Chapter 88

Selection of the Magical Girl Star Nail

“Blue Colette isn’t responding?”

Amakaze, hearing this from one of the operators, furrowed his brow. There had been signs of a monster’s appearance, and when the operator tried to contact Blue Colette, there was no response. The subsequent extermination mission was hastily handed over to Star Nail, who handled it without issue.

Afterward, despite numerous attempts to reach Blue Colette, there was not a single response.

“Yes. Since the last extermination, she seems to have been refusing all our communications. According to her parents, she hasn’t returned home since that mission.”

Amakaze internally thought that the time had finally come, but he didn’t voice this to the operator. Following an incident involving civilians, Blue Colette’s behavior had steadily worsened, and she refused to listen to anyone.

Magical girls are walking weapons. While they’re manageable, everything is fine, but if they go berserk, hundreds or even tens of thousands of lives could easily be lost. Though top-ranked magical girls act as deterrents, casualties still occur.

Amakaze had considered the possibility that Blue Colette might go rogue and become a designated target for extermination, but he hadn’t expected it to happen so soon.

While there was a chance she’d been involved in some kind of incident, Amakaze believed this likelihood was low.

With the recent talk about witches circulating, it seemed unlikely things would turn out well regardless. Above all, it wouldn’t do for the North Kanto Branch to have another scandal.

“Does anyone else know about this matter?”

“No, only the Director so far.”

“I see… Can you delay submitting the report for three days?”

Whenever an issue arose, a report had to be submitted, which would then be recorded and sent to headquarters. If this happened, the entire Magic Bureau would learn about Blue Colette’s situation. Should she indeed become a designated target, Blue Colette would be eliminated, and the scandal-plagued North Kanto Branch might collapse entirely.

If the truth could be uncovered before the matter reached higher-ups and dealt with internally, at the very least, the branch—and perhaps even Amakaze himself—might survive.

“Understood. But what do you intend to do?”

“Fortunately, Star Nail and Marin are scheduled to be on standby today. I’ll ask them to search for her. For monster exterminations, I plan to request assistance from other branches.”

Ideally, Amakaze wanted a week, but he knew that was unrealistic. While the first day would likely pass without issue and the second day might still be manageable, by the third day, it would certainly be assumed that something was wrong.

If the matter could be resolved within three days, it might be salvageable. Beyond that, both Amakaze and Blue Colette would likely lose their positions—possibly even physically.

“Right. Although Colette’s behavior has been problematic, I never expected her to disappear like this. Let’s hope the Director remains safely stationed at the North Kanto Branch.”

The operator bowed and left the director’s office, leaving Amakaze to look up at the ceiling.

(Truly, after surviving such a battle at M·D·W, to waste that life like this…)

Colette had been saved by Inie during that battle, yet now she seemed intent on throwing that second chance away, much to Amakaze’s sorrow.

But dwelling on it wouldn’t help. As the Director, Amakaze had responsibilities to fulfill.

He contacted Shirokigawa, instructing him to summon Star Nail and Marin to the Director’s office as soon as they arrived. He also consulted with the directors of other branches to see if they could take over some of the extermination duties.

Though normally such requests wouldn’t be problematic, the increased number of monsters due to the witch’s influence had strained all branches. Fortunately, the Tohoku Branch, where Marin had connections, and the Kansai Branch agreed to help.

When asked why the North Kanto Branch needed assistance, Amakaze managed to deflect the inquiries.

“Nail and Marin have arrived, so I’ll head over now.”

As Amakaze was making arrangements, he received a call from Shirokigawa.

“Understood,” he replied simply, ending the communication.

A few minutes later, the door to the Director’s office opened, and three people entered. Normally, Colette would have been included among those summoned, but her absence spoke volumes.

Marin showed no outward reaction but inwardly lamented the timing. Meanwhile, Star Nail looked pale and seemed close to fainting.

“Since the last extermination mission, we’ve been unable to contact Colette… Blue Colette.”

“So, what do you intend to do?”

“I need Nail and Marin to find Colette. You have three days starting from today. Combat is likely.”

“Does that mean we should consider Blue Colette a designated target for extermination?”

Despite Amakaze’s evasive phrasing, Marin pressed him for clarity.

To Marin, the North Kanto Branch of the Magic Bureau already meant little. She had joined at her parents’ insistence, but with only two other magical girls besides herself—both with troubling conduct—she had already mentally checked out. She stayed only because of Inie.

“There’s a strong possibility of that. However, if Colette is willing to listen, please try to reason with her. If she refuses or attacks…”

“…you’re asking us to kill Nana-chan? Someone we once called a comrade?”

Star Nail interrupted Amakaze, her voice trembling as she voiced what he was about to say. Asking young girls to kill former allies was cruel.

But failing to act would mean the end of the North Kanto Branch. If the matter reached headquarters or the Fairy Bureau, veteran magical girls or high-ranking ones would handle it. Amakaze would lose his position as Director, Marin would leave, and the branch would cease functioning, likely being absorbed by headquarters.

Amakaze chose not to divulge these internal details.

“If she listens, there’s a chance to bring her back. Combat is a worst-case scenario.”

“The three-day limit is presumably the time before other branches catch on. Do we have any leads?”

“Unfortunately, we have none at the moment. We’ve arranged for other branches to cover monster exterminations. Please do your best to find Blue Colette.”

Amakaze bowed deeply, imploring the two.

It was likely everyone believed bringing Colette back would be impossible.

“Understood. In return, I trust you’ll do your utmost regarding Inie’s case.”

“In this situation, I’ll fully support you.”

Marin and Shirokigawa nodded reluctantly, but Star Nail couldn’t respond. Among them, she had spent the most time with Blue Colette, who had been the closest person to her after her deceased parents.

Forcing Star Nail to fight someone she viewed as family was unthinkable.

Yet, if Colette truly left the Magic Bureau and turned to evil, stopping her would be Star Nail’s duty. At least, that’s what she believed.

“—Understood…”

That was all Star Nail could manage to say.

“You have three days. Operations will proceed as usual in the mornings; in the afternoons, substitute magical girls will handle duties while you focus on finding Blue Colette.”

After Amakaze finished speaking, Star Nail left the Director’s office and headed to the waiting room. Shirokigawa expressed concern, but Star Nail merely smiled faintly, saying “I’m fine,” before quickly departing.

(Nana-chan… Why?)

The two had once talked about growing stronger together and aiming to become top-ranked magical girls. But everything changed after an accidental altercation involving civilians spiraled out of control.

One of them continued as a magical girl under immense mental strain, barely holding on. The other embraced recklessness, continuing as a magical girl while causing chaos.

This was the result.

Currently, driven by a sense of obligation or guilt, Star Nail felt compelled to continue as a magical girl, despite feeling suffocated by the pressure.

Now she faced the daunting task of fighting her former partner and ally, Blue Colette.

She was almost at her breaking point. If not for meeting Fūru by chance, she might have already collapsed. Fūru was now the only person who gave Star Nail a sense of emotional stability.

Collapsing now would leave Fūlu alone. Thinking of this, she found the strength to push on just a little longer.

Her terminal beeped, signaling a dispatch request.

“Understood. I’m on my way.”

“Due to snowfall, visibility is poor today, so please exercise caution. Good luck.”

After cutting the communication, Star Nail entered the teleportation chamber. Balancing rest with missions, she completed three exterminations by midday.

Normally, she would eat lunch at the cafeteria or bring a bento, but today she decided to return home. Perhaps Fūru hadn’t eaten yet, and she hoped they could share a meal. She also harbored a faint hope of having someone to talk to.

Running through the snow, she arrived at her house. All the lights were off, so Fūru was likely asleep.

Inside, she reverted to her civilian form. On the dining table lay a bento prepared by Tamake for Fūru, untouched. After placing her own bento on the table, Tamake headed upstairs to wake Fūru.

But the thought of Fūru disappearing made her heart race and left her feeling nauseous.

Please, let her be sleeping peacefully under the covers.

With that wish in mind, she opened the door.