As the mastermind was struck down, the dark veil in the sky slowly dissolved.
Several magical girls clad in various outfits immediately descended, glancing around the scene in confusion.
Had it already been resolved? By who? Were there other magical girls at this school?
As they wondered, their attention turned to the figure lying alone in the most devastated area—a person in a heavy coat—and the white-haired girl standing beside her, clutching a baseball bat.
"You're Kiana?"
The magical girls recognized her at once. After all, she'd been all over the media lately for clicks; even those who didn't pay much attention would have seen her face.
Being kind and upright magical girls, they weren't too concerned with fame or competition. They were more focused on whether anyone was hurt and how this evil organization cadre had been defeated.
After hearing a brief account, the colorful group of girls couldn't hide their astonishment.
"You took down such a powerful cadre with just two people? No armor, no weapons, no backup?"
The department head had already safely escorted Sakiko and Mutsumi downstairs. Noticing the commotion, she walked over.
"Thank you for your assistance, Magical Rainbow. This cadre will be taken into Schicksal's custody. Kiana and Mei have just been through a fight and are exhausted. I'll take them to rest."
"Where's Mei?"
The white-haired girl's immediate question about Mei didn't surprise the department head.
"I saw her inside the school building earlier. She's resting now and will come down shortly."
Truthfully, she had quite a few questions and curiosities about this so-called "core."
The emergency had left no time to ask earlier, and with the magical girls—outsiders—present, it wasn't the right moment.
Though they were young graduates of Valkyrie training, they had still completed the program. The teachers were more than capable of handling post-disaster procedures and liaising with the police.
After delegating everything to Ando, the department head finally had a moment to gather the two girls and ask the question that had been on her mind for hours:
"What did that cadre mean by 'core'?"
The two girls exchanged a glance.
Finally, the dark-haired one spoke up.
Her expression had softened again, but when it came to this topic, she offered only a bitter smile.
"To be honest, I'm not entirely sure myself… I just know there's another, completely different personality inside me."
"She possesses immense power. I can borrow a fraction of it, but using too much risks her taking over my body."
Another personality? You're sure you're not a magical girl?
It was no wonder the department head looked skeptical. Alternate personalities, dark sides—it all sounded like something straight out of the magical girl playbook.
But considering the heavy-coated figure had mentioned "magical power," it did seem connected to magic.
Then, recalling what she knew about Raiden Mei's past with bullying…
The department head's heart clenched tightly. But seeing the white-haired girl's worried expression—clearly anxious she might give Raiden Mei a hard time—her tension eased.
She felt genuinely grateful for the white-haired girl's excessive concern for Raiden Mei.
After all, Raiden Mei's situation seemed like a classic template for someone turning dark and joining an evil organization.
Magical girls could usually handle it, but the battles were always nerve-wracking.
If Raiden Mei hadn't fully succumbed to darkness, Kiana might just be the biggest reason why.
But…
"You don't have a core?"
The department head looked at the white-haired girl.
"Huh? Me?"
The white-haired girl pointed at herself, dumbfounded.
Seeing her reaction, and remembering the heavy-coated figure had called her "collateral," the department head nodded. It seemed Kiana didn't have one.
But if Raiden Mei's magical power explained her strength, how did Kiana have such absurd physical prowess?
"Anyway, I'll suppress information about the core for now, but my authority only goes so far. A more thorough information lockdown will require Schicksal's assistance."
After all, the heavy-coated figure's announcement had been broadcast across the whole school. Many had heard it. Even accounting for the panic, a cautious lockdown was necessary.
"By the way, do you know how that cadre learned about the core?"
"Well…"
The two girls looked at each other.
Right, they themselves didn't have a clear idea about the core.
"For now, stay on school grounds. I'll report this as soon as possible. With the school this damaged and security compromised, classes won't resume anytime soon. If there's another attack, we can minimize casualties."
It was also a way to keep an eye on both of them.
After all, matters had escalated beyond a department head's pay grade. She needed instructions from higher up.
"Understood." They replied in unison.
They had no objections to such a reasonable arrangement.
Once the department head left to contact Schicksal, Amber finally turned to the dark-haired girl beside her. "So, what was all that about today?"
"You think I arranged it?"
"…Didn't you?"
"…I can't deny it. Though it didn't go exactly as I imagined, I did have a hand in it."
Dark Amber averted her gaze.
"So what exactly happened?"
"Simply put, I leaked some information to the evil organization—about that new parallel world, and about the core within me."
Now that she was asked, Dark Amber saw no point in hiding it. "According to my original plan, it would have been our perfect ticket to that other world."
"Original plan? A ticket to another world?"
Amber was shocked. "Have you already made headway over there?"
Otherwise, why set up schemes in another world?
"I've made quite a few moves, just so you wouldn't get bored."
Dark Amber offered a meaningful smile, but it faded quickly. "But I never expected… every plan I make seems to veer off in the most bizarre ways."
It happened with Natsumi before, and now this. Her casual moves often yielded the greatest results, but whenever something she cared about was involved, surprises popped up.
"Luckily, it's just unexpected. It didn't affect things too much."
She said it lightly, but inwardly she was grinding her teeth.
This time, not only had an unforeseen event made her lose face and left Amber with a bad impression, but the lead actor had failed to play her part, passively following the script instead.
The thought made her even angrier, though her expression remained calm.
"Next time, don't worry about me. Just act according to your own ideas. After all, I did all this so you wouldn't be bored. If you end up accommodating my plans, it defeats the purpose."
Most importantly, a well-crafted script shouldn't be obvious to the lead actor.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.