The 30-Year-Old Magical Girl - Chapter 33

“…Damn it.”

“I’m late.”

Tidal shot through the sky, accelerating toward the meeting point.

There had been a reason she had chosen 5:30 p.m. as their rendezvous time.

According to her schedule…

She was supposed to finish patrolling around 4:40, return to the office, transform back into You Dong, and clock in before the end of the workday.

That would still leave her roughly twenty minutes to fly back.

For a magical girl…

That was more than enough time.

Unfortunately…

Plans rarely survived reality.

The moment You Dong stepped back into the office…

One of his subordinates cornered him with a report.

Then another arrived.

And another.

By the time he had dealt with everyone’s questions…

It was already well past 5:30.

She was undeniably late.

“Senior!”

“Over here!”

The instant Tidal landed on the rooftop…

Raging Flame waved excitedly from a distance.

Tidal casually brushed the dust from her clothes.

Then…

As always…

Her expression returned to its usual calm indifference.

No helping it.

She had an image to maintain.

“…Sorry.”

“I’m a little late.”

“It’s alright.”

“I haven’t been waiting very long.”

Raging Flame shook her head.

“You’re an adult.”

“You probably have a lot to deal with.”

“…Good.”

“I’m glad you understand.”

Tidal gave a faint nod.

“So?”

“Did you discover anything?”

“…Nothing.”

“But…”

Raging Flame hesitated.

“But?”

Tidal looked at her.

The girl’s thoughts were practically written all over her face.

She was clearly hiding something.

“…Senior.”

“Has the Magic Kingdom app ever malfunctioned for you?”

“…Malfunction?”

Tidal thought for a moment.

“It never gave me any alerts during today’s patrol.”

“What kind of malfunction are you talking about?”

“It kept saying the Nightmare Fiend was nearby.”

“…Did you investigate?”

“Of course.”

“There wasn’t anything there.”

“And after a few minutes…”

“The alert disappeared on its own.”

“So I figured…”

“It was probably just a bug.”

“…Is that really what you think?”

Tidal murmured thoughtfully.

Was it truly just a software error?

Somehow…

She wasn’t convinced.

As a mid-level manager in a large company…

She had developed an instinct for paying attention to small anomalies.

Experience had taught her something important.

If you labelled a problem based purely on assumptions…

Instead of investigating it properly…

The consequences often became far worse.

Especially at work.

Whenever a defect appeared in one of the company’s products…

Tracing it back usually uncovered a completely unexpected root cause.

A tiny spark…

Could eventually ignite an entire forest.

“…Where exactly did this happen?”

Tidal asked.

Raging Flame named the apartment complex.

Out of respect for Bai Mian’s privacy…

She deliberately omitted everything that had happened inside the apartment.

“…Let’s go.”

“We’ll investigate again.”

Before she had even finished speaking…

Tidal had already taken to the air.

Raging Flame hurriedly transformed…

Then chased after her.

Leaving behind the endless forest of steel and concrete…

The two magical girls soared into the open sky.

A realm humanity had never truly conquered.

Powerful winds rushed toward them…

Whipping their hair…

Their skirts…

Everything danced wildly beneath the vast heavens.

“…Cough…”

“…Cough…”

“Senior?”

“Are you alright?”

Raging Flame looked over with concern.

“…I’m fine.”

That was her answer.

But inwardly…

Tidal was already considering retirement.

She understood her own body better than anyone.

Constantly switching between an overworked office employee…

And a magical girl…

Was wearing her down.

If this continued…

She wouldn’t be protecting her niece.

She’d collapse before anything else happened.

“…Senior Tidal.”

After a brief silence…

Raging Flame spoke again.

“…Your real identity…”

“You’re an adult, aren’t you?”

“…Yes.”

“That must be really difficult.”

“You have to take care of your family…”

“And still fight as a magical girl.”

“…”

“…Senior…”

“If you don’t mind me asking…”

“What keeps you going?”

“…Your motivation.”

“…Motivation?”

Tidal slowed her flight.

The roaring wind gradually quieted.

Making conversation much easier.

“…Why are you asking?”

“…Well…”

Raging Flame lowered her head awkwardly.

Her fingers nervously twisted together.

She looked uncertain.

As though struggling to find the right words.

“…Go ahead.”

“It’s alright.”

Tidal smiled gently.

She understood.

At Raging Flame’s age…

She had been exactly the same.

Filled with emotions she couldn’t express.

Burdened by countless questions that no textbook could answer.

Lost.

Confused.

Unsure of what the future held.

Back then…

She had desperately wished for an older senior…

Someone she could rely on.

Someone who could point her in the right direction.

Now…

As Tidal…

She wanted to become that dependable senior.

“…I…”

“I became a magical girl…”

“Because I wanted to change this world with my own hands.”

The moment she finished speaking…

Raging Flame’s cheeks turned bright red.

“…Haha.”

“That sounds arrogant, doesn’t it?”

“Kind of embarrassing.”

She nervously glanced toward Tidal.

Expecting laughter.

Instead…

She found only quiet encouragement.

There wasn’t a trace of ridicule in Tidal’s eyes.

That silent approval gave Raging Flame the courage to continue.

“…My parents…”

“They both died because of Aberrations.”

“…After that…”

“I hated adults.”

“I hated how powerless they were.”

“I hated how they couldn’t protect anyone.”

“…I know.”

“I was probably just throwing childish tantrums.”

“But back then…”

“I kept thinking…”

“If I became a magical girl…”

“I could stop tragedies like that.”

“I could make sure fewer people experienced what I went through.”

She paused.

Her expression gradually darkened.

“…But after I really became a magical girl…”

“I realized…”

“I couldn’t change anything.”

“I don’t have overwhelming power like you, Senior.”

“I can’t defeat powerful Aberrations.”

“My life outside being a magical girl…”

“Is a complete mess.”

“My best friend was bullied.”

“I couldn’t save her.”

“I lost control…”

“And hit someone.”

“Now I’ve been suspended indefinitely.”

“Whenever something goes wrong…”

“My first instinct is always to run away.”

“And dump everything onto my uncle.”

“…Even then…”

“I’m always rude to him.”

“I keep saying hurtful things.”

“…Honestly…”

“I hate myself.”

“I hate this unfair…”

“Cruel world.”

She lowered her head completely.

Her voice grew quieter.

“…Sometimes…”

“I even wonder…”

“Whether this life…”

“Whether this world…”

“Has any meaning at all.”

“…I know that’s an extreme way to think.”

“So I keep asking myself…”

“…Am I really suited…”

“…To be a magical girl?”