Ch.4Chapter 1. Discomfort (4)

I actually don’t know much about music.

I enjoy listening to it, but I don’t really care about the titles of songs or composers’ names. I just… listen. Because it sounds good to my ears.

That’s why I don’t particularly favor any specific genre, though I do prefer music with lyrics. Even better if the lyrics are in Korean. It helps me focus more.

As I expected, the album that Blossom… no, Hayun gave me doesn’t seem to be that kind of album. Well, I anticipated this. That’s why I didn’t buy it right away at the bookstore.

But still.

“Oh, this is nice?”

Jihye said, lying on a blanket spread on the floor with her feet on the pillow instead of her head, wiggling her toes to the rhythm of the music.

Yeah. It was good.

It seems to be what people call a “jazz classic” or something like that.

Listening to the trumpet sound that softly filled the room, I leaned back in my chair at the desk and examined the album Hayun had given me.

The album cover had an overall dark atmosphere. With “blue” in the album title, it clearly wasn’t designed to be cheerful from the start.

The album art showed the musician with a serious expression, seemingly playing the trumpet.

Hmm, occasionally listening to an album with this kind of mood isn’t bad at all.

I placed the album in an appropriate space among the row of albums lined up on my desk.

In that row of music albums arranged at almost the same height, coincidentally, the albums on both sides of where I just placed this one were also gifts from Hayun.

We’re childhood friends after all. Of course we’ve exchanged gifts quite often. If I had to say, I’ve probably received more than I’ve given.

Hayun is actually quite observant despite her appearance. It’s not because she’s a magical girl… after all, she only started that about two years ago.

Despite the pink hair that might give people strange preconceptions, Hayun is a good student and quite popular. She teases me about receiving confessions, but she actually gets confessed to quite often herself. Some of them are even from pretty well-known kids at school.

“So, what about it?”

“What about what?”

After staring blankly at the albums, I turned toward Jihye. Pushing lightly with my toes, the swivel chair turned smoothly to face her.

Jihye was still lying down with her feet on the pillow, her head turned toward me with a sly smile.

“What do you mean ‘what about what’?”

Since she clearly wasn’t going to speak first if I just left her alone, I asked with a slightly exasperated voice while leaning back fully in my chair.

Well, I could guess what she was about to say.

“That gift, was it from a guy?”

“It was from a girl.”

I answered with my eyes closed.

The music moved on to the next track. Well, I assume it did? The mood changed.

“Was she pretty?”

“She’s pret— Wait, why are you asking that?”

Jihye giggled at my response, then let out a long sigh.

“No reason. I was just thinking how both of us are so far removed from romance.”

Just yesterday she was asking if I was late because I was meeting a guy.

Well, I did tell her I wasn’t.

“That Hayun girl?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“I thought so. This album seems like her taste.”

I silently turned my chair back around and looked again at the album I had just placed on the shelf.

Hmm.

The one I just inserted was jazz, the one on the left seemed to be Beethoven, and the one on the right was a Beatles digipak. The one with the photo of them crossing the street. That one.

Though I know almost nothing about music, I do know these three are completely different types.

“What I mean is, it has that feel to it. That feel. It’s old-fashioned.”

Come to think of it, I’ve never received an idol album as a gift.

This actually stems from a misunderstanding.

When I browse music albums, I just look at ones with album art that catches my eye, then put them back. I do occasionally buy some, but they’re almost always movie or animation OSTs.

So, from Hayun’s perspective, the list of “things Jeong Jieun carefully examined but didn’t buy” always includes those kinds of albums.

Since I’ve never disliked any gift from Hayun, naturally she continues to choose such presents.

Well, I don’t mind. I actually like it. These types of albums are often more expensive than movie OSTs.

Indeed, it’s Hayun’s taste.

She definitely doesn’t seem like someone who would enjoy idols. Her family is well-off, and they even have connections to the Galactic Federation.

That’s another reason why Iris dislikes her.

“…”

Ah, the music changed again. Actually, it might have changed several more times already. I can’t help it since I don’t distinguish the beginnings and endings well.

Until now, the music was somewhat upbeat depending on the person, but now it had clearly become a slow piece. At least I can tell that much.

“…Oh, it’s snowing.”

At Jihye’s words, I looked out the window.

White snowflakes were swirling around. It’s snowing quite heavily. The roads might be slippery tomorrow.

“It didn’t snow yesterday.”

If it had snowed yesterday, my journey back would have been much more miserable. That’s fortunate.

Jihye was clumsily humming along with the music through her nose before turning her head toward me again.

“By the way, how does this atmosphere feel?”

“What atmosphere?”

“You know, doesn’t it feel like a scene from a youth drama?”

“…”

I thought about it for a moment, then smiled slightly.

“You’re right.”

Though neither of us has any idea who Miles Davis is, somehow being like this makes us feel like we know all about albums and such things.

We spent a long time watching the snow fall outside the window.

…I should still thank her for the gift.

I should give something in return. Maybe a New Year’s gift would be a good excuse.

I can’t afford anything expensive, but Hayun will probably be happy with it.

*

December 27th.

Another assembly order came down.

At least the 27th was a Saturday, a day off. While it wasn’t particularly pleasant to gather on a day off, it was still much better than being summoned during school days and then getting scolded for not being able to come.

This was probably going to be a scolding session about our recent defeat.

If they’re so confident, they should just train more officers. Wouldn’t a company of galactic scale have plenty of talent?

To be honest, I wouldn’t be surprised if their employee count exceeded the population of the United States.

“Oh.”

After getting off the subway and reaching the headquarters entrance, I saw a blue-skinned alien pacing in front of it.

Some passersby glanced at her as they walked by. Most of them were older people. In contrast, younger people and children didn’t pay much attention. They were more used to it.

Attending school together, working together at companies. Society’s atmosphere had changed in just five years. There’s still quite a bit of adjustment needed, but at this rate, things should gradually improve.

The people who protested so passionately at Gwanghwamun Square never protest in front of Noir Corporation headquarters.

That’s only natural. Noir Corporation has a history of cleanly removing people who protest on “private property.”

The government didn’t completely turn a blind eye, but no one enjoys getting beaten up either. Moreover, all the combatants used at that time were transferred to branches on other planets before they could be arrested, so the case fizzled out without a single witness.

…Well, anyway, that’s how it is.

“…Why aren’t you going in?”

Aside from her skin color, she looked like a high school girl around my age. At least her facial expressions were almost identical to those of Earth humans, which gave me a sense of familiarity.

“Oh, you’re here!”

Her expression brightened as soon as I spoke to her.

…I see, she doesn’t want to go in alone and get scolded first.

I let out a small sigh and immediately turned toward the headquarters building.

She quickly fell in step beside me and started chattering away.

“By the way, isn’t Iris just the best? I was so surprised when I saw her shooting that beam right in front of me. No, more than that, how did she know to prepare and wait in advance?”

That’s right.

The “Earthaboo” is literally an “Earthaboo.” They usually love all aspects of Earth culture.

Just like how someone who’s obsessed with Japan doesn’t only love anime. Of course, they’re extremely picky about content, but they tend to admire the eating habits and lifestyles of the country they idolize and try to imitate them blindly.

She’s like that too.

And what she likes usually involves “pretty and cute girls.” Magical girls are no exception.

…Wait.

She’s not a guy wearing women’s clothes, is she?

“Huh? What’s wrong?”

When I stopped walking and looked at her with a slightly furrowed brow, she tilted her head, pausing her chatter.

“…Nothing, it’s nothing.”

“Really?”

Accepting my words without any doubt, she immediately came back to my side and continued chattering.

“Ah~ I really wanted to meet Happy Cherry Blossom. The clothes she wears look so soft. How nice would it be if I could go and touch them?”

There’s no worse fan than this.

Well, she probably thinks she can’t really hurt a magical girl.

Seeing how she can grin happily even after getting beaten up, she must be extremely sturdy, befitting an alien.

Beep.

I tap my employee ID and enter deeper into the building.

There are shops on the first floor, but about a quarter of the back of the building is where the employee elevators are located. You can’t enter without an employee ID.

People saw us enter, but hardly anyone showed genuine interest. After all, this company is known for weekend work.

“…Phew.”

“…”

As soon as we entered the elevator, she also fell silent.

“…Do you think they’ll scold us a lot?”

Seeing someone who always has a smile on her face at work looking like this, you can tell how vicious this company’s scolding sessions are.

They never resort to violence. They don’t even swear. But the other party is an alien, isn’t it? Not many people can stand there pleasantly while someone talks non-stop for almost an hour without even taking a breath.

Just like a proper villain.

Ding.

The elevator arrived at the 13th floor, and the doors opened.

The 13th floor is where the combatants’ dormitories and offices are located.

However, those dormitories are old military-style rooms with twelve people per room, so unless you’re really desperate, no one wants to use them.

Sometimes there are reviews saying it’s actually comfortable because there are so few people, but the fact remains that there’s a possibility of twelve people filling up the room, so I chose to stay at the orphanage with Jihye instead.

Fortunately, this isn’t mandatory. Though I’ll still get scolded if I’m late.

“…”

The girl who had been chattering beside me now tightly sealed her lips and hesitated to go forward when we reached the auditorium, so I sighed deeply and twisted the doorknob to open it.

Clunk.

I wonder if anyone arrived before us? Usually, the officers appear at a leisurely hour—

Bang!

The moment I entered the auditorium, firecrackers suddenly went off on both sides.

By firecrackers, I mean those cone-shaped ones that bakeries give for free with birthday cakes. They startled me.

As I was removing the long paper strips from my hair with an annoyed expression, someone suddenly put their arm on my shoulder.

Startled to see someone taller than me putting their arm around my shoulder, I looked up, and they quickly removed their hand, apparently realizing it was inappropriate.

However, their smiling face remained unchanged.

They looked exactly like an Earth human. Should I say a somewhat sinister-looking middle-aged man?

If they weren’t wearing an officer’s uniform, they might look like someone you’d occasionally see on the subway.

But they’re not an Earth human. Just someone who evolved similarly.

Though when going into battle, they wear a monster-like mask to cover their face.

“Well, well, our hero has finally arrived! Come on, everyone, applause!”

Clap, clap, clap.

A weak, unenthusiastic applause was heard.

Looking ahead, I saw the auditorium filled with extremely tired-looking employees sitting in rows of folding chairs.

…Is this all because of me?

Is this some new method of harassment?

As I looked at the officer with a very suspicious expression, they gestured toward the stage with their palm facing upward.

This is really awkward.

Didn’t this person scold me severely over the communication right after the battle?

“Come on, come on, this way.”

When I didn’t move, showing my suspicious expression, the officer seemed a bit impatient and patted my back. When I glared at them, they stopped. Apparently, even this person was somewhat afraid of being reported for sexual harassment.

I continued removing the colored paper from my hair as I finally moved forward.

Looking back, I saw the Earthaboo sitting in the last remaining seat at the very back, looking just as bewildered as I was.

And with both fists clenched, she gave me a “fighting” pose.

What a traitor.

Holding back a sigh that was about to escape, I went forward anyway.

As I climbed onto the stage—

“Ah, ah.”

The officer quickly followed me onto the stage and stood in front of the microphone, making testing sounds and tapping the microphone with their finger.

Only after hearing the unpleasant feedback sound did the officer seem satisfied, clearing their throat before speaking.

“Everyone, finally! Someone from our team has charged their circuit to 100 percent! Come on, applause!”

Ah, so that’s what this is about.

It seems there hasn’t been anyone like that until now.

Actually, this was the first time I had encountered Iris so closely. Even I had endorphins or adrenaline or whatever surging through my head, making me want to hit her at least once, but normally people would probably just run away.

“Let’s watch the footage!”

…They even have that?

Flash.

Unfortunately, the projector shone directly in my face, causing me to squint and close my eyes.

I staggered slightly and turned my body sideways to make room.

The video from the projector was head-cam footage from my helmet.

[Happy Iris! Panties! Purple!]

[What?! Don’t be ridiculous! Today I definitely chose black—]

“…”

The atmosphere instantly became awkward.

If I had been a man, a water bottle might have been thrown at me.

“Now, look, everyone. What do you think this is?”

Insanity.

“This is courage, everyone!”

The officer shouted loudly.

“Jeong Jieun here overcame her fear through sheer courage alone and raised her circuit operation rate to 100 percent. Isn’t she an example for all of us?”

“…”

The atmosphere turned awkward again.

This time, they were looking at me like I was crazy.

It was indeed a crazy thing to do.

Iris has the insane ability to identify opponents just by the scratches on their helmets.

The next time we meet, she’ll probably chase after me with a murderous smile on her face.

Moreover—

“Now then, to our ‘courage’!”

“To courage…”

The poor employees who had been called in on a weekend just to hear this raised one hand weakly and repeated after him.

“Jeong Jieun will receive a special promotion. Look forward to the next battle.”

That doesn’t sound very appealing.

And courage? The energy needed to operate the circuit actually comes from despair.

Well, both the government and the company know this, but they can’t openly tell the people here that the power driving their circuits comes from their despair.

No matter how much courage you have, if there’s no hope of winning, all that follows after provoking an enemy is despair. That’s how they can increase “efficiency.”

I feel like I’ve unintentionally become an accomplice to a black company.

…No, it’s not just a “feeling,” am I actually an accomplice?

“This time, we will add a bonus to the orphanage donation.”

“…Thank you.”

Only after hearing those words did I bow my head to the officer. The officer nodded, seemingly satisfied.

Perhaps they’re pleased because their performance metrics have improved.

Still, it’s good that money is going to the orphanage. The storage room door has been getting moldy and the bottom part is starting to break; we can replace it with a new one with this opportunity.

…The people at the orphanage just think the company is engaging in social responsibility.

If they knew I was working at a place like this, wouldn’t they immediately insist I quit?

But money is just money. If it’s used properly, it can’t be said to be wrong.

Reassuring myself with that thought, I let out a long breath.

Far away, the Earthaboo was enthusiastically waving at me, oblivious to my feelings.

This is a bit uncomfortable.