Ch.145Chapter 24. Love (1)

My heart was racing wildly.

It might sound strange to say this while other kids were fighting and Pang Pang was in mortal danger, but the colorful flames visible behind Hayun looked strangely beautiful.

Hayun took my hand and helped me up.

The outfit I was wearing wasn’t much different from the Hope Circuit clothes I’d worn before.

I still didn’t know how powerful the energy derived from happiness could be, but—

Before I could fully grasp the situation, the person standing in front of me had changed.

Jihye.

It was Jihye, her transformation completely undone. Her clothes were torn in places, and now that her transformation had ended, I could see she had some injuries.

I’d always felt sorry toward Jihye. Even though I thought of her as a sister, all I’d done was drag her into these incidents.

But Jihye, as if she had no interest in hearing my excuses, casually pressed her lips against mine.

A hot kiss. Different from what we’d done before.

“…I love you too.”

Jihye whispered.

“I don’t know since when. Whether I’ve always had this preference, or if my feelings changed while spending time with you.”

Jihye looked straight into my eyes.

I felt like I could be pulled into those green pupils.

Embracing my neck tightly with both arms, pressing her body firmly against mine, Jihye somehow looked different from the Jihye I’d known before.

A girl with flushed cheeks. An excited expression I never imagined I’d see on Jihye’s face.

“So, let’s win this for sure.”

And once again, before I could process what was happening, the person in front of me changed.

She didn’t embrace me like Hayun or Jihye. She just held both my hands and looked up at me intently.

“I know.”

Ju-a opened her mouth.

“You probably don’t understand why I’m doing this yet. I don’t fully understand myself either.”

Before I could think of a response, Ju-a quickly continued.

“But I want you to know that I wouldn’t act this way toward someone I had no feelings for.”

Leaving those words that somehow felt like an excuse, Ju-a took a step toward me.

Her lips barely brushed against the edge of mine. With a soft smack, Ju-a quickly stepped back.

“…”

I stood there blankly for a moment.

So… this is…

“Let’s go.”

Hayun said that while pulling my hand.

“Everyone’s fighting hard. So—we need to help too. Let’s go protect Earth, no, the universe.”

Hayun said that while raising her staff.

We ran together.

Into the colorful flashes of light ahead.

Pang Pang looked in our direction, her eyes widening. Perhaps she saw my transformation.

“As expected.”

Pang Pang looked this way and grinned.

No, that’s not Pang Pang. The face smiling at me wasn’t Pang Pang’s face…

Wasn’t Pang Pang supposed to be the Chairman’s clone?

Too many things had happened suddenly, and my head still couldn’t process everything. While I could somewhat accept that the three girls liked me based on what I’d experienced, Pang Pang’s story was completely incomprehensible.

Didn’t she install machine guns to protect her granddaughter? But now she’s a clone?

Of course, she might have acted that way because Pang Pang was important to her plans, but I just don’t understand.

“Are you really the Chairman?”

At Pang Pang’s voice, I found myself asking that question. Pang Pang’s face froze momentarily after her pompous “As expected” comment.

And seeing that reaction, I became more certain.

“She was someone who tried to protect her granddaughter no matter what.”

Right.

My current transformation was thanks to “love.”

It was a transformation possible because I wore the circuit powered by the love in Jihye’s hands.

Pink light emanated from where my hand joined with Hayun’s.

The cherry blossom color that climbed up my arm like branches and flowers soon dyed my clothes in Hayun’s color.

“…!”

Hayun’s eyes widened. The “staff” in Hayun’s hand—that flower bouquet I had given her—was shining much more intensely than usual.

I reached out and took Hayun’s other hand.

We looked like we were dancing.

Not exactly a suitable posture for fighting. I could hear Hayun’s surprised breath escaping. Feeling Hayun’s breath near my ear and smelling the flower scent that always emanated from her body, I raised the staff together with Hayun.

It was a massive sword. Not the thin sword we usually saw, but like that magic sword we created together by powering the generator.

Except this one was entirely pink.

I lightly pressed my lips against Hayun’s cheek.

“Jieun?!”

Hayun let out a startled squeak. Why? We’ve pressed our lips together plenty of times before. We’ve pressed our bodies together, and when sleeping, we’ve clung tightly to each other.

If we keep going like this, we could go even further—

Hmm, was that thinking too far ahead?

The love circuit is honestly a bit overwhelming. While hope makes you feel hope and despair makes you feel despair as you delve deeper, love makes you continuously grow that love.

In a way, it’s a somewhat troublesome power that leads to fantasies.

But because that heart-pounding feeling is good, we always fall in love, don’t we? Even if there might be pain at the end—

I moved slightly away from Hayun’s body.

Hayun looked at me with a dazed expression.

“I’ll just borrow this for a moment.”

Hayun nodded blankly.

I turned back to the Chairman.

No—to “whatever it is” claiming to be the Chairman.

“That talk about clones. Isn’t it all made up?”

Whatever had taken over Pang Pang’s body swung its staff at me as if there was no need to answer.

I blocked that intensely radiating blade by raising Hayun’s staff.

Clang!

A sound like metal scraping against metal, impossible to imagine from light meeting light. The sound of two blades that could never be dulled colliding was that intense.

Even though Hayun’s blade had thickened so much, it was still thinner than what the generator had produced.

But still, I didn’t back down.

“If that wasn’t the case, you wouldn’t have handed this over. To test a new power? What happens to the despair energy you’ve been trying to create all this time? What happens to the hope energy you suddenly switched to at the last minute? With such a busy schedule advancing your plans, there’s no reason to look for new energy, is there?”

I grinned and pushed back the sword. The sword, much larger than my body, was forced back.

But my opponent swung the sword at me again.

This time, I neither dodged nor blocked. I just turned around because I heard someone calling me.

Jihye’s worried face came into view.

It’s okay.

I won’t get hurt this time.

Bang!

Again, I heard the sound of metal colliding.

But this sound was different from the earlier clash of swords.

It was as if some sturdy metal plate was blocking the attack.

When I turned my head back, there was a greenish light in the air.

Blocking between me and the blade.

A pale green light swirled around my left arm.

…The emotion of love can both dye the other person in my color and dye me in their color.

My color is black.

As if refusing to receive anyone’s love, not giving space to any other color.

My color is white.

As if able to accept anyone’s color, the color that exists when only space remains.

Step.

I stepped up into the air.

Just as Ju-a had shown me before, I didn’t simply fly up but walked upward toward my opponent.

“Eeeek…!”

Pang Pang’s face twisted horribly. As always, the end for seemingly composed villains is always like this.

Well, fine. The sword could be considered threatening.

“…Jieun…!”

I heard someone shouting from behind, and something came flying toward me.

I raised my left arm high and caught it perfectly.

Ju-a’s weapon, thrown to me by Ju-a.

I spun it coolly and gripped it with just my left hand. This time, I saw Ju-a’s purple light. Click, clack, the gun made those sounds and began changing shape.

I aimed that gun at my opponent and fired.

Pang Pang wasn’t easily defeated and split the beam with her sword, but seeing my sword swinging behind it, she panicked and rolled backward to dodge. Pang Pang’s body also rose into the air like mine.

“Are you crazy?! If you do that, this body will—!”

“Even your words sound exactly like a third-rate villain.”

I approached with an incredulous laugh.

“You know what? The word ‘love’ is used in various situations. It can mean love between lovers, but it can also mean love between friends or family. Well, it’s usually too embarrassing to say out loud.”

“What does that mean?!”

“What does it mean?”

I laughed incredulously and said.

“Hey, this is magic. It’s not a real sword, not a real gun.”

A sword that doesn’t harm people.

A sword that can cut through someone without leaving a single wound. Hayun’s sword was like that.

But while it doesn’t harm human bodies, it does break circuits. If there’s an object between that can be cut, that will break too.

If there’s “something” inside Pang Pang’s body, that would naturally break too.

If she’s a clone, it might be unavoidable. I might have to kill Pang Pang. But what did my opponent say?

If Pang Pang really was a clone and could be controlled just by that, there would be no need to boast about it so openly. There would be no need to fight us. Because I wouldn’t be able to cut Pang Pang. I would try to save Pang Pang somehow and free her from that brainwashing.

Judging by Pang Pang’s headache earlier, it seems like some “method” was implanted in her body beforehand—but it’s probably not “clone” technology.

If that were possible, they wouldn’t have given her a personality in the first place, just kept her in a vegetative state and used her when needed.

But the Chairman left Pang Pang alone.

It’s just my guess, but—yes, I felt that was also “love” as family.

Swords clash. The light that had been shining in various colors was now divided into two: pink and white. Ah, of course, green and purple lights appear here and there too.

But that’s not the light from the magical girls’ movements.

“How, how…!”

“Where’s James?”

I asked again.

Yes, that’s strange too. If that fanatic really wanted to follow the Chairman’s words, why is there only that pathetic red man here?

James wouldn’t be fooled.

…Yes, damn it, even their face colors were identical.

Well, it’s somewhat comforting.

The Chairman’s messed-up plan would have failed eventually even without us.

Nothing harms ideals more than messy power struggles. Right?

“Hey, if the guy who would die at the Chairman’s command isn’t in front of you, wouldn’t you think something’s strange?”

That’s right. That’s normal. The situation got so weird that I forgot.

James supports the Chairman but can’t face me? Is he that kind of person? That shameless man? No, I absolutely don’t think so.

If this was “really” the Chairman’s plan, James would be standing proudly in front of me saying, “I’m sorry, but blah blah blah, so I’ll be using you all.” But he’s hiding?

No, he’s not hiding—there must be a reason why he can’t be here.

“Is the Chairman dead or alive?”

I asked while swinging my sword. Pang Pang’s face contorted.

She’s probably dead. Even if not dead, at least in critical condition or dire straits. I don’t know the cause yet.

The Chairman might have prepared a “backup.”

I don’t know if she completely copied herself, but she might have considered it as “one of the methods.”

Yes, she might have considered using Pang Pang. If there’s no way to create a clone that acts exactly the same, she could have made her move like the Pang Pang in front of me now, through some kind of brainwashing.

If you can move someone with just fragmentary memories or personality, the purpose is essentially achieved. If she’s not dead but just in critical condition, well, she might be able to do something using magic.

But the Chairman never actually implemented it.

After all, she’s her granddaughter.

The Chairman who thought of passing everything to her granddaughter who had left her like that. I don’t think such a Chairman would use her granddaughter simply as a chess piece. That’s why she didn’t forcibly take Pang Pang away, and just left her with minimal protective measures.

The Chairman’s search for Pang Pang was probably separate from her own goals. If there was someone to inherit from her, and someone to continue executing her plans, that would have been good for the Chairman, but Pang Pang refused, and the Chairman accepted that calmly.

And—

—because of that, someone who “needed” Pang Pang set their sights on her.

…I know someone who could kidnap Pang Pang and mess with her body.

Grind.

My teeth grind together.

“Yes, that’s right.”

I ran.

Feeling as if someone was pushing me from behind. It felt like purple feathers fluttered. Did wings sprout on my back?

“After all that, you still thought you could have your way.”

Bang!

While deflecting the sword swinging down at me with Hayun’s staff, I fired multiple shots with the gun in my left hand. Did it always have this rapid-fire function? The fuse doesn’t seem to be blowing now—ah, let’s not think about that.

Just, for now, let’s surrender to the magic—to the power of love. Too much imagination is worse than less imagination.

Mediocre imagination is poison for magical girls. Right?

The swinging sword hit the green light and deflected sideways. My opponent seems very flustered that the sword can’t even reach me anymore.

“Sorry, Pang Pang.”

I shot forward and collided with Pang Pang’s body. There was no impact on me. Jihye’s protection was that sincere.

Stepping on Pang Pang’s body with one foot, I lowered my head to get as close to her face as possible and said:

“…Are you Pungpung?”

The only one who would do something like this, who would abandon even his own pride and ruin all plans for short-term gain, is indeed Pungpung.

From the moment he kidnapped Pang Pang, he probably did something to her while she was in that vegetative state. As insurance for the future.

So that even if he lost, he could seize this facility at a crucial moment and use it himself.

But unfortunately.

Pungpung isn’t in a normal state right now.

…If he were in a normal state, it might be more unfortunate for my opponent. Because he would have known before all this happened.

I wiped the smile from my face.

“Really, until the end, you’re so pathetic.”

I spat out the words.

“Is that why you couldn’t move in your own name now? Because you’re a man with no pride or anything.”

I understand liking money. I worked at Noir Corporation for money too.

But there’s a limit.

Why did Pungpung go to such lengths to take the Chairman’s position, and then try to exist as the “Chairman” rather than as “himself”?

Thinking about it, the conclusion is quite simple.

When he could ascend to the real Chairman’s position as the Chairman, why would the body of “Pungpung” matter?

Being so selfish, a part of his self that entered the memory stick wouldn’t be altruistic enough to think about his original self.

“Stop clinging and get lost.”

I didn’t even want to listen to the final words of that Pungpung memory.

As soon as I saw his mouth opening, I stabbed the sword into Pang Pang’s neck.

Then I reached out and wrapped my hand around that circuit.

There was a small explosion sound, pop. Unlike when I nearly blew off the Kaijin’s arm before, this circuit had much more overwhelming power but caused a much smaller explosion.

Green light swirled around my hand.

“You, you…”

As it seemed like he was trying to continue speaking, I slashed the blade upward, cutting through Pang Pang’s head.

If my “imagination” is correct, whatever kind of memory was in Pang Pang’s head would have disappeared without a trace.

“…”

After staying in that position for a moment, I staggered to my feet and slumped down next to Pang Pang.

As I was carefully trying to put down Hayun’s staff that I had been holding, I noticed that the handle part of the staff—specifically the “bouquet” part—seemed to have changed shape slightly, so I examined it.

New flowers had bloomed in the bouquet.

“…Haha.”

Those flowers were “lilies.”

Well, I am “Happy Lily” after all.

I can’t deny it anymore.

I hear the sound of someone running toward me. While listening to that sound, I placed my hand near the neck of Pang Pang, who hadn’t woken up yet.

Her heart is beating.

She’s breathing too.

Just knowing that was enough to make all the strength leave my body in relief.

“Pang Pang.”

I said quietly. Well, she probably can’t hear me yet.

“Let’s go back to Earth.”

And with that, I flopped backward.

I could hear the kids almost screaming my name, but sorry, I think I pushed myself too hard. I absolutely cannot get up.

But because that fatigue felt somewhat sweet,

I ended up surrendering to it.