episode_0005

I wanted to become a magical girl too.

…No, I mean, saying it like that out of the blue does sound weird. I’m saying this just to avoid any misunderstandings, but naturally, I never had such thoughts in my past life as a man. Isn’t that obvious? It’s only after coming to this side that I started thinking about it.

Aren’t they the ones I used to see in webtoons? Moreover, considering there was even a setting in the webtoon that they were pretty, it was clear that magical girls in this world would definitely be beautiful. I always thought that my appearance wasn’t that far behind even when I was young, and I’ve been close enough to Blisum, who went to the same school since childhood, to be considered childhood friends.

So naturally, I thought I would fit in smoothly among them.

Moreover, I have a story.

Unlike the magical girls born into middle-class or higher households who are living relatively well, unlike those from this side, my parents don’t exist in this world.

To be precise, in this world, I am a “baby box” baby.

A box connected to the outside, found occasionally in churches, where only one newborn can fit. I must have ended up in that box, meant more as a place to put a baby rather than abandoning them on the street.

It’s not like the orphanage I’m in now is a Christian-affiliated one. The fact is, the church-operated orphanage was overcrowded, so after inquiring at various places, I was finally able to move to a place with more space.

I’ve never told anyone this story.

Even Blisum, who has known me for a long time, doesn’t know that I grew up in an orphanage without parents. There’s a possibility that he might have noticed while looking into it alone, but at least until now, whether he didn’t imagine it or pretended not to know, he hasn’t said anything.

Still, until a couple of years ago, I did mention wanting to come over to our house, but maybe I’ve given up by now.

…Anyway.

The orphanage I’m in is quite decent, so we receive support from the country, and there are also major corporations that provide regular sponsorship. This “major corporation” refers to global companies, not Nuar Corporation, which started sponsoring us when I began working.

However, even with the government support and corporate donations, after spending money on the children, paying salaries to the staff, taxes, and utility bills, there’s hardly anything left. Saving is nearly impossible, so sudden breakdowns or facilities aging faster than expected are difficult to repair.

That’s why I started working.

Instead of receiving a salary, all the money I earn goes to the orphanage. Thanks to this, the orphanage has built up an “emergency fund,” and the children can now have better meals.

As it was merely “corporate sponsorship,” there was no need for anyone to know that I benefited from it. If Blorosom… Well, how would Hayoon react if she were to hear this story? She might react as if it were an act of corporate generosity. After all, she is a righteous magical girl. Well, it’s just a mutually beneficial understanding.

“Here, this is the new equipment,” said the officer, James. Though his name and face were very Earth-like, in reality, this officer was an alien who had called me into his office separately. The office was quite luxurious. The auditorium earlier wasn’t a shabby space by any means, but here, it felt like the office of a high-ranking executive at a major corporation. A spacious area with large windows, and a desk positioned in front of those windows. Towards the front of the desk, there was a guest table and a sofa, and ironically (mocking), I was seated at that guest spot. …Special treatment, huh? If they didn’t see potential in me, they wouldn’t have bothered to call me here. They would have just sent me home after that sales presentation earlier. Seating me on the sofa, the officer opened a large box that was on the table. As the sturdy case-shaped box opened, the equipment was neatly arranged inside. Fundamentally, it looked almost similar to what I had been using. However, there was a bit more added to the design—and above all, the equipment was brand new. When he noticed my slightly surprised expression, the officer seemed to think it was a positive reaction. With a delighted expression, he began introducing each piece of equipment. “First, it’s a high-capacity circuit. Ms. Jung used to adjust the output by regulating her emotions in the last battle.” Looking at me, as if asking, “Using energy that arises from overcoming fear, right?” I said, “…Courage arises from the process of overcoming fear.” Using the energy that springs from despair is a secret to the outside world. And it’s also a secret that we are attempting “environmentally friendly development” with that energy. To put it bluntly, providing humanity with an appropriate level of consciousness while keeping them alive in a state where they can’t just die, and generating a huge amount of energy through the despair felt in the process of working. Isn’t it okay to use that logic since everyone will feel much more despair anyway? Naturally, if this story were to spread to the general public, there would be tremendous backlash, so it’s a secret. Furthermore, Nuar Corporation plans to siphon off that energy for its own use. That’s why it’s an “evil organization.” Conversely, the Hope Circuit of the Galactic Federation was also created for similar reasons. Sacrifice of the few for the many, or sacrifice of the majority for the whole in the name of fairness.

“Hope and despair, separate from the images they carry, which one is more rational… that’s the author’s intention. The author himself explained it, but to be honest, I think the author just attached a theme to the setting that emerged as they wrote.

“Excellent,” James said, nodding as he pushed the case toward me. “Take a look.”

It seemed as though he thought I was eager for that equipment. Did he not see my expression at all back in the auditorium? No, it didn’t seem like that. It was more like he simply didn’t care about anyone else’s feelings. Or perhaps his appearance wasn’t actually similar to that of Earthlings, but rather something like a mask hiding his true form. If it wasn’t his own face, it would make sense that he wasn’t accustomed to my expressions.

Well, even so, I couldn’t show a response like “You don’t have to show it if you don’t want to,” so I slowly reached out and picked up the circuit.

It’s heavy. That was my first impression. The circuit, which looked somewhat like a large wristwatch, seemed even bigger upon closer inspection. It really did seem to be “high-capacity.”

“We’ve also added a charging function,” he said, which surprised me a bit.

“…Is that possible?”

Emotions are volatile. No matter how intense an emotion may be, it only flares up at that moment. There probably isn’t anyone in the entire galaxy who can sustain an emotion for years. That’s why there are “despair” and “hope.” These two concepts are not single emotions, but rather “concepts” formed by the gathering of specific emotions.

“Of course, it doesn’t store ‘courage.’ You can store emotions here,” he said, pointing to his head. “And only here.”

He pointed near his heart as he spoke. “It stores converted energy. It can store a large amount of energy momentarily, and at the same time, use it all at once.”

Indeed. Dividing it wouldn’t hold any meaning for magical girls.

“Try pressing the two parts.”

Following his words, I pressed the button that popped out near the crown of the watch.

Click.

The circuit, resembling a compass with only half a needle, opened with a metallic click. Inside was a battery about the size of a 9V rectangular battery. Of course, this wasn’t a real battery, and to someone like an MIT professor, it would probably be high-tech equipment worthy of envy.

“After use, just take it out and replace it with a new one.”

There seemed to be a jacket-like part on the side of the neatly arranged top, which appeared to serve that purpose.

“….”

At this point, I felt a little dubious. Not that, I’m just a combatant. Of course, I’m scouted by NuArt Corporation as a scout, and I’m a bit of an unusual Earthling. But that’s about it.

If I had the potential to become something like a magical girl, I would have approached the intergalactic federation long ago. There are two possibilities that come to mind immediately: either working hard and becoming a magical girl sponsored by the Nuar Corporation, or becoming a sacrificial lamb. Both options were incredibly embarrassing for me. Just as my friends don’t know that I grew up in an orphanage, they also don’t know that I’m a combatant in this company. I have no intention of dedicating my life to such a place. Why would I continue working for a company that will collapse in the latter part of its production? I plan to work only until I can graduate from the orphanage, find a proper job, and steadily pay off my dues.

Well, I hardly need to worry about the former. That’s close to being an overconsciousness. What’s important is the latter. The company doesn’t even know that I’ve been spotted by Iris. They’ve seen the helmet footage. In that case, wouldn’t it be more advantageous to just let Iris expose me directly, causing me to either get seriously hurt or killed? It’s a terrible image, but for now, I am a legal employee of a company, straddling the gray area between legality and illegality, an extraterrestrial invader. The best way to tip the scales in one direction is to shatter the image of the other side. …Right now, I seem pitiful enough, with some reasonable justification. Perhaps they’re trying to “instill courage” in me. “…Impressive.” But I’m not foolish enough to reveal such thoughts in front of this person. The officer’s expression was rather cold. Hmm. “W-Well, that’s amazing! Absolutely amazing.” As I forced a smile and exclaimed, James seemed satisfied, nodding his head as if content. Quite tiresome, really.

“Oh, buddy!” Coming out of the building with a feeling that somehow I’d become a scapegoat, the Earthling vigorously waved at me. Since it’s a shopping mall on the first floor, it shouldn’t be too cold, and our conversation wasn’t particularly long. “How did it go? What did you talk about?” “Go away, traitor.” I grumbled as I pushed him away, and the Earthling genuinely looked hurt. Well, he probably tried to follow me all the way to the stage. I sighed deeply. “I got promoted.” “I heard about that too.” “…And I got new gear.” “Oh?” The Earthling patted my back. Ouch. “That’s impressive! So, did your salary increase too?” “Well, a little.” All of it goes straight into the orphanage, though. When I glanced back, the Earthling was smiling at me. “On days like this, we should celebrate! My treat!” “…Do you have money?” “Uh, well…,” He rummaged through his pockets. From his pocket, he pulled out a crumpled ten-thousand-won bill. “Here it is!” “…Let’s go Dutch.” I said, sighing softly.

“I believe in the potential of Earthlings.”

I don’t know how many times I’ve heard that.

Do you know about it? Earthlings are not affected by caffeine. In fact, for many animals, caffeine is a toxin. Humans are the only ones who consume it as a stimulant. And this concept applies similarly to other planets. What it exactly means is that this Earthling’s body cannot fully metabolize caffeine. This is one of the charms of traveling to Earth. On their own planet, minors cannot drink caffeine, but on Earth, they can drink as much as they want. Although, it does make you wonder if it’s right for minors to live alone in a different country.

“Do you know how excited the Galactic Federation was when they found Voyager for the first time?”

“I feel like I’ve heard that story at least seven times already.”

I let out a deep sigh.

“People from a planet that can’t even use magic managed to send something into outer space without magic! And they did it in an incredibly primitive way!” When NASA people hear this, they must shed tears. While you guys could just teleport there using magic, Earthlings need tremendous technological prowess even to launch a single rocket. It’s not just about brute force; it involves designing the optimal trajectory and considering the positions of planets to fly as far as possible, even using the gravity of planets to propel themselves further. And apparently, to them, such a fact itself feels like a Rube Goldberg device. They can just warp, after all.

“And that golden record that was there! Earthlings put greetings and songs on an item that no one knows when, who, or how will find it! Solely out of curiosity about what might be outside the universe, solely driven by passion, countless people gathered!”

“…Could you lower your voice a bit?”

I let out a deep sigh.

Yes, this is the cause of ‘Earthling fever.’ Don’t we also have such biases? Some prejudices about people from certain countries. Even in countries with a large population, there are naturally both timid and bold individuals, yet strangely, shedding prejudices is not easy.

Moreover, thanks to the extraterrestrials who accidentally found Voyager while conducting a pre-encounter scan before encountering humanity, the image of ‘Earthlings’ throughout the universe was that of ‘those who never succumbed to any adversity and ultimately journeyed into space,’ metaphorically speaking, ‘the Odysseus of the universe.’

Even now, due to the magical girl videos widely circulated for promotional purposes throughout the Galactic Federation, this image has become even more pronounced. A being that never loses hope and only moves forward.

Quite grandiose, isn’t it?

“Hooray for Earthlings! Cheers to their potential!”

As I watched the Earthling enthusiasts raise their mugs and shout, I covered my forehead.

*

“Heheh. Caffeine truly is best consumed through coffee…”

“…”

I didn’t expect this to happen from just one cup.

Upon further thought, even if they are the same size, adding a shot will increase the caffeine content. Did I add it while I wasn’t looking? Although my eyes had adjusted, as expected, the ground was quite thickly piled and slippery.

It wasn’t a particularly good surface, but that doesn’t mean it’s okay for people to walk all over it and turn the snowy field dark. If I leave it like this, I’ll seem like such a terrible person, won’t I?

Alright, let’s just roughly toss it at the company dorm. There are plenty of empty rooms anyway. Since it’s part of the company’s welfare, we don’t get extra money. Big companies are indeed big companies.

With the Earthba’s arm draped around my neck, I staggered forward, barely able to see ahead. Well, the nearby area is a familiar path, so it’s not a big problem—

“…Jieun?”

Huh.

At the sudden sound of a familiar voice, I raised my head. The first thing you notice when you see Hayoon is undoubtedly her dazzling hair color. And next, what catches your eye is, again, the similar-colored irises. They’re pretty irises, but they remind me unnecessarily that this world isn’t where I originally lived.

“Jieun.”

I froze stiff.

The weather was cold, but it wasn’t unbearable to this extent. This was purely because of my mood. It’s not like Hayoon would think something strange of me just because she saw me in this state. But what about Hayoon’s friends?

“Hayoon, who…?”

Hayoon is my childhood friend. But being childhood friends doesn’t mean we live in the same world. We just happened to end up in the same class at the same school.

It’s really a coincidence, but the neighborhood I live in faces a road that divides a relatively poor area on one side and a fairly affluent neighborhood on the other. Naturally, unless you specifically choose a private school, it’s possible for students from these two different backgrounds to end up at the same school. Usually, there’s no need for them to clash at school. They naturally form their own groups.

However, sometimes kids like me and Hayoon, who are somewhat out of place, become friends. And in that case, the “overlapping friend” is only each other.

“Huh? Oh, this is… ”

No, you’re in the same class, aren’t you?

Unintentionally, I glanced at the kid who asked Hayoon to introduce me. That was intentional. Hayoon’s face is already known on a small scale. It probably wouldn’t sit well with them that someone like me, with nothing special, is friends with someone like her. I don’t know why it bothers them.

“…This is my childhood friend, Jieun.”

Hayoon reflexively introduced me, but midway through speaking, she seemed to realize her mistake and her face paled slightly.

“Oh, really? You’re Jiyeon, right? Hi.”

She probably called me by the wrong name on purpose.

“We’re in the same class.”

I looked at her intentionally and said, “Seems like your memory isn’t great. Or maybe you have prosopagnosia.”

Oops.

Feeling the already tense atmosphere grow even more hostile, I inwardly shouted that way. Normally, I’m quiet in class. Naturally, she wouldn’t have expected me to respond aggressively like this.

No, perhaps she didn’t think I’d even understand a joke?

But right now, I was incredibly annoyed, and she was a bit unlucky… Well, I guess I can say that.

“Ah…”

Even Hwayoon, who knows my personality to some extent, sighed as if she was in trouble.

“You’re saying that to a classmate?”

Her eyes narrowed slightly. It almost seemed like a small smile.

With Hwayoon looking uncomfortable between us, we glared at each other.