Lauren

**Lauren** is a character in *Magical Girl Policy*. She appears as the viewpoint character in the "Black Cats" vignette, as an employee at the Poltergeist Halloween store when it is attacked by the monster Tricky Streetcat.

## Appearance

Lauren is a young woman who considers herself less attractive than Angela and her cheerleader friends.

## Personality

Lauren is a disgruntled retail worker who gets impatient for her shift to end, though her irritability is shown to be exacerbated by Tricky Streetcat periodically draining her Investiture and annoying her with frequent meows. She is implied to have grown up being shunned by the popular crowd, as she has immediate disdain at seeing a group cheerleaders and envies them for their looks and popularity. Halloween is her favorite holiday, as it is a time where people let loose and can be someone they're not.

## Abilities

Lauren has a larger Investiture than the average human, a trait commonly seen in Kessia City residents. Lauren's Investiture is considered by Tricky Streetcat to be particularly tasty to drain, as it is painted by the annoyance and frustration Lauren has from her job.

## Biography

### Background

The year before the start of the series, Lauren got a seasonal job at Poltergeist Halloween as an easy way to help fund her Christmas plans. One day, an unfamiliar black cat decoration is placed at the front of the store and irritates both employees and customers with its frequent meowing, but everyone denies being the one to have put it there. On the third day of this, Lauren sees a group of cheerleaders from SAU, though one of the four just before entering splits off from the others, seemingly having forgotten something in the car. While Lauren greets the group, they are interrupted by the security alarm, which Spirit Guard Valor accidentally triggered when she broke off the emergency door. The hero appeared to fight the monster Tricky Streetcat, who morphs from the cat decoration into a catlike humanoid form. At Valor's command, the cheerleaders run out of the store, but Lauren is too shocked to move. Tricky Streetcat had been draining Investiture from those in the store while in disguise and is especially fond of Lauren's energy, so she tries to capture her. Valor knocks the monster away and again orders Lauren to flee, which Lauren obeys. Driving away, Lauren resolves to quit her job even if it means she won't have as much money for Christmas gifts as planned and annoy her family.

## Relationships

### Tricky Streetcat

Tricky Streetcat is placed at the front of Poltergeist Halloween in the form of a cat decoration, periodically draining Investiture from employees like Lauren as well as customers. Lauren finds the decoration's frequent meows to be very annoying, with her drained Investiture making her even more irritable. Tricky Streetcat greatly enjoys Lauren's Investiture and becomes fond of her, wishing to keep her for herself. Lauren is unfamiliar with the existence of monsters and is paralyzed at the sight of one until Spirit Guard Valor convinces her to flee. Lauren, not wanting to deal with such a thing ever again, decides she'll quit her job.

### Angela Warrant

Lauren sees Angela among a group of cheerleaders entering Poltergeist Halloween, envying Angela's appearance the most. She sees Spirit Guard Valor moments later, but due to the Disconnection Effect, she does not recognize her and views her in awe, with Lauren's narration likening her to an angel. Like with the monsters, Lauren had not heard of the hero. She considers Valor's heroic speech to be corny yet oddly motivating.