Sarah planted her wand like a walking stick, breathing hard as the last sparkles faded from the air. The office survivors were still cheering and snapping photos, but she'd had enough.
"Shut up already, you workaholic freak," she snapped at Andrey, who was calmly coiling his shirt-whip and eyeing a dented filing cabinet like it had personally offended him. "We just saved everyone's lives and you're still worried about inventory damage?"
Andrey opened his mouth to defend the sanctity of office equipment, but the sound of boots and sirens cut him off. A full response team burst through the stairwell doors—medics in white mana-shielded suits, followed by actual registered Heroes.
Leading them was a woman who looked like she'd stepped straight out of a billboard. Long golden-blonde hair cascaded down her back, swaying as she moved. Her armor—if you could call it that—was more decorative than practical: a gleaming silver breastplate that covered just enough to be legal, paired with a short battle skirt and thigh-high boots that left a lot of smooth skin on display. A massive crystal sword rested casually across her shoulder. She radiated bright, cheerful energy, like sunshine personified.
"Hi, everyone! I'm Hope, S-Rank Hero from the Lumina Guild!" she called, waving with her free hand. "We got the alert about the portal breach—looks like you all handled it already! That's amazing!"
The medics fanned out, checking the shaken office workers. Hope strode straight toward Andrey and Sarah, her smile wide and genuine.
"You two were incredible," she said, eyes sparkling. "That pink magical barrage? Chef's kiss! Thank you so much for holding the line until we arrived. You probably saved a dozen lives."
Andrey straightened up, brushing dust off his undershirt. "It was our duty," he said seriously. "Mainly to protect company property. The desks are leased, and the servers contain critical quarterly data."
Sarah stared at him. "Seriously? That's what you lead with?"
Hope laughed, a bright, musical sound. "I love the dedication! But still—thank you." Her gaze shifted to Sarah, and her expression softened. "Hey… you okay? First time fighting, right? You look exhausted."
Sarah, who had never been this close to a real celebrity Hero before, suddenly felt very aware of her glittery pink dress and messy pink hair. She tugged at the hem again, cheeks burning. "I—uh—yeah. Super tired. And… everything hurts. And this outfit is ridiculous."
Hope's eyes widened in recognition. "Wait, you're a brand-new Magical Girl? That's huge! No wonder you're wiped out." She turned to the medics. "Hey, priority check on these two, please! Possible mana overload and physical trauma."
A medic hurried over with a glowing scanner. Andrey started to protest—"I'm fine, I just need to file an incident report"—but Hope gently placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Nope! Doctor's orders from me. You both sit down, get patched up, and rest. Hero's privilege." She winked. "You've earned it."
Sarah, too drained to argue with her literal idol, let a medic guide her to a cleared spot on the floor. Andrey followed after only a second's hesitation, muttering something about rescheduling his three o'clock meeting.
Hope crouched beside them, sword propped against a ruined cubicle. "Take it easy, okay? You did great today. The city's lucky to have new protectors like you."
Sarah managed a shy smile despite her exhaustion. "Thanks… I guess we're kind of stuck with it now."
Hope grinned. "Welcome to the club. It only gets weirder from here—but also more fun." She stood, giving them both an encouraging thumbs-up before moving to help coordinate cleanup.
As the medics worked and the office slowly settled into relieved chatter, Sarah leaned back against a wall and closed her eyes. Andrey sat nearby, already mentally reorganizing his to-do list.
For once, neither of them complained.The medics had cleared them both—no broken bones, just bruises and mana fatigue—and ushered Andrey and Sarah into a small, now-secure conference room on the same floor.
The door clicked shut, the windows were shuttered with emergency mana shields, and the space felt oddly peaceful compared to the chaos outside. A few flickering fluorescent lights, overturned chairs pushed against the wall, and a whiteboard still covered in last week's sales targets.
Sarah slumped into a swivel chair, legs crossed tightly, arms folded over her chest. "Okay, seriously. This outfit has to go. I feel like a birthday cake that lost a fight with a glitter bomb. System, or Andrey, or whoever's in charge—can we change the costume? Something with pants? A hoodie? Literally anything that covers more than a napkin?"
Andrey, now wearing a spare company polo someone had found in a locker, leaned against the conference table. He cleared his throat. "Valid concern. System, query: customizable outfits? Preferably something professional and functional."
The familiar pink holographic screen popped up in the air between them.
System: Teehee~ Outfits are tied to Magical Girl Mode! While active, you get the full sparkly package—maximum charm and power boost! Deactivate mode, and clothing reverts to original state. Powers stay accessible, but with a tiny catch~
Sarah narrowed her eyes. "A catch? What catch?"
System: The power provider (that's me!) needs compensation from the borrower. Specifically, fulfillment of the Host's deepest desire. Standard contract clause! Super fair!
Andrey blinked. "Deepest… desire? That sounds suspiciously non-corporate."
Sarah tilted her head. "Wait, whose deepest desire? Yours or mine?"
System: The Host's, of course! That's you, Andrey~ Don't worry, the system auto-detects and applies the reward when mode deactivates in private. Efficiency!
Sarah's face went pale. "Hold on. Deactivates in private? What exactly is the—"
Before she could finish, the glow around her body flickered and died. The frilly pink dress dissolved into sparkles that vanished like smoke. In its place… her original office clothes, except they had been shredded, burned, and goblin-slime-soaked during the fight. What remained were tatters of blouse and skirt—barely enough to qualify as rags—and underneath, only her plain white bra and matching panties.
Sarah froze for half a second. Then she shrieked, loud enough to rattle the windows.
"KYAAA! ANDREY, TURN AROUND! DON'T LOOK!"
Andrey's eyes had instinctively widened, but he spun on his heel so fast he nearly tripped. "I'm not looking! I'm not—why is this happening?!"
He marched toward the door, hand reaching for the handle. Thunk. His palm hit an invisible wall. A shimmering pink barrier, heart-shaped patterns swirling across it, sealed the entire room.
Andrey pushed again. Nothing. "What the hell? System, explain!"
System: Correct! Intimacy Barrier active. Reward sequence must be completed before exit. Current objective: "Host gently massages Magical Girl's chest until affection meter fills." Time limit: none. Progress: 0%. Have fun~ ❤️
A second holographic panel appeared in front of Sarah, identical to the one floating in Andrey's vision. Bold pink letters, complete with progress bar and little animated hearts.
Sarah stared at it, mouth open, face turning progressively redder. "A-Andrey… are you seeing this too? Tell me you're not seeing this."
Andrey, still facing the wall, voice tight and mortified, answered without turning. "I see it. Every pixel. System, this is unacceptable. Breach of workplace conduct. Harassment policy violation. Override!"
System: No overrides! Contract signed~ Consider it team bonding! Super wholesome!
Sarah grabbed a shredded folder from the table and held it in front of herself like a shield. "This is not bonding! This is insane! Andrey, do not turn around. Do not even think about—"
"I'm not thinking about anything!" Andrey snapped, forehead pressed to the wall. "I'm thinking about quarterly reports. Spreadsheets. Tax forms. Anything but this."
Sarah's voice cracked, half panic, half exasperation. "Great! So we're locked in here until… until you—until we—oh my God, I'm going to die of embarrassment."
The system chimed again, way too cheerfully.
System: Tip! Faster completion = faster freedom. Clock's ticking~ Or not. No rush. Enjoy the moment!
Silence stretched in the sealed room, broken only by Sarah's mortified breathing and Andrey's quiet, repeated muttering of "This is not in my job description. This is not in my job description…"