Fan (2): Scavenging Sacred Traces
Everyone held their breath as the man slowly approached, drawn by the fans' murmurs. Jam Stamp said nothing as he appeared where Ash and Rapid had been, pulling out various chemicals. He went to spots where a magical girl had fallen, sat, been thrown against the wall, and more, sprinkling powders over them.
The reagents used to track missing persons, combined with a powder that made the reactions vividly clear for a short time, revealed stamp-like marks all over the place.
"Ooh...! As expected... incredible technique."
"Jam Stamp never disappoints!"
He meticulously photographed the revealed marks with a top-of-the-line True Vision high-end camera. Everyone could see him zooming in especially closely on the spots with butt prints. Jam Stamp was a notorious pervert fan who sold these captures on secret sites.
"By the way, did you hear? About Lily actually having a grown daughter..."
"Hah, come on, that's ridiculous, right? No way Lily has a daughter."
"Yeah, it's as absurd as that rumor about Esther coming back as a magical girl."
"Hahk... hahk... Ash-nim's hair strands acquired... slurp...! Slurp!"
"Hey! You again! Don't just suck on the roots like that!"
"The best flavor!"
These degenerates helped each other out, chatted about their obsessions, and enjoyed their little fan meetup. All the while, their hands never stopped rummaging through the debris for traces of their favorites.
Time was short. When Negatives attacked, evacuation orders went out almost simultaneously with the magical girls' arrival. Once the battle ended and the monsters were gone, the Defense Force rescued people or checked those in shelters, while True Vision repair bots restored the ruined streets. To slip away without getting caught by the incoming Defense Force or bots, they had to move fast.
"Aw, too bad, looks like party time's over. True Vision repair bots incoming."
"Shame."
"Root Scent-nim, I'll head out then..."
"Yeah, me too."
"Catch you on the site."
The degenerates wore masks and sunglasses to hide their identities from each other, but sharing the same illegal thrills and need for secrecy created a strange camaraderie. They swapped tips on dodging the Defense Force and True Vision, even pointing out collectibles the other wasn't into.
Ah, and Root Scent is my online handle. The Rapid hairs I secretly hoard at home are all vacuum-sealed to preserve her original scent at maximum intensity. When I'm down, I pull out a pack, add a strand or two, and inhale—pure bliss. Way more refined than these creeps sucking roots or filming butt prints.
"Heading into an intact building to hide today?"
"This method suits me best."
"We'll have to bolt."
"Take care."
I waved as the others scattered. My plan this time: slip into a relatively undamaged building, stash Rapid's hairs somewhere no one would look, and retrieve them later. I could blend out with shelter evacuees, wait for the streets to clear, then return. No need to rush like the others.
The Defense Force and True Vision scanned evacuees for mana reactions to catch any parasitic monsters or Infected. To avoid detection with my haul, hiding it for later pickup—or fleeing beforehand—was key.
I chose hiding because I'd scored a hefty batch of Rapid's hair. Even in plastic cases, running with that much risked my sweat and body heat ruining them. Top-grade relics demand proper handling and storage.
"Hm?"
As I cautiously entered a nearby building, my Vision Phone blared wildly. I froze. The mana sensor was going off. The moment I stepped inside, it spiked hard—like thick mana residue everywhere. The warnings wouldn't stop.
Something's here. With Rapid and Ash showing up together, no monsters could remain. Rapid had a solid extermination rate, but her rescue rate was 98%; Ash was low on rescues but 99% on kills. Top-tier magical girls—they'd have wiped everything out.
So this mana reaction had to be from Rapid or Ash. And this intense? What could it be?
"...Gulp."
If this happened elsewhere, I'd bolt fearing hidden monsters. But this was Rapid and Ash's battlefield. The mana had to be one of theirs. Curiosity and excitement mixing, I crept deeper inside, following the growing signal.
"Huh...?"
Deeper into the darkening building, my foot hit something oddly firm yet slick. I shone my Vision Phone's flashlight down: a shattered Vision Phone. One side was flattened, the other crushed unnaturally, like gripped and smashed by a monster's hand.
"...Data chip?"
Amid the wreckage, something triggered a massive mana reaction: a True Vision-compatible data chip. It looked normal but was transparent and pulsing with mana.
"...Could this be Rapid's Vision Phone?"
Magical girls carried them too, not just for fighting. This reaction screamed Rapid's. Makes sense it'd get wrecked in the fray. The phone was toast, but the chip was intact. On a whim, I pocketed it in a spare case.
[Zone stabilization in progress. Containment zone opening. Evacuees, please exit buildings slowly and submit to inspection.]
The Defense Force and True Vision bots had arrived; announcements echoed outside. Time to stash today's haul in the building's bathroom. Wrap in plastic, tuck behind the toilet tank—cold water keeps condition perfect and muffles mana detection. Clock's ticking.
"Eek?!"
Rushing, my foot caught something soft. Flashlight revealed... a corpse. Right in front of me.
"What the..."
Living with Negatives attacks had numbed me to bodies, so no panic. Still, the revulsion lingered—unpleasant. Bad luck. Probably monster chow...
But something was off. Clean cuts like sliced by a razor-sharp blade, groin hollowed out... Monsters either pulped you into unrecognizable gore for despair or left bodies intact to feed on lust or fear. Never seen one like this.
[Evacuees remaining in shelters, exit promptly. Repeat: exit promptly for inspection.]
Inspection time already. Procedure to catch mental corruption, physical infection, or parasites from Negatives. To blend with evacuees, I had to move now. Quick stash of the haul, then saunter out.
In that short time, the wrecked street was half-restored. True Vision repair bots patched modded buildings at high speed. Soldiers in Defense Force gear aimed rifles—effective against mana-less Infected—at the crowd.
"Yaaawn... Let's wrap this up."
"Not soldiers, just grunts, seriously..."
The low-rank inspectors, jaded by routine, ran rote checks without tension. People poured from buildings; tents popped up in the plaza for fast processing. "Inspection" meant passing a big True Vision-logo gate, bag search, done.
"Clear!"
No issues? Smooth sailing, like me. I stayed chill through it, eyeing the soldiers rigidly scanning perimeters. Unlike the slackers, they'd light up targets in a heartbeat if needed. Terrifying to imagine.
After, I waited by a barricaded building, grabbed coffee at a cafe, then slipped back to my hideout. Retrieved the haul, checked conditions, packed in my bag. Time to head home.