V3: Chapter 22: The Magical Girl's Dilemma?

Chapter 22: The Magical Girl's Dilemma?

What should I do?

"W-what should I do..."

"It would be wiser to refrain from showing ourselves..."

In the room were three experimented Magical Girls.

Taking them back would be easy.

But no matter how hard I try, combat is unavoidable. Defeating them would certainly be easy; after all, physical attacks can't reach me.

But this is a covert operation. Our mere presence here would lead to a bad outcome, and if news of an attack breaks out, it could affect our attack on the main base.

And there's also the possibility that they might need to regularly ingest chemicals... It's not necessarily true that taking them back would yield the best results.

What were they even doing here in the first place? I glanced through the documents, hoping to find some clue...　

"...'Development of weapons... for humanity to counter Magical Girls'...Eh?"　

So, now that the Demon King is down, the powerful Magical Girls are the threats?

I can guess that's probably the reason—in other words, a power struggle.

I thought "humans aren't a monolithic entity" during the meeting with Lux, but I never imagined they'd be this foolish.　

Rather than forcing them to do something, they're probably just robbing them of their ability to think. That's more convenient for testing experimental products.

In that case, we could bring them back... but considering the bigger picture, it's safer to retreat now and launch a simultaneous operation later.

"Okay, let's hurry up and rescue them."

"I don't mind, but do you think we have a chance of winning?"

"The better question is, do we even have a chance to lose?"　

But Magical Girl Satellite wouldn't abandon anyone.

More than anything, abandoning them here would be a nightmare. No matter what happens... their future should be decided by themselves after they regain their ability to make rational judgments.

"...Right, I believed in you!"

Bell continued to administer first aid without caring that her clothes were getting dirty, but the other party was unresponsive. Their eyes were vacant, and it was impossible to tell what they were looking at.

Normally, I might have had such a thought, but the sheer horror of the situation made me feel sick first.

"I'll fight ahead, so can I leave the injured to you two?"

"You'd better be careful, okay?"

"You don't think I'd lose, do you?"

Even I'm not that unprincipled...right?

Seeing that they were ready to escape, I kicked the laboratory wall from the inside as a greeting. There was a dull thud, and the metal door slid across the ground.

"I'm Magical Girl Satellite. Resistance is futile, so surrender quietly, okay?"

"What?! Enemy attack... Enemy attack!"

The room suddenly became chaotic, and the sound of several footsteps drowned out in the noise. They seemed surprised to see me appear, but they held their weapons attentively. They weren't amateurs; they were battle-hardened... their movements were like those of an army.

However, it was a battle under quite unfavorable conditions.

"I'll show you all the stars, all at once☆"

After all, I had to be careful not to damage the research equipment and documents in the room.

My victory was already decided—before the fight even began.

★

Of course, I returned home without incident.

I said something that sounded like a foreshadowing, but nothing would happen if I fought ordinary people, right?

The difference in physical abilities was so great that there was no need to even use magic.

After that, I defeated all the enemies, destroyed the door, and went outside. They wouldn't be able to move for a while, at least until our reinforcement arrived to arrest them... They're probably alive, probably. 

I'm perfectly restrained, so probably.

And so, having arrived at the Magical Girl Association headquarters, I visited Squire's private room.

Our princess was sitting in a chair, wearing her usual eye mask, seemingly deep in thought. Squire said that she wears an eye mask when thinking because people's thoughts flow into her mind when she looks at them... Apparently, not looking directly at them alleviates it to some extent.

"I'm back, Squire. How are those girls?"

"...They're safe, at least their lives are being sustained."

She must have been so focused that she didn't even notice me entering the room. I did knock, though.

She slowly raised her torso and removed her eye mask, and I met her gaze into her gray eyes devoid of any highlight.

Then I heard about the circumstances of the girls we had rescued. After that, we made full use of healing Magical Girls and medical equipment, but it seems they were severely exhausted and, after falling asleep once... haven't woken up yet.

If we had delayed the rescue any further, it might have been dangerous.

Although I'm worried, there's nothing more I can do for them from here on out.

I may be the strongest, but I don't believe I'm omnipotent.

And, perhaps unsurprisingly, the attack on the factory seems to have been communicated to the enemy.

Well, of course they'd notice. Their own factory facilities were attacked, after all.

The police have surrounded the place, but it seems they haven't been able to take any effective action against soldiers immune to modern weapons. I never thought I'd see full-body armor in this day and age. They must have built it with materials from an External Enemy; their forces were so formidable it seemed like they could actually take down an entire country.

"Sorry, I got ahead of myself."

"...It's alright. Even so, it was within expectations."

It seems that my haphazard actions from the start were within her expectations.

I suppose I should say, she's truly the brains of our Magic Association; she understands me well.

I was about to go and call the other two, thinking we'd have a meeting, when... Squire grabbed my arm and stopped me. It was extremely unusual for her, as she rarely likes physical contact.

"...I don't need them right now."

"That's fine, but why?"

"You've really changed, haven't you? Is it because of the other girls?"

"I don't think so, but what's wrong?"

Unusually, her gray eyes were wavering with agitation.

As if sensing my thoughts, her gaze shifted to the documents in her hands.

"The old you would have gone alone."

"Well, surely... surely I wouldn't do that... right?"

That said, if it were the me of yesteryear... I wonder.

It's not impossible that I might have rushed ahead, thinking I could do it alone.... No, I probably would have gone alone.

Even now, to put it extremely, I think I could manage on my own... but if there were other girls, the damage would be less, and more people could be saved.

"You trust them."

"Maybe so."

"...You've really changed, haven't you?"

Did I make a mistake? She seems more depressed than usual. Or perhaps she's heartbroken by the plight of those girls.

"Ah, are you tired of being around people?"

Due to her magic and nature, being around people easily leads to significant stress for her. But it seems those worries were unnecessary.

"...It's okay, I'm used to it now."

I wonder if it's even possible to get used to it... I can't read people's minds, after all.

"...Things are moving forward. We're having a meeting, so go get the two of them."

The situation won't wait; the hands of the clock keep ticking.

The news playing in the room showed a helicopter overhead, capturing the headquarters of the Kaminagi Group.

★

The Kaminagi Group's headquarters building, so tall that looking up would make your neck ache, stood on a vast plot of land. Although now surrounded by the police, they hadn't even managed to storm it.

The PMC (Private Military Company) was armed with equipment made from the External Enemies's materials. Therefore, we Magical Girls, or those equipped with the same materials, were the only options, but the police lacked the numbers.

Destroying the building and grounds would only take a few seconds. The reason we couldn't do that was because there were several Magical Girls and unrelated employees inside. Doing so in front of the news helicopters would be extremely problematic.

Though I doubt we'd do it even without them.

For this operation, the Magical Girl Association had mobilized almost all of its Magical Girls, including those working at headquarters. They were staking their reputation on this operation to uphold the noble cause of protecting Magical Girls.

"Okay, we'll go in. Shall we proceed as planned?"

We began the operation exactly as we had discussed in the briefing. Well, it's basically a rehash of what we did at the factory, so there's not much to say.

"Keep using powerful techniques until countermeasures are taken" is a good saying, I think.

★

As we watched the surveillance cameras throughout the building, a group of four magical girls infiltrated, just as the superiors had predicted. What was unusual was that there were three groups of people who looked identical.

We were a little taken aback, but upon closer inspection, none of them showed any heat source reaction. In other words, all three were fakes. It was worth the effort of devising countermeasures based on the information from the factory crew. They said they had a way to become invisible.

The hastily installed cameras detected a clear human-shaped heat source in a place where there shouldn't have been anything. It was slowly moving towards the upper floors.

To convey that information, I used the radio.

By the way, Gracia ​​can supposedly generate hundreds of ice mirrors remotely at once. Was it really necessary to reveal that information now?

The upper floors are probably fortifying their defenses against Magical Girls who aren't even coming. Don't worry, we'll go later.

First, we'll head to the basement to rescue the Magical Girls who might be taken hostage. That's been our objective from the start. How we found out that they were in the basement is something only Squire knows... but I suppose that's what you'd expect from the Association President.

We opened a surprisingly heavy-looking iron door in the basement. Bradia's face turned pale upon seeing the injured Magical Girls for the first time, and the others frowned as well.

Well, this is something you never really get used to, and I'm not exactly thrilled either.

In the room, there were some weapons we'd seen at the factory, and what looked like a brainwashing device. However, it was considerably smaller than the ones in the factory... it was just about portable.

"Okay, Bell, please administer first aid, and Bradia, just stand in front of the door."

"Understood, Satellite-nee-san!"

"Your instructions are far too vague!"

Well, rather than giving a lot of instructions... just specifying the location is more effective.

Breaking through that firepower...or even getting close is impossible. No matter how much external equipment they're using to protect themselves, they're still human...and full-body armor is the worst possible match; they'd be roasted alive.

"Shall we go, Gracia? We don't need to conceal ourselves anymore, right?"

"Yes, it seems there aren't any other Magical Girls around. The rest is just a formality..."

Since there were no hostages, all that was left was to charge in and finish it. Even though damage was being inflicted, the number and quality of weapons were simply too different.

Above all, how did they think they could win without any countermeasures against Magic?

However, the president's office on the top floor was empty. If their goal was to buy time for his escape, I guess we were outmaneuvered... but for now, this large-scale act of violence by the Kaminagi Group, which could be called a terrorist attack, has come to an end.

At least, that's what I thought at the time.

★

Is this... the end?

I had that thought as I watched the police and ambulances enter the building.

"That was... quite anticlimactic, wasn't it?"

"That's true, I don't think they could take over a country with that force. What were they trying to accomplish?"

It certainly was quite anticlimactic. Perhaps we were just too strong.

The group's president, Kaminagi Soi-something, wasn't there... but he must have managed to escape.

That's a shame, but the initial objective—"rescue of the girls"—is complete.

But for some reason... the tingling sensation around my neck won't go away.

It's a strange feeling, like I've overlooked something, like a fishbone stuck in my throat.

["We believe we must change this distorted social structure that relies so heavily on magical girls."]

I recall the words of Kaminagi Soi–something from the press conference I saw on TV. What did they ultimately want to achieve with the weapons and brainwashing devices they acquired?

["The life of being constantly threatened is over."]

I thought this referred to an external enemy. But he also sees Magical Girls as a threat? A threat doesn't just mean being physically threatened.

The minimum equipment needed to harm magical girls, and a portable brainwashing device. The association's headquarters, empty and deserted.

These points are slowly starting to connect, forming a line.　

"Is he trying to... replace her as the pinnacle of power, the power of a Magical Girl?"

That conclusion strangely made sense. I used the magic I had been saving to float into the sky.

My thoughts were just hypothetical.

If I was wrong, it would be a laughing matter, and I could just have Gracia kick me around. So, there was no reason not to go.

"I'm heading back first!"

"W-where are you going!?"

"To headquarters. I'll leave the cleanup to you!"

However, if my hypothesis was correct...　　　

The enemy's target from the beginning is Squire.