Ch.132Chapter 22. Hope (2)

Even though I’d already missed more days of school this year than I’d attended, we still decided to take one more day off.

After all, we had risked our lives fighting in space. Come to think of it, people who travel to space and back usually receive special training for that, but we went up and came back down in a hurry without any preparation. It would be strange if our bodies weren’t feeling the strain.

If we hadn’t been magical girls, it could have been a real disaster.

When I was younger, I dreamed of visiting a space station, but now I realize how fortunate we are to keep our feet on the ground. I’d prefer to decline any future opportunities to soar into the sky unless it’s for overseas travel. And even then, I’d rather take a proper airplane than fly there myself.

Well, crossing borders on my own like that would cause enormous problems anyway.

I considered going straight home but decided to call my teacher first to say I couldn’t make it today. The teacher seemed very relieved to hear I was safe.

From what I heard, reporters like hyenas had already gathered around the orphanage.

So rather than dealing with that harassment, resting properly at the hospital didn’t seem like a bad idea.

Besides, I had a private room. Having some time to myself instead of being crowded together with others in a small room was kind of nice…

I scratched my head as I looked around my private room.

Hmm.

But somehow this doesn’t feel like a “private” room anymore.

Usually, private hospital rooms aren’t covered by insurance and often cost more than hotel rooms. The reason is simple: staying in a private room means you can rest without being disturbed by other patients.

But here…

“Don’t hospitals usually serve porridge or something for meals?”

“Yeah, don’t you want it?”

“No, that’s not it.”

What bothered me more was how someone had confidently climbed onto my bed and was setting up cake on the bed table.

Of course, if asked whether I wanted to eat it, the answer would be yes. I’m not such a light eater that I enjoy finely blended particles made in a mixer.

Food is meant to be eaten not just for survival but also for pleasure.

Well, sometimes circumstances don’t allow for that.

In the end, I couldn’t resist the temptation of the sweet cake in front of me and picked up a fork.

Fortunately—or perhaps unfortunately—Hayun didn’t scoop up cake with her fork and go “Ahhh~” or anything like that.

…I might be lying if I said I hadn’t expected it, but still. It would have been embarrassing. Hayun seemed to think so too.

There wasn’t just one slice of cake—there was enough for each of the children to have a piece. I wondered where she’d bought it.

“There’s a café on the first floor,” Rose said, reading my expression as she took a bite of cake.

“Wasn’t it crowded down there?”

“It was. Some people tried to approach me when I went down.”

But it seems Rose didn’t want to eat just porridge. I find that somewhat admirable. She took a risk to get what she wanted.

That’s just like Rose.

And for my part, I have no reason to complain since I got something good out of it.

The cake was delicious. Mine was an ordinary cream cake, nothing special, but I liked it precisely because it was a familiar taste.

As I relaxed, various thoughts began floating through my mind again.

The relationship between us and the Federation hasn’t been defined yet. I doubt any of the girls want to return to the Federation, but most of the circuits the other children use were made by and belong to the Federation.

Those circuits aren’t cheap, so if they wanted to make an issue of it, it could definitely become a problem.

Even if we don’t return to the Federation, we’re still magical girls, and people will be curious about our next moves. The government will certainly be paying close attention too.

There are still mountains of unresolved issues—

“Mmph?”

Something suddenly entered my mouth while I was lost in thought.

I instinctively bit down, and an intense sweetness spread through my mouth. It was a chocolate-filled pastry with thick, fudgy cream and a lighter cream closer to whipped cream, all blending together deliciously.

When I looked to the side, I saw Jihye pulling her fork from my mouth.

“You were thinking serious thoughts again, weren’t you?”

“…”

I couldn’t deny it. It was true.

“Just rest properly when it’s time to rest. You don’t need to think about anything. You’ll have to deal with those thoughts eventually anyway, so why worry about them now?”

I stared blankly at Jihye as she used the same fork to eat her own cake, then nodded.

She had a point.

These were things I’d have to deal with eventually. Worrying about them now wouldn’t make solutions magically appear.

I’d be thrown into the middle of those problems sooner or later, so why worry about them now?

With that thought, I turned my attention back to my cake, but once again something suddenly entered my mouth.

It was much thicker than the chocolate cake Jihye had given me earlier. It felt almost like a piece of firm cheese rather than bread.

This taste was cheesecake.

And the cheesecake—

“That’s right. There’s no need to worry too much,” Hayun said, pulling her fork back from my mouth and eating her own cake.

“From now on, things will be different. Even if we don’t try to do anything, others will probably step up to resolve things.”

“That’s right,” someone sitting across from me chimed in.

No matter how luxurious a private hospital room might be, there’s no reason for the bed to be that spacious. Of course, it was a bit wider than a multi-patient bed, so two people could lie down without much issue, but it was still rather cramped for four people.

Nevertheless, Jihye and Hayun were squeezed in on either side of me, and Ju-a sat across from me at the table.

Even sitting cross-legged, the space wasn’t designed for face-to-face seating, so our legs inevitably touched.

…

Wait, why does the atmosphere make it seem like I’m the only sick one?

We all fought together, we all got injured together. Didn’t everyone pass out the same way?

Well, it’s too late to argue about that now since my room has already been thoroughly taken over by them.

“Strictly speaking, Jieun is just a victim. If there are any problems, they’ll likely try to resolve them amicably. It would be foolish to completely trust the other side, but right now, we have the advantage. In terms of public opinion and such.”

As Ju-a said this, for some reason she extended her fork toward me.

On the end was a piece of carrot cake. I don’t dislike it—there’s hardly any type of cake I find inedible.

But, well, you know.

Somehow pointing a fork at me with an angry face…

“…”

When I hesitated and didn’t eat it, Ju-a stared at me with narrowed eyes and shook her fork.

In the end, I had no choice but to accept that piece of cake into my mouth as well.

The carrot cake was delicious too.

It’s just that my brain couldn’t quite keep up with the situation.

*

We rested well that day.

Sleeping was a bit uncomfortable.

For some reason, the three people who had climbed onto my bed insisted on sleeping pressed tightly together.

Even Ju-a, though she gave up the spot right next to me, was determined to use the same bed, so the four of us ended up squeezed together on the private room’s single bed.

The temperature was already starting to rise, so waking up with our bodies drenched in sweat was inevitable with four people crammed together like that.

The next morning.

“Well, I’ll be back.”

The other children had all returned to their own rooms, but I said goodbye to the three who were still gathered in my hospital room, and left alone.

I wasn’t wearing a patient gown but clothes sent from the orphanage. Somehow, I didn’t want to look sick when meeting Pang Pang.

The other children, perhaps understanding my feelings, didn’t insist on coming with me.

On the way, I slowly organized my thoughts.

The most important thing I considered was what to say first.

What should I talk about?

After receiving so much help, I ended up causing great harm instead of repaying the kindness.

Above all, I never properly thanked Pang Pang.

Come to think of it, helping me was probably just an act of kindness.

It didn’t take long to reach Pang Pang’s room.

Though there was some distance, we were staying on the same floor.

I had recovered enough to walk around without problems since I wasn’t badly injured by the magic, but Pang Pang was still recovering. Even though the device was designed not to cause major harm to the human body, it wasn’t meant to confine someone for that long.

Apparently, there was some loss of muscle function and strength. Fortunately, there seemed to be no other damage.

I took a deep breath in front of the hospital room, then raised my hand and knocked on the door.

“Come in,” a voice called from inside.

I carefully opened the door and entered. I tried to put on a smile but failed, resulting in a somewhat awkward expression.

“Um… hello.”

My first words were, predictably, that awkward greeting.

Thinking back, I don’t remember ever greeting Pang Pang warmly. I called her “Earthaboo” in my mind because I didn’t want to use her name, and outwardly used terms like “hey” or “you.”

“Oh, hello!”

But Pang Pang received my awkward greeting graciously.

I approached as she put down the smartphone she’d been holding.

Had she lost weight? I couldn’t tell. At least outwardly, she didn’t look much different from when I last saw her—before she went into that device.

“I don’t know how you’ve been doing.”

“…I’ve been fine.”

I couldn’t go home, but I managed well enough. At least I didn’t fall into a vegetative state.

Above all, I had friends nearby.

I unfolded a folding chair placed near the bed and sat down close to Pang Pang’s bed.

“I came to see how you’re doing.”

Rather than saying something warm, I decided it would be better to speak as I normally would. Though that doesn’t mean I spoke as rudely as before.

“I’m perfectly fine,” Pang Pang said, demonstrating by clenching and unclenching her fists.

“They were talking about rehabilitation and such, but honestly, I wonder if that’s really necessary.”

“You should probably follow the doctor’s advice.”

I’d heard that healing magic can heal wounds but can’t fix a patient’s weakened condition. Though it might help, of course.

If such a thing were possible, there would be magic to treat obesity without exercise.

“Well… I suppose so.”

Pang Pang nodded.

“…”

We were silent for a moment.

Several questions for Pang Pang came to mind. Most were about her blood relations. Was she really the chairman’s granddaughter? Was there something hidden about Pang Pang?

But even so, bringing up such topics in this setting felt too much like an interrogation.

“Why… why did you help me so much?” I asked instead.

“Hm? Didn’t I tell you?”

Pang Pang said with a smile.

“We’re friends. Friends are supposed to help each other when times are tough.”

I couldn’t find my next words for a moment, then opened my mouth again.

“Even when that friend is a wanted fugitive being chased by government agencies?”

“I didn’t think you could have done anything that wrong… Besides, you’re a magical girl, right? A magical girl wouldn’t do such terrible things!”

Wait, how does she know that?

Of course, they say you need at least a minimum of hope to transform even in despair.

But that explanation was also very characteristic of the Pang Pang I knew.

That personality that believes in people’s goodwill without question.

For some reason, I didn’t think it was a lie. After all, during the time she protected me, Pang Pang never revealed that fact to anyone else.

When I didn’t say anything, Pang Pang spoke up.

“Have I told you why I came to Earth?”

“Well… I think I asked you first.”

“Right. I think that’s how it was.”

Pang Pang nodded at my answer and continued.

“Voyager.”

A probe launched by humans who naturally couldn’t use magic, simply because they were curious about what was out there.

For aliens who consider magic essential for space exploration, it must have been a fascinating object.

“Others often say they didn’t discover it first, that they discovered Earth first and then added that touching story afterward… but I believe that story. It’s a prettier story, isn’t it?”

“…”

“I know Earth isn’t as beautiful as you might think. Well, anywhere people live is bound to be like that, right? People always end up fighting each other. Sometimes those fights get too violent.”

Pang Pang looked at me quietly.

“But still, isn’t it amazing? Even if it was a minority, even if there were various political reasons behind it, the fact that someone had such thoughts.”

Pang Pang turned her head to look up at the sky.

Outside the window, the sun was still up. It wasn’t even time for sunset yet. The stars were hours away from appearing.

But Pang Pang looked as if she could see the stars beyond.

“That’s why I wanted to come and see. I wondered how many people would have such thoughts.”

“…Were you satisfied?”

“Yes.”

That answer surprised me a bit.

Most Earth people Pang Pang would have seen were probably those tightly bound to reality.

She even worked at Noir Corporation. While there were some Earth people there, those working in such places were likely just people who needed money and came to work day by day.

“I can’t point to specific people, but even in that situation, there was someone who became a magical girl.”

I closed my mouth at Pang Pang’s words.

Pang Pang looked at me and grinned.

“Not for political reasons or anything like that, but just someone who fought according to what they knew and believed. And, well, it seems they prevailed in the end.”

“…”

“Among the people I know, there’s someone who had almost everything but wasn’t satisfied at all, so they ran away from home. But when they tried living alone, they couldn’t properly enjoy it, lost their freedom, and worked in a place that hurt their pride.”

That was probably Pang Pang’s own story.

“But I’m glad. I met such an oddball there. Even in that situation, there was someone who looked at faraway places and dreamed. So, coming here wasn’t a complete failure.”

“I… see.”

It was too embarrassing, so I decided to pretend I didn’t understand.

Whether she knew what I was thinking or not, Pang Pang continued looking up at the sky as she spoke.

“So, I believe the story about Voyager too. It’s much more romantic, isn’t it? The people who first encountered that treasure called Voyager, traveling farther and farther from Earth over decades. They took the golden record inside, interpreted it, were moved by the songs and languages within, and eventually followed those sounds to Earth. People who left footprints on the moon and sent ships toward distant places without even being able to use the powers we take for granted.”

Pang Pang turned her head toward me again.

“Wouldn’t it be too cruel if that story was made up by someone?”

And she flashed me that bright smile—the same bright smile I always saw whenever I looked at Pang Pang.

“…You’re right about that.”

In the end, I couldn’t refute Pang Pang’s words and just nodded.