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"Get me out of here…!"
"Those cats are monsters…!"
"My wife cheated on me… I only did that because I was in a bad mood… it's all that bitch's fault…"
A moment later—
The doors of the pet hospital swung open. The so-called "demon doctor," now clearly on the verge of a mental breakdown, was dragged out by two police officers and shoved into a patrol car before being taken away.
After personally experiencing something that felt downright supernatural, the man would rather face legal punishment than continue living in terror.
"I thought that guy would at least hold out for a while," Yamada Elf said, hands on her hips as she complained. "Didn't expect him to crack right at the start. We didn't even get to use the rest of our tricks. What a wimp."
"Not that surprising," Blake replied calmly. "Even an ordinary person would be terrified if something like that suddenly happened to them. And he already had a guilty conscience."
"True." Anna Yanami crossed her arms. "If it were me, I'd probably be scared out of my mind too."
With the girls' abilities combined, what they'd created was basically an unsolvable "paranormal incident." Way scarier than any street prank. Anyone with a weak heart probably couldn't handle it.
Mahiru Shiina spoke softly, "I just hope he reflects on his actions while he's in prison."
In recent years, Japan had passed the Animal Protection and Management Act, making it clear that abusing cats or dogs could lead to prison time. Depending on the severity, the punishment could go up to five years, along with a fine of up to five million yen. Given how cruel that "demon doctor" had been, he'd definitely be behind bars for at least a year or more.
"That should wrap things up," Blake said, glancing at the time on his phone. "It's almost 10:30 PM… not sure if we can still make it back."
"Huh? It's that late already?"
Only then did the girls realize how deep into the night it had gotten.
"Mount Takao is about an hour from Tokyo by car," Goko Ruri said, biting her lip, worry creeping into her voice. "Even if we head to the station now, it'll be past midnight by the time we get there. Trains and subways will have stopped running… we won't be able to get home."
Earlier in the evening, Ruri's mother had already messaged to check on her.
At the time, Ruri was too focused on punishing the cat abuser to go home, so she just said she was out with friends and would be back late.
"…And now it's turned into staying out all night…"
She felt a headache coming on just thinking about how she'd explain this later.
Compared to her, Anna Yanami was much more relaxed.
The gluttonous girl had tons of friends and often stayed over at their places. She'd already told her mom she'd be coming back the next day.
"Looks like going home tonight is out of the question," Blake said, looking at the girls. "Let's just find a place to stay and head back tomorrow morning?"
"Phew…" Yamada Elf covered her mouth as she yawned, then tugged lightly at Blake's sleeve. "My legs are sore, and my heels hurt. Let's hurry up and get a room already."
Blake twitched slightly, then looked toward Mahiru. "What do you think, Shiina?"
Mahiru brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, a faint trace of fatigue on her face.
"…Let's stay at an inn."
"Oh! That reminds me!" Anna Yanami suddenly lit up, slapping her forehead before quickly rummaging through her backpack. "I think I packed some hot spring vouchers earlier… there should be a chain inn near Mount Takao…"
"Found them!"
She pulled out a few tickets, her smile bright and excited.
"Let's stay at a hot spring inn! We can spend tomorrow hanging out around Mount Takao, then head back in the evening."
She had originally wanted to enjoy the hot springs alone with Blake… but given the situation—and the fact that they'd all worked together to take down the cat abuser—she already considered everyone friends. No reason to keep it to herself.
"I'm in."
"Same here."
"So tired… let's just go already."
"…Agreed."
The girls quickly reached a consensus.
Blake had no objections. They pulled out their phones, checked directions, and started walking toward the hot spring inn.
The streets were completely empty, eerily quiet. Walking alone would've felt lonely, but with Yanami and Yamada Elf around, silence was never an issue.
"It's about a ten-minute walk," Blake said after checking the navigation app. Then he looked at the three magical girls. "You've all used your magic several times today. The side effects are unavoidable. Since we've got time, I can help purify the magical residue… who wants to go first?"
"…."
The smile on Anna Yanami's face instantly froze.
Damn it!
I want to hold hands too!
Why am I the only one who's not a magical girl?!
"Start with Elf," Mahiru said gently, her soft voice drifting into the night breeze. "The side effects of invisibility are pretty troublesome."
Yamada Elf's cheeks flushed slightly as she huffed. "No way. Let's wait until we get to the inn… Holding hands out here? If someone sees us, they'll think I'm dating that pervert Blake."
That offhand comment instantly made things awkward.
Blake expressionlessly withdrew his hand. "Then forget it."
Goko Ruri reminded them from the side, "You need to register at the inn. You'll have to cancel the invisibility first."
"No way!" Yamada Elf panicked, quickly reaching out to grab Blake's fingers. "I'm not about to erase my clothes!"
"..."
The rest of the walk passed in silence.
By the time they reached the hot spring inn, Blake had just finished purifying the magical residue on Elf, earning himself another 100 universal experience points.
It was already very late. The inn was quiet and nearly empty, with only a middle-aged woman dozing behind the front desk.
"Hello, we'd like to check in…"
Anna Yanami stepped forward, her voice bright as she handed over the vouchers and started negotiating.
"Looks like we're lucky—there are still plenty of rooms. Everyone, come register your information."
"Coming."
Blake and the girls lined up, quickly completing the check-in process. Soon, a staff member in a yukata appeared and led them to their rooms.
They booked three rooms in total, all next to each other. As the only guy, Blake naturally got a room to himself, while the four girls split into two pairs.
After a bit of whispering and discussion, the final arrangement was set: Yanami and Kuroneko in one room, Mahiru and Yamada Elf in the other.
Of course, before resting, Mahiru and Kuroneko still needed their magical residue purified.
"Staaare—"
Anna Yanami sat in the corner, arms crossed, staring without blinking.
Blake remained completely unfazed. As a "doctor" treating his "patients," there was nothing to be embarrassed about—even with someone watching. On the other hand, both Mahiru and Kuroneko looked noticeably uncomfortable.
Thankfully, nothing unexpected happened. The purification process went smoothly.
Watching the experience points roll in, Blake nodded in satisfaction, then waved them off.
"Alright, you're done. You can go back to your rooms now."
"....."