V2: Chapter 12: Huh? I Can't Say Anything

Chapter 12: Huh? I Can't Say Anything

I was led to another room and served tea and snacks by a girl with light green hair, about fifth grade. She introduced herself as the Magical Girl "Tinkerbell." It was an unfamiliar name, but she was probably a highly skilled Magical Girl.

In other words, it was either a pseudonym or she was an unregistered magical girl.

"Oh, so you're a Magical Girl too. Perhaps you didn't need my help back then?"

"N-no, not at all! Being saved that time is a memory I'll cherish forever...!"

She said, her eyes welling up with tears, perhaps from overwhelming emotion. I was happy to hear her say that, but she probably could have handled the situation on her own. Her magical aura was similar to mine; perhaps she's a Magical Girl with a conceptual Magic name?

"Ah, to be able to welcome my beloved Satellite-sama like this... I'm so thrilled!"

"Ah, yeah..."

"Now, I'll go give everyone instructions for the future. Please wait a moment!"

From our conversation, she doesn't seem interested in world domination or power. That said, she doesn't seem like the type to put me at the top and use my power to do something...

She undoubtedly worships me from the bottom of her heart; her reaction is that of a pure, devoted fan.

Then why is this happening?

When did they ever talk about creating a Magical Girl Association with me as their king?

I pride myself on my high IQ in combat and academics, but I'm completely inexperienced in things like intrigue and manipulation. Especially being the head of an organization.

I can't judge until I hear the reason. No, wait...?

Imagine it, Hoshino Shizuku!

I, who rebelled against the country with them, desperately resisted for the sake of a greater cause... and came within a hair's breadth of conquering the country. However, at the last moment, my strength fell short... and I was defeated while protecting them. I was branded a traitor, and in exchange for reducing my comrades' sentences, I was forced to do all sorts of things to high-ranking government officials...

Hmm, nah, it's impossible. 

There is no magical girl who can defeat me, who is serious about conquering the country. I can easily imagine a future where the conquest ends normally.

The only one who might have a chance is Gracia, but right now she'd probably side with me. She's not interested in running the country anyway...

After that, the Tachibana Zaibatsu, which has seized power, will unify Japan into a corporate state... It's over.

I decided to go and check things out, and when I returned to the underground hall I'd been in earlier, what unfolded there was a sight that made me doubt my eyes.

"So... what exactly happened? Can you explain it to Bell so she can understand?"

"I... I couldn't beat Bradia..."

"So you swallowed your pride and ran away like a little puppy?"

Yes, the kind-looking girl with green hair... who was probably the Magical Sirl she had transformed into. 

She was, in fact, a stereotypical cheeky brat... why?

I was becoming increasingly confused about the New Star Magical Girl Association and Tinkerbell. It was a rather pathetic situation, making it somewhat more believable to think that this was all a dream Lux was showing me.

"Well, what can I do? Even someone like her is the third-ranked in the association. Her abilities are real."

"Of course, Bell knows that, you know? But, then again, an organization needs a new star, right?"

And then there was the familiar red-haired magical girl... her name was Flamma, wasn't it? She was supposed to be a fire-element magical girl with a remarkably steady fighting style, unusual for a young girl, in the mid-level ranks of organizations often lacking in personnel.

Why would she leave the association and join this group?

"Bell thought you all could do it, you know? Well, I'll let it slide this time ♡"

"Ah, thank you, Bell-sama... I'll do my best next time!"

The association's members seem quite motivated, and among them, I see a few girls who don't seem to have the luxury of even taking care of their appearance. These are probably girls who grew up in environments where they had no choice but to engage in clandestine work. Perhaps this group serves as a kind of haven for those girls the association couldn't accommodate.

That's precisely why it's all the more puzzling.

She probably possesses the charisma to be a good leader. What is it that she wants to achieve, even to the point of rebelling against the association...?

If I were to stop her peacefully, that seems to be the only key.

"Kyahahaha, well then, everyone please be careful on your way home, fufu..."

She probably hadn't noticed me there, because I finally made direct eye contact with Bell's jade-colored eyes. It was amusing to watch her expressions change from blank to astonishment to shame, but...

"Umm... aa... etto.... please go home safely, okay?"

★

She somehow managed to finish uttering the last line, albeit with some suspicious behavior. Feeling somewhat guilty about what I'd done to Bell-chan, I returned to the room I'd been led to. To think that such a quiet, gentle-looking girl had such a dual nature...

"You can't judge a book by its cover, can you..."

"N-no, Satellite-sama! There were deep reasons behind it...!"

She continued her explanation, her face bright red. Well, I don't intend to criticize anyone's hobbies... and I'm not exactly in a position to judge others' hobbies either.

Ah, but... being mocked by such a small child might have its own charm. I wonder how old she is... though that's probably rude if I ask.

"There's something I'd like to ask you, is that alright?"

"Yes, please ask me anything!"

From her, as she fully displays her love for me like this, I don't sense a trace of her being a bratty girl. If she says I can ask anything, does that mean I can ask her Magic name or her real name?  

No, taking advantage of her kindness to extort personal information isn't the right thing to do. At least her ideal Satellite wouldn't do something like that.

"Why did you want to start a new Magical Girl Association, Bell-chan?"

"That's so that we don't have anymore Magical Girls who are abandoned like you..."

"Abandoned...?"

The answer to the question I was most curious about was quite different from what I had expected.

What should I do?

I barely remember at all. When did I ever get abandoned? Oh, wait... maybe, maybe...

"I still vividly remember the day Satellite-sama disappeared, when the Association issued a standby order."

Ah, that's it...!?

I was kidnapped after the incident with Lux... kidnapped?

After that, I definitely heard from Gracia, and of course from Squire, that a standby order was issued. That decision was probably correct, but what others thought... that's another matter.

"When I tried to go look for you, the adults around me told me... [if even Satellite can't win, then there's nothing we can do, there's no point in you going.]"

There's some truth to that, but humans aren't always driven solely by rationality. Especially when what you have to give up is something important.

"Haha, that's what they call 'adult rational thinking'...can you believe it? They abandoned you, who'd worked so hard all this time, and 'those guys' probably don't care as long as they're safe."

In her eyes, there was a definite mix of hatred and regret.

I couldn't read her true feelings, but I felt as if those emotions were directed towards herself as well.

She has absolutely no reason to feel responsible.

"At that moment, I realized how foolish it all was. We Magical Girls, we'd been working so hard for an organization like this."

And in her jade eyes, I could see deep despair.  She must have struggled in her own way... and given up on the people around her.

There must have been a real internal conflict that led a young girl to rebel against a powerful association.

"If this is a society where such hard work isn't rewarded, and abandoning those who work hard is considered right... and if that's what it means to be an adult—then I'm fine being a child forever."

"That's what I thought, so I abandoned my previous name and started calling myself Tinkerbell. I don't need to be the main character; I've decided to become a fairy who guides and helps you."

The name probably comes from that famous fairy tale. She's abandoned her name and her past relationships... she's trying to demonstrate a greater cause. To think that a girl of elementary school age could make such a decision...

"We will never abandon our friends. We will destroy this corrupt Magical Girl Association... and create an association for Magical Girls."

While it might seem a little too idealistic, her love was genuine.

She truly supported me from the bottom of her heart, followed in my footsteps... and even bought my books.

That's why she became so twisted.

"And for that throne, you... Satellite-sama, the greatest Magical Girl, is the one only who deserves it."

The root cause of this whole affair is... me.

I can't say it, not in this atmosphere... I can't possibly say I lost on purpose.

I can't say it, there's no way I could say that... that I'm living with Lux, that her idolized Magical Girl is a puppy who likes to lose.

"I'm not asking for an answer right away. But... I'll wait as long as it takes."

"Yes, I understand how you feel, Bell."

Even so, there's one thing I need to ask. It's about a certain incident whose reason hasn't been clear up to this point.

"I understand the situation, but just because you want to stay a child... but why the mesugaki personality?"

"Well, the 'Internet Bulletin Board' said that a 'mesugaki' really fit my aesthetic..."

It was a much more hellish reason than I could have imagined. She's a rather unfortunate girl, I suppose.