Chapter 16 – Episode 16 Lost Prelude

“What is that… That can’t be possible. I was going home normally and met the mascot…”

“If she is resurrected as a magical girl after her death, the events related to her death will [Change the world] As if they had never happened, so it is natural that she will have no memory of it.

But once she realizes that she died once, she can glimpse fragments of her memories before [Her transformation]. I decided it would be better to find out in front of everyone.”

Gina says that and continues.

“I was hit by a speeding dump truck while crossing the crosswalk.”

“… !!”

“I don’t know if I was drowsy driving or if I was taking drugs. However, the lower part of my leg was tragically crushed. Both of her feet were crushed to the point where there were no traces. She died on the spot from excessive bleeding without any help. “This is the past that was my death.”

“That…”

Umi is taken aback when she sees Gina confessing so calmly.

“For me. She had a boyfriend whom she loved very much. Maybe I was more depressed that day than usual, or maybe the baseball game didn’t go well. Hmm,~ These days they call it dating violence or something like that. Her fingers were broken, and her wrists were broken as she tried to stop herself from being beaten hard with the metal bat… Well, then she died. I’m so sad.  I should have made him feel better somehow.”

Su-ah tells a scary story. Have you been gaslighted? Her blind love for her boyfriend is reflected here and there as she explains the circumstances of her death.

“I met up with people who were in the mystery novel club in college for the first time in a while and went on a trip~. It became a closed circle, like something out of a mystery novel~ Corpses with severed heads started to appear one by one… In the meantime, I also became a victim. As a mystery novel writer, I think it’s an impressive death, but… Since the whole incident has already become nothing, it is a bit unfortunate that the truth cannot be uncovered.”

Ara explains her death in a leisurely manner. Umi’s head becomes dizzy.

“Everyone … Well then…”

Umi looks at the mascot floating next to everyone.

Next to Gina, a magical girl mascot shaped like a human foot floats.

Next to Su-a, a magical girl mascot shaped like a human hand floats.

Next to Ara, a magical girl mascot shaped like a human eye floats.

… A magical girl mascot in the shape of a human womb floats next to her.

“… At this point, you know it too. What kind of death do we imagine? That’s probably-“

“Let’s leave it at that. “If it gets to this point, you’ll probably remember yourself.”

Gina stops Ara from speaking. From Umi’s eyes, a thick tears falls.

“Ah… ! Ahhh… !”

Pieces of a world that had been completely erased and reconstructed and disappeared flow into her head.

Dark street. She is returning home after finishing her part-time job.

Someone is approaching. He snatches the bag and exposes a sharp knife to her neck.

Woomi, taken aback by the sudden situation, raises her eyes. It looks like a kitten, trembling in fear.

The man smiles faintly and hurriedly takes off Umi’s clothes.

And-

The world blinks.

A terrible memory.

She opens her eyes. She thinks that even in this absurd death, she somehow wants to live.

She wanted to live a normal but unremarkable life, she thought. She lives a simple life that she doesn’t want to be noticed by anyone.

But she may have thought about it in the last moments of her life.

Even if my sense of self-value collapses to the point of being distorted and people notice me.

I want to live.

Along with the strange sensation of her body floating, a warm light enters her body.

When I come to my senses, Woomi is standing in a dark alley where the incident did not occur.

The memory of the shocking event is no longer in my head.

In front of Umi walking, something appears under the headlights.

That-

“Make a contract with me and become a magical girl!”

-This memory… !

“Ahhhhh… ! Ugh… !”

One Sangaumi had hot tears flowing from her eyes. I pass by her and squat down next to her and wipe away her tears.

“It’s okay to cry if you’re tired.”

“Aaaaa! Hmmmm!!!”

In her arms, Umi cries more sorrowfully than ever.

This world has already been distorted to the point where we can’t even remember that something like that happened.

For my past self who has already died lonely, and for the miserable truth that no one knows anymore.

At least one person, at least one person in this world.

I need someone to cry to.

Umi’s eyes widen, and she sniffles her nose. Even while drinking coffee, she can’t stop crying.

“It must be a big shock. “

Gina sits next to her and rubs Umi’s back. Umi’s heart is gently eased by the gentle touch.

“Well, Gina, you were no joke when you first came here and cried. This is a bit calmer than I thought. What”

At her words, Gina’s face turns red, and she glares at her. She sips and drinks her coffee as if Ara doesn’t care. Umi tries to imagine her cool and sweet self crying sadly, but she can’t picture her well.

“What. This should be enough for you to understand. “Why did the mascots tell us endlessly that it was fate that made us magical girls?”

Su-ah says while stirring the coffee grounds after drinking with a teaspoon. Is it even a coffee shop?

Umi understands while drinking her coffee with tears in her eyes.

The powerful destiny that mascots talk about is linked to themselves and specific body parts.

It refers to the cruel fate of people who lost their parts and died, but were brought back to life by the heartstone.

“Anyway, the reason we can talk, drink coffee, and do magical girl activities here and now is because we were able to get a second life. I’m really grateful for that part. Even if I don’t have a boyfriend, I’m determined to live my life to the best of my ability.”

Suah stirs the teaspoon frantically. The coffee grounds are already a mess.

“Then, the moment Terus came to me and suggested becoming a magical girl…”

“I was like a magical girl.”

Ara answers. But there was something Umi couldn’t understand.

“If she had become a magical girl anyway, why did she need to sign an inconvenient contract or anything…? ?”

“She signed a contract and everything, she did it anyway because it was a necessary process. The story related to that will probably be longer than it is now~. I’m hungry, so should we go get something to eat, everyone? Now, whose turn is it to shoot? ? Is it Su-ah’s side?”

“Sorry… The income this time is a bit bad, so this time…”

“Then, since we have a new recruit this time, I, the leader, will shoot. Instead, I have no objection to going to the Sundae Gukbap restaurant I always go to. “

“Tch.”

Suah clicks her tongue

Under Ara’s leadership, everyone stands up. The memories that came to mind, such as sadness, are fading away. Is this the effect of [World change]? Umi calms down and follows them.

—————

“Auntie~ Here, please give me four bowls of sundae soup~.”

“Yes~. “There’s one more cute girl I haven’t seen before.”

“Haha… Thank you…”

Umi laughs awkwardly. Su-ah skillfully distributes the cutlery and gives Gina her wet wipes.

Perhaps because it is lunchtime, there are a lot of people. At this level, other people will not be aware of the four people’s conversation unless they intentionally listen.

“Auntie~ A bottle of red stuff.”

“No, do you want to have lunch?”

Gina is surprised and asks Ara, but she just smiles.

“It’s okay~ It’s not even kids. And talking like this definitely requires some alcohol.”

Ara distributes her drink. Umi hesitantly accepts the hand. I’m a bit scared of alcohol because it’s a bit weak.

“Okay~ Where should I start talking?”

“That… The contracts and everything were all done out of necessity…”

“Okay. In fact, we already became [Magical girls] When we met the mascot. But why was it necessary for the mascots to go through a series of processes by giving us the name [Contract]? It’s because of this.”

As Ara says that, she takes something out of her hand. No, is it the right expression to take it out? It was suddenly in her hand.

Card.

Suddenly something magical girl-like appeared.

“This… ?!”

“It’s called [Mission Card]. “Once we become magical girls, there are three things we need to do.”

Hmm, Ara continues her words.

“First things first. [Extermination of monsters]. Eliminate monsters from beyond the dimension. The mascots don’t know the identity of these guys, and we don’t know either. They just suddenly appear and attack people. I know that much.

Second [Protection of Human Life] This is connected to the extermination of monsters mentioned in the first, but they have the potential to instinctively attack people. So we protect people from these guys. Well, it’s like a mission that any hero with power must do.”

While speaking, soju comes out first. When Ara receives the soju, she spins it and taps the bottom of the bottle with her elbow, creating a whirlwind inside her.

“Why would you do something like that…”

Gina frowns.

“This time, it’s something I can’t listen to without drinking. First, everyone gets a drink~”

Ara opens her bottle of alcohol and offers it to Umi. Gulp, clear liquid fills the soju glass.

After filling everyone with a drink, Ara takes her drink.

“Then, congratulations on the arrival of a new member to the magical girl group~ Cheers!”

“Cheers… Yes.”

“Cheers.”

“Cheers…”

Braided. A clear sound resonates inside the Sundae Gukbap restaurant.

Umi drinks soju in one breath. Write.

“Kyaaaaa~ This is it!”

“You sound quite like an old man. It’s good for Umi to get used to it too. “Ara is strangely like an old man in many ways.”

“Before you get drunk, count how many drinks you have. “

Gina seems to be already familiar with Lee Sang-hwang and moves her bottle towards him.

“… So what is the third?”

Umi asks her carefully.

“Third. What appears here is the [Mission Card].”

Ara then handed the mission card in her hand to Umi.

It’s a design that’s less special than you might think. It’s a far cry from the pretty and flashy designed cards in [Card Captor Cherry], With letters printed on the front and back and strange patterns on them. A so-so card.

“… ?”

The previous chapter contains the following text:

[Magical Girl Contract]

Mission: Verify that you are a magical girl through iris recognition.

When we turn the card over, the following is written on the back page.

[Reward: Magical Girl Transformation Form]

“… “This is.”

“Okay. This is-“

Ara says with a red face.

“We, the magical girl, must carry out the contents written on the [Mission Card] In order to develop our abilities and learn various magic and skills to fight monsters.”