Welcome to the Happy City
"This is a steak made from R City's local specialty."
"Mm."
"Over here we have W City's caviar and shark fin, and this is…."
Specialties from all twenty-six cities line up one after another. White Fang stared at the mountain of delicacies arranged before her, then cautiously lifted her spoon.
The mouth section of her mask split open to either side, letting her eat without removing it. The instant the food touched her tongue, a storm of flavor slammed into her—something so exquisite that even an uneducated person could recognize its brilliance.
"Mmm…!"
The taste was so superb it drew an involuntary moan from her throat. White Fang kept shoveling food into her mouth without pause, and the moment she finished, the waiting attendants smoothly brought out the next course.
This time it was dessert—a sherbet made from some fruit she had never heard of or seen in her life. Sure enough, the flavor was beyond anything she had ever imagined.
I'm so happy….
Is it really okay to be this happy? That single thought had taken over White Fang's mind lately.
She was a magical girl, a hero who protected justice and peace. Yet here she was, inside a villain organization, being fed exquisite meals, paid for helping with experiments, and surrounded by nonstop comfort and pleasure from morning till night.
Having grown up at the bottom of society, she had never dreamed she would one day enjoy such luxuries.
…No, even though it's called a villain organization, they don't actually seem to be doing anything bad.
Above all, if cooperating with an evil group was truly wrong, the spirit would have no reason to stay at her side. Spirits could read the causal threads of actions and determine whether a magical girl was doing good or evil.
And if a magical girl—whether intentionally or not—stepped onto the path of evil, she would lose her power in that very instant.
The fact that White Fang had not lost her powers meant the judgment had already been rendered: helping this organization was not considered evil.
If I could live like this forever… I wouldn't want to work….
The reason she had become a magical girl was simple: she had no other prospects. Her grades were mediocre and she possessed no talent for the arts or athletics.
So why did she hide her face and figure even after becoming a magical girl? Because she didn't want her parents to find out, and she hated the men's lust-filled stares.
Compared to that, what was her current job like? She got paid simply for playing around and doing nothing. It was the ideal life she had dreamed of her entire existence. She wished it could continue forever.
She knew it could not.
Once the research on the spirits is finished, this job will end….
She had received a contract fee larger than any sum she had ever earned, yet she understood she could not live off it for the rest of her life.
Besides, after tasting such luxury, she would never be able to return to an ordinary lifestyle. When the work ended she would once again become an unpopular, low-earning magical girl. And if she fell back to the bottom rung….
Beeeeeeeeep—!
"—!?"
White Fang? Your stress levels are rising. Is something bothering you?
"…No. Nothing at all."
Don't lie. It's all showing up on the monitor. What exactly is the problem?
"W-well, it's just…."
It was terribly embarrassing to say out loud, but White Fang obeyed the clause in her contract and told the truth. She was afraid of becoming unemployed once this job ended. She was terrified of losing this endless stream of luxury.
Even she recognized how ridiculous the answer sounded; she thought she heard a dry chuckle from the other side of the speaker.
While she kept her head lowered, a new order came from the speaker.
Don't worry about any of that and just keep getting happier. If you're concerned about what happens afterward, I'll take responsibility.
"…Pardon?"
I'm telling you not to worry about life after this job. It's interfering with the experiment.
…Wait. Was that a confession just now?
White Fang wondered if she had misheard. But she couldn't ask for clarification. It would have been far too shameless.
She simply mulled over Eight's words while mechanically lifting food to her mouth. Strangely, the dishes that had tasted so wonderful before now registered no flavor at all.
It was as if every sense in her body had gone numb.
Even after learning that the spirits knew nothing about Earth, the experiments continued. The price already paid had been enormous, so stopping now would have been a waste. Besides, quite apart from any connection to Earth, spirits themselves were fascinating creatures.
They grew by feeding on happiness. Could a living being truly grow by consuming the emotions of others? He burned with curiosity about how they existed and how they developed.
After continued research, he had reached a general understanding of spirits. The results were genuinely intriguing.
What kind of life form is this?
Spirits grew by eating emotions. What were emotions? In short, chemical reactions triggered by hormones. So did they consume hormones? No, that wasn't it either.
As a man of science, he hated to admit it, but spirits grew by feeding on souls. Souls? Parasitic on such an unscientific concept?
This is actually… really interesting…!
Since the phenomenon existed, doubting its substance would be foolish. He decided to acknowledge the existence of souls, whether they had been discovered before or not.
As far as he knew, he was the first scientist—on Earth or in this world—to discover them.
First. A pioneer whose name would remain in history. The greatest honor a human being could dream of.
Superpowers were one thing, but souls….
In a way, perhaps falling into this world had been destiny. To be able to explore so many mysteries all by himself. Of course, publishing the research would first require returning to Earth.
While the spirit happily munched on snacks, he poked her cheek and asked.
"Back then you said you'd let me speak with the Queen of the Spirit Realm, right?"
─Muu? I did say that. Why? Do you need it now?
"Tell me about the Queen."
Upon hearing the question, Muu even stopped eating her snack and sank into thought. Was the Queen that exalted a being? Remembering her earlier talk of blasphemy, perhaps even thinking about the Queen was restricted by some law.
After a moment, Muu carefully opened her mouth.
─Her Majesty the Queen… is the great one who gave birth to all of us, muu.
"…So the Queen is your mother?"
─I cannot call her mother, muu. We spirits all revere Her Majesty from the moment we are born, muu. Then, following her orders, we are dispatched to various worlds.
A being akin to a mother, yet not a true mother. An entity that reigned as Queen from the moment of her birth. That was the Queen of all spirits—the Fairy Queen.
Listening to a spirit describe her, his hypothesis seemed to fit more perfectly with every word. Hiding his inner thoughts, he asked again.
"Do you know where these World's Enemies appear, that you are sent out to deal with them?"
─The World's Enemies can appear anywhere intelligent life exists, muu! Her Majesty dispatches us to every place where intelligent beings dwell, muu!
"I see."
He had already spotted two counterarguments, but he chose not to point them out. The World's Enemy appeared wherever intelligent life existed? At the very least, no such thing had ever appeared on Earth. If it had, he would certainly know.
And the second point: if the rule applied to all intelligent beings, why was the Spirit Realm never attacked? It wasn't as if spirits lacked intelligence. If there was a method to stop the World's Enemies, they could simply use it to protect themselves.
There was no need to bother with the troublesome institution of magical girls.
"She sounds like a very benevolent person."
─Of course, muu! Human, since you've recognized Her Majesty's virtues, I shall specially ask her to make you a magical boy, muu!
"Weren't you the one who said only girls could become magical girls?"
─If it is Her Majesty, she can turn anyone into a magical girl without such restrictions, muu! Woman or man, elderly or adult—it makes no difference, muu.
"Aah, never mind. If that's the case."
He gave a small chuckle. While Muu tilted her head in confusion, he tapped his wristwatch a couple of times.
The next instant, a dazzling effect straight out of a girls' anime enveloped his entire body. His clothes turned pure white, then a formal suit covered in extravagant dangling decorations materialized.
As he wore a wry smile at the style of outfit no sane person would ever choose, Muu stared with her mouth and eyes wide open in shock.
─Muu, muu, muuuuuu—!? W-what is this…!
"I've pretty much finished researching how you spirits create magical girls. Well, unlike real magical girls, the number of souls I can absorb isn't that large, so it's mostly useless except for changing clothes."
─W-what are you saying, muu! A m-man—and a fully grown one at that—how in the world…!?
He shrugged as if to ask why she was surprised now of all times.
"I'm a scientist."
Bringing the impossible into the realm of possibility. That was what science did.
Just as the research on spirits was nearing completion, a visitor arrived from H City.
"—A pleasure to meet you, Dr. Eight. You were surprisingly difficult to locate."
"And you are?"
"Ah, forgive my late introduction. I am this person."
Upon seeing the card, he recalled that the man was the heir to the massive corporation that ruled H City. He hadn't seen him at the previous party, however.
"What brings the successor of the H Group all the way out here?"
"Nothing complicated. I merely came to deliver a single warning as one who protects H City."
Karl Heinz's eyes sparkled as he spoke.
"—You must not take magical girls outside the city. Not without our permission."
"…Aha. So that's what this is about."
"The magical girl affiliated with your organization doesn't appear to be a genuine one, so she is of no concern."
Having finished the preamble, Heinz lightly stated his main point.
"We will be taking the magical girls."
"And if I refuse?"
"Haaa…" He let out a long, exhausted sigh, as though the situation had become terribly bothersome. "Would you look over there?"
Following the direction of the man's finger, he saw a magical girl aiming a staff at them from a distance.
"—She's a sniper-type magical girl."
"I thought magical girls weren't allowed to do evil things?"
─Muu, muuu—! T-that's correct, muu!
"Ah, you believed that piece of information? Yes, they mustn't do bad things."
Apparently thinking the remark had been directed at him, Heinz answered the question.
"Then wouldn't it be fine to simply use them as disposables and throw them away afterward?"
Indeed. With that single sentence, he understood the darkness entwined with the H Group and its city.
There really isn't a single normal person in this damn world….
The thought flashed through his mind.