Chapter 65

“Eve.”

“Yes.”

Eve put down the photo she had been staring at and looked up at the sudden visitor. Aquamarine was looking down at Eve with a faint smile that always seemed to carry a hint of mockery.

The Association President’s Office was soon filled with a chilling cold. The meeting of two magical girls with the same attributes was creating a dramatic synergy, shaking the air in the office.

Though it had no effect on the two involved.

“I came to declare that I will accept it.”

“Okay.”

“Separately, why didn’t you stop that video from spreading?”

“Do I need a reason? I clearly warned you when you said you’d handle it.”

“That was a personal warning. If such a video spreads, my reputation will be tarnished. Isn’t it the Association’s role to protect and safeguard that?”

On the surface, it was a valid point. Aquamarine, despite being troublesome, was currently the vice-president of the Magical Girl Association. The current trouble surrounding her could not only damage the Association’s prestige and honor but also have a significant negative impact on the perception of magical girls as a whole.

But Eve had taken no action, neither personally nor on behalf of the Association.

“So. What do you want?”

Irritation began to seep into Eve’s voice. Despite this, Aquamarine continued calmly.

“Fix it now. Delete all the videos, remove the articles, and issue a correction.”

“Ha. Fix it? And you say ‘fix it for me’? Am I your mom? Why should I clean up your mess?”

“What? Are you done talking?”

Aquamarine glared at Eve with dagger-like eyes, and their gazes clashed. Eve slowly rose from her seat, maintaining her glare.

“Done talking? Not yet. But Aquamarine.”

Eve reached out her hand slightly.

“I no longer see any value in talking to you. I don’t even want to talk to you anymore.”

The Fanatic Spear appeared in Eve’s hand. In response, a dagger appeared in Aquamarine’s hand.

“Are you trying to fight now? Eve, are you saying you want to fight here?”

“Ha. Fight? You might have chosen the wrong word.”

Eve slowly stood up.

“I had forgotten. Moving according to the Association’s rules made me forget.”

A halo of light began to rise from the Fanatic Spear, scattering into the air like a mirage. In contrast, a rainbow-colored aura began to emanate from Eve’s body.

“I had forgotten that magical girls are nothing but bitches who won’t listen unless you beat them down. Yeah. Not a fight, but you need to be taught a lesson.”

“Take one more step. I won’t stay still either.”

Moisture began to scatter from Aquamarine’s body. But Eve was not one to back down from such threats.

Instead, Eve stepped forward toward Aquamarine, her aura swelling menacingly.

“If you were going to handle it, you should have succeeded. I warned you because I thought you wouldn’t succeed, but you went ahead and messed it all up, and now you’re whining about why I’m not protecting you. Are you a three-year-old?”

“A three-year-old?! Are you done talking?! You want to take this to the end?!”

At S-rank, magical girls don’t need incantations to cast spells. Their proficiency with unique spells has already reached its peak, so they can activate them just by coordinating their consciousness.

Of course, incantations can increase the power, but between S-rank magical girls, it’s better to squeeze out magic power and unleash spells rather than wasting time on incantations.

The water droplets floating around Aquamarine formed geometric patterns and flew toward Eve. Normally, the droplets would stick to Eve’s body and explode, but they were blocked by a shimmering barrier around Eve and began to dissipate.

That much was expected.

Two water dragons coiled around Aquamarine’s body and soared into the air. The dragons, resembling Eastern dragons, opened their massive mouths and roared.

“Rise, Dragons of the Three Paths!”

Aquamarine’s angry voice echoed as the roaring dragons twisted their bodies and flew toward Eve.

– Kwaaaa…

Facing the menacing dragons, Eve swung the Fanatic Spear once and slammed it into the ground. With a sonic boom, six spears identical to the Fanatic Spear appeared around Eve.

“Annihilate!”

With Eve’s fierce voice, the Fanatic Spears flew toward the water dragons.

The flying dragons and the colliding spears. With a loud noise, moisture scattered in all directions, creating a rainbow in the sunlight streaming through the office windows.

“Rain, Thunder, Flash, Spear, go, my friend!”

Eve’s shout echoed through the scattering moisture, and at the same time, the Fanatic Spear flew into the sky.

“Ah!”

– Kwaang!

With a final scream, Aquamarine was pinned to the opposite wall by the Fanatic Spear, her clothes torn.

The impact against the wall made it hard for Aquamarine to regain her senses. But what was more shocking was that Eve had become stronger than before.

“Eve… you, you…”

“Yeah.”

Eve, who had walked up to Aquamarine, looked at her and smirked. That smile, filled with meaning, sent shivers down Aquamarine’s spine.

“You’re right. I’m no longer an S-rank nobody. While you were wasting your time, I grew stronger. Got it? You’re not even worth the dirt between my toes. Don’t put me on the same level as you. Got it?”

Eve stopped smiling and waved her hand. The Fanatic Spear that had pinned Aquamarine to the wall like a stuffed animal disappeared.

“Time, reverse. Do not defy my command.”

The shattered artifacts in the office returned to their original state as if time had rewound, as if nothing had happened.

Aquamarine fell from the wall, staggered for a moment, and then slumped to the ground.

Her face was filled with shock. But Eve didn’t even look at her as she spoke.

“Get out. Don’t mess with me anymore. If you do, I’ll stick the Fanatic Spear right where the Mother-Body pierced your head.”

“…You’ll see.”

If I were scared of every threat, I wouldn’t be living like this. Eve muttered to herself as she listened to the sound of the door slamming shut as Aquamarine left.

“Ha. Why am I so annoyed?”

Eve scratched her head and frowned.

Honestly, there was no reason to be this annoyed with Aquamarine. Her whining like a child wasn’t a new thing, and her constant mess-ups weren’t much different from the lower-ranked Priqu.

But for some reason, today was particularly irritating. Her anger was boiling over. Her chest felt tight, and even though she knew it was just talk, every word grated on her nerves.

“Damn it.”

Eve sighed deeply as she sat in her chair. This shouldn’t be happening.

“Baekhwa.”

“Yes.”

As if she had suddenly appeared, Baekhwa revealed herself.

“Keep it a secret that I’ve become SS-rank.”

“Yes.”

“And… these photos are accurate, right?”

“They are accurate. I witnessed it myself, and you can verify the authenticity with the magic packet, can’t you?”

“That’s true.”

These weren’t ordinary photos; they were taken with one of Baekhwa’s unique weapons. The magic packet embedded in the photos proved that they were completely unaltered.

“Sigh…”

Eve let out another long sigh.

“…Should I just kidnap her?”

At Baekhwa’s words, Eve glanced at her. Baekhwa flinched under that gaze and quickly bowed her head.

“That was out of line. I apologize.”

“Enough. Be careful from now on.”

“Yes.”

“By the way, is all of this true…”

Eve’s gaze turned to the photos scattered on the desk.

The Mother-Body holding a baby in a chicken shop. The Mother-Body cradling the baby and shedding tears. The Mother-Body returning the baby to a woman who seemed to be the mother and quickly wiping her tears. The Mother-Body receiving chicken. The Mother-Body making a phone call. A man in black athletic wear and a white padded vest entering the chicken shop. The two sharing chicken and leaving the shop. The two sharing a long kiss in front of the chicken shop.

“Is this… really a kiss?”

“As you can see.”

Though it was a photo taken from behind the Mother-Body, the distance and angle of their faces made it unmistakably a kiss.

– Bang!

Finally, the irritation boiling inside Eve made her slam the desk. Baekhwa flinched at the impact, but Eve was beyond caring.

“Damn it. Why am I so annoyed by this?”

That’s…

Baekhwa, about to speak, quietly closed her mouth. It was obvious to anyone, but Eve was oblivious.

“How about contacting her first?”

“Contact her first? Me? Why?”

You’ve been doing fine so far.

The words almost slipped out, but Baekhwa barely managed to swallow them.

“The contract for the advertisement is out, so you could use that as an excuse to contact her. Also, Yoran said the identity work for that girl, Kabe, is ready. You have a reason to meet. Besides, Keru returned this afternoon.”

“Really? Keru’s back?”

“That’s what I heard. And you can just ask when you meet, can’t you?”

“Hmm… Yeah. Wait, no.”

Eve, who had been reaching for her phone with a smile, suddenly stopped.

“Why should I make excuses to contact her? It doesn’t really matter.”

“Well, that’s true.”

Baekhwa stared blankly at Eve.

“And what do you mean, ask when we meet? Ask what?”

“Just ask if they kissed.”

“Right. I could just ask instead of beating around the bush. Ah, and Baekhwa. Don’t take pictures or anything when I meet her.”

“It won’t be photographed anyway. You always have an invisible barrier up.”

“Just saying, in case.”

“Don’t worry.”

Baekhwa didn’t say it out loud, but she thought, “We all know what you’re doing anyway, Association President.”