Magical Girl with Demonic Time Magic-Chapter 104: Kidnapping

"You look beautiful, Ayane," Septarion compliments me as he lands on the coffee table in my living room after flying in through the window as if it were a perch.

"...Thank you, Septarion," I say to him, not very enthusiastically. I’m trying to get over the death of my friend. I can’t believe she betrayed us and then died.

Setsuna didn’t explain much, and Ophelia said that this matter was confidential and wouldn’t be disclosed to anyone in the base because it was too personal, so all I knew was that Mizuhane betrayed us and fought with Setsuna.

And knowing this, it’s obvious that Setsuna killed her, so today I called Setsuna to go out together. She must be feeling terrible for having killed someone.

"Septarion, do you think Setsuna is feeling better now?" It’s been a day since that happened, and I’m worried about her. I went to Mizuhane’s funeral last night, and it was kind of empty and sad.

Plus, Lenore was there, and she was the one responsible for activating the machine that carbonized her body. It was strange and awful to see that. She was my friend.

So I don’t support any side. I don’t know if Setsuna didn’t have another option, and I wasn’t in that situation, so I don’t know what to think, but the fact is that Mizuhane betrayed our team and was an enemy.

That’s why I’m sad for both of them, sad that Setsuna had to kill someone, and sad that Mizuhane betrayed us and then died. She was the friend who helped me realize what I wanted.

I can’t really say that Setsuna is wrong. It’s like in a war where people kill people not because they want to or because they’re bad, but because they need to survive and follow orders.

"I don’t know, Ophelia gave me a brief report, and it’s a complicated thing, especially because murder among magical girls is a serious crime," Septarion says seriously.

"Setsuna wasn’t arrested only because it was self-defense. Lenore and Ophelia confirmed the story and at least proved that it’s true that Setsuna only defended herself," Septarion says with an uncomfortable seriousness.

"Please, Septarion, don’t talk as if Setsuna were a criminal..."

"So you agree with her?" Septarion questions with doubt.

"No...I don’t agree, but I also don’t deny that she only defended herself, and that’s not wrong. It was an accident...and I also think she didn’t want things to end up this way," I know perfectly well what I saw.

Setsuna standing there, scratching her arms with a vacant look. She was so distracted that she didn’t even hear me speak when I arrived, and her arms were bleeding quite a bit, full of relatively deep nail marks.

I’m sure the guilt was running her, and she needs help just as she helped me a lot, so I decided to call her to go out today, so that she can forget this problem at least for a while.

"Well, if you think that, Ayane, then it’s fine, but I noticed that you’ve made great progress recently. Congratulations, in less than a year, I think your angelic powers can awaken!!" Septarion compliments me.

"Thank you," I say to him, adjusting my dress. I’m ready to go out. I need to go see Setsuna and give her a nice day so she can forget her problems for at least a few hours.

I’m worried that her medical condition will worsen due to stress. I noticed that when Setsuna seems stressed, her aversion to contact increases significantly.

So I think stress is something that aggravates her medical condition, and since I discovered that I love her, I’ve researched more about her condition, and it also said there that bad stimuli increase these problems.

It’s like a response, if she keeps going through stress, her problems will get worse and can be permanent, so she needs to always stay healthy and socially well.

"I think it’s time to go out. Are you coming with me, Septarion?" I ask.

"I would go, but I have matters to resolve with Ophelia. She’s planning a large-scale mission, and I need to be there with her," Septarion says, a little worried.

"Do you need help?!" I ask, getting serious.

"No, you can enjoy your rest. It’s well-deserved, and you’ve made great progress with your power. And it’s nothing too difficult. Ophelia is good at what she does," Septarion says, flying to the window.

"Okay, be careful!" I say to him, and he just nods his head and starts flying out.

"..." I’m left alone, but I soon go to the table to pick up my purse to go out. I know it might seem a bit insensitive to go on a date with Setsuna when my friend has died.

But the important point is that Setsuna needs company in this difficult time. I’m sad, but I shouldn’t let that get me down.

Setsuna taught me to be strong and helped me a lot, and now it’s time for me to help her too, with my full strength.

"..." I leave the house and lock the door, enjoying the morning light. This beautiful day makes me think about what really happened in the underground that made the two of them have to kill each other.

I don’t understand why she betrayed us, and even worse, why she had to die, but I don’t want to think about these sad things, so I sigh and start walking.

"Good morning, neighbor!" I greet the woman in the window, and she just nods her head as I walk forward. I promised to meet Setsuna at a cafe near the school to spend the day together.

"Hmm, maybe we should go shopping and then see a comedy movie to calm the spirits and forget the sadness," I murmur, turning the corner. It will still take a few minutes.

But as I pass in front of one of the alleys in the city, I’m suddenly pulled by the hand while a cloth is put over my mouth. It has a strange smell.

I quickly struggle, managing to escape while ending up going deeper into the alley, where I see some strange-looking men.

"Did you use the right product?" One of the men says as they approach. Apparently, they wanted to make me pass out.

However, Septarion himself warned that as I get stronger, my body changes to that of an angelic being, which grants me some immunity to various things, and this process is already relatively advanced.

"S-Stop, I don’t want to hurt you," I say nervously. If I attack them, it’s guaranteed that I’ll kill them. I can’t control all the strength I have. A punch of mine can shatter metal walls without me even being transformed.

I’ve gotten really strong in the last few months, so I can’t fight against regular people or I’ll kill them without meaning to, and the worst part is that I’m not emotionally stable enough to hold back in a direct fight.

"Don’t resist, little girl. Just come with us," The one who seems to be the leader says, drawing a gun. A regular gun wouldn’t kill me, but the fact that they’re armed means that someone could get hurt.

’I should transform into a magical girl...but that wouldn’t stop the fight, it would just make them forget what they saw...’ I don’t want to hurt them.

"If you try to approach, I’ll scream really loud!" I threaten as the others approach.

"I suggest you don’t do that if you don’t want to get hurt. Besides, are you sure you want to be responsible for the death of innocents? Stray bullets are dangerous, you know?" He threatens me in a way that makes it seem like he knows exactly how to stop me.

"W-What do you want with me?" I say as one of them approaches and handcuffs my hands behind my back while also stealing my purse.

"We just have to take you to our current boss. Don’t worry too much, he made it clear not to use you, no matter how tempting it may be. Just get in the van quietly, and no one gets hurt," He says as I sigh, giving up on resisting.

Escaping would be easy, but if I run and a shootout starts, someone could die. I hate being so limited.

The barrier magic wouldn’t stop them from attacking, separating, or escaping, but I have a plan.

I let them drag me to a van that’s already waiting. I decide not to try anything. As soon as we’re in a place without any civilians, I’ll trap them all with barriers.

They’re just common criminals. They don’t stand a chance. It’s better for me to take this opportunity and capture them and their supposed boss. The problem is just that Setsuna will be thinking I missed the appointment.

I hope she doesn’t worry. I’ll deal with this quickly and go to her. I don’t want her worried about me, and I don’t need help.

Civilians should always be the priority. That’s the only reason I’m not reacting. Who would have thought I’d be kidnapped in broad daylight on a busy street? These criminals are getting worse and worse.

"Now be quiet, we won’t hurt you," One of them says, putting me in the van while tying a gag around my mouth. In the meantime, I’m already crushing the handcuff, just to prove that it’s not a magical item.

’They seem to be criminals without any connection to a monster! Wait and see, wrongdoers!! I’ll capture you and your stupid leader!’ I think angrily as I just wait.

Letting myself be captured may not be a smart plan, but I know it will work. They said they’re acting on behalf of a boss, which means that if I don’t catch the boss, they’ll keep trying.

I’m not afraid. If there’s one thing I’ve learned in the last few months, it’s to be courageous, bold, and fearless, and that’s exactly what I’m going to be.

I’ll see if there are other people being kidnapped and try to rescue them if possible. I’ll also try to communicate with the base to come pick up the criminals.

’I’m sorry, Setsuna. I’ll be late for our meeting.’ I know she’ll understand when I explain that I’m only doing this to save people. I’m not putting myself at risk. They’re just common criminals.