O-01-04 & O-01-64

It's golden.

"Come on, Control Team A, you're moving up to train with easier abnos. This may be your department, but it won't belong to you until you learn to properly run it."

It's too bright for my tired eyes.

"Wiiiiii! So much space to run! I'm happy!"

"Kickass, get back here this instant! Don't make me bring the leash Ekpmephtil made…"

A small and cubical yellow robot with a greenish digital eye in its middle and its name on its bottom stared at me. I returned its gaze. Tiphereth A and B were differentiated by a brown bow on A's side, but I could notice things my colleagues ignored. One of the Sephirahs was incomplete… or rather, crudely recreated.

I petted B's head.

"I'm sorry, kid."

"Who do you think you're belittling?"

Tiphereth A pushed me aside and showed her protectiveness of her copy. I couldn't feel anything but pity for her. I started humming. That helped me ignore the things I didn't want to notice… or the things I wasn't meant to notice.

"Hey, Inspector. You done with whatever you're doing? We need to get ready to receive the new abnormalities."

Honestly, I didn't hate the fact Gregory warmed up to us. They reminded me of my old self, which helped me keeping my sanity in check. They also improved their temper quite a lot. It was uplifting to see L Corp didn't only change people for the worse.

Kikas, on the other side, continued to pester me at every chance they found. Although they continuously told everyone how happy they were, I felt really sad for them. They accepted a mind different from theirs in order to survive. They got to take a good look at death's face and chose to use whatever means were necessary to live on.

And… my partner didn't fulfill their part of the deal! I expected more romantic drama from Ek and Lin, but they were so light-heartedly toying around each other it would take an eternity until they reached anywhere!

Eternity, however, felt like a dangerously possible reality in that corporation. Each time I met Angela… I kept having this weird feeling I couldn't exactly put into words. There was something really big going on at this place and she was at the heart of it.

"Captain, let's get to it. We'll be waiting for you nearby, ready to patch you up if need be. Which abno do you want to visit first?"

"Hello there, miss."

"In the name of Love and Justice, here comes Magical Girl! Love tackle!"

"Oof! That's a clear preference for Attachment work if I've seen any."

I hope she doesn't go full Yandere mode like Child of the Galaxy, though. The spiders of my department were much tamer than that.

The Magical Girl surrounding my torso with her arms was a young, pale-skinned girl with 4 fingers instead of your usual 5. She had large, yellow stylized eyes and long hair with a pastel blue and purple gradient as coloration, with two strands curled away in the shape of antennas. Her right arm had some pink markings above her elbow. White tights, pink layered skirt, pink shirt without sleeves and a large pink ribbon on her chest to match… Yeah. Your classical Magical Girl costume, with wing pieces on her shoulders and everything. She even had a magical staff, filled to the brim with wings, hearts and star shapes.

After she had enough from hugging me, she jumped backwards, twirled around and struck a pose only a veteran idol could pull off.

"I am a hero born to protect the world from evil!"

"Awesome. What kind of evil?"

"All and any! If evil monsters ever trouble you, I'll be there to rescue you!"

Oh, no. I'm about to cry. How do I even being to describe this emotion…? An abnormality… helping us?

"Gasp! You're crying! Tell me why so that I can punish the evildoer that caused it!"

"No. That's not it, Magical Girl. I was just… so moved by your devotion… tears came out."

"Aw, here, let me comfort you. Loving hug of justice."

Hold on a second! This creature is an abnormality of an unknown danger level. I need to inspect it thoroughly before allowing myself some vulnerability. I tapped Magical Girl on her shoulder to thank her gesture and ask her to release me.

"Why did you decide to become a Magical Girl and fight evil? It's praiseworthy, but I don't think I could do something so difficult…" Out of my own will, that is.

"That's easy! The world needed to be protected so that prosperity can bloom! For that, Magical Girls are needed! I am a great arcana master thanks to my senpai's guidance!"

"Senpais? More Magical Girls? Neat!"

Terrible. This could either mean loads of potential allies… or loads of great dangers. My eyes found their way to her magical staff. She picked it up from its levitating state and moved it around in a cool trained manner. I couldn't handle my weapon as masterfully as her.

"This is my Magical Staff! I designed it myself!"

"Where does your power reside, my hero?" How do I deactivate you, miss walking-bomb?

"This staff is a just for show, haha! My magic powers come from my love!"

As I scribbled some records in my notebook, Magical Girl took a peek. After discovering I was trying to fill the details of her profile, she robbed my book and my pen and had some fun filling those for me.

Can I feel hope for this one? If she's as good as she promises, we may have discovered our greatest ally yet. Will love triumph? Will justice prevail? Can this Magical Girl protect those noble ideals? My mind told me no, but my heart… my heart wished to believe. Oh, hope, why must you be so rare in this lair of monsters?

"Bye, bye, [DATA EXPUNGED]! Come visit me soon! Mmmmwah!"

The door closed behind me.

Hot damn. That was the first time an abno kissed my cheek. It even healed my fatigue! However, I was still emotionally drained from that hyperactive girl. Did she even know how to talk without using exclamations?

"You're back! In one piece! I'm happy!"

Ugh. Out of the frying pan and into the fire. Ek did me the favor to restrain Kickass from assaulting me. Lin requested me to show them my notes.

"Wha-What? Since when did you have such a cute handwriting?"

"That's not their handwriting, pink demon." Gregory corrected. "The Inspector leaves notes next to each abno they have worked on, so literally anyone in the facility could tell."

"Hm. Not mine. Yesod is strict when it comes to that." Lin sighed.

"A Magical Girl, huh? That's…" We collectively stared at the crook of our gang. "…out of style."

"I like them."

"Me too!"

"Ekpmephtil, Kickass and me three, edge-lord. The romanticism behind them is so unique…"

"As long as an evil little pet doesn't trick them into doing horrible horrible things." Ek pointed out.

The team then stared at me, waiting for a confirmation. I extended my hand to retrieve my notebook.

Hyperactive defender of love and justice.

Attachment works well, but don't let her squeeze you too tightly. Medium Black damage is dealt. Instinct and Insight show potential use as well. Antagonizing her could be dangerous, so do not attempt Repression here.

She expressed her desire to help us.

I didn't see any evil pets lurking around. –Inspector

"She wants to help? What's that about, captain?"

"We'll eventually find out. I just hope she's doesn't turn into terrible monster. The evaluation indicates her danger level could be that of a high HE, maybe even WAW."

Lin shrugged.

"She gave herself a million points in charisma and strength. As long as she took the liberty to exaggerate a bit, it should be fine."

"I'm not volunteering to suppress her, that's for sure! I don't want pink dust all over me."

"Me neither, Greg, but that's our job." I sighed before taking in a deep breath.

Next containment unit… could hardly be better than the last one. But I had to enter anyway.

"Hello there, miss. Oh."

She couldn't exactly listen. A girl with dark skin and long white hair was encapsulated in a golden egg-like creature with a mouth at the top and a transparent part on the front, making the girl inside visible.

The abnormality glittered. It was… enchanting.

I honestly had no idea what to work with the thing, but words were not going to reach it, so anything but Insight.

"Haiyaah!"

The amber was too hard for me to rescue the girl captive inside. Who even trapped her there? And why did she look… so happy?

"Good container. Golden capsule, best capsule."

It didn't react to my praise. As for Instinct… hmm… let's see what happens.

I placed a hand on its surface, admiring the pretty sparkles and the abstract shapes carved into the egg thing. Ow! After touching the gold for a while, a wound appeared on my skin. It resembled the bite from a huge creature. I didn't need more clues to have a terrible feeling about that one.

Expect random bites.

Sparkly amber. It makes me want to steal it, stimulating my greed.

The girl trapped inside cannot listen, so Insight is a no-go. – Inspector

Thinking of the things I would write on the door, I continued my work.

That abno had a mouth, so pressing my wound against it would be a dumb idea. Whatever I did, I ignored why it decided to give me a magical bite, so I just continued with my work and hoped for the best. Ow. Ow! That hurt.

Ding! Green happy face!

Without losing any second, I left.

"You're finally back, captain! Hurry! Magical Girl isn't feeling well!"

What was the point of bringing them along if they weren't going to do anything by themselves? I won't feed that sinful thought to O-03-03. I was utterly frustrated. I mean, Kickass was talented at Attachment work, so couldn't they deal with it?

Ugh.

"Move aside. I'll give you my report on O-01-64 later, Lin. Hands are kinda bleeding."

Out from one containment unit and into the next one. I needed a raise or something.

"Hey, what is going on here, Magical Girl? Is anything troubling you? By the by, don't mind my hands. Just got bit by… er… some… golden egg."

Magical Girl had dropped to her knees and dark hearts appeared above her, breaking in half after a few moments. Her face, formerly shiny and bright, was now obscured by her hair. A yellow eye gleamed from the darkness.

"The world is peaceful, and it's… … …"

"Great?"

"Why is it still so peaceful?! You see, the whole purpose of my life is to defeat villains. It's as if the world is trying to say it doesn't need me. Really, why is it still so peaceful? Oh, did I mention that I'm a magical girl? To keep the world's peace, I was born. But today, it's quiet today."

"You lack a purpose, huh? You need evil. That's actually very logical. Good cannot exist without evil. So, as an abnormality who values good above all else, you are growing impatient and anxious. You're losing your raison d'être."

"Exactly! What are the villains doing?! Why are they so late?! Why has nobody died yet?! How am I supposed to protect anybody if there's nothing to protect anyone from?!"

"I feel you, girl. What are you gonna do about it, though?"

"The world can be divided into good and evil. I am on the side of justice. If I am on the side of good, then someone has to be on the side of evil. Without someone to play the villain, I can't exist. Then, who is going to protect the world?"

"In other words, you're going to go mad, breach and kill. In order to give goodness a meaning, you'll become the evil that defines it."

Magical Girl rose her head to look at me. Her shiny eyes were teary. My heart trembled. I didn't expect her to react to my words.

"Is that so bad? Am I going crazy?"

I didn't think a day where I could truly sympathize with an abno would come.

"I won't judge you, Magical Girl. You have a good heart, and you mean well. You're probably the most noble girl I've ever met. However, if you cross that line and join the side of evil, that will make us enemies… and we will fight. I would hate that."

"I don't want to do it either… But I'm a Magical Girl."

"And that's great. You see? The other employees and me suffer many troubles on a daily basis. This peace is not normal here. From time to time, these events called Ordeals happen, where many monsters appear and start killing everyone they meet. I'll be glad to fight by your side when the time comes, but, until then, can I ask you to wait a bit longer?"

Ding! Good result! Magical Girl jumped to my arms and embraced me tightly.

"I don't know how long I will last, [DATA EXPUNGED], but I will try my best for you."

"You won't have to wait much longer, I promise. After all, we're fighting our first Dusk Ordeal later today."

"Will there be any villains?"

"I don't know if I will make it alive."

"Fear not, for I am here! The Magical Girl of Love will help you!"

"That's the expression that suits you best. We'll be counting on you later, okay?"

"Hahahahahaaaa!"