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

Page 170

He might not have been attracted to her at first meeting, but in every subsequent interaction, he would find something completely different yet always captivating.

So in the end, the client still married the lady.

"It's a happy ending!" The Shadow Monster cheered as well. "It's so good to be with the person you love."

Mayumi Haga also agreed in her heart.

Kazuna, the futuristic genius, was also quite moved, as business dealings related to the future always touched him deeply.

All of this is thanks to my previous studies in Miracle City.

In short, Kazuna, the futuristic monster, is quite content with his current life.

Although he has become the corporate slave he is today after his childhood, having a clear mind is better than being muddle-headed.

Therefore, he was quite grateful to Mayumi Haga, who had previously helped him.

I was worried that the Shadow Monster would be harmed by bad guys, but now I feel relieved.

but……

"Shadow, you should just copy me instead."

Kazuna, the future monster, pushed up his glasses. Actually, the Shadow Monster's behavior of rashly copying other people's appearances was a bit impolite. Although Mayumi Haga didn't mind, it couldn't be taken for granted.

“From now on, you must get the other party’s permission first…ah, except for enemies,” Kazuna instructed.

It's one thing in battle, but casually impersonating someone else in everyday life carries a provocative connotation.

The shadow monster obediently gave an "oh" and walked over to stand within the shadow range of the future monster Kazuna, quickly transforming into a goat-headed human.

"Welcome to Strange City. I've been wanting to thank you and the magical girls properly ever since last time, but I haven't had the chance because I've been too busy with work." The future monster Kazuna said with his ever-present, enthusiastic smile. "If you encounter any difficulties, please don't hesitate to tell me."

Kazuna, the futuristic monster, is dressed somewhat like the Abyss Gentleman, but his demeanor is completely different.

If the Abyss Gentleman is calm and elegant, then the Future Monster Kazuna is somewhat sinister due to his appearance.

In particular, his smile was always warm, and he had orange-yellow goat-like eyes, a high-pitched and shrill voice, and he looked a bit cunning.

He's a local oddball, after all, and he can be of some help.

Mayumi Haga did indeed need a local guide, so she readily agreed.

She needs to know more about the city.

"Speaking of which, I've also noticed some anomalies lately," said Kazunar, the futuristic monster. "If you're interested..."

Text: 267. Losing face won't happen in Miracle City.

Mayumi Haga decides to join the competition for the right to mine the spiritual veins in Strange City.

According to the strange man from the future, strange things have been happening here ever since the competition for the mining rights of the spiritual veins was announced and started to heat up.

Although Strange City was originally known for its ghost stories and had a perpetually eerie atmosphere (compared to other cities), and produced a large number of strange people every year, its urban ghost story forums were rarely as active as they are now.

It is said that the reason why this year's competition has been hyped up so much is largely due to the efforts of the "Orange Juice Man" Jeffrey.

Since returning from Miracle City, Geoffrey the Orange Juice Freak has been acting a bit strange.

His original personality was considered one of the most eccentric among the oddballs. He was obsessed with pursuing the perfect orange juice to the point of fanaticism, and he didn't really get along with the other oddballs.

In previous years, the Orange Juice Monster didn't really care who won the rights to mine the spiritual vein. He only sent his subordinates to participate because his monsters needed them, and it was indeed quite interesting.

Yes, this competition can be described as a grand event involving the entire city, a rare form of entertainment for both the humans and the oddballs living here.

Now, the annual competition for the right to mine spiritual veins has spawned many derivative activities. Many people actually refer to this competition as a "festival" in private, and they will even secretly hold polls to see which team they support will win the competition.

Mayumi Haga decided to participate in the festival, and the first problem she encountered was...

"This contestant, although you can participate alone, since with magic, the number of people doesn't matter anymore," the strange referee who looked like Captain Dragonfly said to Mayumi Haga at the competition registration desk, "but the team name and representative color must be confirmed."

Mayumi Haga understands the importance of a team name, but...

"Representative color?"

She expressed her confusion.

"The pranksters' group will wear violet, and the orange group will wear orange. These colors will be printed on the festival T-shirts, so you'd better choose a more eye-catching color," the referee monster said.

"What's the deal with this T-shirt?" Mayumi Haga asked.

"We'll distribute them to supporters, and who knows, we might even print ads—as long as advertisers come knocking. These T-shirts are given to fans for free, and if the design on the T-shirt is good, it will definitely attract a lot of attention," the eccentric referee enthusiastically explained.

Mayumi Haga hadn't expected this, and her artistic talent wasn't particularly outstanding, so she tentatively suggested, "Is black okay? I want pure black."

This is both eye-catching and saves on design effort.

But the eccentric referee disagreed: "Although the rules allow you to choose a solid color, such a perfunctory approach won't get you any fan support. I suggest you think about it again."

Seeing that Mayumi Haga seemed to be struggling with the costume design, the eccentric referee kindly explained, "If you really can't do it, you can have your teammate design it, or ask for help from outside..."

Mayumi Haga only heard the rule that "solid colors are allowed" and was about to firmly choose black when she saw the figure of Senior Ukigumo appear in front of her.

Fuyun quickly covered Mayumi Haga's mouth to stop her from saying anything that would spoil the mood, and said, "We will redesign it."

The eccentric referee was startled by the sudden appearance of the floating clouds, but having seen many of them before, he quickly recovered: "There are people on duty at the registration desk all day. If you have completed your design, you can register at any time."

He also said seriously to Mayumi Haga, "As long as you participate, whether you are a spirit or a living person, you must fill in your name. Please take note."

It seems they've mistaken Mayumi Haga for someone trying to exploit a gap in the population count by using ghosts.

Because there is no limit on the number of participants this year, teams with fewer participants will face different competition formats in the early stages compared to larger teams.

"...No, I plan to participate alone. They're just here to help me register." Mayumi Haga paused for a moment before explaining with difficulty.

The strange referee in front of her gave her a "you better be" look, and Mayumi Haga just wanted to facepalm at that look.

Oh well, I'm not really here to enjoy the game anyway.

However, on the other hand, has the content of the first match not been announced yet?

Mayumi Haga's confusion was written all over her face, so the eccentric referee kindly explained: "The competition content for this year will be determined by drawing lots an hour before the competition."

It's all about being adaptable.

For eccentric individuals, luck and the ability to adapt to changing circumstances are also important.

Moreover, the competition wasn't very intense; it was more like a group of people getting together to have fun, so the casual rules never drew any criticism.

On the contrary, I really enjoy seeing contestants make fools of themselves in competitions they are not good at.

Haga Mayumi:......

You weirdos are really...

Although she felt there were flaws everywhere, Mayumi Haga remained silent in the face of the strange referee who didn't seem to have any problems.

There shouldn't be any problems, after all, it's already a recreational sport for everyone, so there shouldn't be any dangerous activities.

Mayumi Haga possesses exceptional athleticism and reflexes, making it impossible for her to lose in any sport. Even in a seemingly inexplicable event like origami crane folding, Mayumi Haga felt that with her hand speed, there was no reason for her to fail.

The costumes were designed with the help of senior artists like Fuyun, so all I had to do was stand on stage that day.

Even with these thoughts in mind, Mayumi Haga still wanted to suppress the ominous premonition that was rising in her heart.

So she whispered to her senior, Fuyun, who was already whispering to Urzana and even to Mograine in his backpack, "Senior, could you design some less conspicuous clothing?"

Fuyun just laughed: "Hahahaha..."

Mayumi Haga: "...You can manage, right? Just don't make it too weird..."

"..." Now the two guardians and the fish head in the backpack were laughing together.

Mayumi Haga suddenly felt that she had been somewhat hasty and should not have entrusted such a task to these three.

She opened her mouth as if to say something, but considering that this was a rare occasion where the two seniors and her water fairy friend were so enthusiastic and happy, she ultimately kept quiet and said nothing.

It's alright, these three people won't go too far no matter what.

Mayumi Haga comforted herself.

And no matter how humiliating it was, it would only be within the confines of this city. Mayumi Haga felt she could handle it.

————————————————————————

On the day of the competition, Mayumi Haga, wearing her competition T-shirt printed with Super Earth Black Dragon and the words "Ultimate Mighty 1!" in old-fashioned font, fell silent when she saw the three magical girls and several Miracle City monsters sitting on the judges' panel on the sky screen.

Text: 268. Just how bored are you guys?

Hitomi Tono was initially a little surprised to learn that she had been invited to this year's Strange City Festival.

After all, she was a magical girl, and she wasn't familiar with the strange people in Strange City, so she didn't know why they had invited her.

In most cases, such an invitation is like a complete joke.

However, the invitation was delivered to her by Arisu Akari, who was the magical girl Azumi.

This naturally eliminates the possibility of jokes.

“Actually, magical girls are invited to the festival in previous years. I was a judge last year.” Arisu Akari explained to Tono Hitomi and Takajo Yuri, who was also invited, “Perhaps this year’s scale is larger and the sponsors intend to make the Monster City Festival a part of the city’s culture, so they plan to invite more celebrities.”

The "celebrity" here refers to magical girls, of course.

Although her real identity is just a student, after transforming, she becomes a household name and a superstar.

With nothing much to do during the holiday, Hitomi Tono thought she could go out and have some fun. Also, since Akari Arisu might need help maintaining order, she happily decided to go.

She wanted to invite Mayumi to come along, but Mayumi seemed to have gotten busy lately and had left Miracle City a couple of days ago, so she didn't tell her while she was busy.

"Maybe Mayumi will see me on TV," Hitomi thought to herself, feeling a strange mix of excitement and anticipation.

Yuri Takajo was originally supposed to take care of her cousin, but her cousin recovered faster than expected and had professional care at home, so she decided to take some time to relax as well.

And so, the three magical girls arrived in Strange City.

The Abyss Gentleman and several other prominent oddballs in Miracle City were invited by the oddballs of Strange City to serve as judges.

The Abyss Gentleman spoke on behalf of the other monsters.

His appearance caused a commotion among the strange people below:

"He truly is a gentleman of the abyss!"

"I can't believe he's still alive!"

"Wasn't he supposed to be suppressed by the magical girls of Miracle City? How come he still seems as arrogant as before?"

"Idiot, that's called being impressive! The Abyss Gentleman is now the leader of all the weirdos in Miracle City!"

"This is the legendary Jack..."

The whispers reached the ears of the Abyss Gentleman, and the dark history he had finally managed to forget resurfaced. However, the Abyss Gentleman was now a mature and composed oddball, and he was still able to deliver his speech without changing his expression in such an environment.

After finishing reading the prepared script with a straight face, the Gentleman of the Abyss secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He wished he could take his family and escape from Strange City as soon as he was done—he had only agreed to come because the Prankster invited his family to play—but next he still had to draw lots with the magical girl Crimson.

The lottery ceremony was conducted jointly by him, representing the freaks, and Crimson, representing the magical girls.

The Abyss Gentleman and the Magical Girl Crimson will activate magic bullets to strike the lottery box hanging at the highest point of the stands. The first ball that falls from the box will have the rules of the first match written on it.

Magical Girl Crimson was clearly facing this kind of scene for the first time, and she was a little nervous when she stepped onto the stage. But when her gaze fell on the only team among the participating teams below the stage that had only one person, she rubbed her eyes in surprise.

Huh?

huh huh?

Isn't this a real bow?

What's going on? How did Mayumi end up here?

Never mind, let's quietly greet Mayumi first.

Although it was said to be "quiet," in reality, because she was standing on the stage with many eyes watching her, the magical girl Crimson's movements were practically as if she were shouting through a megaphone, "I know that person in the audience."

And then she turned around, thinking she was speaking very softly, but in fact, her entire voice was picked up by the microphone: "Can I participate in the competition at the last minute? I really want to compete with my friends!"

"Huh? Is it not allowed? Temporary additions are not permitted? What a pity..."

"And being a judge also means being banned from participating? Ugh..."

Because of the attention from the magical girl Crimson, Haga Makoto, who was trying his best to hide his presence in the audience, was caught on camera by five or six cameras from all sides.

The moment the black-haired girl's pretty, aloof face appeared on the big screen, she calmly gazed at the camera, then peacefully closed her eyes.

Haga Mayumi: ...Forget it.

Anyway, as long as we play well in the competition, things can't get any more suffocating.

The disastrous moment of Magical Girl Crimson's speech is finally over, and next up is the lottery.