episode_0037

The feeling is dreadful.

A sense of shame for revealing my inner embarrassing self.

And the fact that I met Ha Yoon again.

When there were no problems, I never thought Ha Yoon was uncomfortable.

I have harbored ill feelings towards other magical girls. While I did choose that path, it’s difficult not to have any emotions about receiving consequences, no matter what.

I am an emotional person, and no matter how hard I try to fix it, it doesn’t work well. Logically, I might be in the wrong, but ultimately, what matters is what I see in my perspective.

…That’s why I’m afraid of harboring negative feelings towards Ha Yoon.

Logically, a person’s happiness should not be determined by money.

However, emotions can certainly be influenced by money. At least those with money don’t feel the pressure of having to bear everything due to its absence.

Even though I witnessed how emotionally pressured Ha Yoon is and how being a magical girl is not a comfortable job, I still found myself jealous of her.

It’s probably unfair on my part.

Surely, if I start acting out, the magical girls will come and suppress me. And I’ll end up somewhere being detained.

Things have gotten so twisted that I might just end up being used as an experiment openly. But I don’t want to be trapped somewhere because of something I didn’t do. I don’t want to be judged. Such things shouldn’t have happened in the first place.

…Ha Yoon won’t have such troubles.

I don’t want Ha Yoon to think of me as a villain.

But to achieve that, I had to explain everything about myself. Eventually, I’ll have to explain my emotions too.

I don’t want to.

I hope Ha Yoon remains the best in my memory. If we can’t repair our relationship, it’s better this way. Even though I know it can’t last forever, that’s how I felt.

When I came to my senses, the surroundings had changed.

“That’s it! It’s done!”

James shouted from my shoulder.

“Is shame a good ingredient? Next time when adjusting the circuit, we should properly check that side too. How about wearing slightly more embarrassing attire? You can’t use the emotion of shame too frequently as it weakens once you get used to it, but if it helps in battles, there’s no harm in using it.”

“…”

James was unnecessarily speaking in a pleasant voice from the side.

“…”

Although I stared at James intently, he continued speaking without noticing.

“Is it possible?”

“…”

What does rat meat taste like? If Nutria meat is somewhat edible, then hamster meat might be too.

Seeing me turn my head towards my shoulder, James pursed his lips.

“So, where is it?”

Since my mood had already hit rock bottom, I wanted to quickly finish the task before delving deeper into it.

“Here… Aha.”

James laughed.

Finally, I looked around properly.

Even though it was midnight, the lights inside the building were dimly lit. Well, it’s natural. It’s Noir Corporation’s building.

As a place where magical girls can always be monitored, it was natural to have people residing and managing it 24/7.

By now, the location pointed by the device must be right here.

The surroundings were chaotic.

The “real” black hole didn’t seem like a real black hole. At least no one had died yet. Although radiation emanated from the black hole, it’s unclear whether radiation from a black hole of this size could kill a person.

At least judging from the lack of comments after the last incident, it should be fine here too.

The ability as a black hole seems to only involve absorbing and spitting things out, but it was sufficient to create chaos in the vicinity. Papers were flying everywhere, as if some documents were piled up. The desk and chair near where I emerged were in disarray.

Around me, everything was being pushed in circles.

Although no one was tumbling around—

“It seems like there was someone on duty.”

There was someone sitting far away, who stood up from their seat and looked over here with a dumbfounded expression, holding a mug in their hand.

Was it as if they were struck by lightning?

“There are no troops here?”

“They are present. But at least not on this floor. Before I could inform you, you found the appropriate floor yourself, showing your own talent.”

“…”

You were shouting so urgently that you seemed distracted.

Honestly, I just wanted to run away.

I was hoping for something somewhere in the building, which might be why I ended up right in the middle.

“The servers are located five floors above from here.”

As soon as those words were spoken, the alarm on the wall started blaring loudly.

At first glance, it looks like a fire alarm, but the color was red.

[Emergency! Emergency! Enemy intrusion! Repeating! Enemy intrusion! Magical girls! Location is— What? Where do we need to go? The rooftop? 25th floor?]

The magical girls were on both sides, causing confusion.

“By the way, most of the troops are gathered on the 1st and top floors.”

If the magical girls infiltrate, it will be one of the two.

“Since we can fly, we can also infiltrate from the middle, right?”

“This building has thorough defenses in many ways. You can’t come in by breaking through the glass with your bare hands. It would be difficult to break through thick glass without a significantly violent method. Moreover, if you do that, it could cause a big problem for civilians passing below.”

Was he deliberately trying to suppress his emotions even thinking about that?

Somehow, it seemed like James might have had a hand in building this building, but I decided not to dwell on it.

“Where should we go?”

Seeing the barrier starting to come down, I started running and said, “Just go up about eight more floors. The interior of this building… is quite uniquely structured.”

At those words, I leaped my body under the barrier.

Thud.

Even though there were people inside, the barrier remained closed.

“Don’t worry. The ventilation system is perfectly equipped to prepare for long sieges.”

Did they build a fortress in the middle of the city?

As I ran through the corridor, I swallowed those words silently.

*

The higher I went up, the more impatient I became.

Initially, I considered creating another black hole or even piercing through the ceiling, but I didn’t want to create a black hole and end up facing Hayoon again outside.

Moreover, according to James, this building is perfectly designed for earthquake resistance.

In other words, a significant amount of rebar was used inside. The floors won’t just collapse with a simple magic spell.

Ultimately, I ended up going up through the stairs.

Bang!

And naturally, the troops soon rushed up towards my location.

Breaking things like CCTV cameras is pointless. Since the alarm went off when I appeared, everyone must have been alerted.

And the people here seemed to have roughly figured out why I had entered this building. Well, James was on my shoulder after all.

“You really didn’t have to come all the way up here, did you!?”

After knocking down a group of heavily armed security guards and catching my breath, I spoke, and James, as if chuckling, raised his nose high and said, “I need to let them know I’m alive so they can be cautious over there too.”

“The problem is that you’re being cautious now!?”

It’s a headache to deal with pursuers!

“After all, the personnel chasing you over there are a dime a dozen. My importance is much lower than yours. So, isn’t it okay if the enemy gets a little stronger? Besides, even if you came alone, you might have gotten lost.”

Unfortunately, that was the truth.

The elevator was completely blocked from the floor where I was. James had informed me as soon as I started running that pressing the button wouldn’t bring it.

However, the elevator comes up to the floor where the troops are transported. They must be controlling it from the center.

So, if I go up one floor, the troops can also come up one floor using the elevator.

In such a large building, there wasn’t just one elevator, so some of them must be working hard to transport troops to the rooftop. Naturally, the elevator won’t stop here unless I press the button.

“By the way, the walls are as thick as a bunker. It would be faster to run through a door than to break through it. Right now, you can’t fully utilize your strength, can you?”

… That was what James said.

Indeed, the blade I created couldn’t cut through the wall as perfectly as Hayoon’s staff.

Thanks to that, I had to climb up each floor like a maze deliberately arranged in a seemingly random manner. It was infuriating because the stairs weren’t just concentrated on one side but were scattered around the floors seemingly randomly.

As James said, until a certain floor, it was just an ordinary building. This was literally a measure to protect important facilities.

“… Even though the wire covering me was all cut…!”

“The government rarely deals with magical girls in the first place.”

As I ran, muttering about feeling unjust, James explained.

“Although there have been captures of monsters, there have been no captures of magical girls. To become a magical girl in the first place, you need that hope circuit.”

“…”

“So, generally, attacks using ‘circuits’ are inherently vulnerable. Even if you or some combatants can open the thick doors of federal facilities, ultimately, they will be caught when magical girls arrive. So, don’t you think you can understand how bewildering of a presence ‘you’ are to the Federation?”

Most of the Federal facilities that are imbued with existence can be destroyed.

“Well then, today…?”

“On the contrary, if it is possible to destroy the company’s facilities, there is no need for constant hostility from their side. You never know, right? At some point, they might extend a hand for negotiation.”

He’s truly a guy who annoyingly thinks well in that direction.

“Now, we have about three floors left. But, don’t you have any weapons? Magical girls all handle weapons, though.”

“What are you talking about when you haven’t even made one for me?”

“All magical girls hold their weapons when they transform, don’t they?”

“….”

I was at a loss for words at that statement.

Indeed, unless it’s a weapon designed like Iris, most items are purely magical since they are made up of magic scrolls or gauntlets, just like staffs.

Becoming the existence I dreamed of in my childhood.

Although it was a webtoon mocking that setting, it’s somewhat awkward to follow the basic setting even for mockery.

But me…

Exactly. What should I think to transform into this form?

Did I just vaguely want to become a magical girl, leading to this appearance? It’s ridiculous.

So, if that’s the case, could you at least give me a “typical” magical girl wand?

“It’s over there!”

This time, a voice was heard from the front.

I conjured blades in both hands.

It’s a bit strange. Previously, when I created blades, they would emerge from the wide holes attached to the suit sleeves, but now they were just floating in the air.

Although there was no deviation towards anything strange.

Gunshots were loud.

Those humans have been shooting bullets since earlier. Although the bullets hit and ricocheted without leaving traces, they shattered.

Perhaps shooting indoors and ricocheting would end up killing each other.

However, being hit by a shattering bullet was not painless.

I raised one arm, transforming the blade into a shield-like shape, and leaped forward.

Strangely enough, effectively blocking incoming bullets as if cutting through the air without resistance does indeed seem like magic.

“Ack!”

As I swiftly lunged forward, the soldier who had been firing aimed his gun at me.

Tatata!

The ear-piercing noise rang out continuously. There was a slight ringing in my ears.

I swung the blade in my right hand roughly.

The soldier holding a gun, and the soldier next to him with a gun.

The helmet on their heads. And the headset that looked military-grade.

They all fell neatly in a straight line.

Thud!

Then, I brought down the hand I had raised and struck the soldier’s head. The soldier hit by my fist staggered and then toppled over.

As a helmet flew towards my face, I grabbed it by the chin.

Wide-eyed, I looked at the soldier I had just struck with my gun; his face had turned pale. There were no visible wounds on his face. The power of the blade had been somewhat reduced. It must have been absorbed by the energy in the suit. Similar to why one wouldn’t die even when struck by Hayoon’s sword.

Since the suit was damaged, exerting full strength would be difficult. And there were no soldiers here utilizing circuits to the extent of an overflow like me.

I gave his head a good knock again.

Though he didn’t lose consciousness, he clutched his head and fell over. Before he could get up, I leaped over him.

“….”

I felt a twinge of guilt.

Well, I mean, sure, he did shoot at me, but these people aren’t combatants, are they? They’re people who have the same profession as me.

There are no Earthlings here, but if they were nearby, they might have been called too.

No, that’s not it. The people here are above ordinary combatants.

The suits Earthlings wore were just for show. Since they weren’t originally from Earth, circuits didn’t work on them. It was pointless to check.

But everyone here was originally from Earth.

They wore circuits, donned the snug suits, but had leather jackets on top.

The clothes were similar to the ones James gave me to wear after receiving new circuits.

But no one was wielding a blade. Did they think I wasn’t a threat?

I pushed the soldier in front of me with force and ran forward.

While I’m doing the same thing magical girls do, ironically, I feel anger towards magical girls.

If you ask if

The words seemed to have some meaning, and some stepped back in surprise. There were still many opponents, but every time my blade passed through their bodies and equipment, it seemed like their will was breaking.

That’s right. Battles with actual magical girls were like this.

No matter how good the equipment is, no matter how well-trained the combatants are, it’s all the same.

The feeling of despair is precarious. Just crossing a little line makes it turn into ‘giving up.’

No matter how thick the walls are built and the equipment is made, it’s impossible to completely block magical girls. With just a little hope, they can generate energy and get things done.

“If we don’t hurry, the problem will escalate.”

James said.

“We’re here to destroy the facilities, not to be taken away, right?”

Damn, that’s infuriating.

Following me shoulder-to-shoulder and saying such things.

Anyway, he’s hanging on quite well.

“Our planet’s people have been making significant progress for over 10,000 years now. Before that, we were just climbing trees, so our descendants are good at hanging on. Yes, this way. Keep going straight ahead. You just need to pass through that door over there.”

“….”

As if he knew what I was thinking, James spoke first, and I decided to keep quiet.

Thud.

Slightly jabbing my fist into the neck of the person who fired a gun at me, putting them in an agitated state, then smashing through the door behind them with my body.

I muttered that escaping would be impossible if a fire broke out here. It must be one of the many illegal acts committed by Noir Corporation—

—As I grumbled inwardly, I slightly opened my mouth and looked up at the sight in front of me.

It was a massive hall.

Buildings around 50 stories high are not uncommon in Seoul. In fact, there are many of them. Especially in this world, there are even more buildings raised by companies from outer space with their overwhelming technological prowess. Gangnam was full of buildings erected by companies coming from outside Earth.

This building, too, appeared so. It was a building that looked somewhat lower due to the taller building next to it.

Externally, it looked like a rectangular building standing upright, as if matches were stacked. However, from the 33rd floor upwards, it was open all the way to the top.

It seemed as if a huge square pillar had been hollowed out to create space.

And in the middle, there was a massive spire. A huge spire the size of what could be ten floors of a regular building.

It was a sculptural piece with a sleek design that you might see in a sci-fi movie, completely different from the saucer-shaped antenna I had imagined.

“How will you handle the door?”

Snapping out of my thoughts at James’ voice, I turned towards the broken door and closed it by breaking the latch.

A sound of knocking came from beyond.

Extending my blade, I wildly stabbed the walls around the door.

Although the thick steel bars inside prevented the wall from collapsing entirely, at least the thick concrete and the marble used as cladding beside it fell off.

As large chunks of rubble piled up under the door, I could withstand it a bit without support.

Making the surroundings more chaotic and piling up more debris, I turned back and looked at the sculpture again.

“… What about this?”

“I have an idea. Unfortunately, your weapon is in blade form, but there’s nothing we can do. We just need to deal with it step by step while the magical girls have their feet tied up above.”

I took a long breath.

Dragging my weary body here and there, I approached the sculpture—the satellite receiver.

*

Thud!

Crack.

Just waving my hand as usual.

The soldier’s arm twisted in an odd direction.

And a scream rang out. The scream heard from behind the helmet was so distorted and eerie that Blossom shuddered at the sound.

The sensation of hitting a human body.

The feeling of something hard underneath breaking.

It should be treatable. Magic was excellent, and with not too much money spent at the healing center, fractures could easily be treated.

But that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt.

Blossom’s heart raced.

His breathing became rough.

There wasn’t much difference from usual—

Screams coming from all directions.

Certainly, those screams that had been coming in even during his ‘usual.’

Among the muffled voices, surely Jieun’s voice was mixed in.

Until now, without realizing it, several times.

If he hadn’t transformed into a magical girl, could Hayoon have hit a normal person’s body like this? Could she have been so indifferent if she saw the other person’s expression?

If she were to meet Jieun today, Jieun—

“Blossom!”

Barely moving her body, Blossom was able to avoid the blade swinging towards her head.

But still, the fear did not subside.

Only now.

… Only now, she thought.

Blossom’s gaze fell upon the approaching crew members like a swarm of bees.

The crew members rushing towards this side—

Suddenly, as if taken aback, they stopped in their tracks.

Before the magical girls could react, the other combatants looked around frantically, as if meeting each other’s eyes.

And then, in a panic, they turned their bodies and started running towards the building.

“What’s going on?”

Iris muttered.

The reason the magical girls were fighting here without warping was that using energy for warping was limited.

Iris had plenty of magic power, but there was a limit to how many times she could use it, and more energy was needed for more precise positioning.

If the circuit had been “charged” as usual, she might have been able to try—there was a reason she couldn’t.

… Because she couldn’t receive Hayoon’s energy as usual.

This was the same for the remaining magical girls.

“Let’s go!”

Hayoon, who was about to lose herself in thoughts, started running after hearing Rose shout.

She didn’t know exactly where she was heading.

But it was clear that something was happening inside, leading to this situation.

And the cause likely involved Jieun.

It was good when she met Jieun a little while ago.

She thought they could talk again.

However, when Jieun looked at Hayoon, her expression was one of fear.

And soon, a look of shame followed.

It wasn’t the usual Jieun.

Although she couldn’t hear the sound of Jieun’s magic power surging and the unique sound of her circuit working, there seemed to be an alien with black fur resembling a porcupine on Jieun’s shoulder. A fierce expression was directed at Jieun.

“….”

Many thoughts came to mind. It was filled with uncertainties.

However, among those thoughts, one thing was certain.

Jieun didn’t seem particularly pleased to see her.

No, maybe… that might not be the case.

Knowing that such thoughts shouldn’t be entertained in the current situation, she couldn’t shake them off.

… If she meets Jieun— if she has to fight, what should she do?

Her heart was pounding so much that she felt like she couldn’t breathe, and despite herself, Hayoon could only run.