AA! Idol: The Daily Life of Demon-Hunting Idol Revolving Mayan

This is a one-shot rewrite of that.

“Emergency alert issued. Emergency alert issued. E-particle reaction increasing. A demon appearance is predicted. Initiating attraction. Residents, please evacuate to buildings immediately and prepare to watch.”

Street speakers blared with a short siren, and residents hurried to the nearest building. The streets, confirmed to be evacuated, sank as the cover shutters closed. A poorly parked vehicle that wasn't in the designated parking spot lost its balance, tilted, and was caught and sliced in two.

“System AegisAbsolute Audience Protection Mechanismactivated. From this point on, movement between the stage and the outside is strictly prohibited.”
Then, as pitch-black particles condensed at a point in the void, a demon appeared with reddish-black skin, twisted horns, and strangely long arms, standing about 5 meters tall.

“Appearance confirmed. Size: Medium. Type: Gargoyle. Intelligence: C+. Overall Threat Level: B-.”
The demon that had finished appearing... the Gargoyle type, regained consciousness after a momentary drop, spread the wings folded on its back, and flew into the air.
“AAArmor Aroundperformance starting. First performer, Revolving Mayan.”

And then, a large city appeared before “him.”

The Seventh New Demon Interception City... commonly known as “K.” It was the stage that would now crush him.

“The show must go on. Please welcome them with applause.”
The gargoyle let out a roar.

☆ ☆ ☆

A few minutes ago.
“Good work! Good work! We’re going with the orange package today!”
Under the emergency alert, the rookie performer Mayan, who happened to be in the middle of a lesson, sprinted through the building in a white under-suit that revealed her body lines. Leaving her manager, who was chasing after her with a large towel in hand, in a panic, she slid into the hangar.

“Phew, caught up. It was just a coincidence that I was nearby, but it’s a good omen to be the first performer.”
The manager in question, Mizumuta, wiped his sweat and loosened his tie.

“Also, at least put on a towel.”
“Whoa! I’m sorry!”
Mayan, realizing her appearance, instantly dyed her pale cheeks red. Though, there was no one left in this hangar or backstage to notice.

“Okay, Mayan-chan. The stage dress is perfect. Now we’re just waiting for you to cast your magic.”
Before her eyes, a beauty who looked like a model wearing a sharp lady’s suit appeared, leading the MechanicsDressers. She was the armor designer and producer, DaizenjiDaizenjiRanhouRanhou.

“I’m ready too! Ranhou-san!”
“No!! Call me Izumi!!”
“Yes! I’m sorry!”

As Mayan equipped her headset armor core and stood at the starting point, magic arms immediately extended, and the armor container began to equip her with today’s stage costume.

First, long boot-shaped armor was attached, the front armor housing the micro-missile launchers closed with a cute flapping sound, and the electromagnetic knife heels exuded sexiness.

Next, pannier skirt-shaped armor was attached, and the main waist thrusters checked their range of motion by tilting up, down, left, and right via Mayan’s thought link. Large light-wave ribbon verniers were deployed, and a faint smell of ozone drifted through the air.

After donning the armor with a modified sailor suit motif that covered her modest chest, she strapped on the multiple binder on her back and connected the four autonomous mobile artillery units that were the feature of today’s package.

And finally, she slipped her arms into the arm armor that held the units of the Revolving DragonRevolving Dragon, the namesake of her title, and the equipment was complete.

“Demon, appeared! Cheers, maximum!”
“Alright, go get ’em.”
“Good luck. If you defeat it today, your ranking will go up!”
Izumi sent her off with a soft voice, and Mizumuta flexed his not-so-thick arms to encourage her.
Mayan, now Revolving Mayan, was launched.

☆ ☆ ☆

“““Waaaaaaaahhhhhhh!!!”””

In the spectator seats set up on the roof of each defense building, the residents raised enthusiastic cheers.
Appearing before them like a shooting star, Mayan purged the outer shell of her deployment form.

“Hellooooo, everyone! Hiiiii!”
Mayan delivered her first line into her headset.
Some replied with a hello. Others shouted that they loved her. Those who were only there for the second performer and beyond sat still like statues.

The latter were pushed to the very back of the seating area by the fan club with a heave-ho. It converged into an indescribable roar of cheers.

“Today’s occurrence probability was a tricky 77%, but you should never give up on the chance to meet Mayan, okay?”
A gargoyle noticed her, extended its left arm using supernatural muscle manipulation, and aimed straight for her exposed neck, intending to end her life in one breath.

“Well then, let’s get started with the first song. ‘Love Bullet’, music start!”
However, just before those deadly claws could touch her, Mayan spun at super-high speed and easily dodged them.

The arm then seemed to pierce the building’s surface seating area. But this time, it was blocked by an invisible wall above the seats, and the gargoyle’s hand suffered a violent impact as a reaction.

“Hmm, is this a dummy who doesn’t even know the system...?”
Mayan muttered in a low voice while pushing up her microphone. The PA had already switched to broadcasting her single, but she could concentrate better that way.

“Can I do it in one set...? No, two sets would be the safe bet, but conversely, I might not... be alive by then.”
Every time the gargoyle swung its arm—sideways, upward, reverse sweep—Mayan opened up distance with a back-thrust and thought to herself.

“Izumi-san, can I go a little wild?”
“Hmm, I suppose I’ll let you get away with it as a new song campaign.”
“Thank you!”
Mayan pulled a demon-slaying bullet from the pouch of her Tail Left and loaded it directly into her Blast Right.
She didn’t run from the gargoyle as it attacked again, but instead caught its claws head-on with the small shield, the buckler, of her Tail Left.
“““Waaaaah!”””
It was perfectly timed with the first chorus.

The inertia canceller was working at full capacity, and golden light waves flashed between the claws and the buckler. At the same time, the unit’s remaining energy decreased in small, but visible increments. It was slightly over capacity.

But that was exactly why it “looked good”.

The interlude ended and the first verse began again. As if to make up for the time that felt like a long stalemate, she struck fiercely with the hammer-reinforced muzzle of her Blast Right, and as she opened up distance, her autonomous mobile artillery units, the Minions, flew out from the binders on her back, spiraling like blooming flowers.

(I’m not really good at this sequence)

She shone the targeting laser located under the main trigger onto the gargoyle. Using that as a base, the Minions surrounded the demon and fired light bullets from four directions with a time delay.

The gargoyle’s skin exploded, and something like jet-black liquid splattered along with its cries of pain. However, a moment later, the wounds closed up as if being played in reverse.

“““Whoaaaa! Ooooooh!”””
Cheers erupted, and those voices empowered Mayan in “reality”.

The excitement of the audience flowed through the antenna into the Joy Engine built into her headset armor core, and her energy increased explosively.

"Dress up! [|That Girl is the Cute Sun Dragon <Cutie Sunlight Heart>]!"
Then, the armor expands further, and a stage costume in the bright yellow of the sun manifests, accentuating Mayan's cuteness with its brilliance.

It is a costume woven from energy that retains the softness of clothing while possessing the shine of hard armor. It boasts immense defensive power in all directions, and should a demon touch it, their body would be crushed.

"Love! Love! Looove! May my feelings land a critical hit on your heart!"

The music from the speakers and Mayan's singing synchronize and melt together, and the massive quadruple cannon on her right arm emits a glow as it fires a shell.

Head! Stomach! Thighs! And chest!

The gargoyle was struck in various places by the bombardment, and the released heat of love blew its entire body away.

☆ ☆ ☆

In the wings. Izumi nods deeply, praising the heroic figure of her idol.
"We managed to take it down safely today, too."
"Some might complain that we finished it off in the first set, but it would be a waste to let today's one go, given how weak it was relative to the overall threat level."
"Yes. We were lucky. Luck..."
The producer and manager talk like this, but suddenly, Izumi is shedding tears.

"..."
Mizumuta keeps his mouth tightly shut.

"Why must such a cute girl fight such a life-threatening battle? She could even become a... real idol! She's that cute. The other girls, too."
"It cannot be helped. To draw out the power of that |Mechanism <Joy Engine>|, she must be an |Idol <Idol>| supported by everyone. For humanity to stand against demons... that system is the only way..."
"Mizumuta... Doctor... You... I...!!"
Behind her overflowing tears, Izumi looked at the man with burning eyes.

☆ ☆ ☆

"Thank you all for watching and supporting me today!"
In front of the corpse of the gargoyle that had fallen to the ground and begun to crumble, Revolving Mayan bows her head. Then, the [Minion] floating behind her follows suit, tilting its cannon to bow as well.

"Mayan-san, that's your fourth one this season. You've broken out of the pack and jumped straight into second place, but do you think you can catch up to the immovable first place, 'Fairy' Shi-e-ri-san?"
The interviewer, floating alongside her on a flying platform, thrusts a microphone toward her and asks.

"I can't say for sure, but I have the resolve to try! I believe that surpassing a great senior is the best way to repay them!"
At those words, a thunderous roar of cheers rose from the surroundings.

"Yes, thank you very much!"
Then, waiting for the noise to die down, the girl bows her head again in response.

"Now, one last word for the audience!"
"This is all, all... thanks to everyone's power of support!"
She shouts this into the microphone, and the heroine interview concludes.

[The End]