Give children a little self-destruction shock to their worldview.

Page 206

Haga Mayumi's hands, hanging at his sides, were clenched into fists, his knuckles white.

Has the real toxoplasmosis spread?

Tono Hitomi and Mayumi Haga returned to Miracle City one step at a time.

Unlike Mayumi Haga, whose only guardian was sent to her more than a decade ago, she still has parents at home who are unaware of her magical girl identity.

The excuse I used to go to Strange City was that I was invited by Yuri Takajo to travel together. After the tsunami in Strange City was reported, my parents were terrified.

So, as soon as the signal was restored, the Tono couple called their daughter.

To avoid worrying her mother too much, Tono Hitomi took the first train back to Miracle City, and sure enough, she saw her mother looking worried as soon as she got off the train.

After being nervously checked several times, Hitomi Tono reassured her housekeeper with a bright smile.

As a frightened daughter, Hitomi Tono enjoyed the care and delicious meal from her parents at home, and even after lying in bed, she still felt a little uncomfortably full.

I was actually quite tired today, not from the battle itself, but from the heavy lifting I did during the cleanup.

Although she was physically tired, Hitomi Tono was in high spirits, her mind replaying the events of the past few days.

As a magical girl named Crimson, Hitomi Tohno is also quite young, so naturally she doesn't know about what happened more than ten years ago.

For her, the social order dominated by the prankster was too distant and unimaginable.

She never imagined that the side of justice would lose.

—What would that be like?

A sudden thought flashed through her mind, and Hitomi Tono shook her head, shaking off this ominous guess.

Lying in bed, she took out her phone and texted Mayumi Haga, who was still staying in Strange City: [Mayumi, do you need my help? I'll be there tomorrow.] Needless to say, magical girls can fly fast. If her parents hadn't made preparations to pick her up at the station early today, Hitomi Tono wouldn't have needed to take the train to travel quickly between the two cities.

However, after the message was sent, Mayumi Haga didn't look at it for a long time, and the "unread" status remained unchanged.

I was planning to wait for Mayumi Haga's reply, but I was just too tired today.

My eyelids closed uncontrollably, and before I knew it, I was drifting off to sleep.

It's late at night, a time when most people are already asleep, even magical girls and monsters are asleep.

The crescent moon that broke through the clouds in the sky looked somewhat eerie.

Upon closer inspection, the dark blue night sky, including the stars and the faintly lit crescent moon, seemed to have stopped moving, and the clouds appeared as decorations pasted onto it.

The chirping of insects that usually fills the summer nights is silenced at this moment, as if it has been strangled, and the sweltering air seems to freeze.

Time seemed to undergo an elusive change at this moment, and everything tangible and intangible was frozen in time.

Meanwhile, in the distant Strange City, Mayumi Haga stood on the rooftop, holding her phone which was already open to the message page, looking up with a solemn expression.

In the night sky, the shapes of two crescent moons can be vaguely seen.

The blurry shape of the other moon became clearer, while the original moon was fading away rapidly.

Beneath her feet, the city, which was bustling during the day, was now abruptly halted, losing all its vitality and sound.

The expression on the face of the Star Tower mage beside her was also frozen, with only the hourglass pendant in his hand still radiating light.

The past has been changed.

The Star Tower mage only had time to find her and say those words before he turned into this.

Just a second before being frozen, Mayumi Haga touched the glowing hourglass pendant, and with the help of the fire, she escaped death.

But... she couldn't hear anyone else's voice.

In other words, could she be the only survivor...? Without hesitation, Mayumi Haga picked up the pendant from the magician's hand.

The moment it was picked up, the pendant shone brightly, and the changing space-time suddenly began to compress.

Mayumi Haga's vision went black, and she briefly lost consciousness.

Hitomi Tono slept straight through until morning.

It's a bit strange, really, because she's rarely had the experience of sleeping through the night like this since she became a magical girl.

Hitomi Tono was originally a child with such boundless energy that she was almost monstrous. After becoming a magical girl, she often encountered unexpected events at night and was unable to get a good night's sleep.

Not to mention Mayumi Haga, who wasn't sleeping well, Hitomi Tono was getting even less rest.

A good rest like last night was something she hadn't had in a long time.

Stretching on her small bed, Hitomi Tono loosened her muscles and then lazily slipped on her slippers, walked to the window, and drew back the curtains.

The expected bright sunshine did not shine in; the scene remained gloomy.

"Aunt?

"Tono Hitomi was a little puzzled: "Is it a cloudy day?" The world outside the children's classroom today doesn't look as bright and cheerful as usual.

The sky was overcast and dark outside. There were hardly any people on the streets, and even the green belts were tinged with a grayish color.

It was supposed to be a wonderful summer vacation, but I didn't see any children playing on the streets, and the small park that Hitomi Tono could see from her room window was deserted.

How strange, could it be that a typhoon is coming? Hitomi Tono couldn't figure it out, so she simply stopped thinking about it.

I'm going to find Mayumi today.

By the way, did Mayumi reply to my messages yesterday? Tono Hitomi's mind cleared up a bit, and she picked up her phone to check her messages, only to find that her phone had become a little strange.

...Why has the color turned grayish? Hitomi Tono felt something was strange. Her phone always had a pink case, so why did it turn blackish-gray?

Moreover, Mayumi's chat page was gone, and the nicknames were all strange and formal... Hitomi Tono didn't recognize the unfamiliar names on her phone. She looked up and around her room and found that all her favorite girly decorations had disappeared, replaced by cold and boring wallpapers.

what's the situation?

Has Mayumi Haga's gloomy and cold aesthetic virus spread? Hitomi Tono realized something was wrong and hurriedly went downstairs to check with her parents.

She had only taken two steps when she realized that the slippers on her feet felt a little off. Looking down, she immediately cried out, "Where are my pink bunny slippers?!" Those were the birthday presents she had dragged Mayumi to the mall to buy for her last year because she was afraid of receiving gifts like mealworms. How did they turn into stiff, gray business-style slippers?

Where did Mayumi go?

This morning, the Tono family home was in complete chaos.

My daughter, Hitomi Tono, who just returned from summer vacation yesterday, usually sleeps until late morning, but today she woke up at nine o'clock, rushed downstairs, and looked completely distraught.

"What on earth is going on... ah, the morning news."

Even the slow-witted Hitomi Tono realized that something was going against her expectations. She wanted to rush downstairs to ask her parents why the home's decor had become... so cold and austere, but seeing her parents' worried faces, she subconsciously shut her mouth.

Why does Guan Guan's mom look unhappy?

The usually warm and peaceful family atmosphere was completely shattered by the sighs and calls of the parents as they watched the morning news.

Hitomi Tono heard the news broadcast on the television: "...Currently, the vicious criminal who calls himself Magical Girl Pansy has escaped. We urge the public to actively provide relevant information..." Magical Girl Pansy? Vicious criminal? How can these two words appear in the same sentence?

Are you kidding me? Magical girls are supposed to be heroes who protect the city... Wait, who is this magical girl Pansy? I've never heard of her before.

It seems that the existence of magical girls has indeed brought trouble to the city.

I just took a nap, right? What exactly happened last night?

!

Mr. Tono saw the news and sighed: "Magical Girls..." Didn't they suffer a crushing defeat more than ten years ago? I don't know where they came from again... They're really persistent.

Mrs. Tono, who was wiping the plates next to Alpha, also had mixed feelings.

Hitomi Tono's eyes widened in surprise.

More than ten years ago...it failed? What happened? This is completely different from the story I knew!

She subconsciously reached for the collar of her pajamas, and only breathed a sigh of relief after touching the gem beast hair accessory she used for transformation.

I can transform... but the situation is clearly a bit strange now, and I need to figure out what changes have occurred in the world I live in.

With that thought in mind, Hitomi Tono quickly finished her simple breakfast and went upstairs under her parents' worried gaze.

The Tono couple exchanged a glance.

This kid is still so loud and boisterous... When will he ever be able to mature a bit? Last time he almost got into a conflict with the Monster Patrol and openly expressed his support for magical girls... The Tono couple started sighing again.

Meanwhile, Hitomi Tono had already turned on her phone and, using her instincts as a digital native, began searching online for information about the changed world.

This search gave her a huge fright.

"...How...how could this be?" More than a decade ago, Miracle City was ruled by a strange man known as the False Thug.

Later, the rule of the False Thugs was overthrown by several magical girls and a group of monsters known as the Abyss Gentlemen.

Up to this point, it is all the past that Hitomi Tono is familiar with.

But the next line left her speechless with astonishment.

[The Lord of Time emerged from the spiritual veins. The ruler named Ein froze the audacious madman who attempted to disrupt the order of time, protected the monsters' side to victory, and established a monster-dominated social order...] What a joke, where did this guy come from?

Could it be a time-attribute monster? In short, because the magical girl was defeated, monsters who wanted to coexist with humans were also sealed away, and the world's subsequent course was completely different from what Hitomi Tohno had imagined.

The freaks who sided with Ein gained the right to live in the city center. They monopolized most of the city's resources, even taking away its color. That's why the Tono family, which was located on the outskirts of the city, was so gloomy. Humans are not qualified to use magic; only freaks can use such technology.

Magical girls, naturally, would be classified as top-tier rebels and would be arrested and imprisoned once discovered.

"...This is terrible..."

... ...

Hitomi Tono also sighed.

According to her speculation.

It is highly likely that the act of the madman teleporting several elders into the spacetime turbulence triggered a butterfly effect, which led to the world becoming what it is today.

Although she doesn't know why she retained those memories, Hitomi Tono doesn't like this kind of world.

Because no one is happy.

The fact that everyone is frowning because of the rule of that guy named Ein is enough to show that he is a villain who must be defeated.

Hitomi Tono still prefers the previous world, where people have their own troubles, but the bright sunlight still falls equally on everyone.

Instead of the gloomy and lifeless atmosphere it is now.

Hitomi Tohno felt a little uncomfortable; she had to do something... She was, after all, the magical girl Crimson.

Oh, right!

Hitomi Tono remembered her Jewel Beast hair clip. She picked it up and examined it closely, only to find that her Jewel Beast, Ryan, which should have responded to her, did not react at all.

Could it be that because history was altered and she didn't sign a contract with Ryan to become a magical girl, she can't transform now?

That would be difficult. Although I can still use magic, without the help of a Gem Beast, I cannot use the Cognition Confusion Magic to cover my face.

This means that, given that "humans who can use magic" are now wanted, she cannot easily use magic in public.

At the very least, one's identity must not be revealed.

Moreover, without a Gem Beast, many useful spells cannot be used... r8MIA Hitomi Tono was a little disappointed, but quickly cheered up.

She has a lot to do right now, such as checking on her friends' situations, and if possible, she wants to get in touch with the magical girl Pansy so she can help.

"By the way, who exactly is that magical girl Sanshoku?" Hitomi Tohno scratched her head in confusion. She had never heard of this name before. Could it be someone she knew who had changed their code name, or perhaps a complete stranger who had obtained a Jewel Beast Contract?

If we're categorizing by color, what colors are these three? Tono Hitomi couldn't figure it out.

However, she has something more important to confirm now.

If Rika, the magical girl in red, was defeated more than a decade ago, then where is Mayumi, who drifted from another world during the time when Rika retired as a magical girl?

Is r8MIA with Sister Li Hua, or did she go somewhere else...?

Chance encounter

Hitomi Tono is very worried about Mayumi Haga's safety, but she has no way to contact her right now.

The contact information for Mayumi Haga on her phone has been completely lost, and the phone number she wrote down is no longer in service. The house where she lived is now occupied by an elderly couple she doesn't know.

Mayumi Haga's name wasn't on the school's list, and to make matters worse, Yuri Takajo wasn't in her class either.

But thinking about it, it makes sense. Given Yuri Takajo's family background, in the current situation in Miracle City, the other person is either studying in the central city or has already left this country ruled by monsters.

Of course, if she really makes that choice, it means that Yuri Takajo may have lost her previous memories, just like her parents.

After the history of magical girls was altered, everyone forgot what the world looked like before, and there might even be other magical girls among them whom they could trust.

Even Mamiya might... have no memory of it.

This is a headache.