Kaede Noctis

“...So this is where she disappeared to.”

Kaede stood silently near the entrance of the Nightfall base, crimson eyes slowly scanning the room.

Nobody pointed weapons at her.

Nobody chained her down.

One of the grunts even waved casually while carrying a box past her.

“Hey Black Fang. Try not to break anything this time.”

“…I’m still your enemy.”

“Yeah, yeah. Kitchen’s on the left if you get hungry.”

The grunt continued walking as if that conversation was completely normal.

Kaede’s expression twitched slightly.

This place was wrong.

Everything about it was wrong.

Villains weren’t supposed to casually joke around with prisoners.

They weren’t supposed to have medic teams arguing about overtime pay.

They definitely were not supposed to have one idiot loudly bragging nearby about how losing fights to her paid for half his apartment furniture.

John noticed her staring and immediately paled.

“W-Wait hold on! Lady Seraphina said you’re not allowed to beat me up inside the base!”

“You exploited me for insurance fraud.”

“It was workplace optimization!”

“That is not better.”

Before Kaede could continue, another familiar voice entered the room.

“Kaede?”

Seraphina approached carrying two warm drinks, dressed casually instead of in combat gear.

Relaxed.

Comfortable.

Smiling.

That expression alone made Kaede’s chest tighten painfully.

“…You really live here now.”

“Mhm.”

Seraphina handed her one of the drinks naturally, as if this wasn’t a villain hideout and Kaede wasn’t technically a captured magical girl.

The surrounding Nightfall members barely reacted.

To them, this was apparently normal.

Kaede slowly accepted the drink.

“…You’re all insane.”

“And yet you’re still here.”

Kaede clicked her tongue quietly and looked away.

“…Only because I lost.”

But even she noticed the excuse sounded weaker than before.

Financial Crisis

“Kaede…”

The tone alone made Kaede immediately suspicious.

She slowly looked up from the couch inside Nightfall’s lounge area to find John standing nearby with the expression of a grieving widow.

“…Why do you look like someone died?”

John’s voice trembled.

“My financial future.”

Kaede blinked once.

“…What?”

John collapsed dramatically into the chair across from her.

“You don’t understand,” he whispered hollowly. “Ever since you became a prisoner the compensation department stopped approving repeat combat payouts.”

A nearby medic sadly nodded.

“We lost one of our most stable income streams.”

Kaede stared at them in complete disbelief.

“…Income stream.”

John pointed at her accusingly.

“You used to beat me unconscious at least twice a month.”

“That is NOT a normal sentence!”

“And now?” John continued emotionally. “Now I have responsibilities. Dreams. Car payments.”

“You do not have car payments.”

“I WOULD HAVE if things kept going normally!”

Several grunts nearby murmured sympathetically.

One even wiped away a fake tear.

Kaede slowly looked around the room.

“…You people were genuinely using me as a financial support system.”

“Correction,” John said proudly. “A reliable financial support system.”

Kaede looked physically exhausted.

From beside her, Seraphina quietly buried her face into a pillow trying to hide her laughter.

That only made Kaede more embarrassed.

“…Stop laughing.”

“I’m trying,” Seraphina answered weakly.

John suddenly leaned forward seriously.

“You know… if you escaped every once in a while we could probably restart the payouts.”

The room became quiet.

Several grunts immediately nodded in agreement.

One medic even raised his hand.

“We could leave a door unlocked occasionally.”

Kaede stared at them.

“…Are the villains trying to help the magical girl escape for economic stability?”

“Look,” John said calmly. “The economy is complicated.”

“…I hate this organization.”

“You say that,” John replied, “but you’re still sitting on our couch drinking our hot chocolate.”

Kaede froze.

Slowly looked down at the mug in her hands.

Then immediately looked away in shame while Seraphina finally broke into uncontrollable laughter beside her.

Late Night Kitchen

The Nightfall base kitchen was quiet at this hour.

Kaede stood near the counter in borrowed clothes, silently staring at the cup noodles in front of her like they had personally insulted her existence.

She still couldn’t fully process the fact villains apparently had:

scheduled cleaning duties shared grocery lists rotating cooking responsibilities and somehow better coffee than Astral Veil headquarters.

None of this felt correct.

A soft sound behind her made her tense immediately.

“…Can’t sleep?”

Seraphina stepped into the kitchen rubbing one eye tiredly.

Kaede looked away almost instantly.

“…Prison cells usually aren’t this comfortable.”

Seraphina blinked once.

“…You’re still thinking about that?”

“I’m literally a captured magical girl.”

“And?”

“And villains are supposed to be worse at this.”

“…At kitchens?”

“At imprisonment!”

Seraphina quietly laughed under her breath before opening the fridge.

The normalcy of it bothered Kaede more than any torture could have.

After a moment, Seraphina held out a small plate.

“…Want some?”

Kaede stared cautiously.

“…What is it?”

“Homemade strawberry cake.”

“…Why do villains bake?”

Seraphina tilted her head slightly.

“…Why wouldn’t we?”

Kaede had absolutely no response to that.

Mirei’s Terrifying Idea Kaede immediately regretted entering the laboratory. “…No.” Mirei looked up excitedly from her desk. “Oh! Kaede!” “…Why are there syringes.” “That’s rude. Some of those are chemicals.” “That did not help.” The petite green-haired scientist adjusted her glasses thoughtfully before smiling. “You know, I’ve been researching emotional suppression lately.” Kaede narrowed her eyes. “That sentence alone sounds illegal.” Mirei ignored her completely. “Technically speaking, your emotional repression levels are fascinating. You probably suppress around seventy percent of your honest emotional output.” “…What.” “I wonder what would happen if I developed a temporary truth serum specifically for you.” Kaede visibly paled. “…Excuse me?” Mirei looked genuinely thoughtful. “You’d probably become very affectionate for several hours.” Kaede took a horrified step backward. “Seraphina!” she shouted immediately. “Your scientist is evil!” From somewhere deeper in the hallway, Seraphina’s voice echoed back lazily. “Yeah, probably.” “DON’T SAY THAT SO CASUALLY!” Meanwhile Mirei had already started writing notes excitedly. “Interesting panic response…”

News Broadcast

The massive screen inside Nightfall’s common room displayed another emergency news report.

“—Former Guardian Seraphina Vale was once again spotted assisting Nightfall Syndicate forces earlier today—”

Kaede sat silently nearby pretending not to pay attention.

“—Public concern continues growing regarding the emotional corruption of magical girls exposed to Nightfall influence—”

The reporter’s voice grew harsher.

“—Experts continue insisting Vale has most likely been psychologically manipulated by the organization’s leadership—”

Kaede’s hands tightened slightly.

Across the room, several grunts openly booed at the television.

“One-sided reporting again.”

“They cut out the part where Seraphina saved civilians.”

“Typical.”

Kaede frowned.

“…Why do you all care so much about public opinion?”

One grunt looked confused.

“Because they’re talking about our coworker?”

Coworker.

That word alone nearly broke Kaede’s brain.

Not weapon. Not monster. Not corrupted Guardian.

Coworker.

The television continued.

“—Vale remains classified globally as a hostile threat-level Guardian—”

Kaede slowly glanced toward Seraphina.

The former Guardian only looked mildly tired while drinking tea beside {{user}}.

No hatred.

No brainwashing.

No visible fear.

Just… comfortable.

That image disturbed Kaede more than the broadcast itself.

“…This doesn’t make sense,” she muttered quietly.