Ch.34Chapter 7. Enemies in the Same Boat (3)

The only people I can trust right now are Earthaboo and James.

I don’t have many people around me.

First of all, at the orphanage, I’m treated as somewhat of a problem child. I’ve never caused trouble inside the orphanage, but I’ve broken their curfew rules too many times, staying out late and coming back whenever I please.

From the teachers’ perspective, I must seem like a delinquent student who stays out until the middle of the night doing who knows what.

As teachers, they’ve tried their best to discipline me and offered various counseling sessions, but my behavior never improved, so they’ve pretty much given up at this point.

I wonder what the atmosphere at the orphanage is like now that I’ve disappeared.

Is Jihye doing well?

Since I can’t even contact Jihye, one of the few people I know well, my current situation is essentially like joining hands with people “I can’t fully trust.”

Earthaboo is at least decent.

Though we don’t know about each other’s pasts, we still get along pretty well. From Earthaboo’s perspective, I’m “a friend who will safely take you home even when drunk,” and from my perspective, she’s “someone who doesn’t seem particularly suspicious.”

I’m not sure why she’s helping me this much without complaining.

Maybe it’s because I’m a magical girl? But she’s never looked at me the way she looked at Hayun.

As for James…

If I had to name the most untrustworthy person I’ve ever interacted with, I’d choose James. While Earthaboo and I simply don’t know much about each other, James is someone who unilaterally has information about me but has never shared any information about himself.

The problem is that in this situation, it’s completely impossible not to accept James’s help.

And the condition for that help is “revenge.”

I’d like to take revenge too if I could.

It’s not like I’ve never wanted to punch someone in the face in this life or my past one. But I didn’t throw those punches because doing so every time would bring enormous disadvantages to my social life.

Not just me—everyone else must be the same. Who in this world lives without holding back?

Even though I’m a magical girl, I have no idea what would happen to me after taking revenge, especially when I’m being chased by the most powerful people in this country.

“You reach that conclusion because you’re thinking about revenge too simplistically.”

As if he knew what I was thinking, James spoke in an extremely annoying voice.

“Chasing after someone who hurt you and hurting them back could be considered revenge. Some people think the ultimate form of revenge is assaulting or killing someone. That might have been a good method in barbaric times. It’s a one-dimensional way of showing what happens when someone messes with you.”

I stared blankly at James. He seemed so absorbed in his own words that he didn’t even notice my gaze.

“But that’s impossible in modern society. There’s something called law enforcement. If you beat or kill someone in the name of revenge, the police will come after you. And the ‘government’ will take ‘revenge’ on those who violate the law for personal reasons.”

“So, what are you planning to do?”

“Obviously, you need to use the power you currently possess as your means.”

“Isn’t that the same thing?”

Using my power means beating or killing someone, right? Though I might beat someone, I had no intention of killing anyone. I didn’t want to become a murderer, just like the other magical girls.

“I mean you need to carefully select your target. Right now, both the Galactic Federation and the company seem to be in confusion because the plan went awry, but they’ll probably start opposing each other again once some time passes.”

James spoke with an evil expression while chewing on sunflower seeds.

“They were planning to hand over the most important entity for the next research, but that entity disappeared. The Galactic Federation has no choice but to suspect the company’s betrayal. The government, having trusted both organizations, has been framed as incompetent for failing to catch the terrorist. On top of that, they’re afraid your truth might be revealed to the world.”

“So, you’re saying they’ll all try to blame each other for this problem soon?”

“That goes without saying. They weren’t that tight-knit to begin with. The government doesn’t want the Galactic Federation interfering too much. The company needed to resolve this issue quickly to complete their management succession quietly. The Galactic Federation needed to find another way forward because the number of magical girls is too limited.”

I’ve heard there are magical girls, or similar beings, in other countries too.

Though their numbers are small. In fact, considering the population, the Republic of Korea has a relatively high number.

That’s why it was described as an important region in the webtoon.

“Just once, their interests aligned. There’s an idiot who wants to inherit the company’s management, and the government wanted to use that idiot to create a foothold to interfere with the company. The Galactic Federation was trying to find another way forward in the process.”

Just once.

How the story unfolds from here depends on how they move, but they cooperated just once to create an opportunity favorable to themselves.

And the result is this mess.

If we’re talking about the cause of this mess, I was obviously at the center of it.

I’m glad I ran away then. Even if I hadn’t, my life would have been in the gutter anyway. A slightly more spacious gutter is better than a cramped one.

“Isn’t that too disadvantageous for the company?”

“The company was probably planning to hand over just one technology. It’s referred to as a ‘circuit,’ and except for the emotional part, the basic technology is quite similar… but ‘the technology to efficiently extract small amounts of energy from ordinary people’ is another matter.”

They might think they can protect the company as long as they don’t hand over that part, since they have the core technology or facilities for other parts.

“But in the long run…”

If you have the core of a technology, applying it is just a matter of time and budget. Optimizing facilities and increasing productivity can be solved by other companies given enough time. Of course, I don’t know how many obstacles there might be along the way.

“There are people in this world who are so blinded by short-term profits that they throw away long-term benefits. Or perhaps his ‘long-term benefit’ was something else. He might run for a parliamentary seat decades later, as someone who contributed to solving Earth’s environmental destruction problem in some way.”

“…”

“And as I mentioned, the two circuits share too many components. Conversely, with time and budget, after repeated failures, the Galactic Federation could eventually create a ‘circuit’ too. The next chairman might have seen that. But yes, as you said, it’s still a stupid move.”

“Okay, let’s say that’s the relationship between those two. What about the government? They were benefiting from being in the middle of these two opposing entities, right?”

“Because of this incident, both the Galactic Federation and the company have become wary of the government. The government’s prestige has been damaged, but it’s not enough to overturn the nation. Unless the regime changes.”

That’s true. It’s not like a war broke out.

“They can blame the company’s lack of management for failing to prevent the terrorist attack, and the magical girls’ lack of ability for failing to arrest you.”

“What about when I was caught? That was the premise of this whole operation, wasn’t it?”

“The company doesn’t intend to give all the technology right away, and if they start supplying equipment to the Galactic Federation using the facilities they’ve already built, the story changes. First, as someone who knows all the inside details of the incident, they gain leverage. Second, while the government might turn a blind eye to the Galactic Federation’s facilities, they strictly manage the company’s facilities under Korean domestic law.”

The reason the company can benefit outside the Galactic Federation’s laws by moving to Korea is that the company pays by transferring technology to the Korean government.

So all the facilities and equipment of “Noir Corporation,” which is registered as a “domestic company,” follow the laws of the Republic of Korea. They must be monitoring closely since they need to receive the technology of products made in these facilities.

In other words, the company cannot supply equipment to the Galactic Federation without the permission of the Korean government.

This means the state of “benefiting from being in the middle” is maintained.

…Really, they’re all creatures faithful to their own desires.

“Then, lastly.”

I looked down at James as I spoke.

James, perhaps feeling a bit intimidated, put down the seeds and nuts he had been eagerly eating.

Well, our body sizes are completely different.

“So, why did you betray such a company? If your goal was to sell the technology, you must have had several ways to survive.”

“Obviously, because I don’t want my technology to be used for mere power struggles.”

“Isn’t that too idealistic?”

“It’s problematic to use technology that can turn ideals into reality just for launching a few ships.”

…The technology to launch ships is already incredibly important.

“I want to reverse the entropy of the universe. I’m looking at technology that creates something from nothing, or a power generation method where the output energy is greater than the input energy.”

“Is the universe suffering that much from energy shortage?”

I don’t know much, but it seems the Galactic Federation already knows how to fly space battleships while minimizing environmental destruction.

“That’s a misconception.”

James asserted.

“They just have free access to resources because they can go into space. In reality, they’re constantly using the limited energy in the universe. And that acceleration is getting faster.”

“How long will that last?”

“Probably only a few billion years left. And there’s no research yet on how to extract energy from other galaxies.”

After hearing this mind-boggling statement, I sat blankly for a moment before speaking again.

“Is the lifespan of Squeakeans about a hundred million years?”

“It’s no different from Earth humans.”

“Then the Galactic Federation and everything else might not even last until then, right?”

“That’s why we’re trying to make it sustainable.”

I can see why he couldn’t keep enduring within that company.

“Was the chairman thinking the same thing?”

“It’s the founding philosophy of the company. To ensure that life continues endlessly, even when there are no stars left in the sky.”

So that’s why it’s called “Noir.”

I can also see why the chairman was excluded.

“Do you think it’s absurd?”

“…”

I thought for a moment.

“Whether it’s absurd or not, I have to cooperate with you in the end, right?”

“If you want my technical skills, yes.”

“…Then I have no choice.”

Well, at least according to what he said, he’s just an engineer with severe delusions of grandeur.

It must have all been thanks to the chairman that he rose to that position. He doesn’t seem capable of political maneuvering. Otherwise, which crazy executive would provide all sorts of cutting-edge products to a mere combatant? And with upgrades for each battle.

“Are you thinking something extremely rude right now?”

James asked, but I just shrugged.

James didn’t seem to want to talk to me much either, so our conversation ended there.

I started reading the comics that were in Earthaboo’s room again, and James resumed eating the seeds and nuts he had been eating.

By the way, he really does eat nuts because he looks like a hamster.

People from that planet must have it good. They probably worry less about housing prices and construction costs. Or maybe their reproduction rate is so high that there’s not much difference from Earth.

I had various thoughts, but in the end, the final thought that came to mind was just the reality of the current situation, so I couldn’t focus on the comic and had to put it back on the shelf.

*

Speaking of housing prices, Earthaboo’s house obviously wasn’t free.

It wasn’t even her own house to begin with.

I’ve never asked about Earthaboo’s past, but if she was living normally on her planet, it would be almost impossible for her to buy a house in the middle of Seoul, Korea. It would be as difficult as me buying a house in the capital of a foreign developed country. Mainly due to cost.

Obviously, I don’t intend to freeload. But I don’t have money right now.

So, as a result, I ended up following Earthaboo to a day labor site.

It wasn’t related to Noir Corporation. Rather, it was literally an ordinary construction site. Not too big of a building, something like a five-story villa construction site.

People from Earthaboo’s planet are often stronger and have better stamina than they appear, so they’re welcomed at places like this.

Earthaboo said she worked at such places and made a living day by day when there was no work from Noir Corporation.

…The more I heard, the more pitiful the story became. Well, I’ve heard that Noir Corporation pays well for a day’s work, even though the job is dangerous.

“…An Earth human? Student, you look quite young?”

That’s why I, who followed Earthaboo, received such an evaluation.

An Earth human. And a face that looks like early twenties at most, no matter how generously you estimate.

James determined that if the age of the mask I wore didn’t match my actual age, there would be a high chance of being discovered. As a result, the mask I wore was the face of a woman in her early twenties.

“She may look like this, but she’s good at physical labor. I’d be grateful if you could trust us just this once.”

Earthaboo said that while politely bowing, so I quickly followed suit and bowed as well.

“Hmm…”

The man still looked at me with a disbelieving expression, his hand on his chin.

“Today’s job is demolition. It’s not a very big place, but you’ll have to break down walls and such. I’m not sure if a student like you can handle it.”

“Leave it to me.”

I said confidently.

If it required technical skills, I might not be able to do it, but if it’s just breaking things, I’m confident.

I’ve used a hammer before. …Though I used it to hit people rather than walls.

It would be impossible with bare hands, but I’m wearing a circuit on my wrist now. It’s still winter, so I could cover it with gloves, and James wasn’t thoughtless—he decorated the outer part of the circuit to look like a modern smartwatch. The circuit, which already looked like a smartwatch, even displayed a clock screen, so there was no reason for it to be discovered.

“…Well, since Pang Pang vouches for you, I’ll trust you and give you the job, but I’ll be watching.”

Fortunately, the kind-looking man gave his permission.

Earthaboo looked at me and grinned, so I shrugged my shoulders.

*

Bang!

No matter how much the world advances, no matter if technology to tear through space and go beyond the universe is developed, construction sites don’t change innovatively.

People still move loads and break things. Hard hats protect heads, and safety shoes protect feet.

In the end, it must be cheaper to have people do it directly. Come to think of it, by that logic, combatants should all be robots too. Like the robot James was riding.

I picked up the hammer again and swung it with all my might.

Bang!

If we were completely demolishing a house, it would be better to bring in larger equipment and break it all at once, but “demolition” includes not only destroying the building itself but also tearing out the interior of a floor or a unit within the building.

Before remodeling, everything needs to be torn out, and sometimes there are things that can’t be removed easily, or walls that were added to divide rooms need to be demolished.

And fortunately, I was perfect for that job.

After loading the debris from the demolished plaster wall into a cart and pulling it out, the eyes of the man who had doubted me after hearing Earthaboo’s introduction in the morning widened.

“You did all that by yourself?”

He seemed quite impressed that I had done the job alone, which he had told me to do only as much as I could until he sent someone.

“This much is manageable.”

Though it’s not just with my own strength.

“Hmm…”

The man looked me up and down with eyes that found it hard to understand.

Though my face was covered, I couldn’t completely hide my body shape. So I wore loose clothes to conceal my figure, but my body, which was rather thin except for my chest, didn’t give the impression of being particularly strong.

It would be difficult for him to think I was a hybrid with an alien or something like that. After all, aliens have only been on this land for about five years.

“Have you done this kind of work before?”

“…Yes, I’ve done similar work.”

“Hmm.”

Only after hearing my answer did the man nod.

“You’ve lived a hard life, haven’t you?”

“…”

I had no response to that, so I just bowed my head and then returned to where I was working, pulling the cart.

I picked up the hammer again and cleanly demolished what needed to be broken.

Honestly, it was less tiring, but it wasn’t that pleasant a task. Time seemed to pass slowly. After doing it for hours, it’s inevitable to get tired.

But if there was one good thing, it was that during this work, I didn’t need to worry about my current state.

Bang.

Bang.

I consistently swung the hammer, gradually breaking down parts that had already been built. Other companies would come and fill in those broken parts with different interiors.

It would be nice if I could break down the obstacles in front of me like this.

Though I don’t think anyone would rebuild them. But it would be much easier.

…The circuit kept running without stopping.

Thanks to that, I was able to properly finish the day’s work.