Ch.33Chapter 7. Enemies in the Same Boat (2)

The incident that day was prominently featured in all major news outlets.

Typically, the Galactic Federation and most companies opposing it would manipulate information about incidents to their advantage when releasing details.

As a result, newspaper articles were mostly fragmentary. There was no way to create complete reports except by combining photos taken by passing citizens on smartphones or cameras, along with information released by both organizations and testimonies from insiders.

Of course, most media outlets simply cherry-picked “released information” that suited their tastes rather than putting in that level of effort.

But what happened in the heart of Seoul was impossible to completely hide from others, regardless of who announced what.

Several police cars were damaged.

An armored vehicle transporting special forces was overturned.

There were no fatalities, but thirty-two people suffered moderate to severe injuries.

…There had been a shooting incident in downtown Seoul. Not with handguns, but with rifles, submachine guns, and shotguns.

And among those fired bullets were live rounds.

All those bullets were aimed at a single person—a minor, a young girl.

Sometimes bullets are used to subdue Kaijin. In truly dangerous situations, live ammunition might be necessary, and citizens generally accepted this to some extent. As long as people weren’t hurt by those bullets, it was considered unavoidable.

However, the fact that guns were fired at an Earth human, especially at a single minor girl, earned considerable public backlash.

“It was necessary,” said a police spokesperson.

“The fleeing girl possessed a circuit capable of harming people and could move without major issues despite being hit by live rounds. It was necessary to subdue her.”

“Then how do you explain allowing her to escape despite taking such necessary measures?”

“…”

Opinions were divided on the use of live ammunition.

Even if someone is a minor, if they’re wielding a knife and causing a disturbance, they should be subdued with live rounds if necessary. Otherwise, people could actually die. While the use of tasers or other non-lethal weapons could be considered first, if the subject possessed not just a knife but a circuit, they were no different from a Kaijin.

So, did they manage to stop the girl with those measures?

Everyone knew the answer to that question.

That day, a new Magical Girl was born in the middle of Seoul.

That Magical Girl flew up into the sky, created a black hole, and escaped through it.

Whether it was actually a black hole or not was debated, but one thing was certain: the girl could reappear anywhere she wanted.

They had fired live rounds at a minor causing a disturbance. But they failed to stop or neutralize her, resulting only in her escape while possessing a very dangerous item called a “circuit.”

To this, even the police had nothing to say.

“…We apologize.”

That was all they could say.

Failure was failure.

The Galactic Federation kept quiet. Noir Corporation also kept quiet. The only ones who spoke were those who had commanded the forces mobilized that day, but even they didn’t say much.

It was enough to make people think they were avoiding responsibility.

Meanwhile, internally, both organizations were in turmoil for various reasons.

*

The Magical Girls were also in turmoil.

“I just declined another interview request. That’s the fourth time from that channel alone. They never seem to get tired of asking.”

“Of course. Even if they’re rejected, they can still exchange a few words during the rejection process and make some kind of article from that.”

“Yeah, they keep trying to dig. Asking if Magical Girls were at the scene, why we couldn’t stop it…”

Rose sighed deeply.

About a week had passed since that day.

One might say it was only a week, but in modern society, a week is enough time for many things to happen. It could be enough time for light rumors to die down.

However, talk of the incident continued to circulate even as time passed. It would take more time for things to settle down.

That is, if the black Magical Girl didn’t appear again.

There had been no movement from Noir Corporation since then.

For all their boldness in accusing Jieun, they hadn’t said anything else afterward. When interview requests came in, they only gave generic responses.

The Galactic Federation was similarly silent on the matter, leaving the Magical Girls to merely suspect that something important had happened beyond just Jieun’s escape.

“Now… what’s going to happen to us?” Iris asked somewhat anxiously.

Though Iris always tried to maintain a confident expression, she couldn’t help but worry about this situation.

Over the past two years, Iris had established her identity as a Magical Girl. She now took pride in that role.

In a sense, she derived her self-esteem from her position as a Magical Girl.

What if she had to stop being a Magical Girl now?

What if she couldn’t complete the research she had been working on?

That made her very anxious.

Moreover—

She looked at Hayun sitting in the corner of the break room with a gloomy expression.

For Iris, she would only have to stop being a Magical Girl. Even though she derived self-esteem from it, she still viewed it somewhat like a “job.” A very good job. A job she liked. But if she had to quit, she would have to quit. After all, one couldn’t keep the title of Magical “Girl” forever.

But Hayun had lost a friend.

No one dared to say it directly to her face, but everyone seemed to think so.

Even Hayun herself.

“…”

Delphinium, sitting in another corner, also glanced at Hayun. Normally, she would have been reading her book without paying attention to anyone, but the atmosphere was completely different now.

The same was true for Dalia. Her pride had probably been hurt the most in the battle. She had been confident in both magic and close combat, yet she was defeated so easily and her staff was broken. She was getting it fixed, but that fact couldn’t be undone.

But even setting aside such thoughts, Hayun’s expression was so dark that everyone was concerned about her.

Hayun herself knew it well.

Fortunately, no incidents had occurred yet, but if she had to fight again in this state, she would only hold the other Magical Girls back.

Hayun had been evaluated as having the most outstanding energy among the Magical Girls.

Delphinium’s magic covered a wide area, Dalia’s magic was versatile, and Iris’s attacks had long range and accuracy. Rose could directly confront and shatter any threat to other Magical Girls in close combat.

And Hayun—Blossom—could cut through anything with her energy. No matter how thick the steel plate an opponent wore, nothing could block the light from Hayun’s staff.

Yet it wouldn’t harm people, making it an incredibly useful ability.

Moreover, that strong energy affected the circuits of other Magical Girls. Just by Hayun maintaining her center, the power of other Magical Girls nearly doubled.

But not anymore.

Hayun had lost hope.

Not completely. She could still transform and summon her blade. Other applications were still possible.

But she couldn’t exert the same power as before.

When exactly was the critical moment? How could she restore hope?

Hayun thought hard about it. No matter her situation, she didn’t want to burden her teammates.

No matter how much she thought about it, Jieun was at the end of it all.

Jieun, who had grown up with her since childhood. When Hayun became a Magical Girl and others’ attitudes toward her gradually changed, Jieun remained the same by her side.

While others expected things from Hayun, Jieun didn’t expect anything in particular.

She just stayed beside her, smiling as always, as an ordinary friend.

Why on earth had someone like Jieun become a Combatant?

…The conclusion came rather quickly.

Noir Corporation had tried to keep quiet until the end, but a persistent reporter discovered that they had been consistently donating to an orphanage.

Noir Corporation had never made anonymous donations, which is how they were traced.

Perhaps they wanted to build an image as a socially responsible company?

But the reporter also revealed that a girl named “Jeong Jieun” had been living at that orphanage. After persistent stakeouts, the reporter approached a girl heading to school and abruptly requested an interview, startling her into revealing that “she was someone who lived in the same room.”

Jieun had been living in an orphanage.

Without any family to take care of her.

Of course, the reason Jieun could grow up to be such a bright child was probably because the orphanage teachers and the children living together were all good people.

Hayun had no idea.

Despite being a Magical Girl and leaning on her friend so much, she knew nothing about what situation her friend was in.

Jieun’s bones had been broken by Hayun multiple times. While Hayun’s magic couldn’t hurt people, her body could.

Not all fights end cleanly with magic. To subdue someone, you sometimes have to hit, kick, and slam them to the ground. Especially since Jieun was a persistent fighter.

The reason she fought so persistently was probably to earn money for the orphanage’s operating expenses.

The company must have approached her after noticing she had some kind of energy. Then they sent her into battles repeatedly with such conditions.

…As a result, Jieun must have fought while looking at Hayun’s face many times.

The face of Hayun who was brutally beating her.

“…”

She looked down at her hands.

They were trembling.

Justice.

Hayun had fought for justice. While the Galactic Federation couldn’t be perfectly just, she wanted to fight against Noir Corporation, which was clearly villainous. Her parents supported that decision.

So did Jieun.

Every time she met Hayun at school, what must Jieun have thought?

Even the day after her finger bones were bent backward while blocking Hayun’s kick,

Even the day after taking an elbow to the stomach and rolling on the ground,

Even the day after her collarbone was dented from being punched on top of a broken glove where she’d been stabbed,

Jieun still met with Hayun. Of course, since everyone wore helmets, it was impossible to know exactly who hit whom and how. But one thing was certain: Jieun was there.

If Hayun had known Jieun was there, she would never have fought with all her might.

But Jieun saw all of that. Even when she was being beaten, and the day after.

Did she think it was creepy?

Did she think Hayun, who had reduced her to that state, was whining in front of her?

And yet she still smiled?

Jieun never asked Hayun for anything. If she had ever wanted information about the Galactic Federation, or weaknesses of the Magical Girls, or anything else that would have given her an advantage in fighting, Hayun would have felt somewhat relieved.

But Jieun never wanted anything. Hayun never mentioned it either, being conscious of her position as a Magical Girl.

Were all those smiles Jieun gave her fake? Were they forced smiles hiding fear and disgust?

Even so, was that how well Jieun treated Hayun?

Was she safe now?

Even right after becoming a Magical Girl, Jieun was injured all over.

She had been shot multiple times and fallen down, with those thick steel cables on top of her body, unable to move properly.

Hayun remembered Jieun’s expression in the final moment.

That expression looking down with a coldly hardened face.

A completely different expression from what Jieun had shown until then.

She tried to grit her teeth and hold back, but tears came from her eyes again. She quickly wiped them away with her hands, but more tears continued to flow.

“…”

Someone handed her a handkerchief.

When she looked up, it was Rose.

“…I’m sorry.”

Hayun took the handkerchief and wiped her eyes.

Rose opened her mouth to say something but ultimately closed it, as if knowing it was impossible to empathize with Hayun in the current situation.

Hayun continued crying.

She didn’t even want to go home. Whenever she faced her parents at home, they only told her that what she did was something she had to do.

How could beating Jieun be something she had to do?

Why didn’t Jieun ask Hayun for help?

…She knew.

If Jieun had said such things to Hayun, Hayun wouldn’t have thought of Jieun as her special friend. She would have thought of her the same way as everyone else.

Jieun probably knew this and endured for that reason. She accommodated Hayun’s selfish feelings.

Even if it meant enduring so much pain.

She wanted to see her even now.

No matter what she might hear, she just wanted to know if Jieun was safe.

The next time they met.

The next time they met—

…

What should she do?

Once again, Hayun couldn’t find the answer today.

*

“Jihye.”

Jihye flinched at the sound of her name.

She had been like this for several days now.

She was still using the room alone. The teacher wasn’t putting any other children in the room, so that Jieun could return anytime.

Jihye felt the same way. She hoped Jieun would come back.

Jihye knew nothing about what was happening. People around her kept asking about the incident. Especially after a reporter blocked her way to school and got an answer from her, reporters sometimes appeared at her school.

There was even a reporter who was rummaging through her desk when she arrived one morning.

After that, the school absolutely refused to let any reporters in, but when the reporters disappeared, the children became the problem.

“What kind of person was that Jieun girl?”

Children who had never shown interest before were now asking questions.

The children already knew that Jihye was living with Jieun. They knew where and how Jihye lived.

However, she had never been bullied for it. She had talked about Jieun but had never really introduced her face to the other children. She knew Jieun’s personality.

And of course, Jieun knew this too. Seeming to think it was impossible to hide forever, Jieun had said it was okay to talk about her.

After Jieun became a Magical Girl, the children around Jihye suddenly started asking questions about her.

What was the reason?

Did they want to gossip in front of reporters? Or were they planning to post it online?

Jihye became anxious.

She knew nothing about Jieun’s situation. She understood why Jieun hadn’t told her. If the teacher had known Jieun was doing such things, she would certainly have refused Noir Corporation’s donations.

…These kids knew about that too.

And yet—

“I heard from kids at other schools that she didn’t get along well with people.”

“Yeah, that seems right. Why, I heard she was really sharp even when other kids tried to talk to her.”

“They say she was close to the Magical Girl just for information.”

“Apparently she was trying to find things out while pretending to be friends.”

Jihye was overwhelmed by the chatter erupting from all around.

Jieun?

No, she didn’t seem like that at all.

Jieun treasured the CDs on her desk. Of course she cherished the CDs she had chosen herself, but she valued the ones Hayun had bought for her even more. The way she carefully opened the cases and took out the CDs as if they might get scratched just by being touched was almost funny.

Sometimes, whenever Jieun brought up Hayun, her face would light up brightly.

Of course she talked about Magical Girls. But that was all.

Usually, Jieun’s stories about Hayun were about where they had played. How they met, how close they were.

Jihye didn’t think someone like Jieun would do such things to Hayun.

But Jihye couldn’t bring herself to refute what the children were saying.

Because the news was talking about it that way. Because the internet newspapers were talking about it that way.

The children all seemed to believe those articles. That’s why they spoke so confidently here too.

“At least it’s good you didn’t get involved.”

“…”

That night, as soon as Jihye saw the internet, she ran straight there.

Of course, by the time she arrived, the situation was already over. The buses had stopped running by then, so she just wasted energy running there.

The area was being controlled by intimidating-looking people standing guard. All she could make out were overturned cars and debris scattered across the ground.

Even with just that, she could imagine how intense the battle had been there.

Just knowing Jieun had been there made her heart race. Was she safe? She had to be safe. They said she escaped, so she must be safe.

She had learned about it from an article. The very articles she couldn’t trust.

From the articles claiming Jieun had “fled”—

“Sorry, I need to go to the bathroom for a moment.”

Jihye said this and abruptly stood up. Seeing how pale her face had become, several children rose from their seats, offering to go with her.

Refusing their offer, Jihye quickly left the classroom.

Her stomach churned as if she might throw up everything inside at any moment.

Even as Jieun was being talked about like that, Jihye couldn’t say anything.

She was afraid that if she did, the children might think strangely of her for defending Jieun. The teacher might think strangely of her too.

The orphanage teacher had told them not to say anything no matter what questions they received for the time being.

So this was the natural thing to do, but…

She entered the bathroom. Fortunately, perhaps because break time was ending, there was no one in the bathroom.

Jihye went into an empty stall, quickly closed the door, and dry-heaved into the toilet. Fortunately or unfortunately, she didn’t actually vomit.

But she still had no strength, so she crouched down on the floor.

“…Jieun.”

I’m sorry.

Should she have refuted them there? Should she have shouted that Jieun wouldn’t do such things, that she was absolutely not that kind of person?

But she was scared.

Yes. It wasn’t because the teacher had told her so. It was simply because the situation was so frightening that Jihye chose to say nothing and run away.

She felt so pathetic for being that way.