There wasn't much for me to do on Sunday.
So I sat inside my home—or mansion, to be more precise—rocking gently on the cradle chair in my room. The creaking echoed in the otherwise silent space as I leaned back, breathing slowly in and out, waiting for the news I so eagerly wanted to hear.
Reistu had said he would be able to track down the place where Rin worked her part-time job in about twenty hours. Fourteen had already passed, leaving only six more.
I raised my right hand and watched as it slowly shifted into its monstrous form. The cradle rocked back and forth beneath me, its creak filling the silence. I flexed my fingers open and closed, feeling the chill of my metallic, black-scaled claws pressing against the cold surface of my palm.
I placed both of my hands on the armrests, my left one shifting into its monstrous form as well. Crossing my legs, I stared blindly at the ceiling—just an empty white canvas that remained lifeless.
The fan above spun, its wind waving and ruffling my white hair like a faint breeze.
"How many more hours do I have to wait like this?" I muttered under my breath.
The waiting was starting to grate on me. I was growing irritated, even a little impatient. After all, I had this so-called great, elaborate, master-blaster plan… yet I couldn't execute it.
Knock!
There was a knock on the door.
"Who is it?" I asked, glancing at the door as I shifted my hands back to normal. Well—not normal exactly. My monster form was my true normal.
"Young master, may I come in? I've brought good news…"
It was Reistu's voice.
"Finally. Come in…" I replied with a relieved tone. At last, my pointless waiting had come to an end.
The door opened, and Reistu stepped inside, giving me a bow before speaking.
"Young master, I have found the place where the girl works part-time. She is employed at a convenience shop near the station. I contacted the shop manager and struck a deal of ten million yen to have her dismissed from her job."
"I see…" I gave a slow nod, then rose from the cradle chair and stretched my body. "You have done well."
"Though, there is one matter I would like to ask," Reistu continued.
"The manager, unfortunately, has not been able to come up with a valid excuse to fire the girl. She has been doing her job exceptionally well, and he fears what might happen if she files a lawsuit against him."
"Well, his concern is valid," I said, then added, "though I have an idea to deal with that problem of his."
"What idea, young master?"
"Tell the manager that we will deliberately set the convenience shop on fire. He can put the blame on Rin, and we'll pay him a hundred million yen if he agrees."
Reistu nodded, though he hesitated. "But young master… doesn't a hundred million sound a little too expensive?"
"Nah, it's not. Now go back and tell the manager my idea," I said.
"I will," Reistu replied, giving me a bow before quietly closing the door as he left the room.
I pointed my finger at the remote lying on the bed. With a flick of telekinesis, it floated into my hand. I grabbed it, switched on the TV, and flipped to the news channels.
I wanted to see if there was any report of a gas station explosion.
And no, I didn't mean an ordinary one.
The kind of "gas station explosion" I was referring to was nothing more than a cover-up — a convenient excuse crafted through illusion and perception-altering magic by magical girls to disguise their battles with monsters. Their fights were often destructive, but to the eyes of ordinary humans, it would appear as nothing more than an unfortunate accident.
Now, a gas station explosion didn't always mean a gas station explosion. Sometimes there were other kinds of cover-ups, but they almost always tied it to something involving gas. It was the most efficient way to conceal this secret war.
If a human happened to become aware of their existence, the magical girls would erase that person's memories—or, sometimes, kill them outright for sport and amusement. Afterward, they would even erase the victim from the memories of others.
Every day, thousands of people either died or had their memories wiped. It was also one of the hidden reasons behind Japan's declining population.
"Here it is!" I exclaimed as one of the news channels flashed the headline. The reporter's voice followed immediately: Explosion in the old industrial zone on the edges of Arakawa Embankment. Fortunately, no casualties have been reported...
"Arakawa… isn't it the same place where the Deadly Alliance was formed? If I'm not wrong?" I muttered to myself, placing my left hand on my chin. "Though… who were the two magical girls who made that alliance again?"
I couldn't recall their names. All I knew was that the Deadly Alliance was the main antagonist of the first season. It was made between two magical girls who sought the power of the magical boy for their own purposes. I didn't remember what exactly they did, or the reason they wanted Tatsuya's power. None of the sources ever explained it. In all three versions, both magical girls were killed off almost immediately, without being given the chance to explain their motives.
"I'm gonna stay the hell away from that. That's the main character's problem, not mine," I muttered to myself. There was no way in hell I was going to get stuck in that whole mess. Getting involved would be nothing short of suicide—especially against magical girls… and worse, yandere magical girls. Still, deep down I knew I couldn't avoid the plot for too long.
One way or another, it would drag me in. Either it would come to me, or I'd accidentally stumble into it. I had no control over that.
But if that day came… I'd just go with the flow and pray I had enough allies on my side.
With that thought, I switched off the TV and tossed the remote onto the bed.
I'm going to take a nap. All this thinking has given me a violent headache.
I'll worry about waking up later… and offering Rin my help, whether that ends up being today or maybe tomorrow.
I need to get some monster allies as well. I'd feel much better if I had an army of my own.