Chapter 3
Cloudy Skies
Phantom Pain (Time: Day 3, 10:24 PM)
Crack.
That didn't sound so good. The next thing I know, the flashy bright red outfit of Cheeky Grin's gone, and she's in what I presume is her human form.
From my estimates, her neck was probably snapped pretty badly by what just happened. Lugging her body off of me, I could see the double just standing there, frozen again. From a corner further ahead, Sockpuppet's popping out of her hiding spot. The look on her eyes… Thanks to my nightvision, I could see it clear as day.
Shock. Disbelief. Worry.
Shit, did this Cheeky Grin just die on me?! I can't linger around here any longer. For now, my house is a less important issue. Fleeing as far as I could from the scene, my last sight of Sockpuppet filled me with a sense of dread.
Anger. Rage. Hatred.
She's not gonna let this live down isn't she?
Sockpuppet (Time: Day 3, 10:24 AM)
Just a few days ago, I had under my wing one of the most promising rookies I've ever had the chance of mentoring. A few days later… She's…
She's dead.
The target… No, that monster tricked Cheeky Grin, ruining our pincer attack and making it the death of her.
In a way, I'm responsible. As her senior I should've known better, and not led her into that situation in the first place. On the other hand…
That monster knew just what was about to go down. I may have been too obvious with how I dived into such a risky maneuver, but it wouldn't have happened if this damn fucking BITCH stayed down and just let herself be apprehended cleanly.
"Boss."
I had opened my Magical Phone right beside Cheeky Grin. I kept my double around to be on guard, but I have no thoughts of keeping her around any longer after I depart from the area.
"Yes, Sockpuppet? How's the mission going?"
"Failed… I'm sorry boss. We've just had a casualty on our hands."
"What?! I thought you had a weak target on your hands. Anyways, explain to me later when I debrief you."
(Time: Day 4, 10:00 AM)
I don't know how long it's been since I was just exfiltrated from the field, but Cheeky Grin's body has been put through the proper motions leading to her burial. I didn't delve in too deeply with regards to her biodata, but I was sure that she was within her mid to late teens. Her parents must've taken it really badly.
Just entering the room was Silver Adder. It's about time the debriefing started. Right after closing the door, she sat directly opposite of me.
"Sockpuppet… Have you not slept yet?"
"No, why?"
"I received reports that right after you'd come back from your mission, you just went straight for the debriefing room and shut yourself in."
"And?"
"Look… I've had my fair share of rookies, even good friends dying on me over the course of my career. What I'm trying to say is that maybe you need a little rest."
"That comes later. First, we go with the debriefing boss."
The boss just sighed from where she sat, before continuing.
"Alright, you can start then."
"Day 1, 7:00 AM, we had arrived in D-City after the initial set-up was done, such as making our reservation at the local hotel for the operation. After around 3-4 hours of rest within the hotel room we had reserved, we started operating in the field. Splitting up, me and my double of Cheeky Grin patrolled the east half of the city whilst Cheeky Grin herself took charge of the West. Our search continued fruitless until Day 3, 9:45 PM. Cheeky Grin was discovered by the enemy, whereupon she entered a brief altercation with her. The encounter's outcome was negligible, but the enemy fled almost immediately, using her Magical Ability to flee at speeds which Cheeky Grin could barely keep up with. Right after she had reported the recent developments, I had instructed her to stay on the target's trail, and if possible, use her Magical Ability to daze her until I had arrived, at an estimated time of 15 minutes after her call.
5 minutes into the chase, Cheeky Grin contacted me, proposing that she find a megaphone and use it to help in the interception of the target, reasoning that mimicking the police would help pin her down, especially if it meant keeping the people she was using as her avenue of escape stationary. In order to compensate for the downtime, she directed me to the target's most plausible course at that time: towards the older parts of the business district, filled with shady alleyways. At the time, Cheeky Grin was chasing the target to the central part of D-City, filled with its shopping centers. I allowed her to do so, and assured her that I would cover for her if any legal issues arose over the megaphone's acquisition.
At around 9:55 PM, I myself encountered the target. What ensued afterwards was a chase on foot that led into the northeastern portion of the housing district, where the house of the target is apparently located. Come 10:00 PM, the enemy hitched a ride on a motorcyclist that happened to pass by. Cheeky Grin and I made numerous attempts to disable the motorcycle, either by stunning the motorcyclist or disabling the actual motorcycle, all of which ended in failure until the third attempt to disable the motorcycle. Though the motorcycle was not disabled the enemy was forced to dismount from the vehicle, after which she was slowed down considerably. After a brief diversion caused by the target's, admittedly clever, use of garbage, we were able to corner her once and for all at 10:15 PM. Fighting ensued until 10:24 PM, when the target took my planned pincer attack maneuver on her and used it to kill Cheeky Grin, fleeing afterwards."
"..."
Silver Adder just stared at me after I had finished speaking. That look in her eyes, however… I could not mistake it for anything else. She was looking deeply into me.
"Sockpuppet, I know there's something else you want to tell me."
"Yes but… It's not related to the mission."
"Well it is related to your well-being now, is it? Go on, Sockpuppet, I'm not stopping you, no one is."
"It's… It's just that... I'm sorry boss. Cheeky Grin had so much potential, I could see it in her in the 3 days we were out tracking down that… That monster. And yet as much as I can blame the target for killing her, I can't deny that I had a hand in her own death too!
I… I'm not the type to just pour over emotionally but…"
My face's getting red-hot and wet. At this point, all I could do was cover my face with my own hands in shame.
"Sockpuppet, just so you know, I also checked beforehand the initial examination and debriefing session they performed on you and after you came back from the mission. That said… I'm telling you that you didn't have a hand in Cheeky Grin's death."
W-What?!
I was the one who called for the pincer attack that led to her death, how the hell am I not responsible for her death?
"Sockpuppet. Look at me, I want to know that you're listening."
…
Fine.
"Good. I understand that this is technically the first time you've ever had someone under your supervision die on you, most of the rookies I'd assigned to you never really went with you when it came to actual missions, you'd only be mentoring them in the interim due to how rarely you go out in the field.
Let's admit, due to that you're probably not as good as I am with dealing with such a situation. So, if you feel like you need it, I've made arrangements for your paid leave, the only thing we need right now, quite literally, is for you to take it. That is, if you want."
"P-Paid leave?! Boss… That… That was quick of you."
"And I'd have to be quick to ensure that everyone's at top condition, okay? So, just go inform the clerk at the front desk if you're taking it. You don't have to worry about time either, it's up to you how long you want your leave to be,. If not though, fine with me, I trust you enough to know whether you can get back to work ASAP.
I'll take my leave now, I need to organize a response to this incident with the rest."
"Wait!"
I called out to the boss right as she was about to leave the room. I'd already done too much with regards to the failed operation, the least I can do is not burden her with an uncertainty.
"You're right. I do need some time on my own, away from the field. I'll be taking the paid leave, thanks boss."
Ignition Averette (Time: Day 3, 2:00 AM (-12 Hours from D-City Time) )
Deep in the rainforest there is no silence to greet the ears, merely the ceaseless cacophony of the life that marches on with time. It is not unpleasant though. In fact, it is quite advantageous for me. When silently surveying the area from the treetops, this cacophony becomes my sixth sense. Those we hunt, the Rogue Magical Girls, often do not know how to avoid disrupting the natural harmony of this sea of trees.
This is one of the many things I have learned from my career partner in the Examination Division, Silver Adder. The only one who I have known since my early days.
A testament to her skill and proficiency in situation awareness while operating out in the field. At first, it made no sense at all to me how such a minor detail would matter, but over the years, consistent application of what she had taught me regarding the environment, its natural harmony have only reinforced it as a skill to keep.
For today however, my investigation deep into the rainforest has yielded nothing so far.
Feeling a vibration from my Magical Phone, I quickly climb up halfway the sturdiest, leafiest tree I could find, and rest myself against its solid bark. Shrouded by foliage, and kept high above the ground, I should be able to avoid possible detection whilst remaining stationary. After I had laid it down on the branch I was currently on, holographic projections of my fellow Magical Girls under Silver Adder appeared, along with Addie herself.
...Something is not right, however.
Addie. IR99. Kernel Bucket. Spark Daruma. Reel Time. Ampy Gustava. Victoria Black. Vanciel. Cadenza. Parlie. News Flash.
There are only 12, me included, of us present.
Where is Sockpuppet and Cheeky Grin? Experience whispers to me to prepare for the worst.
"Alright everyone, I'm pretty sure you can note that there are only 12 of us, including me, participating in this meeting right now. Allow me to get straight to the point.
Sockpuppet and Cheeky Grin have failed in the operation they were deployed for. And we have a casualty.
Cheeky Grin was killed in action.
As for Sockpuppet, she has decided to go on paid leave."
Addie's words were all it took to send the meeting into chaos.
"SHE WAS KILLED IN ACTION?! BUT I THOUGHT THE ROGUE MAGICAL GIRL IN QUESTION WAS WEAK!"
"Weak? What do you expect, she was able to kill upwards of 20 Magical Girls all on her on without support!"
"BOSS, BOSS, HOW ABOUT WE GET SOMEONE TO ACTUALLY WATCH AT HER UNLIKE PARLIE OVER HERE?!"
"A-And now she's killed one of us… This Rogue's actually pretty scary you know…"
"There, there, don't worry about her… She'll have to get through me if she wants to kill you!"
"Don't forget about me you two! She'll be no match for our stylish combination!"
"I knew it, we should've been the ones to deploy on the field, IR99! She wouldn't have been a match for the both of us together!"
"WHAT'S THAT I HEAR, YOU LIL' SHITTY BLUE-HEAD? I'M SURE YOU'D BE FUBAR BY THE TIME YOU ARRIVE ZIPPED IN!"
"My my, Kernel Bucket, uncouth as always aren't we? Need I remind you that your lack of finesse would most definitely result in you wrecking the entire city without actually capturing the target?"
"THAT'S WHERE YOU'RE WRONG, IR99! REEL TIME, WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY TO OUR JUICY GIRL?"
"HOW DARE YOU CALL MY PARTNER A PROSTI-"
"YOU UTTER FOOL, OUR ARTILLERY STRIKES IS THE WORLD'S FINEST! GUARANTEED TO BRING THE ENEMY TO THEIR KNEES, MA'AM!"
Pretty much the noise of the meeting had drowned out anything I could hear of the rainforest around me. Such was the reaction to the information from Addie.
"SILENCE, ALL OF YOU!"
And with that, everyone fell into silence. Looks like I won't have to step in to help Addie at least.
"Cheeky Grin's death was surely something I had never expected, especially with the kind of intel we were supplied.
Which brings me to one of the main issues I had wanted to discuss today. Parlie, from the reports produced by the debriefing it turns out that our target over here has some Healing Medicine on her! Such oversight was what led to the operation ending in disaster!"
Healing Medicine?! A relatively new Magical Girl, who most definitely has zero ties to any Land of Magic official, was able to get her hands on something that we have to go through all the bureaucracy in existence just to obtain even a single pill of?!
This is… definitely an unexpected development, and a really unfortunate one, too.
"W-WHAT?! THAT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE-"
"And yet that is the reality of the situation, Parlie! Casualties could've been avoided if you were able to produce this intel beforehand."
"Tch. Even with my Magical Ability, I can't make intel of things you don't inquire about! You never asked me to check if she had any sort of supplies on her that could adversely affect the operation back then! "
Addie merely sighed at how difficult Parlie was being right now. That said, the meeting had to continue on.
"Then I admit that I did have some responsibility with regards to that oversight.
Regardless of whether or not we can really depend on the intel we have on hand, we still need to apprehend the target. Moreso now that this Rogue has murdered one of ours. Thus, the next operation launched, for the sake of her apprehension, will start tomorrow. Any objections?"
And there were no objections. Everyone's faces were slightly more unsteady compared to last time. I have a suggestion to make though.
"Addie, looks like our enemy is the kind that we'll need an active set of eyes on constantly. I suggest sending out News Flash into the field along with whoever we'll send as our response."
"Fair enough, Averette. Speaking of our response, Vanciel, Ampy Gustava, you'll be going in. And just like what Averette suggested, you too News Flash."
Addie's words seemed like a death sentence for Vanciel. Though I cannot deny that she is effective as a Magical Girl in the right situations, her main issue is her timidness. The fright's quite obvious in her face. It made me wonder how she ended up in the Examination Division in the first place.
"Vanciel, you may be worried, but come on, I'll be coming with you…"
"..."
"Boss, please, let me go too! Vanciel will be able to do a whole lot better out in the field if I'm out with her, too!"
Victoria Black interjects. I'm not surprised, those two are rather close after all.
"Unfortunately, I cannot allow for that, Victoria. I still need you to investigate the lead I've assigned to you, but I'll transfer you over if the situation calls for it. Cadenza, you'll also be in reserve for the operation."
"Roger that, boss."
Whilst Cadenza is still able to respond, Victoria herself could only give a single nod. Doesn't look like she's taking this well, so maybe I should step in to help Addie out.
"Look, Victoria, I know you want to protect Vanciel and all, but I hope you understand that we can't just go and funnel in too many resources into the operation. We're pretty tight as it is, and this is pretty much the only allocation Addie came up with that isn't going to marginalize any other parallel-run missions."
Though her look is still quite downtrodden, it looks like Victoria at least understands why at the very least. She turns to Ampy Gustava.
"Hey, Ampy, please take care of Vanciel for me okay?"
"Don't worry Victoria, I will. You have my word for it!"
"Thanks, really."
I just hope that nothing serious happens to these two.
"Boss, let me go into the operation! I don't trust that News Flash to be able to report accurate intel on her own without my help!"
All of a sudden, Parlie speaks.
"SAYS THE GIRL WHO GAVE US THE WRONG INTEL-"
"SHUT IT YOU FUCKING SIMPLETON! THE SENTENCES YOU WRITE IN YOUR REPORT ARE COMPLETE GARBAGE!"
We really have to do something about Parlie's abrasiveness someday, but on the other hand, her words do have some truth to them…
"Alright, alright, stop arguing you two. Addie, as… Difficult as Parlie is, there's some merit to what she says. News Flash's reports clearly show that she has problems putting what she observes into words, and in the case of this operation, we can't have her coming back every now and then just for us to pull off the debriefing procedure to extract our intel directly from her own memories. It'll be impractical."
Addie ponders on what I said for a while, before nodding in approval.
"Indeed, Parlie could help with making sure the reports are intelligible enough for use as intel. I'll be finalizing the deployment team for the second operation to capture the Rogue Magical Girl in D-City, Vanciel and Ampy Gustava, you will form a duo and search for the target. Engage on sight. As for you two, News Flash and Parlie, you will also partner up and participate in active reconnaissance. All the other details, I will leave them up to you to organize.
Dismissed."
And with that, the meeting ended.
There is still something I want to talk about with Addie though. Keying her contact details into my Magical Phone to call her, she responds immediately. I'm glad that she did, at least it doesn't seem like she's too busy right now.
"Hey, Addie, just wanted to talk to you about a few things."
"Hmm? Something the matter, Averette?"
"I was actually wondering how Sockpuppet was able to go on paid leave so quickly. All things considered, I'm sure we both know just how awful the bureaucracy is in the Examination Division."
"That's because I told them they could take from my paycheck if I had to."
What?! Even if I've known Addie for a long time, that still caught me by surprise.
"Addie… I mean, I know you but what about your own expenses? Knowing them they might even just shift all of your salary to Sockpuppet's paid leave until she comes back, are you really sure you want to go with that?"
"I am, Averette. Magical Girls for one don't need any food, which is convenient. Not to mention, when you've been in my line of work long enough you practically are trained to live without a roof over your head. I'm sure we both know that Sockpuppet isn't like the either of us, and It's nothing to worry about. Speaking of, look at who's talking. Haha."
I let out a soft chuckle in conjunction with Addie. In a way, she is right after all.
"Come on now Addie, I'm sure I've told you that my entire family has pretty much forsaken the thought of trying to make me live a conventional life by now!"
"I sure hope you didn't have to set yourself on fire just to make sure you were hardheaded enough to do that."
"Pffft. Please, if I did that I wouldn't even be here now!"
We laughed a bit more afterwards. All things considered, moments like these were a nice brief solace.
"In all seriousness though, Addie, any chance that our target could possibly be one of those… Kinds of Magical Girls?"
"Impossible. If she were, Parlie's intel previously should've turned up something. Plus… Her Magical Ability doesn't match up with the type of Magical Abilities that we've usually found on those kinds of Magical Girls. Not to mention, she's a quite recent one and highly inexperienced. She doesn't compare to the combat-hardened Rogues of that kind we had to hunt down."
"I don't feel like discounting the chance that she is though, Addie. I recall it took three days for Sockpuppet and Cheeky Grin to locate the target. Though I don't think there was anything about the target being highly unusual in terms of capabilities, something could've happened in those three days it took for them to find her. Maybe you should tell Parlie to check up again on her Magical Ability just to be sure."
"Well… You should've raised that a while ago, Averette. But I'll go and notify Parlie."
"Ehehe, sorry Addie, I guess I have a long way to go before I reach your level still. It was only now that the idea of such a possibility hit me."
"I just hope you won't have to reach that level, then."
"Why not, Addie?"
"Because I don't want the situation to reach a point where even you have to get roped into the levels of work I go through right now. I'm sure there are better things you could be doing right now than… all of this. Honestly, you might be one of the most capable in the Examination Division out there, indeed, it's the reason why you're still alive up to this day, and have been my partner ever since we started working together all those years back. With that said, I just don't want to see you making the same kinds of sacrifices I do. Not like this."
Addie… You really shoulder the burden a little bit too much at times.
"You've tried to turn me away from this multiple times, Addie… But honestly, more people need to carry on the fire to fight against these injustices. There's no way we're going to rid the world of Rogue Magical Girls otherwise."
"It's that exact thought that I find very disconcerting, however."
The call falls silent with these words. I don't know what else to say, nor do I feel that Addie knows what to say.
"In any case Addie, I'll just go back to searching here in the rainforest. You take care, Addie."
"You too, Averette."
Vanciel (Time: Day 4, 10:00 AM )
I haven't been able to sleep much since yesterday afternoon.
The only reason I'm even here was because I wanted to go wherever Victoria Black went. She did say the pay was better here, and she wasn't lying either. The work, on the other hand though…
It's scary. It's frightening. Even with my Magical Ability, to appear as the sky, I can't shake off the fear of getting killed. I guess it does help that Ampy Gustava's here with me, but still…
Oh. Looks like I had just finished my painting. Clear blue skies, light wispy clouds. Ever since I was a kid, I couldn't help but look at the sky whenever I could. I remember my dad even joking that I'd strain my neck too much by looking up to the sky as much as I did.
I'm glad we got the highest floor with the best view of the sky for our stay here in D-City. At least… At least when we're not out hunting that Rogue Magical Girl, I can keep myself occupied with making paintings of the sky. It helps keep my mind at ease.
Moving the finished canvas away to the side, I pick up another. A blank canvas, I look out the window towards the sky.
The sky hasn't changed much since I finished the last one. Oh well, guess I'll just look outside until it does then.
Now that I think about it, at least I'm alone for now. Parlie, News Flash, and Ampy won't be back for a good hour or two. Parlie and News Flash are both… quite annoying too, especially when the two of them are together. Their noisiness just destroys my concentration at times, though at least they aren't rowdy. Otherwise, I doubt I would even be able to paint like that.
Speaking of Ampy… I guess I could be slightly less afraid when she's around. I just hope we don't get split up over the course of the operation, but at least it seems like there's only one target around. It'd be pretty difficult to get split over that…
As I look out towards the sky, I can spot Ampy riding the air currents. She did say she'd be out for a bit on her own so she could first get the currents around D-City all mapped in her head, but I'm pretty sure she's also enjoying her time out there. It's the greatest freedom she can find after all.
Freedom. That's part of what I love the sky so much. In a way it's much like an endless, boundless canvas. It's always bound to look different as the time passes by. Sometimes the clouds are wispy, and the sky's light blue. Other times it's a deep azure with strong-looking clouds, or a dark grey with the heralds of lightning, maybe. Come nighttime and it's still quite the beauty, although of an entirely different kind. Sadly, since this is the city, the stars would probably not be out as much…
That limits what I'll be painting then. Pulling images from a search engine doesn't help either, I can hardly find any original photos that I'd like to use as reference for painting, nor ones I haven't used already as such…
Maybe I'll just imagine the stars when the time comes that I'll be painting the night sky. Oh well, it's still a long way to go.
Guess I'll just keep staring at the sky until something comes up.
9 hours later
"We're baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!"
Sounds like it's coming from the television. Great. Looks like News Flash is back.
"Welcome back, News Flash. Did you just leave Parlie again?"
"Huh? Parli-"
"THAT EXPLAINS WHERE THE FUCK YOU WENT, YOU LITTLE BRAT!"
And that's the door banging open. Now Parlie's here.
"BLEH! TOO BAD YOUR MAGICAL ABILITY ISN'T AS COOL AS MINE!"
"SAYS THE GIRL WITH PEANUTS FOR BRAINS! HOW ABOUT I GIVE YOU A NICE LITTLE DEBATE AND PROVE TO YOU HOW WORTHLESS YOU ARE WITHOUT MY SUPERVISION?!"
"Hey, hey, chill out you two."
Phew, at least you're here Ampy.
"WANNA KNOW HOW TO SPELL LOSER? IT'S P-A-R-L-I-EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE"
…
"YOU IDIOTIC BRAT-"
Whatever Parlie was gonna say, Ampy cut her off by muffling her mouth and then holding her off the ground. Parlie squirmed for a while, but it was fruitless: Ampy is much stronger than her after all.
Even with that, however…
"NEEEE NEEEEEEEEE NE NEEEEEEEE NEEEEEE! LOOK AT YOU, PARLIE, YOU'RE SO WEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAK!"
Pulling down one of her eyelids, sticking out her tongue. I don't know which is the more childish sight, Parlie squirming in Ampy's arms, or News Flash here.
Besides, aren't you just as weak as Parlie is, News Flash?
"Hey, Vanciel"
Hmm?
"We can't just stay like this, maybe give me a little help over here?"
Oh, you're right…
...But I need to keep my paintings safe from these brats first.
"Let me call room service first…"
"For?"
I just silently point to the paintings I've set aside to dry. She immediately understands me, and nods.
"Got it, but maybe keep the door closed a little so they don't see a thing about what's going on inside."
Thankfully, the bellboy who came wasn't able to catch a glimpse of what was going on outside. 2 girls with outlandish outfits, one invoking wires, gathering storms and ocean waves, and the other looking much like TV color bars… Frankly, just the entire scene was ridiculous. He could've suspected that something was going on with all the muffling sounds in the room, though thankfully he did not notice. To top it all off, at least there were no problems in accepting my simple request of handling my paintings for me until I called on them again.
"Can we… Just get this over with now?"
Turning back into my Magical Form, I make sure the door's locked behind me. I also left outside a do-not-disturb sign just to make sure.
"Okay sure, we can start discussing our course of action for the operation~"
As I step closer, Ampy utters something again.
"One thing, help me with one of these pipsqueaks."
Oh no.
Well, I guess it does help that I'm stronger than them…
"C-Can I choose?"
"Sure, why not?"
...It seems like she's having a bit of trouble keeping these two down now. Maybe one like Parlie just a while ago was easy for her, but I imagine it'd be a whole lot worse having to deal with both of them alone.
"Umm… I'll deal with News Flash."
"I figured you would~ Alright, come take her before she starts doing crazy shit or something."
Taking over for Ampy in terms of muffling News Flash, something just hit me.
...Are we going to hold a meeting like this.
"Uhh, Ampy, how are we gonna discuss anything like this?"
"Ohh. Ehehe, I hadn't thought about that…"
Grabbing the table by one hand, thankfully, being a Magical Girl does help with my strength, as I set it gently in the center of a room. Afterwards, I grab four chairs on the side, and set them side-by-side in twos, with each pair opposite of the pair.
"Maybe this will do?"
"Hey, that's pretty clever Vanciel! Nice job~"
There's no need to praise me like that…
Taking our seats, Ampy firmly keeps one of her hands gripped on Parlie's shoulder. I guess that's how she'll keep her under control… Maybe I should try that too.
"Alright, now that everything's under control I guess, I'll start with what I have to say~"
Grabbing a map of D-City from her pockets, she unfurls it with style over the table. Right as Parlie was about to speak, I could see Ampy tense her grip slightly on her shoulder. With a pretty ticked-off expression, Parlie relents.
"So after a couple of hours riding on the air currents, I've finally got the hang of how they go about in this city. They go sorta like this."
I see Ampy tracing a path that starts from the general northwest area of the city going towards the southeast.
"More or less, the plan is that we'll have News Flash search throughout the city for the target, us closely trying to follow her using the city's electric grid. Once the target's been spotted, we'll take it from there and start doing attack runs from the sky using your Magical Ability as cover, Vanciel. You know, like the usual~"
Like the usual… Alright then. Afterwards I see Parlie murmuring, almost like she was begging for something from Ampy.
"Alright, fine fine, you go say what you want to say~"
Right as Parlie was about to speak, I could feel News Flash beginning to squirm a little. Tightening my grip a bit, I hope I'm doing it right like you, Ampy.
"I suggest that while she uses her Magical Ability to move through town doing reconnaissance, News Flash should come back her after every round just so I can go through what she says and report it to you guys in a legible manner! PERSONALLY!"
I find myself sighing a bit. Nevertheless, that's exactly the reason why she's here.
"We get your point, Parlie…"
"All that said, I guess we should start the operation now~?"
At Ampy's butting-in, I nod.
"Yeah, I don't think anything good will come out of taking too long on the job. Speaking of which, I think I remember that Sockpuppet's group managed to find the house of the target during the previous operation. Maybe we should check that too?"
"Alright, sounds good~ We'll check that first, in the meantime, News Flash, try to search around town and not get yourself caught, okay?"
"OKAY! NEWS FLASH WILL DO HER BESTYYYYYYYYYYYY!"
With that, it's time for us to start.
Phantom Pain (Time: Day 4, 7:00 PM )
After a really weird day of shopping, I've finally gotten myself weapons!
Figuring out that my strength would be enough to make these babies fly straight and true…
BEHOLD!
Knives everywhere inside my coat, knives everywhere around my waist, knives in my boot and inside my hat.
And five knives on each hand that can hold!
Now I won't have as rough of a time as I did fighting other Magical Girls previously, for should they come once more, and definitely they will, they will all suffer a fate worse than that old geezer! Totally blowing away money that could've been used to repair my house was worth it!
...That is, until I run out of knives to throw, where I'll probably have to stop by my house to restock if I can't retrieve them again. Bummer that I don't have hammerspace to work with.
It was quite bothersome arranging all of these knives however. Otherwise, I'd clank with every step I took on the street. Knowing that teleporting around town might just draw unnecessary attention to me, with the fact that Magical Girls are actually able to track me despite the speed at which I teleport… Yeah.
Frankly this is becoming a tedious mess too. I'd love a fight and all, but with the fact that that Cheeky Grin died? I'd probably end up in some jail or something like that if they find me.
Not to mention, I had to have most of my belongings in my house vacated, sent over to where a cousin of mine lives in just because of how they nearly wrecked my house. Luckily for me he was more than happy to take care of it and all. The only thing left in my house, quite literally, are my knives.
Blending into the crowd, so long as I don't step out of it too much my fedora and coat manages to blend in pretty well, if a bit too outlandish at that. At least this isn't as exhausting to do as a Magical Girl, and with it I can force my way around too if needed, since I'm stronger than the average guy now.
So this is how the average person heads home, hmm? I think I'll just walk my way home, it shouldn't be too hard to do as a Magical Girl, though I might end up feeling tired afterwards.
Passing into the shopping district right smack at the center of town, it's still pretty much abuzz with people spending their last hours outside shopping, dining out and all. Truth be told, I'd rather be out of this fucking city right now, since that Sockpuppet Magical Girl might return sooner and later out for my blood. Pakka told me howeever that something's going down in this city sooner or later; I may not know what the fuck it is, but I want to at least know what's going on. If it's dangerous I can just easily teleport my way out of it anyway.
Right as I pass by the appliance store, I catch something quite unusual.
A girl, with an outfit resembling that of a television's color bars, emerging straight out of a television.
Great, now I'm in a Magical Girl horror story too?!
I haven't seen her around these parts however, so I might as well get some answers out of her.
"Heya over there."
Teleporting behind her, I put my hand over my shoulder.
She turns around to speak.
"H-Hiya!"
I don't think she likes being found out.
"Let me guess, you're a Magical Girl?"
"Y-Y-NO!"
That confirms it.
"Just means you're one then, otherwise I can't explain how you crawled out of that television like some sort of horror movie monster.
Hey, you know what, why not I introduce myself first. I'm Phantom Pain a-"
"AHH, THE TARGET! I'VE FOUND THE TARGET!"
Everyone's attention soon turns to the two of us.
Target. Fucking great, another round of Magical Girls after a mere day has passed is already here?! Shit.
News Flash scrambles away, pushing her way through the crowd. If I lose her now, the situation might just get worse!
Immediately, I begin teleporting behind people, the problem now is that her petite size is making it pretty easy for her to hide inside the ocean of people currently walking around the shopping district!
...Wait. She might be petite, but her outfit is pretty garish. The colors should stand out compared to the majority of outfits people are wearing right now!
Climbing on top of a streetlight, I scan around the area for any sign of a disturbance caused by someone pushing around…
Over there! True enough, her outfit is also now pretty darn visible when looking from above!
I take a leap into the air, just to get that extra tiny bit of distance closed between the both of us…
Voila! Back behind you.
Grabbing her from behind, first, I need to deal with this crowd that she's drawn the eyes of.
"H-HEY, LET ME G-GO!"
And now she's fucking squirming to break free. Fucking great, at least I'm not some old dude, which would make everything a whole lot worse!
"Easy now, kiddo, what did big sis tell ya about running off without her supervision again?!"
Surprisingly, I'm actually stronger than her. I've yet to pop my Healing Medicine because of the fucking rush I found myself in, but at least I won't have to burn through another piece just to keep her under my control.
"B-BIG S-SIS?!"
"Shut it kiddo, you're disturbing everyone around here."
Getting myself to move slowly through the crowd whilst dragging her, I begin turning to the multitudes of faces staring at the both of us.
"Heya heya y'all, sorry for my little sister over here being such a big bother! She's just quite the brat, you know? We'll be going home now though, hope we didn't disturb you all too much!"
And with that, they slowly began turning their heads away from the both of us, moving along with whatever the heck they were doing.
Great success!
Now, where should I interrogate this brat…
Oh, I know now!
Close to the shadier parts of the city I tried hiding in before was an old abandoned warehouse. If I can just sneak in there without rousing any suspicion at all…
That would be the perfect spot to hold an interrogation!
Good thing the direction I went getting away from the crowd was headed right there too, it should only be a few hundred or so meters away from me now.
It's about damn time I find out what the fuck's going on in this city.
