Bai Ziye

(Bai Ziye)

Mmm… I was struck in the head by that creature’s water bullet and blacked out.

The moment my consciousness returned, I understood what had happened. Since I was still alive and waking up in a bed, it meant that unusual freak had already been dealt with by another magical girl—Sailuno, most likely.

“Ah—”

I opened my eyes to an unfamiliar ceiling. Though unfamiliar, it wasn’t hard to guess where I was. This was a medical facility under the Association. Just yesterday, I had accompanied Yang Yan here. I never expected to be the one lying flat today.

I tried to sit up, but found myself wrapped in bandages. A sharp pain from my back forced me fully awake. There were no plaster casts, so the injuries seemed to be purely superficial. To have taken a finishing move of that scale and only end up with flesh wounds—I might be tougher than I realized.

Turning my head slightly, I saw A-Yao sitting beside the bed with a fidgety, uneasy expression.

“Have you been waiting here for me to wake up this whole time?”

“Mm…” She looked like a primary schooler who had done something terribly wrong. She sat by the bed, avoiding my gaze, before finally stammering out, “Miss Miluno… I’m… I’m so sorry.”

Her first words were an apology. I didn’t quite know how to respond. After a moment of silence, I could only force out a quiet, “I’m fine.”

But saying that only made her blame herself more. “Because of my carelessness, Miss Miluno ended up so badly injured…”

“It wasn’t your fault. No one expected that creature to abandon its own defense just to pull off an ambush.”

“I still held you back.”

Troublesome. This airhead was stuck in a spiral of negative emotions. How was I supposed to comfort her?

Knock, knock—

There was a knock at the door. Sailuno pulled herself together and trotted over to open it.

The person who entered was Yin Lu, the liaison officer. She wore her iconic black suit, but with a red shirt underneath today. In her hand, she carried a plastic bag with lunch boxes. As soon as she stepped in, she greeted us cheerfully.

“Yo! You’re awake? I never thought our invincible ‘Moonlit Gale’ would end up in here, too. Is it because there’s no moon in the daytime?”

“…No, it’s all my fault.” Sailuno’s head drooped again.

Yin Lu quickly backpedaled. “I wasn’t blaming you! Sailuno, your personality is way too gloomy, isn’t it? Look at things more positively!”

“Mm…” Sailuno nodded, but showed no signs of actually being positive.

I’d have to give her a pep talk later. Of course, that was on the condition that I could transform back into my civilian self first.

“How are you feeling, Miss Miluno? Your recovery speed is impressive—you should be discharged in two days.”

I shook my head. “…No. I’m leaving soon.”

“What? So soon?” Sailuno looked worried.

“I’ll recover at home.”

“You really don’t trust the Association, do you?” Yin Lu sighed.

I pushed against the bed to sit up. Sailuno, afraid I’d tear my wounds, ran back to my side to support me.

“I am a staunch advocate for identity concealment,” I said firmly. I looked down at my hospital gown. “You changed my clothes… where is my battle suit?”

“It was shredded by the fragments from that barrage,” Sailuno answered. “The back was full of holes, so Miss SpiCa took it for repairs… Oh, and your twin swords were handed over to Miss Metal for re-sharpening.”

I tried moving my body and replied, “I know Metal—the ‘Steel Dragon’ of Sector C4—but who is this SpiCa?”

“She’s the director of the Association’s Tactical Division,” Yin Lu introduced. “She was also once a magical girl, known as Virgo.”

Tactical Division? I frowned coldly. “That big shot took my battle suit just for repairs?”

“Uh… she might also examine and analyze it a bit…” Yin Lu’s voice shrank with guilt.

“This is exactly why I don’t trust the Association. You always say one thing and do another behind our backs.”

Damaged battle suits would automatically repair and even clean themselves once withdrawn into the Star Crystal. No third party was needed for repairs. Virgo’s motives were obvious. Even if I got it back, I’d have to inspect it thoroughly—who knew if she’d planted tracking devices inside?

Yin Lu hung her head. “Miss SpiCa instructed that if you can walk, I’m to bring you to see her.”

“How long was I unconscious?”

Sailuno glanced at the clock. It was nearly six in the evening. “About four hours, counting from when the battle ended.”

Four hours. That was quite a while. I threw off the thin blanket and got out of bed. The pain in my back was manageable. As long as I didn’t make any sudden movements, it should heal in a couple of days—but transforming back to my male form might hurt like hell.

“The busy director of the Tactical Division stayed here this long?” Changkong City was a large hub, but it was still quite a distance from the headquarters… How had she gotten here so quickly?

“Besides having something to tell you, she also needs to settle that mermaid Witch,” Yin Lu answered.

“…What?” My eyes narrowed. “That creature is still alive?”

****

In the ascending elevator, I listened to Sailuno recount a startling truth.

“Is that right… she ‘used to be a magical girl’?”

“What exactly is going on?” Sailuno asked, her voice trembling. “I’ve never heard of magical girls turning into monsters or… Witches.”

“This involves a lot of classified information. I don’t know the details myself. It’s better for Miss Virgo to tell you in person.”

Apparently, Sailuno didn’t know much either. It looked like SpiCa was waiting for me to wake up before explaining. Also…

“Sailuno, don’t hold the tablet like that. Yang Yan isn’t dead yet.”

The idiot was holding the tablet with both hands, showing a video call with Yang Yan. Held that way, it looked exactly like a memorial portrait at a funeral. Yang Yan was sprawled on her hospital bed, unable even to use a wheelchair. Only through this method could she feel involved.

Sailuno gave a panicked “Oh!” and held the tablet above her head instead.

The elevator doors opened.

“This is the top floor of the medical facility,” Yin Lu explained. “It belongs to the Association’s Research Department, so there are no doctors here—only researchers.”

“Research Department? Specializing in researching magical girls?” I frowned. The Association was indeed doing exactly what I had suspected. And they placed it right on the top floor of a hospital—were the magical girls being treated downstairs essentially lab rats for them?

“Uh, Miss Miluno’s prejudice against the Association really is…” Yin Lu was put on the spot, but another woman’s voice cut in to explain.

“It’s not just researching magical girls. We also study those External Invaders. The bodies of ‘Rockmelt’ and the ‘Thunder God’ that you handled yesterday were sent here for dissection and research. Every major city has such an institution. Only by thoroughly understanding their structure can humanity have a chance to fight back. Perhaps our methods are unacceptable to you, but our goals are ultimately the same.”

My first impression of the speaker was her black hair—meticulously cared for. She was a Caucasian woman in her forties, wearing a white lab coat one size too large. Although she was unhealthily thin, her gaze was resolute.

She was SpiCa. The legendary magical girl known as the “Master Strategist.”