Chapter 24 – Meanwhile

R‌еａd​& ;õn​ K‍aｔR​e​a&d;iη​&g;C​&a;ſe

“Jua, what do you want to be when you grow up?”

It wasn’t a dream. Just a memory from long ago. A memory from when I was so young that I couldn’t even remember my exact age.

And a memory from not long after my sister became a magical girl.

Seeing how young my sister looked, it had to be a memory I had almost forgotten.

She looked a bit different from how I remembered. The image in my memory was of someone a little more mature. I watched fondly as my younger self and my younger sister chatted.

“When I grow up? Hmm… I want to be like you, unnie! Shiny, strong! Uh… and someone who makes everyone smile!”

But how did I end up seeing this? I didn’t think I was dreaming. I was sure something urgent had happened.

What was it? I couldn’t remember.

“A hero, huh? That sounds nice! But… to me, Jua, you seem more like a princess than a hero.”

Did I really need to remember this? My sister was right in front of me. No matter how busy magical girls were, surely, they could allow just a brief moment to enjoy a memory.

I had been working so hard to follow in her footsteps, so hopefully, the world was kind enough to forgive this short respite.

My younger self was whining, insisting that I could be a hero too, but my sister’s expression as she watched me held a hint of melancholy.

She had never been fond of the idea of me becoming a magical girl.

She never outright told me not to, but she had always subtly, yet unmistakably, tried to steer me away from it.

She must have been worried. Worried that I would become a magical girl with high hopes, only to be crushed by disappointment.

Worried that her only remaining family would walk down the same thorny path she had already taken.

I hadn’t understood it back then, but now, I think I do.

Becoming a magical girl wasn’t as beautiful or glorious as I had imagined. It wasn’t as free, nor was it as cool as I had once thought.

There were times when people resented me even after I saved them, and times when I questioned why I had to save certain people at all.

But I had never wanted to quit just because of that. If I wavered over something so trivial, then I could never become the hero I had once so boldly declared I would be.

The hero my sister always read to me about—the one from those childish, cliché stories.

The one I admired was both that storybook hero and my sister.

She must have gone through similar experiences. But she never gave up. So as someone who had inherited her will, I couldn’t afford to falter either.

Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to face her when the time came.

As my younger self continued to whine, my sister finally gave in with a sigh, showing both palms in surrender.

“Then, I suppose I’ll have to make a world where even my little crybaby Jua can safely become a hero.”

…Had she ever said that before? Had I forgotten?

I tried to recall if I had ever heard those words.

Suddenly, my sister’s body began trembling strangely. Her form twisted unnaturally and started growing. Horns, wings, and a tail sprouted, making her look less and less human.

That form…

…Ah, right. Hemorhagia. That strange monster that looked eerily similar to Sung Mina. I had been fighting it when I collapsed.

I remembered taking that last slash from it and being flung down to the ground.

So why was I still alive?

No. This wasn’t the time to be wondering about that.

I needed to get up and fight. There was no time to lie around.

“Even in the darkest night, I shall rise… Dress— oof!”

As I sat up and tried to transform, I smacked my head hard against something, making my vision flash.

“You’ve barely woken up, and you’re already bumping into things? You really do have rotten luck.”

I knew this wasn’t the time for it, but my head throbbed so badly that I instinctively clutched it in pain.

A man’s unfamiliar voice rang out.

…A man? Who was he? Was he an ally of the monster? Or an outlaw?

This was Incheon, after all.

“W-Who are you?!”

I prioritized identifying the suspicious man in front of me, demanding to know his identity.

But he simply said he was “no one” and handed me something.

“…What is this?”

A can of tuna.

It was such an oddly normal item to receive from such a suspicious person that I had no idea how to react.

After all, this was Incheon. A place no normal citizen would dare step foot in—the most dangerous place in South Korea.

And I wasn’t naïve enough to just accept food from a stranger in a place like this.

“I already told you, I’m no one. Hm. I forgot the chopsticks. Here, take these. Even a magical girl must be starving after lying unconscious for an entire day.”

The man nonchalantly said his piece before sitting on a skeletal chair and casually opening his own can.

Watching him eat as if he had already forgotten my presence, I debated whether or not I should actually eat this.

“Um… You didn’t do anything weird to the food or the chopsticks, did you?”

“If I wanted to do something to you, I would have done it while you were unconscious. I know it’s hard to trust me, but I’d appreciate it if you did. I have no intention of hurting you.”

I met his gaze, searching for any hint of deception.

But he didn’t seem to be lying.

And as he said, if he had wanted to harm me, he would have done it while I was unconscious.

…Besides, if anything felt off, I could just transform.

“Is that so…? I-I’m sorry for doubting you.”

“No need to apologize. If a suspicious guy suddenly hands you food, it’s only natural to be wary.”

The man responded as if he understood, adding that if it were him, he would’ve pulled a gun first.

…Pulling a gun first? That meant he must be someone who lived in Incheon. But for someone like that, he seemed strangely normal.

My seniors used to say that if there was a place where the worst of humanity was on full display, it would be Incheon. But maybe that wasn’t entirely true.

Only after finishing the canned tuna—something I wouldn’t normally even look at—did I finally ask what had happened while I was unconscious.

“Do you want the detailed version or a summary?”

“…Please tell me the detailed version. If I have to write a report later, it’s better to know as much as possible.”

Hearing the word “report,” the man smirked slightly, as if he found something amusing. Then, he told me everything that had happened, though he said there wasn’t much to tell.

“I see…?”

After listening to everything, I was left dumbfounded.

The fact that I had fallen onto his house and destroyed it was absurd enough. But what was even more shocking was that this man had carried me to a nearby hideout and taken care of me while I was unconscious.

“…Why did you help me?”

From what he said, his place wasn’t much of a home to begin with—just a bare minimum shelter, barely enough to sleep in.

That meant he wasn’t living in comfort either.

So, despite having nothing himself and fully knowing who I was, he had taken me in, cared for me, and even given me food, without expecting anything in return.

For someone that kind, I couldn’t understand why he was living in a place like this.

“Does a person need a special reason to save another?”

“Huh?”

In response to my question, the man answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“I could reach you, and I had the strength and the time. That’s all there is to it.”

Handing me a bottle of water, he added that since I wasn’t seriously injured, I should be able to leave soon.

As he said, my body didn’t seem to have any major issues. My back hurt a little from lying on rubble for so long, but that was it.

Still, I felt uneasy.

The thought of leaving behind such a kind person—without even knowing his name—didn’t sit well with me.

“U-Um! Before I go, could I at least know my savior’s name?”

“That, I can’t tell you. I have my own circumstances.”

So he did have his reasons for being here. I had wondered why he was living in a place like this, and now I had at least a vague idea.

Not everyone who ended up here was a bad person—some were just driven into a corner with nowhere else to go.

“If there’s anything I can do to help, I want to. Is there nothing I can do?”

As a magical girl, my position was both restricted and strangely free at the same time. If it was debt or something similar, I wanted to at least offer my help.

“It’s beyond your ability. And I’ve already found my answer. So… just take the sentiment with you.”

The man said it was impossible for me to help, yet claimed he had already found a solution.

…Even a magical girl couldn’t help him. Was the path he’d chosen really the right one? A faint worry lingered in my mind.

But I didn’t voice it.

I didn’t want to cause any unnecessary friction. Besides, I could always come back later.

“Alright, I won’t push. Then… thank you, nameless savior. I’ll make sure to repay this kindness someday!”

With that, I transformed and took off into the sky.

As I flew, I made up my mind—while searching for Sung Mina, I would also search for him.

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