episode_0007

“Oppa.”

“Yes. What is it, Ai?”

Where had the bright, cheerful girl from before disappeared to?

Her darkened eyes and the slight glare she fixed on me sent a prickling sensation down my spine.

Sitting here felt like being dragged to the executioner’s block.

‘Don’t back down here. If I do, it’s over.’

Even in this bewildering situation, I realized that yielding would leave me with no way out.

But there wasn’t much I could do.

Should I draw a clear line here?

No, that would only backfire.

She was already uneasy about facing a new charge—would drawing a line now only make things worse?

It might push her beyond just a backlash and into a full mental breakdown, making her impossible to handle.

But if I just let her pull me along to the end?

I’d barely been holding onto the leash—if I let go now, it might just wrap around my own neck instead.

In that case, I’d have to start thinking about retirement or graduation.

Then…

“Ai.”

“Yes, Oppa.”

“Could you come with me for a moment?”

“…Okay.”

After telling Fraip she could leave now, I headed to the break room with Ai.

Since it was lunchtime, the break room was empty.

Meaning it was just the two of us in this space.

“What exactly did you want to talk to me about… Ah!?”

Thud.

Before she could even finish speaking, I embraced her from behind, as if sealing her words.

Where had the sharp, accusatory girl from earlier gone?

She fell silent and froze in place.

I could feel the heat rising in her face, her ears gradually turning red.

‘Should I let this go on a little longer?’

Since she liked me in the first place, the initiative was always mine to take.

Like a carrot and stick, as long as I gave her the right rewards at the right time, I could easily redirect her focus.

This was the method I’d chosen.

The easiest—and most dangerous—method.

But the one holding and pulling the leash would always be me.

“Ai.”

“Y-Yes?! Yes…”

Her voice was thick with fluster.

Now was the time.

“Are you jealous, by any chance?”

“Ah, well. I, um… yes…”

If seeing Fraip as a romantic rival was causing problems—

“I’ve told you before, Ai. You’re special to me.”

Special.

Unlike my other charges, Ai was the only one I treated this way.

I didn’t need to use words like love or other extreme expressions.

As long as I left room for interpretation, she’d spin her own happy delusions and regain her stability.

It was the same tactic I always used—because it was the most effective.

“You don’t do this with your other charges, right?”

“Of course not. I’m not the type to go around flirting with girls.”

“Hmm…”

Her face was still red, but she seemed deep in thought.

Still in my arms, she turned her head to look up at me, lost in contemplation again.

‘Normally, she’d have backed off by now.’

This was different from usual.

“Can you promise me that?”

“Yes. I promise.”

“Then give me your finger.”

“My finger? Like a pinky promise?”

I offered my hand as she asked.

Was there some kind of promise-related magic involved?

But Ai’s actions went beyond my expectations.

“A-Ai? Why are you suddenly—ah!”

A sharp pain shot up my pinky, twisting my expression.

Did she just bite my finger? Why?

My mind froze at the unexpected action.

But the pain from my finger, still clamped between her teeth, only grew more intense.

The heat gradually overtook the pain.

It seemed blood was now dripping from my pinky.

Yet Ai showed no sign of letting go.

Trapped like prey in a snare, I could do nothing but wait for her to release me.

Finally, her mouth opened, and my finger was freed.

—Squelch.

The blood from my finger pooled in her mouth.

And as if refusing to let go completely, a silvery thread of saliva stretched between us.

—Crunch.

Then, another strange act followed.

Just as she had bitten my finger, Ai now sank her teeth into her own pinky.

An identical wound opened on her finger.

Was it the blood smeared on her lips?

Or her snow-white clothes and hair?

She looked just like a vampire.

“This is our promise. A promise sealed with our fingers.”

“Was… was biting really necessary?”

“Why not? Doesn’t it look like a ring? Or a red thread? It’s perfect for a special bond like ours. You’ll understand, right?”

The circular marks left by her teeth.

The blood still dripping from the wounds.

Or maybe it was her words—but I, too, thought it resembled a ring.

Wiping the blood from her lips, Ai burrowed into my arms.

“Oppa, you have to keep your promise.”

The stinging pain made it hard to keep smiling, but I held her waist and whispered back.

She was terrifying.

Was it because of her bizarre behavior?

Or the way she stared up at me with unfocused eyes?

For the first time, she scared me.

“I’ll do my best not to disappoint you, Ai.”

“Okay…”

Then, with a bright smile, she hugged me tightly.

I couldn’t bring myself to say anything else.

Something told me I shouldn’t speak.

No—my instincts were screaming at me.

Don’t provoke her any further.

Throb.

“It still hurts…”

Even with ointment and a bandage, my finger pulsed with pain.

As if the wound itself was a reminder not to forget my promise.

But I couldn’t afford to collapse from this.

There was still too much to do.

“You’re a bit late today, Senior.”

“Traffic was bad.”

“Let’s head in. The other counselors are already inside.”

“Right.”

Entering the building, I saw a group of people in black suits like mine sitting in a circle, eating.

Ah, right—today was the company dinner.

But this wasn’t an ordinary gathering of office workers.

In truth, it was more like a private meetup for counselors.

Every person here was a counselor assigned to a Magical Girl.

Though their experience varied, they all shared one thing: they dealt with Magical Girls daily.

I took my usual seat at the table designated for our facility.

“Since Yeon-woo’s here, I guess that’s everyone. The only difference from last time is… one graduated, and another retired, so the numbers match.”

“Retired? Did something happen?”

“Ah, one of the counselors from Facility C got stabbed by a stalker. They’re in intensive care now.”

“That’s terrible.”

“Apparently, they’ll recover, but they’re too scared to continue…”

What a tragic situation.

Stabbed by a Magical Girl’s fan.

Given that I’d had a similar incident recently, I could sympathize all too well.

But to retire over it…

It wouldn’t be that easy.

If they’d grown too close to their charge, even retirement wouldn’t free them.

Once you’ve touched a girl’s heart, there’s no clean escape.

One way or another, you’ll see it through to the end.

Whether it’s a happy one, though—that’s another question.

“Ahem. So, does anyone have anything to share from this month?”

“We’re all busy. With new counselors taking over for the retired and graduated ones, things are hectic.”

I nodded at that.

I was one of those cases.

Originally, we were supposed to focus on just one Magical Girl, but that rule had been broken.

“That’s why we’re struggling too. Suddenly, they’re getting jealous or picking fights with each other.”

“You should be careful with that.”

“Remember that counselor who got split in half when their charges fought?”

“Exactly. You have to be careful.”

Seemed like everyone was going through the same struggles.

Managing one was hard enough—suddenly handling two was hell.

Myself included.

But what really caught my attention was something else.

“Has anyone else noticed their charges acting stranger lately? Or their symptoms getting worse?”

Unconsciously, I nodded.

Just today, Ai had shown abnormal behavior.

I wasn’t the only one—others nodded as well.

“I think it’s because the frequency of demon and monster appearances has increased. Magical Girls in A and B cities have been getting called out a lot too.”

If they were being summoned more often, they’d have to keep using their powers.

And the emotional toll would grow heavier.

Some theorized this vicious cycle was making Magical Girls more aggressive.

But not everyone agreed.

After all, Magical Girls were still human—individual differences existed.

I couldn’t say for sure, but it was worth keeping in mind.

“Still, what can we even do about it? Sigh… Let’s just drink ourselves to death tonight.”

In the end, it all came down to sharing a drink and taking a brief respite from our charges.

As if replenishing their depleted emotions, the counselors raised their glasses.

Beep beep beep beep! Breeeek!

The familiar sound of the door lock.

“Ugh, my stomach… Should’ve stopped earlier.”

I’d drunk too much in the heat of the moment, and now my stomach was burning.

My dizzy body struggled to stay upright, but I mechanically took off my coat as usual—

Huh?

“Why is this… on the floor?”

In my hand was an ordinary slip of paper.

The heat from the alcohol began to drain from my head, replaced by a cold chill.

I always left a piece of paper wedged in the door to detect if someone had entered.

If the door had been opened, the paper would fall.

Normally, it should’ve still been in place when I opened the door.

But now it lay on the floor—meaning only one thing.

Someone had been inside my home.

How? No—where had they gotten in?

And were they still here now?

The darkened interior of my home suddenly felt eerily unfamiliar.