Mahou Shoujo Ikusei Keikaku - Volume 13 - Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

THE PLACE WHERE I BELONG

  Calkoro

She wished she could have pretended she didn’t see that scuffle between Mephis and Tetty. But the other students kicked up a fuss and tried to stop them, and now that it had turned into this much of a kerfuffle, Calkoro really couldn’t close her eyes and ignore it.

Calkoro peeled the pair apart, and as a lazy sort of mediation, she had them shake hands and bow to each other. It wasn’t really a fight, more just Mephis attacking Tetty, but Tetty didn’t complain, solemnly obeying the teacher’s instructions. The aggressor, on the other hand, whined and whined, cursing on and on, “Why me?” and “Shit” and “Moron,” while making no move at all to apologize. Calkoro went to her last resort—declaring the class wouldn’t end until Mephis said sorry—and finally wrung an insincere apology out of her. Mephis clearly didn’t like it but didn’t have a choice, so she reluctantly complied.

They went back to the classroom, and even once modern magical-girl criminal history began for sixth period, the whole class still felt tense, with Mephis scowling and irritated and Tetty glancing over at her apologetically. They couldn’t have a calm class like this.

“Even after her death, the Musician of the Forest, Cranberry, inspired some magical girls to wreak havoc. Gatling Parako and Halberd Emilin traveled around together committing robberies—oh, pardon me, it was Gatling Parako and Halberd Emimin.”

Even the teacher couldn’t keep it together. Calkoro decided that in order to get closure for the incident, she needed to draw the line somewhere.

Calkoro ordered Mephis to write a two-page apology essay reflecting on her actions before she went home. Mephis gave Calkoro a murderous glare, but Calkoro was not bothered—or at least, she straightened her back so she didn’t seem like she was—and ordered Mephis one more time. The girl’s group members dragged her back to her seat.

Since Tetty was largely a victim here, a verbal admonishment was enough.

But more important than Tetty was Kana. Calkoro took her to the teacher’s office as well to ask her why she hadn’t attacked the homunculi at all during the mock battle. Kana remained expressionless but at least responded obediently:

“There’s no need to be considerate of a homunculus’s privacy, so I thought I could make full use of my magic. I questioned the homunculi in order to extract their weaknesses, and I’d say my efforts were very successful. The homunculi have three major weaknesses. They can’t disobey the one with administrator permissions. When exposed to strong light, especially sunlight, they slow down. And they have an implanted instinct to avoid attacking allies, no matter what. That last one, about instinct, must have been done because the homunculi aren’t very intelligent. So rather than educating them not to attack their allies, they are commanded though a sort of logical setting that operates on instinct in order to prevent friendly fire. But seeing how they were made intelligent enough to understand my speech, I do think perhaps education after the fact would have been better than an instinct. I think that’s most likely an issue of cost, though.”

Calkoro had no idea if Kana was mocking her, or speaking seriously, or if she had lost her mind. Calkoro felt an intense pressure from her. Calkoro told her it was fine so long as she wasn’t slacking off, then sent her away.

Inferring from the way Kana spoke, she was pretty old, pretransformation. Spinning her pen in her fingers, Calkoro also realized that perhaps she was a mage. Calkoro had been surreptitiously watching Kana in the gym. Kana had pointed to the floor of the gym and said she’d never seen magical inscriptions like these before. That very much sounded like something a mage ignorant to the common knowledge of the outside world would say.

Unusually, Halna was still in the principal’s office doing desk work. Calkoro reported to her about Kana’s behavior, with the provision that this was ultimately only her own guess.

And then Halna laughed her down. “What an absurd idea.”

“No, um, yes, I apologize,” Calkoro replied. “I hope you’ll just let that go as one of my silly ideas.”

“Indeed. Silly ideas are fine for what they are. Simply considering matters is worthwhile. If one out of a hundred is a correct answer, and there is a superior who can catch it, that makes silly ideas worthwhile.”

Calkoro realized Halna wasn’t angry. Privately relieved, she looked up at her boss. Whether Halna had timed it, or whether it was a coincidence, Halna had her index finger thrust up in front of Calkoro’s eyes, and Calkoro flailed backward, somehow avoiding landing on her backside.

“Nothing came to mind as you were observing them?” Halna asked.

“Well…um.”

“I don’t mean just Kana. Tell me about the other students, too. There wasn’t anything different from usual?” Halna’s words, attitude, and forward-leaning stance all indicated that she’d already gained her answer. Namely, Calkoro would have to go along with the answers that Halna wanted. If she came up with something too far off the mark, then Halna would scold her, and she’d be judged as less for it.

“Oh, yes,” Calkoro said. “Ummm, well… First of all, Kana was in the group. I can’t say she did well…”

“You don’t need to get into the specifics.”

“Oh, pardon me… Um, aside from her… Yes, one of the girls got too rough…”

Halna’s right eye twitched. That was not the answer she wanted. A cold streak of sweat dripped down Calkoro’s back.

“Well, that was a part of things, but there was also, more importantly… Yes, more initiative, I’d say, like passion for…competition, I’d call it. Mephis Pheles has always been enthusiastic about games, but Groups One and Three… Group Three in particular gave me the sense that they’re better at bringing magic into the game. Last time, it was more…primitive, I suppose, and the girls won purely through athleticism and mastery of their magic, but this time Group Three didn’t hold back with showing off their magic, while Group One got inventive and even made use of magic that didn’t seem like it could be brought into the game.”

Halna leaned back, sitting more deeply in her chair as she folded her fingers and placed both hands on her desk. “They’ve become greedier about victory.”

“I think…you could put it that way.”

Halna’s expression twisted up as if she were most sincerely aggrieved. Her pretty features and her position made that dreadful expression all the more fearsome. While Calkoro understood that the brunt of her anger was not directed at her, nevertheless, there was no guarantee that would always be the case.

Calkoro’s shoulders trembled, and she shrank in on herself.

Halna pushed back her chair, and with her fingers still laced together, she lowered them to her lap. “It seems there are some with nasty ideas…and they’ve set their sights on this school.”

“Huh? Yes.”

“Keep a close watch on the transfer student. And report in detail.”

Calkoro didn’t have the right to shoot back, “Watching her is damaging to my mental health.” Her only option was to swiftly nod as if to say she’d been thinking just the same thing.

As soon as she was out of the room, a sigh swept out of her. Starting off with Kana’s arrival, and then with lunchtime and the rec time, it had been a long day with no opportunity to rest her heart. Thinking back on it drew another sigh from her.

  Tetty Goodgripp

The day was about done, and she was downright tired.

Mephis was staying behind to write that apology essay, while Kana had been called out for slacking off during the mock battle and had been taken to the teacher’s office, and Fujino was complaining along with Miss Ril and Rappy about what a tough day it had been.

“Oh yeah, so did you give that back?” Fujino asked Miss Ril quietly.

“I missed my opportunity,” she replied in an even softer voice.

Right before the mock battle had begun, Princess Lightning had slipped over to Group One and handed over her costume dagger to Miss Ril, saying, “Here.”

“What’s this about?” Miss Ril had asked, not getting what this meant, and Princess Lightning had pushed a scrap of notepaper at her, as if she’d prepared it beforehand.

She’d written a letter: Group Two has a bunch of strong girls, so if we do this normally, they’ll have the advantage. So why don’t we work together? You don’t have to blatantly only obstruct Group Two. It’s enough if you just go for Group Two when you can’t decide which side to obstruct. I’ll lend you this dagger as proof of my intentions. I hope this will help you nicely.

Though Dory and Arlie chittered their glee, the others were mostly confused. Two teams getting together to target the other went against the spirit of fair play.

Group One got into a huddle and discussed.

“What do we do?” asked Tetty.

“It feels kinda eh to be giving it back now!” said Rappy. “So then, well, whatever, let’s use it?”

“But I’d feel a bit badly about it…,” said Miss Ril. “Mephis really did seem intent on winning, after all.”

“But like, how are we gonna use that? We’re not actually gonna use a blade, right?!”

Before you knew it, the discussion of whether they should use it or not turned into a discussion of how to use it, and they came up with the plan of Miss Ril secretly holding on to it to change her substance into the same as Lightning’s dagger, then instantly generating a blinding flash. And that did make Tetty want to try using it. So they decided to first take a vote to make the decision, and three were in favor: Dory, Arlie, and Rappy. Two were against: Miss Ril and Tetty. So they used Lightning’s dagger.

All through the game, Tetty felt guilty. Tetty had known once it went to a vote that they’d wind up using it. Rappy had acted like she wasn’t against using it, and Dory and Arlie were openly glad of the boost to their arsenal. Miss Ril didn’t seem enthusiastic about it, but even if Tetty voted on her side, it was clear that with three against two, the “use it” side would win.

She did want to win. She saw Group Two as competition, and she also felt petulant about Lightning not seeing Group One as equal opponents. It was true that maybe their group was a step behind in some places, but if they put together a proper strategy, then even Group One should be able to put up a good fight. When they’d come up with the idea of Miss Ril secretly having Lightning’s dagger and using her magic, Tetty had been mentally going Yesss! in joy, and it really made her want to use the idea they’d come up with.

She just thought, for appearance’s sake, they shouldn’t use it. That was why she’d chosen to make the decision through majority rule, so that she herself could be against it, while the will of the group as a whole made them use it. It was far sneakier than honestly thinking to make use of it. It was something that Cutie Healer or Hiyoko would never do.

The good-natured members of Fujino’s group never even imagined what their group leader had prepared herself to do; they all wound up saying, “What a tough day,” and that was the end of it.

Since every student used their own individual gate to go to and from school, they weren’t together on their way home and went their separate ways after school. But Fujino didn’t feel like going home—she didn’t feel like staying in the classroom, either, where the seething Mephis was scraping her pencil over draft paper. So Fujino dragged her feet through the halls, walking into the bathroom when she didn’t have to go, then headed outdoors along the covered walkway and stood in front of the gymnasium for a while.

No matter how much she waffled, there was only one home for her to return to. Blowing a sigh, she was about to head to the gate in the courtyard when someone called out to her.

It was Calkoro. “Tetty, there’s something I wanted to ask you; do you have a moment?”

“Sure…what is it?” she replied.

“It’s about the incident during rec time today.”

Her heart pounded in her chest. The very thing she’d been worrying over suddenly being spoken out hit her like a tsunami.

“Group One has, well, come up with lots of ideas, compared to last time.” The way the teacher put it, “come up with lots of ideas,” could be taken in any way, and it felt like a stab in the heart to Fujino, who wondered how to reply.

Calkoro continued, “Rappy putting her wrap on the floor, and what Miss Ril did at the end—”

Her heart wouldn’t stop pounding. Did Calkoro know and this was an accusation, or was she purely praising her? This teacher hardly ever praised her students—and Fujino had definitely never heard from anyone that she had approached a student after school to do something like that.

She gave Calkoro’s face another look. She couldn’t divine the teacher’s thoughts from her expression. Calm down, she told herself.

“Miss Ril made that powerful flash, didn’t she? Just what did she do, then?” Calkoro asked.

Fujino could see absolutely no ill will in the teacher’s expression. Was she really just asking? But it gouged deep into Fujino’s heart regardless. Taking a shallow breath, she put a hand to her chest. She heard a voice inside her. This was her chance. Whether Calkoro knew or not, if Fujino confessed her wrongdoing now, it would basically be a repentance. This flash of insight like a divine revelation made her heart leap high in her chest.

“We used a dagger borrowed from Princess Lightning.” Her voice did not crack. She was able to speak completely naturally. Ahhh, I’ve said it now, she thought, but she also felt a release inside her chest, like a brisk spring breeze blowing in. “I gave it to Miss Ril to hold and had her pick the right moment to copy its nature.”

Calkoro’s eyebrows rose, her mouth in a small O. She was surprised.

Fujino let out a deep breath. She had finally confessed. Taking care not to say anything that would lay the deed on Lightning, she spoke as if she’d done it entirely of her own accord. And the fact was that Tetty had unquestionably been the one to make the decision. If someone was going to bear the sin, it shouldn’t be Lightning or the rest of Group One. There was no one but Tetty.

Calkoro’s expression gradually settled, and she closed her eyes with two deep nods. “Working together with another group?”

“Yes…that’s right.”

“And what would Group Three get out of this?”

The question brought Fujino’s thoughts to a halt. She couldn’t think of anything, but she opened her mouth anyway, figuring that she had to say something, and what came out was the same thing Lightning had said to her. “Group Two is the strongest, purely as fighters. Since we would be able to take down Group Two, um, Group Three would also…ah, benefit. And if Group Two comes last, then they would come second or higher.”

Calkoro put her finger to her chin and muttered, “So they’re feeling competitive,” then pressed her lips in a tight line like she was thinking and didn’t reply.

“Um, Ms. Calkoro.”

“Oh, pardon me. Sorry for stopping you here. Um…oh, that’s right. I didn’t expect you would be cooperating with Group Three. I suppose I should expect no less from a magical girl of the Information Bureau.”

With a “Bye for now,” Calkoro left, and Fujino dazedly watched her go. Fujino had meant to confess her wrongdoing, but the teacher hadn’t taken it as anything wrong and, if anything, had praised her for it.

Fujino squeezed her eyes shut. Her sense of right and wrong was wavering. Why had something like this happened? She’d been told she was with the Information Bureau, but how could anyone be a member of a department she’d never heard of? She couldn’t understand what Kana or Ms. Calkoro were talking about.

She headed out into the courtyard with unsteady feet, pushing the door to go in. Beside the brick road to the gate was someone in overalls, their back facing her. Fujino drew in a big breath, and that person turned around.

“Oh, if it isn’t Tetty.”

Fujino squatted down beside the mage, who’d just been weeding. The mage made to stop her, but she insisted. “Please, let me do it,” she said, grabbing weeds and pulling them from the soil.

“Um, so…,” Fujino began.

As the mage wiped sweat from their forehead with the white towel slung around their shoulders, Fujino steeled herself and asked, “Do you know about a place called the Information Bureau?”

“Well, yes,” the mage replied, “I do, but…why do you ask?”

“Multiple people have told me that I’m with the Information Bureau, but I don’t even know what that is. They still seem to think I’m involved with this bureau somehow—so just what is it?”

“Aha.” The mage looked up, causing Fujino to do the same. Several crows were flying through the red-tinged sunset. The mage kept gazing up at the sky for a while; a bead of sweat trailed down their chin, which they wiped off with the back of a garden glove. A streak of dirt across their chin looked just like a beard, and it disappeared when the mage wiped the glove in the other direction.

The mage turned back to Fujino. Their usual placid smile was now tense and sharp. It was a serious look. Naturally, Fujino’s face tightened up as well.

“You know that the Magical Kingdom has a variety of different bureaus?” said the mage.

“Yes, although…I don’t quite know the specifics.”

“The Information Bureau is one of them. It’s their job to gather information from various places.” The mage let out a breath, then pointed to a bench, saying that this may get long, so how about they sit a bit. Mage and magical girl sat side by side.

“You’re not a member of the Information Bureau, Tetty. But you’re not completely unconnected to them. As to what that means…it was the Information Bureau that recommended you to this school.”

Fujino clapped her hands with an ah. “So the people who know that think I’m from the Information Bureau?”

“That’s probably the case. Everyone enrolled in this school has been recommended by departments or aristocrats of the Magical Kingdom. Most have recommended their subordinates…basically, they sent their own. So the people who know that you were recommended by the Information Bureau would assume you were with them.”

“Um, I…don’t know anything about the Information Bureau, and I only just found out what they do from you telling me…so why would they recommend me?”

“I told you the bureau gathers information, didn’t I? They gather information on magical girls, too. Though I’m sure it won’t feel good to hear they’ve gathered information on you, as well…”

“No, that’s fine. I think it’s necessary.”

“I’m glad you would say that.”

From the way the mage was speaking, Fujino realized—the mage she was talking to was a member of the Information Bureau. Kana had said before that someone from the bureau would never admit to it.

The mage straightened up and placed their hands on their lap. “I don’t want to offend you, but first of all, there is the matter of money. Those who would struggle financially as magical girls are prioritized when bringing up candidates—”

Fujino was not offended, as the mage had suggested. In fact, she felt a tinge of warmth in her heart. Someone had noticed that Fujino was in a difficult situation, having lost her mother and being unable to continue school or as a magical girl. Fujino’s hand came to her chest as she listened to the mage.

“—and of these, they are narrowed down based on character and general lifestyle… Oh yes, you came to us with lots of ideas, didn’t you, Tetty?”

“Huh? Those reached the higher-ups?”

“The Information Bureau is all about picking up anything you might call information, after all. The bureau has thought highly of your taking a proactive stance by suggesting ideas for improvement.”

Fujino found herself biting her lip. She had to, or her tears would spill out. She’d thought the reports she’d written had just annoyed everyone and had been totally pointless, but someone had noticed them.

The mage gazed down at Fujino before a relieved expression spread across their face. They looked ahead at the vivid greenery of the ginkgo leaves swaying in the wind—Fujino loved the yellows of fall as well, but this was nice in its own way.

“Is there anything else you wanted to ask?” said the mage.

“Well…”

“You can talk to me about anything—any problems or things you’re worried about. Honestly, it would help me out, too. And having an easier time at this school will mean the school improves, too.”

She understood why the mage had been hinting that they were affiliated with the Information Bureau. They were trying to tell her, “You can rely on me.” Now Fujino really felt ready to cry, but she held back her tears. She felt like if she cried now, it would not only be improper, it would also waste this person’s consideration and kindness.

With gratitude for the mage’s thoughtfulness—they were probably showing as much consideration as could be allowed, given their position—instead of tears, Fujino offered words. She told the mage everything: that she’d gone and used the dagger she’d accepted from Lightning, and that she’d used majority rule while understanding it was wrong to get what she wanted to happen, and that she’d been unable to apologize to Mephis—everything she’d been brooding over.

The mage listened to every word, reacting at times with a hmm-hmm to indicate they heard her. The mage took off their gloves and put them to the side, made a fist with their right hand, and stuck out their thumb to touch their jaw, falling into thought for a while in that pose. After a full minute, they nodded with a mm-hmm. “Is this the first time that Lightning has…hmm, proposed cooperation?”

“Yes. It’s never happened before,” Fujino replied.

“Is that right…? I see, I see.”

“Is there something about that…?”

“Oh no, nothing much at all. I just wanted to know if it was common or not. More importantly…did you want to make up with Mephis?”

Fujino’s words caught in her throat. Did she want to make up with Mephis or not? Wanting to resolve class disputes, being grateful about things running smoothly—those were her desires as the student rep. But as Fujino, as Tetty, did she really want to make up with Mephis?

Fujino folded her arms and tried to think—and realized she didn’t even have to think about it. “I want to make up.”

“That’s good.”

“But…I think it might be hard.”

“At times like this, you know, there’s a straightforward way to resolve things.”

“Is there a way to resolve things?”

“A gift. And you should find just the perfect one.”

“The…perfect one?”

“Something expensive might confuse her, while conversely, something worthless will disappoint her. But look, there are things that are not blatantly officious but still wonderful. For example—like beautiful scenery.”

Prefacing with, “Between you and me,” the mage smiled wryly. “Taking care of the garden trees and pulling weeds like this is largely just a personal hobby. Only a limited few may come in here, so I play in the dirt without any chance of being seen.”

A question mark rose in Fujino’s mind. Right now, they were sitting on the bench in the courtyard. Fujino had been going through the courtyard twice a day to go to and from school, aside from weekends and holidays. There was nothing limited about that.

“I suppose you’re confused. Only the ones who use the commute gate in the courtyard—in other words, you, Tetty—come and go through the courtyard, as an exception. Normally, you can’t get in.” The mage tossed their garden gloves down on the brick path. They landed softly, and instantly, a black something oozed out like a liquid but also like a solid from the cracks between the bricks, grabbing the gloves and throwing them back on the bench before it slid back into the cracks.

Fujino pointed to the brick path with a trembling hand. “Th-that’s—”

“A security homunculus. Normally they won’t be seen, though. They help me out like this, and they can also capture foolhardy intruders. Oh, no need to be scared. They’re not frightening creatures, if you don’t do anything bad.”

Fujino hadn’t noticed them at all since she’d started school over a month ago. She audibly swallowed, let out a deep breath, and leaned against the bench’s backrest. “I didn’t know…”

“The students aren’t told, after all. Well, you just have to understand that these things are how we maintain security. So then about the gift I mentioned—how about showing Mephis this garden?”

“This garden?”

“It may not be terribly impressive…but I do think it’s a decently pretty garden. And I could let her sneak in while keeping it a secret.”

With its neatly cut lawn, the wooden bench with its charmingly rounded design, the little brick path, and arched gate with hearts on it, the garden was small, but that actually gave it a “secret garden” sort of feel, and the place had an atmosphere. Fujino wasn’t sure if it would suit Mephis’s tastes, but it would be a shame for nobody but her to be able to get a glimpse of this.

“And then once you have,” the mage continued, “you should offer Mephis an honest apology.”

“An honest apology…”

“She may be a little short-tempered sometimes, but she’s an openhearted, good girl. If you offer a proper apology, she’ll forgive you, and then it won’t drag on.”

That made Fujino think back to how Mephis had been, when they’d been in elementary school, when she had yet to become a magical girl—when Mephis was just Fuuko Sayama. She’d been something of a neighborhood bully, resorting to force when anything happened, but she didn’t drag out her fights forever. After trading blows with someone, the next day, they’d be joking around together.

Fujino made the decision that she would apologize to Mephis. Her heavy heart was lightened, as if she’d tied a balloon to it. Not just over Mephis. Hearing about the Information Bureau had eased things for her, too. It felt like magic. Remembering that the person here was a mage, she nodded with a little smile. “You’re right. That would be best, huh. I’ll apologize.”

“Mm-hmm.” Nodding, the mage got a little smile like they were sincerely relieved, and seeing that, Fujino broke into a smile, too. The two of them gazed at the ginkgo swaying in the wind for a while, until eventually the mage said, “Right,” slapped their knees, and stood. “I’ve got to get back to work.”

“Oh…pardon me, I’ve been getting in the way.”

“No, no, not at all. I got to hear some good things today. Thank you.”

  Ranyi

There was a hesitant knock on the door. Sprawling in bed, Ranyi raised her head and called out, “C’mon in.” The door opened, and a mohawk popped in.

“C’min, c’min.” Ranyi got up, pulling out the wheeled chair in front of her computer desk. Tossing a cushion from the bed onto the chair, she turned it around to face the other way. Using her free foot to push aside the empty tissue boxes and plastic garbage bins piled in the way on the floor, she repeated, “C’min, yeah?” and offered her a seat. “Sorry the room’s so messy.”

Diko sat down on the chair, leaning her elbow on the desk. The height must not have been right, as she adjusted it, nodded, then sat back down. Though you might assume from her appearance that she was bold and unconventional, she could be surprisingly scrupulous and particular. “There’s something I want to ask.”

Ranyi closed just her right eye, resting her elbows on her knees, facing Diko in a forward-leaning stance. The two of them were agents in the middle of a top-secret mission. They lived as students in a magical-girl class, with an eye for postgraduation employment in their activities. But things were different when they had orders. Then, they would behave as instructed.

“If you know the reason why Lightning has taken a cooperative stance with Group One, I’d like you to tell me,” Diko said.

Ranyi leaned her elbow on the bedpost, and the bed creaked. Ranyi’s back automatically straightened. It probably looked silly to react to the sound she’d just made herself, but Diko didn’t laugh, watching Ranyi silently. Ranyi let her ponytail swish back and forth, looking at Diko, and the two of them continued to stare at each other.

Then in less than thirty seconds, Ranyi looked away and let out a breath of phew. “She didn’t tell me.”

Just that one remark had taken quite a lot of mental preparation. Diko knew Ranyi was trying to get on Lightning’s good side—and she also knew it wasn’t going well. Ranyi didn’t really want to admit she had yet to get to the point of gaining Lightning’s trust. If Ranyi hadn’t thought, Lazuline would be able to say that like it was nothing, then she wouldn’t have been able to say it. Though since it had ultimately taken time for her to say, she was a far call from Lazuline.

Diko clapped her hand against the right side of her head, where the Nue was tattooed on.

Ranyi thought Diko had managed to understand her indecisive attitude and vague remark so well, it was sad. The two of them had known each other for just that long, and they had both been candidates for the third Lapis Lazuline, so they had good instincts. Ranyi had known that when she said that.

“But I do have my own guess. I think she might be tryin’ to create bad feelings between Groups One and Two. Her plans didn’t really work out quite like she wanted ’em to, but Mephis and Tetty did actually get in a fight, so I guess ya can say she basically succeeded.”

Diko lifted her head. Ranyi looked straight back into her dark, bluish eyes.

“Why does Lightning want a rift between Groups One and Two?” Diko asked.

“Well…I dunno. Oh, I think there’s lotsa reasons. Maybe Lightning’s another one like us, like someone sent her in… Actually, she prolly is. Just lookin’ at her, ya can tell she’s not just anyone, right?”

Diko was looking at Ranyi. Ranyi let out a breath, and her lips were so dry, it made a whistling sound.

Diko nodded expressionlessly, adjusting the height of the chair, and after lowering it, she slowly stood. “We’ve received orders.”

“Huh? I never heard.”

“I’m telling you now. They say they want us to make a map of the school. It seems there’s some location they’re after, but I haven’t been told the details.”

The two of them gazed at each other for a while, and after a moment that felt like about half of the last time, Diko turned around and, without particularly saying good-bye, opened the door and walked out of the room. Left there on the bed, Ranyi licked her lips. They were completely dry. She felt something on her lips catch.

She wanted to be chosen as Lazuline. She knew everyone thought, “Ranyi doesn’t have what it takes.” But she wanted to become her. She wanted to be someone, and she believed Lazuline was that someone. She wanted confidence like Lightning, but she just couldn’t get it. The more she struggled, the more it slipped through her fingers. She knew that even if she tried to behave like Lazuline and talk like her, there was no point. She knew that, but she couldn’t stop.

Though they’d both been Lazuline candidates, Diko had been able to give up so easily. And their master had evaluated her positively, putting Dikko in a position where she received orders straight from her master. But even knowing that, Ranyi would not give up. If she couldn’t be the third, then she’d be the fourth. If she could make this next mission a success, she was sure to get closer to that.

  Kana

When Kana returned to the classroom, there was nobody there. The classroom Kana knew had struck her negatively: It was always packed with a crowd of magical girls, full of noise, and too small. But when everyone was gone like this, it was too neat. It was just empty. Perhaps she was feeling something like loneliness. My sensibilities have grown, she thought, impressed with herself, and folding her arms, she walked around the classroom, letting the “loneliness” seep into her body—and got sick of it within ten seconds. Loneliness wasn’t fun.

As she spent some time brooding about this, she heard a voice call out to her: “Hey.” It was not the voice of a magical girl. Kana had faced deeply suspicious eyes that poked through the door of the classroom three times now, just that day. Whenever Kana saw this woman, she always appeared volatile.

She was the one in charge of this magical-girl school, Halna Midi Meren. “Don’t idle about here forever. Go already.”

“Go?” Kana asked. “Where am I supposed to go?”

“Home, obviously. Don’t try to be smart with me.”

“I don’t have a home.”

The heat drained from Halna’s face. Expressionlessly, as if she’d seen nothing, heard nothing, she muttered the single remark, “I see,” then followed up with, “Well, just leave the school.” By the time Kana asked, “Where should I go after that?” Halna was already gone.

Kana raced off, dashing to the door of the teacher’s office to come out in front of Halna as she strode through the hallway. Her way suddenly blocked, the mage started, then scowled in displeasure, trying to go around Kana, and Kana slid over to block her way again.

Halna stopped right before they would have touched. “What are you doing? You can’t stay in the school forever.”

“That’s why I’m telling you I have no place to go.”

“First of all, you’re acting very disrespectful.”

“Since my origins are unknown, wouldn’t you say it’s unclear which of us is the social superior?”

“Even if you were the First Mage, right now, we’re teacher and student.”

“I see. That’s a very reasonable point. In any case, about where I should go back to…”

Halna drew back her chin, and tilting her head forward, she scratched the back of her head. Her bangs got messed up, but she ignored that, tap-tapping her right temple with her index finger. “Just go back to the Caspar Faction base or headquarters or whatnot.”

“With this sort of mission, I assume that you’re not supposed to return to base until it’s completed. And I wouldn’t know where it is in the first place,” Kana replied.

“Go back to the prison.”

“The prison isn’t my home at all. And I don’t know where that place is, either.”

“Ask whoever’s in charge.”

“I don’t know how to contact her.”

“That’s none of my concern.”

“Isn’t that irresponsible?”

“Ask Calkoro.”

“If her decision requires your permission, then I believe it would be the least amount of hassle to have you decide here and now.”

“I’m busy. I have a mountain of things to do right now.”

“Then it’d be best to make the decision quickly, wouldn’t it? How about I stay overnight at the school instead?”

“Out of the question!”

“So then. Couldn’t I stay at your house, Halna?”

Halna’s eyes widened. She wasn’t quite glaring at Kana—it would be more accurate to call that disbelief—and she blinked two, three times before shaking her head and letting out a big sigh. She smacked the back of her neck a couple of times, making her impromptu-looking tight bun and her long ears sway side to side. “What…are you?”

“I don’t know that myself,” Kana replied honestly.

“I don’t want to talk to you; I don’t want to be involved with you for even a few seconds, but as an obligation of my position, I will tell you this.”

“Thanks.”

“It would be a major scandal for a teacher and student to come to school from the same house.”

“…That’s quite true, now that you mention it.”

“If you get it, then leave.”

“Well, then I have to sleep outside.”

“Why would you sleep outside? Just stay at a hotel.”

“I don’t have any money.”

“What on earth is the Caspar Faction thinking?”

“I’d like to ask that myself.”

“Don’t sleep outside. If, by the one-in-a-million chance you caused some problem, it would hurt the school’s reputation. I can just see it. Absolutely not.”

“So then what would you have me—?”

Kana tore her gaze away from Halna, looking farther down the hallway. Halna turned to where she was looking. The sound of indoor shoes padding along the floors was gradually drawing nearer. After the girl turned the corner, they saw that the one coming toward them had glasses, braids, and a mean look in her eyes—it was Mephis Pheles. Her eyebrows came together like she was confused to see Kana and Halna looking at her, but it seemed she couldn’t question a teacher, as she just drew her lips in a line and puffed out her chest, walking with wide strides, her steps almost rude sounding.

Kana moved only her eyes to look at Halna. Halna was looking at Kana, too. Kana nodded, and Halna nodded back. Mephis looked at their exchange with confusion, but she never asked what they were doing, and despite her curiosity, she stuck to acting like it was none of her concern as she reached out to the door of the classroom, but Halna called out, “Hey,” stopping her.

“What?” Mephis looked like she was in the second-worst mood Kana had seen her in yet, ranked after the time Kana had advised her about the color of her underwear.

But nevertheless, being in the position of a teacher, it seemed Halna was a rank up and so remained unflinching, ordering her from above. “It seems Kana is having trouble because she has nowhere to live. Let her stay with you.”

Mephis’s expression twisted in a different direction from a bad mood. Kana decided that it was a mix of surprise, anger, and incomprehension; feeling somewhat satisfied that she’d become quite a lot better at psychological evaluation, she raised her right hand and said, “Thanks.”

“Are you shitting me?!” Kana was not welcome. Mephis punched the wall and leaned into Halna intimidatingly. “The fuck do you think you are? Actually, who the hell are you? A magical girl…? No, doesn’t seem like it. You someone reincarnated from another world?”

Kana realized Mephis had said that because she was unaware of who the mage before them was. Thinking she should know, she indicated Halna with a palm and informed her, “She’s the principal.”

Mephis’s face, which had been filled with nothing but anger, now looked like she’d swallowed a pencil.

As for Halna, her expression was unquestionably, unmistakably, filled with nothing but anger. “‘Shitting, fuck, hell,’ eh? That’s some fine language, Mephis Pheles.”

Making sounds that wouldn’t become full words, Mephis backed up a step. She glanced over at Kana, but Kana had no help to give.

Halna stepped forward, closing the distance between them. She thrust a finger at Mephis’s chest and said in a voice that seemed to ring from deep in the earth, “This is an order, Mephis Pheles. Let Kana stay over at your house.”

Mephis quietly muttered, “This is tyranny,” but she was immediately drowned out by Halna. Kana didn’t know whether Halna had heard her, but Kana figured the furious principal would just speak as she pleased, regardless.

“Don’t think that something so insignificant as the Caspar Faction—the mere Elite Guard—will protect you, you little magical grime. Take this with you while I can still restrain myself and get out of my sight. Play nice with your classmates. Do you hear me?” Then without waiting for a reply, Halna spun around and briskly strode away.

Mephis didn’t call anything after her; in fact, she looked like she’d even stopped breathing as she watched Halna go. After the principal turned right at the T intersection that led to her office and went out of sight, Mephis finally let out a breath and dropped her shoulders. “I shouldn’t have gone to the bathroom and just gone home…”

“This is a great help to me. I appreciate it,” said Kana.

“That elf is the principal? I think I heard at the entrance ceremony that she existed, and her title, and it was like—some big cheese from the Magical Kingdom…deputy chief of the Information Bureau, was it? I hear that place is real scary.”

“Oh, really? That’s amazing.”

Mephis glared up at Kana. Her expression looked quite spiteful.