Ch.131Chapter 22. Hope (1)

I’m not the type who feels pleasure from pain to the point of saying “it feels good” about passing out.

But ironically, this time I think it’s fair to say I fainted and woke up feeling comfortable.

After all, I fought using “every ounce” of my strength.

And my opponent was someone who had tormented me until the end.

When I opened my eyes, the ceiling I saw was different from any ceiling I’d seen before. If I had to describe it, it seemed like the kind of ceiling finish you’d see more in public buildings than private homes—something I could recognize even though I’d never personally been in such a place.

I didn’t see any doctors bustling around. No nurses either.

Actually, more importantly, there was nothing connected to my body. You’d think I’d at least have an IV if I’d fainted and been brought to a place like this.

Still, I could tell this was a hospital from the patient gown I was wearing and the distinctive hospital bed and blanket.

I thought about sitting up, but quickly abandoned the idea when I realized even the slightest movement made various parts of my body ache and throb. Well, that makes sense—I’d been active all day without rest, so my body couldn’t possibly be in good shape.

Magic may have helped me avoid fatal injuries, but the fact remains I hadn’t rested at all. Plus, I couldn’t remember eating anything either.

“…”

But even if I’d given up on sitting up, just staring at the ceiling was too boring.

I reached out my right hand slightly and felt around beside the bed until I found something like a remote control.

When I pressed a button, the back of the bed slowly rose like a chair. I positioned it somewhere between lying down and sitting up, then reached for the bedside table. Unlike when I’d felt around the bed, my arm hurt a bit this time, but the pain didn’t last long.

I grabbed the remote again and turned on the TV.

[“…So, many people are wondering how the government will respond to this incident.”]

[“Yes, there’s been a lot of talk. It seems the government’s position is to wait until the most important witnesses—the magical girls—wake up.”]

[“What will happen to Noir Corporation?”]

[“Well, punishment is inevitable at this point. Until now, they’ve been given various accommodations on the grounds that they were needed to keep the Federation in check, but what they’ve done is so enormous that it can’t be overlooked this time. Not only did magical girls resolve the situation, but heroes from around the world are now paying attention.”]

[“I heard the magical girls have essentially left the Federation.”]

[“They were still once part of the Federation. And the incident involving Happy Lily is quite complicated. If the Federation truly wanted that power and was trying to receive Lily from Noir Corporation, even heroes currently affiliated with the Federation overseas wouldn’t stand by quietly.”]

I see.

I’d almost completely forgotten, but when we left the Federation, our plan was to become a third power.

Looking at it now, we seem to have accomplished that. I don’t know if all heroes will leave the Federation overnight. But I also don’t think all heroes will remain attached to the Federation.

Of course, thinking they’ll all become our allies would be going too far, but even if they form their own groups in their own countries, they’ll still have been influenced by us.

Just warning the Federation that such a situation could occur is a significant achievement. They won’t be able to carelessly meddle with countries on our side anymore.

…I still don’t want Hayun to sacrifice herself and become this universe’s energy source. But, well.

If they offer proper compensation, who am I to object to whatever Hayun decides to do? It would just be like a job. If they guarantee the four major insurances, reasonable working hours, and proper holidays, I might even want to apply myself.

“…No, that doesn’t seem right after all.”

If possible, I’d like to spend about a year after college graduation just doing nothing. Since I’ve been running around like this since childhood, wouldn’t that be reasonable?

If I had money, that is.

I changed the TV channel.

Most of the talk was about such things. There wasn’t much news about us. The only information available was a few seconds of footage showing us being carried out of the ship on stretchers. At least I learned that happened “yesterday.” It seems I wasn’t unconscious for too long.

And I can understand why people are so worried. There was no sign of life on our faces as we were carried out on stretchers.

Moreover, we weren’t wearing our magical girl outfits, but the clothes we had on last—torn and tattered all over.

There was no news about Pang Pang, of course, and nothing yet about what happened to the chairman.

Perhaps they’re waiting until we wake up to deal with everything at once.

“Makes me want to pass out again,” I muttered with a sigh.

Thinking about all the work that would soon pile up, I wish I could stay unconscious for another month or so and wake up leisurely after everything has passed.

But then Hayun would worry terribly.

Jihye too.

“…”

I can feel my face turning red. I raised both hands to touch my cheeks. They were burning hot. It probably wasn’t a fever from being sick somewhere.

Rather, it was from embarrassment.

Yes.

I kissed Hayun. Well, we’d done it before, and I’d even kissed her directly before, but that was… well, it was practically a kiss done in a desperate situation to somehow draw out power.

But when we created that sword…

“Whew.”

Alright. Let’s calm down.

There’s no circuit now anyway. I probably won’t need to wear a circuit for a while. There’s still various equipment in the room, but with Noir Corporation in its current state, I probably won’t have to fight for a while.

As for the Kaijin… well, we handled them properly, so there shouldn’t be any major problems yet.

So, for a while, no matter how much hope I have about that incident, neither Hayun nor Jihye will notice.

“Good.”

I muttered that and reached out again.

This time for the call button at the head of the bed.

I should at least let them know I’m awake.

*

After the doctor and nurse came to examine me thoroughly, their conclusion was that I was “fine.”

No major injuries, no broken bones or legs. They said they’d already visited the treatment center yesterday thinking there might be some issues.

They’d done CT and MRI scans, and the results showed nothing unusual.

Somewhat relieved by that, I asked about the other girls.

It seems they’re all safe, just as I am.

“What about Pang Pang? Is she still in the machine?”

“Pung… No, we were able to unlock it using Noir Corporation chairman’s biometric information. She’s still asleep, but there doesn’t seem to be any major problem with her body right now.”

“I see…”

It seems even the doctor found it a bit difficult to say the name “Pung Pung.” Well, I guess that’s natural since I also lived for quite a while without calling her Pang Pang.

“Oh.”

Wait a minute.

“What happened to the chairman?”

That’s right.

At the time, I was caught up in my emotions, and our lives were at stake, so I didn’t think about it, but we needed the chairman’s power to save Pang Pang. The lock was so complex that there was no other way.

Since they said they opened it with the chairman’s biometric information, I can tell that’s how it was locked, but does that mean the chairman might still be alive?

The doctor and nurse briefly looked at each other, then at me.

“His life was saved.”

Hearing that, I felt many emotions.

Relief that I hadn’t become a murderer.

But also disappointment that I couldn’t kill that guy after all.

Still, I think not killing him was the best option. No matter how much I wanted to smash that person’s head, that weapon contained the magical power of all the other girls too.

If someone became a murderer, it wouldn’t be just me.

Hmm, was that going too far?

Actually, now that I think about it with everything over, it doesn’t really matter.

I just hope the chairman doesn’t return to his position.

Besides—

“However, it seems he’s acquired… yes, various disabilities.”

“Disabilities?”

“It’s a bit ridiculous for me to ask this in front of a real expert,” the doctor said, seeming a bit embarrassed to explain.

“First, you know that when aliens undergo Kaijin transformation on Earth, they can return to normal if they move far away from Earth, right?”

“Yes.”

This was common knowledge that anyone with even a slight interest in this world would know, rather than something I knew because I was a magical girl.

After all, quite a few people’s daily lives were affected by those Kaijin.

“Usually, they return without major aftereffects. But that doesn’t mean no disabilities occur. Depending on the person, they may experience small or large disabilities—temporary, long-term, or even permanent.”

“Is… that so?”

The doctor nodded seriously.

“It’s not your fault. It’s due to that unexplainable mutation. Most disabilities that result don’t cause major problems in daily life. They often end up being just minor inconveniences.”

“But the chairman’s case is different, right?”

“Yes. How should I put this… the brain damage seems quite serious. The details would need to be examined by people from the same planet, but there were limitations to what could be treated at the treatment center. I don’t know what happened inside, but it seems he was exposed to very pure energy.”

“Ah…”

I nodded.

If that’s the case, it makes sense. He had immersed his entire body in that energy source.

Come to think of it, it would be problematic if there were no side effects after obtaining such powerful strength. It would be too much like cheating, wouldn’t it?

“So, is that person not on Earth right now?”

“He is on Earth.”

“Um… what about treatment?”

“The conclusion was that treatment is almost impossible, and above all, he’s a person who did wrong in this country. If we carelessly sent him away, he might somehow escape.”

I thought Kaijin had to be removed from Earth for treatment?

Well, I guess it doesn’t matter.

There’s no need to worry about him here. Although it might not be the nicest thought, I think he got off lightly.

I’m not sure how the trial results will turn out.

“So you’re saying even if he goes off Earth, he’ll remain that way forever?”

“Yes, that’s right. Although it’s still in the realm of speculation.”

I nodded.

During the brief silence that followed, my stomach growled loudly.

“Would you like me to bring you a meal?”

“Oh, yes.”

It might have been embarrassing if the doctor had laughed, but the doctor was truly professional. With such a nonchalant expression, there wasn’t even time to feel embarrassed. Rather, the doctor even wrote something on their smartphone, as if recording my mealtime.

“But does food come out at this time?”

Looking at the clock, it was 3 PM.

I know hospital meals generally come out quite early. It’s not like I’ve never been hospitalized in my past life.

And naturally, since it’s a form of group meal, the serving times are fixed.

“There’s no particular problem. This is a private room.”

“Ah…”

I nodded again in understanding.

So it’s a premium hospital room.

In dramas, VIP hospital rooms are sometimes decorated like hotels, but this seems to be a regular private room, not that kind of place.

After exchanging greetings with the doctor again, I was left alone in the room.

Outside, the sun is still shining brightly. When I first escaped, the sun was setting quickly, but now even the trees are completely green.

After several months, I’ve finally achieved one goal.

I can’t say I’ve accomplished everything yet, but still.

In a life where I hadn’t properly achieved anything until now, I’ve accomplished one thing for the first time.

Together with the girls I love so much.

I’m glad I’m alone in the hospital room.

Otherwise, I would have shown the other girls my silly grinning face.

*

Perhaps considering that I hadn’t eaten for almost a day, the meal that arrived was, not very welcomingly, porridge that seemed almost blended in a mixer.

That is… five different colored porridges, and drinks with similar consistency to the porridge. I wondered if this was space food rather than hospital food, but I was hungry, so I ate it anyway.

It felt even stranger because it didn’t taste bad.

Since there was nothing to chew and I just swallowed everything, the meal took less than 5 minutes.

I lowered the bed table I had raised and put the tray on the side table, when the hospital room door burst open.

“Jieun!”

It was a truly welcome voice, but before I could answer, my vision was completely filled with pink.

Hayun had dived at me and tightly hugged my neck.

She must have been in a similar situation to me, and naturally would have been asleep for a while like me. So she probably hadn’t had a chance to wash, but still, Hayun’s hair had an indescribable fragrance.

A flower scent. I wasn’t sure if it was cherry blossom, but.

I could feel Hayun’s body heat right through the thin patient gown.

Hayun, who had already kicked off her slippers, climbed right onto my bed, sat on top of me, and clung to me.

In many ways, this is a bit embarrassing.

Is she not going to hide it anymore or something?

“You’re safe. Thank goodness. I’m so relieved, really…”

Hayun said that in my ear, sniffling.

“…”

I hugged Hayun back and slowly stroked her back.

It was a bit embarrassing.

But I felt good nonetheless.

How could I not? The person I like is hugging me like this.

As I was slowly stroking her, I felt something ticklish and hugged Hayun tightly. With my hands on her waist, I applied strength to my arms, and Hayun was pulled toward me with a “Huh?!” sound.

Then I buried my nose in Hayun’s hair and took a deep breath.

“Jieun?”

Hayun murmured like that, despite being the one who rushed in first. What kind of reaction is this now?

After hugging Hayun with all my might and feeling her warmth, I slightly loosened my grip.

A slight breath escaped from Hayun’s mouth. I liked that breath.

Slowly, the pink that had filled my vision receded, and Hayun’s face came into view.

Her white face had turned pink. It was a look that truly suited the name “Blossom.”

“Um, well…”

Hayun said, hesitating.

“What?”

“It’s just, I came with the other friends.”

“…”

At those words, I quickly removed my hands from Hayun’s waist.

I tried to pull my face back, but there was a limit since the bed was raised.

As I quickly looked around, I made eye contact with Rose.

“You’re quite the flirt, aren’t you?”

I had nothing to say in response to Rose’s comment.

But wait, Hayun was the one who rushed in first.

As I turned my head, I made eye contact with a girl who was looking at me with rather cold eyes.

It was Jihye.

I’ve lived with Jihye in the same room for almost my entire life, but I’ve never seen this expression on her face before.

I’ve seen her angry, but this expression is a bit different.

It’s like… an expression of jealousy.

Jihye approached me a bit more calmly than Hayun had.

And with a completely nonchalant expression, she climbed onto the bed and sat down.

Right next to me. Where our legs and arms completely touched.

Then she put her hand on my waist and slipped her arm between Hayun and me, hugging me from the side.

Um…

Rose whistled, but again, I couldn’t find any words to refute.

No, rather, my brain isn’t working well at all. If someone’s brain works in this situation, they must have been living a popular life from the beginning.

Seeing Jihye burying her face in my shoulder, Hayun seemed to realize belatedly that backing away had been a mistake, and she buried herself against me again.

“…”

Unable to move either way, I looked at the other magical girls.

Can’t you help me out a bit?

But Rose was already leaning against the window, grinning as if she’d seen something entertaining, while Dalia and Delphinium seemed unable to choose what to say to us.

And Ju-a—

Ju-a was glaring at me even more intensely than Jihye had been earlier.

In the end, I gave up trying to resist and decided to just close my eyes and accept the situation.

Well, still…

When else would I have a moment like this in my life?

Though I couldn’t say this aloud to Hayun, Jihye, and Ju-a.