My Magical Girl System-Chapter 40: Introduction

The apartment was crowded now. What had once been Andrey’s quiet, minimalist space was filled with the tense energy of three women who were not quite comfortable with each other.

Andrey sat in the armchair, his usual spot, his hands clasped loosely in front of him. On the couch, Sarah sat on one end, arms crossed, legs crossed, her expression a thundercloud. Lisa sat in the middle, trying to make herself small, her eyes darting nervously between the two other women. And on the other end of the couch, sprawled with one leg tucked under her and the other stretched out, sat Sein. Her orange hair was still a mess, her crimson dress replaced by a borrowed hoodie from Andrey’s closet.

"So," Andrey said, breaking the silence. "This is Sein Alpis. She’s the third Magical Girl."

Sein raised a hand in a lazy wave, not bothering to sit up straight. "Yo."

Sarah’s eye twitched. Her arms tightened across her chest. "Yo? That’s it? You walk into our team, our apartment, wearing Andrey’s clothes, and all you have to say is ’yo’?"

Sein’s gaze slid toward Sarah, flat and unimpressed. "What else do you want me to say? Should I bow? Write a thank-you letter? Get over yourself."

Lisa raised a tentative hand, trying to mediate. "Maybe we could all just—"

Sarah cut her off, her voice rising. "You should show some respect! I’m your senior here!"

Sein sat up slightly, her eyes narrowing. "Senior? Did I hear that right? You’re barely registered heroes. You just got your C-rank today, didn’t you? And you’re trying to pull rank on me?" She let out a short, sharp laugh. "I’ve been an S-rank since before you knew what a gate was."

"That was then!" Sarah shot back, leaning forward. "Now you’re a Magical Girl. A new one. And I’m the one who’s been doing this the longest. So yeah, you should be a little more polite to your senior!"

Sein’s expression twisted. "Polite? To you? You’re a brat who doesn’t know her place. I’ve fought monsters that would make you wet yourself just by looking at them. Don’t lecture me about seniority."

Lisa tried again. "Okay, okay, let’s all just calm down and—"

Sein’s head whipped toward her. "And you—stop with the peacemaker act. It’s annoying."

Lisa’s mouth snapped shut. Her cheeks flushed, and for a moment, she looked genuinely hurt. Then her expression shifted—her eyes hardening, her jaw setting.

"Excuse me?" Lisa’s voice was quiet, but there was steel underneath. "I was trying to help. You don’t have to be rude about it."

Sein raised an eyebrow, surprised by the pushback. "Oh? The little one has a spine after all."

Sarah stood up from the couch, her hands balled into fists. "Don’t talk to her like that."

Sein stood up too, slower, more deliberately. She was taller than Sarah, and even in the oversized hoodie, there was something intimidating about the way she moved. "Or what? You’ll blast me with your sparkly hearts? Please. I’ve seen your little light show. It’s cute, but it’s not going to scare me."

Andrey pinched the bridge of his nose. He had hoped for a smoother introduction—maybe some awkward small talk, a tentative handshake, a grudging acceptance. This was not that.

"Enough," he said, his voice cutting through the argument like a blade.

Both women turned to look at him. Sarah’s face was flushed with anger. Sein’s was cold, controlled, but her eyes were sharp.

Andrey stood up from the armchair, placing himself between them. "We’re not going to solve anything by shouting at each other."

Sarah crossed her arms again, but she sat back down with a huff. Sein didn’t sit, but she took a step back, her posture relaxing slightly.

Andrey turned to Sarah first. "I know you’re upset. I should have told you about Sein sooner. But yesterday, after everything that happened—" He paused, choosing his words carefully. "You weren’t exactly in a talking mood."

Sarah’s jaw tightened. She looked away, her anger deflating into something more complicated. "That’s... not an excuse."

"No," Andrey agreed. "But it’s the truth."

He turned to Sein. "And you. You’re part of this team now. Whether you like it or not. That means you don’t get to dismiss the people who are fighting beside you. They’ve been through things you don’t know about. Show them the same respect you expect from them."

Sein’s eyes narrowed. For a moment, it looked like she might argue. Then she let out a breath, long and slow, and dropped back onto the couch.

"...Fine," she muttered. "But don’t expect me to be friends with them."

Lisa, still sitting on the couch, spoke up quietly. "I don’t need you to be my friend. I just need you to not be mean."

Andrey sat back down in his armchair, rubbing his temples.

"Alright," he said. "Now that we’ve established that no one is going to kill anyone, we need to talk about what comes next."

Sarah looked at him, her arms still crossed. "What comes next? We just got our C-rank. We should be celebrating, not dealing with... this." She gestured vaguely at Sein.

Sein snorted. "Celebrating a C-rank. How quaint."

Sarah’s eye twitched again, but she didn’t rise to the bait.

Andrey continued, ignoring the interruption. "Sein’s situation is complicated. The corruption in her body has been halted, but she’s still adjusting to her new powers. She needs time to stabilize. And we need to figure out how to work together as a team of four."

Lisa tilted her head. "Four? But there are only three Magical Girls."

"For now," Andrey said. "But I’m the manager. I coordinate, I support, I fight alongside you. That makes four."

Sein looked at him, her expression unreadable. "You fought alongside them? With your bare hands?"

Andrey met her gaze. "I’ve survived so far."

Sein was quiet for a moment. Then she shrugged. "We’ll see how long that lasts."

Sarah stood up abruptly. "I’m going to make tea. Does anyone want tea?"

Lisa raised her hand. "Me, please."

Sein didn’t answer. Sarah took that as a no and walked into the kitchen, her footsteps heavier than necessary.

Lisa watched her go, then turned to Andrey. "She’s really upset, isn’t she?"

Andrey nodded slowly. "She’ll come around. She just needs time."