One-on-One

We rode the Association President's private elevator and stepped off at the twenty-eighth floor. As I got out I snuck a glance at the display — twenty-eight through thirty-five all appeared to be reception halls.

"We call them reception halls, but we only use them that way when someone's booked the venue. The rest of the time, it's where the magical girls beat the crap out of each other in spars."

"Still sharp as ever, I see."

"Still?"

Ah. Said too much. I walked past Eve as she looked at me, puzzled, and took in the room.

"This is where the meetings are held. It's also the day all the metropolitan branch leaders from across the country gather, so they use the reception hall."

"That so."

"Nothing's changed in here at all. It's exactly the same as when I left. Oh — Unni, look. Over there."

Dusick was pointing at a pristine white marble pillar, where a deep, circular dent remained, as if something had struck it with tremendous force.

"That's from when I sparred with Precure. I hit it. Can't believe it's still there."

"Hit it with what?"

"My fist."

"Did you win or lose?"

"I lost…"

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Dusick's shoulders sagged. Well. You fight enough times, you win some and you lose some. That's just how it goes.

"Come on. Sounds like everyone's already here."

"Lead the way."

I followed Eve, pressing my earring as I walked. A soft rustle, and then a sensation of my entire body being cinched tight.

This uniform, though. Pretty was all well and good, but did it have to be this tight? Especially around the chest. And what was with all these button-cords? Thank god the thing equipped itself — if I'd had to put this on and take it off by hand, I'd have lost my mind.

I'd been wearing sneakers, so the dull thud of rubber on marble soon gave way to the sharp click of heels. Before long, Eve, Dusick, and I stood before a wooden door steeped in an antique atmosphere.

"It's Eve."

Whether the door recognized her voice or not, it swung open on its own. And the moment it did, I was more than a little startled.

Dozens of women in formal suits stood in ranks on either side of the entrance, bowed at the waist.

What is this, the mob? I was considerably thrown, but it probably didn't show on my face. I was choosing to believe that.

"Let's go."

"Right."

Eve walked through the honor guard as if she'd done it a thousand times. Dusick and I followed.

"Eve. Who's that?"

"Isn't that Dusick? Then is that woman the new Mogumogu boss they were talking about?"

There looked to be about thirty of them. Magical girls in every kind of outfit sat in their chairs, each with what appeared to be an adjutant standing behind her, and every last one of them was staring straight at me.

And among them, one woman whose face had gone unusually flushed, unable to hide her excitement.

"Mother…!"

Frilly.

"Frilly. It's been a while. How've you been?"

"You remembered me!"

"Of course I remember. You gave me a memory I couldn't forget if I tried."

And that precious memory is sleeping soundly in Eve's phone, no less. You goddamn rapist bitch. Thanks to you I never even got to lose my virginity as a guy — I almost lost it as a girl first.

"Mother, that's enough."

"Yes. Excuse me."

"Well then, introductions. As some of you may have already seen on the broadcast…"

The word broadcast set off a ripple of reactions among the magical girls — a knowing ah, a bitten tongue, a poorly smothered snort. If I could, I would have wiped every last one of those broadcasts off the face of the earth. Word was people had clipped the footage and were passing it around as highlight reels. Just let me catch those. I swear.

"…the newly appointed boss of Mogumogu-dan — the evil magical girl, Mother."

The evil magical girl, huh. Wasn't I just Mother? Come to think of it, Keru might have said something like that.

"I'm Mother."

I wasn't pleased to meet anyone, so I skipped the pleased-to-meet-you. I didn't have anything to ask of them, so I skipped the please-take-care-of-me as well.

When I offered nothing further, Eve carried the meeting forward.

"Given the time, we'll move straight to the first item on the agenda. Everyone, please be seated."

There were no chairs for Dusick and me. What is this, some new kind of hazing? The thought had barely formed when a woman in a suit brought over two chairs and offered them to us.

"The hospitality around here is a mess."

I clicked my tongue and glared at Eve, who mouthed an apology with her eyes. I'd let it slide. Once.

"The first item on the agenda is the product placement matter."

"That concludes all items on the agenda. I have one proposal of my own."

The magical girls, mid-stretch, all snapped their attention to Eve at once. She fielded the stares as if she'd been doing it her whole life.

"I intend to remodel the thirty-sixth floor — where my presidential office is located — and provide it to Mogumogu-dan."

"What kind of nonsense is that!"

Frilly. Her face, already fierce, twisted even harder.

"You already dumped ash on a finished meal, and now you want to steal the whole damn thing?! You thieving cat bitch!"

That's the anger point? Not that we were moving into the president's office — that?

I wasn't the only one who found it absurd. Eve let out a small sigh.

"…Meeting adjourned. From this point on, this is a private gathering."

Good call. The atmosphere had already gone to hell. It had been wrecked from the moment Frilly opened her mouth.

"Frilly. What exactly are you trying to say?"

"Hey, Eve. That post on the Magical Girl intranet — that was you, right? 'Consider the position of sexual minorities who like men,' you said. Turns out you're the crazy lesbian!"

Eve pressed her fingers into her temples as if her head were splitting. I found the whole thing so funny I just leaned back in my chair and crossed my legs.

Dusick transformed and came to stand behind me.

"Boss. The atmosphere is unfavorable. I'll provide security."

"Mm."

Dusick's low voice reached me, and a translucent film settled into place in front of me. I turned at the sudden development and found her standing with her palm outstretched.

"It's a barrier. It can defend against both physical and magical attacks."

"Oh. Thanks."

I could settle into spectator mode a little more comfortably now.

"Ugh, I marked her as mine and this bitch just snatches her right up! Hey, do you have any idea how hard it is to find a premium product like that?! The money I invested — the meat, the wine, all of it!!!"

Well now. Calling someone premium goods right to their face?

"Frilly, that is not what this is. We all know why the magical girls and Mogumogu-dan need to cooperate. For closer, more natural coordination—"

"Yeah, whatever. Let's fight."

"Frilly, calm down."

Frilly drew a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠deep sky-blue baton, and the magical girls around her moved to hold her back. From where I was sitting, they didn't look particularly committed to the effort.

"Quite the show."

"This place really never changes."

"Except the merchandise in question is me, which is a problem."

Eve was starting to get angry herself. Even so, she kept glancing my way.

Of course she was. However even-tempered she might be, a guest was sitting right here while the place went to pieces. She couldn't look me in the eye.

Our gazes happened to meet, so I asked.

"Eve."

"Yeah."

"Why the hell is this happening?"

"It's a long story. I'll tell you later. That okay?"

"It's fine. But honestly, if we move in with the atmosphere like this, we're just going to end up as the neighborhood punching bag. Dusick."

"Yes, Boss."

"You said you lost to Precure. Have you ever beaten her?"

"Embarrassingly… no. But I'm a protection type, and Precure is purely offense, so…!"

I waved it off.

"I'm not blaming you. So between Precure and Frilly, who's stronger?"

"If you're talking attack power alone, Precure is overwhelming. But Frilly's mental-type offensive power is considerable."

"That so?"

Mental-type. Did she just walk around with aphrodisiacs on her at all times? Probably not that.

"Hey, Eve! I said let's fight, you miserable bitch! What, you scared?! Huh?! Chicken?!"

Frilly was losing it. But from where I sat, she didn't look angry so much as… she just wanted to establish dominance over me.

"Frilly, I swear to god if you don't knock it off you're dead. I've been keeping my mouth shut, and now you've got no fear left in that thick skull of yours."

Oh. Eve was angry too. She rose halfway from her seat, one hand extending. Didn't she need to recite that chuunibyou chant or the Holy Spear wouldn't come out?

I watched, and she drew a short spear from behind her back.

Well. Chanting something like that in the middle of a crowded room would take more nerve than most people had. She must carry a sidearm.

"You seem to have forgotten what happened when you got shitfaced in Guro and started causing a scene. I beat you black and blue and hung you off an overpass while you begged me to spare you. Don't remember when that was? Want me to refresh your memory?"

"Come on, Eve. That Mother girl is just Frilly's type, that's all. You gotta be a little understanding. What's with you?"

What a circus.

"Aquamarine, you're just as bad, you bitch. You and Frilly grabbing each other by the hair over the previous Mogumogu boss until she retired and we ended up in this mess — you remember that? Want me to hang you from the overpass too?"

Every time Eve opened her mouth, something vicious came out. And mixed in among those lines were a few I couldn't afford to let slide. I'd have to ask her about that later. Definitely.

"Eve. You done talking?"

"Not yet. Want more? Want to embarrass yourself a little further in front of the new Mogumogu boss?"

"Ah, this crazy bitch. Sitting in that president's chair so long turned you into a real goddamn fossil. Forget Mogumogu — just flip the whole thing. It's about time we overturned the board anyway! We'll all survive, so what's it matter?"

"You insane bitch. Is that something you should say? Did you forget you're still a magical girl of justice?"

"Then I'll be a magical girl of money!"

I had nothing for that.

"Frilly."

I stood as I said it, and the room went silent as if someone had dumped a bucket of cold water over the lot of them.

My face had no expression. I'd been told that if I just sat still with ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a blank look, I came off cold and composed. The face I was wearing now was probably exactly that.

"Fight me. One-on-one."

Frilly stared at me, and her expression began to change by the second. Slowly, steadily, it twisted into a grotesque smile.

"Mother. I'm Frilly. Frilly. I'm not some brainless muscle-head like Precure, you know?"

"If you beat me, I'll grant you one wish."

"Oh, confident. So you can actually throw down?"

"Don't want to, then don't."

"No, no. As if I wouldn't."

Frilly pushed her slipped glasses back up her nose.

"If I win, you're mine. Deal?"

"Sure. Fair warning, though — I've got a lot of mouths to feed. That okay?"

"Unni's got money. Dependents like that? I'll ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠take care of every last one."

"Fine by me. I've always had a thing for rich older women."

The board was already wrecked. I was going to have to pin them down with force, right here.

I needed to prove I was different from the bosses who'd come before me.

That was how you made everything that came after easier.

"Eve. Where's a good place around here to have a fight?"