Chapter 34 – Laying the Groundwork

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The reason I halted my activities as Hemorrhagia for a few days was that I wanted Radiant White to get some proper rest.

Even as a magical girl, she had been searching endlessly for an unreasonably long time—to the point where it was starting to worry me.

…Honestly, I hadn’t expected Radiant White to be this obsessed with her sister. And because of that, I had some adjustments to make as well.

In a way, it was also a break for my own sake.

Yet, seeing the comet streaking noisily across the night sky, it was clear she had no intention of stopping until she found what she was looking for.

“Doesn’t she ever get tired?”

Muttering in genuine curiosity, I received a yawned-out response from Narae, now dressed in her pajamas. She looked at me with an exasperated expression, as if wondering how a former magical girl could be so clueless.

“Unless they get knocked out cold, as long as they have the willpower, they can keep going.”

“I wasn’t asking you.”

“I know. I just answered because I felt like it. Yawn… Anyway, I’m really going to sleep now, so don’t go causing any trouble outside.”

She nagged at me like some kind of guardian or mother before heading off to bed. I stared at her, dumbfounded, but she just walked off confidently, as if daring me to do something about it.

“Still, flying around like that, cutting down on sleep… that can’t be good for her body.”

‘I don’t want my little sister to go through something like that.’

Both I and the Shining White inside me felt concerned about Radiant White’s current state.

She seemed like she’d push herself past the limits of willpower, running herself into the ground in her reckless search for her sister.

It might be arrogant of me to say this, given that I was the one toying with her, but Radiant White needed to move more strategically.

I wasn’t exactly the type to plan everything out meticulously either, but I at least didn’t act as recklessly as she did.

…Well, sometimes things got messy and I had to resort to brute force, but at least I always thought things through beforehand. That alone made me better than Radiant White.

More importantly, I never threw myself headfirst into unwinnable battles or impossible goals.

Anyway, since she clearly wasn’t going to stop on her own, someone had to tell her to take a break.

And since there was no one else around to do that, it had to be me.

As I mulled over how to approach this, I suddenly remembered—I had her phone number.

Right. She had given it to me a while ago, saying I should call if I ever had any information about Hemorrhagia.

I was about to step outside to call her when Narae’s words replayed in my head: ‘Don’t go out and cause any trouble.’

Thinking about it… would it really be that big of a deal if Radiant White found out where I was?

So of course I decided to let her know, because of Narae.

Yep. This was all her fault.

She had the audacity to speak so rudely to someone as high and mighty as me.

It was about time she learned her place, and since she’d already set the stage…

I decided to call Radiant White here. Not to my room, of course, but to our lodging.

That alone would be enough to make Narae’s tiny little heart shrink in fear.

Grinning, I dialed the number White had given me.

Before the dial tone could even finish, the call connected, and Radiant White’s desperate voice called me Savior.

“Savior! Do you have something for me this time as well?!”

Oh, good. She’s still in contact with Suhyeok.

…Yeah, that’s good. That means the story is proceeding as it should.

“Ah, sorry. I don’t know who you mean by ‘Savior,’ but that’s not me.”

There was a moment of stunned silence on the other end before Radiant White desperately pleaded for me to pretend I hadn’t heard that.

“Hmm? I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Feigning innocence, I naturally denied knowing anything, and I could practically hear the relief in her voice as she thanked me.

“So… if you called me, does that mean you have some new information?”

“Oh? Ah, not exactly. But I do have something that might help you immediately. If you’re not too busy, I’d like you to come to where I am.”

“Wait there! I found you! I’ll be there right away!”

“Yeah, the location is—what?”

Wait, what did she just say? She found me? Did she use Sky Search from way up there?

No way. She’s too far for that. From here, she’s just a distant, glowing comet.

…Did she use Pegasus again to pinpoint my location?

Before I could even process how she did it, the comet shot toward me and stopped right in front of my face.

“With the light, like a hero! Radiant White has arrived to illuminate the darkness!”

“Piercing through the vast sky… Uhh… Sky, making an entrance…”

She recited her entrance lines, but she looked noticeably more exhausted than usual. Sky, who had followed behind, looked far from presentable despite being a magical girl.

At least she wasn’t being carried around like a shopping bag anymore. That was a small relief.

“I never told you where I was calling from, did I?”

Pointing that out casually, Radiant White averted her gaze and mumbled something about how “following proper procedures might slow down the pursuit of justice.”

“Is it really okay for a magical girl to break the law so freely?”

At that, even the usually shameless Radiant White seemed flustered, letting out an awkward laugh to brush it off.

“S-So! What’s the information you wanted to share with me?”

“Sigh, fine. As if you’d actually listen if I told you off anyway.”

At some point, she needed to get a proper scolding for this. Thinking that, I asked if she wanted to know how to lure out Hemorrhagia.

“…Are you really going to tell me?”

“Not for your sake, but for mine. It’s already hard enough trying to sleep during the day with the sunlight, and with your light added on top of that, I can’t get any rest at all.”

I made sure to clarify that I wasn’t doing this for her, avoiding any unnecessary misunderstandings.

“Ah… so, you’re really going to tell me?”

“Yeah. I’ll get straight to the point. You won’t be able to find my mother. But, you can call her out.”

“You mean…?”

“Remember what she did to lure you out? And, though I don’t know the details, she must’ve provoked you during fights too. As her child, I hate to say this, but… my mother isn’t exactly the kindest person.”

I actually remembered everything, but I spoke as if I were just deducing my mother’s behavior, like a child trying to understand a parent. That made Radiant White’s expression darken as she nodded.

“Yeah… That’s what it seemed like.”

…She must’ve been deeply affected by what I said to her. Maybe not traumatized, but at least she had taken it to heart.

“So, considering that she’s both ill-tempered and not very forgiving, how about this? Why don’t you provoke her instead this time?”

“…Me? Provoke that monster?”

“Yep. For example, you could throw her own words back at her in a subtle jab… She’d react immediately. She hates that kind of thing.”

It was just something that would bother me a bit.

But to White, it seemed like a genuinely serious piece of advice.

She tightly gripped her magic wand, her expression thoughtful as if she were seriously considering my suggestion.

“You mean to lure her out…?”

“Exactly. Ideally, to your home ground or somewhere you’ve prepared in advance. Because, let’s face it, this place? This is my mother’s domain.”

I didn’t want to stay in Incheon forever, so I subtly pushed her toward setting up a fight somewhere outside of the city, making it seem like a strategic choice.

“A trap…?”

Given her personality, she’d probably hesitate, thinking it was cowardly and unbefitting of a hero.

But would her desire to see her sister again really lose to that idealism?

I didn’t think so. She’d take the bait.

“You want to find her yourself, but… sometimes, things don’t go the way you want them to.”

I threw in a little piece of wisdom for her to chew on. Radiant White, sounding reluctant, replied,

“I… guess you’re right. I’m not my sister… I can’t win every fight or handle every situation perfectly.”

“You really admire your sister, huh?”

“Of course! She’s my eternal hero!”

“So, finding my mother… that’s connected to your sister too?”

Radiant White hesitated mid-answer, as if she couldn’t tell me more.

Not that I expected her to.

“I don’t know the full story, but I hope it all works out. And let your friend rest a bit—she looks like she’s about to collapse.”

Pointing at Sky, who had been silent the whole time, barely catching her breath, I told her to call me if anything else came up before leaving.

After all this, she should be able to handle things on her own.

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