# National Magical Girls on Alert Hahaha

[Author: MoistStrawberryChip]

('Ars Propria' Contest Announcement Image)

A huge contest with 3 billion won in total prizes just dropped hahaha

[Comments 99+]

Anonymous(222.132): 3 billion??????

Anonymous(175.211): What the hell is with that amount?

RoboPeng: Wasn't the biggest contest before this one only 1 billion won in total? hahaha How did it suddenly triple?

ㄴAnonymous: Wasn't that one sponsored by some company? haha This time I don't see any sponsor company

ㄴㄴRoboPeng: Alice is the co-host though?

ㄴㄴㄴAnonymous: Huh?

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(Comment blocked by administrator)

(Comment blocked by administrator)

Anonymous: Did magical girls come through here?

ㄴAnonymous(Mod): Yes

[Title: Public Opinion Test.jpg]

[Author: RabbitLover]

(Photo of Alice bravely fighting against Abyss One)

[Likes: 682(366) Dislikes: 13]

Anonymous: GOAT

Anonymous: You again?

(Comment blocked by administrator)

ㄴAnonymous: Don't feed the idiot

ㄴAnonymous: Stupid bastard

ㄴWired: Are you even human?

ㄴAnonymous(112.311): It's Abyss One, ignore it

Anonymous(58.140): What did the comment above say?

ㄴAnonymous(112.311): It was Abyss One saying Alice should pay for their collapsed house because she was late

ㄴㄴAnonymous(58.140): Should we disinfect this place?

VitaminD: Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you

RingPolisher: But did Alice ever have a photo like this? Why don't I remember seeing it?

ㄴRabbitLover: AI performance is pretty good these days

ㄴㄴRingPolisher: You bastard, I was fooled

ㄴㄴㄴRabbitLover: Still cool though, right?

[Title: But why is the naming sense normal this time?]

Shouldn't the Chairman have named it something like Unique Magic Contest or something?

Anonymous: Maybe Alice rejected it?

ㄴAnonymous: Rookie Magical Match is still the same though

ㄴㄴAnonymous: Maybe it's different now because she's a co-host

[Title: This magical girl's unique magic was pretty good, wouldn't it rank?]

[Author: Rukoko]

Keep an eye on people who write posts like this. High chance they're magical girls.

Anonymous: Isn't this kid a magical girl?

ㄴRukoko: No

Anonymous: How did you end up with an account that has a channel promotion post pinned on your gallery?

ㄴRukoko: Why can't I delete the post...?

Anonymous(Mod): Rukoko, you didn't log out.

ㄴRukoko: Sigh... I'll accept my punishment.

ㄴㄴAnonymous(Mod): Any last words?

(30-day ban)

[Title: There's a suspicious decrease in regular users who were active before the contest announcement]

[Author: Anonymous(39.7)]

(Screenshot of blurred nicknames with notes)

I recorded everything just in case

Anonymous(112.211): What's with this guy?

Anonymous(118.40): This is the regular user killer;

Anonymous(39.113): Damn that's scary as hell

Anonymous(210.213): Look how none of the regulars are commenting haha

ㄴAnonymous(118.50): Are you asking to be killed if you comment as a regular?

* * *

-Thud

"...Pardon?"

"The prize money is 3 billion won. Alice's name is listed as co-host. You didn't know?"

"...............Pardon???"

I was so shocked I almost dropped the tangerine I was holding.

...What did she just say?

How much prize money?

"...300 million won?"

"Add another zero."

".........What."

-Flash

Since we were talking about magical girls, I transformed first. The familiar sensation of long white hair falling down and tickling my legs...

'How much money?'

I expected the prize to be substantial since Emerald had promised it would be, but I didn't expect it to be that much.

"...How much do magical girl contests usually offer in prize money?"

"For major contests that happen once every few years... I've seen up to just under 1 billion won. The more frequent contests are usually below 100 million."

"With 3 billion won at stake, how much influence do you think this will have?"

"Hmm... Any magical girl with even a slight interest in money can't help but be interested? The amount will definitely catch attention, and looking at the details, the structure doesn't give everything to first place but spreads the prizes among many winners. Just placing would earn you as much as winning a smaller contest. Above all, since the judging criteria isn't based on 'combat power,' I think there will be a huge turnout."

".........That does match what I wanted, but... hmm..."

It is what I requested from Emerald.

Even after Emerald told me to leave it to her, she asked if I had any specific requirements, so I mentioned that I'd like a structure where 30 to 50 people could receive awards, even if they were just honorable mentions...

'I didn't expect her to throw that much money at it'

I know Emerald is wealthy, but putting such a large amount into one contest, just because I asked... I wondered if that was really okay.

I had heard that my name would be listed as a co-host...

But having it attached to such a large sum makes it look like I did something special.

When in reality, not a penny came out of my pocket.

-Ding

[You've seen it by now, right? If not, go look! It's even on the news! Anyway, what you need to know is that I'll have Sapphire send you a summary, so prepare well! We got some product placements, but you'll have to do at least that much? I picked the most subtle ones!]

That was Emerald's message.

Before I could reply, another notification came in with a message from Sapphire.

[Hello, Alice. I'll be in charge of assisting you again. For the contract, you can either sign electronically or visit in person. Personally, I recommend setting a date to visit so you can familiarize yourself with the facilities. As the Chairman probably told you, please select about 2 items from the PPL products.]

After that, several more dings followed with photos attached.

Drinks, snacks, small handbags, diaries, pens, and so on. Fortunately, as Emerald said, none of them were particularly eye-catching.

Well, that's fine. I just need to use them naturally, so it's not something to worry about.

-Throb

"...Ugh. This has gotten bigger than I expected."

"Isn't that what you wanted? The more magical girls who come, the larger your sample size."

"...That's true."

"Hmm... Looking again, it says participants can refuse to be broadcast or shown externally if they don't want to. This means even reclusive magical girls who hate attention might come?"

".........This seems like a guaranteed money-losing venture."

"I suppose it would be. The stated purpose is Emerald's comment about wanting this to be an opportunity for magical girls to reflect on and strengthen their identity through unique magic."

"...She packaged it nicely..."

"Alice's comment is 'I'm hosting this because I hope my juniors will become stronger.'"

"I never said such a thing..."

Damn. I did say something similar to Emerald.

It's not completely fabricated, but shouldn't she have asked before posting something like that? Did she think I'd stop her if she asked?

...How did she know?

'She's quite perceptive.'

Despite her often lighthearted appearance, she's not a major corporation CEO for nothing.

"...When is it happening?"

"About a month from now. I guess magical girls need time to prepare... but isn't that a bit short? Unique magic varies greatly, and developing it requires time. A month seems too short..."

'...Is it because I said sooner would be better?'

I was feeling somewhat urgent, so I did mention that the sooner the better... and it seems she took that to heart.

"Come to think of it, Mia, do you have any unique magic?"

"Um... hehe. No, I've just been focusing on learning support magic... I don't really have anything I'd call unique magic... hmm... if I had to name something, it would be Divine Hammer, which I copied from you."

"...It might not be a bad idea to try developing something for this opportunity. Magical girls from across the country will be coming, but... if you have talent, you could do it."

Having made contact with Mia's staff several times, I already know she doesn't have any particular unique magic.

As for potential... perhaps that flying magic.

Unlike magic that involves hitting the ground or using wings, her wings just float there while her body flies without any special principle. If that aspect could be properly interpreted, something might come of it.

"Can't you give me a hint?"

"With unique magic, hints can sometimes be counterproductive, so no."

"Aww..."

"Even that Divine Hammer was influenced by seeing my Comet Smash, right? Considering your tendencies, if you heard Alice's advice, you might get fixated on that direction and lose something of your own. Unfortunately, when it comes to unique magic, Alice can't be a good teacher for you."

"......You're making too much sense! Don't you understand I want to use magic training as an excuse to spend more time with you and create a romantic atmosphere?"

"Be quiet. Anyway, Mia, this might be a good opportunity for you to develop your own magic..."

-Ding

"...Sigh. So many messages today. Who is it this time..."

"Oh, this one's my phone. Just a moment..."

Ah.

Mia took out her phone with a puzzled expression to check the message, then showed a clearly surprised look.

-Pause

"...Huh?"

"What is it? Did something happen?"

"Um... it's not bad news, but... hmm..."

Having lived with Mia for quite some time, I've naturally learned that she doesn't have many people who contact her.

Given her age, she seems to communicate with her parents quite frequently... but out of courtesy, I tend to tune that out, so I don't know what they talk about...

Without friends, she doesn't have many other contacts. And since she's not very active as a magical girl, taking after me in that regard, that's even more the case.

Waiting for Mia to speak, she finally opened her mouth with a somewhat glum voice.

"...I've been selected as a candidate for promotion to A-Rank next quarter, and Cariel wants to meet about it."

"Cariel?"

"It's not that special. Cariel manages the promotion of support-type magical girls."

Basically, magical girl promotions are managed by the association connected to the Mascots.

However, for support-type magical girls, it's a bit different. While Mascots and the association make the initial recommendation for promotion, Cariel is the one who tests and makes the final decision.

While magical girl rankings are primarily based on combat power, they're also influenced by factors like recognition and influence. In the past, there were frequent incidents where A-Rank support magical girls couldn't even defeat D-class Abyss Ones on their own and ended up in danger.

So now, the ranking criteria for support magical girls is based on "the level of combat power they can achieve on their own with self-buffs."

Cariel established that standard. And not just in words—similar to Emerald, she operates a specialized institution teaching basic support magic and combat techniques for support magical girls, provides internship opportunities through hospitals, and independently funds support beyond what magical girls might lose under her criteria...

...In simple terms, she's the Emerald of the support magical girl world.

And for such a woman to contact Mia...

"...Do I have to spar with Cariel?"

"...Yes."

"Huh."

...As always, there's not a single normal person among magical girls.