Chapter 8

I wasn’t usually the type to enjoy watching TV.

At work, I was always busy with overtime, and when I got home, my hobby was cracking open a can of beer and tearing into some jerky.

On variety shows, magical girls often appeared as guests, smiling brightly and talking about their experiences fighting the Mogmog Group or revealing their rooms to appeal to the public.

So, I had seen Prabel, the magical girl who uses ice magic, on TV before. Her silver hair was so unique that I remembered her.

“Mother-Body, older sister!”

As soon as I saw Dusik getting knocked down by a magical girl’s surprise attack, it was only natural for me to jump out and block her path.

“Who are you?”

“I’m the new boss of the Mogmog Group, Mother-Body. You’re the magical girl Prabel, right?”

The girl glared at me, pointing her aqua-colored wand at me, who was now standing in front of Dusik.

“I heard the Mogmog Group got a new boss. Is that you?”

“That’s right.”

“Hmph.”

As if her interest had waned, Prabel lowered her wand and clicked her tongue. I was the one who wanted to click my tongue.

“Well, don’t get me wrong. Since Dusik and I are classmates, I just hit him as a friendly gesture.”

“Classmates?”

“You didn’t know?”

“Know what?”

“That Dusik and I are both high school students.”

So, they were going to school too? That’s quite something.

—

“Time has passed, and a lot of new technologies have come out. Ever since we magical girls appeared, the Mogmog Group always sets up a Reverse Barrier before fighting. Even if there’s damage, everything gets restored after the fight ends. It feels like it’s become some kind of sport now.”

I ended up paying for the ice cream.

Prabel, the magical girl, was devouring a pint of mint chocolate ice cream by herself.

My subordinate, Dusik, was calmly eating a cup of chocolate vanilla ice cream.

And me, sitting next to Dusik.

“A sport, huh?”

It’s true, ever since a while ago, there haven’t been any reports of damage when the Mogmog Group appears.

“Dusik.”

“Yes, older sister.”

“What’s a Reverse Barrier?”

“A Reverse Barrier is…”

I asked Dusik, but Prabel suddenly cut in.

“It’s like a barrier. A kind of rule between us.”

Before attacking, the Mogmog Group sends a notice to the Magical Girl Association, stating when and where they’ll attack. Then, the Magical Girl Association sets up the Reverse Barrier in that space.

Only the Mogmog Group and magical girls can enter the barrier, and both the inside and outside are visible.

People inside the barrier are forcibly ejected when it activates. And when the fight ends—whether the Mogmog Group or the magical girls win—the destroyed buildings and structures are restored as the barrier is lifted.

“It’s a sport.”

“Yeah, pretty much. So, people outside the barrier watch and even broadcast it live.”

It’s like a rigged game of Go-Stop.

“They say sponsors are coming soon.”

“Sponsors?”

“Yeah. Now that the Mogmog Group has revived, they’ll be more active in their attacks. We magical girls will also show ourselves more often. So, like other sports, they’ll put logos on our backs or something…”

This is really turning into a sport. Shouldn’t this be an official event in the World Cup?

Since I didn’t respond, Prabel turned to Dusik.

“Hey, Dusik.”

“Yeah?”

“Why have you been so quiet? Are you nervous because I’m here?”

“No, it’s not that.”

Dusik glanced at me, and when our eyes met, he flinched and hunched his shoulders.

“I’m just happy to see you, yeah, happy!”

The problem is that the relationship between Prabel and Dusik is very awkward.

Just earlier, Dusik was so lively while shopping for clothes, but as soon as Prabel appeared, he became restless, constantly glancing at me and Prabel.

It feels a bit intense.

I hope it’s not what I’m thinking.

“So, what brings you here today?”

“Just shopping for some clothes.”

“Ah, since you’re the boss now, you must be here to buy a suit or something. But why this mall? You should get it tailored or at least go to a department store to make it look good.”

I know, you brat.

I know it should look good and all that.

“There are nice things here too. I’d rather spend money on treating my subordinates to something delicious.”

“Oh?”

“And, what’s the point of wearing designer clothes if the person wearing them doesn’t carry it well? With my level of beauty, anything I wear becomes designer.”

“You must be broke.”

You little…

“Well, after eating this, I’ll come with you. I’ve done some modeling, so I have a great eye for clothes. I’ll help you pick something out.”

If she’s done modeling, she must have a good eye for clothes… I glanced at Dusik. Then, my eyes met Dusik’s, who was looking at me.

“Yeah, I’ll take your advice.”

“Huh? Why? Don’t you trust my fashion sense?”

“No, it’s not that.”

If I can’t trust the fashion sense of someone who’s done modeling, who can I trust? But…

“This outfit is for my first public appearance, so I’d like my subordinate to pick it out.”

—

After finishing the ice cream, Dusik and I parted ways with Prabel and went back to the second floor.

We bought a few pairs of shoes, some casual T-shirts and pants, and then went up to the fourth floor to pick out a suit.

“Older sister, since you’re tall, pants might suit you better than a skirt.”

“Alright. You pick, Dusik.”

“Yes!”

Dusik, who had been visibly down after meeting Prabel, was slowly regaining his usual self.

The lively and energetic Dusik. The Dusik who picked up dark blue, black, and gray suits, comparing them and wondering which one suited me better.

I hope my worries are unfounded, but judging by Dusik’s behavior, it seems like they might not be.

“Can’t we buy all of these?”

“Just one suit.”

I’m the boss of an evil organization anyway. What’s the point of dressing up nicely?

“Still, older sister, you look good in anything. You looked cool earlier.”

“What did?”

“What’s the point of designer clothes if the person wearing them doesn’t carry it well? With my level of beauty, anything I wear becomes designer.”

Dusik mimicked my slightly soprano-toned voice.

“It’s true, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, it is. Designer labels can make a person stand out, but there’s a limit. Older sister, you’re naturally beautiful, so you’ll look good in almost anything.”

“That’s right.”

Sitting cross-legged on the chair in front of the fitting room, Dusik came back after finishing the payment and handed me my card.

The amount on my smartphone was quite painful. Women’s clothing is really expensive.

—

“Well, this is basic, but since it’s only been two days, you probably haven’t learned anything about magic power usage yet. It’s natural that you don’t know.”

Magical girls each have a virtual space assigned to them.

That space is filled with magic power, and the size of that space determines how much magic power they have.

So, the unit for measuring magic power is liters (L).

As soon as I heard the unit, I imagined a PET bottle filled with a drink.

The magic power of the first Mother-Body, Cyclone, isn’t precisely known, but it’s estimated to be around 20,000 to 25,000 liters.

The current magical girl with the highest known capacity is the head of the Magical Girl Association, Eve, with about three times that amount.

I wonder if I’ll reach that level.

I still can’t grasp how impressive that amount is.

And the funny thing is, you can store items in that space.

You can even store a fellow magical girl whose magic power has been depleted.

In that case, you can provide your own magic power to help them recover.

“So, that’s why Prilly put Priqu in there yesterday.”

“Yeah, it’s a common method of transport. It’s a space you can use however you want, so people also store things they don’t want others to see there.”

As she said that, Dusik stored the shopping bags in his inventory.

“I’ll teach you how to do it when we get back to the base.”

“Alright.”

—

Now, on the way back to the base.

It’s not too far from Guro to Gwangmyeong, but walking still feels a bit far. Dusik said it wasn’t too bad, so we decided to walk.

The sun was setting.

The twilight cast long shadows of Dusik and me as we walked.

Born a man, lived as a man, and worked at a mediocre small company for three years.

Now, I’ve become a woman, and not just any woman—the boss of the Mogmog Group, the bad guys I learned about since I was a kid.

I have no idea how my life will unfold from here.

I can’t grasp it at all.

All this talk about the balance of good and evil feels like empty words, and while it’s more fun and the treatment is better than living the same old life every day…

I wonder if I made this decision too thoughtlessly.

But hey, life is unpredictable. They say there’s a turning point at least once.

Treating it like starting a business without capital, trying it out could be fun.

Thanks to the Reverse Barrier or whatever, even if I do bad things, no one gets hurt, so it’s reassuring.

“Older sister, today was fun.”

“Was it?”

Dusik, linking arms with me, was smiling brightly.

“Earlier, I was really happy.”

“When?”

“When you said you wanted your subordinate to pick out your first outfit.”

“Did I?”

I’m not sure why that’s something to be grateful for.

“I was really happy.”

Seeing Dusik smile like that made me feel like I did something right.