Classified?
Why would the file of a retired Magical Girl—an ordinary woman raising three problem children—be locked away in a classified section?
It didn't make any sense. The Association's attitude toward retired Magical Girls had always been to leave them to their own devices.
Even an active A-Rank Magical Girl like Shizuru could only look up information in the general section.
Suddenly, a thought occurred to her.
After Misa Tachibana was discharged from the hospital, she had applied to the Association to access certain records, but she was rejected on the grounds that her clearance had been revoked upon retirement.
At the time, Qiluo had assumed it was just the Association's cold indifference toward retired personnel. But now, it seemed that rejected application might hide a much deeper secret.
What kind of information had she been trying to look up back then? Was it related to the battle that forced her retirement?
And even Meruru didn't have enough clearance? Although she usually didn't seem like a serious person at all, her clearance within the Association was definitely not low.
If even she couldn't access it directly, it meant the security level of the classified section was far higher than Qiluo had estimated.
On the other end, Yuzuki leaned back on the sofa, twirling the end of her hair around her finger as she stared at Lightweaver's brief request on the screen.
For Lightweaver to take the initiative to ask for a favor, this matter was definitely not simple.
“Just to be sure—your investigation into White Night is to help her, not for something else, right?”
“...Yes.”
Lightweaver's reply came quickly, as if she were avoiding something.
But given her personality, being willing to directly answer a personal question like this was already a massive step forward.
“That's good. I really can't access classified files directly, but that doesn't mean there's absolutely no way.”
“The reason White Night's file is locked is because it involves a disaster-tier incident that was extremely serious for the Association. Several Magical Girls sacrificed their lives in that battle, and the Association handled a lot of things afterward. If I were one of the Association's higher-ups, the reason for locking the file would be to protect the privacy of the survivors.”
“I'll find a way to convince them. The argument will basically be that giving the files to you is the safest way to combat the calamity. You might not know this, but your mana spectrum analysis report has already spread within the Association. Some people are starting to compare you to the founding Magical Girl, Shiraha Mashiro. Just the possibility that your mana shares the same source as hers is enough for them to re-evaluate you.”
Lightweaver was silent for a moment before replying: “What do they take me for?”
“Let's hope so. Though I don't really want to speak well of them, even if the Association is a pain, they're still fairly reliable when it comes to the big picture. Just keep being yourself, and they'll realize how important you are sooner or later.”
Now that serious business was out of the way, wasn't it time for Yuzuki to collect some interest?
“Let me guess—have you been staying up late every night lately, chugging cups of coffee?”
Meruru's message was followed by a yawning sticker. “You sure are straightforward when asking for help, but why are you never this proactive normally?”
“Stick to business.”
“But we already finished the business part~ Now it's after-sales service time.”
Meruru's replies were always lightning-fast. After all, as a modern-day idol, her response speed was top-tier.
“You know, when you said you had a favor to ask, I almost thought my phone had a virus. Should I frame this message and hang it on my wall?”
“...Boring.”
“Then let's switch to a topic that isn't boring. Last time, after you finished dancing, your ears were red the whole way from the stage to the side exit. I saw it with my own eyes. Don't tell me you...” This was followed by a highly suggestive ellipsis.
“...The stage lights were too hot.”
“The gymnasium's air conditioning was blasted that day; even I felt cold. Besides, I've never seen your face turn red when you're fighting, yet you blush just from dancing. Am I really that scary?”
Seina poked her head over from the side. Having just showered, her wet hair was wrapped in a towel.
Seeing her older sister smiling strangely at her phone, she instinctively leaned in closer to the screen. “Sis, who are you chatting with? Lightweaver? She actually reached out to you first? Is there a new battle plan? Or—”
“None of your business, kiddo,” Yuzuki said, reaching out to push her sister's damp head away. “Go blow-dry your hair, or you'll be sneezing tomorrow morning.”
Seina reluctantly took a few steps toward the bathroom, then turned back to yell, “Don't bully Senior Lightweaver!”
Yuzuki waved her off, and only after confirming her sister's footsteps had faded into the bathroom did she resume typing.
“Keep talking and I'll block you from the encrypted channel,” Lightweaver replied, attaching a simple, threatening sticker.
“You wouldn't dare. I'm your only source of information. Besides, you still have a lot of things you haven't told me. For instance, how did you know the name Shiraha Mashiro? I never mentioned her to you.”
“...We'll talk next time we meet,” Lightweaver finally replied, and her avatar went dark.
Yuzuki stared at those words, and the frustration from a long day of work instantly melted away.
She placed her phone on the coffee table and took a sip of her cold milk, thinking that this girl really couldn't handle being teased, yet every teasing session only uncovered new mysteries.
On the other side, Qiluo was in a completely different state of mind compared to the leisurely Yuzuki.
What did she mean, blushing?
It was because Meruru had made her completely overheat!
Besides, anyone would feel uncomfortable with someone leaning in that close. It had absolutely nothing to do with shyness.
She angrily face-downed her phone onto her pillow, collapsed backward onto her bed, and covered her eyes with her arm.
Every interaction with Meruru ended up like this. She was clearly the one seeking help, yet she always lost the upper hand and ended up being teased. To make matters worse, she couldn't even argue back because Meruru had actually hit the nail on the head with some of her remarks.
Now she could finally understand how Mingyue felt. She resolved to be nicer to her in the future.
But despite her frustration, the matter of the files was finally settled.
If she could actually get her hands on the files, she would be able to figure out the mana signatures of Misa Tachibana and her former partner, which would make calibrating the resonance frequency much more precise.
And... the Association was that interested in her?
This could be a blessing or a curse. On the bright side, it might speed up the approval process for the files.
Rate on N.U.
