The Agony on the Backstage

Translated by LyraDhani

Edited by LyraDhani

–Just as Tsugumi was carrying Yumeji, there was a commotion in the government, as if a beehive had been poked.

“Contact from Kyushu Branch! Three off-duty Magical Girls and six civilians have been taken to the hospital!”

“Also from the Tohoku Branch. It seems that no Magical Girls have been harmed here, but several civilians have been affected.”

“Hokkaido has also suffered considerable damage! But the area is so large that it may take some time to recover the victims! Can I arrange for a medical helicopter?”

Inaba, the Head of Demonic Beast Countermeasure Headquarters, bit her lip as reports of damage came in one after another from the staff.

“A Demonic Beast whose presence is so small that it can slip through Amaterasu-sama’s sensory barrier… It’s not that we didn’t expect them, but even so, there are too many of them…!”

–Yes, she could still be convinced that it was inevitable if there were just one or two. The number of confirmed Demonic Beasts, however, exceeded several hundred. The number of victims, as far as they could confirm, had already exceeded 200. They hadn’t received any reports of deaths yet, but since they didn’t know how to deal with it, it might be a matter of time.

“Have there been any reports of the Demonic Beasts?”

When Inaba asked this question while suppressing her irritation, a staff member who was checking past data raised his voice.

“According to reports from Magical Girls who were on the scene, the enemy appears to be a flower-shaped Demonic Beast about the size of the palm of your hand. It is a parasitic type that takes power from the target by growing roots from planted seeds. It is similar to the mistletoe-type Demonic Beast that was previously reported in E-class, but…”

“Is the seed indestructible?”

“A Magical Girl who got hurt tried to destroy it because she couldn’t bear the pain, but the moment she destroyed the seed, the roots went berserk, causing her whole body to go into shock and she lost consciousness. The doctor said that if she had done a bad job, her heart might have stopped. …The victim’s condition is said to be stable now, but it is dangerous to use that method against a civilian. Many of the victims are young children, and their bodies wouldn’t be able to handle it.”

“…I see. Then we’ll just have to think of an approach to deal with the root.”

Just as Inaba was reviewing another document, the door to the Countermeasure Headquarters opened

“–Excuse me. I come here because I heard there was an emergency meeting.”

Saying so, the two girls opened the door to the Countermeasure Headquarters and entered. Inaba let out a small sigh, switched her tone, and opened her mouth.

“Sobi-san, Mibu-San. Thank you for coming when you’re off-duty.”

When Inaba respectfully bowed her head, Sobi said in a troubled tone.

“It’s an emergency situation, so don’t worry about it so much. Besides, I still don’t know if my power will be useful or not…”

Inaba shook her head and said to Sobi, whose face was clouded with anxiety.

“No, this Irregular is a flower-shaped Demonic Beast. –We need your power to manipulate plants.”

When Inaba said this, Sobi’s expression, which had been anxious up until then, changed completely and she became emotionless, as if she had lost all emotion

.

Then she began to speak in an irritated voice.

“…I see. If flowers are involved, it can’t be helped. I will cooperate as much as I can. –We have to get rid of these Demonic Beasts that mimic flowers.”

Sobi spoke as if she had changed into a completely different person, and Inaba sighed deeply, thinking that she could never get used to this.

–Sobi’s contract God was the Goddess who controlled flowers. That’s why Sobi loved flowers and hated anything that harmed them. Apparently, the flower-shaped Demonic Beast was also an object of hatred for Sobi.

…She looked a little uneasy but if she was motivated, it was a good thing. Thinking like that, Inaba turned to the other girl.

“Thank you for coming, Mibu-san. –I was worried when I heard that you were attacked.”

“Yes, I didn’t have a single scratch! And it wasn’t me who was being targeted, but the children who were walking in front of me. It happened in a flash, but I’m glad I was able to protect them.”

Mibu replied with a cheerful laugh.

…According to the report received in advance, Mibu instinctively sensed that the children walking in front of her were being targeted by the Demonic Beast, and the moment the seed was launched, she pulled out her sword and chopped the seed to pieces. This was a feat that no ordinary human being could ever pull off.

“As expected of Mibu-san. …From Mibu-san’s point of view, was there anything unusual about that Demonic Beast? For example, did it have a strange presence?”

–The reason she called Mibu this time was because she wanted to hear her impressions after confronting the Demonic Beast directly. Mibu was a Magical Girl with excellent intuition, unlike theorists like Yukino. There might be a breakthrough out of what she felt. That was the reason why she called her.

When Inaba asked this question, Mibu made a thoughtful gesture and then opened her mouth as if an idea had suddenly occurred to her.

“Right… If I have to pick one, it’s similar to a bee.”

“A bee, you say?”

“Yes. Its movement is not only mechanical but also doesn’t have the ‘I’m going to torment you!’ characteristics of Demonic Beasts. And like bees, they seem to have a queen, someone who directs them.”

“I see…”

Inaba nodded her head, thinking it was a good point.

Until now, she had thought that a large number of small Demonic Beasts had descended, but perhaps this flower was a kind of colony, as Mibu said.

–No, that would be more convenient. If they could just kill the head, that would be the quickest way to solve the problem. There was too little time to deal with the seeds one by one. Thinking this, Inaba clenched her right hand tightly.

Right now, the parasitic seeds drained the strength of their hosts and weakened them. What awaited them was a debilitating death. A lot of the victims were young children. …Based on the progress reports of doctors, even if they could last long, they probably would only have a few hours to live. —Until then, no matter how difficult it might be, they had to find a breakthrough.

However, in the back of her mind, Inaba knew that it would be difficult to prevent anyone’s death in this fumbling state. But it was also her job and the Demon Beast Countermeasures Headquarters’ to make efforts to prevent that from happening. It didn’t matter if they could do it or not. They had to do it.

“Inaba-san. Can’t you get the actual flower or seed? If it is in the category of plants, I may be able to analyze it with my skills.”

Inaba shook her head slightly at Sobi who asked that question.

“I’ve sent people to the site and tried several times to retrieve it, but they all ended in failure. The flowers quickly withered and turned to sand when they spat out their seeds, and the seeds that didn’t hit people dissolved into the air and disappeared after a few minutes or so. …It is possible that once it has entered the body, the host’s power could interfere and it wouldn’t disappear, but we can’t humanely try that…”

Just destroying the seed that entered her body nearly killed a Magical Girl who was more resistant to pain than ordinary people. It wasn’t something that could be easily granted.

And worst of all, according to the report from the hospital they just came in from, the seeds changed shape over time, turning into a wedge-like form and entangling vital organs. Once that happened, there was no way to physically pull them out anymore.

In other words, it was absolutely impossible to obtain the seeds without someone taking them out immediately after being shot. It was an impossible task.

…There was a Magical Girl who could partially transfer the target, but unfortunately, that Magical Girl was currently in a battle with another Demonic Beast. She wouldn’t be back for at least a few more hours. The timing was so bad that it was frustrating, but there was no point in blaming bad luck.

“I see. …I thought I could follow the signs as long as I had the object in question.”

‘Would you like to go to the hospital and meet the victims? You may be able to learn something even if you don’t touch the seeds directly.“

Immediately after Inaba suggested that to Sobi, Mibu twitched her shoulders and stared at the door.

“Mibu-san? Is something wrong?”

Sobi asked curiously, but Mibu kept her hand on the sword at her waist and didn’t take her eyes off the door. Then, in a quiet voice, she whispered, “It’s coming.”

The moment Inaba turned toward the door to see what was going on, the space in front of the door shook.

With a snap, a person appeared in front of the door like a burst of air. The people in the room gasped at the sight.

A bloodstained white hoodie with a bold slit and a black skirt that looked like a swimsuit. The person stood straight, her black hair tied up high and swaying.

“I’m sorry for interrupting you so suddenly. –I need to talk to you about the flower Demonic Beast.”

The intruder – Hagakure Sakura – looked at Inaba with a serious face, paying no heed to the confused atmosphere as she said so.