Laban’s day was truly shaping up to be a pleasant one.
Thanks to a cultured, rational, and highly efficient operation—suppressing the magical girls’ stirrings with a few carefully chosen words of false information to Naihyeon, information that was scheduled to become the truth, at that—a situation had been created in which he could now earnestly mine mana.
And as he drafted the tabloid script to hurl at the magical girl faction, a plan had rolled in to procure mana through a method other than Naihyeon; thus, Laban had become a happy dark mage, an endangered species.
*‘Starting tomorrow, I too shall be a mana-bourgeois!’*
In commemoration, he had splurged today by buying a high-grade ice cream at the convenience store instead of a triangular gimbap. It was priced so steeply that purchasing it while sober would have been difficult, but after all, dark mage was a profession that spent precious little time sober to begin with.
He whistled and opened the dormitory door.
“Uwaaaah!”
He let out a scream that welled up from the deepest part of his heart.
There, something white, sparkling, fluffy, and soft was—
In other words, the most dangerous magical beast in Hikarieoseu was there.
“A… a mascot…!”
[Inian! Inian! What have you been doing without telling me!]
Laban hurriedly sent a thought wave.
But the Archduke of the Demon Realm was currently on a Hikarieoseu cafe tour with his coworkers and school friends, so he had no time to reply to spam.
The impulse to immediately turn tail and flee surged down Laban’s spine.
However, the self-proclaimed cold-blooded dark mage Laban possessed enough judgment to overcome his body’s reflexive response.
Wasn’t this dormitory lodging to begin with a de facto prison tower built by that fearsome monstrosity to closely monitor its residents?
A random inspection by the mascot was well within the bounds of expectation.
If it had dragged magical girls here for a surprise attack, that would be one thing, but since he couldn't sense the unique high-output mana characteristic of magical girls, it likely wasn’t here with that in mind.
Having already rehearsed mentally countless times, Laban spoke without wavering.
“Wh-wh-wh-wh-what brings you here?”
***
Papirun tilted its head.
Originally, guardian fairies were designed with cute appearances to emphasize their harmlessness to the human body. Only the Mother Fairy was something of an exception.
But perceptive Papirun soon understood the fear Laban had displayed. No matter how familiar the outward appearance, wouldn’t it be terrifying to find a stranger inside your own home?
Running into a movie star on the street would be amusing, but if that person had picked your front door and was sitting in your bedroom, it would be a horror film.
*‘And here I thought our image in Hikarieoseu wasn’t so bad, mohu…’*
Separate from understanding the other party’s feelings, Papirun grew slightly sullen. It had been quite popular with children.
Papirun began the conversation with a deliberately soft vocalization.
[Pleased to meet you, mohu. I am Papirun, the dedicated mascot of the Magilists currently active in Hikarieoseu—Magi Black and Magi White, mohu.]
“…Pleased to meet you. As you know, I am Laban. Currently the counselor in charge of the counseling office at Rukseutiera High School; my previous position was likely in the personnel department at Naju Pharmaceutical.”
Papirun let out a low, breathy sound of realization.
If remnants of Laban’s memories as a Naju Pharmaceutical executive remained in his subconscious, it was only natural to be warier of guardian fairies than necessary.
And the intention behind reminding him of that fact anew was—
“It seems my guess was correct after all. That Syune was a magical girl.”
—for self-protection, or perhaps for the sake of negotiation.
“Have you come to erase my memories?”
[I cannot tell you about the magical girls’ private lives, mohu.]
Laban knew that from the guardian fairy’s perspective, he was a dangerous entity.
And despite being fully aware of that—despite being certain that telling Naihyeon his speculation about Syune’s identity would expose his own identity to the mascot’s gaze—he had still passed on the message.
Most likely because he wished for the magical girl to watch over Naihyeon as her friend for as long as possible.
*Did he prioritize Naihyeon’s safety over his own danger, mohu?*
[And no, mohu. I have no intention of harming you, mohu.]
…He didn’t know why it was so favorable toward Naihyeon, but that was one more reason to consider it trustworthy.
***
Laban’s brain whirled at a breakneck pace.
It was quite a while before Inian, who had finally replied to the thought wave with “What the hell is this?”, received the message: “There’s something ominous in the dorm right now, so stay out and play longer.”
He had no idea why that thing was here or what it was trying to do.
*‘Ah, wait.’*
He did know why. Laban recalled that he had told Naihyeon about Syune’s identity.
*‘Good God! So that news has already reached the mascot’s ears!’*
And now he more or less knew what it was planning. No doubt some routine like, “This is unfortunate. You have a loose tongue. You must pay the price.”
*‘But that’s not its true intent!’*
If that sinister creature had truly intended to “dispose” of him, it would never have revealed itself like this. Having acquired its target, it would have simply said, “Firing mana cannon,” and immediately initiated scrapping procedures.
The mascot’s appearance now was far more likely to be a maneuver to seize the upper hand before negotiations.
An intimidation tactic of “I know everything, so confess on your own.”
Therefore!
“Currently the counselor in charge of the counseling office at Rukseutiera High School; my previous position was likely in the personnel department at Naju Pharmaceutical.”
Here, he would appeal to bravado.
Yes, that’s me.
But what can you do to me?
The secrets of the Black Forest and the dark side of Naju Pharmaceutical that even you don’t know!
That truth resides solely within my mind!
If you dare try to dispose of me carelessly, all this precious information will vanish into thin air!
***
The fierce shadow boxing between the dark mage and the guardian fairy showed no signs of ending.
Truly regrettable for them both, each possessed the intelligence to arbitrarily interpret the hidden implications in the other’s words and gestures, so the conversation continued without going off track.
[I have no intention of harming you, mohu.]
*It worked!*
Laban rejoiced that his bluff had succeeded, and Papirun, seeing his somewhat relieved expression, believed they could now have a forward-looking conversation.
[Your case analysis of Hikarieoseu left quite a deep impression on us, mohu.]
“You mean the prediction that the magical girls’ activities would reach a limit.”
*‘What? Did morale drop on Syune’s side because of that?’*
[That is why I make this proposal, mohu. We have been carefully observing the results of your counseling room’s operation, mohu. Ever since the “Counseling Office Counselor” took office, satisfaction ratings have been measured quite highly, you see, mohu.]
*‘Huh.’*
Surely they weren’t going to say, “You caused delays in strategic weapon maintenance, so take responsibility”? Laban’s eyes trembled.
[Therefore, we would like to request conversations with our magical girls, mohu. As you know, frank conversation with a trustworthy person is of great help in alleviating stress, mohu.]
Good God. It was true. Laban’s mind turned completely blank.
This was a truly rare occurrence for a “dark” mage. He would rather have fainted from mishandling a catalyst or botching a spell and suffering a blackout; a total whiteout of the mind was foreign to his profession.
Psychological counseling for magical girls—who had ever heard of such a thing?
Papirun looked at Laban’s trembling eyes and realized what had him so shaken.
[Please rest assured, mohu. Both of them have vowed to overcome negative thoughts through their own will, mohu.]
Laban was someone who had risked danger to deliver a warning for Naihyeon and her friend. To his ears, Papirun’s words must have sounded like a heartless statement—that they would overload the magical girls’ minds, then attempt makeshift repairs through counseling.
So Papirun explained the truth. Worrying about the magical girls was only natural, but they were not the fragile children they might seem.
A magical girl’s strength was as resolute as the dreams and hopes she held.
Laban nodded.
*‘Damn it, I’m so screwed!’*
To Laban’s ears, Papirun’s statement that “the magical girls had vowed to overcome negative thoughts through their own will” was no different from a deadline hurled by a prime contractor at a subcontractor.
Not “Please endeavor to produce such results,” but “Such results must be produced.”
Laban rolled his eyes in every direction. He confirmed once again that there was no high-efficiency escape method he could activate immediately and without threat of pursuit. He accepted the lamentable reality.
“…Understood. Not for Hikarieoseu, but for those children, I shall give it a try.”
Laban asked naturally, as if the thought had just occurred to him.
“So, is Syune Black or White?”
[That’s… Ah. I cannot tell you, mohu.]
*Tch.* Clicking his tongue internally, Laban rolled his neck. Now it was time to negotiate working conditions.
“Then, when shall I begin?”
[That is…]
Laban too would need time to prepare mentally or to wrap up other schedules.
[I shall inform you one hour before the magical girls visit, mohu. Thank you for your hospitality despite our sudden visit today, mohu. Have a pleasant evening, and tomorrow at Rukseutiera High Scho—]
Papirun did not finish its sentence. A thunderous roar that shook the windows rang out.
[Papirun! Should we head out!]
Having read the magical girls’ message, Papirun corrected itself.
[Let’s meet at the counseling office in one hour, mohu!]