Beautiful Evil

Translated by LyraDhani

Edited by LyraDhani

“So you’ve come in her place. I’m really embarrassed for Yukino-san.”

The next afternoon. Toono, who was drinking tea elegantly in the conference room, let out a big sigh after listening to the explanation of Tsugumi–Hagakure Sakura, who showed up a little earlier than the designated time. …It was unreasonable of her to say that since she was the one who made the unreasonable request in the first place.

“But I don’t think Yukino-san is the only one to blame.”

“Oh, did you say something?”

“…No, it’s nothing.”

In response to Toono’s thorny words, Tsugumi looked away with a tired smile. He’d like to defend Higoromo, but he’d rather not be hit by a stray bullet when he hadn’t done anything wrong.

But still, he looked down at the data in his hand, thinking. This morning he had received a call from Higoromo saying that he had already contacted all the relevant authorities except Toono, but Tsugumi himself still felt unsure. –He never thought he would be going abroad.

In the end, he couldn’t refuse Higoromo’s plea, and he agreed to go to England.

He had tried to refuse at first. But the antics of an adult in his mid-twenties–the same age as his teacher Suzune–were too much for a high school student to handle.

He simply felt sorry for Higoromo and had no choice but to give in.

…And when Higoromo clung to him to persuade him, he felt nervous even though he knew it was a man inside.

When he shouted at him for not having any pride, Higoromo said with a serious look, “I threw that kind of thing when I started fighting in a fluttering skirt.” …That answer could apply to Tsugumi too, so he wished he would stop.

Due to such circumstances, Tsugumi, who reluctantly agreed to go abroad, came here after receiving an explanation from Higoromo.

However, the biggest problem in coming here was the explanation for Chidori. If it was just a sudden overnight stay, that was just the same as usual, but unfortunately, he had an appointment to go out with Chidori on this day. It was unnatural for him to cancel the appointment at this time.

Tsugumi was wondering how to explain to Chidori after parting with Higoromo, but coincidentally, Chidori also seemed to have been given an urgent task by the government and would be away from home for a couple of days.

Saying it was a bit of a relief…would be too much, but it was nice to know that he didn’t have to keep lying.

“–But still, the subjugation of the Demonic Beast that appeared in London, England. I heard from Hitsugi-san before that there is a possibility of dispatching us overseas, but I didn’t think they are really going to do it.”

Saying so, Tsugumi looked at the documents in his hand.

Toono and Yukino were chosen to pioneer the dispatch of Magical Girls overseas, which was made possible by a request from England. Well, Yukino pushed it onto Tsugumi.

“I haven’t heard the details myself, but I’ve been told that there have been repeated inquiries from over there. At first, the British Army faced them head-on, but apparently, things got out of hand.”

Toono began to speak with a melancholy sigh.

–According to the reports, the same Demonic Beast began to appear in London about two months ago at a pace of once a week in the same place.

The Demonic Beast had B-class strength in the beginning, and the military had been dealing with it until it disappeared, but the power of the Demonic Beast increased each time it appeared, and now the city had fallen into a situation where it had half destroyed the city.

It must be a headache for the British army, who had no Magical Girls and couldn’t even use barriers to repair the damage.

At first, the Japanese government was reluctant to dispatch the Magical Girls, but after various political backgrounds and backroom deals, the dispatch was decided.

…For the Magical Girls, it was a complete hassle. He could endure it somewhat if he thought it would turn out to be good for the country, but his heart still felt heavy.

Tsugumi let out a small sigh, shook his head, and began to talk to change the subject.

“But it’s unusual to see a Demonic Beast in the same place. Do Demonic Beasts appear differently in England?”

In Japan, such a case was uncommon. The location and the Demonic Beasts that appeared were basically random. When he asked her if this was a peculiarly British irregularity, Toono put her finger lightly to her mouth and said thoughtfully.

“Hmm? But according to the experts, there are residual thoughts left behind by the Demonic Beast that couldn’t be defeated, and they said that a similar Demonic Beast might have appeared with that as the nucleus. Well, originally England is a region with a relatively strong magical element, so it is easy for Demonic Beasts to come down there. It wouldn’t be so surprising if something different from Japan happened.”

Toono said this and tossed the data materials onto the desk. Apparently, Toono wasn’t that enthusiastic about this dispatch.

Then she turned to Tsugumi and opened her mouth with a tilt of her head.

“Even so, it’s good that you got the contract God’s permission. Hagakure-san’s God must have been against the overseas dispatch, right?”

“Christian countries only, though. …This time, Yukino-san’s maneuvering went well.”

Saying so, Tsugumi scratched his cheek, troubled.

…Fortunately, and more prepared than ever, it seemed that Higoromo had already negotiated with Bell to get permission while trying to persuade Tsugumi.

But there was no way that Bell would allow such things unconditionally. There must have been some kind of deal between Bell and Higoromo’s contract God, but unless Bell told him, he wouldn’t know what it was. Well, if the Gods were able to talk to each other, Tsugumi had no complaints.

–The British Demonic Beast would appear early tomorrow morning. The plan was to hold a briefing session this afternoon, fly to a location designated by the British government in the evening, and spend the night over there to adjust for the time difference before attacking the Demonic Beast.

By the way, visas, which were normally required when entering a foreign country, were exempted in the event of an emergency. Well, that area was out of his jurisdiction, so it didn’t really matter.

“I am sorry to say this, but was I – Hagakure Sakura – the right person to take Yukino-san’s place this time? If you chose Yukino-san, doesn’t that mean that there must have been something that you needed her brain for?”

–After accepting the job, he thought about it carefully and wondered if it was really a good idea for him to take over. Surely, Higoromo would have been able to speak any number of languages with ease and would have had no problem communicating with the locals. If Higoromo was chosen for that kind of thing, there would be no room for Tsugumi.

Perhaps an interpreter would come with him, but he hardly understood English, so he wondered if it would be okay.

In the first place, learning a second language in this country, which maintained a system of national seclusion, wasn’t really encouraged. He heard that there used to be English as a compulsory subject, but now that subject had been changed to something related to mythology and folklore.

Unless one had an interest in foreign literature like Chidori, there was no opportunity to learn a foreign language.

When Tsugumi asked this question with concern, Toono opened his mouth with a small laugh.

“Well, I would have preferred to have Yukino-san as a partner. But that’s simply because she’s stronger. Oh, don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying Hagakure-san is weak. She’s just exceptional.”

“I don’t really care about that. Yukino-san is second place in the ranking order.”

It was true that Hagakure Sakura was ranked the lowest in the Jukka. He had no reason to be angry.

When Tsugumi looked puzzled, Toono said, “That’s not what I meant,” and began to talk.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re a Jukka or what your rank is. As far as I’m concerned, there isn’t a single Magical Girl outside the barrier who can compete with Yukino-san. –Including me.”

“That Yukino-san?”

Tsugumi said so and tilted his head. It was true that her ability to manipulate the air might be powerful, but he couldn’t say for sure she was the best.

Toono shook her head in small circles as she looked at Tsugumi who looked skeptical.

“Come to think of it, the first time Hagakure-san saw Yukino-san’s power was during Hitsugi-san’s incident. Yukino-san seemed to be struggling at that time, but if she had disregarded Hitsugi-san’s life, the battle would have been cleared up in an instant. –Because that girl has no enemies when it comes to fighting against other people..”

Saying so, Toono wrote something on the back of the document with a pen. It looked like a pie chart.

“Oxygen in the atmosphere is 21% and nitrogen is 78%–Yukino-san can easily manipulate these concentrations. Did you know? If a person breathes air with less than 6% oxygen, they instantly fall into a coma. First of all, I can’t win. Well, if she had used this on Hitsugi-san, who had a Demonic Beast nestled in her lungs, that would have been a life-threatening situation. You’re lucky the worst didn’t happen.”

“…I suppose so.”

Tsugumi nodded quietly. He was really glad that Yukino moved to help Hitsugi at that time.

“And if Yukino-san wanted to, she could easily blow up a whole city with a gas explosion, even if she wasn’t inside the barrier. …The foundation where she stands is different from ours to begin with. The other Magical Girls are steadily working hard and getting stronger, but she’s the only one experimenting with chemistry. It’s encouraging to think of her as an ally, but it’s frightening to think of her as an enemy.”

Toono said and spun the pen in a circular motion. Apparently, this was the end of the explanation.

“I found out that Yukino-san is more dangerous than I thought. …Certainly, if Yukino-san was here, the subjugation would have been easy.”

“She said she couldn’t come, so I don’t blame her. I’m planning to have Hagakure-san work to make up for it.”

Toono told him so and pointed to an open document. It contained precautions for this battle. The two most noteworthy notes were:

The barriers cannot be used because they are outside the scope of Amaterasu-sama’s authority. In order to raise the level of ability, we will provide a magic nucleus enhancer.

…These were very unsettling details.

As Tsugumi stared at it in silence, Toono began to add.

“In this case, Amateru’s barrier doesn’t work. Skills within the barrier will be blocked, and the battle will be fought using only basic skills. In other words, it is the opposite pattern of the battle in Amusement Park. It will be a battle based on co-op. Fufu, let’s do our best in our first joint work.”

“Toono-san, what is this enhancer?”

Toono’s teasing line was completely ignored, and Tsugumi asked a question. Toono pouted her mouth in dissatisfaction and said sulkily.

“You’re so mean. Why can’t you at least joke around with me a little?”

“Toono-san’s jokes are a bit heartwrenching. …Please do that kind of thing to your friends.”

When he told her this, thinking that if this conversation leaked out, he would be attacked by Toono’s fanatical fans, Toono smiled emotionlessly.

–Then, just like that, Toono said something outrageous.

“–I don’t have a single friend.”

“Eh?”

“In other words, I’m not even allowed to tell even one joke. I’m so sad, I’m going to cry.”

Toono lowered her eyes sadly and said so with a lot of emotion.

“I often talk to Hagakure-san. I thought we would get along well. But was I the only one who thought so?”

“Um, what?”

For some reason, Tsugumi got blamed for this situation and Toono traced the back of his hand with her finger and opened her red lips.

“Hagakure-san, do you mind getting along with me?”

“No, I don’t mind…”

“Then will you be my friend?”

“No, but this and that…”

“What? I didn’t hear you. Can you look me in the eye and say it properly?”

Toono stared at him with a fervent gaze.

In his heart, he called out for someone to help him, but Toono and Tsugumi were the only two people in the meeting room. He was practically stuck.

After staring at each other for a minute or so, Tsugumi couldn’t stand it any longer and gently looked away, answering in a small voice, “Yes.”

Tsugumi easily fell victim to the violence of Jukka’s number one beauty. No matter how mysterious she might be, there was no boy who could resist the seduction of a sexy older woman.

Then Toono smiled happily and said, “Let’s exchange contact information right away, shall we? We are friends, right?” and took out her cell phone.

–I wonder what you’re planning this time. I hope it’s not too much trouble.

Thinking as though he had given up, Tsugumi took out his cell phone as requested. ……Recently, he felt like there were a lot of pushy people around him.

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He didn’t mean to be so weak-willed, but it was hard to refuse a favor when dealing with a fellow member – and a superior one at that. As they exchanged contact information, the door to the conference room opened with a bang.

An unexpected person entered the conference room.

Tsugumi stared at the person in disbelief.

“Hello. I’ve been called here as an interpreter in England, is this the right room?”

Golden hair and emerald green eyes. Dressed in Christian dress, Azalea stood there.