Chapter 03 – The Magical Girls’ Guild

We set off toward the guild. As we walked, I asked the cat how many magical girls were there. She told me there were only 100, counting me and my friend Cleer.

Then I asked if all of them had a different element than mine. She explained that there are only seven elements: Dark Magic, Fire, Water, Wind, Light, Lightning, and Earth.

The advantage system works like this:

Water beats Fire.

Fire beats Wind.

Wind beats Earth.

Earth beats Lightning.

Lightning beats Light.

Light beats Dark Magic.

Dark Magic beats Water.

I asked her,
—And what element is Mizu?

Miku replied,
—Mizu is a Light element, which means she’s your counter.

I was surprised, but also excited to see what kind of team the two of us could make, along with other magical girls. So I asked,
—How many members does each magical girl team have?

She told me five, and that I should choose my teammates carefully to fight the demons.
I replied that with Mizu we already had two members, so we still needed three more.
—But who could they be? —I asked.

Miku answered,
—You’ll find out when we get there. We’re three blocks away from the guild. Once we arrive, we have to go to the recruitment center, talk to the receptionist, and apply to form a group. She’ll take your stats to determine your rank.

I thought my rank wouldn’t be too high, since I was still a rookie, but I honestly had no idea what it would be.

Just one block away from the guild, I saw a magical girl shop and asked Miku if that shop could help us with our mission. She replied,
—Of course, but let’s get to the guild first.

When we arrived, I saw two guards at the entrance: tall, muscular women with tan skin and short tomboy-style hair. They looked at us, and one of them said,
—Miku, is she a new magical girl?

Miku answered yes, and the woman added,
—Alright, rookie, tell us your full name.

—Taiyaki Rose Tsuitachi —I replied.

—Alright, Taiyaki. You may enter, and welcome to the Magical Girls’ Guild.

Upon entering, I saw that the guild was huge. It had three sections: a dining hall, a place full of books, and the recruitment center, where the receptionist was waiting to process my entry into the guild.

When I arrived, she introduced herself:
—Welcome to the Magical Girls’ Guild. Since I know you’re one of us, please tell me your name, age, and elemental type.

I gave her all my details. She then said,
—Alright, place your hand on this scale, and we’ll see your stats and rank.

I placed my hand on the scale. A purple light appeared, and then the letter “A” showed up. She exclaimed,
—Amazing! You’re an A-rank magical girl. Your stats are:

Attack: 80

Defense: 50

Intelligence: 100

Speed: 70

Resistance: 50

Stamina: 40

Rank: A
Elemental type: Dark Magic
Attack type: Weapons, magic attacks, and Energy Blast.

The receptionist said,
—Alright, that’s everything. You’re officially qualified to be a magical girl. Here’s your membership card, courtesy of the guild.

When I took it, the card disappeared from my hand. I asked her what happened, and she replied,
—That’s normal. It’s so you don’t lose it or get it stolen. This way, it stays safe. There are many criminals who try to steal these cards to sell them on the black market. Now, try to find your teammates—I’ve got work to do.

I thanked her and asked for her name.
—My name is Mizuki Ayano. Nice to meet you, Taiyaki Rose. Enjoy your time as a magical girl.

I thanked her again and went to look for Mizu so we could be part of the same team. I searched all over the guild for her.

At one point, I stopped to grab something to eat and headed to the dining hall to fill my stomach. After that fight with the demon, I was starving, and considering my stamina, it wasn’t surprising that I’d gotten so tired—after all, I had no experience as a magical girl.

When I arrived, I asked the cook if I had to pay for the meal and with what currency—whether it was money from this world or some special coin.

She laughed and said,
“Young lady, you’re quite funny. Magical girls from this guild eat for free if they defeat a demon. Since I can see you’ve taken one down, I’ll give you a free meal. So, tell me—what will it be?”

I asked for meat with potatoes and a glass of water.

She replied,
“Here you go, dear. Enjoy.”

I sat at a table where no one else was since I didn’t know anyone yet. When I began to eat, the food was absolutely delicious—just like the meals my mother used to make for me in my other world, back when I was a boy. I still remember how she would prepare all kinds of dishes for me.

I can’t help but wonder how my family and friends reacted when they learned I had died, just like Cleer. I hope that, even if they cried a lot, they’ve been able to go on with their lives, thinking that I’m watching over them from heaven. And honestly, I still miss them, even though I’ve already built a relationship with my new parents. But that’s not something we get to choose—everyone is given a family, and we don’t pick them when we’re born. Still, we can find family in the people we feel we understand and get along with.

Once I finished eating, I took my plate and utensils to the place where they were meant to be left so the cook could wash them. I left everything there and went to put up a notice, but when I arrived, I couldn’t believe my eyes. I saw Mizu with three other girls. After twelve long years since we had first arrived in the goddess’s world, in that garden, I had finally found her.