Ch.49Chapter 9. Things That Should Not Be Touched (3)

She gave him a look.

Hayun understood what it meant.

At first, the children tried to avoid speaking while watching her reactions. Even the kids who had initially slipped up seemed to notice something was off about Hayun and changed the subject.

“If you don’t tell me, I’ll find out on my own.”

When Hayun said that, they finally began to open up.

In reality, the only way for Hayun to “find out” now was to meet Jieun, but…

The others seemed to know this would happen eventually. Perhaps they realized that Hayun’s feelings toward Jieun weren’t entirely hostile.

The “looks” they mentioned were, according to them, literally just that.

Like bumping shoulders with her in the hallway.

Stealing her textbooks.

Slipping notes into her desk.

Pulling her aside to tell her not to show off.

Since these words came from the children who had done these things, Hayun knew they were likely downplaying what had actually happened.

“Stealing” textbooks probably didn’t end there. They probably didn’t return them properly. It wouldn’t be surprising if they had torn them up. Hayun knew that Jieun took very detailed notes in both her textbooks and notebooks.

The notes surely contained words that shouldn’t be repeated, written explicitly. She must have read them without showing any reaction and quietly disposed of them elsewhere. No, did it really end with just notes? Hadn’t they put other things in her desk too?

Had bumping shoulders really ended with just that? Weren’t there nasty words that followed? No, had it really ended with just words?

The same went for pulling her aside to tell her not to show off.

“…”

As she listened to their stories, Hayun remained silent.

At first, she was angry. No, not just at first—she was angry throughout the entire conversation. She wanted to stand up and shout at them. She wanted to tell them to never come near her again.

But.

When these kids bullied Jieun, had they bullied her as badly as Hayun had?

Jieun had faced their bullying yet still treated Hayun with an expressionless face.

And she had done the same the day after Hayun had beaten and hurt her.

Perhaps she had been able to endure their bullying because she was already accustomed to much worse treatment?

Hayun didn’t remember how she got back to the classroom and sat down.

The kids who had followed her to lunch didn’t speak to her for the rest of the day. Other children, sensing the tense atmosphere, also kept their distance.

But even though she finally had the quiet time she’d wanted for so long, Hayun’s heart remained unsettled.

All of Jieun’s misfortunes were connected to Hayun.

The reason she had been injured and unhappy as a Combatant.

The reason she was ostracized and bullied at school.

All because she was associated with Hayun.

Yet Hayun had known nothing. While Jieun was suffering, Hayun knew nothing and only thought about how happy she was to be with Jieun.

Even now, it was the same.

When Jieun had defeated the Kaijin. When she had protected Hayun, Hayun’s hope had blazed fiercely. That alone had been enough to momentarily clear all worries from her mind.

…But that wasn’t right.

That couldn’t mean Jieun had forgiven her.

Besides, right after that, Jieun had been shot. By the very people she had helped.

Her anger was understandable.

No, it was a miracle that no one else had been hurt in that situation.

What would Hayun have done in her place?

Wouldn’t she have been completely overwhelmed by such terrible betrayal? Wouldn’t she have lost all hope and been unable to do anything?

Hayun didn’t know where Jieun was now. But surely, she couldn’t be in a place where her body and mind were at peace.

And—

—The biggest cause of that was related to Hayun.

Because the Magical Girls had given no testimony about that terrorist attack.

Because the Magical Girls had said nothing about Jieun’s situation, she had ultimately been branded a terrorist.

Even though it made no sense.

There was no way a high school student, especially one with so little free time, could have prepared enough explosives to destroy part of the country’s largest company’s largest complex.

Hayun had even witnessed the situation that day. Jieun truly hadn’t known anything.

She needed to take action.

Instead of wallowing in self-pity, she needed to think of something else—

“Hayun.”

While walking with a blank expression, she heard someone calling from behind.

When she turned around, Iris… Ju-a was standing there.

Hayun blinked.

They were no longer inside the school.

Classes had ended. Hayun was on her way home. Ju-a probably was too.

There were no other students around. Had they kept their distance after seeing Hayun’s mood? It occurred to her that the kids she’d eaten lunch with today might never approach her again.

“Let’s talk for a moment.”

Ju-a said to the dazed-looking Hayun.

Hayun nodded.

Ju-a moved first. Hayun followed silently.

The faces of Magical Girls were already well-known. In crowded streets, people would gather just to see a “Magical Girl.”

But at least not near this school. Since they were such familiar faces around here, people’s interest had considerably diminished. Even stalkers weren’t that common. After all, Magical Girls were literally “Magical Girls.”

After seeing them subdue Combatants, only those confident in their physical abilities or backed by some power would dare to stalk them. Like that stalker from before.

The place Ju-a led Hayun to was a café near the school.

Usually at this time, it would be crowded with students heading home.

Hayun herself didn’t often go to cafés alone, but she had walked home with Jieun every day.

However, the place Ju-a guided her to wasn’t very crowded.

It didn’t even have a café sign.

“It’s upstairs and only accessible to people who know about it. But don’t worry, it’s not a suspicious place.”

Ju-a said this and naturally headed toward a corner table.

It was quite far from the windows.

There were a few students inside, but most seemed to be alone or in pairs. All were unfamiliar faces.

There were also several adults, but they were all sitting separately. They didn’t look around or talk to anyone. Some had their eyes closed, listening to the café’s music, while others were looking at their smartphones or reading books.

“A place like this…”

“It’s hard to find unless someone tells you about it. Most people here are rather peculiar.”

“…”

Hayun’s mouth gaped at Ju-a’s words.

The café was slightly dark, though not gloomy—the lighting was just dim.

Behind the ordering counter, old LP records filled the shelves.

“I never thought there’d be a place like this near school.”

“That’s exactly why you didn’t know about it.”

Ju-a said, placing her bag on the seat and turning around.

“What would you like to drink? Though it’s all coffee anyway.”

“…I’ll have whatever you recommend.”

At Hayun’s words, Ju-a shrugged.

*

Hayun didn’t know much about coffee. In fact, she rarely drank it unless she was with Jieun.

Personally, she didn’t particularly like bitter things.

Still, she could drink it if offered, depending on the situation.

So she couldn’t really tell how good the coffee Ju-a brought was.

“How is it?”

“It’s good.”

Hayun replied to Ju-a’s question.

Ju-a showed no particular reaction to the answer. Her attitude suggested this was the expected response.

“…”

While Hayun was thinking it was fortunate she hadn’t said she disliked it, Ju-a’s expression changed slightly.

Instead of her usual somewhat haughty expression, she looked seriously contemplative.

As Hayun waited silently, Ju-a spoke.

“What do you think about Jeong Jieun?”

“Huh?”

Hayun momentarily looked blank at Ju-a’s sudden question.

“I don’t think you see her as just one of many friends.”

Ju-a stared directly at Hayun as she spoke.

“…”

Hayun tried to guess Ju-a’s intention.

Ju-a was frowning as she looked at Hayun.

She seemed somewhat angry, but that made it harder to discern the emotion behind it, since it was an expression Ju-a often wore.

“Fine. You don’t have to answer. Your reaction is enough.”

Ju-a said this and leaned back in her chair against the wall, crossing her legs.

Hayun grew a little anxious.

Ju-a had recognized Jieun as the Combatant. She said she’d recognized her by the scratch on her helmet.

And Hayun already knew from Ju-a’s grumbling after the battle that the two didn’t get along well.

So if Ju-a said she was going to oppose Jieun, Hayun couldn’t go along with it.

Ju-a glanced around a bit.

No one was paying attention to them.

But still seeming a bit uneasy, she uncrossed her legs and leaned forward slightly to look at Hayun.

This time her expression was different from before.

A slightly anxious expression.

Hayun wondered why she would change her expression after such a brief moment. She guessed it was a failed attempt at acting. Ju-a did that sometimes.

“…Do you plan to continue like this?”

Ju-a asked with a serious expression.

“…Like this?”

“I mean, we all know.”

Only then did Hayun understand what Ju-a was talking about.

She was talking about Jieun.

“We all know, right? That logically, she couldn’t have carried out such an attack.”

That was true. Everyone knew.

It was impossible for an ordinary high school girl, especially one forced to live a collective life almost all the time, to obtain that level of explosives.

“Yet we still haven’t said that she didn’t do it.”

“…”

Ju-a hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“If we were truly righteous, shouldn’t we have revealed the truth?”

Ju-a wasn’t saying this to blame Hayun.

Rather, Hayun thought it was more like a consultation.

The Magical Girls had aspects they disliked about each other. Delphinium and Dalia had overlapping roles.

Rose was somewhat better, but there had been various troubles before Hayun joined them. She’d heard that Rose had even grown distant while mediating between the bickering Dalia and Delphinium.

Iris had become a Magical Girl around the same time as Blossom. Naturally, she had become closest to Blossom.

From the beginning, Iris, who always aimed to be the best, had a somewhat single-minded aspect that limited her ability to befriend other Magical Girls.

But perhaps because of that single-mindedness…

Iris, or rather Ju-a, had apparently been pondering this all along.

Hayun remembered that Iris’s shots hadn’t come during that time at the company. Perhaps that was because Iris had been wrestling with her own doubts.

“…”

“I don’t think it’s an easy thing…”

Ju-a said with a frown.

“And yes. If we do this, we might lose our circuits…”

Hayun pressed her lips together at Ju-a’s serious expression.

As Iris, Ju-a would sometimes grumble with a dissatisfied expression and curse the Combatant—presumably Jieun—after battles.

But even so, she took great pride in her role as a Magical Girl. The thought of losing that must be terrifying even to contemplate.

That’s why she had been struggling with this.

“…”

What about Hayun herself?

The truth was, she too had taken no action, making various excuses and wallowing in self-pity.

Jieun… was innocent. She had been pushed into a corner and was desperately struggling to get out.

If anyone was to blame for Jieun’s situation, it would be those surrounding her.

The Federation.

The Corporation.

And themselves, working within it.

“…Alright.”

Hayun nodded.

“Let’s find a way. But as you said, if we act without warning, we might have to return our circuits. We might no longer be called Magical Girls, and we might even be pointed at by people.”

If Hayun were to tell the truth and be pointed at by others as a result…

Could she really call that unfair?

No, she didn’t think so.

She too had been hiding the truth. She had been putting it off out of fear, unable to think of anything else.

For each day delayed, Jieun’s suffering was extended by another day.

It was ridiculous to talk about forgiveness now.

Why was she only thinking about this now?

…Perhaps because she had realized that she was included among those who had bullied Jieun.

One-sided violence and dismissal.

The thought of giving up being a Magical Girl was frightening. Despite everything, it had earned her parents’ expectations, and other children didn’t bully her because of it.

The reason people were kind when speaking to Hayun, the reason strangers treated her carefully when first meeting her—all of it was because of that.

But she didn’t want to lose Jieun forever because of it.

And she disliked herself for trying to weigh Jieun’s existence against the other things she had.

So.

“Alright. Let’s do it.”

“What?”

Despite being the one who brought it up, Ju-a looked very surprised when Hayun agreed.

“But from the moment we speak, things will change a lot.”

Hayun looked at Ju-a seriously as she spoke.

“Whether people believe it or not. Just by saying it, there will be those who believe. Various broadcasts might argue about it.”

“…”

Ju-a’s face turned pale.

It was imaginable. Above all, considering the facts, it was wrong not to have spoken from the beginning.

“But before we speak, we should ask the others first.”

Hayun said calmly.

The Magical Girls weren’t just Hayun and Ju-a.

So they couldn’t arbitrarily speak as the “entire Magical Girl” opinion.

“What if they oppose it?”

“…Then we’ll have to speak separately.”

At Hayun’s words, Ju-a closed her mouth.

“Not everyone may join us. Those who don’t speak might be able to maintain their status as Magical Girls.”

“But…”

“You didn’t come to me wanting this to be buried forever, did you?”

Hayun said.

Ju-a stared at Hayun for a while.

Then she nodded.

“That’s true, but…”

“Let’s talk to everyone first, then decide.”

Hayun said this and picked up her coffee cup.

The coffee tasted unusually bitter on her tongue.

*

On her way home after parting with Hayun.

Ju-a tried to organize her complicated thoughts.

Why, despite being the one who brought it up, did she hesitate when Hayun set the direction?

“…”

Though she didn’t want to admit it, perhaps Ju-a had been hoping Hayun would talk her out of it.

That her words were nonsensical, and they should focus on resolving the situation first.

And then argue for Jeong Jieun’s innocence in court or wherever.

…But she knew that was also an escape.

With each passing day, an innocent person was being hurt and suffering. And with each passing day, the possibility of that innocent person becoming not-so-innocent increased.

So far, no one had died because of Jeong Jieun.

Breaking and entering or property damage was much better than murder. Moreover, if the truth came out now, public opinion would criticize the others rather than Jeong Jieun.

Why were Magical Girls, essentially illegal vigilantes, tolerated?

Because Noir Corporation, embedded in public perception as an evil company, was the enemy, and because they acted for those suffering under it.

Additionally, Magical Girls could resolve the occasional Kaijin incidents without casualties—not even killing the Kaijins themselves.

Knowing this, she had spoken to Hayun.

“…Was I just trying to create an accomplice?”

She thought she had been wrestling with her own doubts.

But perhaps she had just wanted someone else to make the decision she desired.

Trying to pass it off to someone she respected…

After walking silently for a while, Ju-a suddenly thought of that “Magical Girl” Jeong Jieun.

She overlaid the image of that infuriating Combatant she had met so many times.

“…”

It seemed to match. The attitude, the appearance of certain parts.

Ju-a wasn’t one to easily acknowledge others. She often thought herself stiff and inflexible.

But every time she encountered that Combatant, she wanted to decisively defeat them.

Despite being beaten multiple times, despite being smashed to pieces, they would get up again and again—it was almost awe-inspiring.

Though not due to positive emotions, she had occasionally thought “Did they quit?” when they didn’t appear, if only for a brief moment.

…Yes.

It wasn’t just because of their appearance that the images overlapped.

It was because of how they continued to fight without giving up, even in such circumstances.

“…”

She couldn’t express the emotion that was welling up inside her.

She was still anxious. She still didn’t like this situation.

When all the facts came to light, they would have to acknowledge that the people they had repeatedly assaulted and driven away were ordinary citizens just like the unyielding Jeong Jieun.

It meant they hadn’t even considered that among them were people with dreams no less significant than those of Magical Girls.

But even so.

The deepest part of Ju-a, unable to turn away from her single-minded nature, that Ye Ju-a…

Ju-a shivered slightly.

She couldn’t imagine what would happen next.

What she disliked most was herself, who couldn’t stick to her own thoughts and ended up leaving the judgment to someone else.