Kisaragi Moeka was a practical person.
She knew how to use what she had to her advantage and readily accepted reality if it meant she could prevent further damage. In less than a minute after Aloe confirmed her Omega status was permanent, Moeka had come to terms with it. Endlessly mulling over the inevitable would not solve a thing—such was her philosophy. Besides, being an Omega was not the end of the world.
An Omega was stereotyped as fragile and submissive. Moeka? A full-fledged magical girl who had fought countless battles. Even as an O, she could easily assert her dominance with magic and sheer power. When she thought about it like that, it did not seem so bad, after all.
A little while after the conversation with Aloe, Moeka and Fumiko were alone on the lab's balcony, basking in the cool breeze under the blue sky.
''Any plans now?'' The latter cautiously asked, ''If you still want to turn back into an Alpha, I can look into it.''
Moeka shook her head, ''I was never an Alpha. It's fine. You should focus on the suppressant.''
''...''
''...''
At once, both of them remembered the scene inside the parking lot earlier. The effects of being in heat were indeed not to be underestimated. Humans had built and maintained a civilization for thousands of years, and it could not be a 'civilization' without the word 'civil.' Thus, only a very few could accept losing themselves to such animalistic traits.
A suppressant was essential.
''It's not easy, though,'' Fumiko clicked her tongue, ''Those old fools in the Federation think making a new drug is as simple as mixing sauces.''
''They're pressuring you already?'' Moeka tilted her head.
''No one is spared from this carnal hell. They must be craving the cure.'' The purple-haired woman smirked, ''Well, the only fortunate ones are the Betas. Those people's pheromones are stable.''
''Betas...''
Through the tinted floor-to-ceiling glass window, Moeka's gaze fell onto Aloe, the catalyst, and a Beta herself. If Moeka were a Beta... she would not have to deal with many problems. Alas, there was nothing she could do but adapt and keep going.
In the afternoon, Moeka returned home.
School was still unavailable, and no orders had been given by her higher-ups other than to stay home and monitor her health. Other magical girls she knew also received the same messages. It was not a hard guess—the Federation was weighing its approach to this issue.
Strangely, Moeka's mother seemed happy that her daughter had become an Omega. Moeka herself had no idea why she was beaming, but seeing one's parent smile was never a bad thing.
Over the next few days, Moeka obediently stayed home, keeping herself updated through the internet. Expectedly, the majority's sentiment was still that they could not get used to the sudden change, though a growing group of netizens had already settled themselves within this storm, and some even began to praise the pheromones.
On a popular anonymous forum, heated discussions were still held regularly, showing no signs of stopping.
[We're solving the population issue with this one lol]
∟[Governments ain't doing shit so evolution does it on its own.]
∟[Isn't this The Legion's work?]
∟[Clearly some perverts in suits caused it. Everything is smut fest now.]
Moeka was entertained by the remarks, especially when she knew the true culprit behind this chaos. She also took time to continue her 'research,' though thanks to Fumiko's mark on her chest, she did not have to constantly pleasure herself to dispel the lust during the binge reading.
And, on an unsuspecting Sunday, Moeka received a call from Casey, the chief of MGM.
[Sorry, I didn't call you. Things were seriously hectic up here. Finally can breathe today...]
''It's alright, Miss Casey. How is it looking on your side?''
[It'll be fine for the moment. As long as nothing unexpected happens, we'll have time to act.]
''That's a relief.''
For a while, Miss Casey's voice on the other end was relaxed. Still, that serious tone returned when work came up,
[Orders from above, Osbeckia. We have to register every magical girl's heat cycle now—can't let it get in the way of operations. Normally, we'd assign a medical staff for you, but as you might have imagined...]
''Every facility is short-staffed nowadays...'' Moeka sighed, ''I understand. I'll record it myself and send the data to you.''
[Working with you is always smooth, Osbeckia.]
''Thank you.''
After briefing Moeka on some additional protocols, Casey continued with a somewhat uneasy tone,
[There's a bit of trouble, though. See, our country's magical girls are mostly young adults, right?]
''...Isn't that the case everywhere?''
[That's not the point. The point is—everyone is an Alpha, and Alphas' libido is immense. For them, being in heat is like getting mad drunk. To ease that libido and protect their identities, we can't just pair them with ordinary Omegas.]
''I don't think they'd just reveal it during the act, though...?''
[You're forgetting something, Osbeckia. It's their magic. When they lose control, their magic goes wild, too. That's the dangerous part.]
''How about pairing them with Beta magical girls? Or contacting retired ones... they should be able to handle it.''
[We're trying both, but it's really hit or miss. Unlike Omegas, Betas can't naturally attract Alphas unless there's preexisting chemistry. At this rate, we'll have a lonely epidemic among our girls before the suppressant comes out. If only there were an Omega magical girl...]
''...Miss Casey.''
[Hm?]
''I'm an Omega.''
[...]
After a suspicious pause, Moeka heard the sound of pages flipping on the other side. It must have been the chief finally taking a look at the differentiation results she had sent days prior.
For one reason or another, Moeka was a little unsettled. If what Miss Casey said was true, and The Federation truly needed a 'relief' Omega on duty...
[O-Osbeckia.]
''...Yes, Miss Casey.''
[Do you want to spend some time with pretty girls...?]
''That's the worst solicitation I've ever heard.''
Moeka cut the call.
''...''
Falling onto the bed, she took a deep breath before sending a message to the chief,
[Please let me think about it.]
Becoming an Omega as a magical girl, now being asked to date her colleagues... it all came too quickly. Kisaragi Moeka was a practical person, but even so, she needed time to truly weigh out the best option for her and her family.
The answer never came, even after two days of contemplating. Thankfully, Miss Casey did not urge her to choose.
In the meantime, her university had resumed its operation. Students came back to class in droves, though the atmosphere around campus had drastically changed. Groups of friends were now split according to their tendencies, some finding new mates, some separating.
Moeka herself rarely hung out with anyone other than Fumiko and a few colleagues, so she was less affected. Besides, she already had a lot on her mind.
Lunchtime.
Moeka sat on the rooftop, poking at her melon bread for the meal. Normally, this was a location reserved for herself and/or Fumiko, though the latter was skipping class to focus on her research. The door was locked throughout the day. Only by using magic could one sneak into this area.
In short, she was alone—should have been.
''...Hm?''
As Moeka munched on her bread, she spotted a blonde girl landing gracefully onto the rooftop. Instinctively, she realized—this person is a magical girl.