/
Chapter 30
Chapter 1 — Blow all of heaven and earth to smithereens! • Episode 1-Leisure • One T-shirt
Translated by KaiesV
Edited by KaiesV
The sunlight streaming in through the slightly opened curtains created a small sunshade in my room, which had been cooled by the air conditioner.
As I stepped into the sun, I suddenly had a thought.
「I would love to try the cold sweets.」
「Just eat it–ran. Order from your favorite delivery service and it’ll be on its way in no time–ran.」
Jack, who was operating the magiphone while floating around the room, answers messily.
Oh dear, this is why this pumpkin is no good. He doesn’t understand anything.
「It’s no use eating it in such a well-cooled room. Can’t you even understand that?」
「Then just turn off the air conditioner–ran. It’s bad for you if it’s on all day–ran.」
「Then the room will get hot. And even cooling it down again takes time, you know? Please think a little bit before you speak up.」
「What a hassle–ran. What is Ryōichi’s point in the end–ran?」
Jack speaks in a cumbersome manner without even looking at me.
I didn’t talk to Jack in the first place, so if he don’t like it, he can leave.
「It means going to a convenience store. Big Start is a step or two behind the major convenience store chains, but it is said that its cold sweets are unrivaled. Fortunately, it is only a five-minute walk from here. By the time I get there, the heat will be completely gone.」
「It’s amazing to have Ryoichi, who has been reluctant to leave the house, decide to go out–ran. I have something to do, so I’ll wait here–ran.」
「Please do as you please. The moment I think of it, it’s a lucky day. I’ll be there as soon as I can.」
I have a habit of thinking about what I’m going to do before I go out, and then the sun goes down before I know it and I give up. So if I don’t go out as soon as I think of it, I will miss the timing.
I grab my wallet and magiphone and open the front door.
I heard Jack’s voice from behind me, but it was drowned out by the sound of the front door opening and closing, so I couldn’t hear him very well.
Well, it was probably no big deal. I decided to leave the house without paying any attention to it.
「Oh, Ryōichi, did you go there dressed like that–ran? …Well, she’ll notice it and come back soon–ran.」
•
Come to think of it, I completely forgot that today is the first time I’ve been out since becoming a Magical Girl.
Well, technically, it may not be the first time, as I’ve had opportunities to go outside to take out the trash or check the mail, but it’s the first time I’ve gone out properly.
Being made into the body of such a small girl, and even more so, a Magical Girl, has been troubling but also helpful and useful. It can be a service that can be used in a magiphone, or a reward for defeating a Diest, or many other things, but one of them is recognition inhibition.
People living in this real world are under the spell of cognitive inhibition and cannot accurately perceive Magical Girls and mysterious things related to them. Even if there is a Magical Girl in town, they can’t recognize her in the first place, and I don’t think it’s wacky to see a girl with such flashy hair color.
One of the reasons I used to dislike going out was that I had to go through all sorts of tedious procedures to get dressed and groomed, but it is no exaggeration to say that this major obstacle has been removed by cognitive inhibition.
People can’t recognize anything strange about me as a Magical Girl. No one thinks I’m crazy when I walk around in a men’s T-shirt, which I use as loungewear, and which now covers me up to the knees. My hair is shaggy and has some kinks in it, but I don’t even have to fix it. Oh, how easy it is.
If there is a problem, it is that I have to hold my wallet and magiphone in my hand because I am wearing only a T-shirt and no trousers. However, it is far better than the hassle of having to change clothes every time.
Ahh, still, it is hot.
I left the house in a sudden mood for cold sweets, but I am already beginning to regret it. Why am I walking around in this damn heat?
I was sick of the heat, but I kept walking, and when I reached the main street, I suddenly felt eyes on me. I was being watched. I feel glances or stares from the people around me, rather than from anyone in particular.
Why is that? It’s not that I’m not recognizable because I’m not transformed, but they should still be able to feel no discomfort due to recognition inhibition.
I don’t know why, but I feel somewhat eerie and quicken my steps. Shit, was it this far? Maybe my stride is smaller and I feel further away than usual.
I was starting to get annoyed at the fact that I was attracting more attention than I had expected, and that my steps were taking longer than I had expected, and the heat was also making me lose the energy to look straight ahead.
「Ojou-san, where’s your school?」
「Hiek!」
Standing in the way blocking my way was a man in his 30s or so, dressed in a blue uniform. He was a policeman.
Eh, what? School? What are you talking about? I didn’t do anything wrong.
「Besides, it’s not safe to go out dressed like that. Isn’t your mother or father with you?」
A police man crouches down to make eye contact with me and speaks to me with a gentle smile on his face.
In hindsight, I’m sure he was being considerate, but in my panic, I didn’t know that.
「Hmm, this is troubling. I hope I didn’t scare you.」
The policeman looked away for a moment, and I started to run back the way I came.
It wasn’t that I was looking for an opportunity to take advantage of a gap, but I did so when I came to my senses. It was unconscious.
「Waaaahhhh!!」
I would like to think that I was unconscious of the pathetic screams in the sweet voice of a young girl.
Why? Did he think I’m wacky dressed like this? Or, did he ask me about school because it’s the middle of the day on a weekday now?
Was there no cognitive inhibition at work? No, it shouldn’t be. The fact that he has not mentioned this flashy hair color or eye color at all, let alone looked at me strangely, shows that he is definitely suffering from cognitive inhibition.
If so, why? Did he think I was crazy for not going to school and just hanging out and wearing a T-shirt?
「Ah, wait! Stay still there!」
A police man rushes out a beat late.
If I had continued to play tag as usual, I would definitely be caught.
I quickly turned a different corner from the way I came and transformed.
「Blow all of heaven and earth to smithereens!」
A wild wind engulfs me, and in an instant the transformation is complete, and the police officer scurries around and tilts his head curiously, as if he has lost sight of me.
I guess it’s not like there isn’t some cognitive inhibition at work after all…
I was looking forward to the cold sweets, but let’s just leave here for now.
I shouldn’t cross any dangerous bridges.
•
「Please tell me those things first!!」
「Ryōichi just misunderstood on his own–ran. Even if they didn’t recognize you in the first place, it’s wrong to go out dressed like that–ran.」
After returning home safely and releasing the transformation, I told Jack what had just happened, to which he replied, “Of course I did,” as if it were a matter of course.
The inhibition of recognition is only about Magical Girls, and it is magic to camouflage what is not common, which could be, for example, the very existence of Magical Girls or their hair color, which is not common in Japan.
On the other hand, a girl of about 10 years old hanging out in the middle of the day on a weekday without going to school is strange, regardless of the fact that she is a Magical Girl, and moreover, the fact that she is dressed in an extremely indecent manner is strange, regardless of the fact that she is a Magical Girl. And to be more precise, the girl’s dress is also ridiculous.
「I’ve been out there like that a few times now, so you could at least warn me!」
「If you just want to take out the trash in the middle of the night, there is nothing wrong with that outfit. I wouldn’t normally think of trying to go out in the middle of the night.」
「Guh, gununuu～」
That’s what I meant when I said “gulp.”
I can at least understand that I’d be crazy to go out dressed like that, as long as I value the hassle of having to dress up when I go out in the first place.
But if I don’t recognize me, I think it’s okay!!
From then on, my reluctance to leave the house accelerated.