Magiclad Girls and a Mob who will save them, or else the world is doomed!

Chapter 96: A beautiful woman is pretty even as a little girl.

While I was asleep in bed one morning, I was suddenly awakened by a sharp pain in my abdomen, and with a groan, I opened my eyes. And there, in front of me, was the young version of Karen with twin tails. I immediately realized that she must have taken one of Mel's strange potions. This sort of thing happens quite often. In the story, there are many instances of everyday chaos where someone accidentally drinks a research concoction, leading to situations like this. This time, it's the "infantilization" scenario. However, infantilization often carries a considerably sad undertone...

As I was thinking about this, she grabbed my shoulder with both hands and shook me.

"Let's play!! Hey hey, let's play!!"

Her face was that of a child, yet even at this stage, she had a considerable amount of cuteness. She was probably around kindergarten age? I could already see a glimpse of the future where she would be at the Ruby level of cuteness.

Normally, she would act standoffish and aloof, but now, she seemed lively and full of energy. She used to be mischievous and prone to pranks when she was a child, and it seemed her spirit had rejuvenated. While a typical protagonist in a fantasy scenario might get confused and ask who the other person is or go back to sleep, I'm different.

"Good morning, Karen-senpai. What would you like to play?"

I adapted quickly. As I asked her that, her eyes sparkled, and she eagerly started talking.

"Um, well! Um, well! Let's play house!"

It's a classic choice, albeit a bit cliché. But playing house is cute, right?

"Sure, let's do it. What role should I play?"

"Um, well, um, well. You can be the hero, and I'll be the demon lord. You defeated me, the demon lord, as the hero, but on the way back, you were betrayed by your party members and they stole your credit. You were feeling lost, and that's when you met the former demon lord, me. I became your familiar because I wanted revenge on humans for a reason like that."

"Understood. But before we start, can I quickly change clothes and brush my teeth? Can you wait for me in the living room?"

"Yeah! I'll be waiting!"

With that, she hopped off me and dashed downstairs. Is that really playing house? I'll leave that question aside for now. Well then, let's gear up and prepare to play with her.

◆◆◆

After getting myself somewhat prepared and heading to the living room, Karen approached me. I lowered my gaze to her and knelt down as she hugged me.

"Okay, let's play! Ehehe. Please pat my head."

She was so adorable that I forgot to blink for a moment. After patting her head, I heard some running footsteps from another direction. When I looked, there was a tiny silver-haired fairy. She, too, had become smaller due to the effects of whatever Mel's potion was.

"Good morning! Izyoi-kun!"

Though her speech was a bit garbled, her elegance and cuteness remained intact. Her hair was glossy, and she seemed a bit mischievous but incredibly cute. She might have a limited vocabulary, but there's no denying her cuteness. By the way, she used to have a bit of a lisp when she was younger, and when she got excited, she could speak very quickly.

With Karen's confirmation of infantilization, I assumed the other two were also affected. I turned my gaze towards the sofa, where the two infantilized girls were sitting together, watching Cinderella on TV. There was a small potted cactus on the table in front of the sofa, and four cups with leftover water in the kitchen. It seemed they had also turned into young children. They would likely return to normal in a day or so, so I needed to keep an eye on them until then.