Chapter 23

I took the Association President’s private elevator and got off at the 28th floor.

As I stepped out, I glanced at the elevator floor display and noticed that floors 28 to 35 are all Reception Halls.

“Even though it’s called a Reception Hall, it’s only used for that purpose when there’s a large event. Normally, it’s a place where magical girls spar and train with each other.”

“Your observational skills are still sharp.”

“Still?”

Oops.

I said something unnecessary. Passing by Eve, who was looking at me curiously, I glanced around.

“Meetings are held here. It’s also the day when branch heads from major cities across the country gather, so it’s held in the Reception Hall.”

“I see.”

“Nothing here has changed. It’s exactly the same as when I left. Oh, sis, look over there.”

Where Dusik pointed, there was a round mark on a pure white marble pillar, as if something had been struck hard against it.

“That’s a mark from when I sparred with Priqu. I hit it, and the mark is still there.”

“What did you hit it with?”

“My fist.”

“Did you win or lose?”

“I lost…”

Dusik slumped his shoulders. Well, in fights, sometimes you win, and sometimes you lose.

“Let’s go. They said everyone’s gathered.”

“Alright.”

Following Eve, I pressed my earring. With a soft sound, I felt my entire body tighten.

This uniform, though pretty, is a bit too tight, isn’t it? Especially around the chest. Why are there so many buttons? It’s a miracle it even fits. If I had to put it on and take it off by myself, I’d lose my temper.

Since I was wearing sneakers, the sound of my footsteps on the marble floor changed to the clacking of dress shoes. Before long, Eve, Dusik, and I stood in front of a wooden door with an antique vibe.

“It’s Eve.”

The door opened automatically, seemingly recognizing Eve’s voice. As it opened, I was inwardly quite surprised.

Dozens of women in suits were lined up inside, bowing deeply on both sides.

“Miracle Princess Eve, President of the Magical Girl Association, is entering. Please rise.”

What is this, a mafia organization? I was quite shocked, but it probably didn’t show on my face. I believe it didn’t.

“Let’s go.”

“Sure.”

Following Eve, who seemed used to this, Dusik and I also moved forward.

—

“Eve. Who’s that?”

“Isn’t that Dusik? Then, is that woman the new boss of the Mogmog Group?”

There were about 30 people. Magical girls in various outfits sat in chairs, each with another magical girl standing behind them as an aide, all staring at me intently.

Among them, one woman stood out with her flushed face, unable to hide her excitement.

“Mother-Body…!”

It’s Prilly.

“Prilly, long time no see. How have you been?”

“You remembered me!”

“Of course I remember. You gave me unforgettable memories, didn’t you?”

And those memories are now safely stored in Eve’s phone. You damn rapist. Because of you, I almost lost my virginity before even losing my chastity.

“Mother-Body, please stop.”

“Yes, my apologies.”

“Now, let’s start with introductions. As you may have seen on the broadcast…”

As soon as the word “broadcast” was mentioned, some magical girls reacted with “Ah,” “Uh,” “Hmph,” and other varied responses. If I could, I’d erase all those broadcasts. I heard that clips of those videos are circulating everywhere. If I ever see one, I swear…

“For those who haven’t seen it, this is the new boss of the Mogmog Group, the Evil Magical Girl, Mother-Body.”

Evil Magical Girl? Wasn’t it just Mother-Body? Now that I think about it, Keru might have said something like that.

“I’m Mother-Body.”

I’m not happy to be here, so I’ll skip the pleasantries.

I have nothing to ask for, so I’ll skip the formalities too.

As I remained silent, Eve continued the meeting.

“Now, due to time constraints, let’s move on to the first agenda item. Everyone, please take your seats.”

There were no chairs for Dusik and me. What is this, some new form of harassment? Just as I was thinking that, a woman in a suit brought two chairs and offered them to us.

“Your hospitality is lacking.”

Tsk. I glared at Eve, who gave me an apologetic look. I’ll let it slide this time.

“The first agenda item is about PPL.”

—

“With that, all agenda items are complete, and I have one more proposal to make.”

The magical girls, who had been stretching, all turned their attention to Eve. Eve, seemingly used to it, took their gazes in stride.

“I plan to remodel the 36th floor, where my office is, and offer it to the Mogmog Group.”

“What nonsense are you spouting?!”

It was Prilly. Her already fierce expression twisted even more.

“You’re adding salt to a finished dish, and now you want to take it all away?! You thieving cat!”

Is that really the point of anger? Not that we’re taking over the President’s office?

I wasn’t the only one baffled, as Eve let out a small sigh.

“…This meeting is over. We’ll now switch to a private setting.”

Good call. The meeting atmosphere was already a mess. It went downhill the moment Prilly started her rant.

“Prilly, what are you even trying to say?”

“Hey, Eve. You’re the one who posted on the Magical Girl intranet, right? Talking about considering the perspectives of male-loving sexual minorities, but now it seems you’re just a crazy lesbian!”

Eve pressed her temples as if she had a headache. I found the whole situation hilarious and leaned back in my chair, crossing my legs.

Dusik transformed and stood behind me.

“Boss, the atmosphere isn’t good. I’ll guard you.”

“Okay.”

“Faith overcomes reality, and reality does not exceed faith. Cease your futile delusions.”

Dusik’s low voice echoed, and a translucent barrier appeared in front of me. Startled, I turned to look at Dusik, who stood with his palm outstretched.

“It’s a barrier. It can defend against both physical and magical attacks.”

“Oh, I see. Thanks.”

Now I can comfortably switch to spectator mode.

“Ugh, I put so much effort into marinating that, and she just gobbled it all up! Do you know how hard it is to get premium ingredients? The money I invested in that meat and wine!!”

Wow. Calling someone a “premium product” right in front of them?

“Prilly, that’s not what I meant. We all know why the Magical Girls and the Mogmog Group need to cooperate. For a closer and more natural collaboration—”

“Hey, enough. Let’s settle this with a fight.”

“Prilly, calm down.”

Prilly pulled out a deep blue baton, while the surrounding magical girls tried to stop her. But from what I could see, they didn’t seem too eager to intervene.

“This is quite entertaining.”

“Things never change here.”

“The only problem is that the ‘product’ is me.”

Eve seemed to be getting angry too. She kept glancing at me.

I get it. No matter how calm she is, having a guest witness this chaos must be embarrassing.

Catching her eye, I asked,

“Eve.”

“Yeah.”

“What’s with all this chaos?”

“Well, it’s a long story. I’ll explain later, okay?”

“Alright. But honestly, with this atmosphere, even if I were to join now, I’d just be a punching bag. Dusik.”

“Yes, Boss.”

“You said you lost to Priqu, right? Have you ever won?”

“Embarrassingly, no. But I’m a defensive type, and Priqu is purely offensive…!”

I waved my hand.

“I’m not blaming you. So, between Priqu and Prilly, who’s stronger?”

“In terms of pure attack power, Priqu is overwhelming, but Prilly has significant mental attack abilities.”

“I see.”

Mental attacks, huh? Like carrying around aphrodisiacs or something? Probably not.

“Hey, Eve! Let’s fight, you damn woman! Scared?! Huh?! Scared?!”

Prilly was going berserk. But to me, it seemed less like anger and more like she was trying to assert dominance over me.

“Prilly, if you don’t calm down, you’re dead. I’ve been holding back, but it seems you’ve lost all sense of fear.”

Ooh, Eve’s mad too. Eve stood up slightly, reaching out her hand. But didn’t she say she couldn’t summon her Fanatic Spear without reciting some chuunibyou incantation?

As I watched, she pulled out a short spear from behind her waist.

Well, I guess you can’t just summon something like that anywhere without some serious mental focus. She must carry a backup weapon.

“You, remember what happened when you got drunk and caused a scene in Guro? I beat you so badly you ended up hanging from a highway, begging for your life. Do you need me to remind you?”

“Hey, Eve. That Mother-Body woman is Prilly’s type, you know? Cut her some slack, what are you gonna do?”

This is a mess.

“Aquamarine, you’re no different. Remember when you and Prilly fought over the previous Mogmog boss, pulling each other’s hair until he retired? Want me to hang you on a highway too?”

Every time Eve opened her mouth, terrifying words came out. Of course, some of them were things I couldn’t ignore. I’ll have to ask Eve about that later.

“Eve, are you done?”

“Not yet. Want me to keep going? Want to show off in front of the new Mogmog boss?”

“Ah, you crazy woman. You’ve been Association President for too long, and now you’re acting like a total boomer. Why don’t we just overthrow the Mogmog Group? It’s about time we redraw the map anyway! We’ll all survive, so what’s the big deal?”

“You crazy woman. Is that what you should be saying? Have you forgotten you’re still a Magical Girl of Justice?”

“I’m a Magical Girl of Money now!”

I have no words.

“Prilly.”

As I stood up from my chair and spoke, the room fell silent as if cold water had been poured over them.

My face was expressionless. Staying expressionless makes me look cold and calm, they say. I guess that’s how I look now.

“Fight me. One-on-one.”

Prilly stared at me, her expression changing moment by moment. Gradually, it twisted into a bizarre smile.

“Mother-Body, I’m Prilly, Prilly. I’m not some muscle-brained idiot like Priqu, got it?”

“If you beat me, I’ll grant you one wish.”

“Oh, confident, are we? You think you’re tough?”

“If you don’t want to, don’t.”

“No, no, of course not.”

Prilly adjusted her slipping glasses.

“If I win, you’re mine, right?”

“Sure. But I have a lot of dependents. Is that okay?”

“Big sis has money. I’ll take care of all your dependents.”

“Alright. I like rich big sisters.”

The situation is already a mess. I need to assert dominance here.

I need to prove I’m different from the previous bosses.

That’ll make things easier later.

“Eve, where’s a good place to fight here?”

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