Ch.30Chapter 6. Enemies in the Same Boat (4)

It’s quite ironic.

Shouldn’t I be happy to have the strength to push a car without heavy machinery?

This power I gained after coming to another world.

If I can jump over a police bus with my bare legs.

If my running speed is almost like that of a car.

If bullets bend away when they fly toward me.

Normally, having just one of these powers would be satisfying.

If there were villains in front of me, I’d just crush them and head straight for a happy ending.

But all I felt was despair.

Maybe something in my head was broken. I could only cry while running away.

There were choices right in front of me, but I touched all the wrong ones.

Each time I made a choice, I thought I was doing what was necessary, but now I see I was wrong.

I should have just left the world to run its course.

I shouldn’t have been greedy.

I could have just lived thinking I was a failure, but I had to show off. In possession stories, no matter how much trouble the author creates, the protagonist always thrives. But that wasn’t the case for me at all.

I don’t even know where to go. Though my mind tells me I need to leave Seoul, I can’t decide which direction to take.

I’m in the middle of Seoul anyway.

Maybe I should head toward the Han River. At least if I cross a bridge, I might have somewhere to escape to…

Yet despite these thoughts, I was running toward home.

Strictly speaking, it’s not really a place I could call home. It was somewhere I’d have to leave eventually.

But it was about the only thing I could truly call mine in this world.

Now I don’t have my phone or wallet. Just tattered patient clothes. I’m not even wearing proper underwear underneath.

Bang!

Another gunshot rang out in front of me.

Are they analyzing my route and sending people ahead? I’m getting anxious. At this rate, I’ll just keep getting caught no matter where I run.

Something flashed—

“…!”

I couldn’t even scream from the pain hitting my shoulder.

My running speed decreased. I stumbled after misplacing my foot.

Several more gunshots followed.

Pain erupted throughout my body. Each hit felt like being struck with a massive hammer.

Shiny objects clattered to the ground. They were bullets that failed to penetrate my body.

Live ammunition. Lead bullets with blunt, crushed tips from hitting my body.

Perhaps they knew rubber bullets wouldn’t work.

Maybe the reason bullets bent away before was because they lacked kinetic energy. Either they used less powder for riot control, or the caliber was different.

Or maybe these bullets contained more gunpowder.

What matters is that they’re hitting my body, ignoring even the magical energy around me.

Spotlights converged on me. The light I had barely escaped now blinded me. The light was so bright it hurt my head. Did they not care if I went blind?

“…It hurts.”

I whimpered.

From my left arm, a black substance slowly began covering my body.

Ting, ting.

I heard the sound of metal deflecting. They didn’t seem to hear it, and instead approached me as if this was their golden opportunity.

The ones approaching at the front were carrying shield-like objects. Their clothes seemed much thicker, making their silhouettes appear larger than normal people.

I heard a more muffled gunshot, and multiple bullets hit my body at once. I nearly fell backward but barely managed to prevent that.

Some of the shotgun pellets hit my head, making it ring.

The circuit seemed to be reading my mind. It created shields wherever I felt pain. Though it couldn’t completely negate the impact, it made things much more bearable.

A net-like object flew from those approaching me.

The net that fell on me was much heavier than it looked. Not just a fishing net, but one made of thick metal wires.

Several layers of these piled on top of me.

One knee gave out. The gunfire had stopped, but the sheer weight pressing down on me made it difficult to escape further.

Above all, my body was exhausted.

I no longer felt the pain, but my eyelids were so heavy that even my enhanced strength couldn’t keep them open.

I curled up. The tightening wires pressed against me from all directions, as if refusing to allow any space for my body to remain intact.

“Now, I hate this…”

I hate everything.

I just want to stop.

“Someone please…”

As I muttered that, darkness slowly enveloped my vision.

It was exactly like before.

When Hayun discovered my identity.

Before my vision completely darkened, I thought I heard someone calling my name.

*

“No!”

Somehow, it was difficult to catch up with Jieun, who was running much faster than even Hayun could fly.

It wasn’t purely a matter of capability, but rather that their powers seemed to be in complete opposition.

The person who could be called Hayun’s hope was now being chased by countless people. The sound of sirens from below was enough to make her head throb.

Was that the sound of gunfire in the distance?

Hearing that made her heart race even more.

She could lose her friend.

She could lose the friend she had known since childhood, the one she had always relied on.

The more she thought about it, the weaker Hayun’s power became.

“Hayun!”

Cherry’s shout finally brought her back to her senses.

Though she didn’t know exactly what power Noir Corporation’s circuits used, the minimum required to operate them was surely much less than what magical girls needed to power their circuits.

The reason magical girls could be magical girls was because they could generate that much energy by operating their circuits.

But even in this weakened state, there was enough energy to fight.

So, she had to go.

No matter what, she didn’t want to lose Jieun.

…How?

Should she persuade with words? Subdue with force?

And then what?

Hayun’s parents held important positions between the Galactic Federation and the Korean government. Naturally, they had to be mindful of both sides, so there was no way Hayun could secretly hide Jieun.

Iris’s warp technology could transport Jieun far away, but… would Iris help?

Moreover, warp technology could be easily abused once people started misusing it. Iris’s warp technology was already under surveillance by the Galactic Federation. The moment Iris helped Jieun, Iris’s position would also become very dangerous.

No matter how she thought about it, there was no way to help Jieun.

She didn’t even consider handing her over to those people. It wasn’t just a simple arrest anyway.

Even if it were just an arrest—why Jieun?

Magical girls are supposed to fight for justice. Even if the Galactic Federation couldn’t be perfectly just, magical girls should be.

They needed to show that even in a broken world, there are corners that operate justly.

Magical girls were supposed to be that hope.

Where did it all go wrong?

Hayun bit her lip, trying to hold back tears.

Is this what the path of justice looks like?

Is this the first time something like this has happened? Was Jieun the first to be targeted, and Hayun just happened to find out by bad luck?

Jieun came into view.

No, she was barely visible.

Jieun should have been clearly visible in the center of the bright light.

The forces surrounding her were visible. The road was controlled. Large trucks and buses had blocked the main road from all directions. Despite it being night, a few cars were stopped at the edge of the controlled area. The people inside must be wondering what was happening.

A helicopter hovered in the sky.

[Blossom!]

From some distance away, a loud voice came from the helicopter.

[Withdraw! Another magical girl has been assigned to handle this situation!]

But the “other magical girl” was nowhere to be seen.

[The Kaijin is almost subdued! We don’t need additional help!]

Kaijin.

The person in the helicopter was calling Jieun, who was there, a Kaijin.

Did they think Hayun wouldn’t recognize Jieun?

She had recognized her since arriving above the hospital.

[Blossom—]

Hayun, for the first time, ignored the directive.

“Cease fire! Cease fire!”

She heard people shouting. The occasional gunfire stopped.

Shiny objects were visible on the ground. Metal fragments with bluntly crushed tips.

“…”

Bullets?

She had seen them before. Weapons police used when non-lethal weapons didn’t work. Usually, they were used to hold out until magical girls arrived.

“Jieun.”

Jieun’s condition was even more serious.

Blood stained the ground. She didn’t seem to have died from the bullets, but she looked like she could stop breathing at any moment.

“Why?”

Jieun was barely visible.

Over her body, over the torn patient clothes, several layers of steel wire nets were piled. The only evidence that Jieun was still alive was the slight movement visible through the gaps in the wires.

Hayun raised her staff.

A blade made of pink light appeared.

She swung it to cut through the wires.

“Blossom!”

Someone shouted.

Hayun didn’t respond.

Fortunately, no one approached Hayun. Perhaps they sensed the unusual atmosphere.

“Hayun…”

Cherry gripped Hayun’s shoulder tightly and murmured.

The wires didn’t cut easily. Did they think they would be cut by magical power? These weren’t ordinary steel wires. They were thick wires that might be used in construction. Just one strand could cause instant death if it hit someone’s head.

“Blossom!”

One of the larger-looking officers approached Blossom bravely and shouted.

“This is a subdued Kaijin! Releasing it could be dangerous!”

“It’s not a Kaijin!”

Blossom shouted.

“Jieun is a human!”

Kaijin are aliens that react to an unknown energy only felt near Earth, especially near humans.

A human, by definition, cannot be a Kaijin.

Yet these people, who were also humans—

“Blossom.”

When Hayun didn’t back down, gripping her staff tightly, the man approached cautiously and spoke again.

“She’s a suspect in the explosion incident. People died.”

“No.”

Hayun glared at the man as she spoke. Though his face wasn’t clearly visible due to the intense light, his demeanor showed he was quite flustered.

“It wasn’t Jieun. Someone else planted the explosives… everyone else knows that.”

“But we received a report. Once identified as a suspect—”

“Where were you trying to take Jieun?”

Hayun asked in a low voice.

The man couldn’t answer.

It wasn’t because he was logically cornered, but rather because of Hayun’s expression.

“Tell me.”

Feeling Cherry’s small hand gripping her shoulder tightly, Hayun spoke.

“Were you really planning to take her to the police station? Not to transfer her to another hospital?”

“We were just trying to prevent her from escaping—”

“How is she escaping?”

She had seen her escape.

She had witnessed her fleeing with a strength that ordinary people could never counter, all the way here.

But she couldn’t acknowledge that.

She couldn’t believe Jieun had done something wrong. The Jieun she knew wasn’t that kind of person.

She always worked hard, didn’t care much about others’ opinions, and even tried to cheer Hayun up whenever she felt down.

Though she might appear cold on the outside, she was actually warmer and more sensitive than anyone.

If someone like that were in this situation.

Wouldn’t they naturally want to escape? Wouldn’t they have no choice?

With an expression that looked like she might cry at any moment, Hayun looked around at the people.

“Well? Tell me! How could someone who was in a coma for a whole week and just woke up attempt to escape!”

“…”

The words “Didn’t you see it with your own eyes?” didn’t come out.

The blade of the staff was flickering.

Hope hadn’t disappeared yet. Being here beside her. Her words were having some effect. Though the other side didn’t seem to understand at all, Blossom was still a magical girl.

If it was really the Galactic Federation or Noir Corporation trying to take Jieun, they couldn’t simply ignore Hayun’s position as a magical girl.

“I’ll take Jieun… As long as she doesn’t run away, that’s fine, right? If a magical girl is directly guarding her, there shouldn’t be any complaints, right?”

“…Blossom.”

But as soon as those words ended, a voice calling Hayun was heard.

It was a familiar voice.

“Stop it. Continuing like this isn’t good.”

The one who pushed through the crowd was Rose.

Iris was behind her. Iris showed a complex expression upon seeing Jieun collapsed.

Though she knew Jieun was someone they had fought many times, seeing her treated like this couldn’t make anyone feel good. In fact, Rose also looked at the collapsed Jieun with an uncomfortable expression and glanced around.

“And you all. This should be enough. Who uses live ammunition against a human?”

A light different from the illuminating spotlights appeared, and attention turned to it.

Delphinium was holding a magic book in one hand and waving her staff, chanting a spell.

Beside her, Dahlia stood with a somewhat awkwardly repaired staff, looking vigilant.

“We’ll take it from here. …Transport the injured, and put down your weapons. I don’t know why you tried to transport her secretly, but given the situation, it seems you can’t hide anything anymore.”

At Rose’s words, the surrounding forces looked at each other and slowly lowered their guns.

Hayun exhaled softly.

But when Rose moved toward Jieun, Hayun flinched and moved to block her path.

“I just want to check if she’s okay.”

Hayun shook her head.

“W-what are you planning to do? Are you thinking of taking her directly to the Galactic Federation?”

“That’s the plan. Is there any other way?”

“No!”

“Blossom— no, Hayun.”

Rose exhaled softly.

“You need to think rationally.”

“Even thinking rationally, Jieun didn’t do anything wrong!”

Hayun shouted. Iris’s eyes widened. It was the first time she had seen Hayun make such an expression.

The other magical girls had similar expressions, though to varying degrees.

“She just fought as a combatant! You usually let everyone go, so why are you doing this now? You never thought it was such a big crime before!”

That was true.

They had fought believing it was just. But they never thought the actions of those people deserved death. After all, subordinates were just subordinates.

They arrested them but eventually released them, and they didn’t protest because they knew harassing those people wouldn’t yield anything.

But Hayun had never considered that someone she knew might be mixed in there.

Especially not someone as kind as Jieun.

So, which side was wrong? Was the opponent actually just an ordinary company employee?

She had heard many times that they hadn’t broken any laws. Each time, she had gritted her teeth, thinking something was wrong.

But now…

Could the belief in justice crumble so easily?

“Hayun, calm down. We’re just—”

Rose’s eyes widened as she reached out a hand to calm Hayun.

Then she lunged toward Hayun.

Normally, Hayun wouldn’t have been flustered by this.

She would have calmly assessed the situation and considered why Rose acted that way.

But now, the situation was a bit different from usual.

“…Ah!”

She moved her hand in surprise.

Hayun’s blade entered Rose’s arm.

Rose, without changing her expression, continued moving and knocked Hayun to the ground.

“Seohee unnie—”

But before Hayun could speak, Rose immediately got up and pulled Hayun.

“Delphinium!”

Rose shouted, and Hayun’s body turned.

Since Rose was pulling Hayun by the scruff of her neck, Hayun finally understood why Rose had lunged at her.

It was the black sphere she had seen before.

The one that had enveloped Jieun’s body.

“Jieun!”

Hayun shouted, but Rose was already tightly embracing Hayun from behind and pulling her. Hayun’s feet dragged along the ground.

Her staff lay on the ground.

“Jieun!”

No matter what Hayun shouted, the black sphere melted through all the thick wires, breaking them, and exploded upward.

“Delphinium!”

“No!”

Rose shouted, and Delphinium swung her staff.

A large white sphere flew toward the much larger black sphere.

But the white sphere couldn’t reach the black one.

Before the two spheres collided, a hand emerged from the black sphere.

It was a white hand. The hand was covered in wounds.

But Hayun could recognize it as Jieun’s hand.

The hand that had lifted Hayun up so many times when she felt like collapsing.

There was a loud boom. The white sphere exploded and disappeared in the sky.

“Everyone retreat!”

Rose shouted, and the forces below hurriedly turned. People fled in all directions.

“Delphinium!”

“…I’m preparing!”

“Dahlia!”

“Yes!”

Dahlia cast a spell, but it couldn’t destroy the sphere.

Iris also provided supporting fire.

All the magical girls’ attacks were directed at Jieun.

“Stop… please stop…”

Blossom, tightly held by Rose, murmured.

Had the attacks worked?

The black sphere was gradually shrinking.

As it shrank, its speed increased, until finally the sphere was only as big as a person.

And the blackness peeled off like a cocoon shedding its shell.

A crackling sound could be heard from here.

Crackle.

Peeling off that shell with her hands, a human body emerged.

As if forcibly emerging from a tight-fitting space, the body twisted several times. The expression was one of pain.

The light of hope couldn’t reach that blackness.

When that being first emerged, its entire body was soaked in black liquid.

Just like a butterfly emerging from a cocoon, the being arched its back with its head tilted backward as it emerged, and its body slowly regained color.

“…Jieun.”

Hayun murmured.

What was there was Jieun.

And she was wearing something that looked like—

Like a magical girl outfit.

A simple black one-piece dress.

Though not as flashy as other magical girls, everyone knew that didn’t mean she was weak.

“What on earth is happening…”

Even Rose murmured.

Slowly, Jieun opened her eyes.

Even after all the black liquid had fallen off and her clothes had dried, Jieun was still covered in wounds.

Those cold eyes looked down at Hayun and the magical girls.

No.

She wanted to say it right away.

That she hadn’t attacked. That she had only wanted to save her.

But her voice wouldn’t come out.

‘Now?’

Someone in her mind murmured.

‘After breaking, tearing apart, and crushing so many times, now?’

Hayun couldn’t refute those words.

Jieun floated in the air for a while, looking at the magical girls.

Suddenly, a sphere appeared behind her back.

It looked like a black hole from a movie.

Rose shouted something. Delphinium and Dahlia prepared, and Iris fired.

But Jieun didn’t direct any attacks at them.

The space around the black hole distorted.

When they came to their senses, Jieun was already gone.

As if nothing had been in the sky, as if nothing had happened, the surroundings were quiet.

“…”

Only then did Rose’s arms lose their strength.

Hayun fell to her knees.

And then she collapsed powerlessly and burst into tears.