Chapter 12 : Connection point

I’m looking at the Association President’s face again. At this point, I’m openly showing my discomfort.

“Isn’t it a bit much to see you three days in a row?”

“Don’t worry, I won’t come around for a while once I tell you the results of the investigation on Jangmi.”

“For a while, huh…”

He glares at me while rubbing his temples. I let out another long sigh and open a drawer. The yellow envelope I pull out doesn’t look very thick. It must have been difficult to find everything related to the girl in just one day.

I reach out to take it, but he quickly pulls the envelope back.

“Please, just don’t come.”

“Alright, alright. I won’t come.”

“I’m not joking.”

He slams his hand on the table as he warns me, then loosens his tie. He sighs again, stands up, and walks over to the window. He peeks through the blinds to check his surroundings before pulling the cord. Even after the blinds are completely closed, he stays there for a while.

“Even within the Association, there are differing opinions about announcing a demon as a Magical Girl.”

“You’re the leader, you manage it.”

“Hah, you make it sound so easy. Do you know how much more work I’ve gotten because of this?”

Yeah, he looks stressed. Still, it’s your job, so you have to handle it, I wanted to say.

“I appreciate your help.”

“Don’t lie to me.”

“What do you mean?”

He nonchalantly wipes his mouth. Yikes, seeing the veins bulging on his forehead tells me I shouldn’t tease him any further.

“Alright, sorry. Let’s not get worked up. You prepared this because you hit a dead end in your search, right?”

“As if you would know something we don’t.”

“There’s a possibility.”

The Association President runs his hand through his hair, his expression calming down. He must have decided there’s no need to be emotional anymore.

His twitching fingers betray his inner turmoil. Would giving this to me bring him some great advantage or would it just dump more work on me like now? I know this because his constantly shifting gaze tells me so.

Frustrated, I ask first.

“What’s the matter?”

He tightens his tie again and leisurely hands me the envelope.

“It’s nothing. You’d better read this at home. Too many eyes here.”

Right before heading home, he flashes a sly smile.

“If you happen to find something we missed, please let us know.”

Instead of replying, I snap my fingers.

*

I empty the contents onto the glass table. There are photos, but the most interesting thing is her Certificate of Family Relations. It was an intriguing fact that the girl was registered as an ordinary citizen, so it was the first thing I needed to check.

The registration place was within the city we live in, and only the first few digits of her resident registration number were listed.

In the family information section, the ‘Father’ section was empty, but the ‘Mother’ section was filled. The reason the father section was empty was probably because he’s a demon.

Unfortunately, her biological mother is marked as deceased. Deceased, not missing. If only that wasn’t the case, I would’ve checked right away.

This is a very peculiar case. Who registered this girl as a human?

The photos sealed in plastic mainly show the exterior and interior of a shabby, run-down house. The torn wallpaper and peeling paint… This is where the girl lives? They really did a good job sneaking in.

Even looking at the bank transaction records, all she did was buy necessities and food with the money provided by the support organization.

“I have no idea.”

Saying that, I lie down on the floor.

I read through the rest, but it’s filled with things I can’t understand. I’m not a detective, I’m a fairy, what am I supposed to get out of this? Barging in bravely was all well and good, but nothing’s been resolved in the end.

It’s not even 10 p.m. yet. I wonder if any of those useful guys are around.

Before heading to the bar, I turn on my computer one last time. I go to the online forum frequented by those human Magical Girl enthusiasts.

As they say, there are a lot of ‘useless posts’, but the information tab has a lot of helpful content. A lot of posts about Jangmi have been uploaded since yesterday’s incident.

“Hm?”

*Click*

“Coridalis is Jangmi’s father?”

Even though it’s just speculation, many parts make sense. For example, the time the Revival faction crossed over to Peace and the time their hatred towards humans subsided was about a year before Jangmi’s birthdate.

These guys are always surprising and scary. How did they even get their hands on someone’s family register documents?

“What do you think?”

“Whoa!”

I did barge in, but even I get hurt when you get startled enough to fall backwards.

Peng rubs the back of his head as he looks up at me, yelling at the top of his lungs.

“What do you mean by suddenly barging in like this?! I have a private life!”

“Your private life involves nothing but managing this forum.”

Peng, silently listening to my words, starts to throw a tantrum.

“Couldn’t you have at least rung the doorbell to let me know you were here, or knocked?”

“Alright, alright. I’m sorry.”

He glares at me, thumping his tail. Changing the subject is the best course of action in times like these.

“Anyway, you must have read the posts about Jangmi, too. What do you think?”

“Ask me… Do you even know when I came here?”

“Has it been a year?”

“It’s only been six months! I don’t know that much, okay?”

That’s pretty short. Do they not study history before they come down here?

What should I do? I’d have to infiltrate the edge of the city to confirm this, but if I barge in looking like this, I’ll be caught right away. Even if I open a door and move through it, if I get detected by those sensors, I won’t be able to get out alive…

Peng, who had been watching me racking my brain, glances at me and relaxes his expression. He mumbles in a timid voice.

“…I heard there’s a fairy who makes deals with them.”

“What? Deals with who?

“With demons. I heard it two days ago at the bar while I was waiting for my senior.”

I grab Peng as if to devour him whole. He looks at me with a terrified expression.

“You really heard that?”

“Of, of course. Why would I lie? You’ll see. It’s red.”

Right. The answer must be at the bar.

*

“Get lost, you bastard!”

“Even if you’re bored, siding with a demon?”

“May your magic stone shatter and kill you!”

The bar is full of people giving me a warm welcome. Persica was trying to stop them from throwing their drinks, but there were too many.

“Now, now, everyone calm down and listen.”

“Calm down? How can we when you made a contract with a demon?!”

“Hey, hey, who do you think I am? I’m Amber, the one who ended the invasion. Would I really make a contract with a Magical Girl?”

The atmosphere calms down a little. I need to keep this momentum going.

“I did not make a contract with the Magical Girl named Jangmi.”

“But what about the red light?”

It’s a lie that isn’t a lie, something only possible because we all have fairy eyes. It’s not even a lie, to begin with. It’s not like she transformed through a contract with me.

A fairy who’d been drinking since who knows when, his face already flushed red, sets his glass down and asks.

“Then why did you make that announcement?”

“Of course, it was to defeat the gathering of demons.”

“Hmm, it’s all true.”

Thankfully, everyone accepts it. Now, I need to make sure they don’t ask me any more questions. It’ll be troublesome if they do.

“By the way, I heard there’s some crazy guy making deals with demons. Is there any fairy here who knows about this?”

They only whisper amongst themselves; no one steps forward. Is this a dead end?

A hand brushes past my face. It’s Persica. She’s pointing at someone. I follow her fingertip with my gaze and see a bear-shaped fairy.

I feel like I’ve seen him somewhere before. Right, he was with the Magical Girl group two days ago.

I approach him. As I get closer, his fur becomes damp with sweat. When I place my hand on the table, he looks like he’s fallen into water.

“Is it you? That wicked fairy who makes deals with demons?”

“N-No, sir. Absolutely not me.”

“You seem awfully nervous for someone who isn’t.”

“Th-That’s…”

I open a door above his head. The exit is on the table.

“You know my ability, right? If I close this, your head gets chopped off, too. Talk.”

“Ugh…”

The descending door covers his head and starts rising from the table.

“Last chance.”

As the door shrinks, pressing down on his head,

“I-I’ll talk! Please spare me!”

He’s so scared that yellowish liquid soaks the floor. Those sitting nearby move a seat away, or join others at different tables to escape.

With trembling lips, he answers.

“It’s my boss.”

“Boss?”

“Yes. Wisp, the fairy who founded Magi Entertainment.”

Wisp? Is that the guy who churned out Magical Girls excessively after the war ended? I kept my distance because he was excessively greedy for a fairy, but I didn’t know he’d even started a company.

“Isn’t he making good money with his idol business? What reason would he have to do business with demons?”

“I don’t know about that… Eek! I really don’t know! It’s true! So please spare me!”

He hesitates, so I narrow the door further. But he really does seem clueless.

The clock says 10:20. A little over four hours until I have to pick up Jangmi. That should be enough time.

“Let’s go to your company.”