Ch.148148. Follow-up Measures

“Vine has really returned?”

That’s what the Association Chairman said as he entered the room.

Of course, if he had checked what was actually happening in this room first, he would have said something else.

For example…

“Kids…? What… what’s going on here…?”

“Ah, Chairman!”

“Chairman, you’re here?”

“Seohyun…? Yuri…? What are you doing…?”

“Ah… Chairman! We captured her! We captured Vine!”

“Yes, I know that… but what exactly is happening right now…?”

Even the Chairman seems to think the current situation isn’t normal.

Well, of course…

Several magical girls piling on top of a small child.

This… scene looks… how should I put it…

It wouldn’t look appropriate even to adults, would it?

“Ugh… Ch-Chairman… p-please save me…”

“Hmm… Girls…? Would you mind getting off her…?”

“What…? No way! This heinous villain might slip out of this collar and leave us at any moment!”

At the red-haired girl’s words,

“That’s right…! Actually, I want to attach a chain to this collar and keep her locked up at home…! I really, really want to make a collar that would prevent her from ever escaping again…! But you have to allow us this much restraint! This is actually quite gentle!”

Arin added.

“That’s riiiight. Hehehe… Vine? Won’t you look at this big sister? Don’t you want to play a nice game with me…? I can treat you so well… hehe…”

And then, Baeksu too.

“Girls… please get off her first. That… that kind of desire should be expressed in other ways.”

“What…? Desire? Do you know how… how worried we’ve been…? I actually wanted to say much worse things, but… now that Vine has returned… and the brainwashing is gone… so I’m being lenient. I don’t want to lose her again… not Vine…”

“Vine… are you going back to Eden again…?”

“…Yes. There’s something I need to ask.”

“What do you want to ask?”

“Why… why they really did it. If what I heard is true. If so… why they did it. If there was a reason they had to do it.”

“Will you come back after asking just that?”

“Depends on the answer. Of course… it probably won’t meet even my minimum ideal standard…”

The Chairman listened carefully to my words.

Then, turning to the magical girls pressing down on me:

“See, did you hear that? She said she won’t leave you. Is there anyone here who thinks Eden’s boss genuinely cares about humans, doesn’t treat subordinates like tools, and is kinder and more altruistic than anyone else?”

“…No.”

“Come on, get off her now. Vine just woke up. Should she have to deal with such stressful things right away? Quickly.”

At the Chairman’s words, without argument—well, with some complaints—they released me immediately.

…I might be able to handle one person at a time.

But when so many people are pressing down on me like that. Even a monster would feel distressed…

Blanc helped me back to the bed, as I couldn’t move after being pinned to the floor.

“Now, let’s end this touching reunion and villain capture here… You need to rest properly. And we’ll take some photos for public release.”

“…Something for the public. Ah, since you’ve recaptured me, you need to send a message to the public to reassure them. Yes… I understand.”

Of course, since a villain has escaped.

There must be a corresponding punishment.

“…If I’m to be thrown into Marina, could you grant me one last request…? I really… want to ask the boss about his true intentions…”

As I pleaded with the Chairman,

Blanc answered for him with a smile.

“Look around you. Aren’t these all people who owe you?”

“…What?”

“If all these magical girls say they hate you and never want to see you again, I’ll personally throw you into Marina. But… I don’t want to put you in Marina in the first place.”

“What…? But I was captured once and escaped as a vill—”

“Escape? To be precise… it was just a civilian’s ‘trip.’ You’ve already paid for your crimes. We have no grounds to punish you just for leaving our vicinity.”

“B-but… the sealing device…”

“The sealing device, you’re wearing it right now, aren’t you…?”

“What…?”

“You never took it off. Right?”

“…But it must have been caught on camera…?”

“Hmm? That never happened. All surveillance cameras malfunctioned that day for some reason. Perhaps Eden rushed in without properly setting up magic barriers, so we failed to collect evidence…?”

“No, not those cameras… like the amusement park CCTV…”

“Those? Nothing special was recorded there. Oh, except footage of Eden remnants forcibly brainwashing and kidnapping an innocent civilian. So, what’s the problem?”

“…Isn’t that too far-fetched…?”

“We already witnessed the brainwashing with our own eyes. And… based on circumstantial evidence from various magical girls, we learned that an innocent civilian had fallen under severe brainwashing. Plus, with certification from the Queen of the other world. We have nothing to worry about.”

“…Who would believe such an absurd excuse…? The people…?”

“Huh? What are you saying? It’s just to counter rumors. Isn’t that more than enough?”

“What…?”

“No official news article has ever been published. Not one. Of course… fake journalists who only read internet rumors might have written something… but official confirmation is what matters most, right? Look here, cheese!”

Then she wrapped me in her arms and took a photo with a click.

I don’t even know what expression I made, I was so surprised…

“Now… cover the face… make sure the sealing device is visible. Like this… once I post this on social media, those malicious rumors will disappear. And… it will be as if none of this ever happened.”

“What happened can’t just become unhappened…”

“It was simply… an accident. Yes, an accident. No need to deal with it any further. You don’t need to worry about it either.”

“…Sigh.”

Is it too much to entrust myself to this simple-minded person…?

But still…

“I’ll walk into Marina voluntarily.”

“What? Who decided that? I’m telling you this isn’t a punishment. You need to provide some ‘therapy’ to our magical girls whose hearts you’ve wounded.”

“What…?”

“You dare try to escape to Marina…? After tearing our hearts apart?”

“Sister is going to Marina…? Who decided that?”

“Vine… it seems like you and I need a long, serious talk…”

“What…? I, I don’t think that’s necessary…?”

“What are you sayiiing? My heart is thiiiis wounded? Even more sad than when you were corrupted?”

“Th-there’s no way that’s true…”

“Do you think I’m lying?”

“Hii, hiik…”

When you look at me with such scary eyes…

I have nothing to say…

“Alright, alright. That’s enough. What are you doing in front of someone who’s hurt? Anyway… we’ll handle the press on our end. Yoonseul, just manage the public opinion well.”

“Then… I’ll subtly leak that Vine came to visit the Association.”

“Good… When are you planning to go back?”

“I think… we need a lot of conversation. We didn’t even properly fulfill the employment conditions we agreed on with Vine. We need a thorough discussion between contractors… Well, it’s not something we can just let slide.”

“Right… handle it well. Taking care of a runaway child is family’s job.”

“W-who’s family…?”

“Hmm? Aren’t you?”

“N-no, I’m not…”

What is this Chairman talking about…

W-why would I be family to these magical girls…

The Chairman left the room after saying that.

…Left behind were the magical girls, Ellie, and me…

“…”

I’m pretty sure there wasn’t anger in their eyes until just now…

Why… now…

…I-I should apologize first…

“I-I’m sorry…”

“What are you sorry for?”

“Ugh… that question is the hardest to answer…”

“Vine. Do you know how worried we were?”

“We worried about you more than you can imagine. Especially Seohyun…”

“Ah, sister…!”

“What? It’s true, isn’t it, Seohyun?”

“If we’re talking about that, you were all just as bad!”

“Well… it’s hard to fight with Vine…”

“Yoonseul did all the fighting though.”

In the middle of this conversation, Arin approached me again.

“Sister… anyway… I’m so glad you’re back… Please, please don’t leave again… please…”

“…Arin.”

“I… really, really worried I might never see you again… worried if the Vine I knew would ever return… I was so scared of that version of you… scared of you not remembering me…”

“…I’m sorry, Arin.”

“After taking my first like that… sob…”

As Arin burst into tears again.

What she said in the midst of it.

“Wait… Arin, what…?”

“Arin? First time…? What exactly did you two do…?”

“Arin…?”

“Seon Arin…?”

“Arin…?”

All the magical girls and even Ellie stared at Arin…

While Arin just kept crying quietly…

That arrow began to fly toward me.

“Vine? What’s this about taking Arin’s first time? I need a proper explanation for what that means…”

“That’s right. What happened?”

“U-um… let’s calm down first…”

“How can we calm down…? Vine, what did you do…?”

“I-I don’t know…! I-I can’t remember well…!”

“Y-you don’t remember…? O-our time in the Ferris wheel…”

“N-no…! Arin…! D-don’t say such things now…?!”

“Ferris wheel? Just the two of you? Secretly??? First tiiiime??!?!”

Wait…

Why is this escalating…?

The magical girls’ angry barrage of questions only ended after the sun had set.

I feel like my very soul has been… threshed.

Please… save me…