Ch.154154. To Protect Arin.

A sinister silence hung over the training ground.

If asked whether I had fought here before.

Yes. I could answer that immediately.

Then, had I ever fought with Arin?

The answer to that would be the same as the one above.

Just like now, exactly the same.

In this pristine white training ground.

Wearing the same Eden uniform.

With Arin, the same as before.

In the same place, but for a different reason this time.

Click, click.

The echoing footsteps.

I hadn’t intended to create an intimidating atmosphere.

But the clicking sound of my shoes was creating exactly that kind of mood.

In the past…

Well, let’s not think about the past.

Like how I once tried to walk with purposeful strides to look cool, only to twist my ankle.

What’s the point of remembering that?

It would only be embarrassing.

This isn’t the time to think about such things in a situation like this.

“…Arin.”

“No. Bine. The one standing before you isn’t Arin… but Magical Girl Iris. I’ve come to challenge you.”

“…I see, Iris. No.”

The rookie magical girl.

The nameless magical girl.

The magical girl I refuse to call by name.

“I want to remain in your memory as a magical girl.”

“…I see, Magical Girl.”

“I want to remain in your memory as Iris.”

“…”

Arin speaks while biting her lip.

“I want to remain in your memory not just as little Arin, but as Magical Girl Iris.”

“…”

Arin’s grip tightens.

Holding a scythe as tall as herself.

What she wants to reap is me.

Yes, the scythe emitting an ominous blue light, wanting to reap the villain before her.

“I challenge you, Eden’s Bine.”

“…Ha.”

I look around.

At that window… from Elise to Blanc.

And all the magical girls I’ve spent time with are watching.

I wonder which side they’re cheering for.

They probably… don’t want Arin to grow up yet either.

If she becomes a magical girl I acknowledge…

I’d have to take her on tomorrow’s mission.

“Are you willing to give up even now…”

“I don’t listen to villains’ words. The older sisters told me. Unlike monsters, humanoid enemies, villains… they use words to deceive people and weaken them. That’s how they confuse magical girls. They’ll do anything… if it gives them an advantage.”

“…So that’s a no.”

“I can’t let myself be deceived by a villain’s words… and fail to help my sister Bine.”

“I’m also right here in front of you, though…”

“That uniform, those shoes… and.”

Arin pointed her scythe at my neck.

Where the collar of the uniform is.

And.

“You without a collar are Eden’s Bine.”

“How strange that a single collar changes my title…”

The collar… Blanc removed it.

I asked why she removed the collar instead of just adjusting my magical power like before.

She said it seemed better that way.

…Looking at this atmosphere, it seems Arin must have asked Blanc first.

When I glance up there, I only see Blanc watching seriously.

“In my memory, my first impression of you was… wearing a collar. I thought it was strange at first, but they said it was a seal. And when you collapsed from lack of magical power, it was something that helped prevent you from using more magic. But what Eden’s Bine—you without that collar—did to me.”

“…”

Betraying Arin, losing my memories, violence against Arin.

“I’m getting used to that expression too. You’re probably feeling sorry, aren’t you? If you were our kind sister.”

“Arin, I’m saying this sincerely. Please stop…”

“But if you’re a villain… you might use even that as deception. Further conversation is meaningless now. Let’s begin, villain.”

“…Haah.”

Arin’s scythe points at me again.

And her small feet kick off the ground with force.

Arin’s body, which had seemed so light, accelerates heavily.

Quickly, speed becomes weight and power.

And then, swinging the scythe to cut—

SWOOSH!!

Nothing but empty air.

She only sliced through the void.

“…You’re slow.”

“Ugh… I haven’t gotten serious yet!”

It wasn’t luck that let me dodge.

The difference in skill simply gave me room to avoid it.

To my eyes, she still looks like Arin.

Cute.

Yes, my cute little sister, Arin.

…Someone I need to protect.

And someone I need to atone to.

I simply cannot fight such a person.

That’s why I didn’t wear my tail either.

What I have in my hand is.

The sword I used to favor.

Arin rushes at me again.

This time I twist my body to avoid her.

And immediately respond to the horizontal slash that follows.

CLANG-!

Lightly, truly lightly.

I deflect it gently so Arin’s delicate wrist won’t be hurt.

Normally, I would have struck down hard, even if just to create an impact.

But it’s Arin.

Because it’s Arin.

This isn’t training with Arin.

It’s a fight to send Arin to the battlefield.

I simply cannot be serious.

My heart becomes too weak.

Toward Arin…

How many exchanges have we had?

Deflecting Arin as she kicks off the wall and rushes at me.

Deflecting all the magic she fires from a distance.

Even deflecting Arin as she creates a bullet curtain around herself and tries to cut me down.

“Haa… haa… Not yet! Not yet! Bine, why are you acting like this? This is completely different! Different from how you were in the training ground before, different from how you were in that video. Even different from how you were at that marina!”

“Arin…”

“Don’t call me Arin! I am Iris! Magical Girl Iris!”

“…Iris?”

“Ugh… Just call me Magical Girl! Hearing you call me Iris because I told you to is… I’ll earn it myself!”

“…Understood, Magical Girl. But… when I call others by their active names…”

“You mean Hyein unnie or Yoonseul unnie? And a few others, right? I need to grow that much too, grow enough to… protect my sister, my Bine unnie! Here I come again!”

Arin looks exhausted.

I deliberately chose a topic to drag out the conversation, to give her time to catch her breath.

Yet she still charges at me.

Objectively speaking, she’s still weaker than Seohyun.

If she were to fight Seohyun one-on-one, Arin would clearly be the one to fall.

Even with a crossbow that can only attack from a distance, Seohyun fundamentally knows how to fight hand-to-hand.

They say she’s weak at close range, but that’s only when comparing fighters of the same class.

In a one-sided fight, even in close combat, Arin is…

Yeah.

CRASH!

“Ugh…! You just keep dodging! Just deflecting attacks! Why won’t you counterattack!”

“Well…”

“Are you afraid I’ll get hurt? Eden’s Bine doesn’t care about that! Come at me already!”

I couldn’t answer Arin, who was almost howling.

“Or… am I a magical girl not worth your time? Is that it…! Bine! Answer me!”

“Arin, if I thought that… would I have fought you at the marina?”

“Ha, haha… Really? Was that it? You can’t attack me because you’re afraid of hurting me? You treat your own body so recklessly but mine is precious? That’s strange. It’s strange, I tell you!”

“Arin…”

“I am! Not Arin! I’m a magical girl!!!”

Magical power explodes toward me.

And that power…

“Sigh… Yes. I wanted to protect you. I didn’t want to hurt a magical girl I’ve already harmed through my mistakes. I didn’t want to wound a young soul again.”

“Bine!!”

“Sigh… Fine. Yes… I won’t tell you to give up anymore. I don’t even know the victory conditions for this duel, so I can’t argue about that. It’s a condition I acknowledge, isn’t it? I thought it would be too harsh a condition for you.”

The dust left by the violent magical power clears.

“Alright. What about a condition like… inflicting one wound on my body? How about this? While I try to defeat you… if you can cause even one injury anywhere on my skin, you win. I will… acknowledge you as a proper magical girl.”

“Ah…?”

“So, I hope you can continue attacks like the one just now.”

The magical power filled with her determination.

If I hadn’t dodged it, it would have been strong enough to make me retire before even stating the conditions.

To think it would cut my collar.

And it was a new uniform too.

Arin won’t give up through words alone.

Yes, further persuasion is meaningless.

But having accepted this duel without conditions…

That doesn’t make sense.

At the very least, there should be clear victory conditions that both Arin and I can understand.

And…

I’ll win under those conditions.

And prevent Arin from going to the battlefield.

“Fine, let’s do that. Haah… I will win, Bine.”

“…I am Eden’s Second Captain. And… Head of the First Division. I, Bine, who leads Eden’s First Corps, have personally appeared before you to bring darkness to the world and obstruct your path. Please.”

“Here I come, Bine!”

“May I ensnare you.”

This time I didn’t deflect the attack.

I received it all myself.

Because here, now.

I am the villain.

The villain who will crush Arin’s dreams.

“Ugh…”

“Hm… You… don’t even need to use a tail. Well… I’m reluctant to use it right now anyway. This sword is enough for you, weak and small magical girl.”

“I’m…! Not weak!”

Arin charges at me again.

Her speed…

It’s at a disappointing level.

But it’s about as fast as when Seohyun received her nickname from me.

Why did I give Seohyun a nickname back then?

…Ah.

I was flustered.

She had managed to fluster me.

Arin’s weapon glows and transforms into a new form.

“I will…! Definitely defeat you and protect my sister!”