Chapter 1
A Parting Gift
D-City, a sprawling metropolis of considerable size. Residential districts melt away into business districts in a cavalcade of lights and infrastructure, this is the home of the Magical Girl known as Phantom Pain.
Phantom Pain (Time: Day 0, 19:00 PM )
Whoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooohooooooooooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
Like hell anyone's gonna turn their faces to look at me.
Darting through the city night, wailing the way an Ecuadorian lady would, it is I, the mysterious, the fantastical!
You thought it was just some ordinary Magical Girl, but it was I,
Phantom Pain!
…Good lord I still can't get over how I'm named after one of my favorite video games. It just feels so magical!
The surrounding cityscape transforms into flashes of its former constant movement as I constantly teleport from person to person, my Magical Ability, to teleport behind people, sure is the most convenient one out there.
It's been about 2 weeks since I've become a Magical Girl, but from what I hear, unlike most, I've been working alone far too early into their lives as one. Should it really matter though? There's no other Magical Girl like me, as if I'm gonna learn much better with some mentor to constantly kick my ass around!
And come on, I forgot to mention, I am the most stylish Magical Girl around, look at my sharp outfit! Blacks! Lotsa belts! And a fedora to tip it all off!
"M'lady"
Tipping my fedora to the nothingness of air, I continue to race around the city. No better way to feel alive after all, and as for the people around me? I did remember something about Magical Girls not revealing themselves too much to others, but holy fuck is that some boring blabbermouthing!
Can they honestly expect people to turn their heads quick enough to follow my movement as I teleport behind multiples of them? Geez, if they did, they'd be fucking owls! Or snap their heads as though this were some horror film.
Nonetheless, it's been a pretty fun two weeks into this so far. Even the administrating fairy of my Selection Test, as they called it, was pretty damned surprised to find out that I'd be the one to pass it. Heh, like hell I'm gonna let being something as cool as a Magical Girl slip under my nose.
I mean, I really do love Magical Girls, there's just really something to girls awakening to justice that manages to keep it on the top of my favorite genres. It never gets old, y'know?
And now, I've just reached my favorite spot around my home, D-City: the radio tower! Coming off the last person I teleported behind, I ran towards it before using the momentum of my sprint to leap and catch unto one of the metal structures of the radio tower. From there, it's just a matter of climbing and jumping up to reach the top…
…Whoops, looks like I broke out that really rusted part of the tower! And now the entire thing seems damn unstable, fuck. Guess they'll just have to fix that next thing in the morning~
Aaand done! I'm at the top, but fuck is this thing leaning badly. My view of the city ain't as level as it used to be from here. Just as I was about to descend from the tower, I feel my Magical Phone vibrating.
Ahh, who the hell would be texting me at this time of the day? Barely anyone talks to me nowadays-
Ohh, it's from Pakka. Man, sometimes I feel like I'm really lonely that my only friend is a klutzy Magical Girl, but she's a great girl though!
"Meet me at the rooftop of our favorite resto, ASAP. Something I need to give to you."
Huh, that's strange, I don't recall her being this terse nor formal. Oh well, wouldn't hurt to check out on her.
…Is this tower fucking collapsing? Shit. That rumbling didn't sound good.
"Ayieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"
Fuck does the ground hurt, even with the body of a Magical Girl. Probably would've died if I weren't one! Man oh man, my outfit's fucking ruined, there's a tear in it!
Oh wait. Popping out my Magical Phone, a few clicks, back to my shitty human form, and back to my menacing Magical Girl form!
Tada, all those ugly tears fixed, back to new~
Well now, it's time for me to take my leave from this wreck. Rushing back to the cityscape, I begin teleporting through town once more.
"I'm homeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"
Well, it looks like Pakka, or Nezumi-chan as I love to call her, is fine as always. The usual greyish-blue outfit, with her hair tucked underneath her beanie. Somewhat like a street scavenger, but much cleaner. Seems like she's hanging her magical sack that sucks in air and blows it out, off the side of the building though, and not directly behind her like usual.
"Welcome back, Fantomy."
Huh, that's odd. Even in our greeting to each other, Pakka doesn't seem so lively. She's got her back turned towards me even.
"Yooooo, something the matter Nezumi-chan? You seem rather down."
I teleport directly behind her, and yet Pakka doesn't even seem to budge an inch from her position. I did notice her fish something out of her pockets
…A bottle? And with some fancy looking candy inside of it.
"This one's for you, Fantomy. I'm sorry but I won't be around much longer, got a new job for the Land of Magic that's gonna take me out of D-City for a while."
"Land of Magic? You're already working for those geezers? Didn't expect they'd pick you up, Nezumi-chan, no offense. And what's that fancy candy in your hand?"
Speaking of, I wish I never had to work for those geezers at the Land of Magic. Pretty rough people, a buncha don't-do-this-don't-do-that's. Kept on mouthing to me about how to be a Magical Girl, eventually decided to ignore their messages. It's not like they'd do anything to someone harmless like me, right?
"Well, they did say that my Magical Ability was perfect for the job. Who would've thought the day would come, Fantomy? Anyway, I've also received a warning that something's gonna go down in D-City in the next couple of days, that's why I got this for you. It's called Healing Medicine, be wise about popping it though. It'll also temporarily strengthen you while you're at it, I just wanted to make sure you're safe from danger while I'm away."
"Geez Nezumi-chan, that's kinda grim. You sure you're okay up there?"
Taking the bottle from Nezumi-chan's hand, I examine it closely. Looks like the real deal though, I remember seeing one of these back when I had just become a Magical Girl, and I doubt she'd try something funny with me using it.
"Yeah, I'm pretty okay. Sorry 'bout the seriousness and all, Fantomy. I was just worried about your safety and all since I'd be away for a while, and I don't exactly trust those old geezers up there to keep you safe."
"Aww, you're so awfully sweet, Nezumi-chan!"
Embracing Pakka from behind, I nuzzle up with her for a bit. It might be awkward, but she's really the only one who I can do this to.
"Ehehe… I gotta take my leave now though. See ya."
Patting my hand, I know that Pakka's signaling me to let go. I let go of her, as she leapt off to the streets below.
"Oi oi, take care Nezumi-chaaaaaaaaan! Go show those geezers what you're really made of!"
Watching her run off to the distance, I can see her signaling back at me with a Thumbs-up sign. It's relieving really, especially now that I'm seeing that she's not stumbling as much while running with that magical sack of hers. Looks like she's trained up quite a bit for her new job.
Well, I guess that does it for today then. But first I gotta do a totally cool exit to match Pakka's!
Turning my back towards the ledge, with my arms spread wide like a cross, I leap off into a freefall.
Any moment now
Any moment nooooooooooow
Oh come on where the fuck is everyone-
OUCH!
Goddammit, now I've landed on solid ground again!
"Hey missie, are you okay?!"
Great, now someone's seen me in a totally uncool position! Looking around, I see the culprit walking up to me: A little girl. Cute teddy bear she has on her too.
I let out a groan trying to get up from my fall, before patting the little girl on the back.
"You're a brave little girl you know? But don't worry, big sis over here's a-okay, alright? I'm fucking invincible after all-"
As I was about to wink at the little girl, I could see what appeared to be her mother looking at me. Glare in her face. Bad, she probably did not like seeing me swear in front of her precious darling. Bad influence, she might say to her.
"Well fuck! I gotta scram, see ya!"
Hurriedly I ran away from the scene, teleporting behind people as much as possible while I was at it. Besides, it's more convenient to travel like that anyway. Running is so exhausting. At this rate though, that old hag ain't gonna be able to catch up to me and give me a good whacking. Hehe.
Silver Adder (Time: Day 0, 15:00 PM ( -6 hours from D-City Time ) )
A hot and arid afternoon. Deserts stretching for miles, and the only cover from the sun is this abandoned warehouse over me. Even then, the roof has cracks in it. Heavy disuse. Behind me, a half-dozen of unconscious Magical Girls. Their crime, being Rogues and resisting the Land of Magic. Tried interrogating them, but they spat out nothing of use. Guess they're just another diversion sent to distract me.
Those girls will be scheduled for extraction by the Land of Magic sooner or later. What happens to them afterwards, I don't know. Maybe they'll be stripped off of their Magical Girl status, maybe they'll be sent to prison.
Kicking back on the only chair available, I ponder whilst waiting for these girls to get extracted. Watching over them, I wonder about their employer. The case I'm investigating is about a Magical Girl who purportedly has the power to "evolve" Magical Girls. Whatever the hell that meant. Nevertheless, some of the most powerful Rogues I've captured had ties to her, the level of their powers not even matching what our records have on them at times, and if anything, it seems like she's serious about overthrowing the Land of Magic. Her motives? Nothing I'll probably care about. She's going against the order of the land, and she's going to get what she deserves.
Suddenly, my Magical Phone rings.
Cadenza. A new report from her?
"Boss, I've got new evidence regarding the mysterious disappearance of the Magical Girls in D-City. Looks like we have a possible culprit now: A Magical Girl by the name of Phantom Pain. Forwarding it to you now."
Checking out the attachment in her message, it's a recording. Audio only. This must be what she was talking about.
"Yes, I can confirm that I've killed all the Magical Girls in the surrounding districts. No, none of them were viable candidates, hence why I spared no one. Will I get my reward now?"
Cold-hearted. This voice is the voice of a killer. How did she get this though? This is quite the evidence. First, I'll call up Cadenza.
"Cadenza, this is Silver Adder. The evidence you just forwarded to me, I'm curious how you got it."
"Ahh, hello boss. Didn't expect you to call me up, but well, call it serendipity, like the stroke of genius that a composer needs to make an obra maestro, yes! So, you see, remember how I was on one of my tours of duty in Europe?"
"Yes, yes, I remember sending you there."
"Well, I managed to catch one of the more "important" Rogues so to speak, easily overpowered her after a couple of days lying in ambush, had to go under for that too if you can recall. Put her up for interrogation and she coughed out that there's something in her Magical Phone that might interest me. From the looks of it, her Magical Phone's been modified too by the way. Guess that's why she's managed to slip under the Land of Magic's noses."
"I do recall you going under for a few days. Go on."
"That's when I found it, a recording of the call made by this girl to our culprit. Pretty lengthy one, can get chatty at times too, so I had to excise the junk and present only the vital pieces. Is that fine with you?"
"It's enough to make a conviction, fine by me. Any idea on how many casualties we have on our hands?"
"Hmm… The Rogue I captured said around 20. Pretty much matches up with the Land of Magic's official tally of missing Magical Girls in the incident. Hope we can catch her soon."
"We will."
Ending the call with Cadenza, first, I have to determine just how grave the threat is, can't afford to waste too many people and resources when there are a lot of ends to cover in the case I'm handling.
Sending out an alert to everyone under my unit, I set my Magical Phone on the floor. Not too soon afterwards, faces start popping up. Holographic projections, this new Magical Phone we were supplied with sure is useful for meetings when we're all far apart, as our operations entail.
"So, everyone here?"
13 faces from the holographic projections, to confirm my question, one of the girls answered.
"Yes, Addie. All of us are present now."
"Alright, we're good to go then. Listen up everyone, Cadenza has just forwarded new evidence on the incident that went down on D-City a few days ago. I thought the case was about to go cold, but here it is."
Playing the recording, the reactions from everyone were clear. Not much for Cadenza though, she was the one who did forward it to us after all. The rookie, Cheeky Grin, had an expression burning with a desire to bring forth justice. Vanciel, one of the more reluctant members, seems terrified at this Phantom Pain's cold-bloodedness. Understandably, the more senior girls, like Averette and Kernel Bucket, do not seem so fazed.
"We will be handling this case like we always do. Standard procedure, assess the threat and situation then send in the appropriate amount of force. Parlie, you know what to do."
A Magical Girl with what appears to be the outfit of a presidential debater nods, before making her opening statement. Her Magical Ability is to win any debate she starts. It's how we obtain intel.
"Phantom Pain is weaker than even Cheeky Grin!"
Huh, that's surprising. So our bogey's a weak one, yet also responsible for a lot of casualties?
"Weaker? How so. Prove your point, Parlie."
"She has nearly no physical strength as a Magical Girl! Not to mention she has zero combat experience. She was just turned into a Magical Girl 2 weeks ago."
Strange… Cunning perhaps? Not every assassin was a soldier.
"She's very stupid either, isn't she?"
"False, she's actually quite brilliant! Though it's come to the point that she's very awkward socially speaking."
So it was sleight-of-hand that allowed her to kill those Magical Girls. Very well then, now all that's needed to be figured out is her Magical Ability.
"Her Magical Ability has something to do with pain."
That's the natural assumption I made using our bogey's name, if I'm wrong, well, at least Parlie's power will rectify my error.
"Wrong, her Magical Ability is to teleport behind people."
Teleporting behind people? Now that's something we have to be careful about.
"Alright, that's enough Parlie. We have everything we need to know, Cheeky Grin, this will be your first assignment. Sockpuppet, you're coming with her, supervise her and teach her how to operate properly."
"Roger that boss! Cheeky Grin, moving ooooooooooooouuuuuuuuuuuut!"
The enthusiasm of a rookie. I like it. I just hope it doesn't get her killed in the field of action.
"Alright boss. I'll be taking one of your socks with me, Cheeky Grin. I hope you don't mind."
Hopefully Sockpuppet's experience will temper Cheeky Grin's enthusiasm. Our bogey doesn't seem much of a threat in the heat of battle, but I don't want anyone dying on me now.
"Good, the rest of you, resume your duties. Silver Adder, out."
Cheeky Grin (Time: Day 1, 7:00 AM )
After a few hours of preparations for the operation, including setting up a reservation in one of the local hotels in D-City, Sockpuppet and I have finally landed in town to search for that Rogue Magical Girl, Phantom Pain. To think I'd be getting the assignment of catching a really dangerous rogue this early on into my career, I'm quite surprised!
Walking up to our prearranged hotel, I'm actually quite surprised that Sockpuppet doesn't look much different from her Magical Girl form. She's still quite the disheveled looking girl, messy-looking hair, oversized clothes that are barely kept together, and I imagine that she doesn't go out much. Her skin's really pale for one, almost like a mirror reflecting the rays of the sun.
Keeping a really big grin on my face the whole while, it seems like Sockpuppet's kinda irritated about it. I wonder why?
"Chee-Ahh, I apologize, Ms. Amai, please do remember to refer to me as Kimura while we're not in our Magical Girl forms, okay?"
"Alright Azumi, ma'am! I'll make sure to keep that in mind!"
Sockpuppet sighed, and clearly was trying to keep her frustration to herself. Dang, I hope I didn't say something wrong…
She rushed ahead towards the entrance of the hotel as a result, leaving me behind. I sprinted to catch up to her, but the fact that she lumped up all the luggage on me is making this kinda tiresome. Spotting one of the hotel staff, I wave at him signaling him to help me with the luggage. He rushes towards me, and very quickly, but respectfully, takes the load of carrying the luggage upon himself. Finally catching up to Sockpuppet, I find her nervously standing in front of the reception counter. The clerk appears to be slightly weirded out by her.
"Is something the matter, ma'am?"
"Ahh, forgive me! My friend over here Azumi-chan has quite a difficult time talking to strangers, ehehe… Well, we're here for our reservation at room 13K!"
I can feel Sockpuppet's glare towards me.
"Hmm… Room 13K, then I presume you two are Ms. Kimura and Ms. Amai? Your name's on the list."
"Yep yep, that's the both of us!"
"Alright, in a short while we'll have you escorted to your room. Do you have any luggage with you?"
"Ms. Amai…"
Sockpuppet's glare grows stronger by the minute… Oh my, I forgot about telling her that I let the luggage be carried instead by one of the staff on the way in!
"Ahh! I'm sorry, I'm sorry Azumi! I forgot to tell you that I let one of the hotel staff help me bring it all the way here, just so I could catch up to you-"
"YOU WHAT?!"
Whoa whoa, now I didn't expect her to flare up this suddenly despite her previous awkwardness with the reception clerk.
"Oh, there he is! Over here big bro!"
Looks like the staff I signaled at had just arrived, since I did go way ahead of him trying to catch up to Sockpuppet here. Waving at him, he quickly rushes to the two of us, before I give him a wide smile.
"Heya, thanks for helping me with the luggage big bro~"
He blushes slightly at my remark. D'aww, ain't he such a cutie?
3 hours later
"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU DOING, LEAVING THE LUGGAGE TO THAT BELLBOY?! YOU DO REALIZE THAT IF HE FINDS OUT WHAT THE FUCK WAS INSIDE THAT BAG, WE'D BE GOOD AS DEAD RIGHT?"
"Whoa whoa! You've been at this for 3 hours already, calm down Sockpuppet! It's not like the operation would've gone to failure-"
Good lord is she not losing any passion with this while we're at it.
"AND WHAT IF HE DISCOVERS ABOUT THE EXISTENCE OF MAGICAL GIRLS? YOU DO REALIZE I HAD ENTIRE CHARTS THERE OF INFORMATION THAT COULD HELP US DEAL WITH OUR TARGET, RIGHT?"
"Looking at you he would've thought you were a lunatic. Heh-"
Shit. Right now she's grabbing me by the collar. As small and frail as this girl looks, she's actually kinda terrifying now that she's this close right now.
I held myself back from doing anything, whatever the case, Sockpuppet was still the disciplinary officer, not me. It'd be to her that Silver Adder would be listening to, not me. Maybe I'll get back at her after this if I can, hehe.
And then the doorbell rang. Great, someone noticed what was going on in the room?
Sockpuppet's anger seemed to almost disappear, as she timidly turned around and walked to get the door. Opening the door, it was one of the bellboys, a different one from the one who helped us with the luggage a while ago.
"Umm, is there a problem, Ms. Kimura? The people in the neighboring rooms have been phoning us about a commotion."
Sockpuppet just froze in place, probably sweating as she stared at the bellboy. I could tell that he was beginning to be slightly weirded out by her lack of an answer. Guess it's time for me to step in!
Sliding in to the scene, I flash a smile at the man in the door, before giving him a wink.
"Hehehey, bellboy~ Don't worry, Azumi-chan and I here are doing both fine! Wanna come join in with us, hmm?"
"A-Ahh, no! No! Maybe they were imagining things, they reported shouting, doesn't look like either of you are the type to shout down each other. I-I'll be taking my leave now, apologies!"
And thus the bellboy left, blushing like the last one. Cuties. Victoriously closing the door, it looks like Sockpuppet's emotions are returning to her.
"A-AND WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU DOING, FLIRTING WITH THAT BELLBOY?! Y-YOU'VE DONE THAT TWICE IN A ROW! A-AND YOU DO REALIZE WE'RE ON A OPERATION NOW RIGHT, AND NOT SOME M-MEET-UP?!"
Now that's the Sockpuppet I know! But hey, this really isn't something that'll risk the operation now… I've got an idea.
"Oho~ So you're jealous that the bellboys were blushing a little when I smiled at them? Hey, now that I think about it, how about I show you how to get a smile like mine!"
"W-Wait up, Cheeky Grin, you stop this instant right noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooow!"
Sockpuppet (Time: Day 1, 10:00 AM )
This girl. For a recruit, there are times when she seems completely unabashed about what she's doing, then there are times when she actually does seem to feel a little bit of embarrassment. Or at least some humility. Just like a while ago.
And now the very same girl I'm talking about is roughly holding my head in a headlock, forcefully brushing my teeth and damn is it beginning to hurt. How the hell has this girl not brushed her teeth off at this rate?
I'll let it slip for now though. I don't think she's really gonna disrupt the operation that much with what she's doing, besides, I guess I do have to work on socializing, rather, even confronting other people. I might've just ended up nervously staring at the other bellboy until he left if I were alone.
She has potential, I'll give her that.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaand done! Tada!"
Cheeky Grin boisterously lets go of my head, as I stare at the results in the mirror… Hey, it's actually kinda whiter now. That's impressive, a little.
"Yeah well thanks for not brushing my teeth off. The hell are you, some sort of industrial brushing machine?"
"Gee Sockpuppet, you're such the sourpuss! Your smile's gonna grow dimmer with the rate you're going…"
I sigh. Sometimes I feel this girl isn't just not cut out for this kind of work. It's that kind of personality that gets people killed at times. Having the time to worry about things not important to the operation. In my service as Silver Adder's disciplinary officer, I've seen many girls go just because of that one fact. Taking care of their family, worrying about the feeling of their crush, so on and so forth… It's too bad that it was this girl's specific choice to join the Examination Division, saying she wanted to beat up some bad guys. Hard to turn away those kind of people, their desire for justice is just too strong.
"At any rate, Cheeky Grin, that's enough fooling around. I suppose though that you're mentally prepared for the task at hand? If you are, I'll start our on-site briefing."
"Yeeeeeeeeeeeeep! I'm ready to go and fight us some villains! I'm ready to come home a hero!"
"…That's the kind of thinking that gets you killed"
Whilst nodding at her response, I murmur to myself silently. Her eyes widen as though she caught that I was murmuring. Great.
"Ahh, it's nothing, really. Just worried about the operation."
"Hey now, I've got you here with me right? I'm sure you can cover for me if things go badly! Come on, I trust you~"
Well… You're definitely someone. Alright, guess I'll just go ahead with the briefing.
Reaching into my luggage, I grabbed out the map of D-City, and a few charts. I sprawled them on the table provided in our hotel room, before putting my finger on the map.
"Alright, first things first. D-City is 30 square kilometers, but luckily the urban planning behind it makes it so that we can cleanly divide the city into four quadrants with roughly the same area. You'll handle the western side, I'll handle the eastern side. Now, Cheeky Grin, we'll be separated for the majority of the operation until one of us spots our target. You better not engage her until I'm around, got it? I don't want to see you getting in any trouble on me now."
"Roger Sockpuppet! I'll try to control myself."
"Try. You better. In any case, we'll be doing this until either of us feels too tired to go on. Once that is the case, we are to return to the hotel room ASAP. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes yes~"
"And one more thing, about your Magical Ability."
"Yeah? You actually think it could help us in the operation?"
"Of course it will, you dingus! Anything would, but here's what I was thinking for yours. Aside from using it to potentially dazzle our target, I want you to use it to communicate with me at night. Of course, I'll have a copy of you with me while I'm at it, so you could try to learn from my example. It'll also act as a nice exercise for your control over your ability."
"Communicate? Like those lights in the comic books? Look, I can't make it look like any of the letters-"
"Not exactly. Wabun code, you know how to communicate in that?"
"Nopey-dopey. Not at all, what's that? Some super-cool ninja code?"
Cheeky Grin tilts her head a bit curiously. Great, but then again I can't exactly expect her to know about this. She's kinda young after all.
"Hmph, here you go."
Quickly tearing out a memo pad, I write on it all the kana and their respective form in Wabun code. At the end, I scribble another note
One short flash for the dots, one long flash for the dashes. Separate each kana by one second. Spaces between flashes per kana should not last longer than a second.
"Aww geez, you expect me to memorize all this?!"
"Not now, you dolt. Better keep that on you until you do though."
I watched her nod as she took the memo I gave to her. Afterwards, I resumed the briefing.
"Aside from helping you learn how to control your powers, this is also a good form of communication in case your Magical Phone's not gonna help you. Like, let's say, she gets a hand on your phone and breaks it. You can potentially use this to signal to me that something is wrong."
"Alright, got it!"
"As for the intervals that we'll be sending messages to each other, we'll send them every 5 minutes. I want you to have your head to the sky by then, okay? And if there's an emergency on your end, better signal me through that while you're at it. Won't hurt to send in as many messages as possible."
"What about you though, Sockpuppet?"
"I'll use my Magical Phone, and maybe my copy of you."
"Maybe? Aww c'mon how come I'm the one who has to flash a light in case of an emergency 100% of the time?"
"Do you have two heads, Cheeky Grin?"
I snicker slightly as I let out that remark. That felt satisfying. Too bad it had to be at her expense though.
"Fine, fine I get it… In any case I'll make sure to have my Magical Phone's alarm set to loud with that."
"Let me hear your alarm tone first."
Shyly, which I did not expect to be frank, Cheeky Grin places her Magical Phone on the table. Tapping on it, it was then I realized why she was so shy about it.
It was that fucking annoying advert tune for the latest variety of the biggest toothpaste brand around town.
Goddammit, now that catchiness is getting to me.
"Alright, alright! Cut it out damn it!"
I clasp my ears shut after having had too much of that damn tune. Goddammit, I should've expected it when I saw the kind of toothpaste she was using on me a while ago!
Freeing my ears once she'd withdrawn her phone, nevertheless, that ringtone is too noisy for my tastes.
"Well, are you fine with it, Sockpuppet?"
"Of course not! That thing's going to be too noisy if it goes off! Why not set your damn phone to vibrate instead?!"
"Alright, hold on…"
Great, this girl's looking down just because I told her to not use her favorite ringtone?
"You know what, nevermind, you can keep the ringtone. I just hope it doesn't lead you to drawing any attention from our target onto you."
"Awww thanks, Sockpuppet! I'll make sure to do my best in exchange~"
At that, I stood up. Taking out my own Magical Phone, I transformed into my Magical Girl form. Reaching into my luggage, I drew out Cheeky Grin's spare sock and held it with my hand. This one's quite thick… Guess it's to go with her lively attitude. Thin socks would break with the energy she has.
"Well then, you wanna start now? Since it's daytime though, we'll obviously just stick to our Magical Phones for communications, but still with the 5 minute rule. Switch to using Wabun code at nighttime. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yep, clear-o~! Let's get going, I wanna beat up some bad guys already!"
Leaping off energetically from her seat, Cheeky Grin transforms in mid-air…
…Before colliding with the ceiling. I notice a slight crack on it. God fucking damn it.
"Better watch it next time, Cheeky Grin! If someone spots that we might end up having to pay for it."
"I understand, I understand~"
Nodding off, we open the window on our hotel room. As Magical Girls, it's better if we stick to unconventional routes to avoid detection. Well, unless someone's looking at the wall at this very exact moment, we should be fine. Slipping on Cheeky Grin's spare sock, I use my Magical Ability, to manipulate doubles through socks, to create a copy of her.
Letting her princess-carry me, I have the great fortune to hear Cheeky Grin comment about it.
"Oh my, look at you, making me princess carry you and all~ Hey, why not you just tell me next time, okay? You're my upperclassman after all, I won't mind!"
"SHUT IT! It's only because this is a lot more comfortable than being carried like a fucking corpse!"
Oh well, guess I'll get used to Cheeky Grin eventually. I sneak out through the window first, before confirming the safety of the route for Cheeky Grin. Following suit afterwards, it's time for the operation to commence. Off we go. Hopefully we'll spot the target first, before she notices us.
Phantom Pain (Time: Day 3, 9:00 PM )
Going around town, I've lately noticed something rather unusual. Since, I guess, 2 days ago mysterious spotlights have been shining around town. Well, spotlights is one way for me to describe it, because those fucking things move too quickly for spotlights!
Roughly going off in a series of flashes every 5 seconds, it looks like some sort of code. Morse? I remember seeing that back in a movie I watched, cool military shit, but I fucking reckon that the police have a more efficient way of talking to each other. Criminals? Dunno how the hell they'll lug around those spotlights, but maybe that's the case. I haven't checked the latest news reports though, boring shit. The source of the flashes did go around town in a roughly coordinated manner. A bunch of muggers on the prowl it is then.
Actually, you know what, doing all this fucking detective guesswork bullcrap is gonna get me nowhere. Might as well go find out myself. Since my favorite ol' radio tower is still fucking broken, I end up on the roof of a skyscraper. Goddamn is it a fucking tough climb though! Shit left me barely breathing, not enough surfaces to fucking cling on, and mostly jumps to the top. Damn architects!
Oh well, the view's better here by an astronomical unit anyway. Pretty much nothing blocking out my sight, so it should be easy to spot the lights. Hmm, I think it's been 3 minutes since the last flash. Should've brought some food, this would make a comfy picnic.
…As comfy as a picnic is done alone.
Wind's a nice friend up here at least. Now that I think about it… This city's kinda beautiful in its own way. Towards the north is where most of the housing's found, a lot of the lights there are pretty much the streetlights. Pretty well-lit though, not a scary place to walk at nighttime. My house itself is towards the northeast, pretty secluded place, and like always, the lights are off. I rarely have use for them, especially now that I've got practical night-vision with my Magical Girl form.
Sweeping down south, closer to my position, the somewhat sea-like lights of the housing district become a pitch black sky filled with bright stars due to the height of the buildings. Unlike the north where it's obvious that people are beginning to end their days, life seems constant here towards the south, albeit a bit more sluggish than at daytime. Some of the buildings resemble giants of pitch-black darkness, and the others stick out like fucking neon glowsticks. Meh, those lights should be popping up anytime soon…
Almost like it were reminding me, a fucking gust blows at my face. A few seconds later, opening my eyes right after the air settled down a bit, I see exactly what I came for.
The lights.
Shining straight up at the sky, there's a light further towards the east. My position's here in the southwest, though I do remember there being one light closer to the west. And just as I predicted, the light of the east goes on and off periodically, as though it were speaking a code. I don't have the time to remember it all though, so I just continue to observe.
And then it ended. So, now where's that other light-
AHH WHAT THE FUCK THE SHIT'S SO BRIGHT SO FUCKING BRIGHT IS IT FUCKING DAYTIME AM I STARING AT THE GODDAMN SUN?!
I wanted to find the source of the light but holy fuck do I wish it wasn't this close to me! From sitting on the ledge of the skyscraper, to lying on my back, it becomes more comfortable to watch at this unreal light show. Now that I'm not busy getting my eyes seared to death, I can tell that the light's coming from the building after this one. Hmm… Guess all I have to do is wait for it to finish.
Aaaand done!
Up, up, up I go into the air with a leap, I see my culprit now.
…A girl in red in white? Her outfit's kinda sparkly, like that kind of shitty glitter you find in art projects. Shit taste. 0/10
Looks like some sort of tracksuit while we're at it. Hey, speaking of tracksuit, if this girl's a Magical Girl…
Shit, she's fit for one. She's getting the fuck away from me fast!
I'm surprised her attempts at leaping on the buildings aren't turning into demolition jobs because fuck can I hear her jumps!
Two choices, I try to use the streets by teleporting behind the crowds to catch up to her, would be easier but then I might lose track of her. Or I actually try to do what she does.
…As tiring as that is. How the hell does she have the energy to do all of this?! Even as a Magical Girl trying to do what she does would tire me!
Or maybe I'm just a really bad one physically speaking. Maybe some things just really don't change going from human to Magical Girl.
No choice, I can't lose track of her now. Please don't die on me now, my damn legs!
Cheeky Grin (Time: Day 3, 9:45 PM )
Day 3, and still no luck finding that target. My smile's beginning to turn into a pout at how annoying all of this is. Gnuuuu
I can't even recall how many of those reports I've done by now, but I'm beginning to get the hang of them. Right after I finish my transmission, I feel a hand tap me on the back.
Uh oh.
"Heya there, nice sparkly outfit ya got there, but what's with the lights?"
A girl with a rather strange and black outfit's what confronts me. D-Did she notice me shining the lights towards the sky? I'm so gonna get into trouble with Sockpuppet for this. I hope she didn't notice anything at all!
"A-Ahh, the lights?! I…"
Should I tell her? Should I not tell her?
…Maybe I can lie my way out of this!
"Ahh, you see, I've got a new secret military-grade flashlight that's really bright on me right now! A friend of mine and I are currently testing it-"
"Then explain why I saw you leaping through buildings."
Oh no.
Maybe I should really tell her, ehehe…
"Ahh, the truth is, you see… I'm a Magical Girl!"
Okay, it's time for me to pull off my introductory pose. A wide smile, one hand on the hips, my body slanting slightly to the right, and my right hand forming a peace sign pointing right from my smile. All set to go!
"The Sparkling Light in the Dark, the Smile to Brighten up your Day, Cheeky Grin!"
"Whoaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa, that's so cool! You're like, the third Magical Girl I've seen-Ehem."
The girl in black interrupted herself mid-speech, before she did what I guess was… Her own pose? It was really awkward looking though, is her back gonna be okay like that?!
"THE MYSTERIOUS, THE MENACING, THE SHADE FROM THE PITCH-BLACK DARKNESS,
PHANTOM PAIN!"
Phantom… Pain? Wait a second, I've heard of that name somewhere…
Oh. JACKPOT!
"AHA, I'VE FOUND YOU AT LAST YOU EVILDOER, PREPARE FOR MY SHINING PUUUUUUUUUUUUUNCH!"
I've done it, Sockpuppet, I've got the target! I'm gonna reel her in good, and I'm gonna get a promotion for all this, hopefully! I can't wait to beat up more bad guys after this-
D-Did she just disappear?! That was fast! Where is she now-
"Ahh, so you wish to engage in glorious mortal combat with me I see. However, you ignoble knave, you do not know who you are facing down in this arena that we now share! I, the Phantom Pain, possess a power beyond which you can comprehend, beyond even the thoughts fathomable by mankind itself! From within my world I reign supreme, and now it is from within my world that I shall cast down my judgment on you, Cheeky Grin, for daring to bring harm to me!
PREPARE YOURSELF FOR A PAIN FROM THE SHADOWS THAT YOU SHALL NEVER RECOVER FROM!
HORYAAAAAA!"