[News about a widespread phenomenon—a massive number of people across the world have been reported to exhibit strange symptoms, many of which are related to an unexpected surge in lust level. Preliminary examinations from experts have confirmed that these behaviors are linked to the emergence of a new pheromone type in the human body. The cause of such an appearance is thought to have been the result of an unknown frequency that resonated globally yesterday. Currently, there have been no detrimental health effects detected coming from this change, though the number of cases in which patients display an increasingly—]
''...What in the world have you done, Magical Osbeckia?''
''Um...''
2094.
It was a busy Tuesday at City O, made busier by the sudden chaos that began on the night prior. Kisaragi Moeka, or Magical Osbeckia, having cancelled her morning class, arrived at the bureau following a summon order. Accompanying her was Uehara Fumiko, or Magical Hibiscus, the leader of all magical girls in the city.
Before the floor-to-ceiling window sat a woman who looked to be in her thirties—Casey Moore, The Federation's chief of the Magical Girl Management department in City O. For Moeka, who rarely troubled Miss Casey, she had not seen her boss this flustered before. Though by glancing at the TV screen and hearing the anchor's anxious voice, she could understand why.
Worse, all of it was supposedly caused by the criminal she had caught the day prior.
''Osbeckia—no, you both understand how massive the scale of this mess is, yes?'' Casey grabbed her throbbing forehead, ''Before we go into anything... just tell me what happened.''
The MGM's chief took a glance at the two women in front of her, both of whom were seasoned magical girls of this small satellite city.
On one side was Magical Osbeckia, renowned for her consistency and versatility in magic. On the other side, seated Magical Hibiscus, a leading mind in the magical engineering industry, who also boasted impressive combat capabilities. The pair were childhood friends, and, coupled with their joint debut five years ago, it was a given that they would work together as a duo.
In terms of performance, Casey never had to doubt the pair. Even now, she was willing to believe that unexpected circumstances must have arisen.
Eventually, it was Moeka who spoke with a hint of disbelief, ''...Everything went as I reported yesterday. I infiltrated the criminal's base, detained her, and brought her back to the bureau.''
Giving it a brief pause, Moeka continued, ''Miss Casey, is it possible that this is just a coincidence? Thinking back to Aloe... I can't imagine her doing something so drastic.''
''The bureau confirmed that it was her.'' The chief shook her head, ''Do you remember the moment Aloe Mochizuki used her power?''
''...Yes. I felt a strange frequency at the time, but I wasn't aware what it was.'' Moeka replied.
''How is it possible that a criminal with such a powerful ability has remained unknown until now...? Osbeckia, who gave you Aloe Mochizuki's intel?''
''Well... she did.''
Attention immediately fell on Uehara Fumiko—Magical Hibiscus, who, while crunching on her morning toast, was still nonchalantly swiping forums on her phone. Fumiko leaned comfortably back on the sofa, flaunting her purple hair, which was tied low to the side. As she stared at the screen, one could see faint bags hanging under her blood-red eyes.
At the woman's laid-back attitude, a sort of anger arose in Casey's chest, ''Hibiscus, was the information provided by you?''
''Hm? You could say that.'' Fumiko replied.
''How did you find this individual?''
''Just accidentally caught her trails while surfing the web. The mission was supposed to be for one of our trainees, but she caught a cold... so I asked Moeka instead.''
Hearing the half-hearted tone, Moeka narrowed her eyes, ''Miko, I swear, you and your messy way of doing things...''
''My fault, my fault,'' Fumiko raised her hands in defeat, ''But you also didn't check everything carefully, did you?''
''That... I guess I should have requested more information.'' The pink-haired woman sighed, ''Still, you should have at least included Aloe's ability in the file.''
At this point, Casey interrupted the conversation, ''Aloe Mochizuki has not been registered in the system prior to the arrest. Her forte, as per the examination results confirmed today, is a psionic-type that allows her to hack into electronic systems. It is extremely powerful—enough to pull a global stunt, that is.''
''That's absurd... wait, what crime did she even commit?'' Moeka tugged her childhood friend's sleeve, ''Please don't say anything stupid.''
Fumiko smiled calmly, ''Pirating games.''
The room fell into silence.
Seeing as though light was slipping away from Moeka's golden eyes, Fumiko scrambled words in her head to quickly form a sentence, ''Calm down. I wouldn't go so far as to trouble you if Aloe were just pirating games. I discovered her underground base, remember? She was doing shady stuff down there, so I needed an excuse. We're unlucky things turn out this way—that's all.''
''...''
Kisaragi Moeka thought she was dreaming. For her, who had always strived for a stable life, who also led a relatively stable one, waking up to see the world morphing because of her direct decision felt unbelievable.
Before panic could set in, Casey interjected once more, ''However it happened, the fact that such an incident occurred during one of our missions is enough fuel for the fire. The intel is contained for now, but it cannot stay that way forever. Once the higher-ups look into it, news will leak.''
Moeka clenched her fists. As a well-established magical girl, she could certainly survive through the public's flame, depending on how far the situation escalated. Yet, the same could not be said for her ordinary family. Could she protect them forever...?
''It's my fault.'' Fumiko's cold voice cut through Moeka's thoughts, ''As the leader, I will take all responsibilities for this incident.''
''Miko...''
For whatever reason, a single word flashed in her mind as she stared at Fumiko's side profile—handsome. For having such a thought, she nearly slapped herself, 'Handsome?! Really? This silly girl?' She screamed internally.
Unaware of the crisis Moeka faced, Casey continued, ''I don't blame either of you—the fault is on Aloe Mochizuki, after all. But we shouldn't wait idly for the case to catch fire either.''
''What are you suggesting, then, Miss Casey?'' Moeka asked.
The chief stood up resolutely before stepping toward the entrance, ''Follow me.''
Casey led the two magical girls down to the bureau's confinement facility, where villains and criminals were jailed. On the way, she explained the case further, ''You see, after we've detained her, Aloe Mochizuki refused to answer a thing. Quite stubborn. And since she is yet to be convicted of her crime, we can't use stronger methods on her.''
''With how chaotic things are right now, I don't expect the judicial system to function well either,'' Fumiko interjected. ''It'll take a while.''
''Exactly.'' Casey sighed, ''We only have one potential lead right now—Aloe has specifically mentioned your name during the questioning, Osbeckia. She wanted to see you.''
At some point, they were standing before Aloe Mochizuki's shell. Casey Moore turned to Moeka, hands on her shoulders, speaking solemnly, ''We have to comprehend the situation and get to a potential cure for the symptoms ASAP. That's the only way we can get out of this unscathed. If it goes well, we can even use this to our advantage.''
''...So my job is to get Aloe to talk about it?'' Moeka furrowed her brows.
A reassuring smile bloomed on the chief's face, ''You've got it. Now, go.''
''Don't sweat it,'' Fumiko added.
After taking a deep breath, Moeka tapped her choker, ''Cherry,''
Right as a pinkish cat materialized in the air, Kisaragi Moeka quietly transformed into Magical Osbeckia. With a click, she opened the door and entered the room, once again facing the troublemaker from the previous day.
''It's you! The pink magical girl!''
Through the security partition, Aloe Mochizuki immediately recognized the one who had caught her. A half-pout and aggressive wrinkles appeared on her face as she ran to the glass, adding to the criminal's haggardness. It did not seem as though she had had a peaceful night.
Osbeckia calmly pulled a chair over and settled down, while the young woman glared at her spitefully.
''Did you want to see me?'' The magical girl carefully inquired.
''Yeah! So I can tell it to your face—this is the price you have to pay!'' Aloe laughed maniacally, ''Did you see what happened in the news? There's no going back now, magical girl!''
Swallowing dryly, Osbeckia threw a direct question, ''...What did you do?''
At those words, a twisted smile tugged at Aloe's lips. Deep flushes fell onto her freckled cheeks, and in her eyes emerged a crazed light, ''What did I do, hm?'' She giggled, ''What if I say... that I turned the world into an erotic novel?''
''...Huh?''