Chapter 51: The Gateway
The military trio stared up at the massive hole in the ceiling in absolute, jaw-dropped shock.
Tom gripped the edge of the booth, his voice cracking. "Wha... what in the actual world??!"
Pink practically vibrated with pure, unfiltered rage, her eyes flashing a bright magenta. "Both of you stop holding me back so I can smash this delivery girl into the pavement!!" she shrieked.
Inside the shared headspace of Tony's mind, Tony and White were physically wrestling with her, throwing their weight into holding her back. "No!! Pink, stooop!!" they both yelled in unison.
Realizing Pink was too volatile, White forcefully took over the physical body.
In an instant, the semi-truck-sized mallet vanished into thin air, restoring a tense quiet to the ruined diner. White smoothed down her dress and looked down at the trembling delivery girl on the floor. "Thank you for your information. May I ask... how exactly does one find this Sparkle Syndicate?"
The winged girl just blinked up at White, completely starstruck and paralyzed with fear. "The... the... the phone..." she stammered, pointing a shaking finger at the device. "Just... press the button labeled 'mghub'... That's it..."
White looked down at the advanced G-Phone, crossing her arms. "That's it?"
The delivery girl gulped, nodding frantically. "If you don't believe me... try it..." She pushed herself up onto incredibly shaky legs, dusting off her uniform. "Just... make sure you are dressed in your normal, civilian form the first time you use it. When you transport, it forces you right back into your human body..."
White looked back down at the shimmering phone, a gentle, polite smile returning to her face. "Thank you."
The delivery girl blinked, completely caught off guard. "Wait... that's it!?! You're not going to... charge me a public composure fee for making a scene?!"
White tilted her head innocently. "I have absolutely no idea what that is. Should I ask them about it when we get there?"
"N-No! Not at all!!" the delivery girl squeaked in a panic.
Desperate to ensure her boss never found out about the near-death experience, she quickly reached into her pouch and pulled out a crisp, glowing bill. It featured the face of a fierce, regal-looking magical woman, proudly stamped with the value: 100 SP. She shoved it into White's hand.
White looked at the holographic paper, entirely confused. "Is this... money?"
The delivery girl nodded at lightning speed. "Just keep this little... incident between us, yeah?"
Without waiting for an answer, she bolted toward the exit. She didn't even bother opening the front door, considering the glass had already been entirely blown out of the frame anyway. She launched herself into the night air and flew away as fast as her tiny wings could carry her.
White walked back over to the broken table, the high-tech phone resting in her palm. She looked around at her friends and the soldiers. "Should I... press it?"
The entire group went dead still. Nobody said a single word for a long, heavy moment, the reality of the choice weighing on everyone.
Finally, Riley spoke up, her voice low, quiet, and steady. "If anyone out there actually has answers as to why we became magical girls in the first place... it would probably be these people."
Riley braced herself, fully expecting the rest of the traumatized squad to immediately reject the idea of jumping into another dimension.
But White just smiled warmly. "I think that is a wonderful idea! Maybe they can actually help us."
Deep within the shared sanctuary of their mind, however, Tony himself frowned, crossing his arms anxiously. "It's a great lead, but I have a really bad feeling about this..."
Pink huffed, crossing her arms in the mental chatroom and puffing out her cheeks. "Oh, don't worry, Cupcake! Whatever comes our way, I'll either smash it!! Or I'll hug it!!"
Tony stared at her, deadpan. "That is genuinely terrifying."
TO BE CONTINUED...
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
END OF BOOK 1! 🎉
Can Tony survive Pink's "hugs"? What actually happens when they press the button?! Find out in Book 2: Corporate Takeover! 💖💥
Huge thank you to everyone who has read, voted, and commented so far-you guys are amazing! Here is what's coming up next:
3-Week Intermission: We're taking a quick 3-week posting pause so I can prep the next batch of daily chapters for Corporate Takeover!
Webtoon News: The Magical Girls of War Webtoon adaptation is officially in the works! I'll be sharing updates and sneak peeks while we wait for Book 2!
Keep this story in your library so you get notified the second Chapter 52 drops! Drop your predictions for the Sparkle Syndicate in the comments, and I'll see you all in 3 weeks! 🚀✨