2. All You Have to Do is Reach Out
***
The unmistakable stench of a house un cleaned for over a week, mingled with the damp smell of sweat, stings my nose.
“Ugh…”
A sliver of light slips through the blackout curtains, faintly illuminating my closed eyes.
“Ugh… Uwaaah?!”
As my senses of smell and sight slowly awaken, I jolt upright, letting out a startled cry.
“I’m alive… Thank goodness…”
Relief washes over me that I didn’t die despite collapsing as if I’d been shot, but another thought surges through my mind.
“What time is it?!”
I frantically pull my phone from my pocket and press the power button, the screen revealing I still have a little time before work.
Not only did I survive, but I’m not even late for work—a miracle.
Without time to marvel, I dash to the bathroom, strip off my sweat-soaked clothes, and grab the showerhead, dry from days of disuse.
“Now I’m finally waking up.”
Washing my sweaty skin with cold water clears my mind, and my eyes begin to focus properly.
My vision isn’t bad enough to need glasses, but somehow, it feels sharper and clearer than usual.
“What’s this? Was my body always like this?”
The reflection in the mirror shows a body noticeably different from before.
I’ve always been tall but otherwise unremarkable, a doughy figure, but now, after days without proper meals and pushing myself too hard, my body looks leaner.
Not just lean—tight, defined muscles stand out, and my once-dull, dry skin looks vibrant after washing away the sweat.
“Tch… I must still be out of it.”
I know something’s changed, but what matters now isn’t my body—it’s that I’m running out of time to get to work.
“Where are they… towel, shirt…”
I rush out of the bathroom, searching for a towel and shirt among the scattered mess, but the clutter makes it hard to find anything.
Despite earning enough to buy this house, I barely live here beyond sleeping, so even a nice place feels inconvenient at times like this.
“No way… I’m gonna miss the subway!”
Without time to check if I’ve grabbed everything, I bolt out the door and race to catch the subway to the office.
***
“Made it with more time than I thought.”
Moving faster than ever, I arrive at the office with over 20 minutes to spare, swiping my ID card to enter.
Normally, I drag myself in like a cow to the slaughter, but today, I’m brimming with energy, almost buoyant.
“Weird…”
Feeling suspiciously good, I reflect on the body I saw in the mirror earlier.
The strangest thing is this lean, muscular physique.
After nearly two years as a manager, my body had turned soft and doughy, but now my abs are defined, and my forearms stand out prominently.
My sagging face and dry hair look polished, as if I’d been to a salon, and even the weight between my legs feels heavier than before.
“You’ve noticed something’s off, haven’t you?”
“Wha… What?!”
As I marvel and doubt my transformed body, a strange voice speaks.
It’s so peculiar I can’t pinpoint its gender or any distinct trait.
“No need to think it’s strange. You’re much healthier now.
Maybe so healthy it feels a bit odd?”
The voice describes exactly what I’m feeling, as if it’s been watching me since I woke up.
“Who are you?! Who’s there?!”
Fearful it might be a ghost, my face twists, but I try to sound bold, shouting to mask my nerves.
“Curious, huh? If you’re that curious, I can tell you.”
The voice chuckles creepily, as if it knows my fear.
“I’m the adversary of the magical girl you serve.
The term ‘monster’ should make it easy to understand, right?”
“Mon… Monster?!”
The creatures that suddenly appeared to threaten humanity and cities, the ones magical girls like Flora defeat.
“To be more precise, I command the monsters…
In human terms, you could call me an ‘evil god.’”
“So… you’re the one behind the monsters?”
“I was born from the pleasure and wicked desires of you humans.
That’s why I keep creating and sending my minions.”
Calling itself an “evil god,” it explains it wasn’t artificially created or an alien but born from human pleasure and desire.
The reason it keeps creating monsters to attack humanity and cities is that its existence and instincts are tied to its origin.
“But the power of magical girls is too strong and deadly.
After much thought, I came to a conclusion.
Instead of unstable, weak monsters…
I’d use a ‘human male’ who can easily approach a magical girl.”
No human weapon can even scratch a monster, but a magical girl can dispatch them with ease.
From its perspective, with its creations constantly defeated, it’s only natural to seek a new approach.
“So… I’m the result of your search?”
“Ding-dong-deng, correct!”
Hearing that smug “ding-dong-deng, correct” makes my head throb.
If it can’t win by force, it could surrender or find another target, but joining the enemy with “if you can’t beat them, join them” logic—what kind of thinking is that?
“If I hadn’t given you power, you’d have died collapsed like that.
You should be grateful I chose you.”
I’m almost tearfully grateful for being saved from dying of overwork, but why, out of all the human males, did it pick me?
Half the planet’s population is male, and even with the condition of easy access to a magical girl, there are plenty of candidates.
Many magical girl managers quit recently, but I’m not the only one left.
“So… why me, specifically?”
“I told you. A human male with access to a magical girl.
Among them, you were the only one perfectly suited for this evil god’s power.”
No matter how much it explains, my head just aches more.
So, I ask what it wants from me.
“What do you want me to do? Turn into a monster and hurt people?”
“If that was the plan, it’d be more efficient to make more monsters.
Your job is to fuck the magical girl and corrupt her into an evil being.
You stay human, no turning into a monster, and all you have to do is screw those beautiful, firm bitches to your heart’s content.”
Since its monsters can’t defeat magical girls, it wants me, a human and their manager, to subdue them.
In the most primal, vulgar way: by fucking and corrupting them.
“What if I refuse?”
“I know you, on the magical girl’s side, won’t agree easily.
But… you won’t be able to resist, will you?”
It mocks my resolve not to betray the magical girl, its voice brimming with confidence.
- Swish -
At that moment, Flora walks into the office.
Normally, she’d be at least 30 minutes late, so why is she early today of all days?
“Your magical girl is here…
How about testing your powers? Sounds fun, doesn’t it?”
The evil god goads me to try my powers on Flora.
“Good morning, Flora-nim.”
Flora sits on the sofa with her usual slight pout, and I greet her lightly, ignoring the evil god’s temptation.
“Why’s your voice so loud today? So annoying.”
Flora, as always, settles into her plush black sofa, complaining that my voice is too loud and flashing a venomous look.
It’s not new behavior, so I just let it slide and keep staring at my monitor.
“Hey! Are you ignoring me?”
She gets angrier, storming over to my desk, kicking my chair, and shoving my shoulder.
My lack of response has clearly irritated her.
“Doesn’t that piss you off? A bitch like that needs to be fucked and made yours.”
As Flora approaches in a rage, the voice speaks again.
I try to shut my eyes and ignore it, but now it’s booming in my head.
“It’s not hard at all. Just reach out.
For a moment… you can make her yours.”
“Just reach out…?”
Hearing Flora’s infuriating insults, my temper flares, and I feel myself teetering toward the devil’s whisper.
If what it says is true and I have this power, I could take revenge for all the humiliation I’ve endured right now.
Even if it’s not true, I could play it off as an accident, turning my body the wrong way.
If she slaps me, it’d just sting for a bit.
“Let’s try it once.”
Enchanted by the devil’s sweet whisper, I close my eyes tightly and extend my hand toward Flora’s fuming face.
“…?”
A faint pink light seeps from my hand, shooting straight into Flora’s face.
“…”
After a brief flash of purple light, Flora stands motionless, silent.
I open my eyes, lowering my hand, and see her standing there with vacant eyes.