Mahou Shoujo Ikusei Keikaku - Volume 7 - Chapter Pr

NOW RECRUITING MAGICAL GIRLS

Do you know about magical girls?

These lovely, mysterious young ladies divinely endowed with special magical powers and incredible physical abilities go around resolving all kinds of issues, from neighborhood quarrels to universe-wide crises. Originally everyday people (though with some exceptions), by chanting a secret spell and striking a pose, they transform into defenders of justice, everyone’s idols, the ultimate heroines: magical girls.

Until now, that world of magic and dreams was sealed behind a firm, heavy door. In order to become a magical girl, you needed a one-in-a-million aptitude—and luck, too. Without both of these, you couldn’t turn into a magical girl, and this was such a great tragedy.

But don’t worry. Science is always marching on, and brand-new technology has brought those whom we know as magical girls to the next stage. Now, whether you have the potential or not, as long as you have enthusiasm, courage, and love, anyone can become a magical girl.

“I don’t have the potential.” “There’s no way that could happen at my age.” “I never made the right connections.” Have reasons such as these led you to give up on becoming a magical girl? We can offer assistance to people like you. Leave the entire process to us, from the first step to any posttransformation services. Our comprehensive support system is available twenty-four hours.

Furthermore, we provide all of our services at no charge whatsoever. Rest assured, there will be no fees incurred at any point.

The doors to the world of magic are just beginning to open. Now all you have to do is muster a little courage.

PROLOGUE

It was a little past one in the morning when an attack was led on the Hitokouji estate.

The youngest daughter, Kanoe, was the one to order this secondary mansion be built on one corner of the vast grounds of the family block. Her family had the funds for building a mansion on a whim, they had enough space for it, and they were generous enough toward their youngest to let her do as she pleased. And there was nobody to stop her.

Restraining her distaste, Mamori Totoyama watched by Kanoe’s side as the mansion was built. Going deep into the wilderness to cut down some thick mountain cherry trees seemed very much like the sort of destruction of nature the wealthy would engage in. She was further repulsed by the opulence of using polished squares of black and white marble to draw a checkerboard pattern on the floor. There are better uses of that money, she thought.

Just what sort of use would be good? It wasn’t as if Mamori had any specific opinions. But the Hitokouji family fortune, Kanoe’s fortune, was grating as hell to see. Plus, Kanoe’s remark that “It’s not as if the workers’ envy of the capitalist will change their circumstances” made it all incredibly irritating.

Day after day, many laborers came and went, along with other visitors: a furniture dealer who spoke fluent Japanese and claimed to be German but was clearly Asian; a black-suited art dealer whose right eye was covered by an eye patch; an armored car that drove through the estate like they owned the place; and various others. A year after construction had begun, the mansion was complete. It looked cozy relative to the main house, but on its own, there was no mistaking this mansion as anything other than the residence of royalty or nobility. It was furnished with every luxury.

But Kanoe was still not satisfied, and she ordered Mamori to modify the structure’s defensive facilities.

Mamori Totoyami could transform into Shadow Gale, a magical girl dressed in a black nurse’s uniform who carried a giant wrench and scissors. Her magic could modify machines, something Kanoe had made use of many times.

Mamori had fiddled with speakers twice as tall as she was, and she’d also modified a pair of mysterious goggles. It was nice when she knew what the thing she was modifying was for, but more often than not, she would tune objects with purposes she didn’t know and functions she didn’t understand. She didn’t necessarily need to comprehend what she was working on to use her magic, but still, was such carelessness really wise?

Mamori didn’t know what these things would do, but they certainly wouldn’t be used for anything good. In terms of “good” and “evil,” Kanoe identified with the latter. She placed her own judgments above the law and societal standards, and Mamori was forced to be complicit in that. Their relationship had remained unchanged from early childhood until now, in their third year of high school.

At a glance, Kanoe would seem lovely. Her magical-girl form, Pfle, and the wheelchair prop she used made her appear sickly, or perhaps of a delicate constitution, or like a young noble lady. Her victims, unaware of her true nature, would be led astray by her faint, kind smile.

Mamori knew more of Kanoe’s nature than she really wanted to, and she’d been on the receiving end of it many times.

But she couldn’t fight it. The Totoyama family had been serving the Hitokouji family for generations, and Mamori’s parents, who put the Hitokoujis first, would not tolerate any defiance. Even if she were to dash out of the house straightaway, she would immediately be followed. Many past attempts had made her quite aware of this.

So even though she objected deep down, Mamori still did a proper job, as Kanoe ordered. Wondering what the point of this security equipment even was as she made the odd quip and complaint, she finished the job, then breathed a sigh of relief, thinking, I did it. But I doubt it will be useful.

Less than six months after that, the secondary mansion was attacked.

Now that they were actually under attack, for the first time, Mamori understood the value of the security.

The simple fact that she could even tremble in a safe, underground room was because it sheltered her. This shelter that Shadow Gale had constructed would remain unscathed even if it were to take a direct hit from an antimatter bomb, because it was located in another dimension. It was even sturdy enough to protect its occupants from multiple magical girls attacking at once.

Mamori had once scoffed, What’s the point of so many safeguards? Are you planning to start a nuclear war or what? But now that she found herself in a situation where it proved to be useful, her stance had done a one-eighty, and she was grateful for the shelter.

Mentally putting her hands together in thanks, she breathed a sigh and sank deeper into the chair.

This simple room had a linoleum floor, a white ceiling, and light gray wallpaper. It was only minimally furnished, with bedding, a table, and monitors to watch the floor above.

She glanced over to the seat beside her; Kanoe—the magical girl Pfle—had her eyes intently fixed on the wall-to-wall monitors. Shadow Gale’s gaze was drawn there, too.

The main estate was completely silent. There was no indication that they had recognized the invaders’ presence. Hoodlums roamed through the secondary mansion, carrying planks of lumber and nail bats and such, wearing full-face helmets to conceal their identities. They were tearing up carpets and moving clocks on the walls as if searching for something.

What if we’d been too slow in getting away? Shadow Gale wondered, and a shiver ran down her spine. When she thought of how the people in the main estate could have been attacked, her body froze entirely.

That ordinary living space that Mamori normally took for granted was now teeming with strange, unusual occupants. Malaise and discomfort made her avert her eyes, and she was about to speak to the magical girl beside her, but when she saw Pfle’s gleeful expression, Shadow Gale wanted to hit her.

“Do you know these people, miss?”

“Of course I don’t.”

“So then why do you look so gleeful?”

Pfle smiled but didn’t reply. Shadow Gale’s eyes flicked to the monitors again. All they knew was that the armed intruders were searching for something. It was typical for Pfle not to know, so it wasn’t worth having that discussion every time. The priority would just be to get this situation resolved.

“Those people aren’t any sort of magical girls, are they?” Shadow Gale asked.

“Indeed not.”

“So if they’re regular humans, then it’s fine for the security company to come, right?”

“I doubt they will, though.”

“… Pardon?”

“I’ve silenced all the legitimate security systems. The security company has not been alerted.”

“Huh? … But they’re not magical girls, right? They’re normal humans, yeah?”

“Look.” Pfle’s long white finger indicated a monitor. “They’re acting strange.”

Shadow Gale watched as one of the ruffians wandered around. Upon closer inspection, she saw his gait was unsteady, and his helmeted head swayed weightily as he dragged a long piece of lumber along the ground. Every one of his movements was bizarrely sluggish, and Shadow Gale couldn’t detect even a hint of the sort of anger that would drive a person to violence, nor the haste of someone who had to get the job done before the police or security came. It was indeed strange.

“No one this unstable could’ve managed to intercept the alarm system and break in. That requires expertise. Someone else is pulling the strings, I’m sure of it. They’re probably being controlled with magic.”

Magic. Magical girls.

Those would pose a far greater danger than armed humans. After only ever being worried about her own safety, suddenly, the faces of family and friends bombarded Shadow Gale’s mind. “Are the main estate’s occupants all right?”

“I called to tell them to not open the doors under any circumstances. Their defenses are quite solid, too, since I procured some anti-magical-girl systems from the Magical Kingdom and had you tinker with them. As long as they stay inside, you can be at ease.”

Kanoe was capricious, a liar, and devilish—or rather, to Mamori, she was the devil incarnate—but when it came to her devotion to her family, she was unwavering. If she said they could be at ease, then surely there was nothing to worry about.

Mamori breathed a sigh of relief, then observed the monitors once more. The intruders, who appeared to be under someone’s control, were tirelessly overturning things and peeling things up, over and over.

“I wonder what they’re doing,” said Shadow Gale.

“Probably looking for us.”

“How long are they going to keep at it?”

“Until they find us, most likely.”

Handing Pfle these opportunities for gleeful comebacks was gradually starting to make her mad. Shadow Gale got the feeling that not only Pfle but the intruders and their ringleader were making fun of her.

They wouldn’t get anywhere at this rate. But neither Pfle nor Shadow Gale were great fighters as magical girls. As for the ruffians on the other side of the camera, at least, they’d be able to manage without difficulty. But if someone else was pulling the strings, then she would prefer to avoid rashly exposing themselves.

It would be better to go with something less anxiety-inducing, less dangerous, and more reliable—a plan that would avoid needless harm to her friends, one with which they could safely subdue the intruders. Imagining something like a riot police suppressing a mob, Shadow Gale said to Pfle, “Miss, weren’t you just bragging that you’ve become a pretty important person in the Magical Kingdom?”

“I never bragged about that. I have spoken the truth, though.”

“Don’t you have a direct hotline or something like that?”

Pfle paused a beat. “I do.”

“Then let’s use it. Let’s ask for help from the outside, tell them, ‘Please save us, we’re under attack from a magical girl.’ Then they would dispatch something like police, right? Or have you silenced that line, too?”

Pfle squinted, looking away from the monitors, then down, then up again, before finally getting up from her chair. Because her chair pushed the limits of human technology, it looked rather cyberpunk. Pfle’s thighs pushed it back.

Gazing up at the ceiling, Pfle began, “I just checked it. That line is safe. There was no sign it’s been tampered with.”

“So then…”

“Don’t you find it odd?”

“Was there something odd about it?”

“I’m nearly certain that whoever sent those fellows in here is connected to the Magical Kingdom. So then that individual should be aware of who I am.”

“Well…”

“Unless she’s quite the fool, she will have conceived of such a hotline. It’s interesting that whoever has launched this attack is sharp enough to tamper with the line to ensure they won’t be reported to the security company, but they’re completely indifferent to communications with the Magical Kingdom—even though you need not even consider which is the more fearsome party.”

Now that she mentions it…

They didn’t want the security company knowing. But it was fine if the Magical Kingdom knew. Was that possible?

“The attacker believes it will be no issue if we contact the Magical Kingdom. In fact—they want us to contact the Magical Kingdom, don’t they? This attack seems so halfhearted, I can’t assume it’s earnestly meant to succeed. The magical girl is hiding away, as if failure is trivial to her, while she uses regular humans instead. Their goal is crystal clear.”

“Why would they want you to contact the Magical Kingdom?”

“If I’ve been attacked, then the Magical Kingdom would have to find the culprit. Under the pretext of searching for any clues that might lead to the culprit, no matter how small, this estate would also come under investigation.”

“Well, of course. If they don’t find the culprit, we won’t be able to relax and sleep at night.”

“This wouldn’t be a problem if they were simply investigating the residence, but they might also question us as to whether we have any idea of who the culprit might be.”

“What would be the problem with that?”

“There are people with many different magics in the Inspection Department. I wouldn’t leave evidence of my deeds simply lying around, but if they were to take a peek inside my head, I’d have some difficulty talking my way out of it.”

Hands on the armrests of the chair, Shadow Gale lifted herself half off her seat. The sound of the chair moving rang strangely loud in the room. Pfle slid her gaze from the ceiling toward Shadow Gale, her expression still amused. “There’s no reason for me to allow them to investigate any other matters about me, as they would like. You understand that?”

Shadow Gale was so dizzy, she couldn’t stand up. She let her hovering rear sink down into the chair, then gave a small, deploring sigh and put her hand to her forehead. Pfle had to be in a fairly high position.

Ever since this separate manor had been built, they’d received frequent visits from suspicious-looking guests who seemed clearly magically connected, all of whom had treated Pfle as if she were their superior.

And now said superior was on the verge of being investigated for a separate matter. It was most certainly not something so simple as being suspected without cause. Shadow Gale knew how irresponsible and laissez-faire Magical Kingdom policy was. Exactly what would Pfle have had to get up to in order to wind up in a situation like this?

“Mamori. You were thinking something rude just now, weren’t you?”

“This is so beyond that… How did things get like this?”

“It would be unbearable for me if this misunderstanding of yours were to lead you to feel disappointed or scornful toward me, so I shall correct it. I’m not being pursued by the Magical Kingdom. If they truly wanted to bring me down, they wouldn’t be doing anything so roundabout.”

“Well… maybe that’s true.”

“It’s ultimately a sole faction that doesn’t think well of me. Of course, I have backers I can rely on, too. If we can ride out the immediate crisis, help will come. There’s nothing to worry about.”

“So then… what do we do?”

“We call for Lapis Lazuline. When you contact her, set counterintelligence settings at emergency level. Since the counterintelligence system was made with your diligent efforts, even the Magical Kingdom won’t be able to pry, so we can rest easy… because even the one who created the system doesn’t know the principles behind it—or the code.”

Lazuline. Hearing that name sent a prickle of pain through Shadow Gale’s heart. Of course, the one Pfle was referring to was not the second-generation Lapis Lazuline, the magical girl with whom they had once fought. She was no longer in this world.

“We absolutely must not let it get out that we contacted her,” said Pfle. “She will use a gate to come to us directly.”

“But why are we having her come?”

“We’ll have her do a general cleanup of our memories and take them away.” What Pfle was speaking of now was the third-generation Lapis Lazuline, who could use her magic to seal memories in blue spheres. “We will have her scrub every memory of objects or people—or of anything we’ve seen that would prove compromising. That way, even if there is an investigation, we’ll have no problems. We may come under temporary observation under the pretext of an investigation, but we will very literally know nothing.”

“I see… You’re right, that may be a good idea.” That would set back whatever sort of scheme Pfle was involved in, too, but that would actually be for the best. Shadow Gale might even call it a fine plan, for both the reason that it would make the inspection turn up nothing and also since Pfle’s misdeeds would be made so that they’d never happened. Shadow Gale nodded two, three times, and the corners of Pfle’s lips bent slightly.

“You were just thinking rude thoughts again.”

“Please stop reading my mind.”

“We won’t only have Lazuline wash our memories away. I’ll select an appropriate individual to whom to give the necessary information from my memories—on the condition that individual is not connected to me in any way.”

“What? Aren’t you having these memories taken away because it would be trouble if someone saw? If you do that, then isn’t there no point?”

“After Lazuline has done her job”—Pfle grinned, not replying to Shadow Gale’s question—“I suppose we’ll contact the Magical Kingdom.”