[Omake] Magical Espionage

“Hey Inspector, when did it stop feeling special for you?”

Assistant Inspector Ichika Cullaz glanced over at the police lieutenant who had asked the unexpected question. “That’s kinda personal, don’t you think? Besides, now’s not a good time.”

“Sorry, it’s just, I think it just hit me. Like right this moment. Besides, this is all wrapped up. We got the perp surrounded.”

Ichika kept her eyes on the house where the suspect was holed up. It was an abandoned property on the outskirts of the city, one of the few that had yet to be redeveloped. “It was a long time ago for me. I thought she was the one. Was saving up for a ring and everything. Don’t remember exactly when, but I realized I was just a fling for her.”

The lieutenant's cheeks flushed red. “I meant when being a magical girl stopped feeling special.”

“Huh? Being a magical girl always felt like a death sentence to me. Maybe if I had been born after the war—Hold on. He’s making his move.”

The front door inched open as two officers approached. Chaotic shouting ensued, with one officer telling the perp not to move, and the other ordering him to come out with his hands up. But as the door swung completely open, it revealed an empty entryway.

Picking up her radio, the lieutenant frowned. “If he’s not going to make it easy, clear the house.”

“Wait. He probably—” Ichika’s warning came too late. As the officers entered the building, a loud boom reverberated through the area, so strong that everyone nearby felt it rattle their skulls. The entrance of the house collapsed onto the officers. A moment later, a smaller explosion blew the rubble out of the way, and one of the officers dragged the other out.

“Medic!” the officer shouted.

“Don’t move her,” the lieutenant barked into the radio. “ Put a shield around you and her and wait for assistance.” Releasing the button, she shook her head. “Damn. Where did he get explosives?”

“He probably made them,” Ichika said. “This is how Naichou trained us to do it.”

“I thought Naichou was supposed to be incompetent.”

“That’s what we wanted everyone to think. Keep your eyes peeled. He’ll try to take advantage of the confusion to escape.”

As if on cue, a cloaked figure jumped from one of the broken windows onto the lawn, and the radio buzzed to life. “He’s fleeing west.”

The other officers on the scene sprinted after him. Even the lieutenant tried to bolt, but Ichka grabbed her shoulder. “You know any healing spells? Let’s see to the injured.”

The two of them walked briskly across the lawn. As they approached, the officer lowered the magical shield.

“I’ll take care of her,” the lieutenant said. “Call an ambulance and wait at the main road to direct them here.”

As soon as the officer’s back was to them, Ichika slipped a magic-canceling handcuff around her wrist.

“What are you—” the lieutenant started to say, but stopped when the officer’s form shimmered and was replaced by an unmistakable male figure. The unconscious officer on the ground also turned into a large sack of rice.

“Shit. What gave me away?” the man asked.

Pulling him close, Ichika shackled his other wrist. “Nothing. You’re just unlucky I was the one assigned to your case.”

The perp hung his head. “You some kind of genius magic detective or something?”

“Hardly.” Ichika pulled him back upright. “Just a poor soul who didn’t fit in with the army, so they sent me somewhere they wouldn’t have to think about me, alongside you.”

There was no need for names between them. Actually, there was no name she could give him. Neither had ever learned the other’s real name, and she didn’t remember the alias she had adopted during training. After assuming so many identities over the decades, she could barely remember the name she was born with.

A heavy sigh escaped the man’s lips. “Figures. Glad it was you who caught me, and not one of those upstart pricks from the new agency.”

“I’m not glad about that in the slightest.”

“I know, and I’m sorry. Listen, there’s something the higher-ups need to know.”

“The higher-ups are all dead. You’re the only loose end left.”

“I mean the higher ups in government. Can you get them a message for me?”

Ichika turned her head toward the lieutenant. “Could you give us a minute? Whatever he has to say, you probably don’t want to be privy to it. Hell, I don’t want to hear it.”

Looking from Ichika to the perp, the lieutenant nodded. “Make it quick, and no funny business. I’ll be watching.”

Backing away from the duo, the lieutenant couldn’t help but feel creeped out by the way their eyes tracked her every motion. When she was a good twenty paces away, Ichika spun the man around and allowed him to whisper something in her ear. All the while, she kept one eye on the lieutenant.

After the man finished, Ichika pulled out her service weapon and put a hole in his head.

“What the fuck?!” the lieutenant yelped. She was so shocked that she didn’t notice her own survival instinct telling her to run. Frozen in place, she would have been an easy target for Ichika. Luckily for her, Ichika holstered her weapon and gestured the lieutenant over.

“This kind of thing always leaves a bad taste in my mouth.” Turning to the side, Ichika spat onto the ground. “I can already tell this one’s gonna stay with me longer than the others, but we don’t have much time. Let’s get our stories straight.”

“You shot him.” It was a dumb statement, but it was the best the lieutenant was capable of.

“While the other officers ran after the decoy, you tried to heal this rice sack. It must not have taken as long as he expected for you to realize it was an illusion, because he was still nearby. I got the cuffs on him, but he overpowered us with raw strength, and I fired to protect a fellow officer. Sound good?”

“Good? No. But it sounds believable.” Shaking her head, the lieutenant willed herself to think clearly. She needed to decide whether to go along with Ichika’s story or to turn her in.

“Believable's enough. Nobody’s going to be motivated to look too deeply into this. In fact, as long as we play it cool, we’ll be promoted in a few months’ time.” The implication behind Ichika’s words were clear. This had been orchestrated by friends in high places, and if the lieutenant didn’t play ball, she might be next.

“You’re right, it does leave a bad taste in your mouth.” Imitating Ichika, the lieutenant spat onto the ground. “We’ll go with your story. At least it’s easy to remember, but what about my two missing officers?”

“I suspect one of them was hypnotized and made into the decoy we saw running off earlier. The other’s probably tied up in the house. He was careful not to hurt anybody, not that it saved him in the end.”

“Hold on. He served his country, and he didn’t hurt anyone. What did he do to deserve this?”

Ichika’s frown deepened. “That’s the worst part. His only crime was ending up on the wrong side of things during the intelligence shakeup. If I hadn’t already joined the NTPMD, I’d be lying in the dirt alongside him.”

“The wrong side? I thought we were all on the same side.”

Taking one last look at the man’s corpse. Ichika turned to walk back towards the main road. “Then you should pay more attention to what’s going on in this country. Or better yet, don’t. It’s probably better not to know. Keeping your head down’s the best way to survive.”

“Is this how it always felt for you, being a magical girl?” The lieutenant, initially torn between her duty to stay on the scene and her instinct to stay close to Ichika for protection, hurried to catch up.

“Pretty much. How’d it feel for you?”

“I guess it made me feel important. Like I was special.”

“Special to whom?”

“That’s the rub. As I was watching my officers surround the building, I realized there was no one I could complain to about how unglamorous this job is. I’m not special because someone holds me in high regard—I’m special because my powers are rare.”

Ichika pulled her trench coat tighter around her neck. “I can sympathize. All I ever wanted in a relationship was for someone to treasure me. Sometimes you gotta realize when to give up on a dream and just get on with your life.”

“But with relationships, you can try again,” the lieutenant offered. “Maybe you can find someone who will treat you right.”

“Maybe you can, Lieutenant, but I’m too old to be looking for love. Besides, after all I’ve done, I don’t deserve it. I made my peace with that long ago.”

But despite her bravado, Ichika couldn’t fool herself. Her heart still hung onto the faintest of hopes.

⁂

“Inspector, Chief wants to see you in her office.”

The tap on Ichika’s shoulder came three days after the incident, a day later than she expected. Chief must have been busy with something important.

“Assistant Inspector Ichika Cullaz reporting.” With a single knock on the door, Ichika pulled it open and walked into the chief’s office. As she closed the door behind her, it melted into the wall.

“Take a seat,” the chief ordered. She was her undisguised self today, or at least what Ichika believed was her true form. Nothing stood out about her in an office full of magical girl police officers. She had a youthful vibrancy, despite being much older than anyone else in the building, and she kept her long brown hair tied back in a ponytail. Were it not for her uniform, you’d never guess she ran the entire department.

“This about the shooting the other day?” Ichika asked as she pulled out a chair.

“Yes. Nice work on that corpse. You fooled everyone in forensics.”

Ichika stopped halfway through her motion. If the chief had caught onto her, there was a chance the chair would come to life and eat her or something as soon as she sat on it. Then again, if the chief wanted her dead, there was nothing she could do about it.

“Not good enough to fool you, obviously.”

“Don’t take it personally. Very few people are capable of that. I’ve seen too much in this world, which is why I know you couldn’t have pulled that off alone. What I don’t know is whether they were working for you, or if you no longer work for me.”

“Chief, you know I’ve only ever wanted to work for you.”

Closing her eyes, the chief sighed. “Yes, and I was wrong to reject you back then. You’ve proved more capable than I gave you credit for.”

“No, you were right. If you’d sent me to the front lines, I would have been ripped apart by enemy fire without achieving anything. Honestly, I’m thankful that you shoved me off on Naichou. There’s no one I respect more than you, but in this case, the orders came from the very top. I couldn’t disobey.”

“Nor did you particularly want to, I suspect. You’ve always been soft at heart. Tell me, have you ever actually killed someone?”

“The intelligence I gathered led to some… unfortunate results, but I never pulled the trigger myself, no.”

“Thought so. Listen, I need someone for an off-the-books mission. No killing involved, but it’s dangerous. I’ll make it worth your while.”

Not even pausing to consider, Ichika volunteered. “For you? Anything.”

The chief’s expression didn’t change. “Great. I need you to keep an eye on a gynoid for me. Try to figure out what she’s up to, and if you can’t, at least send me reports on her activities. Stop her if she tries to kill someone.”

“That’s it?” A frown formed on Ichika’s lips. “Sure, that shouldn’t be difficult, but aren’t you the one who’s always telling us to turn a blind eye to gynoid crime?”

“Not this time. She’s up to something the other gynoids don’t approve of, and she’ll be in a position to cause tremendous damage if she wants. Maybe even start another war.” Opening her drawer the chief passed a folder across her desk to Ichika.

“And what position would that be?” Ichika asked. She opened the folder to find identity documents for her new alias, Erika Vidal.

“Hoshinaut.”