Management Bureau
I'd come to the Management Bureau after getting a call from Kim Doa yesterday. It was a place I only visited if I'd caused some major incident, so even without doing anything wrong, I felt a nagging unease.
Following the staff member's guidance, I headed to the Bureau Chief's office.
When I opened the door, there was the Bureau Chief sitting at his desk, and Kim Doa leaning against the wall.
"It's been a while, Yuri."
The Bureau Chief said, stroking his white beard.
"It's been a while for you too, Chief."
I bowed my head politely.
Come to think of it, the Bureau Chief was an amazing guy. He'd been a grandfatherly figure even when I was active, and without being an awakener, he was still full of vigor.
"You've heard the story from Doa, right?"
"Yeah. There's someone impersonating a magical girl in Seoul, right?"
"Exactly. The Bureau's been tearing its hair out over it."
The Bureau Chief gave a sigh-tinged smile.
But impersonation wasn't anything new.
After awakeners appeared, all sorts of scams popped up. The most common was pretending to be an awakener, approaching people, and scamming money under the guise of protection fees.
Now the Bureau handled verifications directly, so it was rare to fall for it.
Still, why impersonate a magical girl of all things, when you're not even an awakener? Some new kind of scam exploiting gaps?
"Shouldn't the police handle catching an impersonator? Why do I need to get involved?"
Even if I'd been on hiatus, I was still a magical girl. One of the rare forces who could take on a 1st-grade doll solo.
Using me on some petty impersonator was a waste of talent.
"Well... Our Observation Department picked up some strange signs. There was erosion at the incident sites."
"What? Is that even possible?"
Erosion was a phenomenon caused by dolls crossing over from the otherworld. It spread from the doll at its center, which was why you had to subjugate them fast.
Plus, since the initial invasion, dolls hadn't appeared outside erosion zones.
Someone spreading erosion around like that?
It didn't make sense with my common knowledge.
"It is possible."
Kim Doa, who'd been quietly standing by, finally spoke up.
"This is a photo I took on-site."
She pressed a remote, and the beam projector displayed an image. It showed a scene from some back alley.
In the middle of an ordinary alley, dark red contamination was spreading. Even Otherworld Stones were sprouting up bit by bit.
"What the hell is that?"
"No idea."
Kim Doa shook her head. Her expression said she really didn't know.
"Aren't you supposed to know? You're the Execution Department manager."
"Even Observation couldn't catch the impersonator. What makes you think I could?"
"...Fair point."
The Execution Department under Kim Doa was like the action squad.
Doll detection and anomaly scouting fell to Observation.
Her reaction made sense.
"Anyway, isn't that dangerous if it spreads?"
Erosion was the prerequisite for doll appearances.
If a doll crossed over there, who knew what disaster it'd cause.
"We've cleaned up all the discovered contamination for now. But if the impersonator shows up again, there's a risk of more. That's why we called you."
"Ah."
So it wasn't just about the impersonator—I was backup for any potential incidents.
Not that the impersonator seemed human if they could erode areas like that.
"Got it. Catch the impersonator quick and prevent more erosion zones, right?"
"That's right. With you here, I feel secure."
The Bureau Chief nodded contentedly.
He always treated me like a granddaughter. Had been that way forever, so I couldn't complain.
"So, any descriptions or features identified?"
"Nothing beyond wearing magical girl clothes. All nearby CCTV went dead during sightings."
Kim Doa answered instead of the Chief.
"Sounds just like erosion."
"Probably because it's the type that spreads erosion around. But witnesses all gave consistent statements."
"What're those?"
"They say the impersonator approaches first, asks if you're a magical girl, and if not, knocks you out and leaves."
What, not some red-masked vigilante? What a weirdo.
"And every witness—beyond confirming the magical girl outfit—says their memories are fuzzy."
The more I heard, the shadier it sounded.
A mysterious figure in magical girl garb leaving erosion behind. Yeah, I was curious.
About the mechanism, the motives, everything.
"Alright, got it. Nothing much on my plate anyway, so I'll start looking today."
Gotta tell Keter too.
Time to head out.
"Oh, and I'll be tagging along on this one."
"...?"
Did I hear that wrong?
"What'd you say?"
"I'm coming with."
Kim Doa said it casually.
"Why the sudden change? You who always just writes reports at the Bureau—what's the wind blowing?"
"For any contingencies."
"Because of me? Come on... I won't lose to some unknown creep with an unfamiliar face."
Even without Keter, unable to transform right now, I was confident against most awakeners.
"Not you—the impersonator's identity."
"Huh?"
"You can't hold back and just beat the crap out of people—or whatever—when you get a little excited."
Kim Doa stared me down.
"They usually deserve it."
"This case needs us to bring the impersonator in intact for interrogation. So I'm sticking with you. Got it?"
"Fine."
Ugh. Teaming up with the Nagging Queen Kim Doa.
This was gonna be trouble.
Right after leaving the Bureau, I contacted Keter.
She arrived soon after, and we settled at a nearby café with Kim Doa.
"Wonder if there's anything."
Sipping iced tea, I searched the Awakener Gallery for magical girl mentions.
- Awakener vs Magical Girl: Who's Hotter? (12)
No.
- Magical Girl 14 is Open to Everyone... (1)
What the hell?
- Spill the Tea on the Crazy Bitch I Met Today (4)
This might be it.
"Whatcha looking at?"
Kim Doa glanced over, coffee cup in hand.
"The community boards."
"Esostar?"
"No, Awakener community. There's a post about the impersonator."
I showed her my phone screen.
"What? She pulled that on a guy too?"
"Oh yeah... There were male witnesses."
"Psycho. How's a magical girl messing with guys?"
"You've got one right here."
Kim Doa subtly pointed at me.
Oh right. I was the exception.
"As I've said repeatedly, among men, only you, miss, have a high compatibility rate."
Keter chimed in abruptly.
No need to remind me...
"Right. What do you think of this case, Keter?"
"Since mascots can no longer form contracts, it's unlikely a real magical girl. And as for spreading erosion... I don't know either."
After awakeners emerged, mascots lost the ability to contract with people.
It was due to otherworldization. Not that their power weakened—the contracts themselves became impossible.
That's why magical girls dwindled while awakeners exploded in numbers.
"I'm hungry."
Then a fox doll peeked out from Kim Doa's bag. Her mascot, Tiphereth.
Long time no see.
Unlike Keter, who humanized, the others weren't, so unless it was urgent like today, people left them at home.
Seoyeon at least took hers out sometimes.
Kim Doa basically treated hers like a house pet.
"You ate earlier. A ton."
Kim Doa looked down at Tiphereth.
"Wanna eat more!"
"Tiphereth, that's rude to Miss Doa."
Keter finally scolded her, unable to hold back.
"Shut up, Keter. Always nagging. Hate it. Gonna go back in."
She ducked back into the bag.
"Ha... Why are all my little siblings so immature."
Keter sighed at the sight.
Geburah aside, yeah, she was a problem child.
According to Kim Doa, useless freeloader outside transformations. Seeing that made me glad Keter was mine.
Cooks, handles chores, manages money. Even Esostar...
Esostar?
"Oh yeah, I didn't post on Esostar today."
One day off's fine. Followers were still climbing from a quick morning check.
"No need to worry, miss. I uploaded earlier."
"Oh, I saw that."
Kim Doa grinned at me.
She denied it yesterday... So she does look!
"Wait, I don't even remember taking that photo?"
"I snapped one while you were sleeping and posted it. Good reactions."
"What?"
I hurriedly opened Esostar.
Sure enough, a new post on my account.
