I'm Fucked
Silver Unit executive Crystal, real name Chris.
She's a capable leader who earned her place as boss Lapis's right-hand woman through her track record of standing at the forefront, clashing directly with the magical girls.
"Ah, Chris senpai. Good work~"
"Amber, huh. You're working hard too."
She got along well with the other executives and members, and her status in Silver Unit was at the very top.
Chris's main role was leading Silver Unit's combatants in their bid for world conquest.
Today, as usual, she was training a bunch of them, building up their stamina.
"You don't have to push them that hard. Even if you slack off a bit, no one would notice, right?"
"No, this is the best I can do. But... is it really okay for the boss to be saying that...?"
From the day she pledged her loyalty to Lapis, she'd lived every day with purpose.
Never losing that initial drive, she kept pushing forward, one step closer to their goal of world conquest—but...
"Haa."
"What's up? You're sighing like that's not like you."
Seeing Chris lost in thought, letting out a heavy sigh, Amber asked with a puzzled look.
"Hard to put into words... I've got a bit of a dilemma."
It was none other than her worries about Silver Unit's arch-nemesis, the magical girl Ruby.
No matter how much she trained, she couldn't surpass that one little girl who was even younger than her.
"I can handle the other magical girls to some extent, but not that brat. Even if I send in squads of combatants, they get wiped out without landing a single hit."
Just a week ago, another executive had thrown a fit when a monster they'd spent three days creating got sliced into monster / chunks in 20 seconds flat.
Having a girl with that kind of power as their nemesis was surely holding Silver Unit back.
"If only we could figure out who she really is..."
"Ah~ That would be nice."
Amber whistled and desperately averted her gaze.
For the record, she knew Ruby's true identity was their classmate Ravi.
She'd held off reporting it since there were still too many unknowns.
"B-but we've found some countermeasures, right? World conquest is just a matter of time, they say."
Countermeasures against the four magical girls currently active.
When boss Lapis first came up with the idea, Chris had her doubts, but as data piled up over time, it started taking shape.
"Yeah, that method's been working effectively against the ones with fewer numbers."
Deploy small squads of combatants across the city to commit crimes at exactly the same time.
That forced the magical girls to waste time traveling, scattering their attention.
Repeating the ops had yielded some unexpected intel too.
"...Ruby and Sapphire don't deploy on weekday mornings, as a rule."
That was the conclusion Silver Unit had finally reached after countless operations.
"Now that we've got a lead they're students, we should tear apart every school in the city if we have to."
"Ah, we're circling back to this topic after all."
Amber muttered under her breath.
"Let's drop the gloomy talk! Chris senpai, got anyone you like?"
"If you're changing the subject, do it more normally."
Chris gave her immature junior a wry smile.
"Why not! Romance talk is the best! Senpai's super popular—guys confess to you every day!"
"You get confessions every day too. And that subordinate of yours, Jade or whatever, keeps courting you, right?"
"W-well, yeah..."
Right now, Amber was under the ridiculous delusion that Jade wanted her to bear his child.
"Well, even if it's tough now, once we conquer the planet, we can enjoy normal lives like that."
"Right? Hope it happens soon~"
As their chat warmed up into romance territory, Chris's smartphone on the table started buzzing.
Weeeeng—
"A call. Unknown number..."
"Not some voice phishing scam? I get those sometimes."
"Gutsy bastards, targeting a Silver Unit exec... Anyway, hold on a sec."
It could be important, so Chris picked up before it hung up.
The call was news that her one and only little brother had been caught in a traffic accident.
I'd sat the boy who'd nearly been hit by the truck in a safe spot and explained the whole story to the cops and paramedics who'd shown up out of nowhere.
"You stopped the truck with magic? That's impressive."
"Could've been a major accident otherwise. You did great."
The truck driver claimed a sudden seizure, but luckily no life-threatening injuries.
"Hmm..."
It hit me anew. I'd saved a life.
All that was left was waiting for the kid's guardian...
"That was magic earlier, right? Do it again!"
Suddenly, the brat tossed aside the soccer ball he'd been playing with and started begging me for more magic.
"Kid who almost died is full of energy, huh..."
I focused, searching for that mana sensation I'd never felt before.
Sure enough, some energy responded to my will, wrapping around my whole body.
I reached out into the air, and red mana burst out vigorously—
"Whoa! Awesome!"
Yeah, that's the reaction. That's what I wanted.
How long had I endured scorn and discrimination just for being mana-less?
Couldn't even get a proper job, and even inside Silver Unit, I drew prejudiced stares.
'But no more suffering through this bottom-feeder life.'
From now on, I'll stand at the top.
Alright, enough bullshit.
'But what the hell caused this?'
Never heard of it. Get lucky with a girl once and suddenly you can use magic?
Hell, staying a virgin till thirty to become a wizard sounds more believable.
'Not entirely impossible, I guess. Ravi's got massive mana, and after going at it like that, maybe some rubbed off on me...'
I'm a lit major, so science ain't my thing, but whatever—I'd always wanted to try magic at least once, so I decided to enjoy the moment.
"Haha, both hands this time!"
"Woooah!!"
I spent the next half hour or so showing off magic tricks for the kid.
"Nil!"
"Ah, sis!"
Turning toward the voice, a silver-haired woman who looked like his guardian was running our way.
Tall, maybe 170cm, with a killer figure. Really the same genes as this squirt?
"Nil, you okay?"
She checked her brother over with worried eyes, but no visible injuries, so she calmed down quick.
Any scrapes were probably from when I shoved him out of the way—kid's growing, so it'll heal fast.
"This big bro saved me! Stopped the truck with huge magic!"
Finally noticing me, she turned my way.
"Thank you so much. If not for you..."
She bowed 90 degrees in gratitude.
"...?"
Was it my imagination? That voice sounds familiar.
But no one I knew looked like her. Hell, my only real acquaintance is Amber.
'Where've I heard it? Feels like she was on stage giving a speech or something.'
I racked my brain, but couldn't place her before the moment passed.
My head was full of Ravi's pregnancy crap anyway.
"Um... I'd like to repay you properly later. Could I get your contact info?"
Repay me, huh. Wasn't why I did it, but...
'Turning down goodwill's bad luck, right?'
I pulled out the memo pad I always carry, jotted my number, and handed it over.
Not because her face is my type. Absolutely not.
"Bye-bye~"
"Yeah. Don't go causing more accidents playing."
I waved to the kid called Nil.
And returned the woman's bow with a nod.
"Well then—"
I picked up a book that'd been run over by the truck, torn to shreds in a pathetic state.
It was the one I'd just bought at the bookstore—must've dropped it saving the kid.
Prenatal Classes with the World's Top Medical Team
"...Gotta buy another one."
The next morning, same as always.
I was swiping my ID card to enter Silver Unit HQ through the main gate when—
Beep-beep—
The emergency sensors blared, and nearby guard robots all locked onto me at once.
Then the guidance announcement started.
Danger Level 5
Magical Girl Ruby's mana detected.
Magical Girl Ruby's mana detected.
Commencing attack immediately.
"No fucking way."
I'm fucked.