Ch.126Chapter 21. What a Magical Girl Must Do (2)

The biggest challenge was figuring out how to get inside the spaceship that was meant to fly through space.

It was obvious, but the top of the ship was completely smooth. Was it not built as a battleship? There weren’t even any gun turrets that you’d typically expect on such vessels.

“…Should we just smash it open with a hammer?”

“That might be problematic considering we’ll soon be flying into space,” James replied with a rather serious expression.

Would the circuit protect us in the vacuum of space? Hmm, I’m a bit skeptical. It blocks enemy attacks, but it doesn’t completely eliminate pain.

I don’t remember exactly, but I’ve heard that beyond the stratosphere, the pressure drops rapidly, it gets unbearably cold and hot, and the radiation is tremendous.

It’s probably not something we could just endure.

“Ah, over there! Rose!” Hayun suddenly shouted, looking to the side. She raised her hand and waved vigorously. When I turned around, I saw Rose, Dalia, and Delphinium.

The three of them quickly flew toward us and landed. Well, “landed” might not be the right word—more like they stepped down.

“What is this?”

Despite her elegant descent, Rose’s expression was beyond bewilderment—closer to shock.

“Why on earth is something like this underground?”

“We’ve all been wondering the same thing.”

When I looked toward James while speaking, he averted his gaze. He seems to know his situation isn’t good.

“…First, we need to get inside this thing. Anyone have any good ideas? We don’t have much time. The altitude is already increasing.”

“…I think I know where the hatch might be,” Ju-a, who had been lost in thought until then, said.

“The spaceship itself seems to have been built by Noir Corporation, but most spaceships have designated entrances. They need to be able to dock at space ports.”

“Is it different from aircraft?”

“Aircraft have stairs brought to them for boarding, but space ports can’t afford that kind of space. Really massive ones might accommodate entire ships, but usually they connect via airlocks.”

So there’s a “standard” of sorts. Makes sense. Even if they built it with onboard production in mind, they’d still need to dock at allied ports. Even if they planned to become space pirates, they’d have to adhere to standard specifications.

“So where is this entrance?”

“…Usually on the side of the ship.”

Ju-a walked slowly across the top of the ship. For some reason, the ship wasn’t moving at full speed yet, but its rate of ascent was gradually increasing. Soon we probably wouldn’t be able to stand on it anymore.

“Here. This front area.”

Ju-a, who had walked over by estimation, pointed downward with her gun.

“Usually it’s around here, on the side.”

I looked down at the area in front.

Though the slope was gentle, the overall streamlined shape meant that carelessly walking there would likely result in slipping.

“The door will be closed, of course?”

Ju-a nodded.

“What if we blast the door open? Can it protect us right after we enter?”

“If this ship was built following minimum standard safety protocols, there should be an emergency hatch inside. Space is dangerous, after all,” James said.

“Good.”

I exhaled deeply.

So, if we can just open the door, we’re set.

Could I open the door by flying parallel to the increasingly speedy ship and hammering at it?

I thought it would be difficult.

Flying parallel is doable, but swinging the hammer is the problem. Without my body properly anchored in midair, I wouldn’t be able to transfer the full force.

“…”

I looked around briefly and noticed James, who had landed right at my feet.

“Why are you staring at me like that?”

“Hey, James,” I said.

“That drone runs on circuit energy, right?”

“…It’s different from the circuits on your wrists. This is a resonance circuit.”

“But it still runs on our energy, right?”

I picked up James’s drone, detaching James from it.

Placing the squirming James on my shoulder, I ran forward with determination.

“Wait, Jieun?!”

“Come down when you hear an explosion! I’ll keep the hatch open for you!”

I shouted that and went down to find the door Ju-a had mentioned.

*

The resonance circuit had enough energy to break the door’s lock.

More precisely, it was the result of adding my power with the overloaded circuit.

“That was… so crude.”

“That’s how I transformed the first time too.”

I answered while dusting off my clothes.

What use is saying that to someone who has repeatedly exceeded 100% to transform through Overflow?

“Eek?!”

Jihye, who had been tucked against Hayun’s side, rolled in with an adorably cute scream, followed by Hayun.

Rose also entered, bumping against the wall, then Ju-a, Dalia, and Delphinium rushed in together.

The ship was flying much faster than we had realized, and wind was rushing in through the open door.

Delphinium, the last one to enter, jumped up and forcibly pulled the emergency hatch closed.

“…That was a close call.”

Come to think of it, I think I’d heard that doors won’t open or close at very high altitudes.

Once the door closed, the deafening wind noise disappeared as if it had never existed.

“Haah…”

I exhaled deeply.

“Now that we’re in, there’s no option to just turn back,” Dalia said, sounding incredulous.

“We couldn’t just let them go anyway.”

“Who said otherwise? I’m just stating facts.”

Dalia smiled at me and said, “We can’t just let someone who did such things get away, can we?”

That’s such a magical girl thing to say. I like it.

I looked around.

Everyone was a mess. Even though Delphinium had manipulated the wind to move the smoke and Jihye had cast protective magic to shield us, we couldn’t avoid getting covered in black soot.

Our hair was disheveled, and we had scratches all over our bodies.

Yet strangely, no one showed signs of fatigue. Not a single person seemed to regret coming this far.

I looked at Jihye. She was the same. Despite becoming a magical girl just today and having no weapon, she met my gaze with a serious expression.

As for Hayun, well, her expression suggested it was completely natural for her to be here. And Cherry, clinging to Hayun’s shoulder, looked the same.

Only James seemed somewhat apprehensive.

“Phew.”

I exhaled deeply.

Is this the end?

If we uncover the conspiracy inside this ship, capture the chairman, and then pilot the ship back to Earth, will that be the end?

I’m not sure.

I had an uneasy feeling that it wouldn’t end just with that. The Federation is still on Earth, and other countries probably have companies like Noir Corporation too.

With beings capable of creating such technology, similar incidents might be happening somewhere else on Earth.

But that doesn’t mean I can turn a blind eye to what’s happening right in front of me.

Above all—

Yes. In the end, it was the people from Noir Corporation who brought me here.

“Let’s go.”

I didn’t say much more.

With just that, everyone nodded.

I raised my hammer.

That hammer, which hadn’t broken once during our journey here, was still hefty.

I swung it, completely warping the door in front of me.

*

The ship was surprisingly automated.

Despite us rampaging around and smashing things without knowing the internal structure, not a single person appeared. There weren’t even alien crew members who should have been on an alien ship.

In the silent corridors where not a word could be heard, only automated robots were moving around.

We steadily took down those that shot beams and spat lead bullets at us as we advanced.

“…Resonance circuits.”

Ju-a muttered, looking at the circuits inside those robots.

Though they might not be running on our energy, these robots were clearly using the same energy that powered the ship.

And we could easily guess what that energy source might be.

We picked up our pace.

Although the design seemed to have no windows when viewed from outside, there were devices that allowed us to see outside the ship.

Cameras seemed to be attached all over the exterior, and screens were mounted throughout the corridors. Almost like windows.

The sky was gradually turning black, and the unevenness of the horizon had become so rounded that it no longer mattered.

As a child, my heart would race imagining flying into space, but now it’s racing for a different reason.

Will we be able to return?

If Cherry and James cooperate in piloting, we should be able to return, but…

“…”

No.

Now is not the time for such thoughts.

In the worst-case scenario, I can warp away with the kids.

At least now I know how to use my power.

*

Bang!

Though we hadn’t explored the entire interior of this massive ship, there were plenty of hints about which areas were important.

The input from James and Cherry, who had seen such ships frequently, was particularly helpful.

That’s how we were able to find and ascend to the “bridge.”

“…”

The bridge was much larger than I had imagined. Considering the streamlined shape of the ship with no protruding parts, it made sense.

A massive bridge that seemed to occupy the entire front section of the top level of the ship I had seen from outside.

The rounded ceiling appeared to be entirely made of screens, displaying the night sky overhead, and in front were many seats where people should have been sitting.

It had the atmosphere of a space battleship bridge straight out of a comic book, but the fact that it was almost empty with hardly any people was somewhat concerning.

And in the center.

Standing in the middle, where the “captain” should be, was a person.

“…Finally face to face.”

I stepped forward and spoke.

The hair was black with a slightly reddish tint. Like a typical “female CEO” character, the hair wasn’t completely straight but had slight waves at the ends.

Though the hair flowing down the back was glossy, I didn’t find it particularly attractive mentally.

“Are you the chairman?”

Even in this situation, I couldn’t bring myself to say the name directly.

The chairman slowly turned around.

I could see the red skin, as vivid as the old man I had met before. Not the redness of a fair-skinned person blushing from embarrassment, but truly dark red skin.

Would demons in fantasy novels have such skin?

However, instead of horns, there were antennae on the head.

A pair of hair-like protrusions similar to those on Pang Pang’s head.

“…You’ve made it this far, impressively.”

The opponent replied more calmly than I expected.

From the beginning, they didn’t look scared at seeing us.

They just stood with arms crossed, looking relaxed.

“What, did you think I’d just let you go? Don’t you remember what you did to me?”

“Nothing personal. I apologize.”

What a clichéd response.

“…Isn’t it amazing?”

The chairman took a few steps toward us and looked up.

This is my first time on a spaceship, so I’m not sure what’s so amazing about it.

“That it’s this automated. Originally, it would have been crowded with crew members, making it extremely complex.”

“…”

“Don’t you think this is the future? Hmm?”

“A ship made by grinding up Earth people is the future?”

“They’re not even real Earth people.”

The chairman said.

“It’s a bit risky, but the technology is real. Why do you think your government hasn’t made a proper announcement yet?”

If they said they “could create” them, they would certainly face ethical issues.

Anyone in this world would show extreme revulsion if told that their own kind could be mass-produced in a factory.

And the company the government partnered with was one that created such things.

“That’s too harsh.”

The chairman said.

“We have ethical rules too. What would happen if we really kidnapped Earth people and modified them? We just… created similar beings with some reference, like how you created livestock.”

“Pigs have almost no genetic difference from wild boars in the mountains.”

The same goes for wolves and dogs.

At my words, the chairman closed their mouth.

“The truth is they haven’t differentiated enough, right?”

Was the chairman speechless at that?

No, even if they had differentiated, even if there was as much genetic difference as between humans and monkeys—

“What happened to the ‘person’ who was referenced when creating such beings for the first time?”

Because you need an original subject to check the genes.

Above all.

“…What about the person who came before me?”

Yes.

Thinking about it now, I wonder why I didn’t realize it.

Why did I think I was the only special one?

There were originally five magical girls. That means five people who could transform by holding hope.

People who could operate the despair circuit were as common as dirt.

Then—at least, wouldn’t there have been someone who Noir Corporation saw potential in for creating that first despair circuit?

What if I’m not unique—what if, in fact, there was someone before me who could definitely operate the circuit?

The first “normal control group.”

The company already had information before scouting me, someone with high compatibility.

The chairman didn’t answer my question for a moment.

I felt the gazes of the children behind me fixed on me.

They seem to have desperately realized what I wanted to say.

“It was a necessary sacrifice.”

The chairman’s eventual response was once again clichéd.

“It was a necessary sacrifice. Just like what the Federation did.”

They added, as if making an excuse.

“You’re the same, aren’t you? That generator in your hand. The Federation recruited people the same way to create it. To solve Earth’s energy crisis by operating generators, and further bring tremendous development to the entire universe. Isn’t that right? Wasn’t that the reason for recruiting magical girls and heroes?”

“…”

“We only had one. You were the second. What’s wrong with trying to do something similar?”

“At least we thought on our own—”

“What if we say the same?”

When Hayun stepped forward and spoke, the chairman cut her off.

“We made an offer, it was accepted, and so we researched.”

“Yes. Just like me, right?”

I asked back.

“You gained a lot too, didn’t you? It was the same for that child.”

I heard someone behind me swallow.

“At least that child’s family didn’t have to be poor anymore.”

I didn’t need to hear any more.

I charged at the chairman with all my might.

Zap.

The hand holding the hammer handle tingled. The hammer head hit something very solid, and because of that, I couldn’t smash the chairman.

Should I call that fortunate?

“…Do we really have to go this far?”

The chairman said, as if bewildered.

“We could gain so much from each other. What a shame.”

The chairman grinned.

The chairman’s body was standing, having passed through the hammer.

A hologram.

An incredibly vivid hologram.

“Well, I expected as much. If you were someone who could be reasoned with, we would have done so already.”

“You…”

“Ah, don’t worry. I am nearby. Of course I am. This ship is mine, after all. I can’t let you have it. I’m just not in the same space as you.”

The chairman leaned in close to my face and grinned.

“But being on the same ship doesn’t mean we can meet.”

The chairman whispered softly.

“This ship is ‘my’ ship. Someone else may have built it, but I designed the interior. Of course I would have considered fighting inside, wouldn’t I?”

“…”

“How romantic that this will be your grave. I’ll give you a proper funeral. Like in the old days when space exploration first began. Since you were also pioneers of a new path in your own way, I’ll give you a proper space burial.”

Click.

Following those words, the sound of something opening came from around us.

“…Jieun.”

Hayun said in a tense voice.

I looked up.

The walls of the bridge opened.

The ceiling too.

And beyond them were countless Kaijin attached to the walls as if restrained.

Kaijin in human form.

On their chests, circuits were installed, as if it were natural.

“Each individual circuit is crude. I’ll admit that. I don’t have the technical skills of the Squeakean over there.”

The chairman’s voice was heard.

“But still, if the numbers increase… you know? Mass-produced items have different advantages from handmade ones.”

When I looked down again, the chairman’s figure had disappeared.

“…”

I see.

So that’s it.

Were they digging our graves and waiting for us in their own way?

But—

“…Who came here to die?”

I muttered, looking up at the ceiling.

“That’s right.”

Rose, who was behind me, clapped her hands together and said, “We came here to win.”

“Magical girls have only one job,” Hayun said.

Her eyes were sparkling and shining.

“To catch bad guys. Right, Jieun?”

To Hayun, who was looking at me with a smile, I shrugged my shoulders.

Saying more would just be nagging.