Ch.119Chapter 19. Longing (8)

I momentarily pondered what to do.

Should I send Jihye away and meet this person separately?

But, quite illogically, I didn’t want to do that.

I’ve already kept too much from Jihye. She’s always been the closest person to me, yet she knows so little about me.

And that’s entirely because I’ve been hiding the truth.

So, I chose to have everyone meet and talk together.

What this man wanted seemed to be a conversation with me, not necessarily a “private” conversation.

Honestly, I’m not sure if this is the right choice. Jihye might be in more danger precisely because she now knows this information.

However.

“……”

In Jihye’s silent gaze, I could feel that sentiment.

I want to listen too, it said.

I could refuse her request.

But I don’t want to.

In the end, I kept Jihye by my side.

Standing at an awkward distance from the red-faced man was somewhat uncomfortable. I’m not good at making new acquaintances to begin with, and honestly, I wasn’t sure how to deal with someone who served James’s superior.

No, more than that.

“Have you seen James? He seems to be anxiously waiting for the former chairman’s contact.”

“Of course I’ve met him. But don’t we both want the same thing anyway? James is already certain that the chairman is safe, so he doesn’t need any contact beyond confirmation of safety.”

Well.

I’m not sure if this is about trusting subordinates or just being dismissive. Based on what James said, it could be the latter… but somehow there seems to be an implication that I’m more important.

I turned my gaze.

There was the stalker, with his wrists and ankles bound by cable ties. Though his face was naturally yellowish, it seemed even more pale now.

Incidentally, the cable ties looked just like Earth ones, but the color was subtly different. More metallic-looking.

I’ve heard that aliens with magical abilities often lack innovation in tools compared to Earth, so perhaps this was Earth technology recreated with alien tech.

“What are you planning to do with this person?”

“We still can’t pinpoint the current chairman’s location. We need to gather any information we can. It seems the chairman decided to intervene directly when his granddaughter was attacked.”

For someone making that claim, his timing seems a bit late.

Then again, he was in hiding, and he did install a machine gun turret at his granddaughter’s house, so maybe he did what he could.

If they had a bad relationship, he might have refused to come…

It’s someone else’s family matter, so my speculations are probably meaningless.

“You may not believe me now, but Noir Corporation’s philosophy is to operate legally.”

“……”

That’s hard to believe. Didn’t they know what the current chairman was plotting behind the scenes?

Maybe they weren’t unaware but chose to ignore it. James seemed genuinely ignorant, but perhaps they were looking for “another way” and just let things be.

After all, the Earth human Kaijin created by the current chairman can directly operate the circuits.

When I didn’t respond to the man’s statement, he wisely fell silent.

“Mmph! Mmph! Mmmmph—!”

The reporter struggled and tried to protest, but both the man and I pretended not to hear.

The police had arrived, probably because someone reported us, but they kept their distance. They might be somewhat friendly toward me, but they also know I don’t particularly like the police.

This must be even more frustrating for the reporter. He was just doing his usual job when I caught him and treated him almost like a Kaijin.

[Jieun!]

After standing around blankly for a few more minutes, I heard Hayun’s voice from the communicator.

[We’re almost there! Which way should we go?]

“The location is—”

I held the communicator near my mouth and gave her our exact location. Soon after, I heard the sound of air being cut above us, and magical girls in colorful outfits landed on the ground.

Some of the people surrounding us pointed their smartphone cameras in our direction. Well, it’s not something you see every day.

“I’m fine talking here,” said the red-faced man.

“But what about you all? Wouldn’t it be better to talk somewhere quieter?”

I looked at the girls.

If they went to the orphanage first before coming to find us, they would already know about this man’s existence.

Seeing Hayun nod, I turned back to the man.

“…Alright. As long as it’s not somewhere too suspicious.”

“Thank you.”

The man gave a very salesman-like smile and slightly bowed his head to us.

*

Where can a group of minors and one adult go to have a “quiet” conversation?

The first place that comes to mind is a café. But contrary to the image, cafés aren’t always quiet. Plus, this area is so busy that finding space for our group might be difficult.

It seemed odd to make a reservation just to go to a café, and we didn’t have time for that anyway.

But this person apparently anticipated the situation from the moment he came to meet me.

Setting aside catching the reporter, he seemed to have expected that not just me, but the magical girls and my friend would all come along.

The place he took us to was, surprisingly, a hotel buffet.

Being a weekday afternoon, there were many empty tables, making it quite quiet.

I suppose if we’d gone to an expensive restaurant instead, there might not have been enough seats.

By the way, Rose was already happily filling her plate with food the moment we arrived, and Dalia and Delphinium, uncomfortable with sitting silently at our table, had quickly left to get food.

Only the red-faced man, me, Jihye, Ju-a, and Hayun remained at the round table.

Oddly, while all the other tables could seat about four people at most, ours was a round table. This man must have pulled some strings.

Places like this seem like they’d accommodate any option as long as the customer pays.

“The surrounding tables will all be empty, so please feel free to talk comfortably.”

“…Just the surrounding tables, right?”

I asked somewhat seriously.

Because looking again, this place wasn’t just quiet—it was empty.

With this special table and all… could it be…?

But the man just maintained his polished, salesman-like smile, so I decided not to press further.

To be honest, as a still-hungry teenager, I wanted to get some food too, but the man was ready to talk, so I couldn’t bring myself to do so.

Eventually, as Rose, Dalia, and Delphinium sat at the next table with plates piled high with steak, I spoke first.

“So, what did you want to talk about?”

“The chairman has a proposal for Jeong Jieun.”

“A proposal?”

“He was wondering if you might cooperate with us until we reclaim Noir Corporation.”

“…Usually such proposals come with expectations of what the other party can do in return.”

“I can’t deny that.”

The man smiled somewhat bitterly before proposing:

“We’d like your help in researching the nature of your power.”

I narrowed my eyes at him.

Does he not know what happened between James and me? James treated me like a research tool.

He also openly used Jihye as leverage.

James was present here too, but at a table some distance away. This was the man’s preference. Did he think James’s presence might interfere with this conversation?

“I apologize for the… disrespectful actions from our side. If the chairman officially returns to his position, we can offer a more proper apology. However, the timing is currently not ideal.”

But as if knowing that wouldn’t be enough to convince me, the man added more detailed explanations.

“We understand we can’t unilaterally use someone who’s already famous as a magical girl as an experimental tool. You’re not just famous—you have many connections. We believe we must offer you fair compensation.”

Hearing that, I was speechless.

Not because his argument was logical, but because I wondered how he could speak so brazenly.

I suppose in his mind he was saying, “You know we can’t bully you anymore,” but to my ordinary civilian ears, it sounded like, “If the situation were different, we could bully you all we want.”

“…That’s the company’s condition, but what exactly do I get out of this?”

“Rather than one side benefiting, we should find ways to maximize mutual benefit. What I mentioned is something to discuss after everything is settled, not our immediate offer. For that, we have a prerequisite.”

“The current chairman.”

“Exactly. First, we need to remove the person claiming to own the chairman’s position—Mr. Pungpung.”

“……”

That bizarre name came so suddenly that I had to clench my teeth.

Looking to the side, I saw expressions rapidly draining from Hayun and Ju-a’s faces. It wasn’t simple blankness, but an artificially created poker face, as if they were forcibly summoning “sad thoughts.”

Fortunately, Jihye couldn’t process the situation. She didn’t even seem to recognize that “Pungpung” was a name.

Between this man’s name and Pang Pang’s name, is this a problem with that planet?

Sorry, Pang Pang. Your name was actually relatively normal. Though it still feels a bit embarrassing to call you by it regularly.

“At least on this matter, I believe our goals align. Don’t you agree? Wouldn’t it be better to cooperate until then?”

“Exactly what kind of cooperation can I provide?”

“We can support you with various equipment. More precisely, we can pay for the cost of making that equipment. We don’t want those… beings running around with the Noir Corporation name either.”

“Are you saying they weren’t created with Noir Corporation’s intentions?”

“That’s right. However, it appears our company’s funds were misappropriated. Various technologies seem to have been stolen too. We were especially careful about preventing external leaks, but it was difficult to anticipate this kind of internal rebellion.”

More likely, the former chairman openly disrespected the current chairman. Without explicit bad blood, one wouldn’t backstab like this.

“Well… alright.”

Seeing that the other girls didn’t object, I nodded.

We can cut ties if needed. At least our current position allows for that. They’re approaching this as an individual—the former chairman—rather than as a company.

“Thank you.”

The man politely bowed his head slightly.

“Ah, and one more thing.”

Just when I thought the conversation was over, the man spoke again.

“You don’t have to answer this question, but the chairman is quite curious.”

“…What question?”

“How exactly does Jeong Jieun’s energy work? If you think it’s too sensitive information, you don’t need to tell us, but the chairman who has invested in research for quite some time is very interested in the current situation.”

“……”

My power, huh.

He probably doesn’t just want to hear about “despair.” Noir Corporation already knows that information.

After all, they’re the company that created the despair circuit.

So where does my power come from?

According to James and Cherry’s hypothesis, my despair was so great that it ignored the circuit’s operating method and redesigned the circuit according to my will.

And such a redesign is almost impossible to interpret purely technically. It moves according to what I believe. It’s literally “magic.”

Such cases are extremely rare, and I’m apparently the first among circuit users.

Despair and hope. In some sense, maybe I just have bipolar disorder. I can’t be sure since I’ve never visited a psychiatrist.

“Wouldn’t it be sufficient to say I have emotions strong enough to operate both the company’s circuit and the Federation’s hope circuit?”

“Well, the chairman suspects there might be a more fundamental… ‘third way.'”

Hayun’s eyes lit up with interest. Ju-a had a similar reaction. Jihye just looked at me with concern.

“A different emotion?”

“Yes. Both circuits—two circuits with different directions—are concepts that trigger ‘complex emotions that cannot be defined by a single term.’ If there’s another concept that can go in both directions, it might take a more versatile form like Jeong Jieun’s energy.”

“……”

So, just as the despair circuit operates by combining various emotions needed for despair, and the hope circuit operates by combining emotions moving in the opposite direction, there might be an emotion that encompasses both despair and hope—that’s the hypothesis.

Just hearing it, it seems plausible.

Human emotions have such diverse causes.

Despair and hope. What could trigger both?

Hope is… a feeling of wanting something. Even in the darkest place, in the most difficult situation, reaching out toward that one ray of light—whether it’s a dream or something else.

Because that hope doesn’t waver, the emotion is intense, and that’s why magical girls can turn their circuits and face powerful enemies with powerful strength.

The despair circuit also… comes from wanting something.

To despair, but not give up in that despair. To struggle to escape, to flounder because you can’t bring yourself to give up on life—those dark, intense emotions that flow out in the process. That’s the energy needed to turn the despair circuit.

The common point between them—

Yes. The common point is that they arise from wanting something.

So, in other words, that emotion is—

Longing—

“It’s love!”

But someone cut off my thought midway and shouted.

Hayun jumped up from her seat with an excited expression, clenching both hands as she exclaimed.

“The emotion of love! That explains everything!”

“……”

Ju-a, Jihye, and I stared at Hayun with our mouths hanging open.

The other magical girls were the same. They had stopped moving their forks and knives and were looking up at Hayun with somewhat blank expressions.

“…Wait, Hayun?”

What are you talking about?

I rubbed around my eyes with my hand and asked.

“So…”

“You despair because you love, and you hope as you look at the person you love! So if it’s the emotion of love, it can explain which way the circuit turns.”

Hayun stated firmly.

Love… well, there are different kinds of love, I suppose.

It’s like the “liking” emotion Ju-a mentioned before.

A friend can love a friend too, yes, like the “love” spoken of in religion. A parent’s “love” for their child is also a different kind. Right?

As I was trying to process Hayun’s words with my brain, the man who had been staring at Hayun in speechless surprise like the rest of us spoke again.

“So… you’re saying that Jeong Jieun’s circuit is powered by love?”

“That’s right! Nothing else explains it!”

As I wondered how to respond to Hayun’s statement, I glanced over and saw Ju-a’s face had turned bright red.

And Jihye’s face too.

Mine probably looked the same.

Hayun turned to me with a very happy expression.

What on earth should I say to that face?

I had no idea.

Except—

Ah, damn it, somehow that doesn’t seem wrong.