Chapter 3

Boom, it seemed like an explosion sound was heard. The pink gas that filled the glass tube dissipated, and coughing sounds came from here and there.

“No, I knew the magic power was strong, but what kind of off-the-charts magic power is this…”

Keru’s voice was also heard. As the thick smoke cleared, Keru and Dusik, their faces covered in soot, were coughing and grumbling.

The inexplicable, yet somewhat pleasant sensation that had been tickling my entire body also faded. Pushing open the lid that had been ajar, I stepped out into the room.

The thick smoke still lingered in the air, but I was unfazed. Breathing and seeing ahead were no problem at all.

What’s the big deal about this? I thought, but then Keru, wiping away tears—I briefly thought how even cats are good with their front paws—looked at me and muttered in admiration.

“I really hit the jackpot. This is amazing, amazing. The production device couldn’t handle your magic power. With this, we could even aim for world domination.”

“Really?”

Wait, hold on.

“Aiming for world domination?”

“Yeah. That’s the goal of the Mogmog Group. World domination.”

Just a month ago, I was a pet, and now I’m the leader of a group aiming for world domination. This isn’t some light novel.

“It doesn’t really sink in.”

“Don’t worry. You’ll get it once you experience it.”

Keru instructed Dusik to clean up, and Dusik ordered the minions around to clean. Is this what they call delegation? I’ve never been in the military, so I’ve never seen it in person.

Minions bringing brooms, vacuum cleaners, and mops. They all look the same at first glance, but upon closer inspection, there are slight differences in height and build. What’s up with that? Are they even human?

As I absentmindedly watched the minions cleaning, Keru flew over to me.

“Come on, let’s go. I’ll show you your room.”

“Isn’t that the right order? Throwing me into the production device right away was a bit much.”

“I was in a hurry. Anyway, let’s go.”

“Okay.”

Following Keru’s lead, I heard the clacking of shoes. I was sure I was just wearing casual clothes when I entered the glass tube.

“Ah, your outfit changed. That’s your transformed form.”

Transformed form? Now that I think about it, my outfit had changed.

“Dusik, bring a full-length mirror.”

I told Dusik, and two minions brought a large mirror.

Long black hair that completely covered my shoulders. I’ve seen this before.

A red uniform top. Gold buttons on both sides, connected by golden cords. Several pairs of buttons hung down.

Strangely, my right arm was exposed, but my left arm was covered by a coat. Does that mean something?

Black billowy pants.

And white boots with round accents.

Overall, it resembled the military uniforms of the 18th-19th century cavalry.

“Hmm… This is a new transformation form. There must be some meaning to it.”

Keru fluttered around me, busy admiring my transformed appearance. Honestly, I was too. The reflection in the mirror looked feminine yet charismatic.

And above all, pretty.

“But why did I transform all of a sudden?”

“Hmm… It must be because your magic power surged when you entered the production device. Here.”

Keru flew around me, seemingly looking for something. Then, she tapped my ear.

“Here, an earring. This must be it. Press it firmly to transform, press it again to revert. That’s how it works.”

“Don’t I have to strike a pose and chant a transformation spell or something?”

“You can do that too. Strike a pose, chant the spell, and press the earring.”

“It’s not a remote control.”

“All magical girls are like this.”

Is this really okay for an evil organization? No, is this really okay for a magical girl? Isn’t this too haphazard?

“Oh, Dusik.”

“Yes, Keru.”

“Let’s do a broadcast tonight.”

“A broadcast?”

“A broadcast announcing the revival of the Mogmog Group. Not on Twitch or anything like before, but properly hijack a major network. It’ll be cool to hijack the 9 o’clock news. Don’t forget to include the donation account below.”

“But last time, that Twitch thing was because Bongpal messed up the wiring…”

“Shut up.”

“Ah, understood. Then, who will appear…”

“Yeah. Her. We need to decide on a name quickly…”

“What are you talking about?”

Broadcast? What? I’ve heard of broadcasts, but are we really doing that today?

“Yeah. The Mogmog Group has found the Mother-Body and is revived. Of course, we don’t need to mention the Mother-Body or anything. Just say we’re going to kill all the magical girls, and humans, bow before us! Something like that.”

“What if they trace the broadcast and raid us?”

Honestly, I doubt this building is even secure. It’s a base where you can just walk in. If magical girls raid us, can we even handle that?

I kind of like being the boss of an evil organization, but I don’t want to die right after starting.

“No, it’s fine. The magical girls already know we’re here. They even helped us move here.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Well, you see.”

Keru flew over and sat on my shoulder. She’s light. So light I can barely feel her weight. Keru started grooming her fur with her front paws, licking them first. Seeing this, she really does seem like a cat.

“If we completely disappear, the magical girls lose their purpose. They’d just be crazy women who are good at fighting. Humans would think the magical girls are dangerous.”

“Yeah, that makes sense.”

“So they don’t completely destroy us. They leave us around so they have something to do and can remain as heroes. In fact, they’d be happy to hear we’ve found the Mother-Body. The Mogmog Group hasn’t been around for a while, so magical girl support has been decreasing.”

“Ah, I get it.”

So it’s a mutually beneficial relationship. I understand, but it’s a bit frustrating. From my perspective, having been a normal human just a month ago, it feels like a betrayal. They knew where the evil organization was and just left it alone, even cooperating with them?

“Anyway, the revival of Mogmog isn’t bad for the magical girls either. We need to quickly produce minions and attack so they have someone to fight. We’re ready now, so they should get ready too. That’s the message of the broadcast. Got it? Act as evil as possible, as dark and menacing as you can. Okay?”

“Don’t you have a script?”

If I’m going to hijack a major broadcast and deliver lines, shouldn’t there be a script? I’m not good at improvising.

“That’s true. Dusik, prepare a script.”

Even though the task was suddenly dumped on him, Dusik didn’t seem to mind.

“Yes, understood.”

Given his build, he looks like a judo athlete, but he’s really the brains, nodding without complaint when told to prepare a script.

So, now the problem is me. A broadcast… Can I, who’s never done a live broadcast before, do this well?

Following Keru’s guidance, I arrived at my room. It was about three times the size of my old studio apartment. It seems I’ll be living here.

“There’s no furniture yet. After the previous Mother-Body passed away, we’ve been in severe financial trouble, so we sold everything of value.”

“Isn’t that kind of pitiful…?”

Ahem, hmm. Keru cleared her throat a few times. Is she really a cat?

“It’s a sad story if you think about it. Anyway, after tonight’s broadcast, we’ll get a lot of donations, so we’ll buy furniture, clothes, and some necessities. We’ll also treat the kids to a meal.”

A meal, huh? Suddenly, reality hits hard.

But then, something Keru said made me curious again. Donations? What kind of crazy people would donate to us?

“Oh, that? The magical girls do it. For the reasons I mentioned earlier.”

The more I learn, the more fascinating it gets. And a bit more betrayal.

Sitting down at the desk, I straightened my posture. Looking at the camera in front of me, I practiced my vowels to relax my face. Is this how national addresses feel?

“Alright, just do as we rehearsed. Mother-Body?”

“Yes.”

“When the red light on this camera turns on, you can start.”

“Got it.”

Five.

Four.

Three.

Two.

One.

Oh no. My mind went blank, and I couldn’t remember any of the lines I had memorized. What was it? What was it? Quickly, quickly! Seeing Dusik’s gestures made my mind go even blanker.

“Foolish humans.”

Okay! Keru’s voice, audible only to me. You brat, if you have that kind of skill, feed me the lines! I’ll just have to wing it.

“My name is—”

Oops, I haven’t decided on that yet.

“—never mind, I am the leader of the Mogmog Group.”

“Today, I stand here to—”

Good, just keep going.

“Announce the glorious revival of our great Mogmog Group to you pitiful humans—”

…I’m screwed.