Magic Girl Comic Book Festival.

Bira, who had been flung 3 kilometers away, managed to return to the event site in just 30 seconds, but Eight had already disappeared without a trace.

‘Darn it— has it been too long since I’ve done this? Did I lose my touch?’

In the first place, coming to a place like this was a mistake. First of all, there were too many people, and avoiding contact was impossible. The most important part of security is preventing others from getting too close. If that’s unachievable, then you shouldn’t have come to such a place to begin with.

Once inside, it was even worse… but what could be done? What had happened was done. Instead of regretting it, I had to fix the situation first. Taking a deep breath, Bira shouted.

“—Aileeeee!”

Her voice echoed throughout the hall. With that sudden shout, people in the vicinity turned their attention to her. The otaku, realizing her limbs were a different skin tone, promptly glanced away.

Not long after she shouted, Aile began to waddle over from afar, looking quite clumsy in her heels. Bira spotted her and dashed toward her.

“Hey, sis? Why so sudden…?”

“Eight’s been kidnapped. The perpetrator has teleportation abilities!”

“Uh, wait, what?”

In an instant, Aile stared at Bira, as if she couldn’t comprehend what was happening, but then scrambled to grasp the situation. Her reaction was one of typical amateurishness, showcasing naivety.

Seeing this, Bira, who regarded herself as somewhat of a pro, immediately issued orders.

“W-what should we do!?”

“First, you return to HQ. Be ready to jump out at any moment. Let Galm or Levitan know about this too. I’ll contact them, but you never know.”

“Y-yes! Right away!”

“…I’ll contact the boss for now. Go!”

After sending Aile back to HQ, Bira gulped nervously and pulled out her phone. While she knew she had to inform the boss about this, a feeling of reluctance surged within her.

It hadn’t even been a week since the boss had entrusted her with the scientists, and already she had failed in her protective duties? If a pro was in such a situation, they would instantly be dismissed and never get hired in this industry again without explanation—it was a massive blunder.

Gulping again, Bira cautiously dialed the boss’s number. After a few rings, the boss picked up.

[Bira. What’s going on?]

“The Young Lady. The scientist has been kidnapped.”

[…What?]

“I’m truly sorry. I’ll accept any punishment.”

[Can you find them?]

“—Absolutely. I’ll take full responsibility to locate them.”

[Make sure you both return to my office together.]

Having heard the boss’s consideration, Bira thanked her and ended the call. Now, she needed to find out who had kidnapped Eight and what their purpose was.

Fortunately, CCTV cameras were plentiful at the venue, so tracking down the perpetrator’s face shouldn’t be too difficult…

‘How dare they touch our evil organization.’

Whoever had the nerve to do this— they wouldn’t escape peacefully.

They were about to learn what it meant to mess with an evil organization.

*

What a disgrace.

Was this what it felt like for a pro boxer to get knocked out by a high school student?

Getting kidnapped as an organization member, especially as an executive, was incredibly humiliating. It became even more shameful when I looked around and saw that the ones who kidnapped me weren’t exactly professionals.

“Hey, check out this guy’s contacts. There are only two!”

“What? Let me see… Wow— only the boss and someone named Aile?”

“So this Aile is the girlfriend who was crossing her arms earlier?”

Their casual banter in front of the kidnapped victim and their lack of effort to disguise their own faces only reinforced how amateurish they were.

You could see they had just winged it instead of being thorough in their line of work.

“…Can I ask something?”

“Wow, this guy’s gutsy! Asking questions while being kidnapped.”

“Why me, of all people?”

I asked as I surveyed my captors. The boss’s information control was impeccable. There were members of the organization who didn’t even know I was the scientist.

So, they couldn’t have kidnapped me for my knowledge; that much was clear. If so, then why did they choose me?

The answer came quick.

“—You stood out.”

“…Huh?”

“You got out of a fancy car? And you were with a girl in a place like this… We thought you might have some twisted hobby where you feel superior to otaku or something.”

“No, what on earth…”

“We’re going to be villains.”

One of the kidnappers pointed to himself and spoke confidently.

“We’re doing bad things to get into a famous villain organization. And if we can grab some extra cash while we’re at it, that’s a bonus.”

“…Ha, ha ha. Are you serious? That’s your reason for committing crimes?”

“People like us give heroes work too! So hey, you looked rich, so throw some charity our way?”

He said this while handing me his phone. Meanwhile, I wondered how he thought I wouldn’t immediately contact the police or a hero… He didn’t seem like the kind to be dumb, but he certainly had enough confidence in his abilities.

Well, after all, he was the type whose power allowed him to take me away before Bira could even react. It was probably that teleportation ability, Time Rack-Zero…

I didn’t know what other abilities the others possessed, but the fact that they’d gone so far as to become villains showed they were definitely lower quality. Plus, the teleporting kid had some usable skills. Resistances would be a bad move.

“…Can I make a call?”

“Go ahead. Oh, on speaker.”

“Okay—.”

Hearing the boss’s voice, I worried that they might think this was a joke, but whatever was better than doing nothing. I called the boss, and soon enough, she picked up.

[What—.]

“Boss. I’m currently in front of my kidnappers.”

[…Is that so. What do they want?]

I shrugged to the kidnappers and held the phone out. The kidnapper burst into a chuckle and started chatting with the boss.

“We need some cash. Can you give us some?”

[How much?]

“The more the better… around a hundred thousand dollars, please?”

[Give me your account number.]

“City Bank 7ET…”

The kidnapper, seeing how easily the boss agreed to give the money, looked perplexed and hesitantly started giving the account number. Not long after that—

He confirmed the incoming money on his phone and flashed a devious smile.

Having the money transferred just like that was the worst-case scenario. This is one of the prime examples discussed in criminal psychology. Sure enough, the kidnapper began to backtrack.

“Oh— what do I do? Now that I think of it, it seems a bit insufficient.”

[Insufficient? Well, let’s fix that.]

“Wait, what?”

And the sound of another deposit followed.

The kidnapper’s face hardened as he checked his phone. Just how much was transferred…?

“Er, um—.”

[Why? Is that not enough? Do you need more?]

BEEP!

The kidnapper’s face went completely stiff.

After chewing his lips a few times, he glanced at me, and with an expression of dawning realization, he exclaimed.

“Ah— I get it! This is cyber money or something, right!? Fake money made to dupe villains! I won’t fall for it! Bring actual cash!”

[Where do I send it?]

“…To G City’s subway locker. The closest locker to exit 10, locker number 5.”

[Wait ten minutes.]

A little while later, hearing that they had prepared the cash, the kidnapper vanished in the blink of an eye. Moments later, he returned holding a bag filled with cash.

The kidnapper, now looking a bit shaken, glanced between the bag and me before carefully opening his mouth.

“So, uh, what do you do for a living?”

“Just a regular guy.”

The kidnapper glared at me as if he couldn’t believe that response, then left the room, taking his cronies with him. I stared at them as they left, then subtly turned my attention elsewhere.

‘—Leaving your phone behind?’

As I quietly grabbed the phone, I immediately began making modifications. It was a good thing I had upgraded it for situations like this. Finally, my preparation was paying off.

*

The kidnapper, who had just exited the room with his comrades, began gnawing his finger in fear. His buddies looked at him quizzically.

“Hey— what’s wrong?”

“Damn, damn… I think we’re screwed…”

“What? Why are you saying that?”

The kidnapper cautiously presented the bag he’d brought. It was so much money, it was hard to tell how much there was.

An amount they likely had never even dreamed of earning in their lives.

Bank robberies, kidnappings, terrorizing— they could never get their hands on this kind of cash. Faced with the glaring reality in front of them, these novices who had only just resolved to become villains began trembling in fear.

“Wait, no— is this for real…?”

“It is… I had the same amount transferred to my account too…?”

“Wait, that’s double…?”

This money wasn’t an amount they’d expect to extract from a single person; it seemed more in line with what a major corporation or national organization would handle. Realizing they had bitten off more than they could chew, the kidnappers began to shake.

If they could easily throw an amount like that around, it was likely that a legion of heroes could be sent to apprehend or eliminate them.

Or, heck, heroes might have already surrounded this area.

“Shouldn’t we let him go…?”

“No, let’s just leave him here and bounce.”

“Yeah! With this money, we’d be set for life!”

“Sorry, but I’d like you to leave that money behind.”

The kidnappers jumped with surprise at the sudden voice. Standing there was Eight, the very scientist they had kidnapped.

Seeing her, the kidnappers sighed a breath of relief but cautiously began to speak.

“…Sir. We’ll let you live, so just stay here. You’re not even an ability user.”

“Hmm? Did I ever say I was an incompetent person?”

“She can tell! She knows if you’re an ability user or not. That’s why she was taken. If you have abilities, we’re not sure what kind you possess either.”

“Aha— I see now.”

Now understanding what abilities the last accomplice might have, Eight grinned and raised her phone. Then she pressed a button.

Moments later, a terrible noise erupted from her phone. The kidnappers, frowning at the beeping, were perplexed.

“What the…?”

“Don’t use any powers now, or your bodies will explode.”

“What do you—.”

“Want to find out? Give it a shot.”

At Eight’s words, the kidnapper chuckled and activated his teleportation ability. He intended to snatch the phone from this cocky hostage and silence that irritating sound.

However, the moment he attempted to teleport, he felt a severe pounding in his head and began to vomit.

“Barffffff—!”

“Didn’t I say not to do that?”

Eight watched the kidnapper lay on the floor and retch, a light smile forming on her face. I wanted to explain it to these dense little criminals in simple terms. She needed to stall for time until her comrades arrived.

“It’s based on the Quantum Space Folding Phenomenon introduced by Professor Emilia… To put it simply— anyone who uses their powers from now on will die.”

Of course, that was a bluff.

But the amateurs before her didn’t seem to have the capacity to distinguish fancy words from mere pretenses.

Eight smiled as she shook the phone, producing the blaring noise mixed with the kidnappers’ retching cries. Enough time passed, and her allies would be arriving soon enough to locate the tracking signal hidden in the cash flow.

“─Scientist!”

Boom—!

The top of the building exploded completely, revealing the evil magical girl.

As debris flew towards her, Eight looked up at Aile, unconscious.

‘Friendly fire…’

Now and then, the most dangerous thing on the battlefield is your own ally.

If that ally had the potential to demolish a building with a single blow, it was even worse…

Moments later, as Aile descended, she raged upon seeing the scientist in such a state.

“Y-you made the Scientist like this…!?”

“Ah, n-no! It was you just moments ago that—.”

“I won’t forgive you—!”

Aile’s fury was aimed at the kidnappers.