Ch.309IF Side Story: From the Beginning (77)

No matter how confident I am in my speculation, ultimately it’s Cherry’s decision to make.

In truth, while I’ve seen Noir Corporation’s circuits work that way in the original story, this is my first time seeing this kind of generator. So my explanation could actually be wrong.

That’s why Cherry wanted to examine it more carefully.

“I won’t tell anyone else about this.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I appreciate your speculation, but… if it really is a device powered by despair, we need to be more careful about letting people participate in experiments.”

Cherry’s statement was absolutely correct, so I nodded.

“People from the Federation are scheduled to arrive early tomorrow morning. So I’d like you to stay here and watch over it until then.”

It was surprising, but this really was what Cherry had requested of the children.

Of course, the initial idea probably came from Seo-hee or the others. And judging by the fact that Jihye was allowed to be here, they probably didn’t think the operation would be particularly dangerous.

After finishing our conversation, we stepped out into the hallway.

Magical Girls tend to be perceptive. None of them would be tactless enough to repeat the conversation we just had in Cherry’s office out here in the open.

But everyone had quite serious expressions on their faces.

“…Ah, I still don’t get it.”

Seo-hee was the first to speak up.

Seo-hee is smarter than me. …Well, I’m not sure if that’s actually true. I just know that she’s always at the top of her class without seeming to study very hard.

So this isn’t just her being too lazy to think about it. She genuinely concluded there’s no answer and decided to put it aside.

“No matter how much I think about it, I can’t find an answer, so there’s no point in worrying about it now.”

The rest of us, including me, couldn’t help but nod at Seo-hee’s words.

“Then, we only have one option left.”

Seo-hee spoke with such a serious expression that we all looked at her with wide eyes.

Could there be something we need to do?

“What’s left?”

“To enjoy the remaining time as much as possible. They’re coming at dawn tomorrow, right? So today is our last day. Plan to stay up late.”

We’re too young to drink, and we have school on Monday, so it’s pretty impressive that she’s saying this.

But, well.

Yeah. That kind of thinking is probably much healthier than my tendency to bottle everything up inside.

Don’t worry about things that worrying won’t solve.

If there’s a moment to enjoy life, enjoy it.

That’s one mindset I should try to adopt.

*

We played energetically until nighttime again.

High school students, especially good students and magical girls who fight for justice, can only have wholesome fun, but it was still enjoyable. It felt like I was back to being a teenager.

Well, even when I was a teenager, I was mostly surrounded by boys my age, so maybe it’s a bit different.

We lounged around in the break room with blankets spread out, eating snacks, watching movies, and chatting. We didn’t do anything special, but time flew by quickly.

And when evening came, we went up to the rooftop again.

Meat is delicious no matter when you eat it, especially at this age. Since neither Jihye nor I were in a position to enjoy moments like this often, we decided to eat as much as we could while we had the chance.

“…Ugh, I’m so full.”

As a result, I might have eaten too much.

“I’m fine though.”

I laughed when I saw Jihye holding onto the railing, looking slightly tipsy.

“After eating that much?!”

“Don’t say it like that, it makes me feel sad.”

I did eat a lot, much more than Jihye. I practically shoved all the meat in front of me into my mouth.

Well, it’s not like it wasn’t enough. I’d say I ate just the right amount.

Since we’re always fighting, I figured that even if I eat a lot, it would all be converted to energy. Though it’s not like I can’t fight if I don’t eat this much normally. Emotions are what matter most, after all.

Still, it’s hard to feel hopeful when you’re hungry.

“…”

Jihye looked at me in disbelief for a moment, then broke into a smile.

“Did you have fun?”

After the barbecue party ends, we’ll need to go to sleep. They said people from the Federation would come at dawn, but by the time we wake up, the generator will probably be gone.

We’ll return to our daily lives. It was a bit disappointing.

“…Yes. Really.”

Jihye said, leaning against the railing and looking at the distant, busy lights.

“I think this is the first time I’ve had this much fun.”

“I’m glad. …Was it awkward at all?”

“Hmm, a little at first?”

Jihye said playfully, then added,

“But I got close to everyone quickly. They all made an effort to include me. Whenever the conversation went on too long, they’d make sure to bring me in.”

“That’s good.”

The kids are nice.

Lately they’ve been looking at me like I have some hidden agenda, but they’re still good kids.

It’s just, how should I put it?

They were all a bit unhappy about having to do something they didn’t want to do.

The fact that they could still fight despite that means they hadn’t lost hope, which in a way makes them true “magical girls.”

“Let’s hang out like this again next time.”

“Is it really okay to keep including me?”

I stared at Jihye in disbelief.

Then I reached out and roughly ruffled her hair.

“Aah!?”

Strangely, that sound didn’t come from Jihye, who was being ruffled.

It came from behind me.

When I turned around, Hayun was looking at me with a shocked expression.

…Why?

But when our eyes met, Hayun quickly composed herself, came over to me, and calmly took the seat next to me. On the opposite side from Jihye.

“…I had fun, Jieun.”

That’s what she said.

“Oh, yeah.”

That’s good.

I was staring blankly, not understanding why Hayun had shouted, when she slightly lowered her head.

It wasn’t so much that she lowered her head following her emotions—no, if my thinking is correct, she did lower her head following her emotions. So this wasn’t because she was too depressed, or frustrated that I didn’t understand, or trying to hide her expression.

As proof, she was looking at me with a smile on her face.

I raised my hand and patted Hayun’s head. I couldn’t do it roughly. Not with Hayun.

“Ah!?”

And again, a sound like Hayun’s shout rang out loudly.

“Me too, pat me too!”

“Are you a cat?”

“Then what about Hayun!?”

I was dumbfounded watching Yeonwoo run over at full speed.

“No, these two aren’t seniors, so…”

“You’re always calling them by their names and speaking informally!?”

Yeonwoo was inexplicably furious. Even the kids who followed behind her were all the same. Only Ju-a had a relaxed expression on her face.

“Then I should be fine. Since we’re the same age.”

“Well, that’s fine, but—”

“Aah!?”

Yeonwoo shouted again.

“…Alright, I’ll pat all of you.”

It’s not like my hand will wear out, and I don’t mind. It was actually kind of funny.

But I still don’t understand why.

…How did they end up like this?

I thought with a slight sigh.

*

I expected the generator to be gone by the time we woke up, but that wasn’t the case.

Since it’s such important equipment, they said we need to escort it to make sure it reaches the spaceport.

“So… it looks like you’ll have to go to school alone in the morning. Will you be okay?”

I asked Jihye.

“Yes, I’ll be fine.”

Jihye nodded and smiled.

“Good, then.”

“But that outfit is still a bit revealing.”

Jihye suddenly said that to me as I was answering.

“…Look, I told you I can’t control the design.”

Or maybe I controlled it too much. Either way, all my attempts to change the design back have failed.

“Alright. They said they’ll arrive in about 15 minutes, so let’s wait until then—”

Cherry was saying that to all of us gathered there when…

“…Wait.”

Chaeyeon spoke up.

Chaeyeon was looking at her smartphone.

“Hmm? What—? Oh.”

Cherry also seemed to have received a message and took out a smartphone that fit perfectly in her hand.

Me too. And the others as well.

And simultaneously, we all realized something strange had happened.

“…An explosion? At the corporate complex?”

At my murmur, the children looked up.

Cherry looked at me.

“…We need to go help.”

Magical Girls are fundamentally “fighters.”

But when an accident occurs and our help is needed to prevent a major problem, we get deployed. The Federation was very concerned about their image.

“What about the generator?”

“That’s…”

Cherry seemed a bit worried too and thought for a moment, but then shook her head.

“I’ll stay behind.”

I stepped forward and said.

“I just need to make sure the generator is properly escorted, right? I know where it’s going.”

Besides, we’re not the only ones who can handle the situation. We don’t have exact information yet, and even if we go there, we’ll have to follow the instructions of the police and firefighters anyway.

“Then I’ll stay too.”

Hayun said.

We looked at each other, nodded, and then looked back at Cherry.

“…Alright. Let’s do that.”

Cherry answered with a serious expression, nodding her head.