Ch.14Chapter 3. Possibility? (2)

I don’t think this is too difficult.

Jeong Jieun said to herself not to think it was manageable.

Looking at the 70 percent figure, I thought to myself.

If I think it’s even slightly manageable, the number will drop. I have batteries, but they won’t all last long. The most important thing is to endure while maintaining them as long as possible.

Yes, that’s how to think about it. Even if I use all of this gathered power, I can’t defeat Iris anyway.

“What—”

Iris was startled when she saw me cut through her beam.

67 percent.

Yes, just seeing that made it drop this much. Am I incapable of focusing?

70 percent.

…Seeing it rise right after I cursed myself, the number is truly honest.

I ran forward.

Click.

Iris seemed momentarily confused, but quickly regained her composure and pulled out a fuse.

A cartridge was loaded.

Good. Then I will too.

Let’s see how far I can go with the circuit.

I thought about the techniques I’d seen in the webtoon. Until now, I’ve mainly used energy solidified into blade form, because I thought it was the most effective method among those shown in the webtoon.

When the circuit’s number drops, just getting near a magical girl makes attacks impossible. At minimum, my “despair” needed to be greater than the magical girls’ “hope.”

How about now?

Being able to cut through means we’re similar in power. In the webtoon, Iris’s hope circuit usually maintained around 70 percent. When her mental state broke, it sometimes dropped to about 50 percent.

Could that be why Iris uses warp point technology? Compared to Blossom who maintains nearly 90 percent, her raw power is lower, so she found her own breakthrough. Sending enemies away before they can resist.

I removed the blade that had formed at my wrist.

Then I stretched my hand forward as if a laser would shoot from the circuit, taking a stance.

Iris had already finished aiming at me.

75 percent.

If I get hit like this, I’ll be sent flying somewhere. No, maybe Iris has adjusted her power somewhat. Just pushing me with mana would be enough to knock me unconscious.

If I get captured here, my face will be revealed to Blossom too.

Thinking about that made my heart pound. Fear rose to my throat. What if Blossom—no, Hayun—looked at me with disgust?

77 percent.

The battery was still full. Which one should I choose?

Obviously the battery. I don’t trust myself.

Bang!

Simultaneously with Iris’s shot, there was recoil at my wrist. The suit somewhat cushioned the impact, but my arm still ached dully. It’s fine. It’s not broken yet.

73 percent.

…Seeing the number drop because I felt slightly relieved, I was right not to trust myself.

Click.

I quickly moved the circuit to remove the battery. As soon as the top plate of the circuit opened, black smoke rose. The battery was burned out. I shook my arm to drop it to the floor, opened my suit pocket, took out another battery and inserted it.

The battery was full. The number was 70 percent. It kept dropping. Not good.

Iris’s attack seemed to be a warp point attack. If she had chosen to just push me with magic, I might not have withstood it and would have fainted.

Confusion clouded Iris’s face. Her gaze on me wavered.

65 percent.

Seeing that face, my mind quickly stabilized.

Still not good.

I tried to think of desperate situations. If the number keeps dropping like this, I’ll eventually give Iris the advantage. I thought I needed to convince myself I was at a disadvantage, but—

“…”

I couldn’t help my lips curling up slightly.

Ah, perhaps I prefer villains to magical girls after all.

Actually, it might be because I’m just a coward. The truth is, I wanted to be a magical girl too. Jihye is right. I could have at least talked to Hayun about it.

But.

…I’m just not that kind of person.

It was the same in my past life. No matter how hard I studied, my grades kept dropping as I got older. After going to university and returning from military service, it was difficult to even maintain a B.

My high school grades were achieved through studying hard based on my previous memories, but that was it. If slightly more difficult subjects appeared, I’d probably collapse. That would likely happen in second year.

To fix broken things at the orphanage. To put one more piece of candy in the children’s mouths.

Making such excuses, I followed the scout who approached me. And became an unremarkable combatant. Just like my past self was an unremarkable person.

Even with a pretty face and the position of being the protagonist’s childhood friend, this is how I turned out.

I’m beyond saving.

72 percent.

Good. I’ve stabilized somewhat.

By the time Iris pulled out another fuse and aimed at me again, I was already rolling to the side. I didn’t believe the nonsense that knives or hand-to-hand combat is faster than guns at close range, but Iris’s rifle was certainly long. As I rushed forward while dodging to the right, I was able to narrowly avoid the beam.

I swung my fist.

“Eek!?”

Perhaps she had never allowed a combatant to land a proper attack before. Iris screamed.

I didn’t hesitate at her scream and directed the circuit’s energy—

“Hmph.”

Iris quickly stuck her tongue out at me slightly and rapidly lowered her left hand to touch the skirt of her dress.

“…Ah!?”

The skirt portion of Iris’s dress has large pleats. Naturally, there was no visible side slit at first glance. Having one would make the design look strange.

But Iris casually put her hand inside the skirt.

…On the left side, she had created a side slit by overlapping the fabric. And there was probably another holster on the inside of her leg.

The movement was very swift. She must have practiced it many times.

Bang!

I was able to block the attack by a hair’s breadth. Using my left arm as a shield, I released energy from the battery. For just a moment, a black hemispherical barrier formed, blocking my front.

Bang! Bang!

I could block up to three shots. The gun looked like an automatic pistol that fits in one hand. I could see small fuses popping out with each trigger pull.

Since the gun was small, it probably lacked warp point functionality, as I wasn’t sent flying to some strange place.

Click!

The battery was automatically ejected after blocking three bullets. While I was momentarily confused by the circuit opening—

“…Ugh!?”

My scream, distorted through the helmet, leaked out.

Thud, thud.

I was hit in both shoulders by bullets made of pure mana. The suit’s defense was better than the tight outfit I wore before, so the pain was somewhat less. But I still felt pain like a boxer lightly hitting me with gloves on. Well, I wouldn’t know exactly how powerful it was, since I’ve never boxed before.

As I stepped back, Iris also jumped back. Looking again, I realized she still hadn’t touched the ground even once.

I shouldn’t call it cowardly… After all, I’m the more cowardly one here.

The moment I reached for my pocket, Iris’s rifle barrel pointed at me.

I threw myself toward the floor.

78 percent.

As my helmet hit the ground, my head inside shook violently. There was no time to feel pain. I rolled sideways as fast as possible, barely managing to hide inside a corner.

I replaced the battery.

…This was my last battery. After using this, I would have to fight purely with the power of the circuit. 81 percent. Good. Though I don’t like how it only rises at times like this, it’s efficient in a way. At least it will help me survive.

Iris was humming.

That means she’s angry. It was a habit that appeared in the webtoon, and one I’ve found irritating since coming to this world.

Iris, who wants to appear mature but actually has childlike impressions and habits, thinks that showing anger openly seems childish.

So she hides her emotions by “pretending to be happy” like that. Her usual relaxed behavior was the same.

…The reason Iris wants to kill me is because I occasionally teased and flustered her, like last time.

No, but how did she recognize me this time?

81 percent.

What should I do?

Should I run away from here? But I didn’t know where this turning path led. It was a new area I’d entered while rushing at Iris and then backing away, which is why it was cleaner.

There weren’t even any combatants. Did they all fall to Iris?

“…”

I looked in another direction.

The corridor Iris was directly facing.

There were several fallen combatants visible in that direction. Some were still wriggling on the floor like worms, so they seemed to be conscious.

There were also some places to hide in the corridor.

If I ran that way, my chances of escape—

—would probably be almost none.

84 percent.

…But that might not be so bad for me.

Even if an extremely angry Iris throws a pure mana ball, I can defend once with the battery, and if she uses warp point magic, it’s better to just take the hit and be ejected.

If I dodge or block both and go inside, there would be a fallen executive.

If I free the executive, at least the story that I acted for the sake of a magical girl friend would somewhat hold.

82 percent.

No.

I’ve dragged this out too long. My emotions are gradually stabilizing. Mental stability accelerates with time. I needed to decide right now.

…Alright.

I closed my eyes briefly, sank into thought, then made my decision.

I don’t think I could reach the exit by running alone anyway.

Without further deliberation, I immediately jumped out and lunged forward.

“There!”

Iris shot at me.

I rolled on the floor with all my might. I felt hot heat right beside me.

Click.

I heard a fuse dropping to the floor. Having finished reloading while I was hiding, Iris immediately turned her gun barrel toward me.

Using the energy charged in my suit, I ran forward vigorously.

Simultaneously, I used battery energy to create a barrier that scattered the laser.

The battery at my wrist ejected.

I could see a door ahead.

68 percent.

The energy used by the suit, and the slight hope I felt, caused the number to drop a bit. Once it started dropping, it fell faster and faster.

If I can just get there.

If I can just get there.

There was a forcibly opened door ahead. It was very similar to the door I had opened, and it was opened in almost the same way.

Beyond it, there was a bound executive. Though lying face down on the floor, he was wriggling while forcibly lifting his head to look at me.

61 percent.

I created a blade on my arm.

From behind, I heard the soft sound of the next fuse being loaded into the rifle.

I ran toward the door—

Before reaching it.

“…”

From inside, I saw something pink.

That child with pink hair was glaring at me.

Being someone who seemed to have forgotten how to get angry, she didn’t look particularly furious at first glance.

But I knew. After spending several years together, I had learned it many times.

This was Blossom’s expression when she was truly angry to the core.

Though I had faced magical girls many times before, Blossom had never made such an angry face until now.

…Perhaps she was angry that someone had invaded their base without permission.

—Beep beep beeeeeep!

I turned my gaze.

There was something that had nearly been destroyed.

I’d seen it in the webtoon too. In the webtoon, the company had tried to destroy it but failed.

The ultimate goal they wanted to destroy in this operation.

It was a generator.

Clearly installed illegally, and known to the government, but there was a reason they didn’t try hard to remove it.

The hotbed of twisted utilitarianism, and the ultimate goal of the existence of “magical girls.”

“Hurry, hurry and help me!”

The executive shouted.

…Well, the company’s desire to destroy it probably wasn’t about cutting off that absurd utilitarianism.

Rather, they just wanted to show that their method was more efficient. The Galactic Federation’s method would be useless if just one of those was broken, until they made another one.

It’s also much more complicated.

“…Why do you go to such lengths? Are you trying to destroy even the hope we have left?”

Blossom said.

Even as she spoke, mana was charging in the weapon she held.

What Blossom was holding was a “magical girl” wand.

You know those things, right? About the size of a “wand,” with a star or heart at the end.

It was much more magical girl-like than a gun or gauntlet.

And, because of that, it was very dangerous.

A wand with a flower shape at the end, looking almost like a bouquet at first glance. No, the shape itself was certainly modeled after a bouquet.

Beep beeeeeep!

93 percent.

…Impressive.

Just receiving Blossom’s gaze did this. It wasn’t just the number rising; my heart itself was pounding as if it would burst.

I’m scared.

I was afraid of Blossom. Afraid that her attack would break my helmet and reveal my face inside.

And at the same time, I was feeling another negative emotion.

…And about that negative emotion, yet another negative emotion was welling up, and like when I find mental stability, the despair circuit was spinning exponentially.

“Hey!”

The executive shouted.

Fighting Blossom here would give me no chance of winning. Then, there was only one option.

I immediately ducked down and grabbed the executive.

“Good— ugh!?”

Then I lifted the executive like a shield and ran toward Iris who was coming from behind.

“Ah, wait!?”

Perhaps she had wanted to have some dialogue, Blossom who had only been charging mana shouted like that, but it was already too late. The increased circuit number was running at over 90 percent. Even without a battery, the suit could exert explosive power.

“Urgh!?”

The executive, whose face was distorted by wind rushing into his eyes and mouth, shouted.

“…What!?”

Perhaps thinking I was a cornered rat, Iris had been approaching me, but was startled to see me running toward her.

I threw the executive at Iris with all my might.

“What are you dooooing!?”

The executive flew with a scream.

“Kyaaa!?”

It’s fortunate the executive was ugly.

The executive flying at high speed, aimed precisely at Iris’s face.

What would Iris have felt seeing the executive’s face head-on?

Iris, who acts composed and cool, does so because she’s actually not calm.

Iris hurriedly raised her gun.

“Iris, wait!!”

Blossom shouted while following behind me, but it was already too late. Iris had already loaded the next fuse while firing several shots at me.

Iris’s rifle spat fire.

I jumped into that beam.

The executive and I were both hit by that beam.

After feeling pain like my whole body was being pummeled—

—I succeeded.

Seeing the scene before my eyes change, I felt relieved.

Then I rolled on the ground.

“Kuh! Kuk! Puk! Huk!”

The executive made strange noises while rolling on the ground.

Still, I was fortunate to be much better off than him.

Perhaps because I grabbed the executive’s nape at the end, we fell in the same place.

“What, what the hell! There’s actually someone low enough to throw an executive at a magical girl!?”

Then he looked up and was speechless when he saw we had cleanly escaped from that chaos.

“…Is this your first time fighting a magical girl?”

I asked while drawing a blade from my wrist.

The rope binding the executive is enhanced with magic. It can’t be easily cut with just a cutter.

“Uh, uhh…”

Yes, I thought so. Even in the webtoon, this was his first appearance, and though he was captured, there wasn’t much information to extract.

He was probably a disposable piece sent to scout the internal structure.

Even among executives, each has their role.

James, despite appearances, was an executive sitting in a fairly high position regarding combat. Even if he lost, he would complete his objective as much as possible and somehow avoid being captured.

There are also technical and business strategy divisions. Usually, they don’t get along well with other executives.

Like villain executives in tokusatsu shows who boast they’re better than James and say they’ll go instead of him to the “chairman,” only to get thoroughly beaten and then mocked by James.

After I untied the glowing rope, the executive stood up and looked at me with a slightly awkward expression.

Then he scratched his head.

“Uh, thanks?”

“Don’t mention it.”

To be honest, it was closer to me just using him to escape.

I ran my hands over my body.

“…”

I was more intact than expected. Unlike the last time I fought, nothing seemed to be broken.

This is amazing.

40 percent.

Perhaps because I was feeling good for the first time in a while, the despair number dropped a bit below normal.

“Hey! Where are you going!”

“I’m going home.”

“In that state?”

“I have to either walk or run, don’t I?”

I said with a strangely refreshed feeling.

Yes. I couldn’t win this time either.

I couldn’t win, but I could land a blow. Iris was definitely flustered.

Seeing Blossom’s face was a bit fatal though.

…

Yes, perhaps the emotion I felt seeing that face was jealousy.

She’s the protagonist of this world, after all. Unlike an extra like me who doesn’t even appear in the main story.

“Then I’ll be going now.”

“Uh, uhh… Sure?”

After giving a slight bow to the somewhat slow executive who still couldn’t grasp the situation, I ran.

This time it was a mountain.

Still, fortunately it’s within Seoul.

…It’s a bit dark, but with these clothes, I probably won’t die even if I roll a bit?