Magical Girl: Human Rebellion

Mai talked Yokoshima’s ear off the entire train ride and walk to the hideout, and Yokoshima responded in kind. My nerves that were on high alert before had chilled out a little as they talked. Despite my misgivings about Shiko, I couldn’t detect any malice from Yokoshima’s disposition.

If it was a facade, it was a well kept one. I of all people could tell that.

While Saki and even Sunao joined in with Mai and Yokoshima’s conversation at times, Shiko and I were both silent the whole way. I couldn’t shake the feeling that she was watching me, even though I only actually caught her glancing at me once or twice.

I couldn’t discount the possibility that she was just socially awkward, but something about her unsettled me. Like she could somehow see right through me.

The whole way there, there was a constant push and pull in my head. One side that was certain that this whole situation was just too fishy and we should get out of dodge as soon as possible. The other side telling me that I was overthinking and needed to chill out a little.

As we finally reached the empty lot, I realised that I would have to make my decision here and now. Against my better judgement, I decided to push through my paranoia and stick with it.

“Ayacchi, the coast clear?”

“Seems like it. We should be safe.”

“Cool cool. Well then, Mai-chan, Saki-chan, grab on tight.” As soon as she confirmed that Mai and Saki had a good grip on her body, Yokoshima took off from the ground, effortlessly flying upwards about 20m and seemingly landing on thin air.

“You two as well.” Shiko bluntly said to Nao and I. We quickly obliged, and moments later found ourselves leaving the ground as if unbound by gravity. A few seconds after take off, we found ourselves suddenly setting down on an invisible platform.

“Weird, ain’t it? Takes you a while to get used to it.” Yokoshima addressed the four of us, giggling slightly at our awestruck faces. It was that moment when the gravity of the situation really set in for me.

This is real magical power. Not illusion or sleight of hand. Real, honest-to-god magic.

“Well, no point standing around gawking. Come on in.” Yokoshima put her hand out to thin air and pulled down as if opening a door handle. Sure enough, in what had previously looked like empty space, a door opened up to show an enormous interior.

“Woaaaah, this place is huge!” said Mai, wandering in without a care in the world. The rest of us followed suit, and I was immediately struck by just how massive it truly was. While the horizontal dimensions only seemed to stretch as far the limits of the empty lot, it had to have been at least 5 or 6 storeys high, every floor being visible from the entrance. The massive open area on the ground floor was decorated lavishly, like the lounge at an expensive hotel. In the centre of the room was a statue in bronze of five girls. I recognised them as members of the five magical girl groups that had gained notoriety these past few months.

For a vigilante hideout, it was luxurious to say the least.

“Now, I can’t show you guys everything since some stuff is top secret, but there’s no harm showing you round a few places. There’s one room in particular I really want you to see.” Yokoshima strolled in front of the four of us, turning back to give us a sweet smile.

I was a little taken aback by just how excited she seemed about this. Maybe she was glad she finally had an excuse to share her secret life with someone other than her colleagues?

Whatever it was, she was matching Mai’s energy. Trying to do so would be a fool’s errand for most.

“If you girls are done gawking at the lounge, the real exciting stuff is up these stairs. Make sure you keep up!” She said teasingly, before flying towards the staircase at a speed impossible for a human to match.

“Hey, no fair!” Called Mai, running behind her without a second’s hesitation. A moment later, Saki started running too, blitzing ahead of Mai, while Sunao picked up the pace but still trailed behind the two.

I continued walking as usual.

“Not gonna go running off with your friends?”

“Hmm? Uh… been a long day. I don’t really got the energy to bound around like Mai at the moment.”

Shiko also continued at a walking pace, remaining a couple paces behind me at all times.

To tell the truth, I was lying about my reason for not wasting my energy. I still didn’t really trust these girls, so I was saving my strength for if we had to get the hell out of dodge.

Not that I’d be likely to stand a chance at escaping from people with superpowers anyway.

“C’mon, slowpokes. I can understand why Sora’s trailing so much, but you’ve got powers, Ayacchi, you have no excuse!”

“Bite me, Kyoko.”

Shiko and I finally reached the staircase where the other four were waiting, after which we all ascended the stairs and came to a first-floor hallway that was just as grandiose as the lounge.

Seriously, who has a literal red carpet in their normal ass hallways?

“I have a feeling you girls are gonna love the place I wanna show you, especially if you’re real magical girl fanatics.” Yokoshima walked ahead of us all as we spoke. My three companions continued to follow close behind her, while I trailed behind again. Shiko continued to walk behind me. Her insistence on being at the back of the pack concerned me, but there was no way I could really bring it up or get out of it, so I continued on.

“Is… that…”

As the six of us continued walking the long hallway, Nao stopped at a half-open door.

“Hey, ain’t that the uniform from Toukyouto High?” Saki finished the sentence that Nao previously failed to. As I reached the door, I looked inside to find that it was a sort of changing room with clothes haphazardly strewn around. Sure enough, most of said clothes belonged to the Toukyouto High uniform.

“Yeah, a few of the other girls go there. I might be able to introduce you later.” Yokoshima explained.

“Really? Are any of Flame from Toukyouto?” Asked Saki.

“Nah, we all go to the academy. The teams are generally made of people from the same school.”

As Yokoshima finished explaining, she also turned to walk away from the changing room. The rest of us followed suit, but I noticed that Shiko made a point of closing that door behind us.

A few more steps down the hall and Yokoshima stopped to open a heavy-looking door on her left.

“This is it, follow me girls.” She stepped in and held the door open as my three friends walked in behind her. Hesitantly, I followed behind, but immediately regretted my decision as I saw what was inside the room.

“Get the tall one first.” It was Shiko’s voice that resounded around the dingy room, followed by three movements that were too fast for me to follow.

First, Yokoshima slammed the door behind herself as soon as Shiko stepped in behind me. From the sound alone, I could tell it was too heavy for any of the four of us to open by hand.

While I was still processing that, I felt an arm wrap around my neck and a leg knock out my knees from behind. In the split second it took me to turn around to the door, Yokoshima had grappled my entire body and had me in a lock so tight I could barely move a muscle.

Finally, Shiko had darted past my three companions and grabbed an item off the large table at the back of the room.

A syringe.

“Good call on getting this one first, Ayacchi. She’s even stronger than she looks.” Yokoshima’s tone kept it’s prior upbeat nature, but it was now marred by a tinge of malice.

"She's sharp, too. I think she's be on to us for a while now." replied Shiko, approaching with the syringe.

“What?! What’s going on?! Why are you attacking our friend?!” after the initial shock of the situation wore off, Amai began shouting panicked questions at the two who lured us in here.

“Calm down, Sugichan. We’re not gonna hurt you guys. In fact, we’re gonna give you exactly what you want! We’re gonna make you magical girls like us!” Yokoshima’s response was so smug that it made me want to wipe the smile off her face with my fists. Not that I had the range of motion to even try.

“Obviously you’re not gonna be exactly like us, though,” added Shiko as she moved closer to me. “We added a little extra something to the doses we’re giving you. Just to make you a little more… open to suggestion, let’s say.”

Saki and Amai shared looks of confusion, but Sunao and I both understood what that meant immediately. They weren’t turning us into superheroes. They were turning us into superpowered slaves.

I cursed myself for going along with this asinine idea, and for not trusting my gut. Now my stupidity is gonna get me and the people I love in a situation we can’t escape from.

As Shiko stuck the needle into my arm, all I could pray for was that I’d be able to protect the girls even after we were stripped of our free will.

“You seek the power to protect your friends. How admirable. Very well, I will lend you the power of 「The Illusionist」. Use it well.”

As the contents of the syringe entered my body, a voice resounded in my head. One that defied description.

And in that instant, a pain unlike any I had ever felt enveloped my body.

I wondered if this was what death felt like.

And yet, I continued to draw breath.