Light and Darkness (10)

Light and Darkness (10)

“Oh shit, this is insane…”

“What are you looking at… Eek! Why are you watching this!”

It was already late. A small commotion arose in this office dominated by lethargy and fatigue from overtime work.

The source of the commotion was the manager who seemed to have given up on going home today, and other employees who saw the video he was watching on his phone amplified the disturbance.

“Kids these days are so bold. Just uploading this kind of thing on social media.”

“It’s horrific…”

Even the deputy head, the highest-ranking person in the office except for the absent department head, had abandoned work and was engrossed in watching the video.

The video was about the brutal and merciless ‘judgment’ that Rene had carried out at a middle school in broad daylight today, which one of the students had filmed right next to the scene and spread on the internet.

Of course, there was no censorship or editing.

All the vivid noises, screams, and voices from the scene were captured in the video.

“…Those perpetrators, aren’t they the ones who beat up a perfectly healthy kid two years ago, leaving them completely disabled, and got away with it because they were minors?”

“I think I saw that article. It caused quite a stir on the internet when they came out with their audacious excuses, but in the end, nothing came of it.”

“Yeah. Maybe that’s why this feels oddly satisfying.”

The department head said jokingly with a laugh. The peculiar thing was that even though he was defending this horrific judgment, no one seemed to object.

In fact, some employees were nodding in agreement, perhaps because the most senior member, the department head, had taken the lead in speaking up.

“You know what? If they had been properly punished in the first place, this wouldn’t have happened. What’s the point of all the talk and creating cathartic fictional scenarios if nothing changes in reality?”

The usually talkative department head, seemingly encouraged by the employees’ supportive attitude, raised his voice.

This is precisely one of the areas Renaissance had calculated – scratching the right spot for the public to gain their support.

Even on the internet, where fierce debates about Casilena’s actions were taking place, nearly half of the commenters were supporting them.

“People only listen when you beat them…”

“Mr. Park, I need you to check something. I sent you an email, but you haven’t looked at it at all.”

That’s when the group of employees huddled around the office desk dispersed.

The department head, who had been passionately expounding on society’s injustices and his own ideology, was called back to his seat by a young accountant who had come to the office.

“We were just taking a short break. Please don’t misunderstand.”

“Of course, I understand.”

“By the way… Ms. Seo Na-eun, what do you think about this incident?”

The department head glanced at her while checking the documents at his desk. Her expression, framed by short black hair, was as impassive as ever.

“Which incident are you referring to?”

“You know, the magical girls who’ve come forward to judge the sinners. Casilena, or whatever they’re called.”

Despite her cold demeanor and clear boundaries, the reason he persistently tried to engage her in conversation was simple: he was still single in his late thirties, and the accountant standing before him was known as the most beautiful woman in the company.

“I’m not sure. More importantly, I’m busy with work right now.”

“I-I see.”

She slightly furrowed her brow and looked down at him sitting in his seat.

Overwhelmed by her presence, he finally closed his mouth and lowered his eyes.

Of course, the pressure weighing down on the deputy manager wasn’t simply the aura of a haughty beauty. With the enormous magical power intentionally filling the space, it was inevitable for most people to feel overwhelmed.

“Are you alright?”

“Yes. Thank you. From now on, please make sure to check your emails on time.”

“…Yes.”

As she received the documents from the deputy manager and turned to leave, she suddenly staggered as if kicking at the air.

Mistaking it for a twisted ankle due to her high heels, he jumped up from his seat in surprise, but she only turned her head, her expression unchanged, and stared at him, making him sit back down.

“I-I’m telling you the truth. That guy looks at you with eyes full of desire every time he sees you. Especially on days when you wear short clothes…”

“And you relaying that to me every time is just teasing me, right?”

On the rooftop of the building, dominated by the cold night air.

The accountant, Seo Na-eun, said she was leaving work and came here alone. However, one peculiar thing was that she was talking as if someone was beside her. She wasn’t on a phone call either.

“But if it’s not for that, I have nothing to do… I’m bored, you know.”

“Then please just go away.”

She chuckled and skillfully took out a cigarette from her pocket and lit it.

And below her, a chubby creature that looked like a pig character was wandering around, rubbing its recently kicked bottom. It was her mascot that had been with her for a full 20 years.

“Sigh, and we have something to do today.”

“Honestly, it was a bit unexpected. You, who declared… no, firmly announced your retirement, saying you’d return to action on your own.”

“I’m not going to be active. I just want to see her once. Come on, does it make sense for a 33-year-old to be a magical girl? I’ve been through hell from 13 to 28. That’s enough.”

She frowned as she exhaled smoke. For her now, the identity of a magical girl was like shackles.

There was a time when she was young and proud of it, working hard, but becoming too absorbed in magical girl activities ruined her school days, made her fail to get into university, and messed up her life plans from the start. She still regrets her magical girl activities.

“As one of the first, I really went through all kinds of hardships. Fighting monsters, criminals, you guys pressuring us, and even this society. But seeing her crush all of that from the start and impressively win people over is amazing.”

There was only one reason she decided to move again after 5 years of stopping activities, 5 years of not transforming.

Curiosity and interest in Renée. Above all, Seo Na-eun, who values the ordinary life she barely obtained after retirement more than anything, was worried that Casilena’s rampage might affect her as well.

“I hear our cute junior is struggling too. What can we do? Compared to that psycho monster girl Taquilas or whatever, it seems doable.”

“As expected, Aria must have been insufficient to fill your shoes.”

After discarding the finished cigarette, she once again took something out from her mascot. What she pulled out was a ring invisible to others’ eyes. Putting it on her finger, she instantly drew up magical power and activated the Connector.

“Oh… how long has it been since I’ve done this?”

The mascot jumped up and down excitedly. The being that appeared with a gust of wind was completely different from before.

“Ah. This feels really awkward.”

Though her manner of speaking was the same, even her voice was slightly different.

The mature OL with a height over 170cm had disappeared, and in her place was a cute silver-haired girl who looked barely in her early teens, frowning and irritably dusting off her white skirt adorned with fancy frills.

“I’ll go quickly and come back fast.”

Magical Girl Karin, who had so easily returned to the world after 5 years, shot up into the sky in an instant.

Although she grumbled about feeling awkward, her body didn’t agree. Instantly adapting to the sensations of the past, her body, once rated as the strongest, crossed space at tremendous speed towards the meeting place.

She had already made contact through the mascot. In fact, at the entrance of the bunker in the mountains, which was the meeting place, the director of the Management Bureau, Lee Min-hyung, and his staff were secretly waiting.

“It’s the new director. More importantly, seeing that you didn’t reject my proposal, I guess you were feeling frustrated?”

“…Nice to meet you, Magical Girl Karin.”

Director Lee Min-hyung awkwardly greeted her as she landed on the ground. He had to constantly remind himself that despite her appearance of an early teenage girl, she was actually a grown adult in her thirties.

“The recent social problem of some magical girls going berserk, please persuade them. We don’t have the power to do so, and if this continues, an extreme clash will be unavoidable.”

“Well, I’m not interested in such grand things anymore. I’m already tired of all that talk about justice and whatnot. I’m just trying to find out before this issue grows and affects me too. If you’re thinking of using me as a hunting dog, it won’t work.”

Karin sneered and drew a clear line.

She used to be the hunting dog before Aria and the reason for the Management Bureau’s creation, but that’s ancient history now.

After becoming an adult and realizing her own strength, she had risen from a subordinate to a superior position. Now, there was no one who dared to order or direct her.

“So what do you think, Aria?”

As the director fell silent, having nothing more to say, Karin turned her head in another direction. There, Aria, who had arrived earlier, stepped out of the shadows with a stern face and faced her.

“I think we need to stop them. I just don’t think their will is wrong. So I’m not angry. I don’t pity them either. But I only have one body, and although I’m running around busily, I can’t deny that there are shortcomings.”

“Right. You’re a high school student now. You’re… becoming an adult too.”

Karin sighed as she looked into Aria’s unwavering eyes. The reason she had a special attachment to Aria, one of her much younger juniors, was simple.

She had a similar personality and history to her own past. And her growth was visible.

From a child who moved according to the will of adults and the pressure of society they belonged to, to now becoming an adult who acts on her own will and beliefs.

To Karin, who felt a sense of kinship, it was like watching the growth of a cute little sister.

“From the beginning, we magical girls are contradictory beings by our very nature. We’re even more incompatible with the complex and developed world of Earth. That’s why I gave up on everything, but seeing our junior struggling like this, I can step in mindlessly once.”

Karin smirked and finally took off into the sky once again.