Chapter 158

Overtime for the Magical Girl

“This doesn’t taste good.”

“I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!”

When night fell, Rinde had prepared the meal, but as expected, it didn’t suit my or Ren’s palate.

Incidentally, while Ren and Rinde have reverted from their transformed states, I remain in mine.

I could probably revert inside the house, but I don’t particularly want to show my face.

“From tomorrow onward, let Inie do the cooking. It should be better than this, right?”

“Uh, yes.”

After finishing the dinner with its awkward seasoning, it was time for our meeting.

I had Rinde prepare drinks for all three of us, then we sat on the living room sofa.

“Did you find anything useful on your end, Ren?”

“Hmm… The magical girls in England are weaker than I thought, and they seem to be up to something secretive.”

Secretive, huh… Given that we’re not on good terms with the Magic Bureau, it wouldn’t be surprising if they were plotting something.

(Are you aware?)

‘There’s no relevant information online, so they must be sharing details through analog methods.’

“Rinde… Are you unaware? How about others?”

Before I could finish asking, she had already shaken her head, so I moved the conversation back to Ren.

“They’re weak yet loud-mouthed. Also, I plan to visit the Magic Bureau tomorrow. I’ll be fine in the morning, but you need to come along in the afternoon.”

“Understood. From my perspective, the magical girls’ movements seem sluggish, and public services appear to be neglected beyond just monster hunting. Do you know anything about this, Rinde?”

“I’ve heard that there aren’t enough people fixing roads and buildings, and replacements haven’t been selected. Additionally, some magical girls are reportedly resisting…”

Resisting, huh… Public works projects are crucial for maintaining harmony between magical girls and ordinary people, so perhaps there’s an issue with the magical girls’ mindset?

We won’t know until we meet them in person…

“Do you know if Bayern is facing any difficulties?”

“Um… I think I heard that there aren’t many people willing to listen to them.”

Not listening? That’s a bit unclear… Summarizing the information we have so far, along with what Arongante shared, it seems there’s a shortage of manpower, low quality, and a lack of capable leaders.

Bayern stands at the top of the Magic Bureau, but the intermediate layer beneath them is failing.

If Bayern were incompetent, Arongante would likely have taken more drastic measures by now.

So, first priority should be preparing Bayern with capable assistants?

However, considering the limited time we have to produce results, we need to make changes that will impact the entire organization.

In that case, we should start with the directors of the branches and the high-ranking members.

“Is there anything you know about the high-ranking members?”

“Just that they’re busy…”

“Understood. I intend to continue dealing with monsters.”

My basic approach involves waiting for them to appear—what some might call “respawn hunting”—but given the current situation, that isn’t feasible anymore.

Thankfully, there weren’t any monsters near residential areas or buildings, but they were wandering around desolate locations.

It’s uncommon, but leaving monsters unchecked in reality can lead to evolution—essentially, their rank increases.

Though in a well-managed country, it’s unlikely for A Rank or S Rank monsters to roam freely, the current state has made domestic travel impossible without using teleporters.

Teleporters, however, are quite expensive for regular citizens.

If we let this continue, the national economy will decline, and people will live in constant fear of monsters, potentially leading to the country’s collapse.

Why couldn’t they resolve this internally before we arrived?

“What about you? What should you do?”

Ren said nothing special when I looked at her, essentially giving me free rein.

“You’re free to do as you please in the morning. Please join us in the afternoon.”

“Understood!”

“Once we’re done, I’m going to bed.”

With that, Ren got up and went to her room.

It’s only 7 PM; isn’t it a bit early?

“Here’s the key, so please wait inside when you arrive.”

“Yes.”

I handed the key to Rinde, and thus our meeting concluded.

She apparently intended to stay here, but it’s best for kids to return home.

Besides, having her around might cause some trouble.

“See you tomorrow then.”

After sending Rinde off, I finally have some alone time.

Ren will likely sleep until tomorrow anyway, so everything’s fine.

‘Really transforming?’

(Yes, but don’t worry. Nothing demon-related will happen.)

This is adult time—or rather, overtime.

Even during moments like these, there are foolish magical girls around.

So, I need to get to work.

1

After leaving Inie’s place, Rinde headed toward Bayern.

Rinde had been asked to guide and assist Ren and Inie, but wasn’t given many specifics.

As her grandfather and director, Bayern’s request left no room for refusal.

Still, the individuals involved were different from what she expected, prompting her curiosity.

“Grandpa”

“Oh? What is it?”

“I have a question.”

Upon entering Bayern’s office, Rinde was greeted with a smile, though his fatigue was evident, causing concern.

“Are those people from Japan here to improve the current situation?”

“…Yeah, that’s right. Partly due to my ineffectiveness, Britain is on the verge of collapse. Those two were sent by important figures to prevent that.”

Bayern hesitated briefly but explained the official reason.

While not entirely false, there’s much more to the story, including hidden layers within the hidden reasons.

And Bayern knows only up to a certain level—the fact that Arongante may resort to extreme measures.

No one knows about the deeper issues involving the doomsday faction.

“The powerful person makes sense, but what about the other one?”

By asking this, Rinde hints that she realizes Inie isn’t ordinary—not that Inie tried to hide it. Her abilities in teleportation and monster slaying spoke volumes.

“Hmm? You didn’t know…?”

Bayern rubs his chin, pondering how to explain.

He could describe Inie’s achievements, but most of those stories involve bloodshed, making him hesitant to share them with his precious granddaughter.

“She’s Japan’s next high-rank member. In terms of strength, she’s among the world’s top class.”

“But she’s around my age, right?”

“Yeah. She’s supposedly eleven, but you’d do best not to apply normal standards to that magical girl. Ideally, try to get along with her, but if that’s not possible, at least avoid angering her. Oh, did she say anything?”

Bayern worries that Ren and Inie might abandon Britain.

With Bayern struggling to maintain the status quo and lacking further resources or connections, allies would be welcome, but Britain is practically isolated domestically.

“Ren said she plans to tour the Magic Bureau tomorrow. Also, Inie mentioned she’d deal with monsters.”

“I see… We should help if we can, but given our current state… Learn from them what it means to be a magical girl. They might deviate slightly from the norm, but those two are among the world’s finest magical girls.”

Rinde nodded, deciding to research them later.

She should have investigated beforehand, but her role as a guide was decided last minute, leaving no time for preparation.

Additionally, Bayern believed withholding information would allow her to respond naturally.

On one hand, they have a magic girl who’s ostracized by fellow magical girls, and on the other, someone capable of slaughtering SS-Rank monsters en masse.

Moreover, neither actively seeks public exposure, especially Inie, who avoids it altogether.

Though easily discoverable, Bayern prefers Rinde not look into it.

“Excuse me. Oh, Rinde’s here too?”

“Is something wrong?”

Thinking their conversation was almost over, Roshe entered the office.

“And before that, go home. It’s getting late.”

“…Alright.”

Rinde bid farewell to both and exited the office.

“So far, no problems… But there’s an urgent matter.”

Roshe watched Rinde leave with a faint smile before becoming serious.

“What is it?”

“Magic girls under British jurisdiction are being attacked one after another.”

“What?!”

Startled, Bayern stood up, but Roshe remained calm, which helped Bayern settle down.

“The targeted magic girls were all problematic ones we had flagged. There are also reports that some were saved just before being attacked, and others were helped from being caught in the crossfire.”

“Can you identify the attacker?”

“That’s the thing…”

Roshe pulled out several photos from her pocket and handed them to Bayern.

They showed a black-clad magical girl wearing a hooded cape.

Her face couldn’t be seen, but the sword she held was the only clue.

“After checking based on the appearance, no matching magical girl was found. However, there have been similar cases where a similarly dressed magical girl hunted poorly behaved magical girls.”

“One problem after another… But this could be fortunate as well.”

The issue with magic girls was Bayern’s biggest headache.

Although he had the authority to impose penalties, Bayern lacked the power to handle the problematic ones.

The skilled high-rank member specialized in combat died, and the higher-ranked magical girls were fully occupied fighting monsters, leaving no room for dealing with internal matters.

“It’s fortunate, but we can’t just sit idly by… Please report this to the Fairy Bureau.”

“Understood. Any other important updates? How about the visitors from Japan?”

“Ren… Free Lenschlauff lives up to the rumors. If we’re not careful, she might destroy the entire country.”

Roshe laughed at such absurdity, but Bayern was dead serious.

Seeing his expression, Roshe swallowed hard.

Either Japan sending such a magical girl is strange, or they deemed Britain’s situation dire enough to send someone like her.

“Cough. And how about Inny Flowering?”

“To be honest, I don’t fully understand her. She seemed diligent and considerate in demeanor, and our conversations were unproblematic. No, because of that, she might be the issue… Interacting with her felt more like talking to an adult than an eleven-year-old girl.”

“An adult… Rumor has it she’s an artificially created entity. That might not be false.”

Rumors about Inie being unnatural spread worldwide.

Part of this stems from her silence regarding Arcana, but mainly because of her contradictory abilities.

Typically, a magical girl can use either offensive magic or healing magic, but not both.

Being proficient in both simultaneously is extraordinary.

Furthermore, her appearance is unusual, leading to widespread speculation.

Interestingly, Inie herself is unaware of these rumors.

“Rumors… Though implausible, facing her in person makes one doubt otherwise. Still, worrying about it now is pointless. How are the branches holding up?”

“They’re fine. Measures have been taken to ensure information doesn’t leak. If anything, we pray the branches don’t freeze over.”

The Magic Bureau branches in Britain operate independently, with little coordination.

While the minimum necessary work is being done, mutual distrust hampers efficiency.

Moreover, Bayern deliberately withheld information from Ren to show the true state of affairs.

“Got it. This is my fault for being inadequate, but I never imagined things would turn out this way due to those fools’ legacy…”

“If this improves things somewhat, that’s good, but I’m concerned it might go too far. Well, I’ll take my leave now. Lastly, you might want to address your treatment soon.”

With that, Roshe left the office.

“If it were possible, I’d already have done it.”

While recovery magic-using magical girls exist in Britain, their numbers are insufficient to treat all injured individuals.

This issue persists globally, but Jeanne strives to help wherever she can.

However, to invite Jeanne, the Magic Bureau must function properly to manage patients and ensure her safety.

Given Britain’s current state, requesting Jeanne’s assistance is impossible.

Even if they could afford it, payment remains an obstacle.

Thus, Bayern’s suffering continues.