Case 67: What’s wrong with an Omega magical girl?
''Honestly... what's wrong with an Omega magical girl?''
Magical Osbeckia's words, said without a hint of agitation, greatly shook some of the audience. Although it had only been some time since the population was differentiated, stereotypes about each orientation had begun to take root in people's minds. Alphas were highly competitive and possessive; Betas were usually composed; Omegas were emotionally driven and sensitive, etc.
So, by provoking Osbeckia, a certified Omega, the reporter thought he could get a reaction or two out of her. He knew for a fact how viral a magical girl's crashout could become, especially when the person in question was such an outlier. The man had hoped the girl would lash out at him or at least crumble under the press's scrutiny. Once somebody opened the floodgates, others would naturally follow.
And yet, the magical girl firmly stood her ground while seemingly unfazed before the reporter's pointed question.
''While I do acknowledge that a magical girl like myself does face some challenges in combat, I believe I can still fulfill my duties.'' She said calmly, ''I understand your concerns, and I will make sure to dispel them through my future performance. As a public servant, I will not let this minor setback affect my assignment.''
Professional.
Magical Osbeckia's perfect answer left no gap for anyone to poke at. Even the man who initiated the subject was speechless as his turn ended. Afterward, a few tried to take shots at the magical girl, though no one succeeded.
As the press conference resumed, other topics eventually emerged, one of which was, naturally, Osbeckia's mysterious yet endlessly enticing love life.
''We have been aware that Magical Marigold, ranked third nationally, has been staying at City O. She also frequently posts about you on her social media.'' One reporter said, ''Miss Osbeckia, may I ask what your relationship is with her?''
''She is my colleague and junior,'' Osbeckia replied, ''We get along, yes.''
''Many netizens say you two are quite intimate. Do you have anything to say about this?''
''No comment.''
Although the girl remained composed, her refusal to elaborate meant there was something more to this potential scandal. Realizing the immense prospects for gossip, the next person immediately followed up, ''Miss Osbeckia, is it true that you are dating Magical Hibiscus?''
''Yes.'' The magical girl nodded, ''Are there any problems?''
''...Not at all, miss.'' The reporter cleared her throat, ''But such a relationship between two magical girls is often rare. I'm sure everyone would like to learn more about yours. What do you think?''
Indeed, love between two magical girls was already scarce enough, and now that virtually everyone was either an Alpha or an Alpha, a romantic bond became even harder to form. Many couples were forced to separate because of their incompatible orientations, while only a handful could sustain themselves. In such an environment, an Alpha and Omega couple like Osbeckia and Hibiscus was rather enviable... and certainly a newsworthy anomaly.
And yet, Osbeckia could only sigh, ''It was my fault that I hastily made our relationship public. I will only say that the two of us have been close friends for many years, and through several... occurrences recently, we decided to take it further. Please do understand my wish for our private relationship to stay private. Likewise, I believe no one has the obligation to share their personal life with anybody.''
''...Thank you, Miss Osbeckia.''
''No problem.''
In the end, the press conference concluded after an hour of continuous questioning and interviews. By the time Moeka clocked out and returned home, it was already dinner time. A refreshing shower later, she flopped down on her bed, sighing deeply as if releasing the tension in her body.
Truthfully, it was quite stressful facing a large crowd of people wanting to pry into her cover. Still, Miss Casey's preparations proved to be flawless, as Moeka did not slip once during the conference. Or at least she thought so.
''...''
Staring blankly at the ceiling, Moeka inevitably became curious about how the conference was received. Despite her weary mood, she hopped online for an answer.
To start, mainstream news networks.
Across the world, regardless of politics, almost no organization had agendas against magical girls. So, predictably, most articles about the event merely organized speeches and points made. At most, the writers would only add their generic comments on top. After all, nothing particularly controversial was said.
More than the conference itself, the fact that a real, capable Omega magical girl existed made waves within the scene. Countless domestic networks immediately began reporting on this fact, and after digging deeper, foreign channels had already begun to pick up on it.
After skimming through fifteen similar articles in various languages, Moeka moved on to the real battleground—social media.
The moment the press conference ended, The Federation's official pages cross-posted a short introduction to Magical Osbeckia, completed with footage of her on duty. Notably, they all mentioned Osbeckia's orientation: an Omega. Since the official pages had hundreds of millions of followers, the posts naturally garnered an unreal amount of interactions.
'They really went all out, huh...' Moeka gulped dryly.
Not many magical girls had the privilege of getting an introduction like this. Though seeing her face plastered online, on perhaps the most central place of modern culture, was somewhat unnerving.
The ripple effects of these posts were immediately apparent. Thanks to their reach, Magical Osbeckia had virtually become the number one trending name nationally. Fervent discussions and speculations reigned in the comment sections, fueling further traffic. Everywhere Moeka went, she would inevitably encounter a mention or two about Osbeckia.
Along with the introduction posts were cuts of the press conference, now on their way to virality. One defining moment was when Osbeckia countered the reporter who doubted her capabilities.
''What's wrong with an Omega magical girl?''
To many, it was stubbornness. To others, courage.
People remained skeptical of Osbeckia, though a portion of the public was supportive. Especially, the push was overwhelming within the Omega communities. They, who lacked representation compared to the other two orientations, finally found someone to lean on, it seemed.
Then came a section of love-brain netizens who could not care enough about anything but CP-ing. For some reason, they had already conjured up a whole storyline about Osbeckia's love triangle. Still, Moeka would rather see those since they were entertaining.
Nonetheless, Moeka was intending to have her first post tonight, but all of this attention made her a little reluctant to proceed. In short, she did not want to expose herself to haters and trolls. In the first place, she had no obligation to post anyway.
So... Moeka decided to just sleep.
Yet, before she could throw her phone aside, a call abruptly interrupted. The caller? None other than Magical Lily herself. After a moment of hesitation, Moeka answered it, ''Hello?''
[Hi, Miss Kisaragi. Good job with the press conference.]
''...Thank you.''
[Mhm. And doesn't it seem like everyone is talking about you now?]
''What about it...?''
A chuckle could be heard on the other side.
[Silly. I'm telling you—now is the best time to capitalize on the attention! This is your prime chance to gain followers!]
Moeka was taken aback, ''Is this why you are calling me?''
[What else? Change this to a video call. I'll teach you how to set up a livestream.]