Outbidding You All for This Egg
A blizzard suddenly whipped through the apartment complex where everyone had gathered to bid. It was getting to be winter, a season fitting for snow, but it was still too early for any flakes to fall. And from the start, there hadn't even been any warning signs—right now, a clear sun was shining down from the sky above.
This was unmistakably an anomaly.
The commotion that had been erupting all over the complex ground to a halt. And the awakeners, who made up the bulk of that chaos, all turned their heads in one direction. Toward the source of the massive magic power that had triggered this bizarre phenomenon. Or, in other words, toward their 'prize'.
* * *
Without any intent to hide, I released my magic power moderately as I transformed, shredding the concealment. The magic I emitted would serve as a signpost expressing my intentions.
"Uh, uh."
Anyway, that's how I revealed myself. Su-yeon's eyes went wide as saucers when she spotted the magical girl popping out of thin air.
"Hi! I'm a good magical girl. No need to be on guard..."
"It's Oniichan! Onii-chan!"
"What."
I was flustered as I caught Su-yeon, who came leaping at me—still clutching the egg in my arms.
"Wh-what? How?"
"Hehe. As if I'd forget Onii-chan?"
Grrr, she nuzzled her cheek against my chest like a cat. Was the perception inhibition weaker because we'd always been close?
"Impressive. Hmm... yeah. Long time no see."
"It's been so long. You've only met with Onii-sama before."
"Ahaha... That was business."
More importantly, this was my first time seeing her since the TS, but her persona was unchanged. The honorific had shifted from 'Oppa' to 'Onii-chan,' though. And somehow, the physical contact felt even more forward now. Probably because we were the same gender, making her more at ease.
"Ehehehe. With Onii-chan here to help, we're invincible now!"
"I only came to check because you sent that weird text."
"Hawawa?"
She apparently had no idea what text her brother had sent me. Just as I was about to show her the message, the door burst open violently.
"Su-yeon! Just now—from here, massive magic power!"
Charging in with a shout was, predictably, Su-yeon's brother and my (former) friend, Yoo Su-ho.
Had he awakened? I could sense magic from him. That must've been why he'd barged into the room—he'd felt the magic I'd scattered.
Hmm. Judging by Su-yeon, he'd recognize me right away too.
Thinking that, I gave an awkwardly polite wave to my (former) friend, whose relationship with me was in ruins.
"Hey. Long time."
"A magical girl? Crazy!"
"Huh."
Su-ho recoiled in horror at the sight of me. His attitude showed no sign of recognizing me as an old friend—or even the one who'd sent the first message—which left me flustered for the second time.
No way. He didn't recognize me either?
"Even Elice Calamity from the news...! Damn it."
"Onii-sama! It's Onii-chan! It's Onii-chan!"
Su-yeon let out a shrill bleat at Su-ho, who was spouting some serious line.
"That egg you... uh, what?"
"Idiot! I never dreamed you'd fail to recognize her even after seeing her in person!"
At his sister's outburst, which didn't hide her disbelief, Su-ho's face went blank. He clearly hadn't caught up with the sudden shift.
Hmm. This was the expected result for standard perception inhibition specs.
"Ha Seol-hee? Elice Calamity is Ha Seol-hee?!"
Oh. The classic reaction upon learning a magical girl's identity. It felt refreshingly novel, since it was the first time I'd experienced this scripted development since returning to Earth.
"Su-yeon. Even if everyone already knows a magical girl's identity, you can't just blab it around carelessly."
"Hawah? That's what you're pointing out?"
"Looks like you're on track to become a magical girl yourself. Consider this preemptive training—keep it in mind."
"?"
"What?"
I left that crucial advice for the aspiring magical girl and opened the window. The guests drawn by my signal would be arriving soon.
Honestly, I was a bit relieved there was no time for awkward chit-chat. From the situation, it seemed they'd requested help in a bizarre way... but you chose your helper. Figure it out through thick and thin.
"What does that mean..."
"Explanations later. Let's handle the emergency first, then talk."
I tossed out the classic line to cut the conversation, attaching ice crystals to the egg and the two of them. Then I hopped over the windowsill.
Hmm. Hopped, huh.
Jump, Elder! Jump!
I chuckled to myself, reciting a line I'd used to tease a comrade back in that other world. It hadn't landed properly since they never got it.
Man, I was getting a little hyped. A new magical girl junior (aspiring), and the person involved was a close acquaintance. I'd gotten excited without even realizing it. Or maybe it was relief from the burden of reuniting with that guy.
"Waaah!"
"Kyaaah?!"
As I stepped on air with those random thoughts, two screams harmonized beside me. The 'mascot dormant egg' was quiet, of course. I'd brought all three with magic.
I wanted them to see for themselves how things worked... and they were the parties involved, after all.
"Something's there!"
"A person? It's a person!"
Why go airborne? The shouts echoing below and the crowd swarming numbered at least dozens. If they'd all crammed indoors...
...they wouldn't have been able to breathe.
Thinking that, I gradually dispersed the magic. Four stories up was already too much distance, and the blizzard was getting in the way. I'd drawn enough eyes anyway.
Sweeping my gaze slowly over the ground, sure enough, nearly everyone who'd been bickering in the complex had gathered. Natural disaster-level crowd control, for sure.
...Though in reality, it was just magical trickery that wouldn't sustain the chill or pile up snow.
"A magical girl?"
"My god. That's...!"
"Elice Calamity!"
Anyway, with the blizzard clearing and visibility restored, the people on the ground grasped the situation just as quickly.
But now, no one failed to recognize my magical girl form. Even Su-ho, who broke through perception inhibition, instantly clocked me as a magical girl and Elice Calamity.
Hmm. Would this make things easier? Fame was always an advantage in these turf wars.
"Elice Calamity-nim. Why are you here?"
As I watched leisurely, a woman in a suit stepped forward from the military group. In response, I answered her question with one of my own.
"Hmm. And who might you be?"
"...My apologies. I'm Shin Hye-jin, head of the Awakener Recruitment Division in the Awakener Response Department."
"Response Department? Different from the Response Team?"
"The Response Team is one of the teams under our department's subjugation sector."
So that's how it worked. Modern organizations were like that. In the other world, we'd lumped everything together. This kind of division of labor felt unfamiliar.
"Got it. So, you asked why I'm here?"
"Yes."
"There's only one reason to crash a bidding war."
I pulled the hovering egg close and gave it a gentle pat as I declared:
"This thing you all bid on—I'll outbid you. Party's over, folks. Head home."
"What!"
"No way!"
"What right do you have to take it?!"
I'd hoped for a clean end. Unfortunately, even quoting that legendary line sparked immediate backlash.
Well, yeah... it's all about profit and loss. They'd been squabbling over this egg in the complex for quite a while. Even knowing who I was, expecting them to back off easily was unrealistic. Especially with their numbers. Crowds breed courage where there was none.
Of course... I had a set response for that.
"Got a problem?"
"You call that no problem?!"
"We've waited and suffered just for a shot at recruitment!"
"This is kidnapping, right? Kidnapping! A magical girl can't just do this?!"
Did they sense something? Or had they heard rumors? Shin Hye-jin, the first to question me amid the backlash to my half-taunting follow-up, stayed silent. A sidelong glance showed her inching back.
...Quick on the uptake.
"Kidnapping? Strong words."
"Then what is it?!"
"You all agreed to keep it civil with proposals only—and now you're barging into homes!"
Of course, I'd come at an SOS, unlike them. Too bad I hadn't coordinated words with Su-ho, so revealing it wouldn't help. Not that I'd planned to from the start.
I secretly beckoned the sibling duo, who watched the scene with weary faces. Shh. They were just observing so far, but if they jumped in heatedly, it could snag on something pointless.
"I'm different from you all. I'm just here to protect the mascot that hatches from this egg."
"Mascot?"
"The thing hatching is a magical girl's mascot?"
"Lies! How would you know?!"
"But that magical girl..."
Sorry, but I lack negotiation skills. If the principals jumped in and it turned into a full debate, I couldn't handle it.
In short, I hadn't expected anything from the start. Revealing the egg's contents was a casual 'what if'—unlikely to work, but hey. Plus, I felt bad sending them off clueless.
What, you think people would back off if a magical girl claimed it as magical girl business?
"You're just making stuff up because you want it too!"
"Even if it hatches, what makes it yours?!"
"If you're aboveboard, negotiate fair and square! Negotiate!"
As if. Evidence was thin, and with profits on the line, minor truths meant nothing. Magical girl persuasion technique #1—appeal to sincerity—loses effect here. What was needed was deals, compromise: political savvy.
And as I think I said before... I lack that, and even invoking the greater good is a stretch.
Thus, magical girl persuasion technique #2.
"Fox Blizzard Blindness."
A blade of pure white formed in my left hand. A sword blade shaped like a fox tail, with a cute silver fox curled up on the guard.
Compared to Bingryuna, it was still an immature beloved sword: Fox Blizzard Blindness. Following chat advice, I'd been bonding with it lately, and now it asserted its presence.
"Kuh!"
"Wh-what is this...!"
"Gahk!"
A magical girl, after all, appeals with sincerity—and if that fails, makes them 'see reason.' Blast 'em with magic beam cannons to break brainwashing or make friends effortlessly. In the other world, this persuasion method—backed by the hero's justice or witch's logic—smashed countless impasses. Or, put simply, the industry's tradition of crushing with raw power.
I pulled Su-yeon close, tucking her firmly under my arm.
...She was 20cm taller, so I looked like a kid hugging a giant plushie.
Anyway, with a delighted-looking Su-yeon in tow, I looked down at those crushed by Fox Blizzard Blindness's pressure.
"Sorry, but taking my aspiring junior with me? That's already set in stone."
If you've got complaints, speak up—industry style. From what I'd seen, things ran the same everywhere.
Recalling the time I'd kidnapped an emperor from the battlefield, I declared ownership of Su-yeon.