Tokyo: Magical Girl Shatters My Dream of Going Public

Inside the consultation room, the lighting was a soft, milky white.

Kurokawa sat in a swivel chair, his back to the door, looking at the surveillance screen embedded in the wall.

After waiting for about ten minutes, the door slid open.

Chika and Kaoru walked in one after the other.

Kurokawa turned his chair around.

Chika puffed out her cheeks, tilted her head to one side, and stared at the corner of the ceiling, looking like she was still angry.

Xun followed half a step behind her, her head slightly lowered, her fingers nervously twisting together.

"Finished talking?" Kurokawa asked, his gaze sweeping between the two men. "How did it go?"

Chika remained silent.

She turned her face abruptly, took a few steps to stand in front of Kurokawa, and spread her hands out, palms facing up.

"Hmph!" She raised her chin. "Give me back my chocolate! I won't give my chocolate to... to that bastard who dragged my sister into this!"

Kurokawa couldn't help but chuckle at her bluffing act.

He raised his hand, precisely grabbed the iconic tuft of hair on the top of her head, and lifted it up.

"Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! President! Let go! I was wrong!"

Chika immediately cowered, standing on tiptoe and begging for mercy.

"I dragged your sister into this?" Kurokawa didn't let up, his tone cold. "Do you know that because of your 'surprise' contract, your dear sister almost slapped me across the face and even called the police? She almost shut down the company as a fraud ring."

"Eh—!?" Chinatsu's eyes widened, instantly forgetting the slight pain in her scalp. "C-Police?!"

"Otherwise what?" Kurokawa loosened his grip, crossed his arms, and looked at her. "If I hadn't reacted quickly, your sister would probably be visiting you in the detention center right now."

Chika stared blankly for two seconds with her mouth agape before slowly turning her head to look at Kaoru behind her.

Xun's face was already red to her ears, and her head hung even lower, almost burying itself in her chest.

"...Kaoru?" Chika's voice trailed off.

Xun nodded almost imperceptibly, her voice barely audible: "I'm...I'm sorry...Sister, I..."

Qianxia's shoulders slumped, and the last bit of bravado on her face vanished instantly.

She scratched the back of her head, turned to Kurokawa, and lowered her voice: "Um... President, I'm sorry..."

Kurokawa glanced at her and leaned back in his chair.

"You were my first employee." His tone softened slightly, but it was still cold. "I'll let it go this time. But next time, if your family troubles almost drag the company down again..."

He paused, looking at Qianxia's face, which suddenly tensed up.

"I'll deduct all your bonuses, salary, allowances..."

"Hey—! No, President!" Chinatsu wailed, her face contorted in pain. "Deducting pay is too cruel!"

Kurokawa snorted and ignored her.

He took a clean, light blue hospital gown from the cabinet next to him and tossed it to Qianxia.

"That's enough small talk." He gestured to the area separated by a curtain in the inner room. "Go change your clothes. Then lie down in the treatment pod and have your wounds treated."

"Yes—!" Qianxia immediately regained her energy, grabbed her hospital gown, and dashed into the changing room.

Chika left the consultation room.

The consultation room fell silent for a moment.

The faint smell of disinfectant lingered in the air.

Kurokawa turned to Kaoru and asked, "How did your talks go? Are you still insisting that she resign?"

Xun nodded first, then gently shook her head.

Kurokawa didn't understand what it meant to nod first and then shake his head.

He looked at the girl but didn't say anything.

Xun took a deep breath, organizing her thoughts.

"As family...of course I don't want my sister to be in danger. But..."

She raised her eyes, her gaze clear.

"Becoming a magical girl has been my older sister's dream since she was little. Now that she can't do it, joining your company and fighting in that kind of battle suit... might be the closest 'alternative' to her dream."

She paused, her voice softer yet more resolute: "Since my sister is determined to continue, I... have no right to stop her."

Kurokawa listened and nodded.

The sisters have finally overcome this hurdle.

Dealing with employees' family matters also took a lot of effort for him, the company president.

However, considering the amazing talent that Chinatsu has shown, these troubles are worthwhile.

"Don't worry," he said calmly. "I will also participate in frontline operations myself. As for your sister, I will naturally do my best to protect her."

Upon hearing this, Kaoru leaned forward and bowed deeply, saying, "Thank you, Mr. Kurokawa. I believe in you."

Kurokawa waved his hand, indicating that it wasn't necessary.

Xun straightened up, her hands unconsciously clasped together in front of her, her fingertips rubbing against each other.

She bit her lip slightly, as if making a decision.

"Um... Mr. Kurokawa," she looked up, a hint of pleading in her eyes, "Could I... ask you for a favor as well?"

"What's wrong?"

"I..." Kaoru's voice paused, then became clearer, "Can I join the company too?"

Kurokawa raised an eyebrow.

He leaned back, his gaze sweeping over Xun carefully.

From her upright posture to her clear yet stubborn deep purple eyes.

"Because you're worried about your sister?" he asked.

"That's a very important reason," Kaoru admitted, but then added, "but...not all of it."

"Oh? There are other reasons?"

Xun's lips moved, her eyes flickered, but she ultimately remained silent.

She lowered her head slightly, avoiding Kurokawa's gaze.

It seems there's something he can't say.

Kurokawa did not press the matter further.

“Generally speaking,” he shifted his posture, interlacing his fingers on his knees, “the company doesn’t hire immediate family members at the same time. The nature of our line of work… you understand. Family ties can influence judgment at crucial moments and jeopardize the entire team.”

He paused, looking at Xun: "Besides, the company doesn't hire minors."

Xun blinked, a hint of surprise flashing across her face.

"I'm eighteen this year," she said softly.

This time, it was Kurokawa's turn to be surprised.

Qianxia is eighteen, and Xun is also eighteen?

These two sisters in front of me...

Xun seemed to understand his confusion and immediately explained, "We are a blended family. My sister and I... are not related by blood."

Her voice lowered: "As for my parents... they are no longer here for some reason."

Kurokawa suddenly realized.

The blended family... are they all gone?

But looking closer...

Indeed, the two have obvious differences in hair color, eye color, and temperament.

It's just that the misunderstanding from before was too deep.

"Even so," he said, his tone still firm, "the two sisters being in the same high-risk operation team is still a risk that needs to be avoided."

He looked into Xun's eyes and posed a pointed question.

"Imagine an extreme scenario. If, during a mission, I ordered you to abandon your sister to save the mission objective or the rest of the team, could you execute it without hesitation?"

Xun's body stiffened almost imperceptibly.

She opened her mouth, but no sound came out.

The fingers hanging at his sides curled up slightly.

The answer is self-evident.

She can't.

Kurokawa received confirmation from her silence and subtle reactions.

"While the example is extreme, this is the level of danger we will face in the future. Hesitation and acting on emotions will not only kill yourself and drag down your teammates, but may even... cause the situation to spiral out of control and affect more innocent people."

He shook his head, ready to end the conversation.

"so--"

"Mr. Kurokawa," Kaoru suddenly interrupted him.

She raised her head, the last trace of hesitation on her face vanished, replaced by an almost stubborn seriousness.

"Before you completely reject me, could you... take a look at my 'talent'?"

She paused, then looked directly into Kurokawa's eyes.

"Perhaps, I also have something you need."

The seriousness in Kaoru's eyes made Kurokawa pause slightly.

Chika's talent is already one in a million.

Could this quiet and composed younger sister also possess the same potential?

Two girls, unheard of in my previous life, have successively possessed astonishing talents?

The odds are even lower than winning the lottery jackpot twice in a row.

But since she's brought it up...

Forget it, let her try. If it really doesn't work, we'll use data to make her give up on her own.

"It wouldn't hurt to give it a try."

Kurokawa finally nodded, took out another set of light blue hospital gowns from the storage cabinet next to him, and handed it over.

"Go change into it. The diagnostic chamber has basic body scanning and potential assessment functions. Whether you have talent or not, the data won't lie."

Xun took the clothes with both hands, her fingers tightening.

She bowed and said, "Thank you for giving me this opportunity."

She didn't actually know whether she truly had any so-called "talent".

But with the opportunity before her, she had to seize it.

She turned around, clutching her clothes, and quickly walked out of the examination room toward the women's changing room.

A few minutes later, the two sisters returned one after the other.

The so-called "hospital gown" is extremely simple, consisting of two pieces of light blue non-woven fabric in the front and back, loosely connected on the sides with thin ties.

The two were only wearing this to enter the treatment pod.

They stood barefoot on the cool, clean metal floor, a slight chill emanating from their feet.

Chika skipped in first, the fabric swaying gently with her movements.

She was petite and well-proportioned, with small, bare feet and slender ankles. Her toes unconsciously curled up and then relaxed slightly because of the coolness of the ground.

The belt was tied in a simple knot at the side of the waist, revealing a smooth waistline and straight calves; a vibrant energy almost overflowed from that simple wrap.

Xun followed behind, her steps becoming more steady.

She was tall and slender with long, graceful lines, exhibiting an almost obsessive sense of proportion.

Barefoot and fair-skinned, with clearly defined arches, the skin on the instep gleamed with a delicate sheen under the cool light.

The simple non-woven fabric draped over her body strangely exuded a serene, almost classical beauty.

The belt was loosely tied around her waist, which accentuated her slender waist and long legs.

She pursed her lips slightly, standing dignifiedly, but her fingers, hanging at her sides, curled up almost imperceptibly, revealing the tension in her heart.

Kurokawa's gaze swept over the two of them.

Chinatsu, um, that's very much Chinatsu's style.

However, her younger sister Xun's figure is indeed a near-perfect model frame.

Even if you don't join the company, you can still make a lot of money as a cover model, right?

But that's a different matter from magical talent.

Kurokawa withdrew his gaze and prepared for the final adjustments to the treatment cabin.

At that moment, Chika suddenly spoke up and asked him a question.

"President, what's that?"

She pointed to an altar-like device in the consultation room and asked, her eyes sparkling.

As soon as Chika entered the consultation room, her eyes were drawn to the new equipment in the corner of the room.

"Combatant Enhancement Device." Kurokawa didn't turn around, adjusting the parameters of the treatment pod. "It can extract energy traits from the contained magical vengeful spirits and inject them into the body of the compatible individual. It's... a kind of passive talent enhancement."

"Injecting special abilities?" Chinatsu leaned closer, tilting her head. "Then... can it make me able to spit lasers? Like, whoosh whoosh whoosh!"

Kurokawa's fingers stopped typing.

He turned his head to look at Qianxia, ​​his face expressionless.

"...?"

There was a two-second silence.

"Not that kind of 'mutation'." He turned back and continued operating, his voice flat. "It's about optimizing your energy affinity, reaction speed, or specific senses. It's closer to... altering your 'foundational' properties."

Chika blinked, clearly not quite understanding.

Kurokawa sighed and changed his approach.

"Have you ever played a game? Characters have active skills and passive skills. This device gives you passive skills. It's a permanent boost, but it won't give you an extra arm or make you breathe fire."

"Oh—" Chika understood this time, but her interest clearly waned. She muttered softly, "...Spitting lasers out of the mouth is cooler."

Kurokawa couldn't be bothered with her anymore.

"The diagnostic pod can detect your body's potential adaptation to this type of enhancement." He patted the silver pod beside him. "Alright, Chika, lie down in there first. We'll also give you a full scan while we're at it."

"good--!"

Chika immediately forgot about the "mouth laser" and excitedly responded, climbing onto the treatment pod on all fours.