Chapter 49: The Corporate Welcome
Pink looked up lazily at Miss Marcy, her face buried against Alice. "Can you open it...? I am currently in heaven at the moment."
Alice, who was dutifully holding her to numb the pain, raised an eyebrow down at the pink-haired girl. "Wait, why?"
Pink chose not to answer, simply melting further into the hug.
Miss Marcy sighed, her thumb catching the edge of the holographic tape as she cleanly broke the seal and opened the package. Inside sat a sleek, hyper-advanced device resting in velvet packaging. The box was boldly stamped with branding: Next-Gen Magical Girl G-Phone.
Miss Marcy stared at the device, squinting at the ridiculous branding. "Magical G-Phone? Really!?"
Outside the booth, the delivery girl's pencil-sized wings began fluttering furiously. She stared at the box, her expression twisting into an explosion of pure, unadulterated jealousy. "No way!! They just gave you the new G-Phone?! An extremely expensive, top-tier model?!" She threw her hands up in the air. "I can't even afford that with a year's worth of wages!!! This is completely ridiculous to just hand over to a bunch of newbies!!!"
Her tiny wings flapped at a frantic, angry speed, and she looked like she was about to turn on her heel and storm out of the diner out of sheer spite.
Before she could leave, Miss Marcy pressed the power button. The screen flashed with brilliant, blinding pastel colors, and an automatic message immediately began to play in a perfectly tuned, unnaturally cheerful AI voice.
"Welcome, Team 7-A! Your squad has been officially selected to become a part of The Sparkle Syndicate's Elite Member Program!"
The AI voice pulsed with energetic, corporate enthusiasm.
"We offer exclusive, members-only deals on localized meals, premium lodging, and seamless interdimensional travel! Enjoy free magical weapon upgrades, complimentary tactical consultations, and comprehensive life insurance for your entire squad-just in case you find yourself returning with one less teammate from your latest mission! We maintain a massive standby roster of highly trained, professional magical girls ready to instantly deploy and fill any unexpected vacancies on your team!"
The bubbly, robotic message chimed to a close, leaving a heavy, awkward silence over the diner booth.
Pink slowly lifted her head from Alice's shoulder, her smug demeanor completely vanishing. Her expression turned deadpan as she looked at the screen.
"Why," Pink said, her voice dropping all its usual cheer, "does it sound like they see magical girls as disposable commodities rather than actual human beings?"