Case 49: Ophelia Frost.
Moeka had never thought there would be a day she witnessed a catfight—one over herself, no less. Though Fumiko and Himeko had quarreled before, the atmosphere back then was not as tense as now.
There Fumiko was, clearly snapped upon hearing Yurika's devious tease. Even upon entering the room, Moeka's girlfriend already had a weary, annoyed look on her face, which was plainly visible, and yet Yurika chose to provoke her. Considering the little devil's personality, one could not help but think it was intentional.
'That idiot... why is she doing this!?'
Moeka, who was trying very hard to comfort her partner, shot a glare at Yurika, which only made the girl more smug, ''You misunderstand my intention, Senior.'' She replied, ''Since Miss Kisaragi seemed to love the time she spent at my place, I thought I could get her opinion so I could do even better in the future. It's not like I won't ever need her help again, is it? Besides, asking her such questions while you are not present also sounds inappropriate, don't you think?''
''...''
Despite hearing the brazen yet vaguely sensible words uttered by the silver-haired demon, Fumiko remained silent. She was looking at the opponent with cold, dimming eyes. With her brows sharply furrowed, she was oozing intimidation. A mere glance, and Moeka quickly realized her girlfriend was half a step away from smacking that girl across the table!
The devil herself, for some reason, seemed prepared to take on the challenge. The fiery glint in her gaze, thinly veiled behind a facade of rationality, could not be mistaken.
'Seriously, what's wrong with these people...!'
Admittedly, the topic they were fighting over would warrant such intensity in normal cases, but even she thought smacking one another magically was going too far.
Moeka felt like resigning to the situation. At this point, it would only worsen if she decided to intervene. Thankfully, someone else did before tension escalated further.
''Well, well...'' Rose, who had a somewhat amused smile on her face, looked alternatively at both sides, ''If you two want to sort it out, I'll arrange a duel later. I'm going to assume you both are smart enough not to fight in public space, okay?''
''...''
''...''
Evidently, the ranked one magical girl's words carried authority, as the two Alphas eased their magic power and continued in silence. In the end, the awkward atmosphere that followed the confrontation lingered until the group dispersed, and Moeka still could not understand why Yurika decided to provoke Fumiko.
Yurika herself was almost surprised by her own impulsive behavior. Somehow... it was irritating, seeing Moeka treating Fumiko so intimately and tenderly, so much so that she had to ruin that moment. On the way home, she endlessly pondered those emotions.
'...Have I truly fallen for her, then?'
Yurika giggled. It was an adorable yet scheming giggle.
Meanwhile, Moeka stayed at the lab with Fumiko until dinner. Ruri was naturally with them, and so was Himeko. Moeka had wondered how Miss Casey intended to explain Aloe's presence, but it looked like the magical girl had already been informed beforehand.
Rose had been visiting HQ for some reports, so it was only Moeka and Himeko loitering at the lab, curiously poking around like cats. Thankfully, Fumiko did look quite relaxed compared to her usual self just by having her Omega around. Moeka was finally relieved.
At home, Moeka had to face another hurdle—her mother's omniscient-like perception. As soon as she entered the house and greeted Yuzuki, the pink-haired mom smiled contentedly, ''You're doing well, my daughter,'' She said, ''Now, come in and wash your hands. I'll have dinner ready.''
''...''
Looking at her mom, who had gleefully slipped into the kitchen, even humming while moving, Moeka worked hard to suppress a sigh. There was also Himeko, who had been clinging to her ever since they left the lab.
''What's wrong, Moeka?'' The blond girl tilted her head innocently as Moeka stared at her, ''Are you unwell?''
''...Nothing.''
Today was unexpectedly tedious for Moeka. Even with her magically enhanced stamina, dealing with mental fatigue was still difficult. So, she took things slow and slept peacefully into the next morning.
Waking up as the alarm clock rang, the Omega dragged herself into the bathroom before coming out quite refreshed.
''Mhgm...''
As Moeka stretched, her phone's notification sounded. Seeing it was Miss Casey, she took the call immediately.
[Come to HQ immediately. Someone wants to see you.]
''...Yes?''
Somehow, Miss Casey's tone sounded quite grim, which suggested it was a serious situation. Without hesitation, Moeka grabbed Himeko, who was still snoozing in her bed, and got ready for the trip.
Upon arriving at the high-rise building amidst the concrete jungle, one could instantly tell something was happening. Imposing agents in suits and sunglasses littered the area, some situated in their reinforced vehicles, while others simply stood near the entrance. Fortunately, the personnel all wore The Federation's badge, meaning they were not likely here to cause trouble.
''Huh? That's a lot of agents...'' Himeko muttered, still not completely sober.
''...Maybe someone important is here.'' Moeka said cautiously.
Squeezing in, Moeka was not surprised to see the usual employees at the building also intimidated by the agents. Nonetheless, she and Himeko headed for Miss Casey's office.
''Is it just my imagination, or is it getting colder...?'' Himeko rubbed her shoulders, then nonchalantly hugged the nearest, warmest thing—Moeka.
Moeka: ''...''
Though physically, the Omega also felt as if the temperature had dropped. The cold intensified as their elevator climbed, yet not to an unbearable degree. And finally, when they entered Miss Casey's room, everything became clear—both the reason Moeka was summoned and the mysterious cold.
Sitting across a somewhat timid Miss Casey was a woman clad in white, bearing an attire befitting a medieval European general, yet it suited her perfectly. Long, pristine white hair, frosty blue eyes, and an unbelievably sharp countenance.
The moment Moeka spotted that figure, her body shivered.
'Such dominant pheromones...'
The woman's presence vastly overwhelmed just about any ordinary Alpha, enough to cause even Himeko to frown. The faded magical signals transmitted from her, plus her mature appearance, suggested she was a former magical girl. And if she were here at this office, it would likely mean she was an executive of The Federation.
As the two sat down beside Miss Casey, the woman's freezing gaze swept by them.
''...''
For an unknown reason, she lingered on Moeka for a bit, as if intrigued.
Sensing the tension, Miss Casey spoke, ''Err... shall we begin with the introduction?''
Then, the woman finally parted her lips, ''Ophelia Frost, nice to meet you.'' She greeted calmly, ''Based on reports, I already have information about both of you.''
That was when Moeka belatedly remembered who this person was.
Ophelia Frost was a rather infamous name within The Federation. Formerly holding the name of Magical Lily, she was a legendary figure in the magical girl scene. Now, she worked as a high-ranking executive for The Federation, mainly handling investigative and execution tasks. In other words—sniff out and ruthlessly take care of criminals.
Since her track record was immensely extensive, she also had the equivalent amount of power. Ophelia mainly handled the inner areas of The Federation, rooting out corruption, though sometimes she would help with outside work. If Ophelia wanted, she could make an entire branch disappear in a day.
And such a person was currently sitting before Moeka, her intentions unclear. Inevitably, Moeka was nervous.
''Shall we get to the point?''