Chapter 26: The Traitor Appears

I returned to Mizu, Akane, Mizuki, and Kori, trying to put on a smile that would show everything was fine. However, as soon as they saw me, they began speaking:

— Taiyaki, it seems like something happened. Are you okay? Do you have a problem?
— Yes, when you came back, you seemed very thoughtful, like something was bothering you. Can you tell us what’s wrong?
— If it’s serious, tell us. We’re friends and we’re here to support you.
— Please, trust us.

I stayed silent. One of them was lying… one of them would betray us. But who? All of them showed three red hearts in their auras, which made it difficult to spot the impostor. I couldn’t afford a mistake: one wrong word could ruin everything.

Then an idea came to me to unmask the culprit.

— Hey, do you know why you like being Magical Girls?

There was a brief moment of silence. Everyone seemed to hesitate, but Kori’s reaction was different. Her eyes hardened, and a look of annoyance crossed her face. I understood immediately: she was the traitor.

A chill ran down my spine. I remembered the times Kori had acted strangely, even at the guild. That suspicion, now confirmed, weighed heavily on my chest. What did she really want? What was she seeking alongside the Demon Queen? What secrets was she hiding?

Kori, noticing my gaze, quickly changed her expression and with a fake smile said:

— That doesn’t matter now. Let’s enjoy the party, shall we? Tonight is for fun.
— She’s right —said Akane—. Let’s not think about strange things.
— Yes, let’s just have a good time.
— I’m going to get something to drink. I’ll be right back —added Kori, standing up with obvious irritation.

I followed her with my eyes. That attitude confirmed my suspicions. I decided to act quickly and took Mizu aside, under the pretext of going to the bathroom together.

— Taiyaki, what’s going on? —she asked, intrigued.

Making sure no one else could hear, I told her everything.

— Mizu, you noticed it too, right? There’s something off about Kori.
— Yes… from the very first day we met her, I felt a dark energy in her. But tell me, how did you figure it out? You’re of Darkness, and it’s usually hard to detect that.
— An angel appeared to me. The first time was during our mission against the Demon Ogre Chief, and the second today while I was bathing. It warned me that there was a traitor among us. It didn’t tell me the name, because if it did, it would have put me at great risk. At first, I feared it was you, but a spell confirmed it was Kori. And now… I’ve seen it with my own eyes.
— Then we weren’t wrong —murmured Mizu—. But how will we unmask her? We can’t accuse her without proof, especially in front of the guild.

We remained silent for a moment. Then an idea struck me.

— I’ll write an anonymous letter. I’ll inform the guild leaders that there’s a traitor.

Before we could continue, a piercing scream echoed through the hall.

— No, please, nooooo!

A sharp thud followed.

We ran outside and found chaos. A woman had been murdered. Her body lay on the ground, and no one knew who was responsible.

We returned to Akane and Mizuki, but Kori’s companion had disappeared.

— Where are Kori and her guy? —I asked.
— We don’t know. We only heard that a woman was killed, and they’re looking for the culprit —Akane replied.

Soon after, Kori appeared with her companion. Her dress was stained with wine, though something in her expression revealed discomfort.

— Sorry for being late —she said, annoyed—. If no one had played with the wine, none of this would have happened.
— I told you I wanted to drink with you, bitch —grunted her companion.
— Your mother’s a bitch! —Kori replied furiously—. I don’t know why I even looked at you.
— For my pretty face, hehe.
— Say one more word, and I’ll kill you, bastard.

Everyone fell silent. The tension was palpable. Mizuki tried to calm things down, but Kori exploded:

— I’m fine! Stop worrying. Tonight is crap. I hate all of this!

Then, knights and Elite Girls entered the hall.

— No one will leave until the murderer is found —they announced.

They lined us up. In front of us was a magical chest that would reveal the guilty party when they placed their hand inside.

One by one, everyone went forward. The chest did not indicate anyone. Akane, Mizuki, and Mizu also passed without incident. I placed my hand inside, and nothing happened.

Only Kori and her companion remained. Both were trembling and sweating.

— Come on, brat, what are you waiting for? —growled one of the Elite Girls—. Or are you the murderer?

Kori swallowed hard and slowly placed her hand inside, murmuring a spell to manipulate the result.

— Just do it, Kori —I said calmly—. I’m sure you wouldn’t kill an innocent person… right?

She stared at me with hatred, a silent promise of death in her eyes.

Suddenly, she shouted:

— Hot Water Explosion, Demonic Water Dragon!

A water dragon shot out from her body. Everyone screamed, and we, the Magical Girls, raised barriers to protect everyone.

In that moment, Kori revealed her true form: bat wings sprouted from her back, horns grew on her forehead, and a heart-shaped tail appeared behind her.

With a cruel laugh, she decapitated her own companion in a single strike.

— I can’t believe you discovered me! But it doesn’t matter… I’ve already got what I wanted. The Demon Queen will attack this kingdom very soon. Enjoy the rest of your lives while you can, because your days are numbered.

She looked at us all with contempt and concluded:

— Now, I go to my true mistress… as her new succubus. Farewell, failures!

A blue fire enveloped her body, and she vanished before our eyes.

The hall fell into absolute silence. The true war had begun.

— What exactly happened? Why did this all happen? Why did Kori do this?
— I can’t believe she betrayed us like that… It has to be a joke.
— Joke or not, that bitch is dead. Nobody betrays us and gets away with it. Every traitor deserves to die… no one likes being stabbed in the back.

The party came to a halt. They told us that if we saw Kori, we had to kill her and report it immediately so the Magical Girls could take care of her.

The others and I returned to Mizu’s house, intending to think about what happened and find a way to defeat Kori. Upon arrival, Mizu’s mother greeted us:

— You must be Mizu’s friends, nice to meet you. But… what happened to you? Why do you look like that? It’s as if someone stabbed your soul.

— Mom… we had a rough night. I just want to be alone with my friends in my room. Please, don’t come in. This is serious.

— Alright, sweetheart —she said gently—. I won’t bother you. But don’t stay up too late. I’ll let their parents know they’ll be staying here tonight.

We went up to Mizu’s bedroom and began talking.

— I say we kill her. I can’t believe she did this to us —Mizuki said angrily.
— I think we should first find out why she did it before killing her —Akane replied.

I looked at them seriously and said:

— It’s not that simple. We’ve just realized her betrayal, and everything has already exploded. We need to think carefully about how to catch her and make her tell us what she’s hiding. From the start, I should have been suspicious… When we asked her to join, she accepted too easily. She barely knew us, yet joined the team without hesitation. Why wasn’t she already in another group? It’s as if she had been waiting… This is bad. For now, we won’t have a complete team.

Mizuki, confused, asked:

— But… if she really was a traitor, why did she help us against the Demon Ogre Chief? Why didn’t she let us die when she had the chance?

Akane frowned.

— Because it wasn’t convenient for her. If she had abandoned us, suspicions would have risen. Then, by not returning with us, everyone would have known the truth. She’s not stupid enough to risk that. I think she wanted to earn our trust to betray us at the right moment. Maybe the woman she killed had something important… or perhaps she needed to eliminate her for a specific reason.

Mizu, a little nervous, added:

— From what I understand, that woman was part of the royal guard. Maybe the Demon Queen needed her dead to keep her power. I doubt it was for any other reason.

None of us knew what to do. Everything happened too quickly, and the situation was confusing, like looking for a needle in a haystack. We were exhausted, so we got ready for bed.

— Well, tomorrow we’ll think of a way to find her and make her confess —Mizuki sighed.

I answered firmly:

— No. First, we need to train. If we don’t get stronger, we’ll face the same thing as with the Demon Ogre Chief. First, we train… then we’ll worry about capturing her.

One by one, my friends fell asleep. Before closing my eyes, I wished with all my heart that all this could be resolved. That’s what I hoped… because in three weeks and five days, Miku would return with the answer I asked for.

With that thought, I finally let myself drift to sleep.