“Don’t come any closer. I’ll cut you.”

Training Facility [School].
The pink flash of the M-65 Monofilament Whip sliced through the hail of bullets.
　A split-second severing, not even producing a metallic clang.
As metal fragments scattered to the ground, the girl —Chiwawa Yellow— clapped her hands, pat-pat. It was the kind of clap a puppy might give.

“Whoa—amazing! This is magic!”
“Output increased by about 30%…”
“Output…?”
“It’s become stronger.”
“Amazing!”

Clapping like a puppy.
She wasn’t thinking. Yet, Momotsuki Haruka’s state was off.

It was one of those days off.

The training schedule contained only the bare minimum to promote rehabilitation.
There were no deployment missions scheduled, at least for now.
Days like this weren’t uncommon.

　The magical girls were a specialised unit dedicated to countering magical cyber-terrorism.
Terrorists who casually employed magic, banned under UN conventions, didn’t appear year-round. Deployments, including operations to prevent terrorism before it occurred, were generally once a week at most. Furthermore, Strawberry Pink wasn’t the only magical girl.
Idle days existed.
Days without work, where thinking wasn’t permitted.

　Most were spent mentoring junior magical girls or in personal training.
While requests for leave were permitted, few magical girls – forbidden from free thought – ever applied for such permission.

Haruka Momotsuki always passed the time alone in bed.
　Or she accompanied [Viola Purple]… [Fuyumi Shizuki] for her personal training.
That was her usual day off.
Or so it had been.

“Strawberry Pink-senpai! Where are you taking me next!?”

…Being told such things with sparkling eyes was troublesome.

Guiding juniors around the facility.
Such a thought hadn’t crossed her mind.
　Rehabilitation to get used to new legs, new organs. Time spent simply strolling through the safe confines of the facility. Chiwa Yellow, who had tagged along as an assistant, had eyes sparkling.

“Amazing! Amazing, amazing! So this is it, this is the magical girls’ base!”
“Yeah.”

The grey complex of buildings, resembling the collective housing of a communist society, was the authorities’ base.
　It had no official name.
It wasn’t officially recognised.
It didn’t appear on maps.
The government concealed it.
But the command centre was here. That alone made the magical girls call this place [HQ].

“Biscuits aren’t tasty.”
“…True.”

At the base’s outer edge, surrounded by forest.
They sat down in a small, open space resembling a courtyard.

　In their hands, rationed biscuits.
Strawberry-pink hands held strawberry milk.
Passing by were other magical girls, children or adults at work.

“Not sweet enough… too hard… crumbly…”
“It is sweet. And nutritious too.”
“…Would it be tasty with gyūnyū?”
“Milk?”
“Cow’s milk.”
“Cow’s… ugh… you drink that?”

No, she shouldn’t, thought Momotsuki Haruka, sipping her strawberry milk.
Cow’s milk. The aversion to the very words… a pointless, impermissible thought.

“…? Strawberry Pink-senpai is drinking it, so…?”
“Strawberry milk. It erases your thoughts.”
“But that’s still gyūnyū, isn’t it?”
“Buh-oh!”

She hadn’t wanted to hear that.

“Ah, but nowadays, there’s go-se and stuff…”

Chiwawa Yellow tilted her head, humming thoughtfully.
Her fluffy golden hair flattened softly against her shoulder.

“Ah… That must be it. Synthetic. I don’t drink cow’s milk.”
“Huh?”
“…”

I want to erase my thoughts.
Yet, my hand holding the strawberry milk stops.

“…I want a sip.”
“Eh?”
“Just one sip! …Is that… not allowed?”
“…Permission granted.”
“Yay!”

With her small hands (not much different from Momotsuki Haruka’s, though…) she gripped the strawberry milk carton firmly, pressing her soft-looking lips to the slightly crushed straw.
She sucked clumsily, using her whole cheek…
A forbidden thought flashed through her mind.
Hamsters, seen in documentary footage.
Extinct small pets.

“…Eww…! This is far too sweet…!! It’s got weird science stuff in it…!”
“…Eh…”

Chiwawa Yellow stuck out her tongue.
A pointless thought crossed her mind.
There was no strawberry milk.

The concept of food being good or bad seemed to exist for ordinary girls.
　So then, what exactly is this thing in front of the “future magical girl”?
What is this thing held by her, who is about to undergo [Adjustment]?

――Blinding.

Though the sunlight wasn’t particularly strong, somehow that word flashed through Momotsuki Haruka’s mind. It might have been a remnant of the [Pisces Witch]’s thoughts.