Magical Girl of Chaos: Magical Rampage

“Oh~ What brings you here, Dry Jin~?”

“The booze that dried me up completely.”

“Long time no see~.”

Busy friends came to my house after a long time.

Two of them have white hair, and everyone has a few wrinkles on their skin.

Thanks to frequently meeting me, their lifespans have slightly increased, and they don’t age much, but you can still feel that they’ve definitely grown older in appearance and vibe.

“Drinking at your place is the most~ relaxing!”

“Hmm, I agree.”

“Just like the old days, some things never change~.”

“Since you’re all old now, drink in moderation.”

Even though they’re aging and it’s affecting their bodies, I can feel their speech slowly turning into that of old people.

Every time I see these friends, I feel complicated.

But I had already prepared for this long ago.

Still, it seems the heart does as it pleases.

“Snacks are here!!”

“Chubby~ Still the same as ever~.”

“It’s Meriol!!”

“It’s been decades since you settled as Chubby, why bring it up now?”

“That’s so mean!!”

“Jin’s right~. It’s just an affectionate nickname now~.”

“Yeah, Chubby.”

Chubby is being adored by the friends again this time.

The mascots’ appearances are definitely bundles of cuteness, so unless you’ve seen them every day for decades, you can’t help but find them adorable.

“By the way~ Recently, I got a granddaughter!”

“…Granddaughter? Oh~…”

“I’m still not there yet.”

“These days~ it’s rare to see young couples marrying early and having kids~. I’ve got a long way to go before I see grandchildren~!”

“That’s true. Even now, many young people in their 20s want to enjoy life before marrying. That’s how it’s always been, right?”

Are we already at the age where grandchildren are starting to appear…?

Everyone’s well past 50, so it makes sense.

Speaking of grandchildren~… I still don’t have any kids myself.

Well, structurally and romantically, it’s not possible anyway.

“Speaking of which, Dabin~ when are you gonna have kids~?”

“That’s not happening. You know that, right? What kind of kids would fairies have?”

“Now that I think about it, I have no idea about fairy ecology.”

“From the start, it’s women-only~ so I’ve already given up on kids~.”

Hmm… kids…

Honestly, if I were to have a kid, they’d be under a lot of pressure.

The child of a transcendent like 「Chaos」? Haha… Just that alone would make them live their whole life in fear.

Or maybe they’d flaunt that status and live however they want.

Either way, it doesn’t seem like they’d turn out well.

“Well, since I’m half-human, it’s not entirely impossible.”

“So can we expect it~?”

“I only mentioned the possibility, I didn’t say I’d make one, did I?”

“It’d be nice if it happened~ if not, oh well~. Honestly, considering the situation, it might be better if it doesn’t~.”

…Talking with these guys makes me realize how much time has passed.

Yeah, time has passed…

……In another 30 years, some of these guys will start dying.

Thinking about that makes me feel strangely heavy.

No matter how much you prepare, emotions don’t care about preparation.

All you can do is brace yourself for when those emotions hit.

“Speaking of which, don’t you guys have any fun stories? All this talk about kids and grandchildren just reeks of old people.”

“Is that so? Well, we are old now~.”

“Even if you say that… once you’re old, you don’t have as much fun as when you were young.”

“Well~ I’m happy just seeing your faces~.”

“Sigh… You’re really showing your age. It makes me realize how much I’ve stopped while everyone else keeps moving.”

These guys, as they’ve aged, they go out less, and there’s not much fun stuff happening…

Well, I get it.

They’re old, and given their positions, it’s unavoidable.

…Still, just drinking with these friends makes me feel good.

Come to think of it, when their kids were born, they talked about them non-stop for years.

Next time we meet, they’ll probably bring stories about their grandchildren.

That’s just how old people are~… The happy moments in life are just those things.

“By the way, Dabin, what’s your younger sister up to these days?”

“Yura? Lately, her daughter’s been causing a fuss about wanting to be a Magical Girl. She’s not even in middle school, she’s a high schooler, can you believe it?”

“Hahaha~ At this point, it’s just for pocket money, right~?”

“Exactly, exactly. These days, monsters are nowhere to be seen, and demons are just weaklings popping up occasionally.”

“Wow~ Just hearing that, she sounds just like her mom~.”

“Totally. And on top of that, her intelligence is similar to her mom’s… Poor husband stuck in the middle, always mediating.”

Taehee, she’s always loved Magical Girls since she was little.

But to think she still hasn’t outgrown it and wants to be a Magical Girl even now, it’s ridiculous.

If she studied more at school, she’d understand the darker side of being a Magical Girl, but seeing her still chasing it makes me worry about her future.

“By the way, Taehee~ can’t you use your authority to make it happen?”

“It’s not that I can’t, I just won’t. I even told my younger sister no, so why would I do it for her? I’m not crazy.”

“Well, I get it. But asking someone who’s been through war to do that would make anyone angry.”

“After seeing comrades and seniors die, would I do it? Of course, it’s different from back then, but there’s no need to mess with it~.”

Magical Girls were originally created to fight against the Demon Realm, warriors who risked their lives.

And even now, many Magical Girls can’t forget those days and continue their duties.

Even though there’s no money in it anymore.

Seeing that, and knowing I was on the frontlines, if I just made someone a Magical Girl because they asked, what would happen?

Seeing Magical Girl activities being consumed as entertainment already makes me sick.

In that regard, Yura is a good kid.

Even though she wants to do it, if I say no, she sulks but quietly gives up, and she understands the reasons.

Compared to Taehee, who’s still… Well, she’s young, and she’s never witnessed the reality, so that’s why she says such things.

Or maybe she’s doing it to show off to others.

“By the way~ where’s Nari?”

“Nari? She’s in the Fairy Realm right now. She’s acting as the Fairy Queen’s proxy, so she goes to help out sometimes.”

“…And you?”

“I help out sometimes too… but Nari suits the role of the next Fairy Queen better. I’m just, you know… my existence alone is, well…”

“Right, right. Your existence itself is cosmic horror~.”

“Don’t call it cosmic horror.”

“Well, if you descended here in your true form, the Earth itself would become a land of calamity, right? Can’t be helped~.”

Tch, it’s not like I chose to be like this.

Who would’ve thought that no matter how much I sealed myself, my power would still leak out like this?

In the beginning, sealing was enough, but now there’s no solution.

Even though I weakened by breaking through dimensions, I’m still a transcendent like Relos… So I ended up absorbing it all…

“That reminds me! Speaking of Nari, where’s Ayun?”

“Ayun’s in America right now, traveling around with Ame. It’s like a kind of trip.”

“A trip, huh~.”

“Speaking of which, shouldn’t we plan a trip too? Let’s go to Europe!”

“Europe? Do you have a plan?”

“First Italy, then France and England. We can save Spain and such for next time.”

“Hmm… Well, that sounds good. How about a two-week schedule? We’ll need time to eat, enjoy, and sightsee separately.”

These guys want to go on a Europe trip…

But they don’t seem to have a concrete plan, is that okay?

Given their personalities, they’d hate package tours, so they’d probably just book flights and wing it. If I don’t go with them, won’t it be a disaster?

“By the way, what’s that thing you mentioned before, about a Returning Hero?”

“Huh? Returning Hero? …Oh, yeah. His name was Choi Minki. Now that I think about it, it’s been a long time since I last saw him. It’s been 10 years.”

“What, you completely forgot about him?”

“I’m not really interested in him. Plus, after he fully embraced his female side, it got boring. Well, we weren’t that close to begin with, so there’s no reason to go out of my way to meet him.”

“Wow~ fully embraced his female side~.”

“Well~ it’s hard to resist the pleasure from hormones and the body~.”

A hero, huh… Maybe I should go meet him.

Even if it’s just chatting and having a meal, it’s not like I’d lose anything by meeting him…

“Hmm… There’s someone here who’s been a girl for so~ long, but hasn’t changed a bit since the old days.”

“What, did you want me to act like a girl? Huh?”

“…Ugh.”

“That’s a bit…”

“Are you trying to give us a heart attack?”

“These guys are really…”

…I really want to beat these guys up, but I can’t, can I?

Sigh, beating up old guys would just be a loss for me.

“By the way, are you guys staying for dinner?”

“We’re having dinner at home, so we’ll head out early.”

“Same here~.”

“…I have a dinner date with my wife, so I can’t stay~.”

“Alright. It’s a bit disappointing, but what can you do. Guess it’s time for everyone to head out.”

After sipping drinks for a while, it’s already close to dinner time.

It’s a shame, but since everyone’s leaving early, I’ll have to eat alone.

“I’m off~.”

“See you next time.”

“Let’s not meet at a funeral next time.”

“Hahaha~! I’ll live to 100, so don’t worry~.”

And just like that, the friends all left.

Left alone, I started eating the food Chubby prepared.

Though my appetite isn’t great.

“Rampage?”

“…It’s really something.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, it’s nothing. Just… seeing those guys age day by day makes me feel heavy.”

“That’s not like you, Rampage!”

“…Yeah, you’re right. But you know, being close to beings with limited lifespans is always like this. I’ll live forever, but seeing those close to me nearing death is hard to bear.”

“Rampage…”

“But even so, those guys, my younger sister… I decided not to interfere, to let them live and die as humans. They wanted that too. So I can’t show it in front of others. It just hurts in a strange way.”

Normally, I’m fine, but after meeting my aging friends, I feel like this.

…Well, it’s because the reality is right in front of me.

Even if I want to avoid thinking about it, I can’t stop meeting my friends.

I want to talk, drink, and have fun with them for as long as possible.

Because they’ve been more than half of the joy in my life.

Because I’m more afraid of losing them without realizing it.

…Eventually, I’ll have to say goodbye to Yura too.

After my friends, Yura… and then my niece Taehee…

“……”

…Really, now I’m acting weak.

Sigh, feeling human emotions now, of all times, is ridiculous.

Isn’t it cheating to gain rich emotions after becoming a transcendent?

What’s the point of having them now…

“Sigh~…”

Can’t even forget by drinking, this is awkward.

…Guess I’ll just have to reaffirm my resolve from today onward.