episode_0016

“Vine, have you entered? Did you get caught?”

“Yeah, Elli. Why are you so worried? This disguise you gave me is foolproof. Don’t worry, I won’t get caught.”

Haa, Elli sure worries a lot.

To infiltrate the Association, I dyed my hair a light brown, changed my eye color, even my gait and habits, everything is new.

I dressed appropriately, not in a uniform or anything like that.

And I researched various materials suitable for a girl of this age, so the chances of getting caught are close to zero.

I even have a device that hides the external emission of magic.

“Over here! Welcome to today’s special Association event, everyone! There are a lot of young friends here as well. You have the chance to meet the magical girls you’ve been admiring, so listen carefully, okay?”

As cute and enthusiastic responses from the children came back, the Association staff member holding the microphone smiled and guided them.

Well, I don’t want to get caught, so I had no choice but to follow and respond.

Hmm, I don’t know why people admire magical girls.

What’s so great about magical girls trying to interfere with our boss’s long-cherished dream?

And, I’m not impressed since I see them all the time anyway.

Following the staff member through a long corridor, we came to an exhibition hall explaining the history of magical girls.

A grandly decorated space that would awe anyone, children or adults, without exception.

I was impressed as well, but hmm. I didn’t expect it to be this big.

“Alright, pay attention here! Have you all been amazed by the magical girl history museum? Now, if you listen to the explanation, you’ll be even more amazed, so please follow along!”

The staff member suddenly pulled out a flag like you would see on a package tour and waved it, calling everyone over.

Following the guide, we saw the history museum. We had no choice but to follow obediently.

Battle videos of magical girls preserved on film, dioramas depicting the destruction of giant monsters.

Replicas of the costumes worn by magical girls throughout history, unreleased training videos.

And a large wall listing the names of all the villains who have appeared so far.

‘Eden Secret Society 2nd Division Head, ‘Dark Vine’ Vine’

And my name, still shining brightly.

“This is the list of villains who have appeared so far! We have gathered all the villains from the time when magical girls were secretly active.”

Most of the names were extinguished, leaving only the names of Eden members and other miscellaneous villains.

Hmm, by showing it like this, it creates the effect of having captured a lot of them, I guess they’re trying to promote themselves.

“Do you see the shining names over there? Among the names sporadically lit up, there is a list of villains written in a cluster. It’s over there where I’m pointing with the laser.”

“The names you see there are members of the famous ‘Eden’ secret society. Among them are individuals listed as villains.”

“Combining the ordinary members of the organization and the companies suspected to be their financial backers, it is estimated to have a minimum of 50,000 members worldwide. What they are hiding could be even larger.”

“At our Association, we collaborate with governments worldwide to make efforts for their complete eradication.”

“By the way, it is a well-known fact that magical girl Blanc is working hard to capture Eden’s ace, Vine.”

“Oh, by the way, the magical girl you will meet today is Blanc. It would be nice to give a word of encouragement to Blanc, who is working hard against Eden!”

Wait a minute. What did you say?

Meeting Blanc, does that mean we’ll hear some unique monster cries?

I already knew about the meeting between the magical girl and the guild leader.

What nonsense.

If Blanc shows up, the chances of being exposed… are too high.

As much as I investigated Blanc, they must have investigated me as well.

So, how to deliver this box…

For now, let’s go and think about it.

Right now, understanding the inner workings of this guild is more urgent than delivering this mission.

And so, following the employee to a wall with a list of names, we ended up moving to a place where information about villains was displayed.

After spending about 10 minutes freely exploring the area and following the employee’s instructions to move to the next location, I started to look around freely.

As I looked around a bit, there must be a section where they recorded me as well.

Vine, Vice Chief of the Secret Society Eden

Height: Approximately 138cm

First Appearance: May ****

The Vice Chief of Eden, currently a villain highly regarded in the guild for their overwhelming power and learning speed, appeared alongside a monster about ** years ago.

…

Why did they write down all these trivial things?

They even have combat footage.

My gun that I missed last time is here too.

Although the doctor gave me a new weapon now, that gun surprisingly fit well in this small hand.

As I continued to stand in front of my exhibit, the employee who was explaining to the excited boys in front of the monster diorama approached me.

“It looks like our friend Vine caught your eye here. The other friends are all interested in monsters, is there a reason for that?”

Oh no, why.

“Uh, th-that, th-that, well, th-that, I-I look around the same age as them, why, why…”

“Oh, are you curious why they became a villain? We haven’t figured that out either. They look around the same age as our friend, but why they became a villain, how they got into Eden, we’re trying to figure it out. Even though they look like this, they’re a very powerful villain in combat, so we’re working hard too. So, when you meet the magical girl soon, make sure to cheer for Vine to win. Okay?”

“Y-yes…”

Oh, did I, did I make it? They didn’t find out?

Fortunately, it seemed like the employee didn’t recognize my true identity.

After talking to me, they waved a flag near the exit of the exhibition hall, calling us over.

“Everyone!! Let’s move on to the next course! Gather around! We’re going to the training ground now!”

And so, I smoothly blended in with the group of children and moved to the training ground.

Acting as an ordinary child who doesn’t stand out too much or blend in too well.

Admiring the sculptures just enough, being surprised just enough.

And so, we arrived at the training ground.

“Everyone! We have now arrived at the place where the magical girls train. If you look down through this glass, you can see a wide indoor space and a pathway leading outside, right?”

“In this indoor area, various structures are set up to help the magical girls familiarize themselves with combat situations that may occur indoors, so they won’t be caught off guard in real battles. The indoor walls are all reinforced with magic, mana, so it’s used as a space for practicing the magical girls’ skills!”

“And if you come this way, you’ll see the outdoor training ground, where we support the magical girls through aerial mobility, outdoor combat training, etc., to prepare them for all situations.”

Continuing to point outside the glass, the excited employee continued their explanation.

“If you look over here, you can observe the magical girls training and sparring with each other. This area is safe, so feel free to watch, but please refrain from tapping on the glass or shining light that may disrupt the magical girls’ training, okay? Oh, in order to protect the privacy and prevent strategic leaks of the magical girls, please refrain from taking photos or videos inside. Now, let’s take a quick look and move on to the next area!”

As the employee said, two magical girls were sparring below.

One was timid… and the other had red hair.

Well, even though watching them spar didn’t really excite me, I should at least pretend to be amazed like the kids here if I don’t want to stand out with my behavior. But if I get too close to the wall, they might notice me, so I’ll just stay at a reasonable distance behind.

“Hey, friend! Come over here! Our kids are blocking the view. Hey, kids! Let your friend have a look too!”

From behind, a woman who seemed to be the mother of the children watching the magical girls helped me out.

Is this really helpful? I was actually fine standing at the back.

“Thank you. Wow…”

“They’re the magical girls who protect us, and seeing them in action up close, they’re even more impressive than I thought.”

“Wow… that’s true…”

Who would fall for such a clumsy attack?

Ah, I guess it might look strong to civilians.

Thinking about it that way, hmm, it is quite amazing.

If they suddenly exploded with a bang and a beam shot out from an axe, that would be truly surprising.

As I watched the magical girls spar, the magical girls inside waved at us.

Oh, wait.

I shouldn’t get caught.

I waved back as if I were meeting someone I admired for the first time, trying to hide my joy, and thankfully, it seemed like they didn’t notice.

They didn’t come over here and went back to focusing on their training.

“Did you see that? The magical girls waved at us!”

“Hey, they waved at me!”

“No, it was me!”

From behind, I could hear the kids arguing about who got waved at or who they waved at.

Hmm, if I were to join that fight, being constantly attacked with greetings, I might be able to completely blend in, don’t you think? With that thought in mind, I turned my gaze towards the sound coming from the door.

The employee’s voice could be heard saying it was time to move on to the next location.