Ch.291IF Side Story: From the Beginning (59)

Which side is wrong?

I want to believe that my side isn’t wrong.

Magical Girls… aren’t exactly legal entities. In this country, militias aren’t viewed very positively.

But for now, the government turns a blind eye. And the existence of Magical Girls isn’t unnecessary either.

Fighting against Noir Corporation’s Combatants on a regular basis isn’t a big issue. What’s truly important to us is fighting against Kaijin.

Police and military can somehow capture Kaijin too.

But the military has restrictions on their movements. All aliens were citizens of some country, and the military couldn’t intervene when such beings weren’t waging war. It’s the same principle as armed police being deployed to a shooting incident rather than the military.

Even with weapons, subduing a Kaijin without injuring them is extremely difficult. No matter how much body armor or stab-proof vests they wear, ordinary people get seriously injured if struck by a Kaijin.

It might be different in open areas, but aliens frequently roam around city centers.

In the end, it’s safest for a Magical Girl to appear quickly and subdue them while the police evacuate nearby citizens. That’s why the government leaves us alone. And also, just in case we ever need to side with the Federation instead of Noir Corporation.

So our existence isn’t wrong. I hoped that even if news articles came out, more people would take our side rather than Noir Corporation’s, who openly do dirty work.

“Ah, damn it.”

It wasn’t enough to shatter my hope, but I knew things wouldn’t always go smoothly.

During our absence, parts of the building had been destroyed. Though Combatants aren’t strong enough to demolish buildings with their bare hands, they can break doors and windows. The corners of concrete and cement structures were also slightly damaged.

I spotted a Combatant who had just exited the building and was running. There were more Combatants behind him—

Bang!

Ju-a, who had followed behind me, started shooting at those Combatants. Mana bullets, almost like lasers, took down one Combatant after another. Not enough to kill them. But certainly painful enough.

Only then did the Combatant running at the front look up at me.

I understood why Ju-a hadn’t shot him. There was a person tied up and slung over the Combatant’s shoulder. Judging by the white lab coat, they must be a researcher from the underground research facility.

If she shot carelessly, the researcher might get hit. While Combatants wore combat suits with protective functions, it would be disastrous if the researcher’s exposed body was hit.

Right, this kind of opponent should be taken down by someone who fights directly, like me.

I gripped my staff and quickly descended to the ground.

Part of the well-maintained garden was destroyed, but given the situation, I hoped for some understanding.

Honestly, I wasn’t feeling great.

I wanted to stay there and confirm that everyone was really okay, to see what exactly had been destroyed, but the current situation prevented me from doing so—

“Oh.”

As I firmly gripped my hammer with both hands and stepped forward menacingly, I froze for a moment when I saw who was in front of me.

A familiar Combatant.

Particularly noticeable were the damaged parts of the combat suit that had been hit multiple times. The slightly scratched helmet, the somewhat tattered combat suit.

“…You?”

Yes.

That Combatant who had been strangely absent lately.

The one who always stayed until the end to fight me.

Well, he’s not thoughtless enough to say the same thing.

He’s a Combatant after all.

Someone who gets paid and does the work they’re paid for. Just like us doing our job.

“…”

But it was hard to take this positively given the timing. I had just witnessed that situation moments ago.

Facing a Kaijin is incomparable to facing a Combatant. My body was still aching all over.

…So I know it’s not entirely his fault, but…

…

Why did it have to be now?

If he had appeared a little earlier, I might have at least managed a bitter laugh. If I had been seeing him regularly instead of after a long absence, I might have greeted him casually.

“…No, that’s not right.”

Still, I hadn’t forgotten. That he had beaten up an executive to somehow extract information. That’s how I was able to return as a Magical Girl.

I stopped in front of him. The distance between us was about 15 meters. Close enough to hear each other speak.

Seo-hee and Yeon-woo landed nearby. Probably Ju-a and Chae-yeon were still in the sky, ready to support us.

I looked at the Combatant before me.

As always, he didn’t seem to have any intention of backing down.

Yes, that makes sense.

I don’t know what happened. I don’t know why he didn’t quit after beating up the executive, or how he managed not to get fired. I don’t know what happened during the time he wasn’t showing up for work.

And I doubt he’d tell me if I asked.

So, for now.

Yes. Let’s fight first.

Even if this situation is a trap set by the company to create an image of a Magical Girl who beats up Combatants right after receiving help, there’s nothing I can do.

It’s just bad luck.

I gripped my hammer tightly and looked at the Combatant.

He still showed absolutely no intention of running away, but—

Why?

Through that helmet, I thought I could see something like fear.

*

Pang Pang spent a long time worrying.

She didn’t go to work as a Combatant, and barely even left her home. After what she’d done, she realized she was scared.

Since an executive had been beaten by a Combatant, they would certainly investigate which Combatant it was.

And then, Pang Pang’s identity would be quickly revealed. Though she had covered her face with a paper bag, that meant nothing to Noir Corporation.

The reason Pang Pang hadn’t been discovered until now was simply because the company didn’t pay much attention to low-level employees, and because they never thought Pang Pang would be at the company. Those were the only two reasons.

Once they started investigating, both premises would end.

After meeting Jieun and Hayun recently, Pang Pang made a decision.

“Alright, let’s leave.”

Not meaning to leave Earth. That would be even more dangerous.

Let’s go somewhere else for a few years.

She wasn’t sure if she could go to another country, but there should be plenty of places to hide in this country.

…Though she’d miss the security deposit and belongings here. Plus, she had no money and nowhere to go, but she forced herself to believe things would work out somehow.

As for Jieun… she thought it wouldn’t be difficult to contact her. She knew her number, and had unintentionally learned where she lived.

So, she planned to run far away and live in hiding.

But while thinking about this.

Ding-dong, the doorbell rang.

Pang Pang could sense that the person ringing the bell wasn’t Jieun or Hayun.

“…”

She couldn’t pretend not to be home. These weren’t people who would leave just because of that.

Pang Pang sighed deeply and got up.

Then, she approached the door.

When the door opened, beyond it was that executive who had been beaten by Pang Pang last time. The one who supposedly had a small alien like a Squeakean inside.

But the way that “robot” looked at Pang Pang was different from before.

Back then, his expression had been a mix of bewilderment and hatred, but now… how should she describe it?

It was like he had found a treasure.

James bowed his head deeply. He was showing respect to Pang Pang.

“…I’m not interested,” Pang Pang replied.

But while feigning composure, she felt her resolve crumbling.

She had barely managed to escape before.

If she were caught now, Grandmother would probably never let her go again.

“Is that so.”

“…”

Pang Pang’s eyes narrowed at James’s response.

“I don’t know what Noir Corporation is planning… Grandmother never intended to tell me. But I do know one thing. Whatever she’s doing can’t possibly be positive for Earth.”

“Is that so.”

“…What exactly did you come here hoping for?”

“Of course, I came hoping that you would accept the company. That’s what the Chairwoman wants too.”

“…”

He was someone impossible to reason with.

“But the Chairwoman said that talking like this wouldn’t convince a granddaughter who had run away from home.”

“…So?”

“The Chairwoman has made a proposal.”

James raised his head and looked at Pang Pang.

She thought his eyes were cold like a machine.

Well, that was natural since he was actually a machine.

Though there was supposedly a person inside, what was visible from the outside was just a well-made camera.

“It’s a kind of bet.”

“A bet.”

“As a Combatant, we ask that you work one last time. If you succeed in that job, she said she’ll let you go.”

“…”

So, it was a proposal that meant she didn’t want to let her go.

And at the same time, it was a proposal without any real choice.

In the end, Pang Pang had no choice but to put on the combat suit once more.