Case 64: Magical girl love triangle.
Early morning.
After a fulfilling eight-hour sleep, Moeka woke up and freshened herself as usual. Outside, the first rays of sunlight had just arrived, warm and fuzzy. She did not have class scheduled today, so there was no rush to prepare herself either. Somehow, Moeka felt quite at peace.
Holding that leisurely vibe, Moeka began stretching to relieve her stiff shoulders. Already with a delicate frame, the Omega often felt strains in those areas because of her large chest despite magical enhancements to her physique. Truthfully, Moeka herself was quite confused.
''Nhgn...''
Suddenly, the door burst open, and a somewhat exasperated Himeko walked in.
''Moeka!'' She called, holding up her phone, ''C-Check the comments. Netizens are going crazy!''
''Hm?''
Moeka tilted her head. In her memory, she did not post anything particularly controversial on her page. Rather, she did not post at all. If so, did Marigold's double selfie cause an uproar? Or perhaps it was a culmination of the picture and Himeko's previous build-up.
Then, sensing a tinge in her mind, Moeka opened her social media. Once again, countless notifications, friend requests, and private direct messages, though they were expected. Before long, noticing that her status update with Fumiko was already public, she instantly strung together what had happened.
The immensely popular Marigold had been openly expressing her crush online, which became a hot topic for a while. Then, when the heat had not yet calmed, the crush in question was finally revealed... alongside the fact that she was already dating someone else. No matter how one would look at the situation, this whole scene reeked of a love triangle.
In the world of worshipped magical girls, these gossips were the fattest cakes, both to drama consumers and those looking to profit from the topic's high traffic.
Moeka sat in bed with Himeko, scrolling through the endless logs of comments and posts netizens made overnight. After a while, certain classes of responses became clear.
Factions within the magical girl fandom began fighting with one another over speculation about Marigold's potential hopeless crush; added was a portion of concerned and enraged Marigold fans. Meanwhile, outsiders and drama-seeking netizens were fanning the flame with their signature tactics, aiming to blow this incident wide open. At this point, some news channels also began to pick up on the story.
''...''
Admittedly, Moeka had not been cautious when she requested the status change. She had not considered the overall picture and anticipated how the situation would develop, though she hardly cared about the netizens' responses anyway. It was the truth that she was dating Hibiscus, and she was never one to be ashamed of revealing it.
Himeko, however, appeared much more anxious.
The girl's career had been without major scandals, and she had little experience dealing with love-related dramas. She, too, was too proud of her love to keep it from her fans. And while she was fine with attracting attention, Himeko was more frustrated that Moeka was being implicated.
As they scrolled, malicious comments started emerging. Some haters condemned Marigold for pursuing a claimed woman; others began blaming Osbeckia, accusing the Omega of seducing her colleague. Everyone was fighting one another, and the scene was extremely chaotic. Moeka could only be relieved that Fumiko would definitely not be affected by these strays from online keyboard warriors, and that Himeko had not been hastily trying to clarify things, which would only make it worse.
Now, sensing Himeko's worries, Moeka patted her shoulders reassuringly, ''Don't worry. We can let HQ handle these. It's not that serious.''
''But... they're attacking your character! That's unfair!'' The junior said, ''How can you be so calm?''
Moeka calmly replied, ''Because reacting in any way would only cause more trouble—in our situation, that is.'' She shrugged. ''It's fine. These attacks don't affect me.''
Unconvinced, Himeko protested, ''...What if your future image is ruined because of this? Don't we need to at least say something?''
Seemingly losing interest, the Omega walked to her closet, picking an outfit for the day while she responded, ''Staying silent is the best way to deal with these dramas. People online forget things fast—they're just bored or stressed, after all. Trying to patch a flaming wound only makes it burn harder.''
'Besides, I have a feeling things would escalate further somehow.' Moeka omitted these words.
Finally, the young Alpha conceded, ''...Okay. I got it.'' She still pouted.
Moeka then turned around, ''Great. So... until when are you going to stay here? I need to change.''
''I know. That's why I'm not leaving.''
''...Are you serious? Do you have a fetish for watching people change?''
''I have one for you, maybe.''
''Pervert.''
''I know.''
''...''
''...''
The two stared at one another; neither side was willing to give in. Moeka was baffled at how brazen her previously innocent and good junior had become. Even now, Himeko's face was still straight, her smile sunny, as if she had done nothing wrong.
What monster did she end up raising...?
''Come on, we even slept together...'' The Alpha pleaded, ''I only want to get closer to you, Moeka. Pretty please...?''
''...''
Despite the girl's sweet pleas, Moeka noticed herself surrounded by dense, ravenous waves of pheromones, which slowly seeped in as she stood still. Clearly, Himeko was being adamant, and if she did not comply, the Alpha would not show mercy. In short, it was a veiled threat!
Not wanting to be ravished all day again, Moeka gritted her teeth and began changing her clothes, giving Himeko a good show. Fortunately, the girl managed to hold herself back, and the two began their daily life as usual.
Himeko, a clingy puppy, stuck to Moeka's side at virtually every moment, which the latter was now used to. The two, stuck together alone and peaceful, created a mood strangely suitable for conversation.
''...Himeko.'' Moeka called
''Yes?''
With a solemn expression, the Omega asked, ''See, after I slept at Rose's place, she and Ruri said they were interested in me.''
Surprisingly, Himeko appeared composed, almost unfazed. Receiving a nod of acknowledgement, Moeka continued, ''Do you think they would say the same after the suppressants are finished? I mean, a lot of this intimacy between them and me is because of rising lust associated with magical power...''
The junior thought for a moment before answering, her smile confident, ''I can't say for them, but my feelings would never change.'' She said, ''I love you, after all.''
''T-Thank you.'' Moeka, a little shy, replied.
Looking at such an adorable little Omega whose eyes were averted, blushing, Himeko finally could not hold it anymore and leaned in for a peck. It was short but sweet, enough to make their skinship just a bit warmer.
''But I also think they would not give up on you.'' Himeko added, ''If they're anything like me, they won't. As an Omega, Moeka is just... irresistible.''
''...I see.''
At this point, Moeka's cheeks were visibly flushed, while Himeko, having expressed her feelings, was also somewhat agitated. The two stared at one another, a strange tension rising.
Slowly, Himeko cornered Moeka with her body. Pheromones never lied, so neither was unaware of the other's intentions.
''Moeka...''
''Nhn...''
'So it has come to this again...' Moeka sighed inwardly, accepting Himeko's probing touches, 'Well... it's my job to relieve their lust in the end.'
The rest of Moeka's free day was dedicated to pleasing the insatiable Himeko. And while the two were drowned in one another's bodies, a piece of information was being wildly circulated online, adding to the pandemonium. It all started with one comment from a whistleblower:
[I work at City O's HQ. I was there in Magical Osbeckia's re-evaluation not long ago. She's an Omega.]