"So, what do you think of Yukina's boyfriend?"
With Yukina gone, Sayaka brought up the topic.
"You're really going to continue that conversation, huh?"
"Of course! You always try to change the subject, but don't you want to know what the real deal is!?"
"Well, I guess I do…"
Everyone had already figured out that Yukina was trying not to give them too many details.
At first, they thought it was just shyness, but after hearing so many rumors, they started to suspect there was more to it.
Nobody objected to Sayaka's suggestion. Even the serious Madoka and Mami nodded, which showed just how deep everyone's suspicions were.
"But when we saw him before, he seemed normal, didn't he?"
"You're being naive, Homura! A normal guy wouldn't be dating Yukina or have a princess making a move on him!"
That was a fair point, but…
"But, Sayaka-chan. We don't know anything about Yukina's boyfriend, do we?"
"Then we'll just have to investigate."
Right. The school they attended was a specialized academy for training Butei, or armed detectives. Investigating people was a fundamental skill.
"So, how should we go about investigating?"
Even Madoka was starting to get into it.
"Don't worry. I've already looked up his basic profile!"
"W-when did you do that…?"
"I put it together during class!"
"Make sure you're paying attention in class, alright?"
Sayaka stuck out her tongue and bowed her head at Mami's scolding. Mami didn't push it further. She was also curious, in her own way.
They all looked at the file Sayaka had sent them.
"This only has information we already knew…"
"Right…"
But Sayaka's investigation skills were limited to information registered at the school. This alone couldn't reveal anything about Sho's true abilities or achievements.
Most of Sho's exploits were either classified or never officially recorded.
"So, all that's left is to ask him directly."
"Exactly. The problem is who's going to do the asking."
Sayaka agreed with Kyoko's statement. Things were proceeding exactly as Sayaka had planned. The only question was who would be assigned this mission.
"It's gotta be Mami. After all, Mami's the girl who turned down an offer from the 'CVR'!"
"H-hey, Sakura-san…!"
"""Whaaat!?"""
Kyoko grinned and teasingly put Mami on the spot. The other three girls were immediately intrigued.
"Is that true, Mami-san!?"
"I knew Yukina-chan was scouted, but I didn't know you were, too…"
"It makes sense, though. Tomoe-senpai is so pretty. And her, you know, figure…"
Sayaka, Madoka, and Homura praised Mami one after another. Mami felt her whole body flush with embarrassment and glared at Kyoko for revealing her secret.
"Sakura-san! I told you to keep that a secret…!"
"It's a point of pride, so it'd be a waste to keep it a secret. It's not like anything will happen if I tell these guys."
"That's not the point…! Oh, fine!"
The CVR—the Special Investigations and Research department—was one of the Butei courses. It specialized in criminal investigations under special conditions.
It was essentially a course in the art of seduction and honeypot traps, and it was a tough place where only the most beautiful students could enroll.
And just being a pretty face wasn't enough. There were height restrictions for both men and women, and for women, certain physical characteristics—namely, a sexually attractive bust and rear—were also part of the admission criteria.
Due to these strict conditions, another unique feature was its "scouting" system.
Teachers would approach promising students who showed potential based on their looks and academic performance.
Mami had been approached but politely declined, as her ambition had always been to join the Bureau.
"Well, in that case, Mami-san is the only one who can do this!"
"Eh? Really? I'm not very confident… What should I talk about?"
"We'll provide support! Please, Mami-san!"
With everyone's encouragement, Mami agreed to be the one to talk to Sho.
---------
"Phew…"
Today was truly exhausting.
The classroom erupted into chaos when Lala declared they were engaged. Natsuki-sensei immediately came to calm things down, but because I was the one who caused such a commotion, I was saddled with an unreasonable amount of homework.
As for Lala, she seemed to regret her thoughtless words that caused the stir, and she hadn't visited my classroom since the morning.
I heard she was in her own classroom, asking Asuna and others for advice on how to behave. Lala was trying to grow as a person, too.
But I was able to relax during lunch break. It's nice how much free time I have when I don't have to report to Section Six.
Still, I have a night shift in a few days, so I need to make sure I don't carry this fatigue over…
"Hmm."
It's an email.
From Koko-ro. The content is… she's going to make me some nutritious meals for the next few days in preparation for my night shift. What a lifesaver.
"So, that means…"
I have a lot of free time until evening. Lala said she was going to Zastin's place today for her "studies."
"I guess I'll just go home and chill out…"
If I get caught up in some strange incident, well, I'm prepared for it, but it would be a bad joke if it interfered with my night shift.
I can feel students' eyes on me, probably because of what happened this morning, as I leave the school gates.
That's when…
"Ah, excuse me. You're Yozuki-senpai, right?"
A voice called out to me. And it was a voice I recognized.
I turned to see a girl with golden ringlets. She was wearing the uniform of the Butei Middle School, which was affiliated with the Butei High School, and black stockings despite the heat.
It was one of the characters from Madoka Magica, who in this world was one of Yukina's friends—Mami Tomoe.
"Yeah, that's me. What do you need?"
I asked, a little on guard.
Honestly, I had no idea why a Madoka Magica character would be talking to me. And I had no idea what kind of incident might be about to happen.
The magic system is so different from the original that the tragedies from the anime won't happen in this world. That's a good thing because it means peace, but it also makes me wonder what will happen, and I brace myself.
The most likely possibility is that it's about Yukina. Maybe she seems a little off, or something like that.
…This is bad. I might be getting an occupational illness.
Maybe I shouldn't overthink it and just assume she wants to talk to me normally… No, that possibility is too low.
…Wait, why is Mami-san just standing there silently?
"Are you alright?"
"Oh, yes! I'm perfectly fine! You don't need to worry at all!"
"...?"
I asked because I was concerned, but she's clearly acting strange.
Mami-san took a deep breath, and then…
"Do you have a moment? I have something I'd like to talk to you about," she said with a calm voice and smile.
---------
"Alright, the first step went well!"
"Did it? Yozuki-senpai looked suspicious, though…"
"Mami's being too stiff… She's nervous."
"Everyone, you need to hide better, or you'll be spotted…!"
Hiding behind something, Sayaka, Madoka, Kyoko, and Homura were watching the situation unfold.
Mami was currently in the lead, guiding Sho.
They knew from Yukina that Sho wasn't going to Section Six today. Finding Sho as he left the school gate and calling out to him was a great success.
But Mami's nervousness made her forget her lines, which was a huge miscalculation.
She managed to recover with instructions from Sayaka and the others, but they had already put Sho on his guard from the very beginning.
"By the way, are we going to be okay skipping class…?"
"You're right. This is the first time we've ever done something like this…"
The serious Madoka and Homura looked at each other with worried expressions.
Sho's work with the Bureau was counted as special extracurricular credit, but the five of them had just plain skipped class.
"It'll be fine. As long as we get a good grade on the practical exam, they won't complain."
"At the end of the day, practical skills are what matter."
Kyoko and Sayaka said this with a casual tone.
In fact, while knowledge is important, it's meaningless if you can't use it in the field. With that mindset, practical exams at Butei High School had a very high weighting.
"Ugh, my mom is going to be so mad if she finds out…"
"I'm not good at practical tests, though…"
Hearing that, Madoka and Homura's faces clouded over a bit. However, they didn't try to go back to school.
The four of them were determined to continue with the plan.
Then, from the mental link they had established…
"Miki-san? What should I do from here?"
Mami's voice echoed through their network. Sayaka immediately gave her instructions.
"Mami-san, let's go into a nearby cafe."
"Got it."
Mami started to act on the instructions.
---------
"Are you ready to order?"
"Yes."
The drinks we ordered arrived—coffee for me and tea for Mami-san.
Mami-san led me to a chic cafe a little distance from the school.
What in the world is this situation? Why am I having tea with Mami-san?
"So, Tomoe-san. What did you want to talk about?"
"Uhm…"
Mami-san's eyes darted around for a few seconds.
"...?"
What's going on? It's not so much that she's having trouble saying something, but more like she's listening to instructions from someone else?
"Yozuki-senpai, do you know anything about me?"
"Ah, yeah… well, Yukina's told me a little bit. You're Mami Tomoe, right?"
That was a lie.
Yukina never talks to me about her friends from school. If she did, I would have realized the Madoka Magica characters were here much sooner.
I don't know why she didn't tell me—maybe because she didn't feel obligated to, or maybe she didn't want me to have any more contact with other girls, or maybe her sword maiden's intuition kicked in when she saw Mami-san and the others.
By the way, even though I call her Tomoe-san out loud, I call her Mami-san in my head.
"Oh, so you do. And Yukina-chan… are you close with Yukina-chan?"
"Hmm? Yeah, I guess you could say that…"
Mami-san immediately jumped on that. Is that what she wanted to know?
"By 'close,' do you mean you're in a relationship with her?"
"Y-yes, that's right."
She's coming at me directly. It's a little embarrassing to admit that we're dating face-to-face.
"In that case…"
Mami-san fiddled with her device.
"What does this mean?"
Mami-san showed me the school's information site. The article was about Lala's engagement announcement from today. Naturally, my name was also written there as the other party.
"This is…"
I quickly skimmed the article. Hmm, there's no exaggeration. In that case, I have to admit it.
"It's true."
"I see…"
Mami-san's eyes darted around the air again. She's definitely talking to someone. Is it the other Madoka Magica members?
"Was your relationship with Yukina-chan just a 'fling'?"
"A fling!?"
Everyone in the cafe turned to look at us. I could hear whispers.
"H-hey, wait…!"
"I-I'm so sorry…!"
Mami-san quickly bowed her head in apology. She finally seemed to realize what she had said. While a little romantic drama between students is one thing, using the word "fling" is completely different.
"So, what's the answer?"
Her voice volume went down, but she didn't back down.
"It wasn't a fling at all. I'm serious about her."
"But Senpai, you're close to other women besides Yukina-chan, right? And multiple ones, at that."
"...Yeah, I am."
"And what about them?"
"Of course, I'm serious about them, too."
I didn't even consider trying to deceive her. I had planned to ignore the topic if it wasn't brought up, but now that it was, I had no choice but to admit it, even without everyone's eyes on me.
"That makes no sense…"
I know.
It's a messed up relationship, but I intend to take responsibility for everyone... well, I haven't figured out exactly how yet.
Maybe becoming the King of Deviluke is the quickest path. If I'm king, I'm the law. But I'd have to turn a blind eye to the huge hurdle that is Sephie, who's a strong opponent of harems.
"…"
Mami-san stared at me blankly. It was a look like she was seeing some kind of bizarre creature.
Well, that makes sense. I just practically announced that I'm making a harem while cheating. I feel bad for Yukina. She's probably going to have to deal with a lot of questions tomorrow. I'll have to apologize to her later.
I brought the now-cold coffee to my lips. It made a clinking sound as I placed the cup back on the saucer. Mami-san didn't say a word the whole time.
The person giving Mami-san instructions must be confused, too.
Finally, she managed to squeeze out a voice that trembled slightly.
"W-well, thank you very much for your time today. I-I'll be going now… Oh, I'll pay for the drinks…!"
Mami-san clutched the bill and fled from the cafe as if she were running away.
After Mami-san ran out of the shop, Replica-sensei appeared.
"Sho. There have been people observing us since a little while ago. Four of them. What will you do? It appears they were in contact with that girl."
"It's fine. There's no need for me to go and corner them."
"Hmm, if that's what you say."
I finished my coffee and stood up.
Everyone around me was looking at me, so I should just leave quickly.
---------
"Now, how am I going to apologize to Yukina…"
Having finished my conversation with Mami-san, I was heading home.
There's no doubt that tomorrow's inquiries will be tough. I've probably made things difficult for Yukina.
"Was it a mistake to speak so carelessly?"
"No, it wasn't."
I shook my head at Replica's words. I will take responsibility for my actions. That was my resolve from the first time I was with Yukina. It was my resolve for living in this world.
As I was thinking that…
—Hehe.
"...Kurumi?"
I heard a distinct voice from behind me.
When I turned around, Kurumi was indeed standing there. And she was wearing her Astral Dress.
"Wait, you're…"
The bottom half of her legs were sunk into my shadow. Wait, was this Kurumi's power, and had she been in my shadow this whole time?
"What are you doing…?"
As people around us started to look, Kurumi fully emerged from my shadow.
"Sho-san, come with me."
"Huh, a-wait!"
Kurumi grabbed my hand and led me into a back alley.
--------------------------------------------
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