NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 14
A young elite police officer, Yamashita, from the Metropolitan Police Department, was staring at the sink in the restroom of the broadcasting station.
Splash!
Water flowed and was sucked into the dark hole, just like his pathetic self.
To impress the Police Chief, he had forcefully executed an operation to capture Busujima Haruko, using connections he had disregarded the conventions for. It ended in failure.
“……”
Inevitably following reckless moves came the risks. The responsibility for the failure. All the connections he had mobilized for the operation turned their backs on him.
Receiving his first shout of anger from Captain Mori, Yamashita was transferred from the original Investigation 1 to being the temporary captain of the Mobile Task Force of the Metropolitan Police Department.
Officially, he was the stand-in for the former captain of the Mobile Task Force, who had been caught in a scandal at an illegal entertainment establishment. The Mobile Task Force captain resigned, saying he “acknowledged the responsibility for not being able to stop his superior.” Yamashita took his place, but it was temporary until the next captain arrived.
‘It’s over.’
Yamashita wasn’t unaware that he was a mere figurehead.
As soon as he was appointed, he rushed to the Odaiba scene to command security duties without even a moment to introduce himself.
“……”
Even if he was just a figure warming a seat, there was a predetermined reporting system. The radio provided to Yamashita should have been buzzing with reports from five companies.
But aside from the public channel, his direct channel was filled with a chilling silence.
‘The captains must know.’
That he was just warming a seat temporarily before being demoted to some small rural police station.
‘To get demoted while chasing a Magical Girl case and then guarding a Magical Girls talk show…’
Yamashita chuckled as he looked at himself in the mirror in the restroom.
The average person in the mirror was mocking him too.
“Sir, I’m sorry, but it’s time to close.”
“Ugh~ I want to see more!”
“I really apologize, but we had to cut the closing time due to today’s filming. I’m sorry.”
“Just let us see a little more~”
Sounds of a bickering female student with a silly voice and a staff member could be heard outside the restroom.
“O, Ono! This is a serious problem!”
“Quit calling me by my last name! I swore the moment I joined the captain!”
“M, sir! It’s a problem if the guests shout in here…!”
And a timid voice of a girl who seemed to be with them was scolding them.
‘These kids are throwing a fit just to catch a glimpse of the Magical Girls.’
It was likely because the debut talk show of the first Magical Girl idol group was happening that day, and they wanted to see it.
Originally, idol groups didn’t pop up like instant curry; they were born from years of planning and discussion. But this group was hastily put together in response to the trend of Magical Girls that had appeared within a month.
All were stunningly beautiful, on par with idol centers, even model-level looks, and since they were a Magical Girl group using supernatural abilities, they had plenty of investment.
‘They’re planning to stall for time on entertainment TV with unprepared amateurs, picking the real gems for debut later.’
Predictable and shady tactics.
Yamashita could see through the underhanded business strategies of the lowly capitalist market like they were written on his palm.
“Tell Busujima to say something! She hasn’t seen everything yet!”
“B, but the cops will stop us if we go up now!”
“Are we really going this way or what!”
An unusual yet familiar last name.
‘Busujima…?’
As soon as he heard that name, Yamashita burst into the lobby. But the two girls arguing were nowhere to be seen in the lobby.
Frantically checking the window, all he could see were staff members closing off the escalators going to the 5th floor.
Trusting his almost innate instinct, Yamashita decided to turn on the radio.
Something was definitely happening.
*
While Haruko and Kyoko were changing their forms into spirits and looking around inside the broadcasting station, Ichika and I were keeping an eye on the surroundings outside.
“Wow, there are really so many people~”
Crowd buzzing
As it was already a renowned tourist spot, there were people bustling around as usual.
However, today was special; it was a monumental day because the rumored Magical Girls were debuting on TV.
The main entrance on the first floor was tightly closed, and police officers, along with internal security guards were standing guard.
“Why did we even come out here when we’ll just go in to prepare anyway?”
“Probably just want to see them exit or something.”
“Is seeing their faces going to make us money or food?”
“Quit grumbling.”
“Y, yes.”
Ichika had a certain weight in front of the girls following her, like Kyoko, but when it was just the two of us, her words became oddly light and plentiful. That’s how it was; Ichika and I were waiting together when Haruko and Kyoko arrived.
“There are cops and security on the first floor, and the elevators are blocked.”
“E, even the escalators are closed.”
“What now, Shirogane?”
“Hmm.”
I looked up to see a unique building with something like a ball placed on top, resembling a jungle gym.
The broadcasting station’s observation deck.
I heard that today’s filming was to take place at the large spherical observation deck on the top.
“Oh! And there was a big staircase that leads directly up to the 7th floor!”
“But that place is full of cops too!”
To get to the observation deck, we had to take the elevator to the 7th floor anyway.
While there was the option to crawl up from outside and break in, breaking a window would sound alarms and lead to disaster.
“Let’s use the spirit magic to disguise ourselves and go up the stairs to the 7th floor directly to the observation deck.”
“Okay.”
“Got it!”
“Yes.”
“I think Busujima-san and I should wear masks, but how about Ichika and Kyoko?”
Upon hearing that, Ichika shook her head.
“Anyway, I’ve been recognized by Fujimoto, and he might’ve noticed me being with you.”
“Me too!”
Haruko, who hadn’t been involved with Fujimoto yet, cautiously put on a mask as if she was aware of how she might be seen.
“Then let’s go!”
*
The temporary studio set up inside the observation deck was as noisy as the crowd outside due to filming.
With the debut of the Magical Girl group on a popular live weekend talk show, more staff members than usual were busily moving around to conduct the broadcast.
The Magical Girls, today’s guests, were amateurs unworthy of being called broadcasters.
That’s why the broadcast was based on thorough rehearsals and memorizing scripts. A skilled MC led the show as it progressed.
“Haha, so Shizuku-chan enjoys classical music and reading as her hobby, right?”
“Yes… Yes! Uhuh…”
That was a lie.
Shizuku’s actual hobby was eating snacks made by Mama while watching late-night anime in her room.
‘How did I end up like this?’
A month ago, Shizuku had gone to Shibuya with friends and watched the Red Broadcast, becoming a Magical Girl.
– “Wha?! When did this come in?”
– “Wow, whatever it is, it’s pretty!”
– “What’s this for?”
Whatever it was, it was a special glass star.
Since then, Shizuku had been showing off the glass star to those around her.
But when she came to her senses, she was stuck as a radio fixed guest, announcing morning traffic.
‘Mama, I’m scared.’
Just an ordinary bakery girl, Shizuku found all this change so unfamiliar.
‘You’ll make a lot of money.’, ‘You’ll be on TV.’, ‘You’ll be famous.’— all the pressure from the agency’s director had somehow led her here.
[No Ugh!]
Since it was a live broadcast, her manager silently directed her from a place where the camera wouldn’t catch him, writing on a large sketchbook.
Usually, when she strayed from the script or broke character, he would give her a scary look while directing her.
He was the type to threaten the character of the innocent literary girl she was supposed to represent whenever she made silly noises.
‘Sigh, how did it come to this?’
Truth be told, Shizuku wanted to quit the broadcasting, which fit her timid nature poorly, as she couldn’t even eat snacks due to the supposed diet. Yet, under the hopeful gazes of her mom and dad, along with her manager’s sharp criticism, she had been clowning around awkwardly for a month.
“Yes, so that means…”
Silence.
“Hmm?”
“……”
“……”
Suddenly, everyone fell silent.
‘W, what’s happening?’
Shizuku was startled by the sudden quiet of the studio and realized she might have made a mistake.
The other Magical Girls next to her were also turning their heads in confusion.
It was as if time had stopped; all the staff froze.
In the midst of it, the girls were the only ones panicking.
“Hello, Magical Girls.”
“Eek?!”
“Gah!”
Suddenly, another girl sat behind the five Magical Girls at the guest seat, smiling.
She wore a dazzling white blouse over black dress pants and a mysterious masked cape.
‘A, a magician…?’
The girls were frozen, overwhelmed by the aura emanating from the masked girl.
Tchick, tchick
The masked girl walked out and stood in the center of the frozen studio. She gracefully bowed, one hand lightly on her chest and the other raised high.
“Hello, everyone across the nation.”
“It’s nice to meet you.”
“I am the one hosting today’s debutante of the girls.”
“An unnamed Magical Girl.”