Case 47: The meeting of magical girls.
The Magical Girl Rankings.
—was a real leaderboard established by The Federation in recent years. It was created to promote 'competitiveness' and shower 'well-deserved recognition' on those who have contributed significantly to maintaining peace. The metrics for evaluation were a combination of merits, strength, and influence for each magical girl, measured and updated monthly.
And for just over five consecutive years, Magical Rose had stood firmly on top of the rankings, followed closely by Magical Orchid, who held the second place. The duo, much like Osbeckia and Hibiscus of City O, were inseparable while simultaneously considered the nation's biggest assets. Many saw them as symbols of modern magical girls—powerful and reliable, practically invincible during their time.
They were so iconic that even Moeka, someone oblivious to trends, had learned about their fame.
'I think I was ranked two hundred something the last time I checked...'
Climbing and staying in the top twenty was incredibly difficult, let alone eyeing the crown. Not only did a magical girl have to undergo rigorous combat training while actively seeking villains to defeat, but they must also secure competent financial backing. Like idols, they needed capital and personnel to handle their pubic presence and scheduling.
Moeka sighed inwardly. In the end, those who chase fame and wealth must also work hard. Though... the case of Rose and Orchid was perhaps somewhat different.
Unlike others who came from ordinary backgrounds, Akane Rose and Aomori Ruri were both heiresses of the nation's largest conglomerates, famous even before they became magical girls. With the kind of celebrity status they had, it did not take long for the public to speculate about their true identities. Rose's real name was literally 'Rose,' and neither of them bothered to mask their personality traits after transforming.
They made no effort to deny or conceal those speculations either, 'I guess they don't need to with those backgrounds.' Moeka thought.
And for one reason or another, Moeka found herself awkwardly sitting with the top three magical girls. It was early morning, so they decided to head to a café to chat.
Glancing to the side, she glimpsed Himeko conversing quite comfortably with the other two; they must be getting along well, Moeka reckoned. Himeko often acted so friendly and modest that Moeka forgot the girl was ranked third nationally. And to think Moeka had let the same third-ranked magical girl sit in the cuck chair two times...
Suddenly, Moeka became much more appreciative of Himeko's good character.
''Man, we were so excited coming here this morning, but the roads are confusing...'' Rose sighed slightly, keeping her manner proper.
Ruri nodded along, ''Yes. I suppose we were used to having our attendants handle our routes.''
They both seemed to have calmed down after replenishing some caffeine. Then, Himeko chimed in with a puzzled expression, ''So where are your attendants, then?''
Rose and Ruri averted their eyes guiltily, though in the end, they had no choice but to confess, ''That... we ran away.'' Ruri smiled awkwardly, ''They wanted us to visit HQ first, but we were set on touring the city, so...''
Moeka listened to the conversation while silently sipping her drink. Surprisingly, the two top-ranked magical girls seemed more approachable than she had imagined. Like Himeko, both possessed an unmistakable aura of refined noble ladies, but at the same time, they sounded easygoing.
Yet, Moeka was more curious about something else.
Setting aside Rose and Ruri's immense magical power, as an Omega, Moeka was naturally sensitive to Alphas' scent. From what she could sense, Rose was indeed one, though Ruri's pheromones were not just much more subdued—they had a certain balanced quality unique to hers.
'...She's a Beta.'
Moeka could instinctively tell: Magical Orchid was a Beta, which was quite unexpected. Although Moeka herself was truly a one-of-a-kind, Beta magical girls were also rare. Zooming closer, she could even see Rose and Ruri's scents tangling a little, suggesting they were truly 'close,' romantically or not.
Being in the minority together always brings forth a sense of kinship. So, Moeka could not help but gaze at Ruri with some interest. As if noticing this, the blue-haired girl smiled back, ''Miss Kisaragi, I'm also glad we get to meet you here.'' She said, ''I've heard good things about your work ethic."
''...Thank you?'' Moeka tilted her head slightly.
Ruri chuckled, then continued talking after receiving Rose's nod of approval, ''Actually, we've been sent here because of The Legion's rampant activities in this city.'' She said solemnly, ''Well, Rose is here to take care of them, and I also have something to help with, so we came together.''
Moeka glanced around cautiously as soon as the topic changed. Thankfully, being professionals, they have already arranged a noise-cancelling barrier around the table.
Nevertheless, this news was not particularly good. After all, what threats needed to be handled that The Federation would consider sending the literal top two magical girls in addition to Marigold and Lily?
Returning to the conversation, Moeka replied somewhat wearily, ''I see. I wish you two good luck, then. But how does The Federation intend to handle the situation in the capital? Surely it's not that peaceful there.''
The capital, Helios, was the largest battleground between the two forces, brimming with both magical girls, villains, and opportunities for either side to grasp. No matter how urgent it was in City O, The Federation could not afford to dispatch nearly half of its top ten away.
However, Ruri's expression remained calm, ''I understand your worries, Miss Kisaragi.'' She said, ''That's why we received permission to use Warp.''
''Really...?!''
''...!''
Both Moeka and Himeko widened their eyes, though while the former only knew Warp as a cutting-edge long-range teleportation technology, the latter had deeper insight into how intensively it was managed and how much it truly cost. Nonetheless, it was the truth that The Federation was going all out.
''For now, we'll be rotating our shifts in City O in pairs, moving between two places as needed.'' Ruri continued, ''Daisy and Iris should be replacing us next.''
Moeka quickly understood why they needed to rotate in the first place. As the on-duty relief magical girl, she was supposed to provide her service to those colleagues as well.
'...So this is how they'll handle it.' The Omega sighed.
It sounded exhausting, but she had to do it. And if she had to do it, she would better be proactive—such were Moeka's thoughts.
''So... do you two need my help, then?'' She asked.
Both Rose and Ruri appeared somewhat embarrassed as they nodded. Then, Rose spoke, ''I've been asking Ruri to take care of my heat until now, but maybe because my magical power is too much...''
''...It's not enough?'' Moeka nearly gasped in disbelief.
''Well, yes...'' Rose nodded shyly.
'What kind of monster is she?!'
Even a powerful Beta like Ruri was unable to fully handle Rose. If that was the case, just how intense was her heat...?
Merely imagining it while catching wisps of Rose's pheromones was enough for Moeka's body to shiver. But perhaps taking the Omega's stunned look as a sign of reluctance, Ruri pleaded, ''Please lend us your hand... well, your body, Miss Kisaragi. Um... look, I've been told that you wanted to get rid of a magical imprint a commander had put on you, right?''
Moeka snapped out of her trance immediately, ''You know about it...?''
Ruri readily affirmed, ''Miss Casey informed me—I'm quite well-versed in this area, after all.''
Indeed, Moeka had vaguely heard of Ruri's genius in magical engineering and runes, similar to Fumiko. Remembering the Beta's earlier words...
''...Are you the one they're sending to help with the suppressants?'' Moeka asked.
''Yes!'' Ruri clasped her hands, beaming, ''I happen to have a state-of-the-art lab in Helios. If you want to, we can use Warp to get there, and I can have a look at your imprint. So, could you please help us out...?''
''...''
Looking at Ruri's attitude, Moeka could somehow imagine how much she must have suffered in bed. As a fellow 'victim' of these vicious Alphas, Moeka naturally felt sympathetic. She did not intend to refuse in the first place.
''Well, that's fine with me...'' Moeka soon replied.
''Thank you!'' Ruri's azure eyes sparkled as she grasped the Omega's hands, ''Shall we arrange a session right away, then?!''
''H-Hold on, let me contact my girlfriend first...'' Moeka was taken aback slightly.
''Oh, that was unsightly of me. I apologize. "
Some distance was made.
As Moeka dialed Fumiko's number, Rose casually suggested, ''How about we gather everyone to hang out? Since we'll be working together, getting along well is important.''
''Oh, that sounds like a good idea,'' Ruri added.
''I'm in!'' Himeko interjected.
''H-Huh?''
Only Moeka was stunned at how nonchalant this development was. A gathering of magical girls... admittedly, it did not sound so bad.