Hagakure Sakura Does Not Lament

Chapter 103

At the Government

Translated by LyraDhani

Edited by LyraDhani

When Suzushiro, who was off duty that day, went to the government for combat training, she noticed a strangely tense atmosphere.

“Hey, hey, what’s going on? Could it be another Irregularity?”

When Suzushiro, who thought it was strange, asked this question to a staff member she knew, the staff member hesitated for a moment and then began to speak in a low voice, as if she was telling a secret.

“I can’t say this too loudly, but I’m actually dealing with a kidnapping case right now. –One of the victims seems to be an active Magical Girl. Actually, the police were supposed to handle the case first, but they immediately switched it to a government case because of the danger involved. Thanks to that, we’ve been very busy.”

“A Magical Girl is kidnapped? Eh, kidnapping means the person is a human being, right?”

Suzushiro said this in surprise. An ordinary Magical Girl should have a physical capacity that easily surpassed that of an adult male. In addition to this, she also had the ability to use her skills, so it was hard to believe that she would fall behind an ordinary human opponent.

The staff member shook her head with a wry smile at Suzushiro.

“The Magical Girl is not a regular staff member, but a child of the Transportation Management Department. She didn’t have much experience as a Magical Girl in combat, so it’s possible that she couldn’t cope with the sudden turn of events. Well, the Emergency Response Headquarters is also working, so as soon as the Magical Girls make their move, it will be resolved.”

“I see, but I’m a little worried.”

The staff’s words made Suzushiro let out an anxious sigh.

Originally, Magical Girls in Transportation Management Department might engage in a certain amount of combat to strengthen their abilities, but they didn’t fight Demonic Beasts any more than necessary. And among them, the fact that she was said to be even less experienced in battle meant that she had not been in the program for that long. Suzushiro could only say that it was bad luck.

Thinking about it, Suzushiro felt like catching onto something.

Belonging to the Transfer Management Department. A newcomer and had little combat experience. –She knew such a person, right?

“Um, could it be that the girl who’s been kidnapped is Nanase Chidori?”

When Suzushiro asked timidly, the staff member’s mouth dropped open and she looked surprised.

“Oh, you know her well. Do you know her by any chance?”

“Yes, I do. –Hey, I’d like to ask you something.”

Suzushiro smiled mischievously, took a step closer to the staff member, and said in a low voice.

“Where is this Emergency Response Headquarters?”

◆　◆　◆

After finding out the location of the Headquarters from the reluctant staff, Suzushiro headed for the meeting room she had been told to go to.

When entering the meeting room, the staff member standing in front of the door refused to let her in, saying, “Outsiders are not allowed”–She insisted that she knew her from the incident at the Amusement Park, and further pushed with Jukka’s power, and managed to gain entry.

…The staff inside looked at her with troubled eyes, but they didn’t scold her that much because of her usual good behavior. It might be that they simply didn’t have the time to bother with Suzushiro.

While Suzushiro was being shown the documents, the staff of Headquarters were busily making contact with various departments.

“How is the search for the kidnappers going?”

“We are having Magical Girls with special skills search for them, but there seem to be some difficulties. …As mentioned in the report, foreign sorcerers must be obstructing the search. We have requested that no ships or other vessels in the vicinity sail out, just in case, but if we wait too long, there is a good chance that they will escape. I wonder why they allowed them to enter the country at all. The Immigration Bureau needs to do a better job…”

“Oh well. Let’s put that on the agenda for later. –Have you been able to contact a Magical Girl who is strong with magic?”

“Yes. I’ve sent images of the spell to the Ministry of Divine Worship and asked them to select an effective Magical Girl. There is a certain affinity for such things, you know. It is better to leave it to the experts rather than us.”

“Yes, I agree. …And apart from the child for anti-magic. It might be better to bring a child with abilities suited for suppression. Some of them are hesitant to attack humans, so we have to choose them carefully.”

While talking about such things, the staff members were moving around as if desperate.

-According to the documents, the incident was discovered about an hour ago. The two victims were a junior high school student with Magical Girl aptitude and a current Magical Girl – Nanase Chidori. Two smashed cell phones and a jacket with blood on it were found at the movie theater where the incident took place.

Before the police received a request, the victim’s younger brother contacted Inaba of the Demonic Beast Countermeasure Headquarters, and it was discovered that a Magical Girl had been kidnapped, and this kidnapping case was suddenly switched to a government case.

Most likely, this “victim’s younger brother” was Suzushiro’s friend, Nanase Tsugumi. He had met Inaba at the hospital at that time. It would not be surprising if he had been given contact information.

…Although she couldn’t help but wonder for a moment why he didn’t turn to her first, it was by no means a mistake to contact Inaba. As she held a relatively high position in the government, it would have been easy for her to take away the right to investigate from the police and set up a task force in this way.

The people involved with the victims were still waiting in that movie theater, but they might be brought to the government soon.

…I’m sure that Tsugumi must be quite exhausted from his sister’s kidnapping. Thinking of this, she suddenly felt a sharp pain deep in her chest.

“If you don’t mind, I’ll be on my way to suppress the kidnappers. The kidnappers will be no match for me, no matter how skilled they are, right? I think that’s a pretty good idea.”

When Suzushiro said this in a light tone, the man who seemed to have the highest position among the staff opened his mouth thoughtfully.

“…That offer is certainly tempting. As a Jukka, you are obligated to respond immediately in the event of an A-class or Irregularity. It would make sense to ask for permission from the Demonic Beast Countermeasure Headquarters first. I could have spared you the trouble if you’ve just come in here, but I’m most concerned about you getting involved in something that you’ve decided to do on your own.”

“Well, that’s true, but I was originally off duty today…”

“At least, our authority does not allow us to move Jukka without permission from the top. I’m not saying this is to be mean. It’s an organizational issue.”

Suzushiro flinched at the man’s calmly persuading words. She had come this far because she was worried about her acquaintance Chidori and wanted to help in any way she could, but she didn’t have such deep thoughts in mind.

“Then, I just need to get permission?”

“Yeah. As long as you can get permission from the office and get permission to go out, we won’t complain either. …I’m sorry. But the kidnapping case is too light to move a valuable asset like Jukka. That’s how special Jukka is to the world.”

At the man’s words, Suzushiro bit her lip and shushed him. –It was frustrating that the kidnapping of an acquaintance was told to be too light. More than that–she was angry at herself for not thinking it through.

–I thought I knew my worth. The brand Jukka and the obligations that come with it. She had never thought it would be so suffocating. The pressure was especially heavy these days.

…Surely, up until now, such chores were mainly taken care of by Hitsugi. She had arranged the space so that the other members could move freely, and made various adjustments by discussing with the top management.

It was often said that you learn to value something when it is gone, but the absence of Hitsugi was definitely a great loss for Jukka.

Suzushiro shook her head to shake these thoughts out of her head, let out a big breath, turned straight to the man, and said.

“I understand. …I’m going to the Demonic Beast Countermeasure Headquarters now.”

Suzushiro told the staff and was about to leave the conference room when the door opened by itself before she could put her hand on it. The light coming in from the corridor blinded her.

“That won’t be necessary. –If you want permission to move that child, I took it with me.”

The woman with the light on her back announced in a clear voice. She entered the conference room, her heels clacking, and she said softly, smiling beautifully, as she always did.

“I’m sorry to keep you waiting. I am Toono Sumire, sent by the Ministry of Divine Worship. –Now, let’s talk about your job, shall we?”

Jukka’s number one. A treasured child of the Ministry of Divine Worship. The woman with a dazzling presence, bowed beautifully as she said so.