“You don’t even know that? You aren’t lying to me, are you?”
007, looking utterly bewildered, had done nothing yet found himself falling under suspicion.
Even he knew the lie he had spun was incredibly far-fetched.
However, he had at least discerned one thing: this woman was extremely timid and her mental state was quite unstable.
“I’m sorry, ma’am, but I don’t have time to discuss this with you right now. You should be aware that you are in danger of being attacked by a Strange Person. If you want to survive, please trust me completely. Otherwise, I cannot guarantee your safety during an attack.”
Frightened by 007’s suddenly cold tone, the woman winced and curled back in panic, finally falling silent.
Seeing this, 007 breathed a sigh of relief, but he knew he had to offer some form of reassurance to appease her.
That was the only way to ensure she wouldn’t become more suspicious.
If he could, he would have preferred to erase her memory, but in such an extreme event, this woman would inevitably become the center of attention.
Acting rashly carried too much risk, not to mention he would have to apply for permission from his superiors; he didn’t possess that ability himself.
He had no choice but to disguise himself as a Magical Girl.
To be honest, he didn’t particularly enjoy doing this.
He was, after all, impersonating a Magical Girl.
Even though he had never met her, it felt awkward.
Nonetheless, it was a necessary part of the mission.
007 pulled a Star Crest from the inner pocket of his suit.
Of course, this wasn’t a Magical Girl’s Transformation Device, but it could produce an illusory effect.
When an esper from the Combat Division needed to act, such a prop was essential.
A flash of white light erupted, and 007’s appearance in the woman’s eyes changed drastically.
His originally plain black suit transformed in an instant into a black formal dress.
Silky, ink-black hair spilled out from beneath a thin veil, resting gently against an elegant back.
The dress wasn’t overly adorned, but it shimmered under the wrapping light of Pure Magic.
Unfortunately, this image of a girl seemed a bit too frail; there was almost no curve to speak of.
Although the waist was very slender, it failed to highlight much feminine charm.
It looked almost comical, like a little girl secretly wearing her Mother’s clothes.
Perhaps a cuter style would have been more suitable?
Yet, that wasn’t entirely the case, for the dull gray eyes beneath the veil appeared exceptionally deep.
They were like a faded sea; even if waves surged occasionally, they were no different from a dead silence.
007 didn’t care about these things; he was only doing it to complete the mission.
The prop had been given to the Combat Division by that supposedly troublesome B City Chief Executive.
The image stored within likely belonged to some former Magical Girl.
007 had no memory of a Magical Girl with this appearance.
Perhaps she had retired long ago or died.
Regardless, it was merely a change in appearance.
His senses would not inherit this body.
As long as it allowed him to better complete the mission, anything else was completely irrelevant to 007.
In the woman’s eyes, however, this scene was naturally quite miraculous.
She really was a Magical Girl.
Just a moment ago, she had been so terrified that her mind was hazy.
She had only vaguely seen a black figure stepping through the window on pale green ripples.
A flood of Magic Power had guided the wind to sweep around her, and this strange sensation made her instinctively think of a Magical Girl.
But as soon as 007 spoke, she snapped back to reality.
The man’s voice made her feel extremely uneasy.
Even though she knew he was lying, she didn’t dare call him out directly, fearing she might provoke him.
‘A man with mysterious abilities… Could he be a Strange Person? It’s over, he must want to toy with me.’
However, she still held a glimmer of hope.
‘After all, 007 didn’t have a terrifying goat head. What if he was just a unique kind of Magical Girl?’
‘It was said that some Magical Girls would dress as men to hide their identities. Maybe that was it?’
There were indeed such rumors.
They didn’t originate from Su Mu, though she had certainly contributed to them.
Holding onto this thought, the woman suddenly came up with a way to verify it.
Since long ago, she had believed in a doctrine called “Female Power,” largely because of Magical Girls.
Almost every girl dreamed of becoming a Magical Girl when they were young.
Most of those thoughts eventually faded into the silence of an ordinary life, and this woman was no exception.
Even after realizing she had no connection to that unique gift, she still maintained a passion that far exceeded that of ordinary people.
It was then that she encountered such theories.
‘Most Strange Persons are male, and a Magical Girl can’t possibly be a man. Those protected men should be grateful to us.’
The former was, of course, a complete fabrication.
After transforming, Strange Persons looked like monsters; how could anyone tell if they were male or female?
However, the latter was indeed a consensus.
This inevitably led to sharp conflicts, which gave rise to the so-called “Female Power” doctrine.
A group of people who knew absolutely nothing about Magic Power began to imagine that the reason Magical Girls were Magical Girls was because women were born with a certain mysterious power.
They believed men were simply afraid of their status being threatened, so they found ways to oppress women, forcing those who should have awakened as Magical Girls to live mediocre lives.
Even the Magical Girls who luckily escaped this fate still had to fight Strange Persons to the death… in short, it was all men’s fault.
Therefore, we women must unite, discover the buried potential within our bodies, fight against this unfair world, and take back the rights that belong to us.
It sounded incredibly tempting.
Whenever they thought of those perfect Magical Girls who tirelessly defended the city despite the oppression, they couldn’t help but swell with pride.
The more she heard, the more convinced the woman became that there was an inseparable link between herself and the Magical Girls.
At this stage, she even had the chance to attend organizational gatherings.
After she saw a “Senior Magical Girl” with her own eyes at a gathering, she became even more convinced of these claims.
‘If it’s them, they will surely understand what I’m saying. They must.’
However, 007’s answer had undoubtedly poured cold water on her.
He had never heard of these things.
At this moment, whether 007 was the real deal or not, the blow to the woman was unquestionable.
Not to mention, the reality 007 was currently displaying was constantly attacking her worldview.
This Magical Girl had not only appeared in the image of a man earlier but was also quite rude to her.
This made her fear another possibility.
‘What if a Magical Girl could be transformed from a male?’
The moment she thought of that possibility, she felt the world she had always believed in start to wobble, threatening to collapse at any moment.
Even if there was only a one-in-ten-thousand chance, she couldn’t accept it.
After all, such a thing was far too shocking.
Although she desperately wanted to ask, she ultimately didn’t have the courage to speak.
She swallowed the question and buried it silently in her heart.
‘It can’t be like that.’
007 naturally had no idea about the woman’s rich internal monologue.
He had now focused his energy entirely on sensing his surroundings.
Justice had not specified who the first target was.
This meant they had to split up and protect every potential target.
As the strongest among them, 007 had been dispatched to protect the individual at the highest risk.
Although they could only obtain relevant information through Justice’s live stream, the Combat Division’s resources allowed them to find all the information within a few minutes.
The part regarding the Judge was the most noteworthy.
There had originally been a turning point in the case.
The suspect’s side had issued a medical certificate confirming that the man did not possess sexual capability.
This was essentially decisive evidence.
However, the Judge ultimately chose to accept the plaintiff’s “Psychological Diagnosis Certificate,” resulting in a shocking and legendary verdict.
Although the Combat Division didn’t pay too much attention to these details, they easily determined that Justice’s primary target was the woman at this location.
However, Justice had said it would be “soon,” yet he still hadn’t appeared.
What did this mean?
Doubt rose in 007’s mind, but all he could do was wait.
He waited for the opponent to appear, or for news that his comrades had been attacked.
A rhythmic buzzing suddenly sounded in his ear.
The latter had arrived first.
007 quickly braced himself, intending to listen carefully to the information in his earpiece.
Unexpectedly, the first thing that rang out was a hoarse, cold voice.
“Are you… attempting to obstruct the trial?”