Mahou Shoujo Ikusei Keikaku - Volume 11 - Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

ETERNAL BRILLIANCE

  Glassianne

Between working for Magical Girl Resources and skirting death many times with Dark Cutie and Micchan the Dictionary, Glassianne had kind of figured out something. Micchan and Dark Cutie both devoted themselves to their work daily in order to up their chances of survival. They sacrificed enjoyment and pleasure to train and torture themselves because they wanted to live.

Glassianne understood this, but didn’t sympathize. If you wore yourself down with work and kept thinking about it even on your own time, then what was your life worth? Even if they were making a lot of money, living like Micchan or Dark Cutie, you didn’t need all that cash anyway, and they were also far from status or prestige.

Glassianne didn’t go out on the front lines; her main mission was support and observation from the rear. It wasn’t as if she didn’t put her body and life on the line, but she didn’t do it as much as the other two. Was that the reason she couldn’t sympathize? Thinking that, just once, she’d tried asking Micchan about it directly.

“Hey, Micchan, so you do violent stuff for your job, right? And then your hobby of visiting libraries is because it’s useful for work, right? That means no mental rest, right? Isn’t it hard? You’re not the type who like, loves battle or gets pleasure out of killing, right?”

Hearing that, Micchan had laughed. Not the kind of breezy laugh you could describe by saying she was “laughing it off.” It was a kind that left bitterness in the corners of the mouth, when you had no choice but to laugh anyway.

“More so than you think, Anne. I do like to fight. I don’t know about our leader, but… Have you tried asking her?”

“I think I can guess. She’d say, ‘It’s because I’m a villain.’”

“Well, of course.”

And the discussion had ended there. But it just didn’t seem to Glassianne that Micchan had been speaking sincerely. It wasn’t particularly that she wanted their relationship to be one of heart-to-heart understanding. Their relationship was purely work based—when they were off, they hardly saw one another. And the one who had liked that for the lack of hassle was definitely not Micchan or Dark Cutie, but Glassianne. But now that she was in this situation, it bothered her. It was kind of like the scale that clung to the bathtub drain and wouldn’t come off. You couldn’t see it, but it was so irritating to know it was there. She could no longer have an earnest conversation with Micchan—Micchan was gone. Murdered. Glassianne was enough of a professional that, more than she felt sorrowful over Micchan’s death, she felt afraid to know there was an enemy strong enough to have killed her—but was that because she was a professional, or simply because she was coldhearted? Even now, she wasn’t mourning Micchan but regretting that she could no longer ask what Micchan really thought.

Lying on her back in the tent, Glassianne turned her head to the side. Dark Cutie was facing away from her, doing stretching exercises for her wrists and hands. She was casually pulling off feats like touching her right index finger to the back of her right hand. No matter how many times Glassianne saw it, Dark Cutie bent her fingers at such unnatural angles, Glassianne couldn’t believe she even had joints.

“Hey, Leader,” said Glassianne.

“What?”

“Your job involves things like killing and people trying to kill you, right? And then, even when you’re off work, that’s all you think about, staying cooped up at home, right? Don’t you get tired of that? I kinda don’t feel like I could do the same thing.”

Dark Cutie straightened up enough that you could even tell from behind, puffing out her chest. “It’s because I’m a villain.”

Glassianne burst out laughing, and Dark Cutie turned to her with a confused expression. “Was something funny?”

“No, it’s fine. Don’t be offended. Nothing’s funny, nothing at all. It’s just, that was exactly what I expected you to say. And it kinda hit my funny bone. You get that sometimes, right?”

Dark Cutie straightened her head again, then slowly shook it. “Let me correct that.”

“Huh? Correct what?”

“It’s not just because I’m a villain.” With an incredibly serious expression, Dark Cutie once again puffed out her chest. “It’s because I’m a first-rate villain.”

Glassianne rolled facedown on the ground and laughed out loud with her cheek on the sheet. After laughing for a little while longer, she took a breath and said to Dark Cutie, “Hey, Leader.”

“What?” Dark Cutie sounded even grumpier than before.

“There’s a visitor coming. A card soldier. Diamond suit, just one, with no weapon.”

Dark Cutie jumped to her feet and turned back to the entrance of the tent. Before long, they heard footsteps, and then there was a dull knock at the entrance. When she prompted the person to come in, a diamond card soldier peeked in with the utmost trepidation. She hadn’t realized they’d already noticed her coming.

With a strange intonation that made you gather she wasn’t used to talking, the diamond card solider told them, “Pfle is calling for Dark Cutie.” Glassianne pushed herself off the ground as she tapped Dark Cutie’s calf twice with her middle finger. That was the sign meaning no problem. She’d already seen through her magical glasses that Pfle was speaking with the card soldiers’ boss. Though she could only see images and couldn’t hear what they were saying, the atmosphere had been completely amicable. Even if Dark Cutie was being called over, it wasn’t going to suddenly turn into something.

Dark Cutie was taken away by the card soldier. Now all alone, Glassianne folded her hands to pillow her head and crossed her legs, bringing up her knees.

Dark Cutie would be heading to the ruins where the fight would happen, while Glassianne would remain among the guests, remaining in safety as she provided backup from there. Perhaps the fact that she was placing herself in the safe zone was making her feel bad, creating a breeding ground for unnecessary thoughts. Add exhaustion on top of that, and that was why she’d wound up like this.

But regardless, she had absolutely no interest in personally heading onto the battlefield. She told herself this was basically just division of labor. If she was somewhere safe, then at the very least, she wasn’t going to die. Praying for Micchan the Dictionary to rest in peace, Glassianne also prayed for Dark Cutie to come back safely, then yawned audibly.

  Pfle

The atmosphere was slightly more informal than that of the discussion among the three of them a minute ago—since they’d chosen a place where Hamuel’s boss Lethe was not present to talk.

“Hey, now that we have a fresh chance to make nice, I’m glad to see you’re such a reasonable person,” Pfle said.

“I feel quite the same way,” Hamuel replied.

Pfle smiled at Hamuel, and Hamuel responded with a smile of her own. Pfle was aware that her own smile was not accompanied by much joy, and she was certain the same was true of Hamuel. She doubted Hamuel wanted to be approached by her right now.

CQ Angel Hamuel was, just as Pfle had said, a reasonable person. Present her with something to gain, and she’d be glad, show hostility, and deal with it appropriately. In this business, where there were no few people far and away from common sense who served pleasures that were difficult to understand, Pfle was quite thankful to deal with someone who possessed an ordinary sense of values, someone she could make guesses about. But even if Hamuel was a reasonable person, if you asked if she was easy to deal with, then the answer was no, and for that reason, her reasonableness alone was not something to be glad about.

Her wings were as meager as chicken bones after they are taken out of the broth, with forget-me-nots sprinkled over them, and her costume overall was delicate and slight. In contrast with the fragile impression given by her appearance, her answers were businesslike.

“‘True love, don’t forget me,’ hmm? I seem to recall they’re from the legend of the knight,” said Pfle.

“Huh?” Hamuel gave her a look that said, “What are you talking about?”

If that was her response to flower language, that meant she hadn’t decorated her costume out of any particular fixation with forget-me-nots. So then it would seem like something you’d go look up, but had she not even done that, or had she looked it up, but then forgotten? Perhaps it wasn’t that she was businesslike and more that she was utilitarian.

“Though we may have gotten off on the wrong foot, our association need not necessarily be severed,” said Pfle.

“Oh, right. Yes, you’re exactly right. Since, after all, now that the Osks and Caspars have joined hands, we’re unbeatable, the Puk Faction is nothing to fear, and all that.” Hamuel wiped the droplets that had scattered from her plastic bottle off the table, then put the plastic bottle on the table again. She wasn’t doing this because she was fussy. If she were fussy, she would have used a handkerchief to wipe and then placed the bottle on top of the handkerchief. She’s stressed, Pfle thought.

Hamuel also knew that Pfle had been trying to get Premium Sachiko—since Pfle had just told her that now. Hamuel would have realized that back when Pfle had told her the magic abilities of her subordinates, but Pfle had shown her own brand of consideration there, figuring it would be easier for Hamuel to deal with if Pfle didn’t come out and say it, so she hadn’t explicitly put it into words.

Now things had changed. Pfle’s memories had returned. The heavy mist had cleared, and what needed to be done lay ahead of her, now in clearer form. It wasn’t just one or two things. There were so many things she didn’t want to count them.

Though they’d wound up in conflict as two forces after Sachiko, Sachiko was gone now, and the Puk Faction was trying to force through the ceremony regardless. And since the reason Pfle had sought Sachiko was to interfere with the ceremony—she had been mistaken there, but there was no reason to tell Hamuel about that—from here on out, they could work together. Pfle had not heard about it even once since entering Magical Girl Resources, but the department was more or less under the jurisdiction of the Caspar Faction, and since the Caspar and Osk Factions were collaborating, then it was also not strange for Magical Girl Resources to work with the Osks. That was why they were together. She would have them ignore all the nasty things Deluge and Dark Cutie had done to those Shufflins. And as for Uluru, this wasn’t the situation in which to challenge her for having been a member of the Puk Faction.

Hamuel was someone who would prioritize gain. And this gain was not for her faction, but for herself. She was the type who worked for a faction because its expansion benefited her. She was absolutely not overflowing with the spirit of self-sacrifice. That was plenty apparent after one exchanged a few words with her.

“All the staff of the Magical Girl Resources Department have gone over the data to make contact with individuals who seem useful,” said Pfle. “I’d like you to incorporate them into your forces, myself in command included.”

“You move quickly,” Hamuel replied.

“I won’t tell you speed over care is best, but what can be done quickly should be. With the cooperation of the Inspection Department, we’ve also carried out checks to see if they are under Puk Puck’s spell. Since having their specialists handle matters such as these is…yes, since it’s quicker.”

“I see, I see.”

“I’m not asking that you remain in our debt, but we did spend quite a bit for their hire.”

“If you could put together an invoice, we will manage payment at a later date.”

“Splendid. And most importantly, don’t forget about Shadow Gale and Snow White.”

“Of course, of course.” The fact that Hamuel did not take this opportunity to say, “I’ve heard that Shadow Gale is a member of your staff, but just what is your connection with Snow White?” was a blessed lack of irritation.

“I would also like to share information,” said Pfle. “Since that’s necessary to coordinate our forces.”

“Yes, likewise,” Hamuel agreed.

“I’d also like to combine usable military assets and the abilities of magical girls, and magical items as well, if you have them.”

“How about we put that into writing and exchange documents?”

“That would be fine.”

“I’ll arrange for it immediately.”

“I’ve had this written up,” said Pfle. “Though it’s an informal summary, so it’s more like a set of memos, though.”

“No, no, it’s enough. Thank you very much.”

Pfle handed Hamuel a few sheets of report paper tied together with string. Hamuel accepted them politely with both hands, handing them to the diamond Shufflin to her side and ordering, “Make sure these are sent to Lady Lethe.”

Watching the diamond Shufflin strut off like an elite guard, Pfle thought, The issue is whether I can save Mamori or not. She smiled vacantly as if she were not thinking about anything of the sort, and Hamuel returned her own empty smile.

They discussed what would happen next. Intermingled with harmless chat, Pfle quietly slipped in more important matters, trying to draw out as much information as possible. Information was not simply numbers and data. Pfle observed absolutely everything: Hamuel’s manner and verbal tics, and even the fidget-like habits that came out without her being aware of them. Based on these, she read the workings of her mind, ascertaining how she received the subjects that Pfle brought up. She was a rather difficult magical girl to grasp, but gradually, her true character came clear to Pfle.

“Pardon me.” Pfle turned her wheelchair 180 degrees on the spot. Dark Cutie was standing about three steps away. Her footsteps had made no sound, her presence had been invisible. Perhaps she saw this as enemy territory.

Pfle raised a palm toward Dark Cutie as she turned back to Hamuel. “This is Dark Cutie. She’s a reliable magical girl.”

Saying, “I’ve heard all about you,” Hamuel moved to stand.

But Pfle restrained her with a hand, turning just her head to look at Dark Cutie. “Did something happen?”

Dark Cutie’s expression was a little grim. If you weren’t used to seeing her regularly, the difference there was so minute, you’d never notice it, but her expression had without a doubt turned in the negative direction. It was very rare for Dark Cutie to change her expression in front of Pfle. “I came because I heard you have business with me.”

“Who said that?”

“A card soldier. A diamond.”

“No, I never summoned you.”

Before Pfle could finish saying that, Dark Cutie ran off, and a moment later, Pfle followed.

  Glassianne

She was currently forbidden to shift her vision to the ruins. Puk Puck had a fearsome magic: to steal your heart on your seeing her. And for better or for worse, Pfle’s dramatic lament that “if you joined the enemy side, it would be like having our arms and legs ripped off” had stuck with Glassianne. It was rather intense, being forced to battle danger even on the back lines.

If they were to use Glassianne’s magic in the ruins, then it would be with the utmost care and precaution, in tandem with on-site observation, so that there would be no danger. Glassianne didn’t want her heart stolen by magic, either, and Glassianne going to the enemy would be a problem for their side. It would be atrocious if they couldn’t trust the reports of their monitoring eyes anymore, and even worse if she gave reports that would place the enemy at the advantage—that would cause them absolute devastation.

Glassianne did as she’d been ordered and did not look to the ruins, devoting herself to keeping watch over the spectator area, which was packed with magical girls and mages. Who’d notice if some member of the Puk Faction was among them, with the title of some department head? Glassianne’s job was to investigate for any strange behavior.

She was continuing to check the area when she stopped halfway. There were card soldiers gathered around a tent—this tent, where Glassianne was resting. It was surrounded by card soldiers, all of whom were armed. Glassianne pushed herself into a sitting position, her right hand supporting her body, placing her open left hand over her face. Expression twisted in shock and fear, she watched the card soldiers march into the tent. Without moving her gaze from the soldiers, she quickly swapped the observation point of her magical glasses, checking what Dark Cutie and her boss were doing.

They were having a pleasant chat with the angel magical girl who was in the upper ranks of the Osk Faction. Dark Cutie was standing behind the boss, and the boss turned back.

That’s not it.

It didn’t seem as if they’d been betrayed by the Osks. If that were the case, the boss would have been captured before Glassianne, and there was no reason a strong fighter like Dark Cutie would be left to act freely, either. Had some other kind of accident happened?

She focused her field of vision around herself—not from her own perspective, but a bird’s-eye view from above. There were a total of four club card soldiers circling her. They’d even brought their batons into the tent, making it awfully cramped. Their numbers were five, six, nine, and king.

Glassianne threw herself down, putting both hands on the ground. Rubbing her forehead into the tent floor, she yelled loudly, “Don’t kill me! I don’t want to die!” She belted it, using simple phrases that included words like kill and die. If anyone around heard, they might be startled and come over to see what was going on. Even if no one came, it would fluster the enemy. Someone loudly begging for their life caused more anxiety than someone just wailing and crying. Even if they’d come to kill her and nothing else, sometimes this would make them hesitate.

The four magical girls raised their clubs over Glassianne as she groveled on her knees. It didn’t seem they were hesitating, but Glassianne could tell they were in a hurry, thinking they had to finish her off quick and get out of there. And Glassianne was exposing herself rather than resisting, another thing that made their movements sloppy.

If she was going to attack, then she’d start with the strong one first.

Right before the blow landed, she wrapped her arms around the king’s ankles, pushing her right knee. The king fell back on her bottom, still keeping her hold on her club—but she should have let go. Glassianne circled to her right, and having that club in hand made the king’s right arm slow, so Glassianne got it in a lock while simultaneously slamming her elbow into the bridge of the king’s nose. She pulled in the enemy’s left arm, restraining her torso with her legs, and, spinning herself around, she circled behind the king’s back to strangle her. The other card soldiers raised their clubs, but they couldn’t bring them down. The king’s body was in between them and Glassianne. If she just kept squeezing the king’s artery, she’d pass out in a few seconds, but in a battle among magical girls, a few seconds was too long. Twisting around, Glassianne wrenched off the king’s shinbone. An instant later, she used the king’s body to block the clubs that swung down at her, then crawled along the ground, sweeping the legs of the five out from under her, and wrapped her arms around the five’s knees to bring her down into the six, while Glassianne twisted around to jerk away from the nine’s club.

No magical girl was used to fighting an enemy who kept her face to the ground. But Glassianne was used to fighting with her face down. Face toward the tent floor, using her glasses to perceive the whole battlefield, she moved like an insect or beast on all fours, attacking using openings created by the enemies not knowing how to attack when she was facing downward.

This was a little trick that would be useless as soon as the enemy got used to it, but it had never failed to be effective on the first attack.

When the five tried to get up, Glassianne kicked her down, twisting the ankle of the six to bend it backward. Picking the perfect moments, even Glassianne, who was only average in speed and strength for a magical girl, could destroy her enemies’ joints. She held up the shin of the five to block the nine’s club, and then, abandoning the five as she wailed and cradled her bent shin, she aimed for a corner of the tent, but the fallen six blocked her path. That being the case, Glassianne wasn’t opposed to finishing this one off, making a feint to the right before grabbing the six’s left arm, yanking it up under her own arm to break it off. She was expecting an attack from the nine next, but then nothing happened. Glassianne saw the nine running out of the tent, then looked at the five. The five held a round object in her right hand and in her left a round pin as she gasped in pain, tears running down her cheeks. It took Glassianne only a split second to realize the five was holding a magic grenade and a grenade pin, but it was already too late.

  CQ Angel Hamuel

The grenade had blasted one whole tent to pieces. A number of the tents around had been blown away as well, and though there had been no deaths among the guests, a few were gravely injured. Somehow managing to drag her heavy feet, Hamuel went to Lethe. Hamuel was the only one who could report this thing she didn’t want to report, after all. And sure enough, Lethe’s lips twisted as she leaned back in her chair in an arrogant pose. Her attending Shufflin IIs also twitched, frightened by her elegant presentation of displeasure.

“I’ve figured out what happened,” Hamuel reported.

“What was it?”

“It was the Shufflin IIs who returned after scouting. They were charmed by Puk Puck, and it seems they received detailed instructions through their magical phones…”

“And then blew themselves up, eh.”

“Yes. One of the members of Magical Girl Resources is dead. She and the four Shufflin IIs who were being controlled. The others have been captured.”

“One from Magical Girl Resources?”

“A magical girl who used farseeing magic. I’m told her power was extremely convenient.”

“So then they’ve blinded us.”

“Well, yes. It seems what happened is that since we were exchanging a list of magical girls and magic to cooperate closely with Magical Girl Resources, the Shufflin IIs read it and reported it to Puk, which led to this.”

Explaining it herself, Hamuel thought this was a terrible blunder. The efficacy of Puk Puck’s magic was more immediate than she had imagined. So then did that mean that before, when she’d used it during meetings, it hadn’t been at full power? Or had there been some opportunity for it to grow? Whatever the case, this was equivalent to letting the enemy invade, by Hamuel’s own error. She had investigated the “guests” carefully, but she’d been careless about the Shufflin IIs, who were theirs. She’d overlooked how suspicious it was for them to be so frequently contacted on their magical phones.

“I knew it,” said Lethe.

“What do you mean?” asked Hamuel.

“This isn’t how Puk operates, eh. It’s not playful.” Lethe stood, smacking her folded fan in her right palm. “If she’s not being playful, that means she has no time. She’ll be trying to make the ceremony a success without expending any unnecessary time or effort.”

“I’m sure you’re right.”

“So then we must hurry as well, eh. How far have the next level of scouts gone?”

“About halfway down the road to the ruins.”

“We’ll head out. And have them move ahead, too. If we catch up on the way, then well enough, eh.”

“Yes’m.”

That was when a three of hearts ran up to Hamuel, whispering in her ear. Hamuel scowled.

“What’s wrong?” Lethe asked her.

“We’ve captured an enemy soldier,” said Hamuel. “It seems she’s been questioned…”

“You may torture her or whatever you please. Forget about humanitarianism now.”

“About that, well, though I have given no such orders, I couldn’t say for certain there’s no possibility it may have been done when certain individuals at the scene went out of control, so to speak.”

“You’re rather black-hearted, Hamuel.”

“Oh no, I’m sure my heart is quite red. More importantly, a volunteer asked to do the questioning, so I tried letting her do it.”

“Which torturer was it?”

“Well…it’s the magical girl who left the Puk Faction.”

  Uluru

It wasn’t as if Uluru wanted to totally oppose Puk Puck. She just wanted to know what Puk Puck was really after. All Uluru had been told was the vague story that if they held the ceremony and activated the device, then it would all work out, and that had been enough to convince her, before. Lady Puk is so amazing, she’d thought with a bright smile. Now Uluru was full of doubt, unable to move forward. She didn’t know if Puk Puck was really doing the right thing.

The magical girl who’d been captured by the card soldiers and dragged out before Uluru wasn’t one she’d seen before. Was she some kind of mercenary? Her fluffy costume made of sponge material didn’t look like it’d be strong in a fight. Uluru had been told that this girl had been captured after falling and getting stuck in a hole without even using her magic. That was too pathetic for a mercenary.

Uluru approached the sponge magical girl and brought her mouth close to her ear. “Be quiet. Keep the others around from noticing. Uluru’s a spy. A magical girl from the Puk Faction.”

Shocked, the sponge magical girl looked around restlessly, then fixed her gaze on Uluru and nodded. Uluru felt a little shocked that this girl trusted her. Uluru’s being from the Puk Faction was a lie. And Uluru knew it was a lie, too. Clenching her right hand in a fist, she told herself not to let her mind wander.

“You can be honest with me and tell me everything,” said Uluru. “You’ll be speaking for Lady Puk’s sake, too.”

“O-okay.”

“What’s your name? What kind of magic do you use?”

“Magical Pongee. I can clean any mess with my magical sponge.”

“Clean any mess? How do you fight with that?”

“No, I’m bad at fighting. But I’d finished my job on the device, and I had nothing else to do…so I said I wanted to go to the battlefield, so I could be even a tiny bit useful to Lady Puk.”

“The device? You were assigned to device activation?”

“Yes. My job was to remove the talismans that were stuck to the device. I was told I just had to handle the device, so I don’t know much about anything aside from that, but once I got the talismans off, I had no more work to do, so…”

“You know about the device? Did you hear about how it was going to be used?”

“Umm, I heard that magical girls would be sucked into the device, and they’d make it so they could live forever inside it. And then it’ll keep creating tons of magical power. Once the device is activated, I’ll get to go inside, too. And all the other magical girls will go in, too, and we’ll have Lady Puk watching over us forever. Don’t you think that’s wonderful?” Magical Pongee said with a sparkling smile. Uluru felt awful.

“Undoing the seals, modifying the device, and holding the ceremony successfully is all really hard, so Lady Puk also said we might get stuck somewhere. But if that happens, we just have to use the contract. She said it’ll make us really lucky, so that we can make the device work.”

That was Sachiko’s contract. Uluru nodded.

  CQ Angel Hamuel

“Former Puk Faction?” said Lethe. “If we let someone like that do the questioning, will we get information worth trusting?”

“It seems this is actually something we can place some faith in. The captured prisoner was originally meant to be focused entirely on the device, but her task ended quickly, and so, having nothing left to do, she headed out to fight,” explained Hamuel.

“And that’s how she got captured, eh? How foolish.”

“When questioned about how Puk Puck would use the device, she said that magical girl who’s good at modifying machines…the one Pfle mentioned, Shadow Gale, you know? It seems they’ll have her alter it. And then, by taking magical girls into the device, they’ll make it so it will generate magical power practically eternally.”

“Oh-ho…”

“The research team was deeply impressed, going on about how it was an incredible, paradigm-shattering idea that overcomes the bounds of the magical framework.”

“They need some good sense impressed into them with branding irons.”

“Indeed.”

“But how can you say you trust such information, eh?”

“There was that list you received from Pfle of magical girls whose whereabouts were unknown, right? When we compared that list with the methods of unsealing we got out of the prisoner, it all matches. And it’s also consistent with that wild story about all magical girls becoming ‘friends.’ After all, Puk Puck would be showing affection for the magical girls from outside the device. Perhaps she’s mistaken it for an aquarium.”

Lethe lifted her fan to shade herself from the sun. The way the shadows fell over her face made her look terribly pale. Hamuel felt, as if for the first time, she’d seen Lethe act her apparent age, and she turned her own face down.

“You said this was information we can trust, eh?” said Lethe.

“Sadly, that is the case,” Hamuel replied. “It was procured through magic.”

“…Be sure to communicate this to everyone.”

“Is that for the best? That may make some eager to flee.”

“No matter. You may tell them our backs are against the wall. Morale is irrelevant for the Shufflin IIs, but tell the ones who were hired with money that their lives hang in the balance. If you threaten them and tell them becoming toys to Puk Puck…to that and wrung out eternally is a fate more painful than death, they’ll work a tad harder, eh.”

  Pfle

“Puk Puck’s goal is”—Hamuel’s voice flew at them, saying they had learned just what sort of evil use the device would be put to. It wasn’t bad to have a clear understanding that Puk Puck was unquestionably the enemy, to share among all this alliance of the willing and unwilling, “We have to defeat her, or we’re doomed.” With goals all across the spectrum, from money or status to ethics, this mass of rival teams was stuck in the same boat together for the time being, and it was correct strategy to arrange for them a common enemy they could not yield to, no matter what. It seemed this announcement caused a little confusion, but the Shufflins swiftly silenced those who made a fuss.

That was a plus. But it would in no way compensate for the minus of having lost Glassianne. The enemy’s plan to carefully pinpoint Glassianne and finish her off had been made possible because the enemy had been aware of her existence. One of the Shufflin IIs who had become an enemy spy had gotten a furtive glance at the list of magical girls Pfle had handed over, and the enemy had used that to attack the person most worth eliminating. Glassianne had been unguarded, and although she had been comparatively lacking in combat skills, her magic had more tactical value than mere individual strength; it had strategic applications. Pfle would also have gone for Glassianne, if the roles had been reversed.

This was an extremely formidable foe. Sending some Shufflins back that were already controlled to say the others who had gone ahead weren’t coming back had been a ploy that took advantage of their oversight—that was smart. Had Pfle simply underestimated an incarnation of one of the Three Sages, or was there someone else giving her ideas? The Magical-Girl Hunter, Snow White, rose to mind, and Pfle drew her lips taut.

“Boss. Deluge is here,” said Dark Cutie.

“Oh, thanks. Show her in.”

Dark Cutie was the same as always in every respect, no changes. Ever since her anime had been aired, she had committed to expressionlessness, which some whispered was total shamelessness. You got no sense at all that she felt sorrow or grief over the loss of her longtime comrade-in-arms, Glassianne, right after the loss of Micchan the Dictionary. Even Pfle couldn’t tell from the outside how she dealt with it inside.

But as for Princess Deluge, switching places with Dark Cutie to come into the tent, Pfle could tell from the outside that nothing inside her had been dealt with. She was feeling lost. And Pfle knew why she was feeling lost.

“There was something I wanted to let you know,” Pfle said.

“What is it?” Deluge wasn’t exactly being rude, but her manner was curt. She did not think well of Pfle. And what Pfle was about to tell her would only upset her further. That was certain. Would she be enraged, or even murderous, or—

“We’re right about to depart. We can’t be the only ones being left behind. So let’s get this done quickly. This is about the artificial magical-girl project, where you became a magical girl.”

Deluge’s expression changed. Her eyes bored into Pfle, and Pfle could see that inside her firmly closed lips she was clenching her teeth.

“I’ve just recovered the memories I’d lost,” said Pfle. “It seems I was funding the artificial magical-girl project.”

  Princess Deluge

Without even the time to think, she moved. Her right hand thrust out her spear, pushing it up toward Pfle’s throat. The surrounding temperature dropped, and frost fell onto Pfle’s curls, dyeing those parts white.

“What is the meaning of this?” Deluge demanded.

“I was providing money for the artificial magical-girl development project that was being carried out under the initiative of someone named Lapis Lazuline. The project was an attempt to independently develop the magical-girl technology the Magical Kingdom monopolizes. As magical girls, the Magical Kingdom essentially has our hearts in its grasp. Negotiating a single item is beyond consideration—we can’t even have a seat at the same table. And so to get out of that—”

“That’s not what I’m asking.”

“Fair enough.” Giving the trident a weary look, Pfle turned on the magical phone in her lap. A hologram popped up, and Deluge’s mouth opened slightly.

“Fal…?” said Deluge.

“Deluge, long time no see, pon,” Fal replied.

“You were lying to me, too?”

“No, pon. And Pfle wasn’t technically lying to you, either, pon.” Fal told Deluge about how Pfle had had her memories about the artificial magical girls removed in order to avoid investigation. And then Shadow Gale had made the arbitrary decision to hand those memories to Snow White, and Fal had just returned them, on the condition that Pfle save Snow White.

Fal said that Pfle hadn’t been deceiving her, but that didn’t matter anymore. Deluge squeezed the trident in her right hand tight, and Fal cried, “Stop, pon! Even if you kill Pfle now, it’s not like it’ll solve anything, pon. You can’t lose sight of your goal, pon. You need to be using Pfle right now, pon.”

Deluge eased the tension in her right arm.

Pfle let out a breath, then pushed aside the trident points, which had returned to normal temperature without Deluge realizing. “Thanks, Fal,” said Pfle. “I share your opinion, but saying so myself would have amounted to nothing more than begging for my life.”

“It’s not like Fal wanted to save you, pon.”

“That reminds me that you had a similar stance back in the game, didn’t you?”

“Fal doesn’t remember, pon.”

“No matter, then.” Pfle’s expression tensed as she faced Deluge once more. The Pfle Deluge knew would be either laughing or smiling, looking somehow amused regardless of the situation, but all sense of pleasure or irony had faded, and tension seeped from her every pore. Her fists, laid on her lap, were clenched tight, with visible definition in red and white. “Deluge. I can show you the research documents on artificial magical girls, and I can also supply you with all necessary items, including the drug you need for transforming, maintaining transformation, and Luxury Mode. I can offer you complete support.”

The angle of the trident in Deluge’s right hand gradually lowered until the trident’s central point touched the floor with a clank.

“I also have information. And I know the self-serving rationale behind why you were all brought together, and why such awful things happened to you. I can tell you that as well.”

Deluge’s clenched teeth creaked. She glared at Pfle, who responded with a serious look. “If there’s anything else you want, then tell me. I will arrange for what you seek.”

What did Deluge want? What did she need? She couldn’t think, and the words wouldn’t come out. And she was afraid of the words that wouldn’t come out. She doubted herself, wondering if she was acting without a clear goal in mind.

Pfle looked steadily up at Deluge, then lowered her eyes. “I won’t say I’ve never felt any resentment about Shadow Gale’s kidnapping, but it’s pointless to take you to task for that now. The one who should bear the blame is the one who used you. It was someone I know.”

Deluge pointed her trident up again. Deluge took a step closer to Pfle and leaned her face in close. She heard Fal cry, “Deluge!” but she didn’t try to figure out what the mascot was trying to say.

“What are you talking about?” Deluge demanded.

“I just told you, didn’t I? The magical girl who was once known as Lapis Lazuline. The one I funded. There was a woman who played the role of your teacher, wasn’t there? That was her.”

There had been a teacher who had made all the Pure Elements—except for Prism Cherry—into magical girls, the one who’d told them to fight Disrupters. Ms. Tanaka was her name. Shortly before the Pure Elements had been attacked, she’d stopped showing up, and they’d all worried about her. Until Pfle had pointed it out, that woman had practically popped right out of Deluge’s head—even though she should have been the first person to consider.

“You aren’t aware of any strange thoughts or feelings, or having been guided in any way?” asked Pfle.

The impulses that Deluge had just recently noticed were overly intense. Plus, it was those directions she’d received via paper slips that had led her to see the Pure Elements in their final moments. Her quest for revenge had begun at that point.

“And that blue magical girl—the current incarnation of Lapis Lazuline,” Pfle went on, “can extract memories and feelings through candies she makes.”

Deluge’s trident fell to the floor, making a surprisingly light sound. “Bluebell…?”

“She is the selfsame apprentice Lazuline I know. I’m sure that through skillful removal of her own memories and emotions, she could even become someone else.”

Deluge picked up her trident, then spun around, meaning to run out of the tent, but Pfle’s remark of, “It seems Bluebell—Lazuline—has already fled. I had them search for her, but she’s already gone,” stopped her in her tracks, and she turned back.

Pfle was looking at Deluge with such seriousness that Deluge’s breath caught in her throat. “I don’t know what Lazuline was trying to do, but I can imagine. Making you a terrorist to have you kidnap Shadow Gale to use me as she pleases. Operating as a third power between the Puk and Osk Factions, striking blows at both sides in a ploy to have them take each other out. That’s what she’s doing.” Pfle paused a moment and narrowed her eyes. “She tends to despise not only the Magical Kingdom, but magical girls themselves. I couldn’t divine what’s gone on inside her, but the one thing I do know is that she’ll do anything to accomplish her goals. You and I were both used by Lazuline. And by that same token, I’m trying to use you now. However, as Fal has just said, you should also use me.” Pfle proffered her right hand.

Overwhelmed, Deluge pulled her right foot a step back. But then, unable to accept that she’d been cowed, she took her trident in a reverse grip and stabbed it into the ground. “What a whole lot of selfish monologuing.”

“Yes…that’s exactly what this is,” Pfle replied.

The two magical girls stared each other down—Pfle gently, and Deluge with a glare. Fal, stuck between them, interjected some static before somersaulting in the air and erasing his hologram.

Deluge had been deceived and used, and by the time she’d escaped danger, all her friends had been killed, and then she’d been deceived and used some more. She raised a clenched fist, then swung it down with all her strength on the butt of the trident she’d thrust into the ground. Her fist hammered it into the earth, burying its tines deep.

Just how much—how much—had she been deceived?

“I’m not falling for any more tricks,” said Deluge.

“Right.”

“I’m going to use you.”

“That’s fine by me.”

Deluge pulled out her trident, and a scatter of earth clumps rained down over Pfle.