According to the Rule of First Blood, a magic user or a Lackluster who has been attacked without their approval has a right to eliminate their enemy, provided they are magic users/Lacklusters themselves. There will be no prosecution after such an action.

Codex of Magical Deeds, Article 51.1.

“Thank Goddess! I was starting to think that I would not be blessed with proper company today. Indulge me, Niji-chan?”

There wasn’t any sarcastic irony in his voice, and he also spoke to her in a friendly manner, dropping the formal “Murasaki-san” as it used to be in the Academy. Therefore it was unlikely he had come there to arrest the Violet refugee, but Niji’s defensive mechanism was still nudging her to run away as fast as she could. It took her a few seconds to pull herself together.

“Of course.” She approached the pool table and made a clumsy bow. “I am happy to see you, Izumi-sensei. Quite the surprise to see people from the Academy here.”

“That’s what I told ya about everyone hangin’ around the ‘Cat.’” Beckz was so bored that she began jiggling her glasses. “But what’s the point in playin’ with Viridians? Their super intellect... not a chance.”

“There, there, Mei-san, one might still find the overall process quite enjoyable by itself.”

“I am the ‘win-or-die-trying’ kind. Anyway, Niji, I’ve warned ya.”

The mage girl took a cue from the rack and rubbed the tip with chalk. She did not see much sense in this, but acting like a pro wouldn’t hurt.

“Do you prefer 8-ball?” she asked.

“Colorful assets look more appealing to me.”

“I bet.”

“After you.”

Everything was ready for the game. Niji played like a solid newbie, and keeping the table cloth intact was among her greatest achievements. Break shot—and not a single ball was eager to go to a pocket.

“I won’t bother to pretend that I am here just to have some fun.” Takeshi leaned over the table and pocketed an orange Five-ball with a clear shot, so Niji got stripes. “Although this pub is truly a magnificent place to unwind. I wish I could spend more time here.”

“So, what’s the matter? Shiningreel told me you wanted to speak with me.”

“I do admit I was interested in your occupation, but as you can see, I’ve already discovered that you joined M.A.G.E. Congratulations, by the way. I hope your talents are appreciated here.” He tried to pocket a green Six, but missed.

“I still have a feeling that I’ve let you down. I’m truly sorry.” Niji began the hunt for a green striped ball with number 14. Missed.

“No need to apologize. Each of us is free to choose our own path.” Takeshi walked around the table past Niji and took aim at the same Six. “I am here on a different matter. I will be as frank with you as possible, and you are going to be as frank as possible with me, agreed? After all, our organizations pursue some common goals. For example, the safety of the whole magical community,” he said and scored.

“We are looking for a criminal group operating under the name of ‘Children of Evolution.’ Have you heard about it?”

Yesterday's memories gave Niji a cold sweat.

“Well, we sure noticed something strange happening. Too many Cursed have gone on rampage recently. Is that about it?”

“It is. At the moment, they are actively recruiting people to turn them into mages with as yet unidentified methods. However, they are not mages per se. As our research says, only Violets can be obtained from such manipulations; very weak and mentally unbalanced. It is unfortunate that so many innocent people are suffering.”

“They are easy to target. After mages have gained some influence in society, many are ready to sell their soul for a magic pill that ‘cures the feebleness.’”

“I had expected this kind of commentary from you. But let’s not get distracted. At the moment, our task force is charged with investigating this matter and eliminating the criminals. Until now, the victims of the experiments have participated only in small robberies and vandalism. But we managed to find out that yesterday’s attack on the ‘Lazy Dracula’ club is connected with the activities of the ‘Children of Evolution.’”

“So you’ve found out I was there.” Niji accidentally shot a cue ball into a pocket. Sensei pulled out the victim and put it in the place he found most suitable.

“You were captured by CCTV cameras in the main hall, along with Dasnor Hunt and Harold Omnious the Fourth, also known as Dammit. Could I possibly ask what brought you to the club last night?”

“Are we under suspicion?”

“No, absolutely not. Otherwise, I would have invited you to the police station first instead of sharing the pleasure of playing pool.” Takeshi smiled slightly.

The pleasure, huh.

“We actually just wanted to go to the concert. Freyja is an old friend of Dasnor and Dammit.”

“Would you be so kind as to tell me what happened there? We have already interviewed a solid number of witnesses of this bloodbath—pardon my extreme expression. But you never know when useful information might appear.”

“We were in the dressing rooms when the Viols began destroying everything. We ran into the hall and managed to lure them out through the back door, and they were eliminated according to the Rule of First Blood.”

“Did you help with the elimination of the ‘Children?’”

“Freyja did everything herself. They did not pose a big threat.”

“What do you know about Freyja?”

“Nothing much, except that she once made amplifiers for M.A.G.E. members… and that she is a good singer. Why?”

“Not that I have the right to disclose all the details of the investigation, but... sometimes cooperation with M.A.G.E. is necessary when certain mages disturb the harmony we have achieved with a local community. Tonikaku, we have reason to believe that Freyja may be involved in the ‘Children of Evolution’ business.”

Meanwhile, the game was on. Takeshi dealt with One and Seven. Niji managed to seize the moment and pocket the ball with number 12, but that was it. She said, “Freyja claimed that the Children had asked her to work for them, but she refused. Perhaps they decided to kill her because she knows too much about them.”

“Sou desu ka.”

Sensei missed. Niji scored the 13th and went for another stripe, but applied too much force to the blow, so a knocked Three-ball rolled into a better position for her opponent.

“Do you have any idea where Freyja might be now?”

“No. The best way is to check the posters for upcoming concerts.”

“Please keep in mind, Murasaki-san, that we are expecting maximum assistance from M.A.G.E in everything related to the ‘Children of Evolution.’ This has already been announced to Fiber Hunt, but I am also telling you this personally. If you happen to possess any valuable information that could help the investigation, we would like to obtain it as well. After all, the elimination of Cursed is one of our common interests.” Takeshi shot a red ball. It knocked on a purple Four, making it roll into the central pocket.

Elimination of Cursed. Oh, fuck it. Fuck those colored balls. Fuck PRISM and Takeshi Izumi’s lectures as well. She wondered whether he was also aware of her transformation. Was this billiard balls symbolism intentional?! However, the idea was not believable, since even she herself could not predict the result of her shots.

“You sound like you don’t believe me,” she uttered.

“I… I haven’t decided on it yet.”

“I am telling you exactly what I heard from Freyja and what I witnessed myself. She didn’t help these charlatans. I can’t be 100% sure, as this was the first time in my life that I’ve seen her, but trust me, she was as scared as we were. Why would she even have killed them if she herself was on their side?”

“We can suppose that something went wrong... did she, by any chance, use any forbidden magic techniques? The nature of the wounds of those illegal mages... it awes and raises a lot of questions.”

Niji remembered the horrible picture from the day before and immediately felt sick.

“I am not an expert in cursed magic. Wouldn’t the scanners identify it?”

“Ah, so you know about the scanners.”

“Sometimes M.A.G.E. tells us more than the Academy does.”

“I have to admit that not all public places are well-equipped yet, but this is only a matter of time. However, the assigned Lackluster found no trace of the cursed magic.”

She had given me a nice solution, Niji thought and felt a bit of relief—for the first time since that awful night.

“But how about those… ‘Children’?”

“Technically speaking, they are not mages, thus they cannot be detected by the scanners or tracked by the arcane traces. This is why this is so troublesome...”

Takeshi scored another one with an incredible maneuver and continued: “Could I possibly ask you a personal question? Was it Freyja you had requested to apply an amplifier?”

“Um… no.”

The mage girl froze. The last symbol of the tattoo was revealed a bit each time she lifted the cue.

“Maximum assistance, Murasaki-san.” Sensei was still smiling, and Niji felt pure hatred towards him—for the first time in her life. “Shame, I would like to see the fruit of her labor in action.”

Damn, damn, DAMN!