Infiltrating the Research Institute

(Babaluno)

We were crouched on the rooftop, observing the patrol soldiers in protective suits as we planned a safe route inside.

Just then, a... girl wearing a different kind of protective suit walked out of the research institute?

"She has horns. She's probably one of Aldebaran's Magical Girl Soldiers."

These Artificial Magical Girl Soldiers had imitation Crystals created with Simulacrum Factor technology inside them. The energy driving those Crystals was still magic, so they would also be affected by Magic Suppressant. Was that why they had to wear protective suits when they went outside?

But...

Those protective suits were made of transparent material. They seemed to cover their entire bodies, but the girls' delicate, curvy figures were clearly visible through them. They looked more like some kind of indecent, erotic...

Ahem. I meant transparent raincoats.

But why were they designed like this?

Were they afraid people wouldn't recognize who was inside?

Or were they afraid someone would steal a protective suit and sneak into the tower?

"This is troublesome."

Achernar muttered with a conflicted expression.

"There aren't many patrol teams equipped with spray devices, but their patrol routes are carefully planned. The barracks are also laid out like a maze, with plenty of dead ends... You can't breathe in Zara's Subspace. Getting all of you through the barracks and to the tower on a single breath... won't be easy."

She had said "all of you."

A mermaid, champion swimmer, soprano singer, or Witch—any of those identities let her hold her breath for more than ten minutes with ease...

But I couldn't.

My limit was about three minutes. Could I cross the complicated camp, reach the research institute, break through the outer wall at a blind spot, and infiltrate the tower in three minutes?

There were patrols in the camp, and