Mental Overlay

(Bai Ziye)

Mom called SpiCa.

To be precise, it was Mom who didn't dare to talk to SpiCa directly, so she asked Dad, who was helping out in the parking lot downstairs, to call SpiCa.

"... Lu Linxi! How dare you play this game of acting first and reporting later again? The Oversight Division is leading the way in breaking the rules, is there no law left?"

After going through such a long detour, SpiCa glanced at the female secretary lying on the sofa and then launched into a tirade against her mother.

Mom pouted, looking aggrieved.

"I only had Old Bai contact you because I was afraid of getting scolded! Frankly, expecting me to follow the rules when dealing with internal enemies is asking too much, isn't it? You know my magic is only visible to myself, so it's hard to use as evidence, especially since this time it's the Association chairman. The pressure of pulling out a search warrant is immense..."

"Sigh, I'll settle this with you later."

"If it could be resolved, would we still need to settle accounts?"

"One thing at a time... Why did you call me here?"

"I examined the girl's head. SpiCa, is there anything unusual about the airships in A2 Area?"

"You mean, that third-party research institution is hiding inside our airship?"

"That's right, and it's not really a third party, just a white glove used by Sun Ji to research the Star Crystal. That's why he was able to secretly place it inside the airship, which is why it's impossible to get in through conventional means... This thing is always flying in the sky."

Falcon asked, "Can I go in?"

"We can't get in. That research institute... no, it should be called the research lab... is completely sealed off. There aren't even any entrances or exits inside the airship. Humans can't squeeze in through the ventilation fans."

"We can make a hole in the wall."

SpiCa immediately shook his head and rejected Falcon's terrible suggestion.

"No, the Association is in the eye of the storm right now. If magical girls attack Phase-Detection Airship at this time... the public opinion will explode."

Falcon frowned and shut his mouth, remaining silent.

I rested my chin on my hand and thought, "A sealed room without doors or windows, relying solely on an exhaust fan for ventilation, sounds like the environment inside must be terrible."

"No, quite the opposite. That research lab was actually Ceruno's mother's life support pod; the environment couldn't be too bad."

"Huh? Mom's..."

Upon hearing her mother's words, Ceruno's eyes reddened; her mother's misfortune was her most tender and helpless vulnerability.

Feeling a pang of pity, I said, "Ceruno, you shouldn't participate in the following operations."

"Huh? Why?"

I countered, "Can you stop your father? He has indeed found a way to wake your mother up... it's just illegal and immoral."

Ceruno nodded subconsciously, but her movements quickly stopped.

"No way! I want to go too!"

Her small face was tense, revealing a resolute expression.

"Since Dad made a mistake, I have to correct him!"

He couldn't even speak fluently when he saw his own father, and he wanted to wake up his wife who had been in a coma for many years. Was that really wrong?

SpiCa glanced at the time and asked, "So, that secret room in the sky can only be entered through her teleportation magic?"

"That's right, that's why I sent you here... Your 'Mental Overlay' can turn her into your temporary puppet, right?"

I know that, after all, SpiCa is one of the famous legends.

As the mastermind behind the scenes, she possesses almost villainous brainwashing abilities. Once covered by that silk-like white cloth, one's body will be manipulated by SpiCa's magic, losing self-awareness and becoming her puppet. Even if ordered to commit suicide, one would probably comply...

Perhaps it was precisely because this magic was considered beneath public scrutiny that she chose to retire behind the scenes and become an advisor?

"I understand, I'll make an exception and cooperate with you this time."

Seeing that SpiCa agreed, Mom asked, "The airships in A2 Area are a bit far... can you arrange a helicopter?"

"That's not appropriate. Secretary-General Anjie came back to retrieve the documents but we lost contact with her. Are we sending a helicopter Past just to make sure she doesn't know?"

"Well, I do have a way to Past..."

Ceruno wiped her eyes and raised her hand.

"... Wouldn't it be fine if we just took Miss Falcon Past?"

When this was mentioned, Falcon curled his lip.

"Ceruno, don't talk to me like I'm a taxi. No matter what, I can't possibly carry... five people flying!"

She even counted the number of people.

"I can carry three people, so what's wrong with carrying two more? I can continue to use bubbles to reduce weight, and besides, Miluno is here... I have a way to make you fly faster than usual!"

Although he spoke mysteriously, it wasn't hard to guess this idiot's plan. He simply wanted to wrap Falcon and me in Bubble Membrane, then have me accelerate the bubble to achieve the effect of "accelerated flight"...

However, doing this, neither Falcon nor I felt any acceleration.

After all, whether you accelerate or decelerate in the night sky, the scenery is almost the same, and it's just the normal flow of time for us.

"Your magic is manipulating time, you know?"

Tsk, the true nature of my magic has been exposed.

Although I was a little annoyed, I still explained, "Neither you nor I can feel it; only they would feel like they're flying faster... Hey, how about I climb onto your back?"

"No, that position makes me feel embarrassed."

So she's comfortable lying on my back? This foreign girl has quite a large bust!

She still insisted on hugging me from behind. Because of Heat Haze's safety, she didn't complain about the weight this time. In my hands, I was carrying a huge bubble that could hold four people. It was very light and flat and pointed like a spaceship, which also reduced wind resistance.

There is no Time Acceleration inside the "bubble cabin," so for passengers like Mom, SpiCa, and Ceruno, it's like riding a Concorde at speeds of thousands of kilometers per hour, only without the same sense of security as an airplane.

You'll be scared, won't you?

Looking down, I could still appreciate their reactions to this flight...

Miss SpiCa has transformed herself; she blindfolded herself and Anjie with a white cloth, emphasizing the idea that out of sight, out of mind.

My mom is lying on her side playing on her phone, occasionally taking a picture. It's more like she's killing time during our trip than actually searching for something.

Ceruno, on the other hand, despite being the one who proposed the plan, had her face contorted with anger, her eyes closed, and her hand tightly gripping her mother's clothes.

Falcon noticed this as well, saying, "Ceruno is very scared."

"She's usually quite timid, but she becomes very bold when it comes to magical girls."

So I wasn't too surprised when she refused to stay.

Although she came along against her will, she must be terribly panicked right now, since the person she fears most in her life is probably her father.

Regardless of the reasons, the child had to stop his father from saving his mother...

Sigh, she really shouldn't have come.

"We've entered A2 Area, and we can now see Phase-Detection Airship."

Falcon's words interrupted my thoughts.

I looked up.

The massive reconnaissance airship, its flight warning lights flashing, was already close at hand.