Chapter 08 – Searching for the Fifth Magical Girl

After my parents arrived, I saw they had brought cooked food—noodles with meat. They also brought some wine for themselves, which didn’t really matter to me, but I enjoyed the noodles.
When I finished, I told my mom I had things to do upstairs. She nodded and said it was fine, so I went up to think about everything we’d be doing tomorrow.

In my mind, I kept wondering about this Fifth Magical Girl. Who could she be? What would she look like? Would she help us in our battle against the Demon Queen? I would only know for sure when we finally faced the Demon Queen and her army. For now, I tried to focus on the first step, so things wouldn’t get too overwhelming. I hoped everything would go well when the day finally came to end this war between Humans and Demons. Deep down, I knew that day wouldn’t come anytime soon. For now, I just went to sleep, trying to rest.

The next day, I went to meet Akane, Mizu, and Mizuki to search for the fifth member of the team. Mizu said she had heard that this girl’s name was Kori. She was around thirteen years old, with white hair streaked with a single black line, tanned skin, slightly taller than average, wearing a blue dress with matching stockings and black heels. She was often seen between the far north of the city and the forest leading to the snowy mountains. She helped the elderly, children, and women, and also protected the area from mid-rank demons. Rumor had it she could defeat up to three mid-rank demons alone, but if more appeared—or if a high-rank demon showed up—she would need help.

Akane suggested we start looking for her in those areas. We split into two groups: Mizu and Mizuki went to the northern part of the city, while Akane and I headed toward the forest. On the way, Akane asked me,
—Taiyaki, are you feeling okay?

I told her I was fine and not to worry. I hadn’t realized she might have sensed my unease from what Miku had shown me the previous night about my old world. I tried to reassure her,
—It’s okay, Akane. I’m just a little nervous about this search. I don’t know if Kori will agree to join our group or not.

She told me everything would be fine, that we’d manage to convince Kori to join us, and then all five of us could fight together against the demons and the Demon Queen.

After searching for a while, we came across an elderly woman who was part of the royal guard. We asked if she knew anything about Kori’s whereabouts. She said that Kori had helped her about two hours ago and then went into the city for supplies before heading to the mountains. We figured Mizu and Mizuki might have a slightly better chance of finding her, but to be sure, Akane and I went north as well.

While walking through a street full of shops, we spotted a girl sitting and drinking tea. Looking closely—white hair with a black streak, tanned skin, slightly tall, blue dress, blue stockings, black heels—she matched the description perfectly.

We approached her.
—Excuse me, are you the Magical Girl named Kori? I asked.
—Ahem… yes, I am Kori. Why do you ask? she replied.

Akane spoke up,
—We’ve been looking for you. We’re part of a group of Magical Girls from the Guild, and we’d like to invite you to join our team. We’re missing one member. Would you be willing to join us?

She thought for a moment before answering,
—I’m not in a team yet, and I do need one to raise my Magical Girl rank. I don’t see a problem with it, so… yes, I’ll join your team. But where are the other two members?

I told her they were nearby, also searching for her, and suggested we go find them. She nodded, and the three of us set off. As we walked, she asked why we wanted to be Magical Girls.

Akane said,
—I need the money to help my family. They’re in a difficult situation.

I said,
—I have a personal mission to defeat the Demon Queen and save this world from her tyrannical army.

Akane and Kori looked surprised. Normally, Magical Girls joined to serve in the Human Army and help the King against demon threats, but none had yet faced the Demon Queen herself.

Before I could explain more, we ran into Mizu and Mizuki.
—Taiyaki, Akane, you actually found the Magical Girl we were looking for, Mizu said.
—You had better luck than we did, Mizuki added. But I guess we should introduce ourselves properly.

We all introduced ourselves to Kori, and by then it was already midday. We decided to have lunch together while discussing strategies to defeat the Demon Queen. Kori mentioned knowing one of the best restaurants in town, with discounts for Magical Girls, so we followed her.

Five minutes later, we arrived at a cabin-style building that looked like an Old West tavern but with modern touches like electric lights and bathrooms. Inside, we were greeted by a tanned waiter with a Mexican-style mustache, wearing a tuxedo and a cowboy hat.

—Welcome, charming ladies. It’s a pleasure to have such lovely guests here. What can I get for you? he said.
Mizu asked for the menu, which he handed over politely.

After looking it over, we ordered salad with Neapolitan-style Fire Dragon Milanesa and cold lemonade. While we waited, we discussed possible tactics.

Mizu said,
—My father heard the Demon Queen has been moving her forces in recent weeks for a large-scale attack.

Akane frowned,
—That’s bad… Do you think she might try to wipe out all humans? Or all Magical Girls?

The tension rose at the table.

Mizuki added,
—The King and Queen have already mobilized the Royal Guard, the Royal Knights, and the Magical Girls to prepare for maximum resistance.

Kori, calm but serious, suggested,
—I might have an idea. It’s risky, but if we combine our attacks at the same time, we might do enough damage to finally kill her and bring peace to this world.

I said,
—What if we create some kind of Elemental Fusion? We could merge our powers into a Mega Super Elemental Magic Attack. If we can pull it off, we might just beat her.

The others fell silent, thinking it over, until Kori replied,
—Interesting idea, Taiyaki. It might work, but I’m not sure. We should talk to the Magical Girls’ leader first to see if it’s possible. She’s busy until next week, though, so we’ll have to wait.

We agreed to present our plan to her next week.

Just then, the waiter arrived with our food, wishing us well and telling us the meal was “made by the Sacred Goddess.” The first bite was incredible—flavors so rich it felt magical, and the lemonade was perfectly cold and sweet. Every sip and every bite made time seem to pass faster.

After paying, we spent the afternoon exploring the city—shops, parks, even the mall. Two hours later, we parted ways, agreeing to meet tomorrow at 2 PM after classes for training.

When I returned home, my parents weren’t back yet. On the table was a note: “Taiyaki, we went out with some friends. We’ll be back at 2 AM. I left dinner for you to heat up. Love, Mom.”

I set the note back down and decided to continue researching more about this world. I went to my room to read, and there I ran into Miku again.