Ch.324IF Side Story: From the Beginning (92)

Now, what exactly do we need to do?

First, let me check what I want. And what these children want too.

…..

Hmm, this might sound strange, but somehow what these children want seems to be exactly what I want right now. Or more precisely, they want these things because I want them.

For a long time, I’ve had the feeling that they’re by my side because they genuinely enjoy helping me solve the problems I want to solve.

Well, that’s fine.

Pang Pang is my friend, but she’s also like a key figure responsible for something within the company. At the very least, she shouldn’t fall into the hands of this Pung… the current chairman. I absolutely cannot bear to see my friend being used as a tool by someone.

So, what we need to do here is:

First, we’ll let this spaceship continue to the Noir Corporation station near Jupiter.

Instead, we’ll deal with that Kaijin if possible. And somehow take care of that distant Pung-Pung… too. If we can resolve these two issues, we’ll be able to handle things more smoothly when we arrive.

Good. The objectives are set.

Then, all that’s left for us to do is execute the plan.

“……”

Unlike other Kaijin, this one makes no sound—armor shaped like a giant humanoid robot at first glance.

If it were just an ordinary Kaijin, we could resolve this quickly, but the problem is that the circuit this Kaijin is operating inside that armor is linked to the generator on my back.

The stronger our energy becomes, the stronger it gets.

In that case.

“We just need to overpower it with much stronger force,” Hayun said.

“That Kaijin is clearly meant to stall for time. They probably didn’t make it with absolute confidence it could defeat us. They couldn’t have expected it to take on all the magical girls alone and win.”

I wonder if that’s true.

If so, it doesn’t matter.

Well, in this situation, we have no choice but to fight that thing regardless of our objectives. Going back to Earth from here doesn’t seem right either.

“Alright. Let’s go!”

As I said that, the children sprang forward energetically.

Circuits.

All our circuits are spinning vigorously.

I don’t despair. I almost did once, but thanks to these children, I was able to escape from that.

Since I have children who literally went all out to help me escape despair, I won’t give in to despair now. The ‘fact that there is hope’ is, for me, the greatest hope of all.

What kind of hope are my friends fighting with?

Some of the children must have received hope from me. Just as the Kaijin’s armor resonates with our generator, the children’s circuits also resonate with the generator.

But I realized I’ve never properly seen those children’s hopes.

At first, I thought their hopes were the dreams they had before becoming magical girls. Children from wealthy families, children who became Galactic Federation magical girls because of their parents’ choices. Children who essentially became child soldiers.

Even during times when they didn’t particularly like being magical girls and didn’t get along well with the other children, they never gave up on those dreams.

Was it because they had hope that they could achieve those dreams someday that they were able to carry on with the magical girl work they disliked?

What about now?

That was already several years ago. After I became a magical girl and stirred up relationships among the other children, things might have changed a bit.

Rather, the children now seemed to enjoy being magical girls.

WHAM!

“Ugh…!”

The Kaijin’s fist crashed against Seo-hee’s guard. Even with magic protection, it must have hurt. There was a huge difference in size, and that armor was clearly made to be special.

But the expression on Seo-hee’s face as she dropped her guard after being pushed back was a feral smile that made even me a little intimidated.

As if she was actually enjoying the situation. As if she would absolutely never lose, Seo-hee clenched her fist again and charged forward energetically.

I couldn’t just stand by either.

BANG!

As Seo-hee threw a punch toward the Kaijin’s face, I struck its waist from behind. Hit from front and back, the Kaijin floated in the air for a moment before falling.

“…Heh.”

For some reason, Seo-hee flashed a somewhat silly smile at me after our combined attack. Did she get hit somewhere?

It wasn’t just Seo-hee.

Next was Yeon-woo.

Unlike usual, Yeon-woo was engaged in close combat. She was swinging her staff, scattering magical shotgun blasts similar to what she once used on me. While I was wondering how to help her, I kicked the Kaijin hard in the waist as it tried to roll sideways to dodge.

The Kaijin tumbled right into the center of Yeon-woo’s magic bullets. The sound of countless magic bullets striking metal rang out. Parts of the metal caved in.

As I backed away watching the Kaijin jump to its feet, I ended up in Hayun’s arms. Hayun, who had been floating slightly, smiled as I fell into her embrace.

The circuit spun vigorously, and the pink blade protruding from the top of Hayun’s staff—that bouquet—blazed brilliantly.

Hayun kicked off from midair and flew forward with all her might, plunging the blade into the Kaijin’s chest.

There was a small puff of smoke from the circuit. It hadn’t completely shut down, but still.

The Kaijin struggled to its feet even after taking that hit.

By this point, I was curious.

What kind of despair could cause this?

The despair of a manufactured Kaijin is probably one-dimensional. I’m not trying to belittle Kaijin, but it has to be. Human emotions are complex. Especially hope or despair—they’re determined by a mixture of various thoughts.

I wonder if despair that only causes pain, that makes you struggle endlessly without even being able to pass out, can really penetrate that deeply.

Getting up again and again, never giving up, holding onto consciousness by force—what kind of despair could drive someone to that?

…..

For a moment, I wondered if the person inside that Kaijin armor might be someone I knew.

But that couldn’t be. The only combatant I knew was Pang Pang, and she’s near Jupiter now. Besides, aliens can’t handle circuits.

THUD!

As I saw the Kaijin charging at me and reached for my hammer, Jihye stepped in front of me.

The Kaijin’s fist crashed against her shield. The Kaijin had grown stronger since it hit Seo-hee earlier. Its despair circuit had deepened and resonated with our energy.

It’s fortunate we encountered this before those wretched weapons were mass-produced. If there had been as many of these as the combatants we usually face… I might have lost hope in the end.

No, I wouldn’t have lost hope.

My hopes would have been beside me, just like now.

Jihye’s head pressed deeply against my chest. She looked up at me with a flushed face. It was a rather romantic gesture for this situation, but being a magical girl means fighting with that very romance.

Jihye smiled at me, then charged forward again with her shield. Even as the Kaijin threw a second punch, she covered the fist with her shield and pushed forward powerfully like a bulldozer. The Kaijin’s upper body was pushed back too far, throwing off its center of gravity.

The Kaijin collapsed backward.

Someone took my hand.

I turned to see Ju-a.

“I’ll launch you high with my magic!”

Not simply flying up, but literally being shot upward.

As if finding hope just from holding my hand, Ju-a’s eyes were sparkling. Her circuit was spinning vigorously, almost to the point of bursting.

“I’m counting on you!”

At my words, Ju-a nodded, then stood behind me—and hugged me tightly.

It was a back hug.

“Huh?”

Isn’t that an awkward position with the generator on my back?

Before I could question it—

BANG!

I heard the sound of Ju-a’s gun.

Did she use that gun like a rocket on her back?

But regardless, I could trust Ju-a’s words. She’s not the type to say such things without certainty.

Unlike in novels, Ju-a only used that warp technology after it was completely perfected.

Our bodies soared powerfully into the sky.

“……”

Chae-yeon was looking up at me. The only one who hadn’t made physical contact with me during this fight.

But Chae-yeon shrugged as if it couldn’t be helped, then raised her staff.

…Well, fine.

Let’s resolve this situation first.

And afterward, I’ll hold Chae-yeon’s hand or hug her or something.

That seems fair somehow.

I couldn’t for the life of me figure out when our skinship started to have this kind of meaning.