Chapter 21

Once upon a time, there was a friend.

It’s not like I never had any friends at all.

Back when I was in high school, I had a friend. Just one, but it was the kind of friend you could call really close.

Then, when the Mogmog Group’s invasion started to ramp up and magical girls began appearing, I lost contact with that friend. That was already 10 years ago.

And now, my friend from 10 years ago is standing right in front of me.

“Whoa, I’m shocked.”

That’s my honest reaction. I was genuinely shocked. Eve had always appeared as Eve ever since she revealed herself. Whether on TV or variety shows, she always looked like Eve. But to think she was actually in a constant transformed state!

Anyway.

“Wow, the head of the Magical Girl Association is actually a man…”

What’s with that shabby look?

You’ve got so much money, why not buy some decent clothes and dress up a bit?

Messy hair, sweatpants with knees sticking out, seriously.

What a sight.

Anyway, I have no intention of revealing my true identity. Even though we were friends, I don’t plan on acting like we know each other.

I can kind of guess why she suddenly went off the radar, but even so, I’m not exactly thrilled to see her now.

Most importantly, she’s in her true form, but I can’t show mine. It’s not about transformations or anything—I’ve just become a woman. Even if I were to claim I’m that friend from before, I have no proof.

“Mom, look. It’s Dad, right?”

Thanks to Kabe tugging at my sleeve, I snapped back to reality.

And I realized what I needed to do now.

*Click, click, click, click.*

A few shots of Eve in her male form.

“Hey, what are you taking pictures of?!”

“You.”

And then a video of Eve hurriedly transforming into her magical girl form, the one we’ve all seen before.

“What are you filming?!”

“You, I said.”

“Hey, delete that right now!”

“Huh.”

I held up my phone and smirked. Eve’s expression kept changing with my gestures—it was quite a sight.

“Do you even know who you’re giving orders to?”

One of the perks of being part of an evil organization is this.

Even if I do something bad, and even if I know it’s bad, I don’t have to feel guilty or tormented about it.

Like right now.

“So, you were originally a man.”

“Yeah…”

Eve’s house.

As expected of a rich person’s home, the sofa in the living room was incredibly luxurious. Probably genuine leather. Looks expensive.

And there I was, sitting in the main seat.

With my arm resting on the armrest, I felt like a boss from a mafia movie. And with Eve fidgeting nervously beside me, it really felt that way.

“It’s okay, Eve. You don’t have to worry so much.”

Eve brightened up. Well, she would. The public has no idea Eve is actually a man. The beautiful, charismatic, first and strongest magical girl, Eve.

If it got out that Eve, who’s maintained this image all along, is actually a man and still turns into one when not transformed, it would be a huge blow to her image.

“I also told Kabe’s dad… But saying it like this makes me feel a bit weird now.”

“It’s Dad~”

“Yeah, yeah, that’s right, Kabe. It’s Dad.”

I smiled at Kabe, who was happily devouring a large tub of plain yogurt.

But honestly, I can’t help but feel a bit weird about it. Even though my body is now female, my mind and heart are still male. Calling a girl who turned out to be a man “Dad” just doesn’t sit right with me.

“Well… I’m not planning to blackmail you or anything with this.”

Eve’s expression brightened.

Honestly, she’s quite the beauty. If I didn’t know her true identity, I might’ve been smitten.

“You don’t need to blackmail me. Our Association Head will take care of everything, right?”

“Hey!”

“Hey, now’s not the time to yell. I might accidentally unlock my phone, you know? Or maybe I’ll accidentally lose it?”

“Ugh…”

“Don’t be like that. You know as well as I do that I understand why magical girls and the Mogmog Group have to fight. I’m not going to ask you to lose on purpose or anything. And honestly, what can I even do with this leverage?

Money? Eve already helps out a lot.

Fame? Not really. It’d be ridiculous for an evil organization boss to seek fame.

Power? I already have several loyal subordinates.

“So, even if I’ve got your weakness, there’s not much I can do with it. Let’s just consider it a bit of fun.”

“You… really?”

Eve looked at me suspiciously.

“Well, if you don’t believe me, fine. Should I give you an order right now?”

“No, no. It’s fine.”

“By the way, where’s that Karin or Margarine or whatever, your guardian? I haven’t seen a trace of her. Keru’s always around me.”

“She went to the Light Realm for a work report. She’ll be back in a couple of days.”

“I see.”

Now that we’ve sorted out Eve, I still have questions about Kabe.

When she chanted some spell I couldn’t understand, a black sphere appeared around Kabe, and when it enveloped Eve, her transformation was undone.

“Kabe.”

“Yeah?”

“Did you know Dad was a man from the beginning?”

“Yeah, I knew. I knew right away. That’s why he’s Dad.”

“Ew, gross. It’s dripping. Eve, get me a tissue.”

I wiped the yogurt dripping from Kabe’s mouth with the tissue Eve handed me. She’s definitely a kid… but how did she know? No one else knew.

“How did you know?”

“I just knew when I saw him.”

“Then, what was that magic earlier?”

“It’s dark magic. Kabe can use magic!”

“Oh, wow, really?”

I don’t think I’ll get any more answers from Kabe. Even if I ask what kind of magic she can use, I don’t know enough myself…

Kabe runs around the garden.

After being cooped up in the small underground base, stepping on the grassy garden makes her so happy that she keeps running around with a big smile on her face.

I threw her a rubber ball, and she’s busy playing with it.

“Eve, you said you’d explain something, right?”

“What?”

“That thing about marketability or whatever.”

“Oh, that.”

As I tossed the rubber ball back to Kabe, Eve scratched her cheek.

“You’ve heard about the Reverse Barrier, right?”

“Yeah, roughly.”

“Then, let me explain in a bit more detail.”

Originally, there was no such thing.

When the Mogmog Group first invaded, there was no such system, so when they attacked, casualties were just that—casualties. If buildings collapsed, it was just property damage.

Then, when magical girls appeared and could intercept them, there was still no way to prevent casualties or property damage.

But with the development of the Reverse Barrier, a unique magic of magical girls, things changed a lot. When the Mogmog Group attacks, the magical girls intercept them—actually, they plan where to attack beforehand—and set up the Reverse Barrier. When the barrier activates, people inside are moved outside, and anything destroyed or damaged inside is restored when the barrier is deactivated.

In fact, the battles inside the Reverse Barrier are clearly visible from the outside!

Isn’t that too convenient? Even if an evil organization attacks, no one dies, and no one gets hurt.

“That’s why it’s become like a sport. It was just being discussed, but now that you’ve declared a new Mother-Body and announced your revival, the discussions have accelerated.”

“So, since the inside of the Reverse Barrier is completely visible, you’re going to use the magical girls as living billboards?”

Magical girl transformation outfits with sponsor logos on their backs, or representative product logos.

“There’s even talk of incorporating sponsor product images into the finish skill effects.”

“This is insane. Is this a sport or a fight?”

“Either way, it’s not bad. You know as well as I do, Mother-Body, that the fights aren’t about winning or losing. The goal is to maintain balance. For that, having some extra income is good for both the Mogmog Group and the magical girls, right?”

That’s true.

So, what I need to do here is clear.

“What’s our cut?”

“The sponsorship contract fees are split 50-50, and for each fight, the winner gets 30%, the loser 70%. Since the loser has more recovery costs, it makes sense to give them more.”

Not a bad deal for us, who usually lose.

Until now, the magical girls were in a position where they couldn’t lose, so the Mogmog Group always lost.

Well, it’s only natural.

Magical girls are specialized for one-on-many battles.

Even with minions, a couple of area attacks from a magical girl can wipe them out, and we’re outnumbered. If a magical girl lost in this situation, it’d be strange.

But now that I’m here, it’s doable.

I’ll churn out minions, create various types, and aim to make the magical girls retreat two or three times out of ten.

“Alright, I’m fine with those terms. But we’re not responsible if a magical girl dies.”

“That’s never happened before. Don’t worry.”

“But I have one question.”

“What is it?”

“What’s this about brand images appearing in finish skills?”

Eve thought for a moment, then stood up.

“It’s faster to show you.”

She stood on her tiptoes, raised her hand to cover her right eye, and stretched her other hand forward.

That pose looks familiar.

Like, “The Black Flame Dragon of my right hand” or something like that.

“I—the Radiant Princess and Valkyrie of the Light Realm, Miracle Princess Eve—command in my name.”

Wow, what kind of line is that?

“I call upon the name of my comrade, answer my call! Fanatic Spear!”

A magic circle appeared in Eve’s palm. Slowly emerging from the circle was a rather long spear. Wait, the spear isn’t the issue here.

“Why is the incantation like that…”

At my words, Eve’s face turned bright red.

“Sh-shut up! My magic won’t activate unless it’s this kind of concept!”

A magic that won’t activate unless it’s an edgy middle schooler concept.

She must have it rough.

“Anyway, this is my unique weapon, the Fanatic Spear. I’ll show you the effect, so watch closely.”

Eve swung the spear, which, despite its lack of ornate decorations, emitted a dazzling light, and then slammed it into the ground.

“In the name of Miracle Princess Eve, I shall vanquish you!”

Please, stop…

“From the abyss blooms the endless hellfire! In the decaying flames of darkness, in the distorted abyss, scream and rage! Now, I, Eve, shall be the guiding light that leads you to destruction! Witness your final moments amidst the crumbling ruins!”

Stop it… please…

I want to cover my ears.

“To the unforgivable sinner, know your unpayable sins. Spear of the Endless Hell!”

Dozens of spear blades appeared around Eve. Floating at shoulder height around the Fanatic Spear, they all aimed forward. As Eve thrust the spear, they flew forward as if targeting something unseen.

And within that, a rainbow-colored aura began to rise. And that aura gradually took shape.

“Is that… an energy drink?”

Yes, definitely.

As the spear blades struck, the rising aura gradually took the shape of a beverage can.

“Yeah. It’s that ‘borrow tomorrow’s energy for today’ drink. This is how magical girls act as billboards. There’s probably a clause in the contract for a minimum number of exposures per fight, but it’s still in the draft stage, so the terms will be adjusted.”

I’m speechless.

Isn’t this a bit too… capitalist?

“The stronger and more flashy the magical girl’s skills, the higher the chance of getting a good sponsor. There’s even talk of something like a betting system, but that requires legal review, so it’s still up in the air.”

Capitalism isn’t all bad.

It’s not that capitalism is bad, but…

It just feels a bit… off.

“Got it? So when you attack Itaewon next month, make it as flashy as possible.”

You’re the bad guys, right? Right?

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