Chapter 64: Omen (1)

At the ground-level entrance to the Control Bureau stood an old, run-down container warehouse.

The forest where the Bureau was located was already littered with industrial waste and construction debris, so the facility didn’t stand out much.

The area was buried deep enough in the mountains that not even roads had been built—civilians hardly ever came near it.

Transport in and out was only possible via airlifts.

It was remote, cut off from everything.

Because of that, heavy transport helicopters were constantly lifting off throughout the day, carrying massive quantities of supplies and personnel.

Thud-thud-thud—

A massive helicopter slowly descended toward a clearing disguised as a landing zone.

It was a VIP transport bearing the Control Bureau’s emblem: a black snake.

Only after the rotors came to a complete stop did two heavily guarded figures emerge.

“…I still don’t understand why they’d set up here. Isn’t the transport cost alone astronomical?”

“The Control Bureau’s main headquarters shouldn’t be somewhere easily discovered. I think it’s fine! Who cares how much it costs when you’re footing the bill, Mr. Steven!”

Covering her mouth with a black fan emblazoned with a gold snake, Kakoshinomiya Miko smiled with her eyes.

The snake pattern embroidered on her modified yukata glittered under the sunlight.

Steven, watching her, frowned.

( TL NOTE: Steven is a former U.S. Army colonel and now the head of the external faction trying to seize control of the Bureau.)

“…Let’s move.”

“Yesss, yes~ Let’s do that!”

With her hands clasped behind her back, Miko took the lead alongside the bodyguards, and Steven followed behind.

Steven couldn’t accept that this woman—so frivolous and childish for her age—was supposedly his equal.

That Jap btch was just born into the right family.

Backed by the overwhelming capital of the Federal Reserve and the CIA, Steven had tried to seize total control of the Bureau.

But he kept getting blocked—again and again—by this woman named Miko.

The pressure from investors and the CIA was mounting fast.

There won’t be another chance.

As the head of the external faction, Steven had already failed repeatedly.

And every failure had been because of Miko.

The proposals he had presented to the Judgment Committee for overtaking the Bureau had been repeatedly vetoed by Miko.

If this operation failed too, he would be purged.

Someone else would take his place.

Someone else would continue the covert infiltration of the Bureau.

This unusual joint visit with Miko—both of them on-site—was an opportunity he absolutely had to exploit.

This was Steven’s last chance.

No matter what it takes, Miko must be eliminated.

With his resolve steeled, Steven stepped forward.

Clang—

“…Not even a greeting party?”

Steven muttered aloud as he stared into the empty elevator leading down into the Bureau.

“I told Hojoon not to bother! No need to go through the hassle, and I said to keep it quiet from the other agents!”

…Goddamn Jap btch.*

Steven’s hand clenched into a fist, and he forced himself to stay calm.

He would eliminate Miko—once they were underground.

Magical girl rampage.

A terrorist attack disguised as an accident.

Some agents would die, but that wasn’t his concern.

They were tools—replaceable at any time.

CLANG!

With a mechanical whir, the elevator doors opened.

“…You’ve arrived.”

“Hojoon! You’ve been waiting, haven’t you? Gosh, it’s been forever! How long has it been? Is your daughter doing well? I’ve been so worried since you haven’t called~!”

Miko dashed forward and hugged Hojoon tightly.

“M-Miko-nim!”

The bodyguards looked flustered, unsure what to do, glancing between the two.

“…It’s fine.”

Hojoon welcomed Miko with a gentle smile.

While the two were locked in their embarrassingly warm reunion—

“…What the hell is this.”

Steven stepped forward, frowning deeply.

“Oh, me too…!”

Miko blushed and stepped back a few paces, while Hojoon adjusted his glasses and stepped back as well.

The lights in the corridor reflected off Hojoon’s lenses, and a tense silence fell between the three of them.

“Hojoon, shall we get going? It’s been a while since I’ve been in the Bureau!”

“I’ll take you to the Control Room.”

Han Hojoon.

A man who rose to the Deputy Director of the Bureau in the blink of an eye after catching Miko’s eye.

He was clearly the internal faction’s key figure.

He was even called Miko’s right hand.

He needed to be eliminated too.

Though Hojoon was Miko’s ally, there were factions within the Bureau loyal to Steven as well.

Agents he had bribed with money and favors were now embedded throughout the organization.

Among them, those responsible for magical girl production facilities were central to this operation.

A drug capable of inducing magical girl rampage artificially.

A convenient tool provided by the CIA.

The agents would inject this drug into second-generation magical girls they had already incapacitated.

Once they began rampaging, chaos would erupt in the Bureau.

During the confusion, hitmen disguised as guards would take out Miko.

The best-case scenario: Miko dies in the incident, and Steven’s involvement is never revealed.

It was an absurdly reckless plan.

Steven himself was risking his life.

But—

He had no other choice.

This was his final shot.

If he failed again, the CIA would have him erased—along with his family.

If he died here alongside Miko, at least his family would be safe.

Steven, a former US Army colonel, had lost all sense of patriotism.

Ever since that unknown figure, the so-called “Witch,” infiltrated the CIA, the country had begun to spiral into madness.

His ideals were gone.

His oath to serve the nation had become meaningless.

Steven acted only to survive.

Not for himself—but for his family.

That was his duty as the head of the household.

Steven hardened his resolve.

Miko had to die.

Once she was gone, he could invest massive resources into seizing the Bureau.

Turn it into a puppet state—exactly as the nation wanted.

A fire of resolve blazed in Steven’s chest.

Bzzzzzt—

The heavy steel doors opened to reveal the Bureau’s control room, crowded with countless agents.

And—

“…N-Nice to meet you.”

At the front of the room—

Sitting in a wheelchair, wearing a forced smile, Ianna waved feebly.

“…Hojoon, is that…”

“Yes. That’s Janwol.”

Steven unconsciously stepped forward.

Janwol—Ianna—looked pitifully small and fragile.

They said she’d once been a legendary magical girl, but now, she looked completely pathetic.

On top of that—

Her face reminded Steven of his daughter.

His eleven-year-old, just about to graduate elementary school.

He hadn’t seen his family in so long that his longing blurred his vision.

Steven blinked and looked at Ianna again.

He’d heard of her.

She was the girl who drained a ridiculous portion of the Bureau’s budget.

One of the reasons he and Miko had come in person was to discuss her fate with Hojoon.

They needed to debate seriously—

Was she really necessary to the “pest extermination” project?

“Oh my, Janwol…! It’s been so long! Do you remember me? I saw you once when I was just a little girl…!”

“Uh, huh…?”

“You visited with my dad! You even gave me a pendant! I wrote you letters all the time, but you never replied… I was heartbroken~!”

Miko threw her fan aside and dashed toward Ianna.

In Miko’s dark, endlessly deep pupils, the reflection of Ianna’s upturned face glimmered.

The past was gone.

Her once-white hair was dull, her skin pale, her eyes dazed and cloudy.

Her beauty was still there, but her body had changed drastically.

Miko had only seen her through reports and photos—but seeing her in person stirred something unexpected.

Deep inside, Miko sneered.

Endless ridicule for Ianna.

“U-Um…”

“Can I hug you? Please? You hugged me when I was little!”

Without hesitation, Miko scooped Ianna into a hug.

Hojoon simply smiled gently, just as he always did.

Byeolhwa, watching from a distance, felt a sharp pain in her chest.

…Why is she hugging her?

Was she weighing her?

Planning how easy it would be to carry her away?

Byeolhwa assumed Miko had come to take Ianna.

She’d heard from Hojoon that this inspection had something to do with Ianna.

“Ugh… motion sickness…”

Miko rocked Ianna back and forth in her arms.

No one—except for Byeolhwa—noticed the truth.

Miko was literally weighing Ianna.

Calculating how much had been invested in her, thinking over how best to dispose of her.

…What an expensive doll.

With a smiling gaze, Miko rubbed her cheek affectionately against Ianna’s face.