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[ChikaMikan has started messaging Nozocchi]
ChikaMikan: Oh thank goodness your account is back!
ChikaMikan: I tried to talk to Tsukki but his is still deactivated…
Nozocchi: He’s just being petty…
Nozocchi: I guess I was too, but at least I came back already.
ChikaMikan: Tsukki… He’s a magical boy, right?
Nozocchi: Thanks, you just won me a bet.
Nozocchi: Tsukkun thought you’d be too oblivious to figure it out.
ChikaMikan: And you are too.
Nozocchi: Well… Yeah.
Nozocchi: Tsukkun was upset yesterday because he thought you’d understand…
Nozocchi: And you obviously don’t.
ChikaMikan: What can I say, people are sheep and I’m a person.
ChikaMikan: But I want to understand.
ChikaMikan: So tell me why you did it.
Nozocchi: Actually, it was just yesterday after I said it was bullshit that it isn’t like the animes.
Nozocchi: That you don’t get a wish.
Nozocchi: A distributor calling itself Blem showed up and said that, sure there’s no wishes.
Nozocchi: But if I built up enough power I could make someone into a magica without requiring verbal or written consent.
Nozocchi: Meaning that I could make a magica out of a corpse, and it would bring them back.
ChikaMikan: ...Mayu.
Nozocchi: Yeah. Mayu.
Nozocchi: Besides, it’s like I said yesterday.
Nozocchi: My family never cared about me, and I really didn’t have a future.
Nozocchi: I’d been working a dead end job, and had no luck in my field.
Nozocchi: There was no reason for me to stay human if I had the chance to bring Mayu back.
ChikaMikan: I get it. So that’s what Horace meant.
Nozocchi: Horace? You’ve met The Prince?
ChikaMikan: Yeah he’s the magical boy who made fun of me. How do you know him?
Nozocchi: Blem told me about him. So what did he say to you?
ChikaMikan: He said that there are rewards for becoming a magica…
ChikaMikan: But ‘nothing worth anything to a happy person’.
Nozocchi: Yes, I’d say that’s right, honestly.
Nozocchi: It isn’t that anything you stand to gain from becoming a magica is compelling.
Nozocchi: There’s no such thing as a real benefit. Only a way to solve a problem.
Nozocchi: Somebody like you would have no reason.
ChikaMikan: I dunno, I am pretty lonely.
ChikaMikan: Can you ask Tsukki to come back?
Nozocchi: Yeah, you can head on over to the group chat and I’ll convince him.
[ChikaMikan closed Private Message.]
[ChikaMikan joined SIFestival]
[Nozocchi joined SIFestival]
[Maki-Best joined SIFestival]
Maki-Best: So are you here to beg forgiveness?
ChikaMikan: Yes, basically.
ChikaMikan: And to hear your story of why you became a magical boy.
Maki-Best: Me?
Maki-Best: That’s easy.
Maki-Best: The world’s falling apart.
Maki-Best: Why bother holding up your morals when that happens?
Maki-Best: I’ll fall apart with it.
ChikaMikan: That’s nihilistic.
Maki-Best: It’s more interesting than most things.
Maki-Best: I’ve been one for a while now.
Maki-Best: The distributors have pretty funny names. Mine’s called Must Pope.
ChikaMikan: Must Pope licked me.
Maki-Best: Yes it does that. Often. It’s harmless.
Maki-Best: Mostly.
ChikaMikan: Anyway I just want to say that I’m sorry.
ChikaMikan: If somebody like you is a magical boy, the public must have something wrong.
ChikaMikan: I really was just being a dumb gay human.
Maki-Best: Oh are you actually gay?
ChikaMikan: Yes?
Maki-Best: If only I had something rude to say about gay people as revenge…
Maki-Best: But how could I stan Maki if I didn’t acknowledge and appreciate…
Maki-Best: All of her lesbian romance options
ChikaMikan: RikoMaki Best
Nozocchi: What are you TALKING about
Maki-Best: Hey if you’re going to be in the SIF chat then you better be prepared for SIF chat.
Nozocchi: Uryu .·´¯`(>▂<)´¯`·.
Maki-Best: Is Uryu like a dialect thing?
ChikaMikan: Oh yeah, Mayu used to say that a lot.
ChikaMikan: The sweet personality in DGF does too.
Nozocchi: I don’t know? It’s kind of childish.
Nozocchi: Mayu and I have both used it for years though.
Maki-Best: She didn’t steal it from dgf. Game’s not that old.
ChikaMikan: DGF stole it from her. Illuminati confirmed.
Nozocchi: And now you’re memeing…
Nozocchi: But I’m glad things are back to normal.
Maki-Best: I am too. Kanokun is my dearest friend.
Maki-Best: You are a close second, Zhou.
Maki-Best: Must Pope is a distant but still notable third.
ChikaMikan: Aww, thanks Tsukki.
Nozocchi: You’re the best, Tsukkun!
Nozocchi: And Kanokun, I hope we can become closer too!
ChikaMikan: So do I. I’m glad we worked through this misunderstanding.
Kanoshi gave a contented sigh at having his friends back. Tsukune’s reason for becoming a magical boy seemed pretty weird, but Kanoshi had thought about it and he did trust his friend’s judgment. If Tsukune thought he should become a magical boy, then Tsukune would be a magical boy, and Kanoshi wouldn’t hold that against him.
----
“Blade,” Oh One started as it hopped up into the empty subway car that Blade was sitting in next to one of its magicas. This late at night, it was easy to find a part of the train with nobody on it, and nobody would get on that traincar once a Distributor was there. The magical girl it was hanging out with was paying attention to her phone, leaving the Distributors to their private conversation, “That was a disaster that happened, earlier today.”
“What do you mean?” Blade questioned, tilting its head to the side with a long blink.
“One of your magicas killed two innocent human children,” Oh One clarified, jumping up onto the seat next to Blade and getting into its personal space, “Don’t tell me that you didn’t hear about that. It’s all over the human news.”
“That doesn’t sound like something one of mine would do. Why don’t you go ask Skorgles about it?” Blade looked up at the ceiling, refusing to make eye contact with Oh One.
“It does seem like something that one of Skorgles’ would do, but you forget who you’re talking to. I know full well that Skorgles only has one Japanese magica, and he doesn’t use guns. You, and my crew… We’re the only Distributors in Tokyo right now. So it’s one of your magica that crossed the line. If you want to be like Skorgles and throw away your moral standing with the rest of us to just have fun instead, I understand, but this is a point of brutality in this universe.”
“I have no intention of dropping to the bottom of the rankings,” Blade answered, “Pretty Fighter Ribbon Brown has in fact, already been disposed of. Do you think that Red would allow a magical boy like that to continue living? He actually tried to beg for his life by saying that he wasn’t really harming those children, since anything he did to defile them was after they were dead. I thought he had ambition, but he only wanted power to abuse. I apologize for my poor judgment in this case.”
“Very poor judgment,” Oh One noted, flicking its tail, “You wasted your current charge. I have a charge right now. Also, those children were in the class of that Kanoshi Kyosuke we met last week. Those two, poor, murdered, defiled children… Who he tried so hard to protect. It’s only a shame that you killed the perpetrator right away. As those Angels that Chikd made always say… If you fail to protect somebody, revenge is the next best thing.”
“You can’t be saying-” Blade started, only to shrink under Oh One’s intense look of triumph.
“You only saw why he wouldn’t become a magical boy. Thanks to Must Pope’s ability, I know what could make him. That Kanoshi Kyosuke, with potential almost as great as Prince Horace’s… His only weaknesses are attractive men, and the safety of the children he teaches. Thanks to you, I now have both to use as leverage,” Oh One tilted its head to look down its nose at Blade, “Better luck next time, Blade! You have a few good magicas, but you have to learn to play the field a little bit better when it comes to new ones.”
------
Kanoshi couldn't believe the news.
He first saw the info on his phone, the explanation of what had happened and the realization that there were at least three murderers currently in the Tokyo Area. The Vagrant Killer was a human who killed with a kitchen knife, and though they didn't have Kanoshi's firsthand knowledge, the media had easily determined that beheading was the work of a magical girl. And now... this. Two children killed while walking home in this very district. Kanoshi's students. They'd been shot in the back of the head, leading police to believe the culprit was either a member of the SDF or a magica, since those were the only people who'd have access to firearms. Kanoshi couldn't help but wonder, but he found no answers. Zhou and Tsukune both said their distributors didn't know anything about it, and even Horace hadn't seen hide nor hair of Oh One to ask if the top Distributor in this universe if it had any intel on the nature of this attack.
There wasn't anything Kanoshi could do about it, though, no way to turn back time and save those children. He had to wonder, if he'd been a magical boy, could he have learned about the attack and stopped it? Well, that didn't make much sense, so he banished the thought from his mind. That wasn't any way to be thinking right now. He didn't want to be thinking in any way right now, because all of his thoughts just looped back around to terrible, crushing guilt. He checked through all of his games, played a round of League on his computer, then went to sleep.
The next day, he assigned busywork to his class, because if he had to stand in front and lecture, he'd have to see those two empty seats. One of them had been a troublemaker that always interrupted him, the other a hardworking boy who always knew the answers to questions. Losing just one of them would leave a massive gap in the classroom experience, but both of them was utterly devastating. Kanoshi did busywork himself, staying at his desk and burying himself in curriculum prep and grading. He was going to return home straight away, but when class was over he was called to the director's office. He dragged his feet going there, concerned what would be said to him. Would he be reprimanded for neglecting to do anything of much purpose today? That was unfortunate, but he'd make up for it in the future. He sat down across from the director.
"Kyosuke-kun," The director greeted him, voice solemn, "I'm sure you're aware of the tragedy which occurred yesterday, yes?"
"Yes, sir..." Kanoshi mumbled his response, unable to muster up anything more.
"Well, I'm afraid that when considering this, and the disappearance of several of your students three years ago, it seems there's forming a false correlation between the classes you teach and students falling victim to unsolved misfortunes," The director explained, shuffling through papers on his desk, "We've already received a complaint from a parent. Aoba Middle already has such a terrible reputation, we can't afford another blow of this scale. Not to say that you're being fired, but... We would appreciate if you were to take your leave from this school once the year draws to a close in April. I'm sure you understand. Even the draw of our inexpense and lack of academic requirement to attend can't necessarily overcome the concern for the safety of students."
"...What?" Kanoshi questioned, his voice small, but then found the courage to speak up, holding his hands to his chest, "B-But, there's nobody more concerned with student safety than m-me! I do all that I can! I w-warn them of dangers, and I advised that they utilize the buddy system..." He trailed off, "And that's all I could do. All that I could wasn't enough. I couldn't protect them... So you're right. I have no business being a teacher when I can't even do that much."
"You did fine work for us in your time here. I'm sure you will find other gainful employment," The director sounded more like he was reading off a script than actually offering his blessing. Kanoshi bit his lip to keep from crying as he stood back up, clenching his fists as he made his way out of the building, furiously wiping his eyes once he was gone. He couldn't let any of the kids see him crying when he'd managed to avoid it all day, but though he'd been in a numb, depressive state, it was the fact that he was losing his job on top of it that finally got him to feel the real emotions over what had happened. It happened again. Just like three years ago. His students, children whose well-being he was at least in part responsible for... They were dead. Gone. This was even worse than three years ago, because there were bodies this time. He couldn't stay here, he made his way out of town to walk along a trail through the woods nearby, walking not to clear his head but to keep anyone from seeing him in this state. He didn't want to go back home. That home... It was representative of everything which had been perfect.
Good apartment, dream job, helping children to become their best selves even if life hadn't given them the chance they needed at the beginning. He was losing his job, and he'd failed at helping those two children. When two of those three things he'd thought were going so right in his life were thoroughly destroyed, he didn't want to deal with the third thing. Maybe if he managed to keep it later on, he'd cherish it, but for now he just didn't want to have that staring him in the face. He reached a rock, and sat down on it, burying his face in his hands. The world moved all around him, wind blowing and animals chattering all about. Everything outside of him and his life was the same as ever, because what did the world care that two children were dead? What did the world care about anything brutal or terrible at all?
When Kanoshi lifted his eyes again from his hands, looked up, Horace was standing there. Street clothes, not transformed, and lacking his usual lackadaisical expression. He was serious, "Hey, Kano. I heard about what happened... I'm sorry."
"About what part?" Kanoshi sniffed, wiping his eyes again, "The dead students or the impending loss of my job?"
"Both. Don't worry, I'm not heartless," Horace moved to sit down next to him, holding his hands between his knees, "Oh One showed up again. The killer was a magical boy. One of Blade's, but he's dead now, so the rest of the children are perfectly safe. Red won't hurt kids, and I don't think that other killer in the area's known for targeting anyone who's not an adult."
"How is that I've met so many decent magica, but things like this still happen?" Kanoshi asked, more wondering aloud than actually searching for an answer to his question.
"Because it's just like humanity. There's good people and bad people, bad magica just stand out because they have the power to act on the bad things they've always wanted to do," Horace answered, his tone grim, "This one was a mistake, Blade misjudged him, but some Distributors want to have magica who'll do terrible things like this. It's easy to recruit somebody like that. Just tell them that they'll be above the law, and cowardly perverts will listen. It's disgusting, but that's just the way this universe is. I just want to do what I can to make it a better place, even if that means I'll be hated for it."
"That's... noble, actually," Kanoshi noted, leaning against him. He was underdressed for the weather today, but Horace was wearing flannel, which was warm to the touch, "I don't hate you, though."
"You did the day we met," Horace noted, glancing at Kanoshi but not moving or indicating that he should move, "Because I'm a magical boy, and all you ever hear about is magica like Red who'll terrorize civilians, or the dead one Ribbon Brown who used magic to-" He gagged, unable to even voice it.
"Well, I still think that it's not really a sign of virtue to become a magica. I just know that there are good ones, now," Kanoshi explained, "It's still a really rough thing to put yourself through, right?"
"Yeah," Horace nodded, "Magical endurance doesn't mean we can handle pain more easily, or that it hurts less, it just means that no matter how much pain we're in, we can continue fighting."
"That's terrifying, actually," Kanoshi sat up straight again.
"It is. I wouldn't wish it on anybody who wasn't prepared for the consequences. Oh One's crew may be sleazy, but at least they're quite upfront with what becoming a magica entails," Horace groaned, "Oh One, by the way, is going to try and use this tragedy to convince you to become a magical boy. It's really fixated on you because apparently, you have a ton of potential going for you. Like, you could get pretty close to me in the rankings. That's kind of cool, but also... He should just leave you alone."
"I'm not so sure that I want to be left alone, though," Kanoshi shrugged, "Well, I guess that's exactly what it wants, but I've been thinking... As a mere human in a world where there's magic, how am I supposed to protect anybody? How can I protect the people that I love, anyone who's close to me? My students, my friends, my dad... I guess I don't have to worry about you, but if somebody with a power ranking higher than Zhou or Tsukki decided to attack one of them, they might not win that fight, and I know my dad couldn't even win a fight against a primary schooler with no magic at all."
"I'm not going to try to convince you to do it, or convince you not to. It really is your decision, it's all up to you when it comes down to it. Just... Wait a little while, okay? Don't let your mourning make the choice for you. See if you still want it when you've collected yourself and started to move on," Horace offered, lifting a hand to lay his palm flat across Kanoshi's back, "Go home, Kano. Play some video games and jerk off, whatever it is that you do with your free time," He couldn't help but laugh a bit as he continued, "Though I'm pretty certain that is what you do with your free time, and I'm correct."
"You have no proof!" Kanoshi protested, face flush red from the accusation as he got back to his feet. Between the embarrassment and his earlier crying, he was sure that his appearance was in absurd disrepair, "Anyway, I'm going to go home and do not that. Thanks for talking to me though, Horace. You really helped me to think through things and feel a little bit better, so... I'm glad that you showed up at random while I was walking in the woods."
"For you? Anytime," Horace gave him a smile more genuine than usual, warm and compassionate, "Though I certainly hope nothing that makes me need to do this again ever pops up. I'd much prefer you were able to spend the rest of your life in both physical and emotional comfort."
"Like that'll happen," Kanoshi rolled his eyes, then waved as he started the walk back down the trail. Horace stayed sitting on that rock, and leaned back to look up at the sky. It was cloudy, but not dark enough that it would precipitate within the next hour. It wasn't a nice day for a walk at all. Horace had gone to Aoba Middle to see if he could talk to Kanoshi about what had happened yesterday, only to notice him taking off to this trail so nobody would see him cry. Maybe it was creepy to follow him, but he was glad that he did, since it did seem to help lift his spirits.
"So he's considering it now..." Oh One mused as it jumped up to sit next to Horace on the rock, "Funny, though. I thought I told you to help convince him, you know, put on some of that Princely Charm, but instead you just told him that maybe he shouldn't."
"I guess I did do that," Horace noted, staring off down the trail.
"You're a very disobedient pet, you know," Oh One swished its tail with a small little laugh, "But I love you anyway. Besides, it's fine. I'm sure that Kanoshi Kyosuke will be joining us sooner or later."
"I agree," Horace gave a nod, crossing his legs where he sat and reaching out a hand to pet Oh One. It was one of the less slimey distributors, and was almost tolerable to the touch. It enjoyed being pet despite the fact that it was an unpleasant creature to pet, "It's going to happen, eventually. I just don't know when. I wish I could say that I thought he might not subject himself to this life, but I can't see how he wouldn't. He's no longer a happy person, after all."
"No reward that a happy person would want," Oh One agreed, "But now he's desperate for something. Not content in his life anymore, and he'll want to fill that void. We're just the easiest choice to fill that void. Just like alcohol, or any other vice. Sometimes, I feel bad for preying on you vulnerable humans this way, but not for long. I get to make friends when you warm up to me, and us Distributors get to keep living. It's selfish. I do love you, though. I love all of my pet magicas. I'd feel very sad if anyone died, indeed. That doesn't mean I'll stop collecting new pets, though."
"I wouldn't expect anything else from you," Horace laughed, scratching behind its ears, "If you suddenly decided that creating magica was too morally wrong for you to continue, I'd wonder which Distributor decided to impersonate you to try and undermine you for the top ranks."
"Haa, you know me so well!" Oh One laughed again, leaning into the ear scratches, "I can't help it, it's right there in my name! I want to be number one."
---------
Kanoshi followed Horace's advice and didn't make his decision straight away. He definitely had his moments where he suddenly thought that if Oh One were there, he would become a magical boy without any further hesitation, but seeing as Oh One was respecting his wishes to decide later on and was keeping away from him, those moments didn't work out. Kanoshi's emotions leveled out, and he found himself thinking more clearly. It was after several weeks of deep, introspective thought on the direction of his life that Kanoshi decided that he was going to do it. For the sake of protecting the people he cared about, he would become a magical boy, and he wasn't going to look back.
Oh One and Horace agreed to meet with him out in an abandoned warehouse, the three of them agreeing it would be a good place to get some practice in using his abilities, whatever they ended up being, before he had to face any real opponents. He took a deep breath as he walked into the building, looking around. Horace and Oh One were sitting on top of a pile of empty metal crates, rusting away underneath them. Kanoshi had to wonder how they could confidently sit on such a thing without being afraid that it would just collapse underneath them, but he supposed that a dimension-hopping cat and the world's highest ranking magical boy had plenty of bravery between them not to worry about something so trivial.
Kanoshi hoped he'd be able to become fearless too, as he learned how to protect people, how to use the magic he was granted in a way which would work for what he needed and wanted it to do, to be capable of.
"Welcome to Hell!" Oh One greeted him first, jumping down from the crate, sounding excited to see what sort of magica Kanoshi would be once he was granted the power, "No, seriously, welcome to Hell. Being a magical boy is super awful, so I hope you're ready for it. Though I guess it can be a fun time for some people. Actually, none of my magica are bitter about being magica, even if it is full of pain! So I bet you'll have a swell time too, Kanoshi Kyosuke."
"Haah," Kanoshi rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, "You know, I still think the weirdest part of this is that I'm becoming a magical boy as an adult..."
"That's because Magical Man has a totally different connotation," Oh One said, walking in a circle around Kanoshi, "Well, I still need to make sure that you fully understand everything about this, okay? It's weird, I know, but I'm like a lawyer. Have to make sure there's no loopholes. You need to confirm for me that you understand the risks and still want to become a magical boy, verbally."
"I understand the risks," Kanoshi stated, holding both of his hands to his chest, "And I want to become a magical boy."
"Yes! This is it!" Oh One shouted with enthusiasm, jumping up into the air, "My second ULTRA RARE Magica!"
Kanoshi guessed he understood why that might be exciting, but he didn't have time to have the second thought that he, as a person, didn't much like being referred to in the same terms as gacha collection games, because before he knew it he felt he was being swept up, floating through a thick liquid which he could somehow breathe in. He forced his eyes open and found that the warehouse was nowhere to be seen, instead just endless stretches of the liquid he was submerged in, pink sludge with question marks floating through it. He reached his hand out on instinct, and found that when he did, a weapon appeared in it. A shield with wings coming out of either side. He wasn't sure what happened next, a whirlwind of strange sensations, but when he felt his feet touch the ground again, back in the warehouse, he found that he was dressed in entirely different clothing than he had been previously. He'd transformed. It had really happened.
"Oh, noo," Oh One sounded disappointed, and a bit angry, "Kanoshi Kyosuke! I cannot believe... I mean... God!" It shook its head, "All that potential, and it made you into a Paladin type..."
"What do you mean?" Kanoshi questioned, looking over his outfit. Compared to Horace's, it felt distinctly uncool, but he liked it anyway.
 |
| Guardian Angel |
"Hey, don't be like that, Oh One! You know as well as I do that Kano's pretty skilled at the whole healing thing," Horace cut in, stepping to Kanoshi's side and smirking as he grabbed him by the waist, "Besides! He'll flourish with me acting as his DPS."
"You seriously intend to remain a team? Well, in that case," Oh One sighed, "That makes sense to me, anyway. It's been proven time and time again that DPS without a healer and a tank gets overconfident and loses to an opponent who does have both of those things. Still, if you wanted a healer and a tank, Horace, I could have found someone with less raw power to do it."
"I wouldn't want to be DPS," Kanoshi frowned, holding up his shield, "I think that this role is perfect for me."
"Yeah, that's exactly why it got assigned to you," Oh One pouted, "And why I'm mad at you for being the type to waste such power on healing magic! But if you'll improve Horace's abilities, I can't fault you for it. Just make sure you stick together, okay? Don't go fighting any monsters without grouping up first. Oh, also, I should tell you that the transformation sequence you just experienced? That's a one-time thing. Future transformations will be instant, which is good, because while the monsters aren't smart enough to realize it, other magica would definitely take the transformation as an opening to cut you down right then and there."
"That's definitely intimidating," Kanoshi agreed with a meek nod, but then took a deep breath and stepped forward, clenching his fists in determination, "But I'll hold my ground against any magica who dare to attack Horace and I, I swear it! I won't be a liability. I'll earn my status as an Ultra Rare."
"That's the spirit!" Oh One laughed again, then turned around and made its way back up onto the metal crate it had been waiting on before Kanoshi arrived, "As for practicing here, well, it's not like you can actually fight anything with your abilities, or block any attacks from random items in a warehouse, so I guess that's out."
"Yeah, I guess so," Kanoshi agreed with a nervous laugh, "So I'll be going up against my first monster without any practice?"
"Don't worry about it," Horace assured him, grinning, "I know what I'm doing, and you'll be with me. Therefore, it'll be fine. Just let me do all the work, and you can figure it out as we go. You really think I'd make you have the same steep learning curve I did? You and I'll make a great team, and I've got your back. Wouldn't have ever let you do this if I wasn't planning on looking out for you once you did."
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