Chapter 01 My Hero

The living room was a battlefield.

Five-year-old Shota dove behind the couch, he grabbed the most precious thing he owned: a Witch Queen action figure. 

 “You’ll never win, evil monster! Witch Queen is here! Red Flame: Fireball!” 

 A shower of imaginary sparks flew toward the stack of pillows.

His dramatic sound effects were drowned out by excited voice from the television.

“—incredible! She’s here! The Witch Queen has arrived on the scene in Shinjuku! The number one is her!”

Shota dropped on his knees in front of TV. The screen showed a scene of town being destroyed. A monstrous creature was tearing through a city street. But then, the camera tilted up.

She descended from a clear blue sky, dressed in living magic. A beautiful, flowing dress of pink and blue flames covering her body. On her hands were slim, silver gloves etched with magic circles that glowed with a soft light.

“Ara, ma… Such a noisy day. Children should not play with forbidden spells. Someone might get hurt.”

The monster roared and fired a concentrated energy beam directly at her. Shota gasped, clutching his toy.

The Witch Queen didn’t move. The energy beam vaporized a foot from her body, meeting an invisible wall of heat. The living flames of her dress flickered, the pink and blue darkening, changing into something deeper, more profound.

A wisp of black smoke curled from her fingertips.

Then, it happened. Her entire dress transformed in an instant. The cheerful colors were snuffed out, replaced by a gown of absolute, light-devouring Black Flame.

The Witch Queen simply raised her gloved hand, palm open.

There was no beam, no explosion. A single, perfectly controlled fire ball.

The effect was instantaneous. The creature didn’t shatter or melt. It was erased. In seconds, there was nothing left. No body, no messy corpse, no debris, no scar on the street. Just peace.

A collective sigh of relief seemed to wash over the city, transmitted through the television.

Shota bounced on his knees with his action figure held high.

 “You did it! You did it! She’s the best! The strongest in the whole world!”

On the screen, the Witch Queen was already turning her attention from destruction to restoration. The black flame dress turned back into a gentle glow of pink and blue. With graceful snap of her fingers, her magic covered the damaged town. Shattered pavement smoothed itself out. A toppled buildings righted themself. It was like watching a mother tidy up a child’s messy room.

The news anchor was in tears. 

“A stunning display! Not only has the S-tier threat been neutralized, but the Witch Queen is already repairing the damage! Tokyo is safe once again, thanks to our eternal guardian!”

The news anchor continued his commentary as the footage of the Witch Queen's restoration played.

"Incredible! Simply incredible! Viewers, what we are witnessing is not an anomaly, but unwavering strength of our Symbol of Peace. Let's look at the data. This marks the third S-tier threat neutralized by the Witch Queen this month alone. And let's not forget Just last week, she single-handedly repelled the SS-class beast emerging from Tokyo Bay off Shinjuku's coast. The week before, it was the Shadow Weavers' attempted coup in Chiyoda's political district. And the whole A-tier Magma Golem incident in Shibuya she resolved without a single civilian casualty. She truly deserved the Witch Queen title!"

His co-anchor added.

 "It truly puts her power into perspective. The official Hero Wizard Rankings, updated just this morning, once again place her firmly at the undisputed Number One spot. Let's pull up the current Top Five. 

And once again, in first place — no surprise here — the one and only Witch Queen, Lycoris Noire! Holding her throne with an unbelievable monthly rating of 6,640 points! That’s more than double her closest rival — truly the symbol of peace for our generation!

In second, we’ve got Grand Archmage Kenji, closing in strong with 3,240 points! Quite the climb this month after repelling that evil minion outbreak in Osaka!

Coming in third, Lady Tsukiko, sitting steady at 1,840 points.

Fourth place goes to the Blademaster Ryota, at 1,750, and rounding up the top five — Kaito the Gale-Strider, storming in with 1,670!

These are your top-ranked guardians of Japan! Remember — their power keeps the nation safe, and the Witch Queen herself still watches over Tokyo! Truly, a living legend.” 

"The gap between her and the Number Two mage, the formidable Grand Archmage Kenji, is... well, it's not looking good for our dear Kenji, I will only say that much. The title of Witch King is getting further away."

"Absolutely! While our other talented mages and wizards work tirelessly to protect our cities, the Witch Queen operates on a completely different level. She is our nation's shield, our final and most absolute line of defense. To have such a guardian... we are truly blessed!"

Shota bounced on his feet with action figure to his chest. He looked at the face of the woman on the screen, a woman who could command the most terrifying power in the world.

"Nothing can ever beat her," he thought, "She will always be there to save everyone."

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A line of children crossed the sidewalk, hands looped through a long yellow rope as their teachers led them toward the biggest toy store in Shibuya. Laughter bounced between them like marbles rolling on tile.

“Stay in line, everyone!” 

One of the teachers sighed softly to her colleague.

 "It's a shame Mirai-chan couldn't join us. She was so looking forward to this."

"That little one is in bed again? She's so frail. It seems like she's sick more often than not. I worry about her."

 "Her parents say she has a very weak health. It's a pity. Such a sweet, bright girl, but her body just can't keep up."

Meanwhile Shota walked near the front, clutching his money like treasure. His friends chattered beside him, pretending to cast spells with invisible wands.

“Bang! Monster’s down!”
“No way, I blocked it!”
“Not fair, I’m the Witch Queen today!”

Shota laughed with them. For weeks, he’d been saving every yen for this trip — skipping snacks, doing extra chores — all for one thing: the Witch Queen action figure.

Through the glass ahead, they saw posters, heroes, and there she was, smiling with her silver gloves raised in victory. The strongest witch in the world. His favorite hero.

The teachers stopped the line by the door.

“Alright, everyone. Remember, no running, no pushing, and no crying if we run out of your favorite toys, okay?”

“Yes, sensei!” 

The doors slid open.
Music played inside — cheerful and bright.
The smell of new plastic drifted out, mixing with the scent of bubblegum.

For a moment, the whole world felt safe.
Just a bright day, a happy class, and a boy about to meet his hero — even if it was only in a box.

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The doors open, and light spilled out like a warm spell.

The moment Shota stepped inside, the air tingled — faint mana lines tracing across the ceiling like constellations. The smell of new plastic mixed with the electric scent of active charms.

Everywhere he looked, the world was alive.

Posters of heroes didn’t just hang — they moved. The Witch Queen herself turned in one, lifting her hand as tiny blue flames spiraled from the page.

“Justice through wisdom, children. Remember, true strength protects — never destroys.”

A small boy gasped.

 “She talked to me!”

Another poster showed the Blademaster Ryota slashing through an illusionary monster that dissolved into golden dust before reforming again, ready for the next swing.

Shelves rattled as floating boxes rearranged themselves, guided by magic hands. A plush dragon blinked, yawned, and puffed out a harmless bubble of smoke. Tiny knights dueled on a counter, clanking before resetting their poses for the next curious customer.

It was like stepping inside a dream.

Shota’s eyes locked onto one display in the center — a shining case lit from within. Inside stood the Witch Queen action figure, dressed in her black flame dress with her signature silver glove. Miniature mana sparks flickered from her hand every few seconds, lighting the base with tiny constellations.

 The figure spoke as he reached up, “Courage begins with kindness. That is your first spell.”

Shota didn’t blink. His small fingers curled tighter around his coin pouch. He didn’t need to look at anything else.

A few minutes later, he stood in line, clutching the box to his chest.
All around him, children showed off their toys, trading magic cards with low-tier spells — a dancing flame, a floating globe, a flickering light orb.

And in that single, shining moment, Shota believed the world was perfect. Until...