After being marked by Yui, Moeka returned home and spent her day as usual. It was the beginning of a new semester, which meant she did not have to worry about exams for the moment. So, she decided to resume sinking time into her hobbies, which had been neglected thanks to the cluster mess of events involving her lately.
One of them was reading. Moeka could enjoy classical works, though for relieving stress, she liked to read fiction novels, which were more casual. After a shower, she fell onto her bed and reached for her phone.
''...''
For no particular reason, Moeka chose one of the ABO novels she had been reading some time ago while researching the Omegaverse. It would be a lie for her to say she was not interested in knowing how much fiction diverged from reality. Or, in this case, the opposite. As she visited the page, she noticed an unusual number of views and interactions left on each chapter.
'This stuff is all trending now, huh...'
Thanks to the Omegaverse-fication of the real world, works that used this theme exploded in popularity, as people flocked to see what exactly they had become. While pondering this, Moeka began to read absentmindedly.
Truthfully, out of the few novels Moeka had read on the Omegaverse, most had been quite dramatic. The main characters would be put in unreasonable circumstances, forcing them to face hardships for hundreds of chapters on end before finally getting together. While unrealistic, they did provide the readers with plenty of entertainment, Moeka thought.
'It would be funny if they really happened...'
Showbiz dramas, underground dealings, kidnapping, love triangles... scenarios unlikely to occur in the real world, but if they truly happened, Moeka would love to follow them. Giggling to herself about how stupid that wish was, Moeka kept reading and eventually fell asleep.
The next day.
Moeka came to class early. She sat quietly at the back of the hall, pacing through the hours. It felt unnaturally peaceful. Perhaps the chaotic days prior had done something to Moeka's psyche, but she was a little uneasy.
After morning class, Moeka moved to the cafeteria for lunch. Although the schedules of the other magical girls in the relief program were unknown to Moeka, today was a rare occasion when she and Himeko did not have classes on the same day, so she was alone. Not that it bothered Moeka in the slightest. Some people were just fine on their own.
As usual, Moeka grabbed her favorite bread and a pack of milk, which were just enough for her slender frame. Fumiko often cursed her for having such a prominent chest despite eating so little, to which Moeka would reply, 'It's all genetics, idiot.'
''Heheh...''
But just as Moeka was giggling to herself, a deafening explosion went off not far away from where she was standing. Immediately, Moeka abandoned her lunch and ran toward it. Passing by terrified students, many of whom were screaming, she got closer to the scene.
'What is happening...?!'
At first, Moeka thought it was some sort of accident or natural disaster, but it soon became apparent that an attack was launched at the college. Historically, Orion University had never been struck directly by its opposing forces. Since the institution had an unusually high number of magical girls as students, doing so was simply foolish. Now, as those top talents from the capital migrated over, even more so. Evidently, by the time Moeka arrived, several magical girls were already battling with a large number of enemies.
The scene was so chaotic that it took Moeka a few seconds to realize what was going on. Hiding in a safe corner, Moeka summoned her mascot, preparing to transform. But since others were already seizing control of the situation, she decided to observe first.
'The Legion's combatants...'
Moeka recognized The Legion's signature equipment right away. Furthermore, it looked as though the organization's elite corps was in the mix as well. What could be the reason for this daring move? Were they trying to provoke The Federation? More importantly...
'Where is the leader?'
An attack of this scale could not have happened without a commander. Just as Moeka was scanning the battlefield for any trace of them, she felt a chill at the back of her neck.
''...!''
In less than a second, an unfathomable darkness swallowed her presence whole. Someone's cold breath fell on her neck, ''Found you...'' It whispered, like a snake's slithering. Moeka tried to transform on the spot to fight back, but the enemy was extremely swift, tying her magic down before she could act. The sneak attack was so potent that Moeka thought she would still fall for it even if she had transformed. Clearly, she was the target all along. Eventually, in the freezing darkness, Moeka's consciousness slipped away.
When Moeka opened her eyes again, she found herself in an unfamiliar space.
''Ugh...''
Moeka glanced around, rousing her muddy senses. The space was somewhat narrow, dim with little light leaking in. The air smelled funky, like... a mix of coffee and strawberry. As she tried to move, Moeka realized her wrists were tied together to the bed she was lying on. Attempts to activate magic gave negative responses, though she could still feel Cherry's signals. This most likely meant her mascot was temporarily neutralized.
''...''
A full minute in this suffocating silence, and Moeka finally came to terms with the fact that... she was kidnapped. Somehow, she was regretting those thoughts last night about ABO's tropes. Still, she was not dead yet, and it seemed nothing about her body had changed besides the lack of magical response. Depending on the kidnapper's goals, Moeka had chances to get out of this.
To begin with, her disappearance would inevitably trigger a search from The Federation. They would not let a magical girl be missing for long, and neither would Miss Casey or Fumiko. Until she was found, Moeka had to hold on.
So, Moeka took a deep breath. At that moment, a rustle could be heard in the room. Someone's light steps approached her, and Moeka could see a pair of distinct golden eyes glowing in the dark. She squinted, yet could not pry further into the darkness.
''Ah, apologies.'' A youthful voice rang.
The darkness voluntarily receded, amping the visibility in the space by several folds. Only then did Moeka recognize her old rival's face.
''Nacht...'' She clicked her tongue.
The other party smiled leisurely, ''It took a kidnapping for you to finally call my name. How cold you are, Osbeckia. Or should I call you... Moeka?''
''...How did you find out my information?'' Moeka asked back, deciding it would be useless to play dumb. At the same time, she was pondering the potential risks if her real identity was exposed to the public. It would make things a little messy.
But contrary to where Moeka's thoughts were heading, Nacht shook her head, ''Hey, don't worry. I'm not planning to expose you.'' She said, ''Instead, I have a present for you, my dear.''
''...''
Looking at Nacht's nauseating smile and her unfitting heart gesture, Moeka had to admit... this was probably the biggest crisis of her life.