Mahou Shoujo Ikusei Keikaku - Volume 17 - Chapter 8

The Archfiend Cram School’s Christmas Party from Hell

  Lethe

There was a magical girl group called the Archfiend Cram School. Lead by Archfiend Pam, the strongest magical girl, the organization was half private school, half gang of hooligans—warriors, violent extremists, mobsters, sadists, truth-seekers, neighborhood bullies, old-timey gangsters, mercenaries, philosophers, good-for-nothings, megalomaniacs, overenthusiastic LARPers, and various magical girls who believed in might.

Some of them sought status in society, some wanted people to fight; others yearned to be the strongest, while yet others were just doing it for self-satisfaction. They honed their strength and technique, competing with each other as they aimed for the top.

The Archfiend Cram School swelled in size and even came to have influence over the Magical Kingdom. But then the exposure of the Cranberry incident caused it to suddenly shrink. Archfiend Pam was demoted, the group was asked to refrain from meeting for the time being, all the students could do was complain to each other about their anxieties for the future, while the graduates who were in positions to receive paychecks focused on their jobs, for fear of demotion or firing, which could fall upon them at any moment.

A while after the incident came to light, by the time things were starting to calm down in their sphere, being an Archfiend Cram School alum was no longer a shining honor. These days, it was like a gangster calling themselves fresh out of prison, and word had it everyone involved was sighing.

The influence of the Archfiend Cram School was gradually fading. Then one day that winter, everyone got a letter from an unknown sender—Cram School graduates, current students, magical girls who had often participated in events, and even up-and-coming magical girls who were rumored to be just as strong as Cram School graduates.

Bordered with an illustration of a Christmas wreath, the letters of invitation to the party looked like charming Christmas cards. But right from the first line, it made those who saw it crinkle their eyes, or relax their expressions into a smile. They read, Notifying you of the Archfiend Cram School Christmas Party.

In her room in an Osk Faction branch, Lethe accepted the invitation. She ran her eyes across the letter three times—and then this long-awaited event made her crack a crooked smile.

  vs. Archfiend Pam

The bare concrete room featured a steel table, two leather-upholstered round stools, a bookshelf that filled a whole wall lined with books like the Bible and myths in their original languages, and nothing else. This incredibly barren interior, like the room of a prisoner or someone under confinement, forced a sense of the owner’s character and made visitors feel anxious.

But just for that day, that tense feeling was upset by silliness. The owner of this space, Archfiend Pam, was wearing a round red fake nose, had fake reindeer antlers on top of her two horns, a brown shawl around her shoulders, and even had reins around her neck. She deemed herself Christmas Archfiend Pam, Reindeer Version, and suppressed the smile that threatened to break out.

“I would ask that you not laugh. This is work.” Archfiend Pam scowled.

Lethe’s veil fluttered as she waved a hand. “Oh, pardon me. It’s just so charming.”

“I have to attend the Department of Diplomacy’s Christmas party dressed as a reindeer.”

“Orders from above are always absurd.”

“Indeed. It’s not even Christmastime, and to wear such a festive outfit… I would have preferred home confinement, if possible, but I’m not even allowed that.”

“You’re not going to go to that party?”

“Unfortunately, I am not.” Pam sounded disappointed, but her face was tense.

Lethe tilted her head, and when her veil was about to slide down, she flicked it back to its original position. “I’m sure everyone will be disappointed if the host doesn’t participate.”

“I’m not the host. I also received an invitation.”

Lethe automatically responded with an astonished, “Oh-ho.”

Pam nodded back, her expression equal parts apologetic and bitter. “If it’s a prank or a joke, then that’s fine. But worst case, this could well be a terroristic threat to the school,” she said. “Plenty of people resent us, after all. There have always been lots, but now there are even more.”

“Then just order the students not to go.”

“If the students were to find out that someone threw this event without permission, then it would turn into a hunt for the culprit and cause trouble for everyone involved. These people all have far too much energy.”

“That’s entirely true.”

“I’m repeating myself here, but it’s fine if nothing happens when we go to the venue. But if this event actually happens, that presents nothing but problems. I do intend to reach out to some people I can trust and have them do something like security, but making things safe is always difficult.”

“Mm-hmm.”

“If something does happen, we’ll use magic to eliminate the disaster and discover the culprit if possible… Can I ask that of you? I know it’s a presumptuous request.” Archfiend Pam put her hands on her knees and bowed her head.

Perhaps she meant to be making a very polite request, but with her fake reindeer antlers poking Lethe, this felt more like a threat.

Lethe chuckled. She didn’t mind how oblivious Pam could be.

Lethe thought for a moment, then poked the end of Pam’s antlers, with a little smile.

“Whatever their goal may be, it’s rather whimsical to declare it a Christmas party and gather all these people.”

Archfiend Pam raised her head with a questioning look. “Yes it is, now that you mention it.”

“And writing invitations and disseminating them would take quite a lot of time and effort, with this many people. Many magical girls must have been difficult to locate, myself at the top of the list.”

“Indeed.”

“If you’re looking for someone whimsical with extra time on their hands…wouldn’t I also fit the conditions of the culprit?”

Archfiend Pam turned to Lethe with an ultra-serious look, drew back her chin, and placed her hands on her knees. “No, you are not the culprit.”

“Mm, indeed I am not.” Lethe hid a smile behind her fan.

Drawn by that smile, Pam also just barely cracked one of her own.

  vs. Cockle

Passing through the ancient-looking gates, she emerged at the venue. It was dark all around, and even with magical-girl eyes, you couldn’t see through it. But the air felt unexpectedly light—sweet, even. This was no ordinary space. She’d already done her research and found out that it was a villa, once owned by an aristocrat of the Magical Kingdom. When the owner had died, there had been inheritance disputes, and currently the ownership was unclear. So that meant whoever knew the place and was using it casually was the culprit here.

Maybe she should imagine something less sinister of the culprit. It was probably a prank by a graduate, though this was pretty involved for that. But though they seemed fixated on the situation here, she sensed no malice. The venue had a very lively turnout. The four-hundred-yard square box-shaped structure and its garden were cramped, with nothing imaginative about their design. It went beyond plain to just poor-looking. But the decorations were dazzling, shining with a rainbow of electric lights, tinsel reflecting the glow to drive off the surrounding darkness.

Having spent her days wildly slashing and stabbing at each other with a smile, both within the Osk Faction and without, Lethe was somewhat sensitive to a certain type of unease. And she really didn’t feel any ill intent, after all. So then was this a prank? Pam herself had to be thinking that this was 99 percent likely to be a prank by a Cram School graduate. That was exactly why she was leaving this to Lethe, rather than handling it herself. And for Lethe, this was a fine opportunity. Searching for a culprit—she’d always wanted to try that. She thought Pam may well have known she did, when she’d asked.

Even though it was outside the venue, magical girls were overflowing, and there were even stalls out. The sign in a rounded font that read CHANGE INTO A CHRISTMAS COSTUME had to be Styler Mimi’s. The remodeled car roaring around kicking up dust belonged to Mina Madgardener Acre. The wave of earth running alongside the remodeled car was Pathos Nomilina, Ruler of the Surging Seas, the one scattering powder snow up above was Icy Puree, and the black silk hat applauding and cheering was Moru-Moru Morgue. There were a lot of magical girls who were famous enough that even Lethe, who was not a student of the school, would think, “Oh, it’s her” when she saw them.

Since she was coming secretly, as usual, even if she was an authority of the Osk Faction, Lethe had no retinue. She would like to think that was for the best and enjoy herself casually, but she had to stay on her toes today.

When she handed her letter of invitation to the reception by the entrance, the receptionist leaned into her ear and whispered, “I hear that the Archfiend has asked you to search for the culprit. We searched every cranny of the facility, but there were no kind of tricks or traps.”

Lethe looked back at the receptionist. It was a magical girl in a Santa suit. She’d seen that face before. Taking a good look at her visage, when the girl averted her eyes in displeasure, she finally remembered.

“Oh, that’s it,” said Lethe. “You’re the assassin who launched that ill-advised attack on the Archfiend during that Survival Exercise some time ago. They say she turned the tables on you, and you were forced into an Archfiend-style rehabilitation program and were coughing up blood.”

Since normally she was all in black, it had taken some time to remember.

The magical girl Cockle seemed reluctant, but also slightly triumphant as she looked back at Lethe and snorted. “What a nasty way to put it.”

“It’s a fact that the Archfiend put the screws in you. And have you been forced to spy this time, too?”

“Well, I obviously can’t refuse.”

“Indeed so. By the way, do you have any idea who the culprit is?”

“That’s your job to find out.”

“Hmm…that is also indeed so.”

  vs. Auro

Inside the building was even more dazzling than outside. There were lots of electric lights, in the center of the big hall was a mini-tree planted in a big plant pot, and the ceiling and walls were packed with all sorts of Christmas-originating decorations. And the turnout was massive.

Though she had guessed it from seeing the magical girls overflowing outside, there were even more than she had anticipated. Searching for the culprit among these was going to be exhausting.

It’s no easy feat…being a detective.

Looking around, she figured for starters, she would try hitting up those she knew, and the first thing her eye hit on was a large sphere of hair. The hair, which was normally all silver, was now dyed in red, green, and white. She was just tilting back a wineglass in the corner, but she stood out whether she liked it or not. She was Auro, a magical girl with a magical afro.

“It’s been a while,” said Lethe.

“Oh my, Duchess,” Auro replied. “So you’ll come to a commoner’s party for Christmas?”

“Informal gatherings are equally comfortable for the aristocracy. More importantly…” Leaning in, she hid her lips with her fan. She used her magic to distort the distance between them, making the noise around them grow distant. “Have you heard that the host of this gathering is not the Archfiend?”

“Huh? It’s not?” Her afro bobbled, her expression sincere surprise. She didn’t look like she was lying. “So then who the heck is?”

“That’s what I would like to know.”

“It’s not me.”

“I’ve figured that much out.”

“Actually, wouldn’t it be bad for that sort of information to leak to the person you’re trying to investigate?”

“Hmm. Yes, that’s a theory: concealing that you’re gathering information. Although I suppose I can look the other way in this instance.”

“You’re really letting yourself off the hook here.”

“Never mind such trifles. You don’t have any ideas about who the culprit is, do you?”

Shaking her big afro back and forth, Auro gazed into thin air for a while, then nodded. “No clue.”

“You sound rather certain. What happened to the group that’s always with you? It seems they’re not here today.”

“You suspect them? Well unfortunately for you, they can’t commit any crimes right now.”

“And that means?”

“Negino is busy with the usual. And…” Auro put a hand to her lips and lowered her voice a notch, almost whispering, “One of my friends has taken Cranberry’s exam.”

“My, oh my…I feel sorry for her.”

“She’s so depressed. I feel bad, so another friend’s been with her the whole time.”

“You don’t have to be with her?”

“I have to pack food and drinks here into Tupperware and go to my friend’s house.”

Lethe couldn’t really tell if she was being a great friend or not here, but that was not the problem at hand right now. “You have no idea who might be suspicious, aside from your friends?”

“Hmm. I do figure you have to be a pretty whimsical person to use the pretext of Christmas to hold a party this big and get people together. I’d never go to all this trouble.”

“I suppose that’s so.”

  vs. Maiya

If anyone connected to the Archfiend Cram School was widely acknowledged as a whimsical prankster, it would be those two, she thought, zeroing in on them and searching them out. She found them immediately. They were sprawled side by side on a sofa in the food and drink corner. They were not playing aristocrats of ancient Rome; they were simply drunk. Monako was jangling her khakkara as she loudly trashed Cranberry, earning herself cold looks from everyone around. Amy was hugging one of her nine tails and putting on a cutesy voice like a coquettish fox and getting tepid looks.

They didn’t seem to be plotting or scheming, but it did appear that getting too close would lead to getting dragged in. Deciding to leave them be, Lethe accepted a champagne and a cracker, which she bit into. It wasn’t bad. Next, she brought her lips to the champagne. She scowled. This was not ordinary alcohol.

Looking back at the magical girl with a bandanna and an apron, she saw the staff that was leaning near her side, and the wrinkle in her brow deepened. She was such a committed warrior type—a serving job did not suit her.

“Maiya,” said Lethe. “What are you doing?”

“The same as Cockle. I’m playing staff as I work security. Aren’t you doing that, too, Duchess?”

Despite her attire, there was not a drop of service spirit in Maiya’s expression as she puffed out her chest.

Lethe did not enjoy dealing with Maiya. She was serious, uptight, and rarely fun. As someone who joined in various events for amusement’s sake, Lethe thought they had very different values. Being that she was a servant of some noble family of the Osk Faction, she seemed vaguely aware of Lethe’s origins. She may have thought she was being considerate, often speaking to her in an overfamiliar manner and making her sit through long conversations, such as complaints about work or uninteresting tactical theory.

Judging that it would be acceptable to wrap this up after informing her of business and some small talk, Lethe dropped her eyes to her cup.

“Mm-hmm…but this champagne.”

“It would have been nice to get champagne glasses, but they only have wineglasses here,” said Maiya.

“That’s not what I mean. There’s magic cast on it—so that it can get magical girls drunk.”

“Surprised? This champagne is specially made to make anyone feel good.”

“So that’s why Amy and Monako are down.”

“It only took a little to get them like that. Quite pathetic, for Archfiend Cram School graduates.”

“Come on, don’t say that. So there wasn’t anyone suspicious?”

“Suspicious…well, it was the host who arranged for this alcohol.”

“I see…so it’s someone who can arrange for special alcohol that can get magical girls drunk.”

“Exactly. She either has a route for acquiring such a thing, or a means of producing it herself. Oh, your glass is empty! Come on, one more glass. Haven’t you ever heard that it’s rude to just have one? You’re the last person I’d expect that from… Oh yes, you have underlings, of course—some subordinates. I’d like to ask you about something… Yes, it’s about how to associate with such people. I also have one magical girl subordinate as a student, but I just don’t feel like I’m communicating well with her… Look, your glass is empty again. Let’s have another. Hey, where are you going? I’m not done talking. So then about my subordinate-student. She’s a good person, but she really tends to play her cards close to her chest. Just a little while ago, over whether tsuchinoko were real or not—”

  Lady Proud

The key word “alcohol” reminded her of something. Lady Proud from the Department of Diplomacy had drunk with Archfiend Pam before, and Lethe seemed to recall that she’d been able to create magic alcohol that could even get magical girls drunk. But Archfiend Pam was going to that Department of Diplomacy party. So then wouldn’t Lady Proud also not have come…? Or so Lethe assumed, but contrary to expectations, she was there. She was in front of a giant Christmas cake with her arms folded.

It was rare for Lady Proud to participate in events, and Lethe had never really had a proper conversation with her. But she’d heard that in sharing a workplace with Archfiend Pam, she had actually made friends with her. Lethe had been thinking she’d like to try talking to her, if she had the chance.

“Is something the matter?” Lethe asked.

With just a glance toward the voice that came at her from behind, Lady Proud turned back to the cake.

“I’m thinking,” she replied.

“About what?”

“About this cake.”

As they talked, magical girls cut up the cake and placed it on plates. The amount of cake was gradually decreasing—like a sugar candy being swarmed by ants.

“It’ll be gone very quickly, if it goes at this pace,” said Lethe. You’re not going to have any?”

“I’ve already had some.”

“Then what are you worrying about?”

“I’m worrying about whether I should have another slice or not.”

“Hmm?”

“This is clearly no ordinary cake. There’s spells cast on each one of the ingredients—the sponge cake, the cream—and it’s filled with energy. And it has so many subtle, wonderful flavors that only a magical girl’s tongue could differentiate… This cake was most likely made for magical girls.”

“Oh-ho. So then perhaps I’ll have a slice, too.”

“However!”

“However?”

“Just as alcohol made for magical girls will get magical girls drunk, wouldn’t cake made for magical girls be able to get magical girls fat? Won’t these calories that we’d normally never consume cause us to look unseemly? Thinking about that, a second slice…”

Lethe drew back the hand that was reaching for the cake. Arms still folded, Proud worried and groaned, started reaching out with her right hand anyway, then stopped it with her left, waffling with everything she had. And all the while, the cake was slowly losing pieces, and then finally, the Santa Claus decoration was taken away.

“If it’s bothering you that much, why not have some?” said Lethe.

“But…but…!”

Lethe heard footsteps run up, and then a magical girl in a raincoat was hugging around Lady Proud’s waist. She didn’t even try to hide her excitement, shoulders heaving as she cried, “They’re making special Christmas parfaits over there!”

There wasn’t even the slightest hesitation. Lady Proud loudly declared, “Always room for that!” then ran off with the raincoat magical girl in her arms.

  Twin Dragons Panas

Thinking about sake had made her think of Lady Proud. But there was magicked food aside from the alcohol. If you were going to prepare different types of foodstuffs, rather than making it with one kind of magic, wouldn’t it be easier to make use of connections? And the Archfiend School had people with connections.

Outside the venue, in the center of the garden, was a street stall. A magical girl with a blue necktie wrapped around her forehead was serving ramen, and beside her, a sad-looking, green-haired magical girl went on cutting green onions.

“It’s been a long time,” said Lethe.

“Oh…it’s the Duchess.”

“Why are you outside?”

“They begged me to do it outside since the smell is so strong, and I was left without a choice… And I can agree that nothing beats stall ramen eaten under a chilly sky, so I’m not unhappy.”

The green-haired magical girl Negino gave Panas a plainly unhappy look, but Panas didn’t take the slightest notice. She drained the hot water from the noodles with flowing gestures and poured the broth in the bowl.

“This is my special Christmas spiny lobster ramen. Eat up,” said Panas.

Lethe bit into the shell of the spiny lobster, and though it was annoyingly difficult to eat, it didn’t taste bad. In fact, it was good.

“Is your menu only ramen?”

“Even focused purely on ramen, I still have a long way to go.”

“Where do you get your ingredients?”

Panas lifted her head and looked at Lethe. She was almost glaring. The harshness in her eyes was deep and heavy. “You want my distribution route?”

“No, that’s not what I—”

“This isn’t an attempt to get into the business, is it?”

“What business are you talking about?”

“The magical girl ramen business, of course.”

Swallowing the words that just about popped out of her mouth, Lethe groaned under her breath. If that was a business, then it was an incredibly niche one.

“You were just thinking this business is too limited, weren’t you?” Panas accused.

“Can you read minds?”

“This business isn’t limited. It’s broad, in fact. Even I’m not at the top. There’s a supreme ramen artisan magical girl I have great respect for, someone worthy of being called a divine master of ramen, who is still far above me. I could never reach her, no matter how much I try. Do you know how many get into this for simplistic reasons, like because they think they can make a quick buck, or because it’s cool—then go bust?”

“I’m not interested in getting into this, though.”

“If you are interested… Yeah, first, you should become my apprentice. You learn the heavy responsibility of an artisan when you take that first step on a long road. After that, if you still want to make ramen, want to live for ramen, then I may consider it.”

“I’m not interested in getting into this.”

“Then good.”

Panas resumed draining the noodles as if nothing had happened, then cheerfully offered the ramen to a new customer with a “Here, thanks for waiting.” She was chatting happily with a magical girl who looked bluish all over. A regular, apparently. Lethe asked herself, “Would this ramen maniac deal in ingredients unrelated to ramen?” and in a split second, answered her own question: “Definitely not.”

  vs. Cutie Altair

Perhaps she had been too fixated on connections related to foodstuffs.

Someone who simply had many connections, and not purely with ingredients, could secure a venue, decorate it, and know the whereabouts of persons related to the School and send them invitations. And if she was talking connections, there was one magical girl who might be called the best. It was Cutie Altair from the PR Department, the most booming of all the magical girl–related departments—and she was the center of the Animation Department, the star of all the departments.

A Cutie Healer had to be strong. Of course, some of them tried to join the Archfiend Cram School. And of those, Cutie Altair was most notoriously strong among both insiders and outsiders. A lot of fans were happy about a Cutie Healer being strong in reality. In other words, that meant that she had a lot of cooperators when needed. If she was going to make something happen, she’d have plenty willing to help. The girl herself was extremely unsociable and wary. She didn’t even open her heart to fellow students. But Lethe had heard that when that was coupled with her outstanding ability, people took it as “being cool and not trying to pander to the fans.”

But when Lethe actually tried to look for her, she couldn’t find her. Despite being in an attention-getting position, she hated standing out, and she often covered her costume with a coat and even put on sunglasses. So, relying on supposed eyewitness reports of “I saw someone who looked like that over there” or “No, she was over here,” she wandered left and right until she reached a magical girl hugging a piece of colored paper to her chest.

In contrast with her overall cute costume, with a budding flower decoration and white student-style uniform, she was so stoic, Lethe couldn’t tell if she had any expression at all. Or more like she was just gloomy. Despite how the girl emitted a “don’t talk to me” aura from her whole body, Lethe figured she could at least ask her where Altair was. Lethe had been accused of being self-serving, but she’d never failed to make a good decision.

“Is Altair this way?” Lethe asked.

“She—”

The colored paper the magical girl offered up had “Cutie Altair” autographed on it in cursive style. Lethe almost laughed, thinking that even someone like that would do something nice for a fan, then noticed that the hands of the girl holding the colored paper were trembling slightly, and cleared her throat to cover it.

“—wrote this for me.”

“Oh-ho, that’s nice.”

“Yes. I was dragged to this party…but something nice has happened.”

Every single word she said sounded depressing. Lethe put on a smile and held her veil down with a hand. “Mm. So then where is Altair?”

“She went to the entrance, saying she was leaving for the day.”

Lethe wanted to snipe at Altair for being so uncooperative as usual, but of course she couldn’t bring herself to say such a thing in front of a fan. Lethe put on the appropriate airs as she nodded. Thinking about who to ask next, she was about to leave when a voice came at her from behind, and she turned around.

The magical girl with the flower decoration was looking at Lethe with a faint heat in her eyes. “I can hear the thoughts of people in need.”

Hearing that out of the blue, Lethe didn’t know what to say. She responded by raising her right eyebrow.

“Nobody here is thinking anything bad. Nobody is trying to do anything bad, or thinking they would be in trouble if it were found out. Everyone is having fun.”

The magical girl with the flower decoration gave a little bow of her head, and Lethe gave her a composed nod. As she was thinking about what to say, the person she’d mentioned, the one who’d “forced her to come,” showed up. A very intimidating magical girl with one eye and one arm approached in a hurry and told her “Rikkabelle is over there,” then took her hand. The two magical girls trotted off, and seeing them firmly holding each other’s hands, Lethe broke into a smile. She then pressed her index finger to her cheeks. Smirking would soil her reputation.

The two magical girls disappeared into the crowd, but Lethe stood there for a while, looking off the way they had gone.

The eyes of the magical girl with the flower decoration had looked purely gloomy and depressed. But when she’d said that nobody here was thinking anything bad, her eyes had been so clear and pure, Lethe had felt momentarily pinned. But there had also been strength in them, the strength of having seen more than just the beautiful things. But neither were her eyes wild. It was less that it felt okay to believe her, and more that Lethe wanted to believe her. The fact was that in her investigation thus far, nobody had seemed suspicious. So then, she would decide there was no miscreant. And with that, her detective work was at an end. Now she might as well enjoy herself here, too.

First, she would try out that special Christmas parfait.

  Styler Mimi

It was after the festival. The magical girls were leaving in small groups, and at the end, three remained.

Styler Mimi, with her wings dyed in Christmas colors, tilted her head to the right, tilted it left, cut across the neat rows of garbage bags, approached a sofa, lifted a leg, and kicked it away with zero hesitation or restraint.

One of the two magical girls who had been snoring loudly on the sofa, Amy, spun around, then spread her many large tails for a fluffy landing. Monako vanished for an instant, and then glaring at Mimi with blatant anger on her face, she appeared again on her knees in the place where the sofa had been.

The sofa hit the wall and bounced off, then rolled on the floor.

“What the hell are you doing?!” Monako yelled.

“That’s what I’d like to ask!”

Monako rattled her khakkara and leaned in, while Mimi put her hands to her hips and leaned in as well, and their foreheads clunked together as they glared at each other.

In a drawn-out manner of speaking that didn’t suit the occasion, Amy asked, “Why are you so mad?”

“Of course I’m going to be mad!” Mimi cried.

“Don’t you spit on me, Styler!” Monako snapped back.

“If you don’t like it, then back off!”

“What was that?”

“Drop dead.”

“Now, now.” Amy consoled the angry pair as she cut between them. Monako looked like she was ready to jump on Mimi at any moment, while Amy stood with her back to Monako, spreading her arms facing Mimi. Her expression was dubious.

“So why are you mad?” Amy asked.

“You’ve forgotten your promise, haven’t you?” Mimi said.

Ten seconds later, Amy clapped her hands, and Monako cried out, “Ahh!”

Mimi turned to the side with an expression cold as ice and spat, “You really did forget.”

“No, it’s like…”

“This is Maiya’s fault. She just kept pushing the damn champagne at us.”

“Obviously the most at fault here are the idiots who forgot their promise and glugged down alcohol.”

The plan was that once most of the guests were there, on Amy and Monako’s signal, Marika would show up. As she had been kicked out of the Archfiend Cram School, a lot of people hated Marika. Some magical girls even treated her as a sort of virtual enemy. Marika’s appearance was supposed to cause a big melee battle to break out and give the Archfiend Cram School a shot in the arm, since they’d been so listless from the Cranberry Shock…so had been the scenario.

Amy and Monako being dead drunk and unable to give the signal was no excuse. Even Amy, who had been forced into participating in something she didn’t want to, would be angry. Being the host, Marika would be mad—no, she wouldn’t be mad. She would try to vent her frustration. She’d probably say, oh well, then let’s have fun with just the people here. She would definitely say that. Mimi could see it happening.

Not only would their hard work end in nothing—they might even get punished. She’d sent letters of invitation to people related to the school, other famous strong fighters and famous magical girls, and even made a new category for hopeful newbies who had just started to get a reputation, then surreptitiously borrowed an unused villa and decorated it, made alcohol and food with wheat and sugar made by Marika, layering preparation on preparation—

“It’s all ruined,” Mimi moaned.

“Why’re you being so self-important about this? Then you should’ve given the signal.”

“I was running the costume change stall outside, I couldn’t do it.”

“You were only outside because you didn’t want to get dragged into the brawl.”

“Don’t you assume that about me.”

Something creaked. Mimi turned around with great trepidation. There was a crack in the pot with a Japanese fir planted in it. Marika, who had been in suspended animation, had woken up. The sound grew louder, and the cracks spread.

Breaking and crumbling sounds rang out through the hall. A hand sprouted from the side of the planter. It grew legs from below that stood as the cracks connected, and it broke into pieces, scattering earth and pottery. It was the largest of Marika’s potted plants that Mimi knew of. Marika, with a Japanese fir growing out of her head, resembled the Cordyceps that she’d seen in Chinese cooking. Stretching out her back, she did circles with her arms. Each time she did, the Japanese fir swayed dangerously.

Stretching out particularly long like a cat, Marika smiled at everyone. “Was someone trying to have a fight? I kinda felt that vibe.”

“…I think it might have been your imagination.”

The Japanese fir shook once, twice as Marika looked around the area. “There’s no one here.”

“That’s because…well,” Mimi said vaguely.

“Lots happened,” Monako added.

And hearing that, Amy said, “You explain, Mimi,” passing it on.

“Please,” Monako said, finishing it off.

Mimi was screaming on the inside.

Those bastards fobbed it all off on me! Moron and a garbage bin!

She swiftly did the calculations. It would be difficult to lay responsibility on a moron and a garbage bin. If this turned into “You guys take responsibility and deal with her,” then Mimi would obviously get dragged in, being there as well.

Just what would make Mimi the happiest right now? It was when a magical girl was backed into a corner that her true worth was made manifest. She had to make the best choice from among her meager options.

First, Mimi cleared her throat, then put on a very apologetic look as she began. “About that. Nobody came. Despite all our preparations, it wound up a lonely Christmas.”

Marika looked around the area suspiciously and pointed at the tidy rows of garbage bags. “It looks like you had a party.”

“It was sort of like a consolation party, eating and drinking with the morons…Amy and Monako.”

“Yeah, yeah, a consolation party, uh-huh.”

“We did so much consoling.”

“Ahh, is that what happened?”

“It’s just what you’d expect from the Archfiend School. They’re all so cautious that they’d never respond to such a dubious invitation.”

Mimi nodded many times with a look of sincere disappointment. Amy and Monako emulated her, but extremely casually, making Mimi’s heart race.

Marika folded her arms. “I guess this means we underestimated how cautious they would be. But they’re party-lovers, though.”

“It might just be the times… Also, you know, the Archfiend could have warned them to be careful.”

Arms still folded, Marika looked at the ground at her feet. Mimi was completely on edge, but she didn’t let it show. After facing each other like that for a while, suddenly Marika lifted her head, swinging up the Japanese fir and making it drop needles everywhere.

“So then let’s call this learning our lesson for next time and end it for the night. Next time…we’ll have a New Year’s party!”

Marika bellowed with laughter in front of them, and Amy and Monako cheered with sincere joy. Mimi stood there frozen in shock. The Christmas Party from Hell was not over yet.