Episode 5 : Occurrens Puellis Magicis (Part 2)

"Miss Rin, it's good to see you in my office."

The voice belonged to a woman in her early forties. She was beautiful, with soft curves that gave her an elegant presence. Her jet-black hair was styled in a sharp, distinctive cut, with strands framing her face in a way that highlighted her striking features. It had a sleek, almost otherworldly look, as if it belonged to someone mysterious and powerful. She wore a deep purple suit that fit her perfectly, exuding both confidence and authority. On her left index finger, a gleaming emerald ring caught the light, adding a touch of sophistication to her appearance.

Leaning back in her chair, she gripped the armrest tightly with her right hand. "I'm pretty sure you must be wondering what kind of urgent matter has brought you here, right?"

Her fingers on her left hand tapped lightly against the surface of an expensive glass table. On it sat a framed picture of a beautiful woman. The woman in the photo had a youthful appearance, striking white hair, and an elegant hairstyle. Her hair was styled neatly, with soft, flowing layers that framed her face, giving her a graceful and refined look—almost as if she had just stepped out of a grand event.

"To be called so suddenly with no prior notice… and without having any idea why you have been summoned."

"It's sort of like that. To be honest, I'm a little scared," Rin admitted, allowing a slight tremor in her voice to make it sound natural. "After all, students don't usually get called to the principal's office unless it's for a reward—which I don't deserve—or a punishment, and I've done nothing that warrants that either."

As she spoke, the pen in her hand slipped from her fingers and fell to the floor. She quickly bent down to pick it up.

The principal's lips curled into a wide smile. "You're quite interesting… Anyway, let's get to the main point." She placed her left hand on the armrest while resting her right on the table.

I couldn't agree more, Rin thought to herself. Let's continue with the act.

The principal cleared her throat, then took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. As she adjusted the emerald ring on her left index finger, she asked, "Miss Rin, do you believe in magical girls?"

"Huh? Magical girls?" Rin's face twisted in confusion, her tone perfectly matching her expression. I hope I'm doing everything right, she thought to herself.

"Yes, Miss Rin. Do you believe in them?" the principal repeated, her gaze steady and unwavering.

Rin paused for a moment, as if carefully choosing her words. "No, I don't," she finally answered. "And why would I—no, I mean, why would anyone believe in something that only exists in children's cartoons… or anime?"

"I know how absurd it sounds," the principal said, glancing at Tsumi, who stood silently beside her. Catching the look, Tsumi gave a small nod before slowly bringing her hands together, cupping them gently. Within seconds, a glowing ball of concentrated magical energy flickered to life between her palms, radiating a soft, pale light.

"But believe me, it's very much real—a universal truth, if I have to say."

"How is she doing that?!" Rin exclaimed, putting on a shocked expression, her eyes widening in disbelief.

"Nothing much," the principal said casually. "She's just manipulating her own mana to create an energy ball with the destructive force of a thermonuclear bomb—though with a slightly reduced area of effect."

Rin stiffened. "A thermonuclear bomb…?"

The principal nodded. "Any magical girl with a power level of 7 or higher can do it."

"Power level 7?" Rin repeated, as if trying to process the information.

"Yes, power levels," the principal explained. "A magical girl's strength is measured this way. Those with higher power levels can withstand most attacks that lower-powered individuals can throw at them. Though magical girls naturally have high resistance to various threats due to their very nature, having a higher power level makes one nearly immune to most forms of damage."

Rin remained silent, but she already knew this information.

Ezakiel had explained it to her before—unlike monsters, whose strength was categorized in tiers, magical girls were measured using a power level system. An average human could reach a power level of 3 at most. The weakest magical girls started at power level of 5, which was already strong enough to destroy a building with ease.

And according to Ezakiel, the strongest magical girl at Summer Fall High was none other than the principal herself, with a staggering power level of 150—more than enough to blow up the moon with a single full-power attack.

Then she asked, "Nature of a magical girl?"

"A magical girl is a special kind of person—a girl blessed with the power to defend humanity from the threat of monsters..." the principal explained. She glanced at Tsumi, who calmly dematerialized the glowing energy ball. "Monsters that seek to erase the very existence of humanity from this world."

"And why do they want to do that?" Rin asked.

The principal's expression remained composed as she continued, "The world we live in is very much alive… and it despises humanity. It sees human progress as nothing more than a disease, and to it, humans are parasites, leeching off its existence. Monsters? They're simply the world's way of cleansing itself—pest control, if you will."

"The world is alive and hates us?" Rin repeated, her voice laced with disbelief.

"It does. And very passionately," the principal replied. "It even prefers to call itself Gaia—Mother Earth. A conceptual being that claims to have given birth to all living things on this planet." She leaned back slightly. "Well, I suppose that's enough of a crash course for today… Anyway, you can drop the act now," she added flatly. "Your acting skills suck, you know."

"Huh? What do you mean by that?" Rin asked, feigning confusion.

The principal's gaze didn't waver. "I know you know what I mean." She then glanced at the clock on the wall. "We've wasted enough time."

Well, here it comes… Rin thought, bracing herself.

-------Flashback Start--------

"Now listen carefully, Rin. There's a very real possibility that Rukiya will see through your act," Ezakiel said as he stood up, walking toward the window. His gaze fixed on the moon, his expression unreadable. "She has the ability to detect falsehoods if she even suspects that you're hiding something."

"Then wouldn't she find out about you through Rin?" her sister asked, watching him closely.

Ezakiel turned around, leaning his back against the window frame.

"Yeah… wouldn't that mean you'd be in danger of being hunted down?" she added, her voice slightly tense.

"True, very true," Ezakiel admitted. "However, there is a way to deal with that."

"A way?" Rin repeated as he walked back to his chair and sat down, gripping the armrest tightly with his left hand.

"Yes," he said, a small smile forming on his lips. "Rukiya can only detect falsehood if you know what you're saying is a lie. But what if the falsehood you spoke was actually true?"

"Wait… how can you turn lies into truth?" Rin asked, her confusion mirrored by her sister, who wore the same puzzled expression.

"It's all about perception, Rin," Ezakiel said smoothly. "Truth and lies are just a matter of how they're perceived. And there's a special weapon that allows you to manipulate that perception."

"A special weapon?" Rin echoed.

"Yes," he confirmed. "And this weapon has a name…" His gaze locked onto hers. "And only you can use it correctly against her."

Rin swallowed. "So what is it? How do I use it?"

Ezakiel's smile widened slightly. "Well then… here's the plan."

--------Flashback End--------

"I guess you are correct," Rin said with a sigh. "This was a waste of time. To tell the truth, I know everything—from magical girls to all the other stuff you mentioned, and even more."

Let's hope Ezakiel's plan works.

The principal's gaze sharpened with interest. "And how did you acquire this knowledge?"

"A friend of mine told me," Rin replied smoothly.

"Oh? And this friend—they happen to be a magical girl?" the principal asked, her tone curious yet probing.

"No, he's not," Rin said. "He's just… what's the phrase he uses? A normal guy who's unfortunately stuck in some weird and dangerous situations he happens to know a lot about."

The principal tapped her fingers against the glass table. "And what's his name?"

"Well, he goes by many names and aliases," Rin said, pausing for effect before finally answering, "but I'll give you his real one—Alexia Edra Veidro."

"And how did this Alexia guy know about all this?" the principal pressed, her gaze steady.

"He said he just knew about them," Rin replied, keeping her tone neutral. "He never went into detail—just gave me knowledge about you all."

The principal paused, deep in thought, before asking, "And where is this guy? I'd like to meet him personally."

"I don't know," Rin said with a shrug. "I met him last night, and he said he was going far away without telling me where—for his own safety."

"For his own safety?" The principal narrowed her eyes. "What does he mean by that?"

"He said magical girls erase the memories of people. Well, if you're lucky, of course." Rin's voice grew sharper. "Otherwise, you end up as a lab rat. According to him, most magical girls are broken—how did he put it?—not right in the head."

"Huh?" The principal frowned. "Memory erasure is just standard protocol. But what does he mean by broken and not right in the head?"

"Please, don't act like you don't know," Rin said coldly. "He told me everything he knew about magical girls. For example—Tsumi."

"Me?" Tsumi, who had been silent until now, finally spoke.

"Yes," Rin continued. "He knows all about you—like how you're practically emotionless. How you killed your own pet hamster with your bare hands just because it was getting too close to other people, and you couldn't handle it. Same goes for others—Mari, Yonoshita, and many more."

Rin stood up, her chair scraping against the floor. "And I also know that all of you knew about the torment Yayoi was putting me through. Yet you did nothing." She scoffed. "Frankly, I'm disgusted. I would rather work as an independent magical girl, but unfortunately, I'd be at a severe disadvantage without a way to call for backup in case I get ambushed by multiple strong monsters."

She walked toward the door, grasping the handle. Just before leaving, she turned back one last time, meeting the principal's gaze.

"Everything I've said is the truth, and you know it. Call me if you have a real reason to. Otherwise, let's just not see each other much."

And with that, she left.

"This girl… she knows way too much," Tsumi said.

"Yes," the principal murmured, her fingers tapping against the desk. "But what concerns me more—what threatens me—is that guy, Alexia." Her eyes narrowed. "Just who is he?"

"I was wondering the same thing," Tsumi admitted. "How does he know my life story?"

The principal leaned back, exhaling. "And did you notice? She said Yayoi was tormenting her. Was." Her voice turned thoughtful. "It seems she's managed to get rid of her—likely killed her—using her newly awakened powers."

"So what are you going to do?" Tsumi asked.

"Nothing." The principal's tone darkened. "And neither shall you or anyone else." She tapped a finger against the armrest. "We're already severely understaffed compared to other branches. With the recent increase in monster attacks, and now these two anomalous threats—especially that Exsecrati Mortui—we need every magical girl we can get." Her gaze sharpened. "Do you understand?"

"Yes, I do," Tsumi replied plainly.

"Good. And make sure the others understand as well." The principal's voice left no room for argument.