NOVEL WEB Chapter 16
“I! I will keep chasing!!”
“Yamashita, you’re crossing the line.”
“I missed it twice right in front of me! Please give me a chance to make up for it!”
“Yamashita.”
Mori, the chief, sighed deeply, relieved by Yamashita’s stubbornness.
He was a bit of an annoying rookie, but if you were to pick a candidate for a high-ranking position within the Metropolitan Police Department, he was always mentioned first. However, seeing him throw away his dignity as a man and act like a child was somewhat pitiful.
“Forget about the last plan; it didn’t happen. Let’s say we don’t know anything about it.”
“Ugh…”
“Hasn’t it always been this way? You live like water flows, depending on public opinion and circumstances.”
“Please… I’m begging you…!”
Yamashita bent completely over, bowing his head so deeply that his crown was not visible.
“The Commissioner said to keep quiet. Forget about the Magical Girls and the Busujima incident.”
“…….”
“Even the person involved, Councilor Fujimoto, is letting it go quietly. What exactly are you chasing?”
Not long ago, Yamashita had been favored by the Commissioner and acted as a messenger.
But at some point, no information was coming down.
A discarded horse.
Thud
Chief Mori, who had acted more rudely than ever, reached out with a pitying hand to Yamashita.
“Take a few days off.”
“…….”
Mori passed by without a second glance, leaving only Yamashita, who kept his head down in front of Investigation Unit 1’s corridor.
And in the corner of the hallway, a dazzling vision flickered faintly.
＊
July 18th
“You! If you use your greed to sacrifice the girls!!!”
“I! Will not let you awaken the stars hidden in darkness with dreams!!!”
“Then… sniff… don’t…!!”
These guys! I don’t know how many times they’ve teased me for getting emotional and overreacting.
It’s been two weeks since ‘The Debutante of Girls.’
The refreshing breeze that would periodically blow in early summer was quickly replaced by unbearable heat, signaled by the sound of cicadas announcing the full arrival of summer.
The series of events that started with Sato Hana’s stroll evolved into a standoff of [Fujimoto VS Me].
My resolve was changing society.
The future I knew from the original story seemed to be slowly disappearing.
At the same time, it felt liberating.
While preparing for a world on the brink of Apocalypse, I couldn’t shake off my connections with the Sato family and the Master.
Even with the overwhelming advantage of being a Born 3-Star Magical Girl.
I desired to save someone rather than to harm them.
Contradiction.
Injustice.
Fear.
These past two years were a deception I inflicted upon myself, filled with agony.
The Blooming Magical Girls, who should have debuted in December, were being spotted all around society now, in mid-July. And the leader of the flag, who should have drenched herself in blood while crying out for revenge, was peacefully goofing around at my workplace.
“Hey! Fujimoto, you’re such a greedy pig!”
“Don’t give blessings to the Magical Girls!”
“…….”
If others heard this, they might think it was a bit dangerous.
Fortunately, the Master was out buying new beans, so the café only had two bums lazily loafing around with an espresso (200 yen).
“It’s quite peaceful now that the group of 13 has whittled down to 3.”
I had quietly been gathering intel by secretly lurking around the Metropolitan Police Department, hearing the name of the police chief who had barged in just before our great escape.
I thought Fujimoto would be in an uproar following the incident.
However, he was surprisingly quiet.
Instead, he seemed to express a desire to sweep the plans for supernatural weaponization under the rug.
– Is the Fujimoto Group acknowledging the facts?
– No.
– What do you think about the last broadcast?
– It’s unfounded.
After that, the spokesperson for the Fujimoto Group didn’t answer any more frantically posed questions from reporters.
– Th-thank you! I think I should get going home now.
– Are you sure you don’t need my help?
– M-my parents are probably very worried. I should also face trial now.
A momentary mistake.
And the countless responsibilities that followed.
Yet, Haruko smiled brightly, wanting to bear all of that.
– As Shirogane said, I’m going to try this by myself.
Right before returning home, she thanked me one last time. Thus, three weeks after she had run away, Haruko returned to her original place.
– Oh my, really? Of course I’ll help you~
Since there were no longer any workers at the regional handmade factory where Sato worked, she struggled with the fact that she couldn’t hand over her responsibilities due to Hana.
But this time, four Magical Girls expressed their intention to work, and even the single grandmother boss welcomed them all, saying they should come in as her daughters.
– I’ll check with a social worker I know.
The Master spoke brusquely, yet he didn’t ask where the three orphan Magical Girls came from or why I was concerned about their whereabouts.
The very next day, a bus from the Christian welfare center brought them to the café.
– Leader! Nene-chan and I were originally planning to return to the orphanage.
– I talked to the director, and they were worried sick about us.
The two learned that the director of the orphanage had put out a national missing persons notice out of concern.
They contacted the orphanage director in Hokkaido, and that very day they flew back with the director who had come down immediately.
– Director. I mean, Ichika-chan! sniff Thank you for watching over us. Take care!
– Heh, why are you crying when you’re going to a good place?
Parting is such sweet sorrow.
From the tragedy of becoming test subjects to the fate that led to war, these girls set out to find their lives in a new time.
The day everyone left.
When I, Kyoko, and Ichika lay down to sleep, I could tell the kind-hearted Ichika was quietly crying.
Of course, Kyoko and I pretended not to notice.
‘Aside from the media watching Fujimoto closely, the public’s response was surprisingly weak.’
Perhaps because I rescued them too quickly, the impact might have been lessened.
Always, snippets would appear in the news about young people working at black companies making extreme choices due to internal politics and various abuses.
The youth who died from overwork were not even newsworthy in this world.
It seems the impact was so minimal it blended into gossip articles about the exploitation of Magical Girls without any victims.
“…….”
“Ah~ah~ this is boring. Leader, you’re getting so used to it you’re not reacting at all.”
“Captain! There’s something new on the witch talk!”
“Oh, Shizuku made a new magical bread.”
“Is it bread that shrinks in your stomach with psychic powers so you can eat twice as much?”
“I-isn’t this a scam?”
The quick retreat of companies wanting to avoid a collision with Fujimoto.
This caused plans for the Magical Girls to fall apart, but the girls, having learned how to awaken their dreams, were each showing their dreams through magic as they thrived.
Peace.
With just one stage, the fate of the Magical Girls was stepping toward peace.
I murmured with a sense of accomplishment and relief.
“Peace is good…”
“Right? Peaceful things are good.”
“That’s right!”
“But you guys aren’t going anywhere?”
Ichika and Kyoko were taken aback by my question and couldn’t answer immediately.
“What do you mean?”
“Weren’t we comrades on that night in Odaiba?!”
“Right! We promised to take care of each other!!”
“…Is that what you meant?”
＊
“So?”
“We were overwhelmingly defeated.”
“I see,”
Kaede still felt her collarbone rattling, not fully healed yet, and she was bowing down.
It took her fifteen days to recover after the fight.
This incredible recovery ability, intrinsic to being a 2-Star Magical Girl, meant it still took her that long to stand up again.
“There’s a significant difference between those who can’t bloom and those who can, even if they’re both supernatural users.”
“…….”
“An ordinary girl was able to inflict full body fractures on a shinobi from the Mumei unit.”
“…Please deliver punishment.”
“The decision is up to me, Kaede.”
“Yes, sir.”
Fujimoto Eiji neither grew angry nor panicked.
He was ignorant of supernatural abilities, while the other party was aware.
He was oblivious to the opponent’s level, while the other party was aware.
That was all there was to it.
What’s consumed can be replenished.
“I thought you were a thief trying to tarnish Fujimoto’s name, but you’re just a beggar who digs into the earth for gold.”
“…….”
“I almost made the blunder of using the logic of a foot soldier against a samurai.”
“…….”
“Well, this works out. I’ll be able to provide Sumire with better swords.”
“…….”
Fujimoto Eiji left the dark room without any hesitation.
He had no interest in tools that had already been used. He could obtain better swords now.
“From now on, you will serve Sumire.”
“Yes, sir.”
Kaede responded as she deeply bowed, yet her rattling collarbone still weighed on her mind.
To be exact, she was troubled by the one who inflicted this injury.
An orphan, just like her.
Yet free.
Under that fist, Kaede crumbled helplessly.
Everything she had painstakingly trained for her entire life fell apart.
– Those without their own will should be crushed!
She was envious of that free-spirited girl.
Crunch
“One day… I will… definitely…”
In Kaede’s heart, a mindset that should have been discarded by a ninja was beginning to sprout.