*Investigation Committee Headquarters*

The elevator doors slowly opened and Takumi and Haruki stepped out. Their faces showed that they had just returned to the headquarters after their meeting with Hiroko. Haruki, jumping out of the elevator, stated uncontrollably:

- Hey, people! We're here! - The response was an eerie silence that enveloped the headquarters room.

With a look of surprise on his face, Haruki thought:

"Strange, no one is greeting us?".

A sense of uneasy foreboding swept over him.Takumi, upon entering the spacious hall, noticed a small note on the table and with a mention of it, he quickly shouted to Haruki:

- Come here! There's something here!

Haruki rushed into the hall, in his priceless haste he couldn't even keep his feet and collapsed clumsily at the entrance. Collapsing on the floor, he lost consciousness. Takumi, seeing this, quickly jumped up to his friend and shouted anxiously:

- Haruki? What are you doing, get up!

Haruki lifted his head and, bursting into laughter, proclaimed:

- Ha ha! You're busted, Takumi!

Takumi experienced a mixture of anger and relief, but managed to deal with his emotions and calm down in the same second. He helped Haruki stand up. Haruki, sensing his friend's resentment, made an important look and walked over to the table with the note. Taking it in his hands, he began to read aloud:

- Dear colleagues, we are on our way to the chemical plant where a horrifying terrorist attack has occurred. The entire city has lost communications and internet, and it is assumed that the Poison Queens are ready to strike again.

After passing a moment in silence and thought, Takumi and Haruki decided to take immediate action. Haruki grinned, wiping the smile off his face, and said decisively:

- Let's move out. They can't survive without us. Let's go. - Haruki headed for the elevator, the atmosphere around him building up, drawing a rapid tension.

Takumi, who remained in place, called out to Haruki:

- Perhaps we should figure out what the Poison Queens are up to first?

Haruki thought for a moment, partially turning to Takumi. He was ready to make his point, but suddenly the elevator doors swung open, and a sinister laugh came from them. It was a sound that was very familiar to them.

- Where are you going? - The voice said mockingly. - I don't think you're going anywhere fast enough.

Haruki took a step back, feeling the tension building. He muttered to Takumi:

- I guess your idea doesn't look so bad anymore.

Yuka stepped out of the elevator, a permanent smile playing on her face that wouldn't wash off. She continued to laugh, permeating the space with her sarcastic sound.Yuka began to threaten Haruka and Takumi:

- Ah, what lovely captives you are! My magic is capable of destroying you in this tight space, with no way to escape. What do you say, do you surrender on your own or do I have to force you?

Haruki flinched slightly irritated at that statement. He warned Yuka:

- Our colleagues have already set out on their trail. Soon they will reach the secret and thwart your plans.

Yuka, disregarding the warning, continued to laugh louder and louder. This sound began to sound menacing and threatening.Suddenly, she spoke loudly in front of the entire staff:

- Oh, what, you say? You think I'm going to give up so easily? Magic: Poison: Rothen. - Liquid began to ooze out of Yuki's hands, thick and poisonous yellow in color, it flowed from her palms like a poisonous stream.

Takumi and Haruki were actively trying to avoid Yuki's attack.However, Haruki decided that he wouldn't give up that easily:

- Magic: Aura Suppression! - Haruki's hand was directed towards Yuka.

He quickly approached her and grabbed her wrist, suppressing her magical aura. After whispering something in Yuki's ear, he abruptly placed her on the floor and secured her hands with handcuffs.

Haruki walked over to the battery control panel and turned on the hot water supply.slow steps, he walked back to the bound Yuka and sent her advice:

- If you don't want to get burned, you'd better stay relaxed or you'll be in for a boil. Have a good day! - Haruki and Takumi entered the elevator and went to the upper level of the parking lot.

As Haruki and Takumi climbed up from the top of the elevator to go outside, they noticed a blue liquid starting to drip from underneath them. The higher up the friends went, the more this strange liquid dripped. Takumi looked up and saw that a large volume of this blue liquid had formed on the roof of the elevator, covering even the roof itself from view. Turning to Haruki in surprise, he asked:

- What is this, Haruki?

Haruki, looking up, saw the same picture as Takumi. He muttered disappointedly:

- Goddamn it! Bitch! This is unbelievable!

Meanwhile, Yuka, who was tied to a radiator on the floor, kept talking to herself:

- You handcuffed me, but I can still control my poisons! The committee will pay for this! - And with those words, the blue liquid from the roof of the elevator doused Haruki and Takumi, covering them completely.

When they finally got out of the elevator, a slight fever began to develop in their bodies. Takumi, feeling extremely sick, collapsed to the ground. After a while, Haruki also became weak and collapsed. Takumi, struggling to contain the pain, uttered:

- Magic Cellogynesis: Cell Regeneration - The cells in his body began to regenerate, and the poison simply evaporated. And Haruki...He struggled to get up and answered Takumi's question:

- Can you keep walking? - Haruki only nodded his head with a negative gesture.

With a weary voice, Haruki said to Takumi:

- I'll try to stop the effects of the poison. Go to them. I'll be right behind you, I will!

Takumi thought for a moment, then resolutely stood up and headed for the car. Before closing the door, he said:

- All hope is in you. Everyone's waiting for you.

The car rolled on its way, leaving Haruki alone.

"Why can't my magic suppress the aura of other people's magic in my body?" - Haruki frustrated.

*ChemRhythm Chemical Plant*

A car belonging to the committee members arrived at the grounds of the ChemRhythm Chemical Plant, where a horrible terrorist attack had recently occurred. Ryoma, Kazuto, and Yukio, three determined committee members, got out of the car.They stared at the debris that was left behind after the explosion, and Kazuto turned to Yukio with concern:

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

- Yukio, it's dangerous here, isn't it? I realize that all the toxic waste hasn't been cleaned up yet.

Yukio looked at the wreckage of the chemical plant and nodded in agreement:

- Yeah, you're right. So let's take the masks. - Yukio took three masks out of his pocket and handed them to each of his colleagues.

Now outside, they went to the roof, which had barely survived the massive explosion. Ryoma was overcome with an uneasy feeling, and he put his fears into words:

- My intuition tells me that someone is watching us.

Yukio turned to him, patted him on the shoulder and stated:

- It's obvious, Ryoma. You shouldn't be surprised by that. We are the center of attention. Despite that, however, we need to remain vigilant as colleagues and friends.

Their eyes were focused on the landscape in front of them - destroyed structures and debris scattered in different directions, testimony to the force of the explosion. The factory was badly damaged, and their masks were a precaution not only against the poisonous gases, but also against the dust that rose from behind the debris. The committee members climbed to the roof of the factory, watching everything.Ryouma, deciding to take on the role of a scout, confidently announced:

- I'll check out the entire area! I'll use my x-ray magic and scout the...

- *Breathless* - suddenly an explosive crystal hit Ryoum's chest directly.

Kazuto and Yukio avoided the danger by dodging, but Ryoma was injured. Kazuto, angered by this, shouted angrily:

- Sakura! May you be cursed!

Sakura, one of the members of the Poison Queens, stepped onto the roof and directed her threatening glares at the three Committee members.

- Your two friends must have already tried the deadly poison from Yuki at HQ and are now lying half-forgotten in unconsciousness.

Yukio, with terror in his eyes, whispered to Kazuto:

- What a bunch of bitches! Maybe they set a trap just for us.

Sakura revealed her plans:

- Let me introduce you to Miyuka," a little terrorist girl, barely nine years old, came out of the door. - Now you will fall asleep, and Miyuka will torment you in your dreams. And then, I wonder what will happen next? We blow up the industrial sector where benzene is produced.

Yukio flinched in surprise upon learning of the Poison Queens' plans and warned them:

- Do you realize what you're up to? Benzene causes severe and fatal poisoning. Stop, you fools.

Miyuka, waving dismissively, walked between them to Sakura and a grenade flew out of her hands as if to say:

- It's bedtime, dogs.

Kazuto urgently grabbed the grenade and tossed it aside, warning Yukio loudly:

- Quick, duck!

Miyuka laughed and spoke up:

- It was so easy for you to hurt her! Ha ha! The grenade was harmless, it didn't even explode. But as soon as you touch it with your hands, it turns into your pillow and you fall asleep.

Kazuto suddenly felt the weight of the forcing sleep and his body collapsed to the ground unconscious, the last words he managed to utter:

- Here I am. That's it.

Yukio, staring at him with a horrified look, felt panic in his inner world. He needed a plan of action so badly that he quickly decided to use his magic and muttered:

- Magic: Critical Thinking... - But before he could finish the spell, Sakura quickly flicked explosive crystals from her hands in his direction.

Yukio, managing to dodge, realized that time was working against him. At that moment, Miyuka approached the lifeless Kazuto and said:

- Magic: Dream Penetration - Suddenly it turned to dust and instantly entered Kazuto's body, trapping him in her dark dreams.

Yukio, realizing that Kazuto would be left without help, instantly rushed over to Ryoma who was trying to give himself first aid after being hit by the explosive crystal. Observing this, Sakura nonchalantly said:

- Your fate is already sealed. Soon you'll both be dead!

Yukio risked his life to drag Ryoma to the first floor while a storm of self-destruction raged inside him and he had to deal with grief and untimely death. Finally, they reached the first floor. Yukio turned to his companion:

- I realize we had a set-up... Damn it! My magic is still useless. I don't understand why I'm the lead investigator if I can't find a solution. I'm sorry I let you down!

Ryoma, laughing at Yukio, backed him up:

- There's a reason you became chief investigator, Yukio, don't give up. You're a genius in this world! You can handle them!

Yukio placed Ryoma on the floor and resolutely climbed back up to the roof of the factory, loudly telling Sakura:

- I swear you'll pay for everything, you ugly bitch!

Sakura, hearing the insults, filled with rage:

- How dare you call me an ugly beast?! Die, you animal! - Sakura threw explosive crystals at Yukio.

Yukio, flexibly avoiding each of them, suddenly hid behind a structure on the roof and impetuously added:

- Magic: Critical Thinking! - Yukio was able to turn on his magic and began to receive information about the plan that the members of the Poison Queens had so cunningly conceived.

Sakura saw this and realized that they had uncovered her sinister plan, she cried out:

- You won't get away from me, you sneaky bastard! No more mercy!

Yukio instantly realized the plan and realized what he needed to do. With confidence, he straightened up and walked towards Sakura. Sakura, seeing this, thought Yukio was already dead and grudgingly mumbled:

- Are you going to attack me? You're going to die a humiliating death, you scum! - Sakura continued to attack Yukio with her crystals.

Yukio approaching Sakura grabbed her arm and pointed it at her face, Sakura was surprised but couldn't stop her own attack and the explosive crystal flew into her face, she only managed to say:

- Petty. Dog! - Sakura flew off into the debris below.

Yukio realized that he had won this petty fight and ran up to Kazuto, thinking about how to get Miyuku out of it, but he didn't waste any time and ran to the bottom floor to Ryouma.As he ran up and crouched down, he said the victory words:

- I did it. I'll help you now and we'll continue to the industrial sector.

Ryoma asked Yukio:

- Doyouhave a plan yet?

replied:

- There is no exact plan But we have time to come up with one.