Cat Cafe.
A crossroads.
A supermarket, a convenience store.
A cram school.
…
Following that odd aura all the way, Elysia Cat finally stopped in front of a ten-story tutoring center.
"Oh my, oh my?!"
She sensed something off.
Sticky. Suffocating. An energy she really did not like. If she had to describe it, it felt like thick spiderwebs clogging up a sewer pipe.
"Hehe, is my first day as a cat really going to be about bravely saving a damsel in distress, meow? How embarrassing, meow," Elysia said, preening shamelessly.
A trap. Without a doubt, it was a trap.
This must be the trap Inori-chan mentioned, set by one of those monster executives. How awful. To scheme against an innocent girl like that. She definitely would not let this slide!
Elysia Cat formed a plan.
She would wait until 2:00 a.m. and secretly observe the fight between the magical girl and the monster executive. First, she needed to see how strong the people of this world really were.
If the magical girl had the upper hand, she would just watch. After all, she was only a cat, and she could not communicate with anyone except Kiyono Inori. Jumping in recklessly would probably cause trouble.
If the magical girl was at a disadvantage, she would quietly dismantle the barrier and provide some sneaky backup from the shadows.
"Oh my goodness. I'm a genius, meow!"
"Sigh. I really want to be friends with a magical girl, but I already have Inori-chan in this world. And Inori-chan is already adorable enough. Sorry, magical girl I haven't met yet."
Elysia Cat beamed to herself.
Hop, hop.
Agile and battle-hardened, Elysia Cat darted like a pink bolt of lightning to the perfect nearby vantage point for watching the clash between magical girl and monster executive.
Perched on the open-air balcony of some unknown apartment, she waited for the imminent showdown.
1:50 a.m.
It was coming!
Mist lingered in the air after the rain, and the breeze carried a chill. Elysia Cat carefully scanned the nearby streets, trying to spot a magical girl arriving at the battlefield before transforming.
That is how it always goes in anime, right?
Before transforming, they look completely ordinary. After transforming, they become dreamy, radiant girls. Of course, there are also the kind who just change outfits and that is it.
Anyway.
Since this was her first time seeing a magical girl in real life, Elysia Cat searched earnestly, brimming with anticipation.
2:00 a.m.
She waited eagerly, but neither the magical girl nor the monster executive appeared. Only that nauseating barrier continued to ooze its sewer-like stench.
2:10 a.m.
Same story.
2:20 a.m.
Same story.
2:30 a.m.
Still the same.
Elysia Cat was starting to lose her patience.
Elysia was an energetic, lively girl. Cats were also energetic, lively creatures. Put the two together, and Elysia Cat's patience was even worse than Elysia's in human form.
But she endured it.
After all, she had accidentally caused trouble for Inori-chan. At the very least, she had to bring back some information. She could not come all this way for nothing, right?
Elysia Cat paced around gloomily. She already wanted to go home and play on her phone, but she still did not leave.
2:45 a.m.
Elysia Cat was about to explode with frustration!
Either Inori-chan's prediction was wrong, or the magical girl and monster executive both stood her up. Either way, Elysia Cat did not want to care anymore!
Do you know how much emotional damage it does to an energetic Elysia Cat to get her hopes up, only to be left staring at rain-soaked buildings all night?
Under the blankets!
Five more minutes. If nothing happened, she would go home and dive straight under the covers, meow!
The pink cat, bored out of her mind, dashed back and forth across nearby rooftops, moving so fast that ordinary people could not even see her silhouette.
2:49 a.m.
Finally.
Just as Elysia Cat was about to leave, she saw something crawl out of a manhole in front of the tutoring center.
A rat, about one meter tall.
It had two huge buck teeth and wore a cloak even taller than itself, dragging on the ground. Ugly beyond words.
"Go back to your sewer, meow!"
Elysia Cat treated it like some kind of Honkai Beast rodent. She lifted a paw.
The disgusting barrier shattered instantly. Pink crystalline arrows appeared out of thin air, slamming the cloak-wearing rat straight back into the sewer as it looked around nervously.
3:00 a.m.
Elysia Cat returned to her temporary caretaker's home.
In her own eyes, she had returned empty-handed. Still, even without merit, there was effort, meow!
To reward herself just a little, Elysia Cat carefully slipped under the blanket of the sleeping beauty, without waking her.
Today's result: Elysia Cat's victory.
Which raised an obvious question.
Where were the magical girl and the monster executive who were supposed to fight and cause Tokyo's eighteenth gas explosion of the month?
…
The Magical Girl's Side
"Waaah… why did it turn out like this? Uika got injured during her performance, and my childhood friend Inori-chan came to Tokyo and instantly got a boyfriend. My feelings are such a mess. It really feels like my luck has been terrible lately."
The girl known as Magical Girl: Pure White rolled around on her bed, whining softly.
Her true identity was Mana Sumita, a member of the idol duo Sumimi, five-time consecutive champions of the national music competition and currently soaring in popularity.
She was also the only band girl with a direct connection to Kiyono Inori. The two had known each other since elementary school.
"Don't be discouraged, Pure White."
A cute little white creature appeared out of nowhere, gently comforting the donut-loving lady.
"The decisive battle with the monster executive is coming up. You can't be gloomy at a time like this. Uika will recover, and your childhood friend might not even have a boyfriend, you know?"
"Then what would it be if not a boyfriend?" the donut lady asked, poking her head out from under the blanket.
"Umm… maybe a girlfriend?" The white creature wagged its fluffy tail.
"Wow, that makes it even more complicated!"
Sumita Mana immediately dove back under the covers.
The white creature reminded her, "Then what about the challenge the monster executive sent us? If we don't show up, they're going to blow up the tutoring center!"
"I don't care anymore!"
The girl's voice came muffled from beneath the blanket. "Every time, it's the same. I can't protect anything! Tokyo's already had seventeen gas explosions this month. What's one more? Even if I go, they'll blow it up anyway. They never keep their promises!"
…
Floating in the air, the white creature looked at Sumita Mana under the covers and slowly revealed a sinister smile.
Heh. Heh. Heh.
A girl becomes a magical girl with the help of a fairy, defeats the monster executives trying to destroy the world. What a grand, stirring adventure.
And after everything ends, the girl returns to her normal life, while the fairy symbolizing magic disappears forever. That is how ninety percent of kids' magical girl shows end.
But is reality really like that?
…
The Monster Executives' Side
"The magical girl's pet has issued a challenge, demanding a decisive battle tomorrow, or they will blow up the tutoring center. How should we respond?"
The Monster Executive, Mr. Square, spoke with a grave expression.
"Boss, that Perla relies on the power of Magical Girl: Pure White and runs rampant. Tokyo has already been blown up seventeen times. Their morale is high. It even threatened to destroy all your affiliated businesses."
The monster executive Ratty spoke confidently.
"A decisive battle tomorrow would be perfect to crush their momentum! I have a plan. Boss, you only need to marshal our forces. Follow my strategy, set up an airtight net around the area, and Perla will surrender without a fight!"
"Oh?" Mr. Square said skeptically. "Magical Girl: Pure White is incredibly powerful. Can traps alone really defeat them?"
"Squeak, squeak. If you doubt it, Boss, just observe from the front lines tomorrow. Then you will see for yourself," Ratty said, wearing the confident look of a master strategist.
Monster Executive: Ratty
This monster executive known as Ratty was regarded as the top tactician in Tokyo's monster underworld, famous for meticulous planning.
His goal was to neutralize Magical Girl: Pure White and then eliminate the magical pet Perla. But in terms of raw strength, the monsters were clearly no match for a magical girl.
Still.
Strategy plus formation worked like this. Did not Sun Quan and Liu Bei defeat Cao Cao at Red Cliffs through the combined use of strategy and formations?
Defeating the strong with the weak was not impossible!
Ratty had already attempted many assassinations and strikes against magical pets, but Magical Girl: Pure White's stats were simply too high. She was the most difficult opponent yet.
Even so, after all this preparation, Ratty had devised a plan with a ninety-nine percent success rate.
As long as nothing unexpected happened.
After tonight, Magical Girl: Pure White would disappear, and magical pet Perla would be dealt with. Without magical girls, the monsters could indulge themselves freely once more!
Ratty had once run a video-sharing website.
Because of that, his style was extremely cautious.
Every plan had at least three versions: the main plan, a backup, and a backup for the backup.
A single plan would include righteous slogans, profit schemes, user engagement pacing, scripted controversies, and even projected user reactions A, B, and C.
"Might Go Bankrupt, But Will Never Lose Its Integrity" was one of his early works.
In short, his plans were airtight.
When designing the formation to capture magical pet Perla, he considered every possible factor. Mr. Square even mobilized seventy percent of Tokyo's monsters to assist.
And then.
"Why is Ratty back already?!"
"Oh no, help him! Someone help him!"
Chaos erupted in the sewers as the monsters rushed to surround Ratty, who had been shot through the chest with an arrow.
"Ugh…"
Ratty felt dizzy, his mind filling with scenes from his past. Running websites. Scamming money. Turning into a monster and fleeing to Tokyo to wreak havoc with everyone else.
All of it vividly clear.
Was this… his life flashing before his eyes?
"Mr. Square! Get Mr. Square!"
"Wasn't Ratty's plan supposed to be flawless? Check his one hundred and eight contingency manuals! Is there one that says 'got shot through the chest for no reason'?!"
"Where's the healer? Don't we have a healer in Tokyo's monster ranks?"
"No! They're all overseas!"
The sewer descended into utter chaos. In the end, the monsters ushered their leader, Mr. Square, to the scene.
"Ratty!"
"Mr. Square!"
For monsters, talking about friendship and bonds was a bit undignified. But with death looming, the opening exchange between Ratty and Mr. Square was classic enough.
"To be honest, I always thought I was the most despicable, cruel, and ruthless person in the world…"
Ratty clutched his chest, his voice faint.
"But I never imagined the magical girl's pet would be even more despicable, more cruel, and more ruthless than me. The new wave truly surpasses the old. I lose, completely convinced!"
Mr. Square sighed regretfully. "This is your final moment, Ratty. Let's talk about something worthwhile. Like your bank account passwords."
"Of course. But in exchange, Mr. Square, I want you to burn my computer hard drives, my phone browsing history, everything. Burn it all for me."
Ratty coughed up blood.
"And also…" He pointed to the one hundred and eight contingency manuals on the table. "These are my backup plans and backups for the backups. As the strategist, I will die here. The insidious magical pet will surely lower its guard. That is when these two plans will come into play!"
Mr. Square frowned.
Ratty's plans and formations were extremely detailed.
Too detailed.
If anyone other than Ratty executed them, even a few misunderstandings could cause the whole thing to collapse. And even with perfect understanding, situations like this still happened from time to time.
Namely.
The magical pet seemed to have used a scheme of turning the enemy's blade against them. It simply stood them up, causing all the plans and formations targeting Magical Girl: Pure White to fail to trigger.
Ratty saw the hesitation in the Monster Executive's eyes.
Summoning his last breath, he laughed.
"Hah! Hah! Hah! You don't need to worry, Mr. Square. After I die, a monster who has thoroughly studied my plans and formations will come to help you. This, too, is part of my strategy!"
"The rest is up to you. Take my one hundred and eight contingency manuals and show that despicable, cruel, ruthless magical pet the legacy of us monsters!"
This was his final burst of life.
After saying all this, Monster Executive Ratty tilted his head and ended his sinful life as a monster.
"Ratty! Ratty!"
The normally composed Mr. Square's pupils shook violently. He slapped Ratty's corpse twice. When there was no response, he let out a groundhog-like scream.
"Don't die! You bastard! Your damn bank password, you didn't say your bank password yet!!!"
…
I have completed the author to TL pipeline, 1 chapter per day. Advanced chapters available on patreon.
patreon.com/intraneer
Give power stones please I survive solely off of number go up.
Let me know if I got a name wrong. I know basically nothing about MyGO.