Ch.15Chapter 3. Possibility? (3)

“…….”

After the executive and the combatant disappeared simultaneously, Blossom and Iris stood blinking for a while.

“……Huh?”

Iris finally mumbled.

It was clearly a mistake.

Losing a combatant wasn’t a big issue.

Researching the circuits was important work, but for some reason, whenever the magical girls recovered them, the devices would malfunction on their own, regardless of what safeguards the company had installed. Since magic was definitely involved, Iris suspected some kind of protective mechanism was at work.

They could collect samples during each battle, and as long as the damaged parts didn’t overlap, they could make gradual progress with their research, so that wasn’t a major problem…

But the executive—this had been their first opportunity to capture one.

“Was that a warp point?”

Blossom asked as she walked out of the room. The magic emanating from the staff in her hand had diminished since earlier.

Blossom didn’t give Iris a particularly impressive look.

Just the same understanding expression as always.

“…I, I wouldn’t have… if they hadn’t suddenly rushed at me…”

Yes. She had been startled by a face suddenly appearing right in front of her and accidentally warped them away.

It was quite a malicious attack. The executive had precisely aimed his ugly face directly at Iris’s face.

Looking back now, that must have been their strategy.

The personal warp point technology hadn’t been fully developed yet. At least, Noir Corporation was believed not to possess such technology. If they had, they would have equipped their executives with it to prevent situations like today’s from happening in the first place.

The combatant knew this and quickly assessed the situation.

Whether it was a gamble or a calculated move was unclear, but the outcome spoke for itself, making any discussion about luck pointless now.

Blossom’s body was bathed in bright light.

Returning to her casual clothes, Blossom turned to look at the generator.

“It’s okay. At least we protected the generator.”

And when she turned around, her face wore a smile.

“Even if we had captured the executive, we would have had to release them before long, right? The information we could extract from an executive is limited anyway.”

Currently on Earth, specifically in the Republic of Korea, the only official armed group of the Galactic Federation was the Magical Girls.

And these Magical Girls would “subdue” but not “torture.”

Just as many countries on Earth claim “we don’t engage in inhumane acts like torture” while secretly torturing and threatening people to extract information, the Galactic Federation might be the same, but at least for now, they didn’t seem interested in having the “Magical Girls” do such things.

So a captured executive just needed to keep quiet and stall for time.

No matter how much the Galactic Federation delegated representative roles to the Magical Girls and how much the government recognized the extraterritoriality of Galactic Federation personnel, they couldn’t completely ignore the law.

“I’ll help write the incident report. You did well. It could have been dangerous if things had gone wrong.”

“Dangerous…?”

Blossom spoke in a comforting tone, but her words seemed to deeply wound Iris’s pride.

It wasn’t even a battle with an executive—she had been outmaneuvered in a confrontation with a mere combatant. She hadn’t been overpowered in combat, but she had been outsmarted strategically.

The great Iris.

And because of her most confident attack method, no less.

“……”

But since there was nothing she could say in her defense, Iris clenched her fists tightly.

What would Delphinium say if she saw this?

Watching Iris, Blossom once again felt the critical importance of “cooperation and strategy.”

Perhaps she should make time to have a proper conversation about this.

By the way.

Blossom stared at where the combatant had been until the very end, then turned to Iris.

“Ju-a.”

“…Please call me Iris when I’m in this outfit. What is it?”

At least she still had the presence of mind to respond, which Blossom considered fortunate as she asked Iris:

“Have you met that combatant before? From what I heard earlier, it seems like you have.”

“Yes. Every time we meet, they spout annoying nonsense and then escape. Such an irritating person.”

“Were they wearing the same outfit last time?”

“No, their outfit had changed this time. Looks like they got promoted or something.”

“Then how did you recognize them?”

“What?”

“How you recognized them despite the outfit change. I’m curious too. It might help me identify them next time.”

Under Blossom’s steady gaze, Iris’s face flushed.

“Well, you know, things like remembering the position of scratches on their helmet.”

“Didn’t you say their outfit had changed?”

At this innocent question, Iris’s face grew even redder.

“But they were still wearing the same helmet! Maybe it’s a helmet they’re attached to! And, well, their body also—”

“Their body?”

“It’s nothing!”

In the end, Iris couldn’t fully explain one of her methods of recognition.

Blossom seemed to be seriously nodding and taking in the conversation, which made Iris want to tear her hair out.

*

After shivering in the cold for about 30 minutes, the car finally arrived to pick up Executive Walter.

It was a large sedan. Not an ordinary vehicle. Even from the outside, each metal plate looked extremely thick, as if concerned about getting shot, and the tires were much larger and taller than those of regular vehicles.

When the back door of the car that stopped in front of him opened, the man sitting deep inside spoke:

“You look extremely pathetic.”

“What did you say?!”

The first words from James, who had come to meet him, were mocking. Naturally, Walter was furious.

He was already in a bad mood after being rescued by the combatant, and James’s comment from his luxury car made him explode with anger.

“Do you have any idea what I went through there?! Hey, did you even pass on the correct information? This wasn’t what we discussed!”

“I thought providing the internal blueprints would be sufficient?”

At James’s words, Walter was left speechless.

James looked Walter up and down with contempt.

His mohawk was bent sideways, creating an avant-garde look in a different sense. His clothes were torn and ripped in various places—well, this wasn’t much different from usual. He always dressed like a rag anyway.

“I argued from the beginning that it was premature. But you insisted we should strike before construction was complete. What more should I have done?”

“……”

“More importantly, where are all the combatants I lent you? I hope you’re not telling me you lost them all. The cost of circuits is already high due to the increasing number of captured combatants. I’ll prepare a report to deduct all losses from the PR department’s budget. Those were the terms, so you have no objections, right?”

“…Tch.”

Walter clicked his tongue and got into the car.

“Do you understand our difficulties a bit better now? Why our company uses a ‘service team’ instead of outsourcing contractors.”

Walter remained silent.

“Anyway.”

Whether Walter spoke or not, James continued with what he wanted to say.

He manipulated the tablet PC in his hand and opened a video.

It was headcam footage from someone.

“Hey!”

Seeing what was in the headcam footage, Walter became angry again.

In the video, Walter was tightly bound by glowing lines. The owner of the headcam was carrying Walter in one hand while running.

And then threw him forward with all their might.

Naturally, Walter was angry, thinking James was showing this to mock him, but James’s face was quite serious.

“What do you think of this combatant?”

“Huh?”

Walter watched the video again.

The combatant freed Walter, exchanged a few brief words, and then just ran off.

Very light footsteps. Just like an employee heading home after work.

Of course, they actually were an employee going home. They just weren’t wearing a suit.

“…Hmm.”

At James’s question, Walter crossed his arms and fell into thought for a moment.

“Are they using a new circuit? Even so, they fight well.”

“So you think so too?”

“Why? Planning to promote them?”

“Yes. I’m considering it.”

Walter’s expression became subtle.

“Why do you look like that?”

“It’s nothing important.”

Walter looked at James and said:

“If you’re praising someone, I’m curious about what kind of person they… No, I’m not curious. They’re probably an extremely strange person.”

“Oh? I think they’re new talent who could lead our team in the future.”

“Huh. Why? Planning to make them an executive?”

“Who knows, if we develop them further. I see potential.”

“…Are you serious? An executive position for an Earthling?”

“I believe in meritocracy. I’m also a pragmatist. You can’t make proper money on this Earth with such discriminatory views.”

“…But promoting someone directly to executive would cause talk.”

“Please don’t think I’m an idiot like you. Of course, their performance would need to improve significantly. Besides, there are still some concerns. Only after those are ‘definitively’ resolved could they be promoted to executive. This is just the first step. We still have a long way to go to reach the results I want.”

As James spoke, his eyes gleamed.

He looked like a predator drooling over delicious prey.

Walter moved closer to the door to create some distance.

Though James appeared normal at first glance, Walter knew his personality was quite unpleasant. He might speak politely here, but in combat situations, he would hurl all kinds of abuse at combatants while using them as shields.

And he enjoyed mentally tormenting others.

Though Walter didn’t know exactly what kind of person this combatant was, he couldn’t help but feel a bit of sympathy for them.

*

This battle didn’t make the news.

It was probably the largest-scale fight I’d participated in, but the problem was that it took place at a location the Galactic Federation classified as confidential.

Naturally, the story didn’t leak to the media. Rather than imposing reporting restrictions, they probably took measures to prevent the story from leaking in the first place.

Noir Corporation didn’t seem interested in spreading stories about the battle either.

Both sides are keeping the existence of the power plant secret. Even if they can hide the emotions being used, it’s not easy to hide the fact that they’re “moving humanity” to generate something.

“……”

“What is it?”

“Did something good happen?”

Jihye asked me as I came home late last night, slept until the afternoon today, and was now rolling around on my blanket without getting up.

“Something good?”

“It’s a guy, isn’t it?”

Jihye didn’t answer my question but immediately asked another.

“Coming home in the middle of the night and being in such a good mood the next day—it has to be a boyfriend.”

…It’s a reasonable guess, but wrong.

Though there were a lot of men involved.

“Just one of those days. Today is truly a day with nothing going on.”

The real reason for my good mood was simple.

Finally, I was able to get one over on a Magical Girl.

Of course, I didn’t actually land an effective hit. My fist never reached Iris.

But still, I was able to use Iris’s attack against her to extract the executive. The expression on Iris’s face in that final moment was excellent for feeling a sense of achievement.

“……”

And right after having that thought, I felt a little guilty.

Iris is annoying. Honestly, if someone asked if I could like her, I’d probably have to say it would be difficult.

I already know her character arc from the webtoon, and I understand the environment that inevitably created her need for recognition. When reading the comic, I honestly thought she was a bit pitiful. I even thought she was cute.

That was before coming to this world and getting beaten up by her beams.

No matter how pretty someone is, if you keep getting hit, you’ll eventually want to hit back. This time, I succeeded, even if only indirectly.

This was also a possibility. Whether I could win or not, it was the possibility that I could definitely stand up to a Magical Girl.

I couldn’t help but feel good about it.

And then—

Blossom.

“……”

“Ah, suddenly your mood turned sour.”

Seeing my face, Jihye muttered that, so I waved my hand and rolled over to my side.

Hayun is a good kid. She cares about me even though I don’t have friends, and like last time, she steps forward to protect people in dangerous situations.

That’s why she’s a Magical Girl, and that’s why she’s the protagonist. She’s also very strong.

A perfect, dazzling child who’s blinding just to look at.

Well, even someone like her has feelings. She gets hurt when people show dislike toward her, and she feels burdened by others’ expectations.

But still, when I look at her, I can’t help but feel a certain emotion.

Jealousy.

Jealousy that no matter how hard I try, I can never be like her.

No matter how hard I study, I can’t get the same scores as her, let alone better ones. Even though she seems to study less than me, Hayun’s grades are always at the top.

No matter how hard I try, I can’t be as good as Hayun. Hayun is the kind of person who picks up trash on the street and puts it in the garbage can. I wouldn’t even think to look for such trash.

Hayun is loved by everyone, while I’m the opposite. When Hayun speaks, it’s considered confident and admirable, but when I do, it’s “showing off.”

The more Hayun is by my side, the more the eyes of the children looking at me strangely show “envious emotions.” When I’m the one who’s actually envious.

I know thinking like this only makes me miserable, but I can’t help having these thoughts.

I like Hayun. She’s a really good friend, and I want to keep knowing her. I’d like to drink with her in about 10 years.

But at the same time, I want to win. Even though I know I can never win. By any means.

Maybe that’s why I accepted when I was offered the opportunity—because of such twisted thoughts.

“…Haha.”

This makes me no different from Iris.

As I turned my body in another direction and chuckled to myself, Jihye looked at me with a genuinely serious expression and said:

“Jieun, would you like to visit a psychiatrist? If you’re too worried, I’ll go with you.”

I brushed away the hand she placed on my forehead and gave her an incredulous look, which made Jihye smile.

Then she got up and said:

“Want to listen to some music?”

“Sure. Play something.”

The music CD Jihye played was the soundtrack from some space opera movie.

Though it’s called a soundtrack, it’s not original movie music, but more like a collection of 20th-century hit songs.

But they say there’s a reason hit songs become hits.

The music that played was so cheerful that my mood improved a little.

You’re really good at reading people’s thoughts.

I smiled as I watched Jihye sitting in my chair, imitating the way I usually sit when listening to music.

*

Winter break felt both long and short.

When I was working, I used to think it would be nice to have a full month off, but now that I’m a student, the break feels too short.

Well, what vacation ever feels long enough?

Holidays end in the blink of an eye.

Fortunately, I suppose, I don’t have much to enjoy as a hobby besides my smartphone and a salvaged CD player, so I don’t often stay up late.

The same went for combat. The Magical Girls seemed to be regrouping after the last base invasion, as their activity frequency had drastically decreased, and the company, for its part, was hardly moving, perhaps plotting something.

While I have a fixed amount donated to the orphanage every month, I wonder if the other combatants are starting to get worried? I understand they’re day laborers.

Anyway, the lack of combat was good news for me. It meant I had no reason to wander around late at night.

Thanks to this, by the end of the break, my condition was incredibly good for the first time in a long while.

As usual, I exchanged greetings with Jihye and slowly walked to the bus stop.

Hayun was already there.

We both go to school a bit early. So there aren’t many people waiting for the bus besides us.

Hayun could easily commute by car if she wanted to.

“Hi~”

I was worried she might be pushing herself after the last battle, but as soon as she saw me, Hayun smiled brightly and waved.

It was a smile that healed just by looking at it. Who wouldn’t like such a smile?

Only someone with a heart as twisted as mine wouldn’t like it.

Not that I dislike it.

I gave Hayun a slight wave in return.

When I went over and stood next to her, Hayun spoke with a slightly regretful voice:

“We didn’t get to meet much during this break.”

“…Yeah.”

A brief silence followed my short answer. It wasn’t an awkward atmosphere. Our conversations are usually like this.

“I heard there’s a new bakery in the neighborhood. Want to check it out?”

Hayun spoke up again.

“Sure, why not? We’ll finish early today anyway.”

When I answered readily, Hayun nodded with a bright smile.

She still… doesn’t know. Well, she wouldn’t recognize me in combatant gear.

I let out a small sigh.

The weather was still cold, so white breath escaped from my mouth.

Hayun moved slightly closer to me.

Our arms lightly touched.

I thought that wouldn’t be enough to transfer body heat, but I was wrong.

Until the bus came, I felt just a little warmer.