Chapter 48
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: Suspicious Interrogation (1)
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"Hmm..."
Flora had gone out to take down a Monster after receiving a dispatch request, and Athena had stepped away for her personal training schedule on this quiet afternoon.
After getting thoroughly drained by the two bitches in heat since morning, Jae-hyun sat alone in the office, staring blankly at the monitor screen with hollow eyes.
The reason was a directive from above to meticulously analyze the combat footage.
'Haah... Why do they keep making me do stuff like this...'
On top of the already heavy workload from managing two people, they often assigned tasks that felt utterly pointless.
Of course, he couldn't just ask why he had to do it.
Orders from above were the rules and order of society, so even Jae-hyun, who had subjugated two Magical Girls, had no choice but to comply.
He was still just a salaried worker earning money under someone else.
"Is there really anything different...?"
He kept replaying the archived combat footage from the past three months, but nothing stood out to the naked eye.
If he had to pick something... their expressions had become a bit more playful than before.
The techniques they used and their transformation appearances hadn't changed,
and cross-checking the records showed that Monster elimination times had actually shortened compared to before.
The same went for Athena—no noticeable changes there either.
Unlike Flora, who wielded flashy costumes like dresses and flower magic,
Athena employed a restrained style focused on swordsmanship and martial arts.
So the visual differences were minimal, and their movement patterns and routines were almost identical, making the analysis itself feel pointless.
'I don't know the reason... but I guess I should just report what I see.'
Thinking it was just another useless task from above,
Jae-hyun wrote up a report stating there were no major differences from before and that performance had actually improved.
'And... was there anything else I need to report?'
He double-checked his company email and messenger thoroughly once more.
The inbox only contained items he'd already confirmed and processed,
and he'd replied to every message and wrapped up those tasks.
"Ugh... Can I finally take it easy now...?"
- Vrrr—
Just as he thought he'd caught a breather and stretched his arms wide,
his work phone on the desk buzzed with a vibration.
"Hm...?"
The number wasn't in his contacts, just displaying digits,
but the pattern matched the lines used internally at the Management Bureau.
Wondering if it was from some other department he'd never dealt with before, he picked up.
"Yes... This is Manager Baek Jae-hyun. What can I do for you?"
"..."
Even after answering, there was a long silence with no voice from the other end.
Thinking maybe they'd dialed the wrong number, he moved to end the call...,
"Management Bureau headquarters building, 6th floor... Come to the empty office on the left of the women's restroom."
The caller didn't reveal who they were and hung up after leaving those instructions.
- Tu-lu-lu-lu—
Calling back only gave a ringtone—no answer.
'Who the hell called me like that...?'
For starters, the voice was 100% female.
If they knew the specific location of an empty office on the 6th floor of the headquarters,
they were likely someone working inside the Magical Girl Management Bureau.
But if it was work-related,
the proper way would be to say who they were, explain the reason, and politely ask him to come.
"Damn... Did I get roped in by another crazy woman?"
He wanted to dismiss it as a prank call and move on,
but the precise mention of an internal office location kept nagging at him.
What if something came up later because he ignored it?
"Fine... If it's a prank, I'll just say I was heading to the bathroom anyway."
He'd finished almost everything on his plate for the day anyway,
and it was about time for a bathroom break regardless.
To avoid any potential mishaps, Jae-hyun decided to play along and check it out.
"Left of the women's restroom on the 6th floor, right...?"
After handling his business, Jae-hyun took the elevator down to the 6th floor.
He wandered following the directions from the woman's voice on the phone,
and soon found the office to the left of the women's restroom.
'Not a lie after all...?'
The call hadn't been a prank—the lights inside were on,
and through the glass door, he could vaguely make out someone sitting there.
- Knock knock knock—
If he hadn't come and checked, something might have gone wrong.
Thinking he'd made the right call, he calmly knocked on the door.
- Whirr—
'Almost jumped...'
There was no verbal invitation, but the door slid open automatically.
Startled by the sudden opening, he composed himself and stepped inside.
"Didn't think you'd actually come... But here you are."
A woman with red hair sat inside the office.
She looked like a young woman not much different from a Magical Girl at first glance,
but her furrowed face carried an inexplicable weariness of middle age.
"Uh... What did you call me here for? Or rather... who are you?"
"Never mind that... Sit down and have some coffee first."
A cup of coffee had been prepared in advance right in front of where Jae-hyun stood.
"Yes... Thank you. I'll have it."
It seemed long cold from the AC, but with the woman across from him watching,
he at least pretended to sip it.
"Right... You asked why I called you."
Still not revealing who she was,
she rummaged through a pile of documents on the desk, pulled one out, and handed it over.
The document she gave him detailed his assigned Magical Girls.
"You've been handling Magical Girl Flora full-time for a few years now...,
and you took on Magical Girl Athena temporarily due to a sudden vacancy."
"Yes... That's correct, but...?"
"And among them, this Flora... haven't you noticed anything strange about her?"
The same question as in the report he'd just finished.
He couldn't understand why she was asking the same thing,
nor who she was to speak so casually and bluntly.
"Uh... Could I ask you something first?"
"What? Spit it out."
Before answering, Jae-hyun wanted to clarify who she was.
"This wasn't a formal summons via work email or messenger...,
so I think I should at least know why you called me here suddenly with these questions."
Absurd as it was, showing irritation might lead to trouble,
so he asked politely, stripping emotion from his tone.
slim chance she was an unrelated outsider,
or possibly someone trying to fish for internal info from the Bureau.
"Oh... I didn't tell you that, huh."
Rubbing her eyes as if she hadn't slept properly, she nodded.
She reached into her blazer pocket, rummaged around,
and tossed something like an employee ID onto the desk in front of Jae-hyun.
'Magical Girl Management Bureau Director...?'
The palm-sized card read 'Magical Girl Management Bureau Director Hong Chae-yoon'.
The photo next to the title and name was unmistakably her face.
"I-I'm so sorry! I had no idea it was you, Director!"
More shocked than when the door flew open, Jae-hyun shot up from his seat.
He bowed deeply to the Director he'd never met despite years at the job, apologizing profusely.
"I... didn't call you here for an apology, so sit back down already."
"Y-Yes...? Yes...!"
She seemed unperturbed by his words.
"Normally, I wouldn't move around like this myself...,
but the Bureau's situation has been rough lately."
The Director personally summoning and handling this was simply due to a manpower shortage—no one to assist her.
Of course, she'd delegated to her secretary too,
but she couldn't contain her curiosity about that nagging sense of déjà vu from a few days ago.
"Anyway... I'm busy, so answer quickly."
Former Magical Girl 'Hestia' and current Director Chae-yoon wagged her finger,
urging him to sit and respond to her question.
"There were no major changes from before or anything that seemed suspicious.
That's the case for Ms. Flora... and Ms. Athena as well."
Under extreme tension, Jae-hyun answered as clearly and precisely as possible.
"Haah... Really? Nothing's changed at all?"
Not the answer she wanted, she scratched her head irritably and stood up,
walking toward Jae-hyun with heavy steps.
"Mind if I take a moment?"
"Pardon...?"
She smoothed her disheveled red hair as she approached,
then without warning, leaned her face close to his nape and chest.
"Hmm...?"
And just like that, she started sniffing casually.
'What the... Why's she suddenly smelling me...?'
The absurdity briefly eased his tension,
but her intense gaze, like crossing eyes would spell disaster, made his body stiffen again.
"Just checking something. Thanks for cooperating."
After sniffing thoroughly, Chae-yoon pulled back with a subtle expression.
It didn't sound grateful at all,
but aware of her dry tone, she patted his shoulder.
"It's not anything else... I just sensed something odd from your Magical Girls.
A peculiar feeling that's not present in other Magical Girls."