The Struggles Of Miss Magical Girl O

In pop culture, which had persisted into the age of magical girls, the term 'Red Pill' often referred to the acquisition of an unsettling truth, one potentially life-changing. For magical girls specifically, it meant learning about their real identity.

Magical girls were icons of peace—hailed as heroes, worshipped like idols. Malicious or not, there was no shortage of obsessed fans desiring knowledge forbidden to them.

Yet, magical girls, too, had a life beyond saving their cities, and save for an extreme minority, most eventually retired and returned to that life. Naturally, one would never expect them to welcome any attention to their personal information. Deranged individuals existed everywhere in the world, and often, once the gap in a magical girl's facade and her true self was discovered, these individuals would further sink into madness.

In this sense, the idolish subculture within the broad category of [Magical Girls] only created more of such incidents. Worse, the industry was not-so-subtly endorsing it.

Although magical girls were strongly advised to hide their true identities upon signing their contract, and even with The Federation's aid, cases kept emerging during a recent period. In fact, it had become so bad that The Federation made a mandatory course on concealment for every active and incoming magical girl more than two decades ago.

Since then, magical girls had become much more proficient at protecting themselves and their identities. Most countries also adapted their laws. Harsher punishments were finalized for those who spread magical girls' personal information with ill intent.

Still, as cybervillains continued to rise, most countries struggled to implement these laws effectively. It was not uncommon to see hidden threads speculating on popular magical girls and their potential real-person matches. The more prominent a magical girl was, the truer this became.

Aside from online gossip, magical girls also faced natural risks in their daily lives as well.

When the timing of their sudden disappearances matched too well with a magical girl's appearances. When they were accidentally caught using magic or whispering to their mascots. Or when their speech patterns overlapped.

Little suspicions gradually became a certainty, especially in school environments where students tend to spend long hours together for years. Of course, this is why many magical girls maintained facades distinct from their real selves, often adding recognition-altering spells on top, though not all succeeded.

Moeka, in this regard, had been doing quite well. Although 'Kisaragi Moeka' and 'Magical Osbeckia' had countless similarities, she never slacked off on using spells to protect herself. With the mastery she possessed, fooling ordinary people was but a light task.

And yet...

''Now that I think about it, Miss Kisaragi really does feel like Miss O.''

''Right? I just can't shake it off~!''

''Even her voice seems similar... Miss Kisaragi, are you really not a magical girl?''

...Lately, there had been a surge of gossip-chasing student groups rushing to Moeka every now and then. Even after becoming an Omega and having her life turned upside down, Moeka never stopped using her magic to subtly distance herself from her public persona. Nonetheless, Miss O was not a small-time magical girl anymore. No, her name and deeds could not leave people's mouths, which meant they had countless more chances to draw correlations between the two of them.

Even if the thought itself was rather nonsensical, these kids would not hesitate to spell it out loud, drawing even more attention. And... Moeka was indeed similar to Magical Osbeckia. They were the same person, after all.

Moeka was troubled. Having Himeko come scooping her away every time would create even more of a commotion, and the Omega could not just change her impression suddenly either.

Moeka had no other choice but to adapt. Slowly, she learned subtle ways to drive these people away without offending them. Thankfully, she was socially aware well enough for this task.

''Just admit it already! There's no way you're not her!''

''...''

Even so, a single threat persisted—an Alpha freshman whose obsession was apparently finding out 'the truth.' Or, well, judging by how her eyes stayed on Moeka, one could reasonably deduce that she fell for the Omega in some ways.

Nevertheless, the kid was loud and often stubborn. Hard to shake off—extremely so. And for some unknown reason, her hunches were terrifyingly accurate.

''I carefully examined your hair length and color compared to Magical Osbeckia, and they're the exact same!''

''What a coincidence.''

''Most magical girls alter their facial features, but from their necks down? Apparently not so often! So I measured Osbeckia's three sizes and compared them to yours—''

''...Really?''

''Yes! Oh, but I only use my eyes—my eyes are really accurate! Anyways, guess what? The sizes were off by a few points, but we can't leave out the possibility of Miss O using magic either!''

''...''

''With more observations, I think I can finally confirm it! This is very fun!''

''...''

Moeka, who initially did not bother dealing with this girl, made an effort to avoid her whenever possible. That sunny smile of the freshman, whose name she had not even learned, was becoming more unsettling day by day.

But eventually, Moeka figured she could not have this chase go on forever. Her red pill was at serious risk. It could compromise her family as well.

'...I don't want to do this, but.'

Moeka dialed Miss Casey.

''—that's what happened. Could you somehow take care of her for me...?''

[Got it. I'll have people talk to her.]

''Thank you.''

After making the call, Moeka's mood plummeted. That girl would probably have to sign an NDA and be sent to another school, though she would probably receive compensation, too. Still, in the end, Moeka admitted this guilt in favor of protecting her rightful privacy.

Not long afterward, the girl no longer appeared at school, and Moeka also received a call from Miss Casey.

''...Pardon?''

Apparently, the young college girl was somehow hired as an investigator working directly at The Federation, all thanks to her unnatural curiosity and meticulous deductions.

Moeka did not know whether to cry or laugh.