Ch.50Chapter 9. Things That Should Not Be Touched (4)

If I had more to lose, James and I would have made a more meticulous plan.

We would have distinguished between what could be lost and what couldn’t, what we could sacrifice and what was non-negotiable if things went wrong.

But in reality, I’ve already lost almost everything I had, which wasn’t much to begin with.

“You still have things to lose,” James said.

Ah, right. From someone else’s perspective, maybe I do.

I still have Jihye and Hayun.

“Both of them are still alive and well, aren’t they?”

I’m fortunate that the person saying this beside me is someone “I shouldn’t give up on just yet.”

Otherwise, I would have smashed his head with a hammer.

“I can’t see Jihye right now. So it’s like she doesn’t exist.”

Right. I can’t meet her. If I tried to see Jihye for whatever reason, several problems would arise.

First, my location would be exposed, and people would assume that Jihye and I are close enough that I’d risk everything as a criminal just to see her.

In truth, our relationship was important enough that I considered all these factors and chose not to see her.

“…And Hayun is a magical girl.”

Hayun and I are essentially enemies now. Every time magical girls encounter me, they try to subdue me.

The first time I infiltrated the company, I could understand their reaction. From their perspective, we were competing for something very important to them.

But the next time, when I subdued the Kaijin…

I saw the magical girls rushing toward me.

Toward me, who had just helped them and gotten shot.

At least Hayun just stood there with a blank expression.

Isn’t it strange?

Magical girls should be able to tell I’m not the culprit. I don’t know how deeply they can search the Federation’s records, but since we fought at that complex, shouldn’t they know?

I am not the culprit.

“So you’re saying you want to destroy everything?” James asked, raising the corner of his mouth in that “rat-like expression” of his.

He’s the one who came up with this plan, yet he speaks as if I’m the one making the choice.

Well, I suppose it is my choice. I just had only one option.

“…I’m sick of it all.”

I escaped because I didn’t want to be punished for crimes I didn’t commit, and I’m still on the run.

But the magical girls haven’t said a single word in my defense.

I… understand. I’m trying to understand.

They’re still just kids. Hayun included. Most of them probably became magical girls partly because of their parents’ influence.

But still.

Aren’t they supposed to fight for justice?

Do they know how many times my bones were broken and crushed for that justice? Do they know that the people who fell under their hands were actually people who had traveled from distant planets, struggling to protect their families?

Well, they probably don’t know.

They probably never wanted to know.

I would have been the same if I were a magical girl.

If someone becomes a thief or a hired thug because they’re poor, can they be defended? Probably not. Even if poverty is considered a mitigating factor, a crime is still a crime.

And therefore…

A crime not committed is not a crime.

Yes, I’ve decided to focus on one thing.

If all the damage I cause by suddenly breaking out becomes a crime I’ll be punished for later, so be it.

But I can’t stop now. At the very least, I need to clear my name. I don’t care if an even more desperate ending awaits me. I’ve already lost everything anyway.

“Let’s be clear about one thing,” I said.

Despite my words, James still seemed unable to fully trust me and asked in a rather serious tone:

“If we execute our plan, we’ll inevitably encounter magical girls. And among them will be your friend, Blossom.”

“…”

“If you meet and have to fight, can you fight sincerely? Can you properly subdue her? This isn’t just an emotional question. If you can’t win, it’ll be problematic in many ways.”

I thought for a moment.

Could I attack Hayun?

It didn’t take long to reach a conclusion.

I’ve already encountered Hayun several times. Of course I’ve attacked her.

I could make those attacks because I knew they wouldn’t work, but it’s no different now. After all, Hayun is a magical girl, and in this world, even if limbs are broken, they can be healed in a few hours.

So, could I win?

This conclusion took a bit longer.

“…Didn’t you say this plan might not succeed?”

That’s what James said, and I certainly think so too.

Despite all my comments about James being a rat, I’m no better. I’m a cornered rat.

So I want to bite the cat one last time.

“Haven’t you already calculated whether I can win or not into your plan?”

I can attack Hayun.

But could I break her arm while looking her in the eye, with my face exposed?

That’s a completely different story.

It’s similar to how Hayun couldn’t bring herself to attack me after seeing my face.

Moreover, now I could… really hurt Hayun. It’s different from when I was a combatant.

I might be able to attack, maybe even break something—

But could I go through with it to the end?

That’s an entirely different issue.

Even though I evaded the answer, James nodded as if he had already anticipated it.

“Well, that’s fine. Our target isn’t the magical girls anyway.”

“What about you? Will you be okay?”

At my question, James looked up at me.

He was looking up as if something was very strange.

“Why?”

“No, it’s just strange that you would ask me such a question.”

“Strange that I’m worried about you?”

“That’s part of it, but hmm.”

James tilted his head and then said:

“Let me put it this way. Have you ever felt loyalty to the company you work for?”

“Uh…”

“It seems you were sincerely loyal to me throughout your time as a combatant. That’s a touching story, but I’m not foolish enough to be loyal to the company I work for. It was just a relationship where I sold my abilities and got paid.”

Hmm.

Maybe I could hit him once? I think I know how to hit without killing.

“Of course, it was more than just a financial relationship; we were cooperating for mutual goals, but what’s the point of cooperating now?”

“You’re more straightforward than I thought.”

“I’m curious about your intentions in saying that, but it doesn’t matter. As long as the company’s chairman is alive, I can continue with my plans. But for that to happen, those who interfere must be eliminated.”

I thought he had cleanly given up, but he’s actually being quite persistent.

So this guy is just betting on another possibility he has at hand.

“Have you ever thought about becoming a magical girl?”

I think that mindset would suit the Hope Circuit very well.

“I have no idea what kind of joke that is.”

James answered, frowning.

*

“…Well, sorry for being a burden all this time.”

“Oh, no, I never thought of you that way.”

As I turned to look at the Earthaboo before leaving the house, she tilted her head and replied.

Her expression seemed so genuinely unbothered that I almost laughed.

“You waited quietly while the two of us were talking.”

“Well, it wasn’t a conversation I should have interrupted.”

Hmm, that’s true.

As I was racking my brain trying to choose my words, the Earthaboo spoke first.

“It’s actually better having someone around than always being alone. There’s someone to have coffee with when needed. And splitting the utilities is better than paying them alone.”

But at the same time, it was also very dangerous. The Federation probably wouldn’t do anything strange to the Earthaboo, being an alien, but the company is a different story.

Plus, the Earthaboo lost her highest-paying job because of me. The company situation was a mess because of me.

There are many people in the world who would be angry about such things. No, it would be normal to be angry. It’s very common for people to direct their aimless anger at the primary cause.

…I’m like that too.

“But it was fun. I had someone to talk to when going out to work, and most importantly, there was a magical girl near me! Isn’t that a special existence that only Earth people can become?”

“…”

If she puts it that way, I have nothing to say.

The Earthaboo is… an “Earthaboo.” If even that is fine with her, well.

“You probably won’t see me for a while.”

I haven’t planned where to escape to. James said he hasn’t thought of a place either.

This operation was truly a “wild gamble.”

Our plan was to escape as far as possible while the other side was dealing with the situation.

James thought about the risks of staying in the same place, and I knew that if I stayed here, I’d eventually be discovered. I didn’t want to gift danger to someone who had helped me out of kindness.

“That’s a shame.”

The Earthaboo said.

“But we’ll still be able to see each other’s faces, right?”

“…”

I thought about the Earthaboo.

How many friends has she made since coming here? I’ve never seen any friends of hers.

I don’t know what it was like on her home planet, but Earth people are generally reluctant to make alien friends.

In the early days of alien landing, the number of people wanting to make alien friends increased, but over time, fewer people wanted to get close to those classified as privileged. In many ways, there was a division between those who could and those who couldn’t.

Some tourists looked at Earth people as if they were primitives, which worsened the image of each other. Add the Kaijin problem to that, and there are plenty of people who give unfriendly looks, even if they don’t openly participate in anti-alien, anti-Federation protests.

Moreover, the Earthaboo works in physical labor. She’s quite far from being the “privileged class” one should befriend.

Perhaps I’m the only friend the Earthaboo has made on this Earth.

“…When it’s all over.”

I answered.

I don’t plan to die. Even in the worst-case scenario, I’ll probably just be detained or something.

So, well.

If I end up in prison and get out, and she’s still living here, we could meet again.

Trying to speak as casually as possible to hide that meaning, the Earthaboo shrugged and held out her hand.

I looked at that hand for a moment, then reached out and took it.

“Ah, and if you reveal to anyone that we were here, then—squeak!?”

When James made that sound from inside the bag, I quickly put my hand in and grabbed both his cheeks.

“Well, see you next time.”

After thinking for a moment.

“…Pang Pang.”

I tried calling her by name.

It’s a name that just doesn’t feel natural no matter how I think about it. It might be a plausible name in that planet, that country, but.

“See you next time, Jieun.”

Pang Pang said, shaking my hand.

“I’ll buy you a coffee next time we meet.”

I said that and turned around.

I didn’t look back, but I could tell that the sound of the door closing came quite late.

*

After walking for a long time, taking a bus, then the subway, and carefully choosing routes without CCTV, changing clothes several times while going around in circles, we entered the mountains.

“Let’s do one final check.”

James was already in his equipment.

As my circuit started running, his drone naturally rose. The light from the propulsion device looked very similar to the light that appears when I swing my hammer.

By the way, I was able to retrieve the hammer from subspace after several failures. James also modified that hammer. At least I won’t be dragged around by the hammer like in the last battle.

“First, we go in and break whatever we can.”

“Excellent.”

“And when all eyes are on us, I say what I want to say.”

“More precisely, we first need to seize the broadcasting equipment in the headquarters building. Your speech is the backup plan. Well, the probability of having to resort to the backup plan is very high, but that can’t be helped.”

“What about civilians?”

“As I told you, despite appearances, the building was constructed following government guidelines. The fire alarms and sprinklers work perfectly.”

Even though I blatantly implied that I would destroy the building, James spoke without seeming particularly concerned.

“…Alright.”

There will be plenty of combatants inside, but their loyalty is low. If the company has somehow resolved that issue, then the story would be different.

Anyway, we’ll only know when we get there.

The circuit is spinning round and round.

Ironically, thinking that there’s a high chance of failure has been quite helpful. So is the thought that I might encounter Hayun there.

The Despair Circuit.

It’s reliable in terms of being strong in crises, but—

I’m not sure if I can accomplish anything great with it.

I looked at the circuit.

98 percent.

Even that fact helps, which is quite unhelpful.

Clicking my tongue at that irony, I shuddered at the black energy covering my vision.

*

Although the Galactic Federation didn’t have formal diplomatic relations with the Republic of Korea, they still maintained exchanges in the form of a “civic delegation.”

And this “civic delegation” building was almost the same size as most national embassies in Seoul.

Everyone knows it’s just a facade, given that diplomatic privileges are guaranteed inside the building.

But despite this, the Korean government has not yet joined the Federation, and therefore the Federation is “for now” in a position to be cautious with the Korean government.

The building also had a space where magical girls could gather and rest. Since the building was constructed on a limited site with quite a precarious scale, they couldn’t use a very large area, but it was still enough space for five girls to gather and rest.

Usually, magical girls would gather there for meetings. There was no place with better confidentiality for discussing things that others shouldn’t hear.

…However, not today.

“Then, let’s go with this plan.”

Hayun said with a small sigh.

The place visible around them wasn’t a building based on white, but rather a somewhat cozy place. It lacked polished elegance but had a warm atmosphere.

It was Hayun’s first time visiting Ju-a’s house.

Probably the same for the other magical girls.

Inside the Federation building, there were naturally always Federation ears. But discussing elsewhere would mean worrying about people’s eyes and ears.

Homes were different. Not many people want to install CCTV in their own homes.

Especially in bedrooms.

The parents of magical girls all worked in Federation-related jobs. Therefore, their time at home was irregular.

For conversations like this, they naturally had to avoid their parents’ eyes, so they chose a place where parents were most regularly absent.

That was Ju-a’s house.

Ju-a’s room was a bit cramped for five people. They could all find a spot to sit in a corner, but with five people, it felt somewhat stuffy.

The conversation they had there was no different from the one Hayun had with Ju-a before.

Whether to tell the truth or pretend not to know until the end.

“…”

No one answered Hayun’s words.

Everyone was lost in thought.

None of them wanted to give up their position as magical girls. Even Hayun wanted to hold onto it if possible.

But they couldn’t hide the truth forever.

If they kept hiding it, problems would eventually arise. They were all capable of understanding that much.

“What if they take away our circuits?” Dalia asked cautiously.

“That’s why we’re trying to make the first move,” Hayun answered.

“If we don’t speak up, they can threaten us with the circuits, but if we reveal everything first, it would look strange if they took our circuits before refuting our claims.”

It was a reasonable point.

The Federation puts a lot of effort into public opinion. That’s why they use “magical girls,” entities that would make more serious-minded people snicker.

But then why they were keeping quiet about the terrorist incidents and framing Jieun as the culprit was incomprehensible.

“…I hope it goes well,” Rose said.

Delphinium didn’t say anything.

“Yes, surely—”

But Hayun’s words were cut short.

The pager rang sharply.

Everyone flinched in surprise.

Given the nature of their conversation, they thought the other side might have noticed first.

Hayun quickly picked up the pager. The other girls did the same.

The pager, which looked like a vibrating bell, was usually used to call other magical girls. It could also record detailed content, but usually there’s no time to record anything in emergencies.

Recording is usually done by people from the Federation. It’s used as a briefing.

It wouldn’t be strange if there was a warning voice in it.

But the content that appeared on the pager wasn’t like that.

“Huh?”

Hayun’s voice sounded a bit dazed.

[Noir Corporation Headquarters, under attack by a black magical girl. Target’s objective still unknown. Deploy immediately.]

The mechanical voice, seemingly using a voice synthesis program, continued the explanation.

[Major media outlets have already identified the situation and are en route. Cause unknown. Control the scene upon arrival.]

“…”

The color drained from Hayun’s face.