Super Genius Magical Girl Corruption Plan (4)

I intended to obediently follow any plan.

Even if the style was different from my activities as a Phantom Thief Lupin, I had never done anything as part of a team before. I thought it would be better to just go along with her.

I had no complaints about being assigned to this infiltration team. Given my past record of disguising myself and sweeping valuables from noble homes, Ciel must have thoroughly reviewed all my records, making this a suitable placement.

While I could understand Soo-ah, who felt like a blend of a ninja and a Magical Girl, my doubts about ChuChu, clad head-to-toe in pristine platinum armor whose face I had never seen, remained.

Neither of them showed any particular resistance or dislike towards the instructions…and neither did I.

“Ciel, when is the operation taking place? What’s the scale? Does it absolutely have to be in a No-Touch Booth?”

“…Should we tie Hyun-ah up too?”

“Haaah…I wonder if I can nominate all three at once~.”

With a cheer, Hyun-ah began to run wild in more ways than one.

Just imagining them as bunny girls seemed to excite her quite a bit, as she looked at the three members of the infiltration team in turn, a satisfied smile on her face.

She’s already planning to enjoy herself, isn’t she?!

“Hey, just tie her up too. Shove something in her mouth to shut her up.”

Mera, seemingly annoyed that only she was tied up and dangling, shot a fiery glare at Hyun-ah, expressing her irritation.

“At the company, everyone listens carefully to what I say…but if one person goes wild, the flow gets broken…well, that’s why I like it here.”

Ciel, muttering softly, smiled for an unknown reason and extended mechanical arms from the floor and ceiling, grabbing the screaming Hyun-ah, and then further taped shut her incessantly raging mouth.

This is why Ciel always scratches her head, complaining that meetings take too long.

“Now it’s finally quiet…So, anyone have questions or objections about the team assignments?”

“Ungkeueueup..! Ubeubeueueup!!”

“Besides Hyun-ah.”

“…..Me.”

Right next to me.

It was Miwol, the team leader, whose expression had darkened since the team assignments.

“Sunbae…I was thinking, what if we send Lapin-ssi as a guest instead…?”

“It’s the leader’s opinion, but may I hear your reason? If you can change the Super Genius-nim’s mind, I’ll consider it.”

I was fine with it, but Miwol seemed to have a problem with me joining, so she cleared her throat slightly and presented her opinion.

“You said, Ciel, that magic cast outside the Seductive Castle, Black Rose is blocked by a system, right? So if a dangerous situation arises before the escape execution date, we’d have to resolve it ourselves, wouldn’t we?”

“That’s right. Luna, do you understand why I assigned Soo-ah and ChuChu to the infiltration team?”

“..Yes. Soo-ah unnie can use magic to disrupt enemies and has the fastest speed among us, so she can escape alone in an emergency. ChuChu…can withstand any attack as long as she’s inside her armor, and she can buy us time until we arrive…right?”

“Oh~ That’s correct. You understand perfectly. As expected, you’re an excellent student recognized by the Super Genius~.”

Soo-ah’s various methods for escaping alone and ChuChu’s ironclad durability were Ciel’s reasons for selecting them.

Miwol also quickly provided an answer, considering their characteristics, but at the words “Then what about Lapin?”, she seemed speechless and couldn’t say anything.

Seeing Miwol in distress, Ciel thought it might be torture at this point and offered to speak for her, continuing the conversation.

“..It’s hard to say it out loud even if you know, isn’t it? I thought you two were quite close, so you would have talked…Lapin, didn’t you say anything?”

“Huh? What talk?”

“Why didn’t you say anything…? Did you think I’d just send you with clothes and a gun?”

Ciel sighed in frustration and operated a panel, and what emerged from the round table was…an object that looked like a lens.

“We’re in the same boat, so I have to make sure you get proper welfare and benefits. And Lapin! You should have made sure our leader didn’t worry.”

It’s not just that I didn’t talk about what happened at the laboratory…the cafe work was busy.

On top of that, on the very day the human rights fee was settled, that breast milk pervert Holmes even came and caused such a ruckus before leaving…so I had no time to talk about what happened at the laboratory.

Saying I thought Ciel would have told her would probably be an excuse…Since I’d been with Miwol longer, Ciel probably expected me to be the one to tell her.

“It’s fine, what’s the point of looking back at the past? We need to move forward. I’ll explain the equipment later, so the two of you stay behind when this is over.”

“Back to the operation briefing: the infiltration team should focus on collecting information about the monsters, mainly through the No-Touch Booth and serving. If you think something is dangerous, do not act alone; reporting is mandatory. Understood? Absolutely do not try to resolve things by yourselves.”

“Identify the living spaces and movement patterns of the kidnapped rebel army members. If there are any structures I haven’t identified, be sure to remember them. They are elements that must be removed if there’s any difficulty escaping through underground tunnels.”

“Even if it’s to get Magical Girls from other regions to join the operation, you must absolutely not proceed with it as a show. We are Magical Girls…understood?”

“The infiltration start date is one week from now; gather in front of the Black Rose. Since you’ll be entering as staff, I’ll make the tools, and I’ll send you the interview questions to your phones first. Rest easy until then~ That concludes the briefing, dismissed!”

Ciel, seemingly exhausted from the meeting, chugged a milkshake in one go. She drank it so refreshingly that it made me want one too.

As if she quickly read my mind, an identical cup filled with pristine white ice shards was placed in front of Miwol’s and my table.

“The briefing was really well done…”

“Kyaa, it’s so sweet~. This is nothing compared to real life…How was it? Lapin’s first meeting, was it okay?”

I’m self-employed, and it was my first time participating in a meeting like this for future planning…even though Hyun-ah and Mera caused a ruckus in the middle.

Still, if there were a large corporate meeting, wouldn’t it feel something like this? Her attitude of always calling herself a Super Genius hadn’t disappeared, but she seemed quite different.

“It drains me every time I do it…Mera gets angry at the drop of a hat, Hyun-ah clings persistently, and ChuChu and Soo-ah have no opinions, so I can’t get through to them…You need an active employee like Luna to make talking worthwhile, you know?”

“…”

“You’re still not convinced about Lapin infiltrating?”

“…I don’t know. You, Ciel, Mera, ChuChu…and the unnies. You’re all precious friends, but…”

“Especially, I find myself wanting to care more about Sunbae.”

Miwol, stating that a leader should treat everyone equally, expressed the mysterious feelings that had blossomed in her heart.

She wanted to take care of them even more.

What could she do?

She felt something more than just the natural feelings of a colleague, like “What if they push themselves too hard and get into danger?” She fiddled with the straw placed in front of her.

“Well, that is…hmm…uhm…”

“It’s probably because we’ve known each other for a long time. We’re not just ordinary acquaintances, are we?”

When sitting, I was…a little taller. Just a tiny bit.

Stroking her hair while looking into her eyes…isn’t bad.

“..Sunbae?”

“Me too. Even after I found out you, Miwol, were a Magical Girl, I worried, but we have such a good team, don’t we? Thinking that, I quickly felt relieved.”

It was I who reached a conclusion before the worried Miwol, and before Ciel, who couldn’t answer the question.

Even if it might be a little different, I had felt similar emotions many times before.

“It might be because I’m a civilian, but…don’t worry too much. That capable magic techie over there is going to upgrade me. So please trust me, Miwol-ah.”

“Who’s a magic techie, who~? I’m a Super Genius Magical Girl!”

Slowly lowering the hand that had been stroking her silver hair so as not to mess it up, I gave a gentle smile.

While I was doing that, Ciel tickled me wildly with her mechanical hands, telling me to correct myself…but beyond my laughter, I clearly heard it.

“…I’ll trust you,” she said.

“I’ll trust you, but…you mustn’t go along with all the strange requests customers make. Understood? If they tell you to take off more, you absolutely must refuse. Absolutely, okay?”

“Ah, alright…”

Indeed…it would be strange not to worry.

The kidnapped women don’t escape, showing no signs of resistance, nor are there any traces of a struggle…What methods did they use, exactly?

The Black Rose, a castle of entertainment and gambling frequently visited by wealthy Clausin and nobles.

With the Seven Stars Council having strengthened laws against Magical Girls, pushing them towards oppression, and now having to infiltrate enemy territory to recruit other teams…is this what it feels like to be a moth flying into a flame?

“Ciel, what functions does the lens you showed at the meeting have?”

“Ah…that, you see······”

Good.

A phantom thief who saves the world…that’s not bad, is it?

There are six reliable Magical Girls. There’s nothing to be afraid of.

“······I’ve put these functions into it. It’ll be quite useful.”

“You’ve packed so much into it…More importantly, what about the cafe in a week? If I’m recognized at the Black Rose, it could cause quite a problem…”

Not only had daily sales skyrocketed, but a fan club like Lapin Dan had formed…I’d become far more famous than expected.

I can’t imagine there wouldn’t be any Lapin Dan members who wouldn’t go to the Black Rose…and escaping afterward is also a problem. It’s possible they might come to kidnap more people besides the rebel army women…

“Ciel, is there something like…perception-blocking magic?”

“What do you take me for~? Since I can’t create fake identities, I have to have something like that. All our kids can use it, so don’t worry too much. Even if other people recognize you, Lapin, as a beauty, they won’t see you as Lee Seri.”

“Uh…it seems like the preparations are perfect now?”

“Of course~ It’s perfect as long as the Super Genius-nim is here. Infiltrate subtly, escape spectacularly! Let’s show our prestige to the other teams~~!”

Seven days until the Black Rose infiltration.