NOVEL WEB Chapter 5
Chiyoda Ward, where the offices and headquarters of the national infrastructure needed for 120 million Japanese people are located.
Here, bureaucrats in suits were busily answering phones, coffee in one hand, flipping through newspapers with cold expressions.
Some were hurrying to handle urgent incidents.
Some were sighing over things not going well.
Some were simply wishing for this time to pass.
A street filled with numerous suited figures.
As you follow that street, you come across the Metropolitan Police Department, the heart of Tokyo’s security, often referred to as “the headquarters” by those working on the front lines.
Excluding the suburban areas, just the 23 special wards of Tokyo house about 10% of the entire population of Japan.
The Metropolitan Police Department, which oversees Tokyo, spends every day filled with a variety of incidents and accidents.
In the conference room of the police department’s building, a meeting was being held regarding an incident that had occurred just a week prior among the many incidents.
On the conference room monitor, footage of the suspect fleeing immediately after committing an assault was playing.
The suspect had been on the run for a week now.
Patrols were conducted at her home, nearby parks, internet cafes, and manga stores—places commonly used as escape routes after juvenile crimes—but she remained elusive.
“Yamashita-kun, can you show it again?”
“Yes!”
A young elite officer with a buzz cut was merely acting as a remote for the elderly, yet no one questioned it.
[Japanese people are a loyal nation, and participating in grand affairs while serving the wishes of esteemed elders is a dream of Japanese boys.]
Only those who genuinely believe this or can pretend to do so can gather here.
A worn-out and outdated bureaucratic society.
In that place, only vertically extended thoughts were permitted.
“…Who is the suspect?”
“Busujima Haruko. Age 13. She was a girl who didn’t fit in with her classmates and exhibited antisocial tendencies.”
This was what was written in the report handed out to attendees right before the meeting.
The report had been delivered that morning to the homes of high-ranking officials in fancy covers, but one of the higher-ups sitting at the head table asked in a probing manner.
Yamashita understood the implication of this question.
If he simply recited the report’s contents honestly, he would find himself transferred to a rural corner of Hokkaido or Tsushima District the very next day. Because to have a high official ask something already known implies a sort of scrutiny—”Should this be under our purview?”
“The Commissioner is paying attention to this case.”
“What? Commissioner Ishikawa?”
“Hmm… I wonder why he’s focused on a trivial incident like this.”
It was baffling that the Commissioner would issue an emergency summons for all senior officials from morning over a mere case of juvenile violence.
Clearly feeling an air of discomfort, the officials gathered there were seeking justification to alleviate their unease.
Yamashita, graduated from the law department of Tokyo University, was not so obtuse as to miss that signal, so he pointed out a detail that the higher-ups had overlooked, even though it was mentioned in the report.
“The initial assault was committed using a brick the suspect picked up in a nearby alley, but the Commissioner is focusing on the second assault.”
“That truly seems difficult to understand.”
“Suddenly twisting mid-air and flying off, like what even?”
The screen showed Haruko trembling and sitting down.
Then, it replayed the scene where she gestures to a male student who reported her.
The male student was flung back like a string puppet severed from its string and fainted, convulsing.
“Is the suspect a Magical Girl, or did she cast a spell…?”
“What does that matter? It’s not child’s play, what are you talking about?”
“Hmph. Just something I said.”
Having just listened to a radio show about Magical Girls, Deputy Mori chuckled.
Magical Girls? Those girls? Ridiculous.
Those pseudo-idols who merely giggle on TV and radio couldn’t possibly possess such supernatural powers, right?
It would be more reasonable to suspect an explosion from a gas leak not captured in the footage, given the rationality expected of those living in modern society.
But Yamashita countered Deputy Mori’s inner thoughts.
“That’s precisely the point.”
“What?”
“It is indeed magic.”
“So you mean it’s real magic, not just a gas leak?”
“The Commissioner specifically instructed to distribute this to senior officials.”
Yamashita carefully retrieved a document he had placed quietly in the corner of the meeting room.
There were signatures from the Commissioner, the Minister of Police, the heads of the Self-Defense Forces, and the influential Fujimoto Congressman, often mentioned as the next leader of the ruling party.
“Fujimoto?!”
“Why is a prominent member of the cabinet involved?”
“Even ministers…?”
“What on earth is happening?”
Whispers filled the room.
Seeing the names on the document, confusion spread among the people.
Once Yamashita confirmed that every bureaucrat held the plan, he finally spoke up.
“The supernatural ability used by the suspect Busujima Haruko is believed to be manifesting in girls across Japan, commonly known as Magical Girls.”
“…!”
“I also heard that the daughter of the politician who drafted this plan, Lady Fujimoto, has become a Magical Girl.”
“Then this was not merely to investigate the assault case?”
Yamashita nodded vigorously, conveying through his attitude that this incident was not just a simple juvenile crime investigation but something more significant beneath the surface.
“The Prime Minister and other ministers instructed two weeks ago to clarify the physical changes in the girls who received the Glass Star, as well as the correlation between this case and the supernatural abilities observed nationwide.”
“I see…”
In Mori’s opinion, it seemed that one of the victims, Yamahara, had initiated physical violence before the crime, and the subsequent supernatural ability-infused assault was also difficult to prove intent.
Moreover, the suspect was just 13 years old, fitting into the category for leniency.
No matter how he thought about it, it was hard to imagine the suspect being sent to a juvenile facility.
“That means.”
It implied a need for a research subject.
With the emergence of Magical Girls, the public’s attention in Japan had shifted to favor the girls.
Thus, snatching innocent Magical Girls for investigation comes with a public relations risk, hence the directive to secretly apprehend the suspect, Busujima Haruko, who had committed a crime.
On the surface, it would look like they were discreetly detaining the suspect for an assault case involving supernatural ability, leaving the press unable to attack even if they found out.
‘But if they knew what was coming after…’
Mori, who had suspected the police reporters on the scene had zipped their lips instead of jumping at a sensational crime involving a Magical Girl’s supernatural ability, felt he had finally grasped the truth.
“They’re targeting this suspect, including the Fujimoto Group, aren’t they?”
“It’s a legal investigation procedure.”
“Meaning act like it’s legitimate.”
“Since the young Fujimoto is involved, they don’t want to waste any time.”
The group fell into silence for a moment.
“Proceed.”
“Yes!”
The words written on the paper Director Mori set down glistened.
[Magical Girl Supernatural Ability Weaponization Plan]
*
“Hikari-chan~ Let’s play together~”
“Haha, but I’m working.”
This little girl who was whining while fidgeting with the waist of the waitress uniform is Sato Hana.
She’s one of my regulars whom I’ve seen the most over the past two years, as the whole family often stops by for snacks while on a walk, treating it like a weekend event.
The most impressive customers I’ve encountered have been the Sato family.
That’s because just two weeks ago, Hana was a girl who couldn’t use her lower half.
After falling down the stairs and injuring her nerves when she was 7 years old, she had been reliant on a wheelchair.
To comfort Hana, they always would stroll around Yokohama, then stop for snacks at our café right before heading home.
‘Next time, I want to go over there.’
Hana, staring blankly at the sky while on her wheelchair, whining for where she wants to be taken next.
And the sight of the Sato couple, silently pushing her wheelchair, was particularly memorable among those I’d seen here.
Especially, Hana seemed to feel some aversion towards the aging Master, so whenever I was working, she’d chatter away with me. That’s why the Sato couple considers me the ‘sister who plays well with their daughter’ and looks out for me in many ways.
This year, when Hana turned 10, she started walking on her own.
Because she had become a Magical Girl.
“Hana-chan~ Don’t trouble your sister!”
“Haha, I’m sorry, Shirogane-chan.”
“No worries.”
Mr. Sato (the husband) chuckled awkwardly, then said with disbelief.
“I really… I really can’t believe it. Sometimes I think it might be a dream, you know?”
“I’m glad.”
“Yeah, really… It’s like a miracle I never want to wake from.”
“…….”
The power of a Magical Girl is an irrational miracle.
A child who couldn’t walk regains her health and can now run around joyfully.
It’s nothing short of a miracle.
From Mr. and Mrs. Sato’s perspective, it could only be described as a divine miracle.
“Hana-chan~ Want to go see some randoseru together this time?”
“Yes! I want… I want to get it in red and pink!”
“Haha, you can only get one~”
Mr. Sato and I stared blankly at that scene for a while.
Even if Hana were to have her star’s power taken away from someone, she could still walk about as she does now.
Even the remnants left behind would surely be a miracle for the Sato couple.
As long as society remains peaceful moving forward.
[Magical Girl Supernatural Ability Weaponization Plan]
An event where Magical Girls are treated as strategic assets instead of idols.
‘No longer merely sharing dreams, but starting to act as a more advanced humanity.’
For the past two years, I’ve endlessly doubted if events would unfold exactly as in the original, but the red broadcast resolved that anxiety.
However, if it follows the original, ordinary 1-Star Magical Girls like Sato Hana, who appreciate their normalcy, will soon face a harsh fate.
‘That would actually be more beneficial for me.’
Because if it goes as per the original, I’d simply follow the flow and survive until the last trial ends.
Then I can obtain ‘that’, the key to returning home…
“Dad! What if the friends at elementary school don’t like me because I’m older?”
“Hahaha, then why not bake some donuts together to share?”
“Then let’s prepare the donut dough this weekend!”
Suddenly turning to me while chatting with her parents, Hana exclaimed.
“Hikari-chan!”
“Huh?”
“Hikari-chan, you’re different from the other sisters; your hair is white like a princess~”
“Yeah.”
“If my friends don’t play with me because I’m different, what should I do?”
“Um…”
I patted Hana on the head as I replied.
“Well? If you live kindly, everyone will like you.”
“Is that so~”
Actually, that was a lie.
My school life had been friendless since the incident in middle school.
“Then! I had so many friends at school.”
I sensed Master’s ridiculous glare that seemed to say, ‘But you don’t even go to school’ but ignored it.
“Yeah! Got it. Thank you, Hikari-chan!”
“……”
In front of that smile, should I be happy about the events unfolding as in the original?
I don’t know.