Ch.52Chapter 9. Things That Should Not Be Touched (6)

So that’s how you want to play it, huh?

I gritted my teeth as I thought about it.

The robot’s exterior seemed to be made of some kind of alloy. Judging by how the part I hit with the hammer was slightly dented, that much was certain. If it had been something like ceramic, it would have shattered rather than bent.

I couldn’t tell how heat-resistant it was, or anything about its elasticity or whatever.

Anyway, I guess if I hit it hard enough, something would give.

I gripped the hammer tightly.

The flames that had been spewing from the front disappeared.

If I relaxed my grip even slightly, the hammer would move forward on its own.

But that alone wasn’t enough.

I planted my foot down. With a loud noise, the ground beneath my foot cracked. I could feel the densely packed rebar underneath as my foot sank into the depression.

I increased the hammer’s output and jumped.

I changed the trajectory of the propulsion, briefly stopped the output, then launched forward again with force.

I redirected all the propulsion from front and back to the rear.

WHAM!

The security robot’s fist collided with mine. It was the sound of metal hitting metal—but my hammer was harder.

Though it had intricate components inside, it was fundamentally designed as a blunt weapon. Except for the propulsion parts, it was just a heavy chunk of metal.

With a rocket attached to the back that could instantly increase thrust, it was essentially a missile without an explosive warhead.

Except for the fact that it was supported by a long rod rather than a steel wire, it wasn’t much different from a TOW missile.

In contrast, the robot’s “hand” had parts that could be called joints. Though it only had three thick fingers, joints have clear durability limits.

With my mana-enhanced vision, I could see those joints bending and then breaking.

What sprayed out from inside was lubricant—

—was it lubricant?

The color seemed a bit—

THUD.

“…!”

The impact to my side momentarily broke my train of thought. Just before being sent flying, I managed to turn my head and saw another robot had punched me in the waist.

And before I could even fly away, it grabbed my ankle and pulled me down.

Its speed was overwhelmingly faster than my enhanced vision could track.

How…?

I pointed the hammer downward and maximized the thrust. My leg joints nearly bent backward, but at least I avoided being slammed into the ground and becoming dazed.

My opponent was trying to kill me.

I needed to completely destroy it—

But wait.

The color of that lubricant bothered me. It wasn’t black, nor was it transparent.

Strangely reddish lubricant—

BANG!

The first time I allowed an attack because my attention was elsewhere, but while my body was suspended in the air, I could see something coming toward me.

I turned the hammer sideways, causing my body to shift slightly. WHAM. The robot’s two feet stomped down where I had just been.

There were three robots in total.

All I’d managed to do so far was smash one of their fists.

I was getting a bit anxious.

When I forcefully pulled my foot free, my shoe came off, leaving my foot bare. I kicked the robot’s fingers several times with that bare foot, but they seemed much harder than concrete—those kicks weren’t enough to break the joints.

The robot that had tried to stomp on me turned toward me—

Its head—probably the main camera—was hit by something that made a sizzling sound, causing it to turn away.

“James!”

“Let’s start by getting you on your feet. Seems the drone’s laser is only good for distracting them.”

Not even a hint of concern, huh.

Well, there was never room for concern between us anyway. Thinking that to myself, I bent my knees.

My foot was lifted up again. As the robot raised my foot, my back and waist made full contact with the ground.

Both my hands were still raised. I was holding the hammer up high. Well, since I was lying on the ground, “holding up” might not be the right expression. Whatever, it doesn’t matter.

With flames still erupting from the hammer, I had to use all my arm strength just to keep the back of the hammer against the ground.

I reduced the thrust from the back of the hammer to a minimum and pushed back with full force from the front propulsion unit.

The robot kept pulling my leg up, seemingly trying to lift my body and slam it back down. My waist lifted off the ground, with only my back and neck still touching.

“Where do you think…!”

Shouting that, I maximized the hammer’s thrust while simultaneously shutting off the front propulsion.

Since I was gripping the handle with both hands, my arms lifted first.

Then my waist.

With one foot planted on the robot’s hand for support, I let go of the hammer handle.

CLANG!

The hammer flew directly into the robot’s head. The fact that its head didn’t snap back showed just how durably it was built.

At least the camera seemed to be broken.

More “red” lubricant flowed from the gaps.

The “robot” released my foot.

Then it brought both hands to its face.

As if in pain.

“…Huh?”

While I was reacting to that sight, I heard something cutting through the air and rolled to the side with all my might.

BOOM!

I could feel the ground shake beneath me.

I quickly got to my feet and looked for my hammer.

The robot with the broken hand was reaching toward my hammer, which was still pushing forward with full force. It would have been better if the hammer was bouncing around randomly, but unfortunately, with the “generator” inside, it was stuck against the wall, continuing to push forward.

At least the head was wide enough that it was firmly pressed against the wall—

The problem was that the robot was much closer to it than I was.

“Are you insane!? You just threw away something that important!?”

A shrill voice came from the drone. James, who was trying to avoid the robot’s swinging arms while firing his laser, didn’t seem to have any capacity to help me.

“I couldn’t have hit it otherwise!” I shouted back.

Those things had incredibly long arms. Like some kind of long-armed gibbon.

“What if the generator falls into their hands?!”

It’s too late to complain now.

“Laser! Try the laser!”

Even before I said that, James was already firing thick laser beams at the robot reaching for my hammer.

I couldn’t tell if it was having any effect. The laser was certainly extremely hot, but if whatever was inside couldn’t feel pain, it would only melt the outer armor slightly.

I ran with all my might.

The robot that had been clutching its head recovered and lunged at me, but it was still staggering a bit from the earlier impact, creating an opening.

I threw myself down to pass under its arm, then scraped along the floor as I rushed forward, but the robot was already reaching for the hammer handle.

Through the broken joints, I could see something white—

Whoosh! Something passed by my ear. Whatever it was, it cut through the air at incredible speed and struck the robot’s shoulder precisely.

Was it an object or a beam? It was a strange sight. Light certainly has physical force, but seeing light “hit” something was somewhat odd.

…Though I’d experienced it myself several times before.

“—————!”

The robot let out a horrific scream.

It sounded similar to the cries of combatants when they were in their combat suits.

A low, modulated voice.

Red lubricant flowed down, and the robot thrashed about as if in extreme pain from the attack.

Could it feel pain? It had reacted the same way when hit by my hammer earlier.

But there was no time to think about such details, so I rushed forward and grabbed the hammer.

Then I swung it and struck the thrashing robot’s ankle from the side.

Another scream echoed, and its ankle bent sideways.

CRASH!

The “robot” collapsed to the side.

I rushed at the fallen robot and thrust my hand into the gap in its head.

I felt something hot… It wasn’t soft like human skin, but rough and… something not quite “machine-like.”

With a crunch, I pulled outward with all my might, and I could see what was inside.

Inside was—a monkey.

Well, not a real monkey. There aren’t monkeys on Earth twice the height of an average woman. Or if there were, they’ve been extinct for a long time.

Which means…

“Aliens?”

As I muttered that, I dodged the hand swung by the fallen creature and rolled backward.

BANG! BANG!

I heard those sounds from behind, and liquid splashed over my head. When I turned around after hearing a scream, I saw another one of those robot-like things thrashing about after being hit by something.

“It’s a Kaijin,” said Iris, removing the fuse from her gun with a click.

“Are they from Katalin?”

“Seems like it.”

“…”

A window shattered. It must have broken from the earlier gunfire. All five magical girls had already entered the building.

“They weaponized Kaijin? Is that even possible?”

“No matter how much they rampage, if there’s some kind of ‘frame,’ they can be prevented from moving freely. If it can be rigidified when needed, even a being left with only destructive instincts could be controlled to some extent. Detailed instructions would be impossible, of course.”

Iris spoke while coldly evaluating the “robots.”

One of the robots leaped toward the magical girls.

The five immediately scattered to avoid the attack.

Hayun stood in the center, swinging her sword to cut off the hand of the Kaijin coming at her.

SLASH!

No, she tried to cut it off, but couldn’t slice through it cleanly. Just like when I was wearing the combat suit.

“Aha,” Delphinium muttered.

“These Kaijin seem to use circuits too.”

“It would be inaccurate to say they ‘use’ them. They’re probably just auxiliary. They couldn’t move like this without ‘energy.’ Besides, a Kaijin’s brain can’t handle detailed thoughts.”

Well, aren’t you composed.

Capable of conversation and everything.

But that didn’t mean they were taking their opponents lightly. As with the seafood Kaijin from before, these Kaijin weren’t easy to deal with either. Effective hits didn’t seem to be landing properly.

Maybe Hayun’s energy hasn’t fully recovered yet.

No, more importantly…

I thought as I swung my hammer.

They’ve finally appeared.

Are they after me this time too?

Even as Iris looked around assessing the situation, she deliberately avoided meeting my gaze. There wasn’t even time to make eye contact with the other magical girls.

Hayun had been staring at the floor earlier. Now she had her back turned, making it impossible to see her expression.

CRASH!

As I blocked a hand falling toward me—

“Let’s use this opportunity to get into the broadcast room,” James said quickly.

“I’ve been wondering from the beginning. If there were forces inside the broadcast room, they could have simply ordered the destruction of the equipment inside.”

“…They couldn’t, so they didn’t?”

“They probably didn’t even know we were coming today, nor that we were targeting the broadcast room.”

“Then, the fact that there were forces only in the broadcast room—”

Why was that? I didn’t even need to finish the question.

CRASH! CRASH! CRASH!

“Robots” poured out as the corridor doors were destroyed.

They were all different shapes and sizes. None were larger than the ones I’d been fighting, but none were smaller than me either.

They must all be aliens from different planets.

They weren’t just in the broadcast room.

They were probably waiting in almost every room on this floor.

They might not have known “when” we would come, but as long as the current chairman was on this floor, they thought we might come eventually.

“…”

There were aliens among the combatants I fought with.

Earth isn’t the only place suffering from employment problems. People from other countries on other planets suffer for various reasons too.

And such people often came to places like this for manual labor.

“…Did you know?”

“I had no idea. If I had known, would I have come here to die?”

“No, not that.”

“…I didn’t know. Really. The company is already at odds with the Federation—they’d know how much trouble they’d be in for doing something like this.”

Which means…

The “current chairman”?

There had been no sound from the speakers for a while.

Where was the chairman? In the broadcast room? Or the chairman’s office?

Was he even in this building at all? Would the chairman alone remain on this top floor while everyone else evacuated?

CRASH!

I ducked to avoid an attack, then swung upward to send my attacker flying.

They had no rationality. But I couldn’t just kill them either. I had no intention of becoming a murderer.

I heard the air being cut again, and a bullet whizzed past me. The relatively small beings in front of me were hit by the bullets and collapsed.

“They seem to be ‘resonating,'” Iris said.

I turned around, but she wasn’t looking at me.

Yet it was clear her words were directed at me.

“Non-Earthlings can’t operate circuits, and the beings inside these combat suits don’t seem to be aliens. I don’t know what emotion is the source, but it must be a circuit powered by the same emotion that drives your circuit.”

I see.

Combat suits with circuits are only meaningful when worn by Earthlings. There were versions for aliens too, but they didn’t have circuits. They only had regular batteries, simple power assistance, and some bullet and blade resistance.

…Magical girls not only have their own circuits but also receive energy from Hayun.

They “resonate.”

The reason despair circuits hadn’t been developed to resonate like this was very simple. There simply weren’t humans who could generate enough surplus energy while running despair circuits.

Now there is one.

Me.

So, these Kaijin are—

“I’m not so sure,” James interrupted before I could think deeper.

Even while dodging enemy attacks, James kept talking.

“I knew such technology was being researched. But you don’t seem to realize that I’m the one who created the generator.”

“…”

What a way with words.

“It’s not a coincidence. However, the technology wasn’t developed because of you. They were just preparing for when an Earthling like you might appear. With the design in place, manufacturing is straightforward. The current chairman has been in position for over a month now.”

They couldn’t mass-produce millions for the market, but producing a few dozen wouldn’t be technically impossible.

“Anyway, this is bad. We should leave so the magical girls can fight better.”

“…”

I was momentarily speechless at his voice, full of contempt for the magical girls.

Instead of answering, I swung my hammer.

CRASH!

A fist coming toward me hit the hammer and was sent back.

“So, let’s head straight to the broadcast room. It’s better for everyone if we do our business and get out quickly, don’t you think?”

I looked back.

Hayun was standing there with her back to me.

“Go,” she said, sensing my gaze.

“You came here for a reason, right?”

“…”

I hesitated for a moment.

It had been a long time since I’d spoken with Hayun. Our last meeting had been terrible.

I couldn’t even imagine what expression she might be wearing now.

BANG! BANG!

Gunshots fired past me.

“Let’s go!” Iris shouted.

I gritted my teeth and turned around.

I couldn’t understand why the magical girls were suddenly acting this way. I still couldn’t read the thoughts of the other three, but at least Hayun and Iris seemed to be on my side.

Why?

…I don’t know.

For now, let’s finish what we came to do.

After that, we can talk or whatever.

With that thought, I started running.

Shots came from behind. Were they dealing with the other Kaijin and providing support? I wasn’t sure.

Would it really be okay if I left?

I wasn’t sure about that either.

I wasn’t sure about anything. My mind seemed to get completely tangled the moment I saw Hayun.

So, I just ran.

At least when I was doing something, I didn’t need to think about other things.

That’s how it had been when I was smashing things with all my might or fighting.

After sending several Kaijin flying with my hammer, I jumped into the broadcast room through the broken door.

“Will it be okay with the Kaijin still out there?”

“Those women will sacrifice themselves for us, so it’ll be fine.”

I looked at the drone.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“…”

CRASH!

Something flew toward the door. Judging by the red trajectory, it might have been Rose.

Were they planning something? If I broadcast… would something happen?

“There’s no need to worry—”

James started to say, then cut himself off.

The drone’s head was pointed somewhere.

“Wait, Ms. Jeong Jieun…!”

James shouted as I started to turn my gaze, but I was already looking behind me.

There was a screen.

A tablet? It looked like it had been deliberately placed there. Or maybe someone in this room had been using it.

I suppose each room would have one. This was an important facility in an important building, after all.

And it would be connected to the intranet or whatever.

For whatever reason, on that screen was—Jihye.

[Didn’t you think of this possibility?]

Sound came from the tablet.

[Always, no matter what you do, you should have some insurance.]

The surroundings were familiar to me.

The room where Jihye and I lived.

[It’s funny how recklessly you act despite having someone like family, even if you don’t have actual family. I should have sent her far away.]

Stop.

Stop it.

Someone approached Jihye, who was slumped on the floor as if unconscious.

[If you want to continue what you’re doing, go ahead. But the longer it takes… well, you understand.]

Then the screen went black.

“Ms. Jeong Jieun! You can’t!”

I heard James shouting.

I can’t.

I know neither option is possible.

I know I shouldn’t go there.

The other side might have realized something when they saw me enter the broadcast room. So they’d try something else next.

Would they destroy the broadcast room? Cut off the internet connection somehow?

If there was an opportunity, it was now. Once we came this far, there might not be a second chance. I didn’t know how long the magical girls could hold out, or if they’d even want to.

Maybe the magical girls had been targeting this place all along.

That’s probably why James was shouting “you can’t.”

Yes, I can’t.

I can’t abandon Jihye either.

She’s family. In my life with nothing else in this world, she was the only one I could consider family.

“Jieun.”

I turned my head at that voice.

Hayun was looking at me.

Her clothes were torn in various places, and she was bleeding. Were there too many Kaijin even for magical girls to handle?

Her face was pale.

“Go,” Hayun said again.

“I’ll… stay here.”

“…”

I stood there with my mouth open in a daze.

“No!” James shouted, but my vision had already shifted.

I kicked open the door to my room.

The door flew open, or rather, shot inward like a cannonball. Fortunately, no one was hit by it.

Is that fortunate?

“…”

Earthlings.

Both men and women, but definitely Earthlings. Shabby clothes and gas masks on their faces.

They all looked miserable. The unemployment rate had skyrocketed after the space age began in earnest. There were far more aliens than Earthlings, and some aliens were much better at dirty, hard work.

“…”

I see. So that’s how it is.

People who would do anything for money.

That’s the kind of people they were.

People like me.

“…I’m not too late.”

They weren’t wearing combat suits.

Of course not.

They’d probably clear away any gas or evidence when the job was done.

Even if discovered, they’d just be cut off as loose ends.

Though they’d be paid handsomely.

Jihye was still okay.

She was lying on the floor as if asleep, but her clothes—the ones she usually wore—hadn’t been removed, and there were no visible injuries.

There was a smell inside. Perhaps some kind of gas that works on Earthlings, making them fall asleep when inhaled.

It doesn’t seem to affect me.

I looked at those people.

Assessing the situation, the Earthling closest to me made a run for it.

They seemed to be trying to either get past me or somehow knock me down and escape.

CRACK!

But their gas mask shattered, and they fell to the floor.

A bit late to realize their mask had broken, they hurriedly covered their face with their hands, but it seemed useless as the man went limp.

“That’s right.”

I can’t use the hammer here.

But since they haven’t hurt her yet, I don’t intend to kill them.

*

A black hole instantly sucked Jieun in.

As Jieun disappeared before their eyes, papers and other items on the desk were sent flying.

“Damn it, damn it…!”

The drone left behind cried out.

“…You should prepare.”

The drone turned toward Hayun. As if completely surprised by those words, it somehow managed to convey a dazed atmosphere despite being a machine.

“Weren’t you planning to do something when Jieun returned?”

Hayun said only that before turning away.

“This is a broadcast room.”

THUD!

Rose delivered a straight punch to one of the Kaijin and said,

“She’s sweating on her forehead.

The Kaijin were still moving even though Jieun had disappeared. Circuits continue to run for a while even after the power supply is cut off. Perhaps the Kaijin would continue rampaging unless the fight was directly ended.

“Wasn’t she going to broadcast something? Can’t we do it instead? That was the original plan, right?”

Hayun swung her sword.

That light had grown even brighter than before.

“No,” Hayun said.

“But in this situation, we shouldn’t be the ones to do it.”

Yes. Because Jieun came to do it herself.

She probably wanted to vent her frustration.

The reason she had been fighting so hard was because she was that desperate.

How much would things change if Jieun told the truth here?

The company would deny everything. The Federation wouldn’t help. The government would stand by.

Maybe if citizens became agitated, things might change. Perhaps the government would reluctantly launch an investigation—

But Jieun wouldn’t be safe. They’d find and eliminate her before that investigation was complete.

“…”

It was foolish.

Hayun had thought she would testify at the trial. Even if the Federation tried to take Jieun away, Hayun had planned to step in and prevent it.

That’s why she had flown with Cherry.

But would things have really gone according to Hayun’s plan?

Jieun must have felt unbearably wronged. It was something that should never have happened to her. Being punished for crimes she didn’t commit was unacceptable.

No matter how much people denied it, no matter how much the truth was covered up and distorted, Jieun simply refused to give up.

That’s why she came here.

Even if everything ended badly, even if she lost her life.

She wanted to say she had been wronged. Just for that.

Because there was no other way.

Hayun gritted her teeth.

She had been foolish.

She had only thought about herself at the center of everything.

She had simply thought that all she needed to do was help.

But Jieun hadn’t been asking for help.

She was just doing what she could with her own strength, refusing to give up—even in the worst situation, doing her best.

Struggling even in despair.

Hayun hadn’t known—

No, it would be more accurate to say she hadn’t even thought about it.

“We need to do what Jieun was trying to do.”

Hayun closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

The circuit was running.

“…Why?”

Delphinium asked.

A huge mass of magical energy was burning in front of her. Beside it, Dalia was firing small masses repeatedly. Her face was drenched in sweat.

Iris was almost spraying bullets at the monkey-like aliens that had appeared behind them.

Why?

Hayun found it difficult to answer.

Because it was an emotional reason.

Just because it felt like the right thing to do.

It felt like she shouldn’t take that away from Jieun.

After all the struggle to get here, it didn’t feel right for Hayun to take away even that effort.

Because she had already taken too much.

When the complex was destroyed, Jieun had saved people too. Hayun had clearly seen that.

But only the magical girls were praised. They were criticized for not preventing the terrorism, but ultimately praised for stepping up, for doing their job in such a dangerous place despite the risks.

After Jieun took the generator, the magical girls were criticized.

But at the same time, they were also defended.

Just for being there, whether they succeeded or failed. Because it was always the magical girls who rushed to fight dangerous enemies.

The situation with the Kaijin was truly the worst.

The magical girls had somehow become heroes who defeated the Kaijin. They became the ones who rescued hostages and drove away the “black magical girl” who was causing a disturbance.

There must have been photos and videos.

Yet voices criticizing the magical girls were always in the minority.

Their friend had become a villain. They had been betrayed. It must be emotionally difficult. Yes. But it’s okay. In the end, they would rise again and fight righteously.

Because they were magical girls.

Righteously.

Always righteously—

Because they would hurt people.

It was because of that justice. That’s why Jieun had gone this far.

But Jieun’s efforts to get here. Her struggle in despair.

Just because it was more righteous and reasonable, it shouldn’t be taken away.

“…”

Rose looked down at her gauntlet.

The gauntlet was glowing.

Hope.

Ironically, Hayun felt hope in this situation.

When everything was over.

If they could somehow protect this place and hold out until Jieun arrived.

Could they at least have one conversation?

Yes. At least—

Jieun had left after hearing Hayun’s words. She had left that person behind too.

Then, wasn’t there at least a possibility?

Didn’t that mean she trusted Hayun’s words?

“…Alright.”

Whether Rose had read those emotions or not was unclear.

But.

Looking at Hayun, she nodded.

“We’ve been borrowing tremendously to fight until now.”

Then, with a small smile, she took a stance toward the Kaijin.

“…”

The other girls were the same. Well, they were already fighting.

Hayun pressed her lips together and simply nodded.

Then, holding her glowing sword, she charged at the Kaijin.