I get in the elevator and look at the buttons, choosing the one that goes to the top floor, which must obviously be the penthouse where Septarion said the leader would be. I press it and wait.
I don't understand why I would need to see the leader. I mean, wouldn't it be better for others to take care of the administration instead of the leader herself having to deal with every single person and other things? I really don't understand the mindset of people like that.
But I decide not to think too much about it and just take the opportunity to find out who the incompetent one is that let my sister suffer and was unable to help, even though she's the leader of all this.
I also take some time to observe the place and its general architecture to see what it's like.
The place is quite nice, but I don't see that as a big deal, although I'm sure Ayane was enchanted by the beauty of the place and must have looked at everything with curiosity.
The elevator is incredibly fast, reaching the top floor at a pace that regular elevators could never achieve so steadily, showing that the level of technology in this place must be quite high.
Whoever is leading all this must be extremely rich, much more so than several people I could mention.
The door opens into a corridor filled with art frames, but ignoring that, I just walk forward until I reach a door. To maintain my polite image, I knock on the door.
After all, someone who likes these seemingly extremely expensive arts must prefer a more educated and formal style.
"..."
"You may come in." After a few moments, I hear a soft voice asking me to enter. I open the door, and the first thing I notice is a girl in a wheelchair, which reminds me of what the angel said about me being able to make friends.
It seems that the magical girls don't care much for people with any kind of disability, regardless of what it is, which is good for me.
The girl has long black hair and indigo-colored eyes, and her appearance suggests that she comes from a very wealthy family, as her style almost bluntly displays this.
'I think I need to stop thinking so much about money...' I'm focusing too much on the money I need and losing sight of why I'm here.
"Good evening, I'm Setsuna. I'm sorry for showing up so late, but I don't have many opportune moments I can take advantage of," I say, giving only my name as I fully enter the room.
"Good evening, I'm Ophelia Hecate, but you can just call me Ophelia. May I call you Setsuna?" She speaks politely while making a gesture with her hand for me to sit on a sofa.
She seems confused and even a little unsure of what to say, probably because she didn't expect a visit to show up out of nowhere, and she seems to be the type who plans what to say in advance and only then actually speaks.
"Of course, call me as you wish." I say, walking to the sofa as she moves her wheelchair to a spot and grabs a chessboard that I notice is a chess set.
"You know, I'm sorry for being a bit rushed, it's just that things are happening rather quickly. Less than 20 minutes ago, I was seeing another new magical girl," Ophelia says politely as she sets up the chess game on the table.
"And Septarion didn't warn me that someone else would be coming, so I didn't prepare, and now I'm a bit tangled up with the decisions I need to make," Ophelia says with an awkward smile.
"It's okay, I completely understand, it's also quite late," I say, watching her open the game and arrange the pieces to play. The normal thing would be for her to ask if I want to play before setting up the game, but she seems nervous, so I'll overlook that.
"You know how to play chess? I always play a quick game against all the new magical girls that appear," she says in a somewhat professional and even mysterious tone, but her nervousness about the situation makes her lose some of the mystery.
'She seems like the kind of girl who, if she doesn't plan things in advance, gets completely lost.' So I'd say she's a leader who probably has trouble giving quick responses in moments of surprise.
"Of course..." I simply confirm that I know how to play chess. I'm not extremely professional, but I play quite well.
'She looks at me a bit strange...' This catches my attention. I wonder why she's looking at me that way.
"...I'm sorry for looking at you differently, I have a magic that gives me a certain instinct or intuition about things, you could even call it visions... and I have to say you give me a strange feeling that confuses me."
"H-Haha, it's the first time I've been so nervous like this," she says, blushing shyly at her "mistake" and for being noticed so quickly.
"It's okay, I understand it can be difficult to deal with surprises... can I know what your intuition is telling you?" I ask, curious about this.
"W-Well... it's the first time I've seen someone so... sad..." she says in a more serious tone.
"..."
"I've never seen a new magical girl who seems to have suffered as much as you... you must have gone through truly terrible things, I'm so sorry," she says, slightly bowing her head.
'Good intuition...' She's not wrong, although all this suffering was before going back in time, in the current time nothing has happened to Ayane yet.
"I see..."
"I'm sorry for bringing up the subject, it's such an unusual vision that it really leaves me confused, you know... Do you want to start playing first?" She asks.
"No, you can start." Whoever goes first may seem advantageous, but each move reveals something about the person, allowing you to predict them. Ophelia nods and begins the game.
"You know, I usually prepare a speech and have what I'm going to say to new magical girls pre-planned, because each girl is unique... but Septarion didn't tell me about your arrival."
"So I'm acting a bit distant from my usual self," she says as I move my piece and she moves hers in sequence.
"It's okay, I understand I arrived at a surprising moment. I'm here because I'd like to register as a magical girl," I say, telling her why I came to this place.
"Of course, we're always open. There are rules about this, but since I don't know you very well, I'd like to know more about you, what weapon and magic you use so I can know which team to place you on?" She says, moving another piece.
"I have a pistol as a weapon, and my magic allows me to fire more powerful magical shots through the gun, in addition to being a medium-range support," I say, moving another piece and cornering her in chess while lying about my magic.
"You're very good at this," she says, seeing my moves, but I'm not actually that good at chess, I'm just playing based on how she plays, and she also seems to be playing based on how I play.
"Thank you, you're also incredible," I compliment her, causing her to get a small smile on her face.
"You know, you seem like someone who is quite determined, since you decided from the beginning to join. That's good, we're quite busy, and extra help is always welcome."
"Mm-hmm, I understand completely," I agree with Ophelia as I move my chess piece to completely surround her.
"...It seems I lost, you're good at this, I had only lost 5 times before, but now it seems to be 6," she says as she is in checkmate in chess, with no more options.
"Yes, it was a good game."
"I'll explain some things about our registration system, okay?" She says, regaining her composure. It seems she thought about what to say during our chess game.
"Sure, go ahead."
"To start with, you'll be placed on teams, and we'll see which team you fit best in, depending on teamwork and other things, your team will be defined."
"When going on missions like fighting monsters or rescues on your own, we recommend letting the base know, so that in case you lose, we can go rescue you. You seem mature, you must know what happens to those who lose."
"Yes, I know." It's not a good outcome for those who lose to a monster.
"Great, you'll receive a pre-defined monthly payment, but you can always earn more. For every task you complete, like saving someone or defeating a monster, you'll receive additional payment."
"The payment is the same for each team member, so you don't need to worry about how to divide it, as it's done this way to avoid fights."
"The base has leisure facilities and great medical facilities with magical girls prepared to purify your mind and help a bit with things like bad feelings."
"We'll have more detailed explanations at the reception, where you can receive explanations about this. Since you said you're a support, you'll probably be placed on another team with another support and an attacker," she speaks in an organized manner.
'It seems very well-structured.' Not bad at all, I didn't expect such meticulous attention. I seem to have been mistaken.
"I'll give you some extra explanations later along with some paperwork to sign. You can take the time you need to read everything and understand what you're signing."
"I just need to ask someone to bring everything here while we can talk, I imagine we have a lot of things to say to each other," Ophelia says as she moves her wheelchair to go put away the chess set.
"Yes, I have time to wait, we can talk while that's happening," I say, confirming.