Chapter 19
The police, who arrived late, took care of the corpse of the Awakening Species. One of the officers saluted us and pulled out a check from his pocket.
“Thank you for your hard work. Here’s a reward. You’ll be able to exchange it at City Hall.”
“Oh—really?”
“Yes. Later, a Just Citizen Award will also be presented, so I hope you’ll attend…”
“Yes—! I’ll definitely go!”
With a beaming smile, Vira promised as the police faded into the distance, but the moment they were out of sight, she tossed the check straight into a trash can. Thud thud—she dusted off her hands and shrugged at me, a grin plastered on her face.
“What’s up? A member of an evil organization can’t just accept rewards from the police, right?”
“But Ms. Levitan works with the police.”
“Working with them and receiving a reward are two different things, you know? Besides, she doesn’t really have a choice; it’s the only job she can do that she actually wants.”
With that, Vira casually draped her arm over my shoulder. Thump—her slender arm pulled me in as if she was using some secret charm.
“More importantly, how about me? Pretty impressive, right? You fallen for me? Hmm?”
“Well, impressive is one way to put it… but it’s a shabby ability that’s lost limbs.”
“Ah—! Why touch that!? It’s my trauma!”
Vira puffed her cheeks and pouted her lips. Honestly, it was a bit hard to watch an adult woman trying to act cute in such a deliberate manner.
As I stared at her blankly, as if to say, “What are you doing?” Vira seemed to realize that her cuteness might have gone overboard, bursting into an awkward laugh.
“Hehe—was it a bit much?”
“No. You wear it well.”
“That doesn’t sound like a compliment, does it? Anyway—there’s really very few people who can get past my ability and attack you. Even when I lost my limbs, I protected you.”
I recalled the charge of the Awakening Species I had just seen. The Awakening Species had the size of a decent rhinoceros, and its speed was faster than most vehicles. In other words, a beast weighing thousands of kilograms charged at us at over a hundred kilometers an hour. There’s no biological creature capable of achieving that speed.
This is because while muscle strength is proportional to cross-sectional area, weight is proportional to volume. If you think about it, a cheetah, which is a hundred times lighter than the Awakening Species, can barely reach over a hundred kilometers per hour, it should be pretty easy to understand.
In summary, the charge of the Awakening Species wasn’t just made of muscles; it represented a rush combined with superpowers. The physical energy contained within it was probably as threatening as a tank’s shell…
‘To block that without flinching, she’s tougher than I thought.’
For just a moment, my instincts as a scientist began to rear their head. Just how much shock could her barrier withstand? What would I need to break it—?
I forcefully suppressed the impulse to thoroughly analyze her barrier. There was no need for that in this world. With a wry smile, I slowly distanced myself from her.
“You smell like sweat.”
“…R-Really? Sorry— I got too close…?”
“Just kidding.”
“—You little!”
Vira playfully clung to me. Her heated, sticky skin stuck to mine under the sun.
*
Later on.
Back with the organization, Vira announced her return to the other members.
“Vira—? Your limbs are back. I thought they were impossible to repair.”
“Yep! I got lucky. I didn’t think it would happen either.”
“Well, if this guy can fix my body, then legs and arms should be a piece of cake… So, how about a match?”
Galm smiled with joy at the sight of Vira’s restored limbs.
“Uh, sis—!? Your arms and legs…”
“Ayle Ayle—! Come here, let your big sister give you a hug!”
“Ugh… P-Please, let me go…”
For some reason, Ayle looked at Vira with a reluctant expression. She seemed happy, but a mix of more complex emotions seemed to trouble her.
“Vira—!? You’re completely healed—!?”
“Levi-chan! I’m fully recovered!”
“Kyaaa—! Awesome! Let’s go have fun together!”
Levitan greeted Vira with excessive enthusiasm. Seeing that, I understood why Ayle looked so conflicted.
Ayle, who was gloomy, socially awkward, and introverted, found outgoing and lively people like walking kryptonite. Up until now, there had only been one—Levitan.
But now, her sister, whom she had always been closest to, grew back her limbs and morphed into the kind of person she hated the most—an extreme social butterfly. Her logic and instincts were likely clashing as she struggled to figure out how to react to Vira’s sudden transformation.
‘Time will tell.’
I smiled as I foresaw Ayle’s future. No matter how much she might feel uncomfortable around the new, extroverted Vira, she would eventually succumb and become close to her again, like before. She might even start enjoying the feeling of being close to that kind of crowd herself.
This would likely soften her grim nature a little. It’d be a good thing, in many ways. After all, no one can remain gloomy forever, right?
“M-Mr. Scientist…”
“Ayle? You should hang out with Vira more. What did you come for?”
“Um, it’s just… Sister feels like a different person now… It’s like she became a completely different person overnight…”
“She was probably always like that.”
“Anyway, talking to her kind of drains my energy a little…”
Ayle said this while leaning against my shoulder. I adjusted the position of my shoulder wordlessly to make it comfortable for her, and she smiled as if pleased.
Having escaped the incessant chatter and exhausting presence of Vira and Levitan, Ayle seemed to find refuge at my side, completely relaxing.
“…Mr. Scientist.”
“Yeah? What is it?”
“In a few days… there’s a Magical Girl comic book event… C-Could you come with me…?”
“If it’s your request, Ayle, I’ll accompany you anywhere.”
“R-Really!?”
Ayle’s eyes widened, seeking further confirmation. I assured her that I would definitely go with her. I even went so far as to intertwine our pinkies and seal the promise, but…
The fact that she was so happy about that promise made Ayle, unusually, shake her legs and hum a tune. A familiar melody. It was probably the theme song of the Magical Girl anime she often watched.
Thus, Vira’s return gifted a kind of peace to the Evil Organization. Even though nothing much had happened up until now, it hadn’t been this vibrant before. The place used to be much darker and gloomier, characteristic of its name.
‘It’s peaceful… surprisingly un-Evil Organization-like…’
But that peace wasn’t so bad after all. I spent my time watching Vira and Galm spar in the distance, believing this peace would last forever.
*
The day of the promise arrived. The day Ayle and I were supposed to attend some Magical Girl comic book event or something.
Surprisingly, Ayle showed up dressed as an Evil Magical Girl.
“…Ayle?”
“W-What?”
“I mean, even for you, isn’t that a bit much for a costume?”
Was she trying to show off being an Evil Magical Girl or what? After being pointed out, Ayle smirked and pulled out a big trench coat from who knows where.
She threw the trench coat over her Magical Girl outfit, stretching her arms as if to say, “See, it’s fine now!”
“L-Look, this is okay!”
“Not even a little bit okay…”
“N-No! It’s really fine! Please trust me!”
Her tone wasn’t exactly convincing, but in the end, I failed to persuade her to take off her Magical Girl costume. What could I do when she was so determined?
After getting into the car prepared by the Boss, we headed towards the venue. Once we arrived, I quickly understood why Ayle was so insistent on showing off.
“W-Wow…! That’s Magical Cannon, the first-generation Magical Girl…! The quality is amazing…”
“…What kind of Magical Girl comic book event is this?”
“Yes, yesss—! It’s a place where they sell Magical Girl goodies!”
This place was swarming with people cosplaying as various Magical Girls. They say you should hide a tree in a forest—if a real Magical Girl were to come here, no one would believe it, not even for a second…
Upon arrival, Ayle, unable to contain her excitement, quickly donned a mask and tossed her coat aside. As soon as the most dazzling and standout Evil Magical Girl appeared, all eyes were drawn towards Ayle.
“…It’s an Evil Magical Girl.”
“Isn’t that the real deal?”
“Are you stupid? Why would the real one come to a place like this?”
People marveled at Ayle, whose quality was indistinguishable from the real thing. The compliments seemed to please her so much that she was trembling with excitement.
With a sly glance back at me, Ayle looked at me like a pet waiting for a nod of approval. I had no choice but to nod, signaling her to go ahead, and she confidently strutted into the crowd of Magical Girls.
Among all the fakes, one true Magical Girl shone brilliantly.
“—Eight.”
“Yes, Vira?”
“Don’t stray too far. Something might happen.”
Vira murmured as she glanced at the thousands of people gathered, but I wasn’t particularly worried. I had a preconception that people gathering at such places were just otaku, and there were no bad people among them.
Of course, it’s not that there aren’t any weirdos… But what kind of world is this? A world where everyone possesses superpowers and where the incapable are treated like disabled people.
Anyone who could break through Vira’s powers and was also mentally unstable would have already been locked up in a mental hospital or prison long ago.
“Don’t worry. I mean, what are the chances there’s someone dangerous here?”
“That kind of complacency is the most dangerous way of thinking…”
“I trust Vira.”
“Trusting your bodyguard is good, but…”
“I’m telling you, it’s fine! There’s no way a dangerous super-powered individual would come here.”
With that, I wandered around the venue. Vira stayed tightly glued to my side, casting glances at our surroundings with suspicion. Perhaps because of that, the nearby otaku shot me murderous looks.
Ignoring those bloodthirsty stares, as I was going about, at some moment, someone awkwardly bumped into Vira.
“Ah—sorry.”
At first, I thought it might be an assault aimed at the vulnerable-looking Vira in the narrow space, but that wasn’t the case. The moment the guy collided with her, Vira vanished without a trace.
Before I had time to react to her sudden disappearance, the guy smiled and also reached out to touch me. The instant he did, it felt like my body was being pulled somewhere else.
“…Huh?”
“Goodbye, old man.”
I was kidnapped into a vehicle and soon lost consciousness. This too was probably a type of superpower… When I opened my eyes again, I realized I was tied up in a cramped room.
In front of me, the man who had bumped into me earlier was fiddling with my phone. Finding the situation absurd, I let out a hollow laugh, prompting the kidnappers to finally take notice of me.
“Is this guy laughing?”
“Leave him be; maybe he’s dreaming some nice dream.”
How truly humiliating for an executive member of the Evil Organization.
I had been kidnapped.
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