Sasaki and Peeps - Volume 8 - Chapter 5.3

<The Neighbor’s POV>

Using the mechanical life-form’s technology, we pursue the blue magical girl.

Robot Girl is constantly observing Earth, so she has all the information she needs on the child flying through the air—from her location to her flight speed. In fact, we can see her on the screen right in front of us.

The display hovers in midair—it’s the same one I saw on our way to Miyakejima the other day. It’s late at night, but we have a clear image of the magical girl as she soars through the air with Magical Flight.

“Can I ask where she’s headed?”

“The target is currently flying west at an altitude of approximately three thousand meters. Along her course is the northern part of the Hida Mountains, including Mount Yukikura, Mount Shirouma, and the Ushiro Tateyama Peaks. If she passes them, she will likely exit Toyama prefecture toward the ocean.”

I frantically picture a map of Japan in my head. We haven’t learned about the Hida Mountains yet in class. First-year middle school students only learn world geography; Japanese geography starts in the second year.

“The Hida Mountains, eh? They call them the ‘Northern Alps.’”

“I knew that.”

“By the way, your elementary school textbook mentioned both terms, so don’t try to claim you haven’t learned about them yet. Got it?”

“……”

Ugh. It’s like he can read my mind.

I’d always planned on dropping out after middle school, so my academics are still shaky. Lately, though, I’ve been approaching classes more optimistically, hoping to get into high school. But my indifference over the last several years is still dragging me down.

“You read my old textbooks?” I ask.

“They were perfect for passing the time!”

“Elder Sister, if you are concerned about your geographical knowledge, your younger sister can help you.”

“I’ll be fine on my own.”

We spend a short while watching the blue magical girl fly through the air. The saucer doesn’t have any chairs or tables in it, but the air conditioning is perfect, so it’s just as pleasant here as it is in our hotel room.

After several minutes, something happens on the display. Right at the center of the long line of peaks, we see a pillar of light shoot up toward the sky. The blue magical girl sets a course for the base of it. Our terminal follows her.

Eventually, near a particularly high mountain peak, we see someone standing on top of a large boulder. As soon as we notice them, the display zooms in to show us a close-up. They’re on a sheer precipice covered in snow, standing casually amid the sea of white and looking at the mountains around them.

It’s the pink magical girl.

The pillar of light we just saw must have been her Magical Beam. The way she lowers her wand looks strangely divine.

“I’m so sorry I’m late, Sayoko! I had to wait until my roommates fell asleep. Please forgive me for making you stand around in this cold when I was the one to call you.”

“It’s okay. I had my Field up.”

We hear their conversation inside the terminal. Apparently, it isn’t just picking up video—it’s eavesdropping on what they’re saying, too. Plus, the blue magical girl’s words are being translated from English into perfect Japanese.

“Hey, how are we getting this audio?”

“Aside from the pod capturing video, I have several smaller ones dispersed around the area to pick up sound. The video shown on this display is being compiled from all the data received. If you desire additional information, you may state your request.”

“No, this is plenty.”

“Mechanical life-forms have some amazing technology, huh?”

“Elder Brother, your praise warms the youngest daughter’s heart.”

The magical girls look positively fantastical up on the craggy mountain peak. They’re on a huge rock that’s sticking up above the rest and bathed in moonlight. And, of course, they’re wearing ridiculous outfits.

“You were right, Ivy. There’s definitely a Fairy Drop here. But how did you notice it?”

“I detected it while skiing nearby, but the signal is weak. I left briefly during the lunch break to check, but I didn’t have time to really search for it. I hope we can find it tonight.”

“Okay. I’ll help you look.”

Neither of them seems to notice us as they continue their conversation. What are they hoping to find up here in the mountains? Wild herbs? Mushrooms? I don’t have a clue what this “Fairy Drop” could be. Judging by its fanciful name, though, I assume it has something to do with the magical girls.

“I’m sorry, Sayoko. I know you don’t want to do this.”

“It’s important to me to help other magical girls in my situation.”

“Well, thank you. I promise to repay you someday.”

“You don’t need to. Let’s start searching.”

Now in agreement, the magical girls gently lift into the air. They glance at each other once, then turn in opposite directions and head off, flying very close to the ground.

In response, the display in front of us splits in two—each portion showing one of the girls.

“I wonder what a ‘Fairy Drop’ is.”

“There are countless objects with this name on Earth alone. Currently, it is impossible to determine which one they are searching for. However, it is highly probable that it is related to the beings known as magical girls.”

“Where do magical girls come from in the first place?”

The rather strange term “Magical Girl” has been cropping up a lot in our recent conversations. I’ve been accepting it without question, but now that I really think about it, we don’t know anything about who they are. Their background is even more opaque than that of the angels and demons. The name only clicks for me because of how truly magical they look.

“I have found several mentions of them in human administrative databases, including the one at Father and Mother’s workplace. Commonalities in the data suggest that they are humans who have been altered by messengers from a fairy world.”

Hacking is Robot Girl’s forte, and she probably has access to all sorts of databases. The information comes to her readily.

“If you know all that,” I say, “are you sure you don’t have any info on Fairy Drops?”

“In reference to magical girls, several sources note that Fairy Drops are what the messengers from the fairy world wish to recover. However, no concrete information exists on the Fairy Drops themselves, though there are traces that suggest some data has been deleted.”

“Deleted? What do you mean?”

“It seems as though a few networks containing information databases have been isolated in order to counter hacking from mechanical life-forms. If the storage media is isolated, then even a mechanical life-form cannot access it without resorting to physical theft.”

“You said ‘recover,’” points out Abaddon. “Maybe the Fairy Drops originally came from the fairy world.”

“I believe that is very likely.”

I still have questions about these “messengers from the fairy world.” Maybe that’s just a backstory they cooked up to conceal their real identities, and they’re Disciples or psychics, like Futarishizuka. But no amount of thinking about it will get me the answer.

While I’m mulling over the origin of magical girls, the two we’re watching continue their search. For a little under an hour, they fly about under the cold sky, and we continue following them in the terminal.

Unfortunately, it seems they haven’t found what they’re looking for. On a moderately tall hill in the mountains, they meet up again to discuss the situation.

“You have school, Ivy. It’s really late. We should withdraw.”

“But Captain Mason wants those Fairy Drops recovered, too…”

“I can meet you again tomorrow.”

“…Thank you, Sayoko. Really. You’re always helping me out.”

“You and everyone else help me, too.”

“I think you do a lot more than we do. So if there’s anything you need, just talk to me about it, okay? You’re so strong you barely ever ask other magical girls for help.”

“That isn’t true.”

“If you want, why not come with us? I think we can give you a much better life than you have now!”

“It’s okay. I’m fine the way I am. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Oh, Sayoko…”

After bidding the blue magical girl farewell, the pink one disappears into her Magical Field before her friend can finish her sentence. The blue one watches her go with a look of sadness. A little while later, she uses her own Field and leaves as well.

Maybe they can only use Magical Field to get to places they’ve already been. That would explain why she didn’t use it to get here. I wonder about this as I look at the pitch-black hole in space leading to who knows where.

“Does the blue magical girl want to get the pink magical girl on her side?”

“That would seem to be the case.”

Captain Mason is the one who came to our school with my neighbor and now serves as the assistant language teacher. He pretends to be a civilian at school, but he’s actually the blue magical girl’s commanding officer and a high-ranking soldier in some foreign country’s military. That’s what my neighbor told me, at least. The pink magical girl has the potential to be really useful, so it makes sense they’d want her on their side.

“By the way, won’t our roommate realize we’ve snuck out of the hotel?”

“Sister,” I say to Robot Girl. “Please take us back to the hotel right away.”

“Understood. In accordance with the elder sister’s request, the youngest daughter will now return to our lodgings at full speed.”

“And about our cover story once we’re back…”

There’s no point worrying about these things right now. I’ll report all this to my neighbor tomorrow.

On the second day of ski classes, we were hit by a blizzard. The wind direction suddenly changed around midnight, and by sunrise, powerful gusts were already whipping and roaring. You couldn’t see more than a couple of meters in front of you—it was a whiteout. Unfortunately, that meant we couldn’t leave the resort.

Instead, we’d probably spend the entire day doing some kind of indoor activity. The teacher in charge conveyed all this to the students over breakfast. We were currently in the hotel restaurant on the first floor, which was essentially being rented out for our school like the rest of the hotel.

Naturally, the announcement was met with a round of booing. Even the teachers were staring at the weather forecast, wondering if there was any possible way we could still hold lessons. But according to the Meteorological Agency, the blizzard was going to last until at least that evening.

Both Ms. Futarishizuka and Captain Mason said that if we tried to go out anyway, people could wind up stranded on the slopes. All three of us were at the same table, discussing potential indoor activities. Miss Inukai and Ms. Mochizuki were seated with us, too. Similar groupings of teachers could be seen with each class doing much the same thing.

“We prepared a few games, including a quiz competition, but we probably won’t be able to stretch them out to last the entire day,” said Ms. Mochizuki. “Mr. Sasaki, do you have any good ideas? You’ve done other work out in the world before, so if you have any unique suggestions, please share them with us!”

“I’m sorry, but nothing’s really coming to mind just yet.”

“Thinking up some special activity sounds like a real pain,” said Ms. Futarishizuka. “Can’t we just have them work through some math or English question sheets? We can download them from the internet and make copies. No need for textbooks. Then they can at least do some studying.”

“But the children will be so disappointed, Ms. Futarishizuka!”

“What about a karaoke competition?!” Captain Mason chimed in. “We can all have fun together!”

“I’m pretty sure a hotel like this will have several karaoke setups we can use,” said Miss Inukai.

“I know you two are professionals, and I value your opinion,” said Ms. Mochizuki. “But I feel like holding a karaoke contest in place of middle-school ski lessons is probably in violation of the school’s code of ethics…”

Ms. Mochizuki, our resident veteran educator, helped sort through all our suggestions. It must have been tough to be the only real teacher in our group.

Incidentally, my neighbor was sitting at the table right beside ours. Type Twelve and Magical Blue were with her. Captain Mason had purposely arranged for them to be grouped together during the trip.

As it happened, I could hear snippets of their conversation, and I soon caught a rather interesting tidbit.

“This is a grave situation. We cannot turn a blind eye.”

“It’s not that we’re turning a blind eye. There’s just nothing we can do.”

Type Twelve and my neighbor were speaking. And what the mechanical life-form said next really grabbed my attention.

“Elder Sister, the youngest daughter will deal with the weather situation in the surrounding area. Meanwhile, I would like you to negotiate with Father to make sure that our plans for the day remain unaltered. If you ask him, I am certain he will agree.”

“Wait, are you seriously going to stop the blizzard?”

“I will dispatch a wide-area suppression vessel from my base on the moon’s surface. Utilizing a high-energy particle cannon, it will disperse the snow clouds in the airspace over Koushinetsu. This will immediately eliminate the blizzard covering the ski resort. We can then resume our ski lessons.”

The mechanical life-form, desperate to participate in more ski lessons, was about to bring out the big guns. Glancing around my table, I found that I wasn’t the only one listening in—Ms. Futarishizuka, Captain Mason, and Miss Inukai could hear them as well. Only Ms. Mochizuki seemed not to notice; she continued brainstorming indoor recreation ideas.

When my neighbor spoke, it was as if she’d read our thoughts. “I have a serious question for you as your older sister. What is a wide-area suppression vessel?”

“To state its name in accordance with your language, it is Suppression Ship for Assaults Via Forcible Suppression Methods in Frontier Sectors, Type 5292. The optimized version for this area, in accordance with Incidental Weapon Regulation Type 156708, is Type Fourteen.”

“Can you give an answer that’s less detailed and more to the point?”

“I will explain the wide-area suppression vessel in a way that is less detailed and more to the point. It is a moving body meant to destroy hostile beings that exist in regions that I, the main ship, designate for development, as well as smaller obstacles. It will first electronically disable low-grade information-processing creatures and then destroy its targets with raw power.”

“I still don’t get it. But if you use that thing, what effect will it have on humanity?”

“Our ski classes would be able to resume.”

“I mean, if you were targeting humanity, instead of the ski resort. What would happen then?”

“All humans would be vaporized and the species would cease to exist within a day.”

“Then do not use it under any circumstances.”

“But I must in order for our ski lessons to resume. If I aim carefully, there is no need to worry.”

I had the urge to say, “That’s completely insane!” But mechanical life-forms never lied. If she said she’d do it, then the endeavor must seem worth it to her. My neighbor seemed to have come to the same conclusion because her face was stiff with caution as she questioned the youngest daughter.

“Won’t something like that damage the nearby mountains? They reach up into the snow clouds.”

“This mechanical life-form considers it a necessary sacrifice.”

“Are ski classes really worth all this?”

“I can promise minimal effects on the surface. There will be no human casualties. In addition, even if the surface suffers damage, it can be restored to its original state. I am aware that humans care deeply about environmental preservation, but there should be no problem from that perspective.”

Oh wow. Captain Mason was already out of his seat and on the phone with someone. So was Miss Inukai. Both of them quickly left the restaurant, their smartphones at their ears. Mystified, the teachers nearby watched them go. I wondered if I should report this to the boss, too. But then again, I could probably just wait and tell him once the dust had settled.

“If there are casualties,” said my neighbor, “your mother may decide to quit the fake family.”

“I am already scanning the surrounding environment. I have confirmed that there are no humans within the effective radius of the high-energy particle cannon. I have also confirmed via pre-simulations that it will not cause issues for any airborne vehicles currently flying in this airspace.”

“I suppose if you promise, I won’t stop you…”

“Good. Then I will leave persuading Father to you. The youngest daughter will now begin the operation.”

I was overcome by the impulse to yell, “Are you sure it’ll be okay?” However, there were students and teachers around. In this context, it would look preposterous for a teacher like me to respond seriously to the absurd things coming out of Type Twelve’s mouth.

In the meantime, she got out of her seat and left the restaurant. Where did she think she was going?

At that point, my neighbor addressed me. “Can I talk to you for a second, Mr. Sasaki?”

She’d walked right over to where I was sitting. I was so grateful that she always remembered to call me Mr. Sasaki during school hours instead of “mister” as she usually did.

“What is it?” I asked.

“I want to tell you something in private,” she explained.

“Oh, what’s this?” said Ms. Futarishizuka. “A little rendezvous with a student, eh?”

“Actually, would you mind coming along, Ms. Futarishizuka?” I asked.

I figured the youngest daughter would be more willing to listen if we had my neighbor relay the message rather than me or my colleague berating her directly. With that thought in mind, I left the restaurant with Ms. Futarishizuka.

There were security cameras stationed in various places inside the hotel; we avoided them, choosing a spot behind a pillar in the corner of the entrance hall for our chat.

“Mister, I want to tell you about something that happened last night,” said my neighbor.

“What?” I replied. “This isn’t about the conversation you were just having?”

“I already gave up on that.”

“Oh. Um. Is that right?”

Things weren’t going quite as I’d imagined. I had hoped she would be a little more persistent. Without her help, I doubted Ms. Futarishizuka and I would be able to convince Type Twelve to stop what she was doing. I really wished we had Miss Hoshizaki around for contingencies like this.

“The blue magical girl did something last night.”

“She didn’t get into a fight, did she?”

“No. She snuck out of the hotel by herself after bedtime and flew to an area in the Northern Alps. She met up with the pink magical girl there. Abaddon, the youngest daughter, and I trailed her. They seemed to be looking for something.”

Abaddon was currently hovering at my neighbor’s side; he picked up where she left off. “They were searching for something called a Fairy Drop! And they were really putting their backs into it.”

“The mechanical life-form did some hacking and found out a little about the Fairy Drops. Apparently, the magical girls’ duty is to recover them at the request of a messenger from the fairy world. I’m sorry if you already knew all this, but I decided it would be best to tell you just in case.”

All I knew about Fairy Drops at the moment was that they sounded delicious. I’d heard the term before, but that was it. If possible, I wanted a more detailed explanation, but since I was pushing the narrative that I was a magical middle-aged man, I couldn’t think of a good response. After all, we hadn’t told my neighbor or Abaddon anything about the otherworld, including its magic.

“Ah. Was that pillar of light in the mountains last night made by one of them?” I asked.

“The pink one used her beam to call over the blue one,” said my neighbor.

“Hey, what are Fairy Drops anyway?”

“Do we really need to get into that right now, Abaddon?” asked my neighbor.

“Come on, we’re both curious about it. Since you’re a magical middle-aged man, I just wondered if you knew something.”

“I’m sorry, mister. This demon really loves to pry into other people’s business.”

“Unfortunately, I don’t know much about them, either,” I said.

“Hmm, how mysterious. Count me very interested in these Fairy Drops,” drawled Ms. Futarishizuka. Peeps wasn’t here, so she was taking the opportunity to tease me.

I ignored her and continued. “Thank you for notifying me about the magical girls. If it’s not too much to ask, could you tell me whenever you notice they’re up to something? It’s not a requirement, of course.”

“You can leave it to me,” my neighbor replied, nodding seriously.

Abaddon grinned. “Yeah. We can probably help a lot with that.”

Just as we finished up our conversation, a powerful light shined through every window in the entrance hall. It was like a camera flash had just gone off. It wasn’t bright enough that I had to shut my eyes, but I could tell it wasn’t natural, even though we weren’t outside.

The light continued for a few seconds. Once it died down, I realized that the entrance hall was now much brighter. Curious, I looked out the window.

I saw clear blue skies stretching as far as the eye could see.

Where had the blizzard gone? It had been whiteout conditions just a moment ago. You couldn’t see more than a few meters in front of you. But now it was perfectly clear—there was bright blue sky for miles, and brilliant rays of sunlight were streaming down, illuminating all the snow piled up on the ski resort.

“Oh goodness,” said Ms. Futarishizuka. “She really did blow away the blizzard.”

“Does anyone else think a few of those peaks look a little lower than yesterday?” I asked.

“It seems more like the snow has disappeared but only at the very top. It looks terribly odd.”

A moment later, the phone in my pocket vibrated. I didn’t even have to check the screen this time—I knew who it was.

“Hello, this is Sasaki,” I said.

“It’s Akutsu. How’s the weather there?”

“The mechanical life-form was so sad about the blizzard canceling ski lessons that she called a UFO from her lunar base and drove away all the snow clouds. I don’t believe there are any casualties.”

“Don’t you think that’s a little too much info to drop on me in a single report?”

“Sorry, sir. We haven’t had a chance to stop and take a breather.”

“Was she the source of the pillar of light in the Hida Mountains last night, too?”

“That was apparently the pink magical girl, sir. I don’t know the details, but I think you’ll get a better explanation from Captain Mason. I believe it has to do with whatever the magical girls are up to.”

“Oh, there you are! Mr. Sasaki! Ms. Futarishizuka!” During my phone call, Ms. Mochizuki ran up to us, practically shouting. “Ski lessons are back on for today!”

“Chief, I’m sorry. I have to get back to work.”

“All right. But next time, let me know before something happens.”

“I’ll try my best, sir.”

Ski lessons would be held again today, just as Type Twelve had hoped.

The mechanical life-form’s super science had erased the blizzard, and ski lessons resumed under a clear blue sky.

The flash of light over the Northern Alps was already a big topic on TV and the internet. Videos showing conditions before and after were circulating, too, making it impossible for the bureau to cover up. In the end, the Meteorological Agency and the government released statements claiming it was an unknown natural phenomenon.

While the reporting all sounded incredibly shady, the public had no other way to conceptualize what had happened. And so claims of the incident being a UFO attack on Earth—which was, in a way, much closer to the truth—were subsumed by counterarguments as one more absurd delusion.

Because the UFO in question didn’t show up in the videos, someone looking up from the Earth’s surface would have seen nothing but a strange torrent of light streaking through one section of the mountains. Even the handful of peaks that at first seemed to be missing were back to normal before I knew it. That probably helped smooth things over a bit.

When I asked the culprit, she explained she was hiding the change in topography with optical camouflage—the same kind her terminals used. Apparently, this was meant to buy her time to fully restore the damaged areas.

The scale of our conversation was positively galactic; all we could do was nod and say, “Okay.”

Without anything else to contribute, I decided to once again put all my efforts into learning to ski at the base of the slope. My body had been racked with pain since that morning, but a quick healing spell washed it all away, allowing me to head out to practice in high spirits.

Later, during the afternoon break, my neighbor came up to me again.

“We saw Ivy do something else, mister.”

I was having lunch in the hotel restaurant with Ms. Futarishizuka when she approached. The hotel had arranged it so we could have lunch whenever we chose, and she had taken the same time slot as we had.

Unlike at breakfast, Captain Mason and Miss Inukai were nowhere to be found, so my neighbor simply used Magical Blue’s real name. We hadn’t seen either of them since that morning.

“The pink girl was with her, too,” my neighbor continued.

“Currently tracking targets. If necessary, I am able to provide a video feed.”

Next to my neighbor stood Type Twelve. She was probably the one who had noticed the magical girls were up to something. I assumed she’d hacked into the hotel’s security cameras or had her small terminals scouting the area. She would be a terrifying opponent, but as an ally, she was extremely reliable. Maybe this is why Mr. Akutsu likes security cameras so much.

“Hmm. Should we go after them?” Ms. Futarishizuka asked, turning to me.

“I’d rather not ignore it and wind up at a disadvantage later,” I replied.

“Won’t our coworkers get mad?”

“Covering up damages caused by magical girls is part of our job.”

“Ah, yes, that’s right.”

I expected Captain Mason knew something about these Fairy Drops. That was probably why he wasn’t at lunch today—I assumed he was quite busy elsewhere.

And when it came to mysterious matters like these, knowing what was going on would be a huge advantage. Without that knowledge, we’d be forced out of any negotiations before we’d even stepped into the ring. The way my otherworld magic had kept me alive this long was only one example.

“Father, I wish to fully enjoy ski lessons,” said Type Twelve.

“Then could we borrow one of your terminals to get around?” I asked. “The point of contact may continue enjoying her ski lessons. I promise I’ll return the terminal, even if we get wrapped up in an isolated space.”

“Understood. I will supply you with a terminal. I’ve set the hotel parking lot as the rendezvous point.”

Captain Mason and Miss Inukai might be our allies for now, but I didn’t want to look the other way on this matter—not if there was any chance they could turn against us. I was sure the Starsage would have suggested the same thing. In fact, he’d probably tell me to go one step further and dig up info on their weaknesses.

“I know we’re in the middle of lunch, Ms. Futarishizuka,” I said, “but would you mind coming with me?”

“Of course I’ll come. Do you even need to ask? It’s time to reveal all the magical girls’ secrets!”

“Abaddon and I want to go with you, mister. Is that okay?”

“If anything happens, I’m sure we’ll be able to help!”

If possible, I wanted my neighbor to enjoy her ski lessons. We’d come a long way for this off-campus class, after all. But I tried to consider her and her partner’s feelings, too. Ms. Futarishizuka had been doing a lot for them, and they probably wanted to return the favor. I didn’t want to discount that.

“All right,” I said. “If you’re sure, then I’d love to have the two of you with us.”

“Thank you, mister.”

I lifted my plate of half-eaten curry from the table and stood up. “Then let’s head straight to the parking lot.”

“Oh? What’s this? Not taking your skis with you?”

“I hate those things. They’re too hard to move around in.”

“But we’re heading into the snow-covered mountains. Aren’t skis the best gear for the occasion?”

“…All right. Let’s bring them along.”

After leaving the restaurant, we retrieved our skis and poles from the hotel locker room. Still in our ski gear, the four of us headed to the parking lot.

A short flight in the terminal later, we spotted the magical girls. We were in the middle of the vast Hida Mountains, looking down at their jagged peaks from the sky. On the huge screen floating inside the terminal, we could see Magical Pink and Magical Blue discussing something.

Thanks to the mechanical life-form’s crazy technology, we could clearly hear what they were saying. It was even translating Ivy’s English into Japanese in real time, which I was personally very thankful for. And thanks to Ivy’s Magical Communication, Magical Pink could understand her just fine, too.

“Ivy, you’re right. The Fairy Drop’s signal is stronger than yesterday.”

“Maybe it was buried somewhere, and the crazy stuff that happened this morning uncovered it!”

“What crazy stuff?”

“Didn’t you see the news, Sayoko? The big blizzard here disappeared within seconds. The mechanical life-form was talking about it right next to me. Apparently, she used her spaceship to do something.”

“…I didn’t know.”

Just as my neighbor and Abaddon had said, they seemed to be in the middle of searching for this Fairy Drop thing. Despite their breezy-looking magical girl outfits, they didn’t seem cold at all. Maybe their Magical Barriers helped keep them warm.

“Now that she mentions it,” said Ms. Futarishizuka, “the youngest daughter’s beam did graze this area.”

“Yeah, I vaguely recognize the shape of the mountains around here,” I said.

After Type Twelve’s beam hit the peaks, they had appeared somewhat altered. I could see some of them a short distance away. While Type Twelve had camouflaged the changes, it seemed that if you actually set foot on the mountain, they were still visible. From what I’d seen on the internet, the authorities had banned mountain climbing in the area for the time being. No doubt that was the bureau’s doing.

“I have a question for my little sister,” said my neighbor. “Do you know what they mean by ‘the Fairy Drop’s signal’? I was wondering if you could pick it up, too, since mechanical life-forms have such incredible technology.”

“Elder Sister, I am very happy to receive such a compliment. However, this terminal’s onboard sensors have not detected any unusual signals. If necessary, I can dispatch an investigation ship.”

A familiar voice echoed through the terminal in response to my neighbor’s question. We’d parted ways with Type Twelve in the hotel parking lot, but this terminal was a part of her, too. Maybe they were being synchronized in real time despite the distance. Because of this, it felt like she was standing right next to my neighbor.

“If you can, I’d appreciate it.”

“Understood. Dispatching an investigation ship from the lunar base.”

“The moon feels closer than ever these days,” remarked Ms. Futarishizuka. It was a sentiment I wholeheartedly agreed with.

We could see a camouflaged helicopter flying a short distance from the magical girls as well—probably military. Judging by the distinctive markings painted on its side, there was little doubt either Captain Mason or some of his people were onboard.

“Type Twelve, could you pick up the audio from inside that helicopter over there?” I asked.

“Acknowledged. I will bring a small pod close to the target and attempt to collect audio data from the outside.”

Type Twelve responded right away. It was always worth asking. I’d expected she wouldn’t be able to, so I was a little surprised. Almost immediately, we began to hear two adults’ voices being broadcast into the terminal.

“Captain Mason, should we contact the government about Lieutenant Ivy’s report?”

“No, let’s keep this to ourselves for now. We don’t want them getting their hopes up just to be let down like last time. The higher-ups are already tearing their hair out over the mechanical life-form’s attack. The Fairy Drops may provide us a means to fight back, so I want to proceed carefully and make sure we’re certain.”

“Yes, sir.”

“More importantly, it’s highly likely the mechanical life-form is intercepting everything connected to our wide-area access network. We can’t afford for this information to fall into other nations’ hands. We’ll need to show up there in person to give our report.”

“Now that the government is handling certain matters on a verbal-only basis, they must be hard-pressed for information.”

“We can travel back and forth with Lieutenant Ivy’s Magical Field in no time at all. That said, I don’t want to make her shoulder that burden alone. If possible, I’d like to secure the Japanese magical girl as well, and soon…”

Type Twelve was probably analyzing the audio feed and eliminating environmental sounds, such as the noise from the helicopter’s rotors. She was doing a great job, and the conversation came through pretty clearly. Thanks to her, we were able to recognize the primary speaker’s voice right away.

It seemed Captain Mason was discussing things with a subordinate. Naturally, the conversation was taking place in English and should have been incomprehensible to us. But just as with Magical Blue, their words were broadcast in Japanese simultaneously via an auxiliary audio channel. It was like a scene clipped out of a movie.

“Seems another country may well snatch up our magical girl and bring her home with them,” mused Ms. Futarishizuka.

“Hmm. If possible, I’d like to be friends with her,” said Abaddon.

“I’m against it,” protested my neighbor. “I don’t like how she picks fights everywhere she goes.”

“The youngest daughter is particularly interested in this means of fighting back against mechanical life-forms.”

As we shared our conflicting impressions, there was a change on the screen showing the magical girls.

“Sayoko, I just felt it from over there!”

“Me too.”

Apparently, they’d found the Fairy Drop.

The girls used Magical Flight to move toward a valley slightly lower than the ridge. The whole area was sheer white, blanketed in snow, and it didn’t seem like there was anything there. At least, nothing my eyes could discern.

But the girls’ movements betrayed no hint of hesitation, so we followed them.

Eventually, we arrived at a row of several protruding cliffs. Together, they formed a complicated, maze-like configuration. Captain Mason and the others were hovering a good distance away; helicopters would probably have a hard time traversing this kind of landscape. The terminal wasn’t a good fit, either, due to its large size.

We decided to approach the area on foot and all hopped outside.

“Whoa! I’m flying!” my colleague exclaimed. “This is incredible. Ever since I saw you all, I’ve wanted to try this!”

“Please lower your voice, Ms. Futarishizuka,” I said. “We don’t want them to hear us.”

“We’re perfectly hidden, but yes, if you could quiet down just in case, that would be great.”

Once we left the safety of Type Twelve’s terminal, keeping us hidden fell to Abaddon and his demon powers. We had our vehicle retreat and stand by in the sky some distance away. Ms. Futarishizuka—the only one here who couldn’t fly on her own—was in my arms.

As we floated through the air, we saw the magical girls reach a spot below the cliffs. Hovering just above the surface, they began looking around, searching. We stayed several meters away at a slightly higher elevation and watched them.

“Captain Mason, we found the Fairy Drop!”

“Excellent work, Lieutenant Ivy. We don’t want to make the same mistake as last time, so please store it in your Magical Field until we can return home. If you need, I can ask our partner for advice. They’re on standby elsewhere.”

“I’ll be all right! I double-checked the instructions beforehand!”

Magical Blue and Captain Mason conversed for a while over their radios. We could hear the former with our own ears, while the latter was coming in through our translator earphones. Type Twelve was routing the audio signal from the terminal directly to our devices.

“Good to hear,” said Captain Mason. “Then recover it quickly.”

“But, um… It seems to be possessing a bear!”

We could indeed make out a bear in front of Magical Blue—an adult Asian black bear. It was up on its hind legs, roaring at the two magical girls. Considering the season, it should have been in hibernation. Maybe the mechanical life-form’s attack this morning had woken it up. From above, we could see signs of several avalanches, and they looked very recent.

“You can eliminate the bear,” said the captain. “Prioritize the Fairy Drop.”

“Huh? Wait, sir… I d-don’t want to kill it.”

Magical Blue was a kindhearted girl. Magical Pink, on the other hand, was merciless. As her friend hesitated, she fired a Magical Beam at the bear. The blast was about as thick as a roadside sign’s metal pole, and it penetrated straight through the target’s chest, boring a big hole right in the charming patch of white fur unique to its species.

Blue’s sad voice reached us shortly afterward. “Ah…”

Asian black bears were smaller than brown bears, but adults were still taller than elementary schoolers. And because of their thick, fluffy fur, they seemed much larger. Still, from the magical girl’s perspective, it probably looked adorable.

The target collapsed onto the snow without so much as a chance to cry out. Blood flowed from its chest wound, dyeing the white snow a deep red.

Once the bear stopped moving, the two magical girls slowly approached it. When they reached its side, Magical Pink’s expression tensed. She looked quickly to the left and right.

“Ugh… The Fairy Drop’s signal disappeared.”

It seemed they’d lost what they were looking for.

Not a moment later, a change came over Magical Blue.

“Mmph, ugh…”

She looked sadly at the bear. Her expression was so full of regret and grief that she seemed about to burst into tears. When she spoke, her voice sounded awkward and closer to what I’d expect from a child her age.

“Poor bear! That poor bear!” she cried out, hugging her magic wand in both arms. She looked for all the world like a child throwing a tantrum. “I don’t want to do this anymore! I hate it!”

Every other time we’d seen her, she’d had an amiable, undaunted air about her. Now, though, it was like the dam had broken, and all her feelings were pouring out with her tears. To me, this seemed like a normal reaction for an elementary schooler.

“I want to talk to Mom and Dad! I want to play with my friends!”

“Ivy, the signal…,” Magical Pink said, her voice rising in surprise.

I recalled a similar event from my past. At my last job, one of my coworkers, who had always been calm and polite, suddenly cried out and punched our boss before running away. He never came back to work. He must have had enough, and his stress gauge finally shattered. Things like this even happened to adults, so how could I blame a child?

However, it turned out I was way off target. What Magical Pink said next suggested a very different cause for her friend’s outburst.

“Ivy, did you get possessed?! Snap out of it!” Pink pleaded desperately.

Apparently, this drastic mood swing was due to external factors. Considering the exchange I’d just heard, it had to be the Fairy Drop.

“Uh, I think Magical Blue might be in trouble,” said Ms. Futarishizuka.

“It’s like she’s a whole different person,” I agreed.

“Considering the situation, I have a feeling the Fairy Drop is to blame.”

“I agree with Abaddon,” said my neighbor.

As we discussed the situation, we noticed another change in Blue’s behavior. She raised her wand in the direction of the helicopter—the tip was pointed right at it. It looked like she might fire a Magical Beam at any moment.

“Uh, am I crazy, or is the blue girlie aiming at the helicopter?” asked Ms. Futarishizuka.

“Abaddon, please take Ms. Futarishizuka,” I said.

“Gladly!”

After handing over my colleague, this magical middle-aged man frantically burst into flight.

I descended, landing in the snow. Casting my barrier spell in front of me, I slid between the magical girl and the helicopter. I’d already blocked this attack from Magical Pink in the past. I didn’t know how many I could take, but I was sure I could handle at least one.

A moment later, the beam fired.

As expected, it was heading straight for the helicopter. For a moment, my vision was blanketed in light—the whole world was white.

“Ugh…”

The Magical Beam caused the air to shake and tingle. My barrier spell took the brunt of it. The collision occurred only fifteen or so centimeters from my eyes, scattering light everywhere.

“Ivy, you can’t!”

I heard Pink’s voice from the other side of the light.

At the same time, a shrill noise sounded from the same direction.

The Magical Beam swung upward and began to weaken. It shrunk rapidly until it vanished like the last bits of water coming out of a closed faucet. All of this had happened in only a few seconds.

With the light gone, I could see Magical Blue collapsed on the snow. Magical Pink was squatting down next to her.

She looked up at me. “Why are you here, magical middle-aged man?”

“I’m sorry. I’ve been watching Ivy. I knew you two were here looking for something, but I don’t know any more than that. And I’m not here to fight you, of course.”

“Why were you watching her?”

“I teach her class at school. We’ve been having ski lessons on a nearby mountain since yesterday. I saw one of my students doing something I didn’t expect, so I followed her to find out what was going on.”

“…Oh.”

My excuse was a little rough around the edges, but Magical Pink accepted it without objection.

As soon as I blocked the Magical Beam, I lost my invisibility. Abaddon had explained before that if someone touched me physically, they’d be able to see me, and in some cases, sounds could clue them in, too. After what had just happened, this was inevitable.

“Ah…” Magical Pink made a sound.

“Is something wrong?” I asked.

“The Fairy Drop signal disappeared.”

“You said before it was possessing Ivy, right?”

“Yes. I sensed it from her. But now I don’t sense anything.”

“I see.”

Apparently, they could only detect its presence when it was possessing someone. Personally, I thought the term possession sounded pretty dangerous. In the end, we never got to see what this Fairy Drop thing really looked like.

Not long after I started talking to Magical Pink, I heard my name called over the helicopter’s speaker. “Mr. Sasaki, I’d like to speak with you,” came Captain Mason’s voice. “If you have others with you, I’d like to talk to them as well. I grant you all permission to board this helicopter. And when you come, I’d like you to bring that magical girl as well as Lieutenant Ivy with you.”

His phrasing left no room for objection. I was certain if I tried, I’d hear from my boss right away. On top of that, talking back was physically impossible—the helicopter’s rotors were way too loud, and a human’s voice couldn’t reach that far. So I turned back to Magical Pink and relayed the captain’s request.

“I’m sorry, but could you take Ivy and me to the helicopter?”

“Okay.”

She seemed to realize the people in the helicopter were Magical Blue’s friends and replied straightaway.

After tossing her magic wand into her Magical Field, she lifted Magical Blue under her right arm and grabbed onto me with her free hand. A moment later, I felt a tug, and the next thing I knew, my feet had lifted out of the snow and off the ground.

Her power was stunning. No normal child had this much arm strength. Maybe it was another one of their Magical abilities—Magical Muscle, perhaps. Otherwise, this would make no sense. If she pinned me down, I’d never escape her.

“Do you want to hide your magic abilities?” asked Magical Pink. She was sharp.

“I do,” I said with a nod.

As we approached the helicopter, the hatch on the side opened up. People in camo gear appeared from inside and guided us in. It’s like a scene from a movie, I thought distantly.

The interior of the helicopter had a flat bottom and was actually pretty roomy; there was enough space for several adults to move around inside. Along either wall was a row of benches, which you could fold up to make more room. If they were all down, I imagined you could transport a good crowd of people.

After boarding, I immediately came face to face with Captain Mason.

“Welcome, Mr. Sasaki. First, I want to thank you for saving us from mortal danger. We almost died from friendly fire. If that attack had hit us directly, the entire helicopter would have been vaporized.”

“I’m just glad I made it in time, sir.”

The captain smoothly held out his hand, so I grasped it in response. Apparently, people from his country really did exchange handshakes all the time. I thought that was just something they did in the movies.

“We heard what Lieutenant Ivy was saying through our intercoms,” he continued.

Next to us, Magical Blue lay on one of the long benches. A soldier was providing her with first aid, fitting her with an IV and an EKG. She looked like a patient who had just arrived in the emergency room.

She was still unconscious. But I heard someone say her life wasn’t in any danger, which relieved me somewhat. It might have been nothing more than a pretext, but she was still my student. I couldn’t allow her to die during ski lessons.

“If possible, I’d like an explanation for the magical girl’s reaction to the lieutenant’s remarks,” said the captain. “We don’t know what had her so out of sorts. People start panicking in the field all the time, but the lieutenant’s mental state seemed perfectly stable until it suddenly wasn’t.”

They must have picked up Magical Pink’s response from the mic on Magical Blue. The captain’s attention was on Pink at the moment.

Usually, a stare like his would have anyone shaking. The man was tall and very muscular—and he even had a gun at his waist. If someone like that stared at me like he meant business, I’d be terrified. But Magical Pink didn’t seem bothered at all.

“Ivy was possessed by the Fairy Drop,” she explained.

“Possessed?”

“I think that’s what happened.”

“Sorry, I’m not understanding. Could you elaborate?”

“There are different kinds of Fairy Drops. That one probably has the power to possess people and animals. We could detect it while it was possessing the bear, but once it stops possessing something, even magical girls can’t find it.”

“I see.”

The first time we met, Captain Mason used English as a way to assert dominance. But with Magical Pink, he started out speaking plain Japanese. It seemed he was serious about bringing her over to their side. I stayed quiet and listened to them talk.

“Did you see the Fairy Drop with your eyes?” he asked.

“It looked like a little bug.”

“Can you tell what it’s doing at the moment?”

“It flew away.”

“Can you detect it right now?”

“No.”

“…That’s unfortunate.”

I still had questions about what the Fairy Drop did when it possessed someone. In simple terms, it seemed to stretch your mental endurance to the limit, leaving you completely helpless against your own emotions.

But Captain Mason didn’t ask about that. He probably didn’t want to give us that information. I suspected he would secretly bring in an expert from among his subordinates and attempt to ascertain the target’s effects and motives at some later time.

For now, his attention turned from Magical Pink to me.

“By the way, Mister Sasaki, you seemed to be floating in the sky by yourself before.”

Oof, he’s sharp. “That’s right. I had the help of a demon named Abaddon.”

“Is that also why you were able to hold off the Magical Beam temporarily?”

“That’s correct, sir.”

“I would have liked you to bring them onboard as well.”

“They’re currently with the mechanical life-form, and she refused to come with us.”

“Well, I suppose there’s nothing we can do about that. She rejected us once already. We don’t want her blowing another crater in the Earth’s surface because someone forced her to do something she didn’t want to. I wouldn’t be able to bear it if she took out one of our cities.”

“I feel the same, sir.”

As I’d expected, the angel-demon proxy war provided the perfect scapegoat to hide my otherworld magic. And I could even use Type Twelve as an excuse for refusing to bring the others with me. After all, considering past events, there was a very good chance she would refuse.

I looked over at Magical Blue, hoping to change the topic. “Captain, would we be able to return to the hotel? I’m worried about Ivy’s condition. They’ll have a medical team on staff, and we might be able to find a psychic with healing powers.”

“I appreciate your consideration. Let’s do as you suggest.”

“Thank you for understanding, sir.”

The others were probably listening in to our conversation using the translator earpieces from Type Twelve. Ms. Futarishizuka was in the terminal with them, and I trusted her to pull out without anyone noticing.

And so the magical middle-aged man and Magical Pink ended up going back to the hotel in the captain’s helicopter.