Chapter 142 : What Remains Unchanged (4)

September 12

“Hecate, what are you doing there?”

“…I’m playing.”

“No, I mean why are you setting up a parasol in the empty lot and playing games on a blanket?”

“E-Even the Successor shouldn’t criticize others’ hobbies… even the goddess doesn’t interfere with hobbies.”

“Are you using that speech pattern to annoy me?”

“The primordial language directly conveys emotions too… so that’s why.”

“…”

Ever since clearing up the awkwardness between me and Yuki, Hecate would often do ridiculous things like this. Perhaps it could be called excessively honest and spontaneous behavior towards herself.

‘The more ridiculous thing is that she’s not trying to be funny.’

It had been several months since Hecate started interacting with various magical girls to learn about her own life beyond the orders left by the goddess of [Beginning].

-Successor, then I’ll be off to the exchange meeting.

-Where are you going?

-Korea this time.

-Be honest. You’re going to an internet cafe, right?

-T-That’s… not a bad thing, is it?

Hecate, who had been establishing her own humanity through interactions with many people, became an excellent game addict. Sometimes it was even impressive how she enjoyed games in such diverse ways.

“According to the movement of the stars, today there’s a sign of big success…”

Even now, she had been enjoying games on a handheld console for over 6 hours under the parasol, and a collectible card game was running on the smartphone set up beside her.

Swipe

Rattle

“Ah… it doesn’t come out well when I draw with a single pull.”

Tap

Tap

Tap

Tap

Tap

Tap

Tap

Tap

Tap

“…Trash game.”

While conscious of me, Hecate fiddled with her smartphone whenever she had a chance. Sometimes she even held the game console and smartphone in both hands, alternating between them. Though it was somewhat cute because it was a beautiful girl doing it, it was still quite an ugly sight.

‘She’s not some elementary schooler in a dopamine overdose state.’

If she added a tablet and turned on a video streaming site, she would become a perfect dystopian dopamine-addicted girl soaked in pleasure. Imagining Hecate using internet memes and broadcast terms in her head made me dizzy for a moment.

‘Dorim, who uses the internet a lot, actually doesn’t use internet memes. But Hecate seems like she’d be immediately influenced.’

Because she was a noble pure white, Hecate absorbed colors faster than anyone.

Whether as compensation psychology for having worked for a long time, Hecate couldn’t escape from games that gave her the most instant pleasure.

-These days, Miss Hecate doesn’t even look at the movement of stars after dealing with demons, she just returns to the lighthouse right away.

-She says there’s no use looking since fate has been twisted anyway…

According to the testimony of the golden girls, on her days off she spends almost every day playing games until 4 AM, waking up past noon, then playing games again until 4 AM.

“W-What is it?”

“…”

Red eyes glancing at me nervously. Numerous emotions were still slowly rising in them.

Anxiety

Impatience

Tension

If on the day I first met her they were like the glass eyes of a doll, now they were the eyes of an ordinary girl worried about having her game console taken away.

As much happiness that arises, greed and obsession also arise, and fear and irritation to protect them also arise.

It could be seen as a process of explosively embodying the knowledge and experiences already accumulated in her head through interactions with girls.

“You’ve changed a lot.”

“W-What do you mean?”

“You’ve become more human.”

“…”

Hecate put down her game console for a moment and showed a shy expression after hearing my words. That expression too was the manifestation of a new emotion arising from realizing that her current self was being slovenly.

Not a perfect doll that is:

Flawless, noble, and serene.

But an imperfect human who is:

Lacking, desperate, and intense.

“Still, I didn’t expect Hecate, who always talked about missions and orders, to change so dramatically.”

“…Even I didn’t know I had such pleasure-seeking and shy aspects to myself.”

“You were shy from the beginning, pretending to be solemn to keep people from approaching.”

“W-What’s wrong with being… introverted?”

“I’m not criticizing.”

“T-The Successor… seems to have a tendency to insist on not interfering as long as the basics are kept.”

“Hehe.”

A warm breeze blew into the open space of Elysion where we were standing. But the scent of summer mixed in the wind was diminishing compared to yesterday.

As much as time passed, humanity was also enduring the trials.

The outside world only praised me who had foreseen all of this, and cheered for the brilliance of the magical girls saving the world from demons.

‘Even that has become more familiar than excitement after more than a year since magical girls appeared.’

Most of the sick are healed by magical girls, and the terrifying demons are defeated by magical girls. People cheer for them who strive only to protect people, and talk matter-of-factly about what will happen after overcoming the trials.

This world was already facing tomorrow.

This world already had hope.

Then after overcoming all the trials.

Wouldn’t it be natural for the Magical Girl of [Hope] to quietly step aside?

“Hecate.”

Hecate responded to my serious voice, quietly turned off her game console, and looked at me solemnly.

Mechanical and strange, but Hecate who had kept me from drifting away somewhere since the first day I came to this world. I felt bad about entrusting another heavy burden to the girl who had already fulfilled her mission sufficiently.

“I have a request.”

“I’m listening.”

“After overcoming all the trials, if humanity overcomes even the three goddesses and the stars…”

“…”

“…Please help Yuki lead the magical girls.”

“Yuki?”

“I merely reign with the authority passed on by the goddess of [Beginning] and overflowing infinite power, I have nothing more to teach magical girls beyond facing tomorrow.”

“…”

“Please help Yuki lead Elysion and the magical girls well even after I’m gone.”

“Why Yuki?”

“…Because Yuki was the only one who taught the spirit of magical girls in an era of despair where there was nothing.”

“I see.”

Hecate closed her eyes for a moment and nodded with difficulty.

Not obedience, but permission.

Those few seconds it took to answer indicated that Hecate and my relationship had already changed. She didn’t obey, but considered and gave permission as my companion.

Hecate’s attitude had changed,

My role had changed,

Our relationship had changed.

To change is to move forward.

That’s how we were moving forward.

“I understand.”

“Thank you.”

“Where do you plan to go after the trials end?”

“To my original world.”

“You’re thinking of returning?”

“Yes.”

I am an outsider who flowed in from death by the goddess of [Beginning]. Even if this place has become my second home, my journey will end by finding my mother again.

As long as the soul of the man named Shim Hyun-woo lives and breathes within Shirogane Hikari. If I were to ignore that, I would no longer be able to exist as myself. That’s why I must leave once they escape from their unreasonable fate.

“Even if the Successor’s heart changes and you decide to stay, I will always respect the Successor.”

“Why? I’m not omnipotent like a god, and I wasn’t originally destined to be a magical girl.”

“Because I believe in Hikari who is neither god nor magical girl.”

“…”

“Not because of the goddess’s orders, but because I believe in everything I’ve seen.”

“…”

Hecate believed in me not as a apostle and messenger, but as a companion.

The belief she sent was the same, but the basis of that belief had changed.

As Hecate finished speaking, the silver-white glass star placed under the white blanket on the ground glowed softly.

The fate of humans who have escaped from this star’s great flow.

It wasn’t as beautiful as the moment of blooming.

It wasn’t as sublime as the moment of full bloom.

Just a subtle change.

Not a girl who only follows the voice of god, but a girl who watches and believes in everything including god.

Magical Girl of [Faith].

“Fate has changed.”

“It has. Hecate’s fate…”

“No.”

Hecate quietly raised her head and looked at the sky beyond the parasol. I also looked up at the blue sky following her.

“…”

Though starlight was hard to see in the midday sky obscured by the sun, through divinity I could feel the positions of the stars slowly changing in the sky.

The sky that always pointed only to the fate of destruction.

The fate of this world had changed.

It was changing towards uncertain possibilities rather than confirmed destruction.

“…”

Not as a growing sprout, but as extending branches.

This world was changing on its own, leaving my hands.

In the changing fate, magical girls were running towards wider and infinite possibilities.

* * *

October 6

[Notice from Elysion Observatory!! The fifth trial has been defeated!!]

[The red atmosphere will soon… soon…?]

[Huh?! It’s not… not changing!! Emergency situation!!]

It didn’t change.

Though we drove away the birds scattering plague through ominous wings.

The sky didn’t turn blue again, and demons kept popping out of endlessly opening rifts.

[Demons keep coming out!! Everyone please go to the expected areas!!]

[It’s an emergency situation where the rifts keep not closing!!]

We continued fighting until winter when the coldest chill arrives.

Something was going wrong.