Ch.282IF Side Story: From the Beginning (50)

Pang Pang couldn’t understand what she was doing even as she did it.

In fact, Pang Pang shouldn’t have been doing this at all.

Judging by the fact that she hadn’t been discovered yet, it was clear that the company still didn’t know what kind of being Pang Pang really was.

Although her grandmother was the chairwoman, that chairwoman didn’t directly control everyone down to the lowest levels of the company.

Besides, Pang Pang knew better than anyone how to operate while constantly concealing her identity.

…So drawing attention like this wasn’t good in many ways.

But she simply couldn’t stand by and listen to this.

Pang Pang had no idea what had happened.

She knew that Jieun had been injured, but she didn’t know why her circuit had suddenly stopped working properly.

…But what she just heard…

“What do you think you’re doing—gack!?”

SMACK!

James’s protest was cut short.

That’s right.

Wasn’t it somehow James’s fault that Jieun ended up like that? If so, there was only one thing Pang Pang needed to do.

Cooperate with the magical girl.

—That’s what she thought. In truth, she still wasn’t sure if this was really the right choice.

“Huff, huff…”

James’s limbs were broken. Indeed, as she’d heard earlier, those limbs seemed to be mechanical.

Fortunately, he wasn’t like other Squeakeans. If he had been, he would have already flown far away on a drone. Pang Pang couldn’t fly, so she wouldn’t have been able to catch James like this.

If Pang Pang had merely been someone who “knew about” the magical girl, she might not have gone this far.

No matter how much she liked the celebrity, Jieun was ultimately just someone distant to Pang Pang.

Though she liked Earth culture and the way Earthlings thought, Pang Pang never intended to become that kind of hero.

But Jieun was Pang Pang’s friend.

Her first real friend in this world where she had no friends. Someone who didn’t look at her with prejudice for being an alien, and instead just accepted her even when she drank coffee and got a bit rowdy—a somewhat unique friend.

If someone asked whether she should risk her life for a friend, she might give a different answer—

Well.

Shouldn’t she repay the favor of being taken home several times after getting drunk and causing trouble outside?

“…”

Pang Pang stared down at James.

Unfortunately, with Hayun standing right there, she couldn’t say anything. She’d be discovered immediately.

So instead, Pang Pang alternated looking between James and Hayun, then pointed at James with her hand.

“Huh? Oh, yes!”

Hayun, who had been staring blankly at Pang Pang, suddenly seemed to understand what Pang Pang was trying to say and quickly looked toward James.

“…”

After thinking for a moment, she spoke.

“Yes, you’re right. We can’t… do anything to you. But that combatant over there seems to have different ideas?”

“Y-you, why…”

“I guess she must be a Lily fan.”

Hearing Hayun’s words, Pang Pang proudly puffed out her chest.

“Wow, so people like that really do exist.”

Rose immediately reacted upon seeing Pang Pang.

“People like what?”

“People who are such big fans that they take part-time jobs just to be near the person they admire.”

“Huh… wait a minute. Is that why she always stays until the end?”

“…”

Somehow hearing that made Pang Pang feel a little sad, but she couldn’t say anything to deny it.

In all honesty, she couldn’t claim that such thoughts had never crossed her mind.

“B-but that doesn’t mean—”

Before James could finish speaking, Pang Pang took a few steps closer to him.

“W-wait, wait a minute! I didn’t say I wouldn’t talk!”

James raised his hands as he spoke, but the broken robot arms couldn’t lift properly.

In truth, Pang Pang didn’t actually have any specific plan.

She couldn’t kill someone or anything like that. Kidnapping also seemed a bit much.

But the other party didn’t know anything about Pang Pang. If they had seriously investigated, they might have learned something, but they hadn’t.

So she decided to use the “fear of not knowing what might happen to him.”

As she approached, making cracking sounds with her finger joints, James tried desperately to get away from Pang Pang. Despite everything, it seemed he feared death above all else.

“…”

James trembled for a while.

“It looks like you two want to resolve this yourselves.”

Only after Hayun said that did James finally open his mouth.

“If… if I don’t say it was manipulated, you’ll…?”

“We’ll just leave. Leaving you two alone.”

“That means there was no way out from the beginning!”

“That’s how confident we are.”

Hayun said.

“Yes, I’m certain that Noir Corporation would commit such acts without hesitation. Don’t you agree?”

“…”

James couldn’t say anything.

Finally, after another moment of silence, James slowly opened his mouth with an expression of utter frustration.

*

I picked up the vibrating pager and answered it.

Since I couldn’t do magical girl work right now, it wasn’t calling me for that.

Rather, there must have been something urgent to tell me.

I couldn’t quite remember what that might be.

Could it possibly be about me?

[Jieun!]

The voice over the pager was cheerful. It was Hayun.

“Hayun?”

[I found out something important!]

“Something important?”

[Yes! Something really, really important!]

I blinked.

Hayun paused briefly, perhaps realizing she was too excited or trying to calm herself down.

[So… you know that DNA test?]

Hayun spoke in a calm voice.

I blinked again.

Then I turned my gaze to the woman sitting next to my bed.

She was looking at me with wide eyes.

Judging from Hayun’s attitude and the sudden pager call, the result was obvious.

I quickly opened my mouth, but Hayun was already continuing.

[That DNA test was manipulated.]

“…”

Yes, this was the news I had been waiting for.

News that brought peace to my mind just by hearing it.

And at the same time, news that ignited my anger. Until now, I had thought of them as just an evil company unrelated to me, but now they had truly become my “enemy.”

But amid the whirlwind of emotions, what I felt first wasn’t joy or anger.

Rather, strangely enough…

Concern.

That emotion surfaced first.

I turned my gaze to look at that woman. The person who claimed to be my mother.

She had frozen, holding fruit and a knife in her hands.

How would she react?

She might rush at me with the knife if she were truly sent by Noir Corporation.

But I didn’t… think that.

If she could have harmed me, she would have done so earlier through other means. She wouldn’t have moved in such an obvious way.

So the reason I was worried—

A tear rolled down from the woman’s eyes.

“Hayun.”

I spoke calmly into the pager.

[Y-yes…?]

Hayun seemed rather confused by my subdued reaction. Well, that made sense since she had no idea about the situation here.

“Let’s talk again in a bit. I think I need some time.”

[Oh, okay! Then, later…]

“I’ll come to headquarters.”

[Okay! See you then!]

Hayun replied in a bright voice again.

The communication ended.

The two of us were silent for a moment.

“N-no… no.”

The woman spoke.

“I, I mean, surely… the DNA test, it showed…”

“I know.”

I exhaled deeply.

I was… found in a baby box.

And that baby box wasn’t created just for me. It’s a box installed in front of churches so that instead of abandoning children on the street, people can place them there.

Obviously, the person who gave birth to me wouldn’t be the only one who knew about its existence.

Many people must have passed through there. Like me and Jihye.

It could be a misunderstanding. Noir Corporation might have somehow manipulated things to lead to this.

One thing was certain: this woman truly believed I was her daughter. Not acting for money, but sincerely.

Enough to come looking for a daughter who had grown up like this.

“I don’t think it was a bad thought.”

After hesitating briefly, I carefully said.

“At least, I don’t want to deny that your concern for me was genuine.”

I heard the knife fall to the floor. The fruit also dropped with a thud.

She covered her face with both hands.

And sobbed.

I wasn’t sure what to say to her. At first, I thought she might be someone trying to deceive me, and later I hoped she wasn’t, but now…

Now… I just think she’s a pitiful person.

I moved a little closer and sat down. Then I reached out and put my arm around her shoulders.

The woman buried herself in my arms and cried endlessly.

This woman, who might have been my mother…

“…”

This is generally what it means to carry a burden in your heart.

While I felt somewhat relieved as the burden in my heart disappeared, this person… ended up like this.

For a while, I just sat there quietly until she had cried enough to feel better.

It took some time.