“─This steak is made from specialty produce of City R.”
“Mm.”
“This here is caviar and shark fin from City W, and over here we have…”
A parade of delicacies from 26 different cities was set before them. White Pang looked at the feast laid in front of her and carefully picked up a spoon.
The mouth area of her mask opened sideways, allowing her to eat without removing it. As she gingerly took a bite, a whirlwind of exquisite flavors filled her mouth, a taste so profound that even someone without any culinary expertise could appreciate it.
“Mmm…!”
It was delicious beyond belief, and she couldn’t help but let out a sigh of pleasure. White Pang continued to devour the food non-stop, and as soon as she finished, the awaiting attendants promptly presented the next course.
Now it was time for dessert. It was a sorbet made from some unheard-of fruit, and its taste was unlike anything she had ever imagined.
‘I’m so happy…’
Was it okay to be this happy? That’s the thought that had been dominating White Pang’s head recently.
Despite being a Magical Girl, a hero meant to protect justice and peace, here she was being wined and dined by a Villain Organization, getting paid handsomely for assisting with experiments, with comfort and pleasure unending throughout her days.
Coming from a lower-class background, she never imagined she could indulge in such luxuries.
‘…But still, even though they’re a Villain Organization, they don’t seem to be doing anything bad.’
Above all, if aiding an Evil Organization was truly wrong, the Spirit wouldn’t stay by her side. Spirits can discern causality and determine whether a Magical Girl is doing good or bad deeds.
And if, intentional or not, a Magical Girl strays onto the path of evil, she would immediately lose her powers.
The fact that she hadn’t yet lost her powers as a Magical Girl meant that collaborating with the Evil Organization wasn’t deemed as wrong.
‘I wish I could live like this forever… I don’t want to work…’
The reason White Pang became a Magical Girl was simple: she didn’t have anything else to do. Her school grades weren’t good, nor did she have any talent in arts or sports.
Why hide her face and figure even as a Magical Girl? Besides not wanting her parents to find out she was a magical girl, she disliked the lustful gaze of men.
In comparison, what about her current job? She earns money without doing anything. It’s the dream job she always wanted. She hoped this could last forever.
But she knew it couldn’t.
‘Once they’re done with the Spirit research, this job is over…’
She had received a fortune as an advance, a sum she never imagined earning in her lifetime, but she knew it wasn’t enough to coast through life.
Especially after experiencing this life of pleasure, she couldn’t go back to an ordinary standard of living. Once this ends, she’d return to being a less popular and poorly paid Magical Girl.
Beeeeep—!
“─!?”
A sharp warning sound suddenly blared. Startled, White Pang looked around, and Eight’s voice came through the speaker installed in the dining room.
[White Pang, your stress levels are rising. Do you have any complaints?]
“…No, nothing.”
[You can’t lie to me. It’s all here. What’s the problem?]
“W-well, it’s just that…”
Despite feeling awkward, White Pang spoke the truth as per the contract terms. She confessed her fear of being jobless after the task ended, terrified of not being able to enjoy such indulgences anymore.
To her, it felt like a ridiculous response, and she thought she heard a faint laugh from beyond the speaker.
While she hung her head low, a new directive came from the speaker.
[Don’t worry about that. Just keep enjoying yourself. I’ll take care of anything after it’s over.]
“…Excuse me?”
[Don’t worry about what happens after this. It’s distracting from the experiment.]
Was… that a confession just now?
White Pang wondered if she heard wrong.
But she couldn’t ask again. It felt too shameless.
White Pang simply replayed Eight’s words in her mind and returned to her food. Surprisingly, the flavors that were so delightful before seemed to leave no impression now.
As if her whole body had gone numb.
###
Even after discovering that the Spirits knew nothing about Earth, the experiments continued. Having already invested so much, it was a waste to halt the experiments here, and besides, the Spirits were fascinating entities, even beyond Earth matters.
They thrive on happiness. But does it make sense for a creature to feed on emotions? How do they exist, and how do they grow? The more I researched, the more intrigued I became.
Eventually, I wrapped up my study of the Spirits. The findings were fascinating.
‘What kind of life form is this?’
Spirits grow by consuming emotions. But what are emotions? Simply put, they are chemical reactions prompted by hormones. So, do Spirits consume hormones? No, they don’t.
In fact, as much as I hated to admit it as a scientist, Spirits fed on souls. Souls? Could they really depend on such an unscientific concept for their survival?
‘This is really, interesting…!’
Given that they exist, denying their reality would be foolish. I decided to accept the concept of souls. It didn’t matter whether they had been identified previously or not.
And from what I could tell, I was the first scientist to discover this soul concept. Not just here, but on Earth too.
A pioneer.
A precursor to leaving a mark in history. The greatest honor a human could dream of.
‘Supersedes superpowers, and now souls…’
Perhaps it was fate that brought me to this world. To single-handedly explore so many enigmas. Though, to publish these findings, I’d first need to return to Earth.
I lightly tapped the plump cheeks of a Spirit happily munching on snacks as I asked:
“You once said you could let me speak with the Spirit Realm’s queen, right?”
─Mew? Yes, I did. Why? Do you need it now?
“Tell me about the queen.”
Hearing my question, Mew paused even its snacking, lost in thought. Was the queen such a formidable presence, or perhaps there were restrictions on thinking about her due to some law or another?
After a moment, Mew cautiously began to speak.
─The Queen… is the great one who gave birth to us all, mew.
“…The queen is your mother?”
─I wouldn’t call her our mother, mew. We just pay homage from birth, mew. Then, as per her orders, we are dispatched to different worlds.
A motherly figure but not a real mother, a sovereign presence from birth.
That is the queen of all Spirits, the fairy queen, they said.
Listening to the Spirit describe the queen, I found my hypothesis more likely by the minute. I concealed my thought as I asked further.
“You said you’re sent out to combat foes of each world; how do you know where these foes will appear?”
─Foes appear wherever there are intelligent beings, mew! The Queen dispatches us to where they are, mew!
“Is that so?”
Though I had found two obvious discrepancies, I decided not to point them out. It’s said that foes emerge where there are intelligent beings? At the very least, Earth has never witnessed foes of such a nature. If they had appeared on Earth, surely I would have known.
And the second point: If the rule applied to all intelligent beings, why doesn’t the Spirit Realm suffer attacks from these foes? The Spirits aren’t considered an intelligent species? If there was a method to fend off these foes, they could employ it to protect other worlds.
No need for such cumbersome systems like Magical Girls.
“Quite a nice queen.”
─Of course, mew! Human, since you discovered her virtue, I’ll tell the queen to let you become a magical boy, mew!
“You said only girls could become magical girls?”
─The Queen can make anyone a magical girl without such restrictions, human or Spirit, male or female, old or young, mew!
“Nah, I’m good.”
I chuckled as I said it. Watching Mew tilt their head in confusion, I tapped my wristwatch twice.
And suddenly, a dazzling effect surrounded my body, something you’d expect from a child’s magical girl anime. Clothes turned pure white, then adorned with over-the-top decorations as a glamourous suit appeared.
Though waking up in clothes no sane person would wear, I smiled wryly, Mew was agape, eyes wide open.
─M-M-Mewww!? Wh-what is this…?
“I’ve mostly figured out how you spirits turn someone into a magical girl. But compared to a Magical Girl, there aren’t many souls to absorb, so it’s only good for outfit changes.”
─Wh-what are you talking about, mew!? How- how do adults… a man-!?
As if to say, why are you surprised now, I shrugged.
“Because I’m a scientist.”
Bringing the impossible into the realm of possible.
That was the essence of science.
As the research on the Spirits was nearing completion, a guest arrived from City H.
“─It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Eight. You were hard to find.”
“And you are?”
“Oh, my apologies for the late introduction. This is my card.”
The man handed me a business card.
Karl Heinz, Director of Heaven’s Company.
Noticing his business card, I remembered he was the successor of a massive conglomerate dominating City H. I hadn’t seen him at the last party, though.
“What brings a successor of the H Group here?”
“Oh, nothing major. Just wanted to make a point as someone responsible for City H’s security.”
Karl Heinz said, his eyes sparkling.
“─Don’t take the Magical Girl outside the city. Not without our permission.”
“Ah, so that’s your concern?”
“It doesn’t matter much if the subject isn’t a real magical girl.”
Having stated his business, Heinz got straight to the point.
“We’ll be taking the magical girl with us.”
“And if I refuse?”
“Haaah… could you look over there?”
He let out a deep sigh, as though burdened with nuisances.
Following his pointing finger, I saw a magical girl with her staff aimed directly at us.
“─It’s a sniper-class magical girl.”
“I thought magical girls shouldn’t do bad deeds?”
─Mew, mew, mew! That’s right, mew!
“Oh, so you believed that info? Correct, they shouldn’t.”
Thinking I had addressed my question to Mew, Heinz responded.
“Then just use them as disposable.”
With that single line, I grasped the dark dealings entangling the H Group and the city.
There really isn’t anyone decent in this world… A thought that fleetingly crossed my mind.
And with that, we reached the end of the final installment.
