The Magical Girls Are Drunk (1)
“So, what are we supposed to do now?”
“Huh?”
After spending quite a while scrubbing ourselves clean, we stepped out of the changing room, toweling off. Danae spoke up while we were drying ourselves.
Rudolf hadn’t shown up yet, apparently planning to arrive exactly thirty minutes later as he’d declared. I’d wondered if we could make a run for it, but every door and window was sealed with mechanical locks.
“What do you mean, ‘what’?”
“We can’t just sit here and take it, right~? I want to kick all their asses right now—bang, bang~!”
She’d looked completely exhausted before stepping into the bath, like she couldn’t even lift a finger, but now she was full of energy. Her skin looked dewy, her cheeks and stomach plump and bouncy. What the hell? Had the bathroom come with some kind of charger?
“What do you mean, what? You damn bitch. We do exactly what we planned to do.”
“Puuu~! Can’t you stop swearing at me already, Danbi?”
“Drop that annoying tone. I’m seriously going to hit you. I’ve still got a lot of pent-up rage from what happened at the castle.”
“Tchhh....”
There was a strange capsule in the changing room—about the size of a small bus. Once we stepped inside, all the moisture on our bodies evaporated in an instant. It didn’t leave us bone-dry either; just the right amount of dampness remained. Then a fragrant essence sprayed down from the ceiling. Smells nice.... So this is Mekrak’s technology....
“Whoa, super-science is the best~ I wish there was something to drink. Wonder if there’s anything over there~.”
Danae marched straight toward a refrigerator nearby and helped herself to a drink from inside.
“Want one?”
“Sure.”
Danbi and I each caught the bottle she tossed our way. It was a metal can, not glass, filled with a tropical-colored liquid. I took a cautious sip.
......Delicious!
“Mmm~ This is good. Sweet.”
“Something feels off... but it does taste good.”
Danae chugged hers like it was nothing, while Danbi tilted her head skeptically and sipped.
“That Tutu guy told us to stay put and behave until they send a signal, but he didn’t even say how long we’re supposed to wait~ Honestly, I can’t stand this anymore~ I don’t want to see that disgusting bastard who does those filthy things with both his mind and body....”
Danae’s voice was unusually uncertain. She wasn’t used to being on the receiving end, and that Premium Engraving or whatever it was had been carved into her, so maybe she was having a harder time than us. No, if I’m being honest, I’m struggling just as much....
“Even if you say that, there’s nothing we can do about it.”
I sighed and held out my arm. A thick restraint was still locked around my wrist.
“The Hyperdimensional Tool is in here, but we can’t use it until they unlock it.”
――Just like I said. Our wrists were fitted with the Hyperdimensional Tool, cleverly hidden beneath the restraints. We couldn’t check how much battery was left, but at least we could still transform—as long as that bastard Tutu hadn’t put a lock on it.
Danae waved her hands in frustration anyway.
“Still~~!”
“And we don’t know anything. ...We should hold out until the right moment.”
We still knew far too little about Mekrak. We had no idea what kind of people the nobles were, how this planet operated, what the geography was like, or where the teleportation gates were. As long as they weren’t trying to kill us right away, it seemed smarter to endure a little longer and gather information.
“Better than wandering around blind. The surest path is the fastest one.”
Danbi nodded in agreement with my opinion.
Rudolf’s torture was absolute hell, but compared to Kual, this masochistic pig of a body judged him to be a manageable master—for now. Arrogant, incompetent, and stupid, the perfect trifecta of idiocy. If we played along and flattered him just enough, we might get what we wanted surprisingly easily.
But Danae clearly wasn’t happy about waiting.
“Ugh... That’s... kind of a problem....”
“A problem?”
“Ah, no... It’s nothing.”
Something felt off. I tilted my head, but let it slide. Danbi, however, narrowed her eyes and glared at Danae.
“Hey.”
“?!”
Without warning, Danbi grabbed Danae’s wrist and yanked her forward.
“Eek, eek-eek-eek! Danbi, what’s wrong all of a sudden?! Are you in heat? Did you miss me? Oh my, Rudolf’s coming soon so we don’t have time, but maybe tonight we can take it slow—”
“Shut it. Close your mouth.”
Danbi leaned in close to Danae’s arm and began examining it carefully. Danae stared back at her with a stiff expression. Cold sweat trickled down her freshly showered face.
“This... something....”
“W-wait a second? Danbi? What’s on my arm? Ha, hahaha....”
Danbi placed her hand on Danae’s arm and slowly ran it upward. A faint blue light glowed from her palm, and as her hand passed over the skin, glowing patterns emerged—revealed, more than appeared.
“.......”
“.......”
“.......”
All of us stared at Danae’s arm in silence.
“Ah, haha, that’s, um, an invisible shadow tattoo that’s been popular lately.”
“Engineering Seals. The thieves mentioned them. Mekrak has these sticker-like auxiliary devices you attach to yourself.”
I’d heard of them too. For example, attaching a Power Seal instantly boosted muscle strength, while an Intelli Seal improved memory and thinking ability. In short, they were support equipment for all kinds of enhancements.
“Uh, aha, no, no, that’s not it... That’s not what it is! When would I have even gotten something like that?!”
Danbi and I both crowded in, checking the seals plastered all over Danae’s arm one by one. Damn, she’d stuck on a ton of them.
“Let’s see... I’m not sure, but this one’s Libido Suppression, Sensitivity Control, Lightning Nullification, Stamina Boost...... Why are there so many hanging off you?”
“.......”
Danae’s pupils trembled like there was an earthquake. The two of us stared at her. Hard. Really hard. Super-duper hard.
“......S-sorry... The battery’s about to run out anyway... Ehehehe....”
So that’s why she looked so energetic. And why she didn’t seem to be suffering. It was all an act.
“Ah, no... Not as much as you two, but... I still felt it a bit... I only adjusted it a little when it seemed too hard, to save battery... I kept Lightning Nullification on the whole time... Yeah... Heh, heh♡”
“Why won’t these come off?”
“A-ahhh?! Wait! You can’t peel them off by force! They’re like tattoos! Kyaa?! Don’t scratch! You’ll gouge it out! My beautiful skin is getting torn off~~~~!! My arm’s coming off~~~~!!”
Danae wailed pitifully.
* * *
Unfortunately, before we could remove the seals from Danae’s arm, we heard Rudolf outside the bathroom.
“Hii, hiik! It hurts~~ Stop it~~~! H-hey, Rudolf’s here! That robot’s coming~~ Let’s at least hide the drinks first! Okay?!”
“......Tch.”
We decided to hide the drink cans first. If he found out we’d taken them without permission, who knew what kind of fit he’d throw? Something like “Beasts don’t drink this!”
‘There’s still a lot left.’
Feeling wasteful, I downed the rest in one gulp. Danbi had done the same, and even Danae, sniffling and whimpering, chugged what was left of hers. Thankfully, we managed to stash the empty cans in a corner before Rudolf entered.
Stumble.
“......Huh? What?”
For a second, I misstepped. I barely caught myself on a nearby shelf before falling. What was that? It felt like the floor had shifted.
...No. It wasn’t the floor shaking. It was my vision.
> Status: Intoxicated
Rudolf unlocked the heavy security and stepped into the changing room, carrying two duranium cases stacked in his hands.
[It appears you’ve finished washing. I trust you cleaned every last blemish?]
“Just give us some clothes already, you scrap heap. Where are our clothes?”
[The one called Danbi, was it? This foul-mouthed beast will require proper education someday. More importantly, the rags you arrived in have been disposed of.]
“Disposed of...?!”
[Instead, I have prepared proper attire. Please put them on.]
He handed us the cases he’d been holding. They looked quite luxurious. They’d seemed heavy, but when I took one, it felt lighter than plastic. Some kind of alloy—probably a metal we’d never seen on Earth. Fancy cases like these, holding formal wear. Were they going to be sparkly princess dresses?
‘...Ugh, I don’t want that.’
Imagining myself in something frilly and feminine made my mood sour.
Was this how you opened it? I pressed a switch-like button on the front, and the case clicked open on its own. Inside were scraps of black-and-white fabric with very little surface area.
[A premium Sweet Maid set sourced from the maid country on the planet Anenus. Far too extravagant for beasts like you, so wear them with care.]
“What the hell makes these scraps premium or expensive?!”
They had to import this from another planet?!
[Put them on immediately. You’re already well past your work start time.]
His voice was calm, but he raised a hand crackling with electricity inside the case. If we refused, he’d clearly zap us on the spot.
‘Damn it. Can’t even fight back.’
They’d already seen us naked, so this shouldn’t be a big deal, but I still felt resistance. It felt like putting on this outfit would chip away at something inside me.
The black-and-white fabric was divided into top and bottom. The top was a crop-top level scrap of cloth, and the bottom was a micro-mini skirt. The fluttering frills were incredibly distracting. I’d worn weird outfits before, but they’d all been from my own transformations. Being forced into clothes like this was a first—except for that tattooed guy taking photos.
‘They already saw me naked, so what’s the point of getting shy now?’
Just put it on.
...Strange. Why did I feel so dizzy?
‘The fabric’s surprisingly high quality.’
Touching it, I could feel the luxury in how it sank under my fingers without stretching too much. The underwear and stockings were the same. Once everything was on—the frilly leg rings, the sheer black stockings, the tiny white apron on the skirt, and the frilled headband—I really did look like a maid. Even though it was me inside.
Clothes really were mysterious.
[Dressed like that, you almost look half-human instead of beasts.]
Bullshit.
[Now then, let’s go. I’ll show you what duties you must perform as slaves during the day.]
Once he confirmed we were fully dressed, Rudolf attached the leashes he’d set aside earlier to our collars and led us out of the changing room. Pulled along by the leashes, we followed behind him.
‘But why am I so dizzy...? My vision’s shaking... and my stomach feels weird....’
It wasn’t just me.
“Uwee... What’s going on... Everything’s shaking...?”
Danae and Danbi were both stumbling along just like me.
“......Hey. That drink from earlier.”
Danbi spoke like she’d figured something out. And right then, a notification voice whispered in my ear, reporting my condition.
Status: Intoxicated
......Huh? Intoxicated? Why? I got drunk? I didn’t drink any alcohol——
“Hey... Danae, you damn bitch... That drink just now...!”
“Eh... Aha, ahahaha, I feel great↗~ Uhehehe....”
Danae swayed unsteadily, like she was chasing butterflies. Danbi looked ready to get angry, but her face flushed and she staggered hard, bumping her shoulder against the wall with a thud.
......Apparently, the drink we’d just had was alcohol. What the hell do we do now?