*
There was little to no information at all about General Frena. Other than the fact that she was one of the 8 great generals of the Illnoia administration, there hadn't been anything else to work with for those rumours. Even if we don't expect much from the rumours, they still need to spread in order to sow some seeds. And for them to spread reliably, some credibility had to be injected into it.
For one thing, her personal missions are only known by the higher ups. The ones that actually have positions above her are near impossible to track. Unlike general Frena who at least shows that she's alive by being physically present, anybody or anything from the higher ups are basically absent. Some would think that they may inspect the stations unless they completely leave all their work to the generals. There's around 5 generals that come by or send their envoys in this region right above the Sanctuary of the Eye God. They were Frena, Gazille, Milleny, Chanerg and Hheim. The other 3 don't even touch the ground around here, they keep guard at the capital which is far west and next to where Europe used to be, next to the ruins of Gangrea monarchy.
Also, for sometime now my magical combat dress had grown a cloak. I couldn't remember since when, but it should be around 2 or 3 months ago. My costume used to be a sailor uniform collar that was attached to something similar to a virgin killer sweater, but my back was actually covered. The cloth on my torso lead into a funnel like 'A' shape towards the collar and my shoulder and armpits were exposed since there were no sleeves.
Two bracelets wrapped around my wrists with small black crystals, a large black crystal hung off the centre where my collar connected in the front. Some lines decorated the top as 2 large cloth flaps cover the left and right of my hips and below. And further below that was a 2 layered dress that split off into different directions. What's under that dress is kept a secret, but what everyone could see was grey thigh highs that kept my legs warm in the labyrinth. The shoes were a simple design to say the least, they were more for keeping my toes together than for walking as they had no sole.
Now there were 2 metal attachments that marked the end of my new sleeves, my shoulders were no longer exposed and there was even a new cloak that covered them. The cloaks reach down my back but around the front the cloth rose to meat at the centre of my chest, under the crystal connecting my collar. This new outfit really helped as the climate in Illnoian territory had a colder climate. The cloak really is useful, sometimes this happens too.
"What are you doing?"
2 modest mounts press against my back. Well, they went lower than my back and was instead next to my waist. Behind me lay a cloth monster that buried itself under my cloak, pushing the cloak up a little to neck level when it's suppose to rest on my back. Of course there was also a pair of hands laying on my sides vertically, as if preparing to push themselves into my armpit as a surprise attack. Even after becoming a magical girl, I still had quite some ticklishness on my body. Myuu on the other hand was the opposite.
Well as a guy, I didn't participate much in skinship nor did I even thought about such things. Maybe Myuu had some great friends before meeting me, these trivial thoughts trickle into my mind by the day, occupying my free time. I didn't actually have much of a plan, more like I have the goal but now how to get there. It seemed to be a long road ahead. This border patrol station was much more peaceful than that labyrinth city. Even if the facilities here are a little primitive, a hot shower and some simple light bulbs were enough. My food was somewhat okay, we had to cook ourselves as simple ingredients were provided each month.
Since the delivery department carrying supplies mainly operate at the capital in the West side, they deliver the resources to each and every border patrol station in a single day by moving towards the East. By the time they reach our station, it was pretty much evening as we were much much closer to the East side than the West. There were some but not many stations left to our East, we were pretty much next to the end of the border.
"What does it look like I'm doing?" (Myuu)
"Bonding?"
A pinkish flush rose to her cheeks, her eyes began to swim like fish before steadying back once more. It sure was an odd way to bond, perhaps the mission at the research lab freaked her out. If I wasn't a magical girl I would probably have trauma from all the explosions in the background.
"well uh... There's people watching. If you want, we can sleep together tonight."
"Sleep together!?!" (Myuu)
"Wait! I'll stay transformed though, so nothing will happen!"
"Nothing?..." (Myuu)
"Jeez! Go back to your own room already." (Barius)
"Oh. How's training with Fiur-chan?" (Garion)
"Nothing much, her skill is a support type that she can only set on herself, so there's not a lot she can do in combat. Training her to use it for dodging is one thing but she has next to no firepower." (Barius)
"A self support type... That's just a self augmentation. Well our skills are quite simple themselves, she'll likely find more uses on her own someday." (Garion)
***
Kanou who visited a night every week could also help in the spreading of the rumours. We have next to no information of general Frena, the only option left is to use that fact to our advantage. Since she is easily able come solve it on her own, it has to be discreet enough not to spread to the actual person's ears. It must be discreet yet have enough lasting impact to spread far. Constantly trying to push it would be impossible. They could track it right back to us if we were to do that, and exerting that much effort is horribly tedious for little to no gain.
Perhaps something simple, "she is lazy and doesn't leave her office much." Well, this idea is a bust anyway... I really can't think up anything. I'll acknowledge it, I'm not particularly smart. I could very well see that in my past, and in the present. Smart decisions are just not one of the things I can make, thinking up of a plan, a grand goal, pretending to be confident for 2 months straight. In the end my wit was as empty as the plan. There is no plan, just some half baked decisions.
I wonder if me wanting to hug Myuu to sleep was to soothe her or myself. Now that I look back at it, I look even more like an idiot. Suggesting such a thing as sleeping together to calm her heart, it was most likely for myself. Was I aware of it before hand? At this point my mind has been scrambled, there is even less meaning in speculating than before.
Come on Kaorin, think...
In the end the rumour didn't matter, it may have been the foundation to sow seeds of doubt. It was still just a rumour. It was bound to have minimal effect, what was truly arduous came after that. A simple "She lazes around in her office all day" sufficed. Now we have to take advantage of that. By painting the other generals in a better light spreading praises about them instead could create a deafening contrast.
We know it ourselves since we are under General Frena, she checks on us the least. It was more like she was giving us the freedom to make our own decisions. To her surprise, we'll twist even that. Utter lack of supervision leads to loss of 5 soldiers from our station, 5 magical girls on the weaker side are now reportedly dead. Allegedly general Frena did nothing about it as she had deemed it the mistake of being weak. By adding a few layers like this, it should start to shape up. It may change into something drastic as more and more people catch wind of it, which brings certain advantages and disadvantages.
Such attention can attract the awareness of the wrong person, such as the general herself. But it would last far longer and spread further than any other rumour we could come up with. I had only noticed just now, when implementing a slightly truthful fact such as the loss of 5 soldiers, we could increase the credibility. What I noticed was the fact we could find such facts even from our side, like how many of us had defected back to the Sanctuary.
By normal transmission, we spread these rumours verbally in joint trainings with other stations. Joint trainings come at once every few weeks. Sometimes 1 week, sometimes 3 weeks. Kanou could give a hand and spread it to the civilians near the capital of the Illnoia administration. Now it was time to decide what to do next. After forcibly creating such a gap between people and the general, we are bound to be tracked down, it was a sort of time limit. Half a week would be the estimate. If they somehow manage to acquire a skill that uncovers mysteries, we would be found out in a day.
After initiating the plan, we need to take advantage of this miniature confusion we created. How am I suppose to go about this? I've never done propaganda work before, but even that should be over now. It's a huge problem not to know what happens next, we'd practically be sitting ducks if that happened.
"You need a little help?" (Izumi)
"Yeah, thee seemeth to beest having troubleth! " (Vibell)
"?!... Do you guys have any ideas?"
"... In the first place you didn't tell us anything... Even Myuu doesn't know what's going through your head." (Izumi) Her tan brown hair resided on the back of her head as a bun, though it looked like it bounced everytime she turned her head
"Thou should relyeth on thy comrades more..." (Vibell) Vibell had possible developed chuunibyou disease... In these past few months, she fully mastered her first skill and had been waiting to awaken to her second skill. Perhaps that gave her the confidence to full on nerd out in her speech style in front of others now.
***
".... Why... Why did they abandon us?... I thought we were in it together. Why were they allowed to go back home while I'm forced to rot here? It's not like I have any actual use, I'd waste away the same here as I did back home, but at least I wouldn't be an obstruction back in the labyrinth.
I did my best to study, crawled up on a straight path to success. Planned to cling to my friends and have a share of their boon... Now they're also stuck here, and for what?!
She said she had a plan! So why isn't it in effect now?! You think I'd stay here quietly for the rest of my life?! If things keep going like this... I'll have to do things myself.... No, it's already been 3 months. That's longer than the time I've spent in the labyrinth. There's no need for anymore waiting. "(?)
" Yo... Whatcha doing? "(Barius)
Looking up from a book she found, her glossy black hair slightly fluttered before resting back in its natural let down position. Her eyes looked straight at her friend as if looking at a bug, but she couldn't bring herself to hate her friend even if she forced herself. Smiling back after moving on from her interrupted reading, she proceeded to indulge her friend in what she had just read.
"Oh? Is that a book? Where'd you find it?" (Barius) Barius's dark grey hair waved sideways as their curls pulled them around. She had leaned in closer to take a look at Garion's book. Before long, garion had already become immersed in their chat. A few metres away, their friend Kenzi lowered her shoulders as a small sigh escaped her lips. It was barely audible to herself, such that even her friends with their senses enhanced by their magical girl augmentation couldn't detect it. Only someone with her very own skill that enhances her senses, could observe something so trivial.