Sein lowered the water bottle from her lips, exhaling quietly as cold water slid down her throat. The apartment was unusually calm now, filled only with the hum of the refrigerator and the distant sound of traffic outside the windows.
Then Sarah spoke again.
"So basically," she said flatly, still half-dead on the couch, "our entire reproductive system is controlled by Manager over there."
Andrey adjusted his glasses on reflex. "That's an oversimplification."
"It's literally the exact situation."
Lisa buried her face in her hands with a tiny squeak. "When you say it like that, it sounds really embarrassing..."
"It is embarrassing," Sarah groaned. "You know what would've been nice? A warning. Maybe a pamphlet. 'Congratulations on becoming a Magical Girl. Side effects include trauma and your manager secretly controlling the laws of reproduction.'"
Sein snorted quietly.
All three of them looked at her.
"...What?" she muttered, immediately defensive.
