Ch.59Chapter 10. What Can Be Done (6)

I only noticed the musty smell of the abandoned house when I finally came to my senses.

Hayun, who was embracing me from behind, had a fragrant scent. Perhaps it was because of her magic. Or maybe it was because of the distinctive wand she held in her hand.

No, perhaps it was just my imagination.

Although we had known each other for a long time, we rarely had physical contact. If anything, Jihye was more affectionate than Hayun. She would link her arm with mine without me initiating and give me light hugs when she was in a good mood.

Hayun and I… how should I put it? We had been close friends for a long time, but there was always a certain boundary between us.

I was somewhat hesitant too.

Not because I disliked Hayun. Objectively speaking, Hayun was a very attractive person. Like everyone else around her, I too felt drawn to her.

But at the same time, we were friends.

I didn’t want to hurt Hayun by crossing a line, not knowing what kind of person I might become.

Above all, Hayun was sensitive to people who approached her wanting something.

So I had kept a certain distance.

That’s why I only came to my senses when I smelled the musty odor of this abandoned house.

“…!”

I startled and freed myself from Hayun’s hands.

Surprisingly, there wasn’t much strength in her grip. When I pulled away, her hands left my side too easily.

When I turned around, Hayun was standing there with a somewhat shocked expression.

Was it because I had pulled away from her?

Judging by where she was looking, that didn’t seem to be the case.

During the past week I’d spent here, I had tried to make this place somewhat livable.

No, that’s not right. I hadn’t tried to decorate it. I had just removed things that bothered me. No matter how much I tried to fix it up, this place would never look like somewhere people actually lived. And I didn’t want it to look that way either.

I had torn off all the moldy, peeling wallpaper and burned it in the fireplace. So what Hayun saw was concrete walls with patches of mold and crumbling sections.

Even if it had looked worse before, to Hayun who didn’t know its previous state, it probably just looked like the worst possible condition.

Most of the windows were broken.

Maybe someone had visited this place, or perhaps hail had broken them while no one was maintaining the house.

Animals might have come and gone too. Whatever the reason, there were few intact windows left. Still, I thought it was better to pitch a tent inside rather than be completely exposed to the cold night air. At least there was a roof here.

I had tried to sweep away the dust on the floor as much as possible, but all I could find were worn-out cleaning tools abandoned in a storage room. The mop was already too dirty to be useful, and the broom was missing bristles in places, making it ineffective.

Without a dustpan, I had no choice but to sweep the dust out through the open door, which left dust trapped in the sliding door tracks.

To Hayun, who probably had never been to a place like this—not even a modest gosiwon—it must have been a shocking sight.

Even to me, it was clearly not a place fit for human habitation.

“…What are you thinking?” I asked Hayun.

She was still in her magical girl form.

The pink light sword that had emerged from her wand was no longer visible, and her magic-formed outfit had tears in several places. There were minor wounds on her face as well.

But even in that damaged attire with a pitiful expression, Hayun still looked noble.

Was this like the fragrance I perceived—just something I believed to be true?

“Jieun.”

Hayun called my name.

I took a step back—and suddenly realized I could hear footsteps behind me as well.

Looking around, I saw that Hayun and I weren’t the only ones here.

All the other magical girls had followed me too.

Each one wore a shocked expression. Though they showed no signs of wanting to attack me, those expressions themselves felt like an attack to me.

There was pity in their eyes as they looked around the abandoned house and then at me.

I hated that.

“What are you doing…!” I shouted involuntarily, then quickly closed my mouth.

I could feel my circuit vibrating.

My heart rate increased and my breathing became rough. I didn’t know how to handle this situation.

If I had brought Hayun to the orphanage, would she have been this shocked?

The fact that I was shocked by their shock was itself shocking.

I had thought I was at peace with myself since coming to this world. Of course, there were many things I was ashamed of. I had joined an evil organization because of my conflicted feelings toward Hayun, and at some point, I had gotten in too deep, being used while unable to easily extract myself.

Nothing I tried to do turned out perfectly.

But still—I was me. I thought I had accepted myself despite the shame.

I thought I had been honest with myself even after coming here. I even thought I felt relieved and at peace, being far away from the things that troubled me.

Was that sincere? Or was it just a lie I told myself for self-defense?

Either way, both of those beliefs were completely shattered by Hayun’s entrance into this place.

Just as I had never brought Hayun into the orphanage, there was a psychological fence around this place too.

I’ll leave here someday.

Everything will be fine when I do.

So even if I tell Hayun—even if she finds out someday—I won’t feel miserable—

Well, both the orphanage and this abandoned house had been discovered now, so it didn’t matter anymore.

“…”

The strength drained from my body.

My hands went limp, and the hammer I was holding fell to the floor with a thud.

My magical girl outfit had reverted to everyday clothes at some point. Those everyday clothes were somewhat tattered. They were the only clothes I had.

I hadn’t thought this through.

Well, I had no choice if I wanted to become a magical girl. It seemed a bit too much to completely undress and wear a dress made purely of magic.

Even though I had become the magical girl I had always wanted to be, I still felt miserable.

Perhaps seeing my appearance return to normal, Hayun’s form also flashed with light and returned to normal. Like mine, her clothes were tattered in places.

But at the same time, she looked much more presentable than I did.

I had brought a few clothes with me. But I was in the same state as when I had woken up. My hair was matted in places, and unlike what Hayun was wearing, my clothes were very shabby.

I hadn’t even been able to wash properly for days. Where could I wash in a place like this?

I had found a small stream where I could wash my face, hands, feet, arms, and legs, but that was it. This wasn’t the Joseon Dynasty—I didn’t have the courage to strip naked and bathe in a creek.

“…I’m sorry.”

Seeing my reaction, Hayun apologized in a whisper.

As if she were embarrassed—as if she had done something extremely shameful—Hayun bowed her head to me and apologized.

“Sorry…”

I mumbled, echoing her words.

What should I say?

What words should I use?

My mind couldn’t process this situation. My throat felt completely blocked. The blockage was probably emotion. Various emotions were rising from my heart, trying to burst out of my mouth, but too many emotions were jammed together, preventing any from escaping.

“Well, well.”

Someone spoke before I could.

James had somehow left his drone and was now perched on my shoulder.

“First, I’d like to say how pleased I am that we’ve been able to arrange this opportunity for dialogue,” James said in an arrogant tone, as if he were the chairman of some meeting.

“Now then, would you all please hand over your circuits to us? Thanks to a device I’ve prepared, we can hold out for a few minutes, but if you all continue wearing your circuits, the Federation will detect this location in a few minutes. You wouldn’t want to move to an even worse place than this, would you?”

“…”

The magical girls’ gazes shifted uneasily.

“We—”

Rose was the first to speak, but before she could finish, Hayun moved first.

She removed the circuit from her wrist and handed it to me.

Her face was expressionless.

As if it were the natural thing to do, Hayun had completely erased all emotion from her face.

“Take it,” James said to me.

I dazedly reached out and accepted the circuit.

“Hayun,” Rose said, but Hayun, without taking her eyes off me, said quietly:

“Please do as he says.”

“Yes, please do as he says. Otherwise, I’m afraid we won’t be able to welcome you any longer.”

James paused for a moment.

Then he looked around. I could feel his feet moving on my shoulder as he turned in a full circle.

“Well, in this situation, you could all rush us together and win. But from what I can see, you didn’t come here to reveal our location to the Federation. Or am I mistaken? Did the four of you come here to brutally attack and subdue a girl to hand her over to the Federation?”

“…”

Rose couldn’t say anything in response to James’s words.

“…Seo-hee, please.”

Hayun wasn’t making any demands of me.

She wasn’t asking for the safety of the magical girls who had handed over their circuits, nor was she asking me to surrender.

She just seemed to be saying that she wanted to stay here.

Why?

What could these girls possibly do here?

Once they removed their circuits to avoid detection, the girls here were just ordinary minors.

Earthlings can create magical power from emotions, but that’s only possible with a circuit as an intermediary. Without a circuit, they’re nothing. Just ordinary people with bodies that would be crushed if a kaijin pressed down with a fingertip.

There’s only one tent. And even that is a one-person tent, barely big enough for two people to sleep in. I have no intention of giving up the tent, so the rest will have to make do sleeping in this dirty, damp abandoned house.

Even so.

Click.

Iris removed the circuit from her wrist.

“…!”

The other magical girls’ gazes turned to Iris.

Their eyes moved back and forth between me, Hayun, and Iris.

Iris still looked somewhat uneasy, but she hesitantly approached and handed her circuit to me.

I accepted that one too.

After two people had handed their circuits to me, Rose was next. She still looked uncertain whether this was the right thing to do, but nevertheless, she handed her circuit to me. She must trust Hayun that much.

Delphinium and Dalia also eventually gave in and handed their circuits to me.

In the end, I had five magical girl circuits in my hand.

“Very good,” James said in a voice full of joy.

“There’s a blocking device in the bag. You’ve seen something like an aluminum lunchbox, right? Put them in there. Then at least the Federation won’t be able to find this place.”

“…”

I nodded and brushed past Hayun.

Then I stooped down and entered the tent.

While carrying the bag, I had naturally checked what was inside. The thick aluminum container was just that—an aluminum container—so I had put various items in it to save space in the bag.

I dumped those things out inside the tent, then carelessly threw the five circuits into the container, as if disposing of something dirty.

Only after closing the lid of the container did I exhale lightly.

“Was this part of your plan?”

“No,” James answered my question.

“I knew the magical girls would make contact, but I didn’t expect them to follow us like this. Perhaps you were quite precious to Blossom.”

It wasn’t particularly meant to comfort me… or anything like that.

James’s words were literal. Just saying that I had been helpful because I was friends with Blossom.

“Originally, I made this for when we needed communication equipment—to use briefly and then put away. I didn’t expect it to be used like this.”

“Can something like this really block magical communication?”

“It’s not just made to block radio waves. Don’t worry. Despite appearances, I am a Squeakean. I’m from the planet that created the circuits—do you think I wouldn’t understand their basic principles?”

He says “Squeakean,” but when he pronounces it, it sounds a bit different, as if there were some tonal quality to it. It’s probably not actually a tone but rather a pronunciation difference unique to Squeakeans. Their range of possible sounds is clearly different from ours, so to Earth people, it just sounds like squeaking noises.

I closed my eyes and exhaled deeply.

This isn’t working.

I keep wanting to escape.

I don’t want to go outside the tent. I don’t know how to face the five real people out there.

Especially Hayun.

Now that they’ve come this far, and now that I’ve taken their circuits, those five can’t go back. Not unless I send them back.

Should I create a black hole and drop them somewhere in Seoul right now?

It should be possible. From the moment I came here, from the moment I saw Hayun, my circuit has been spinning furiously. There’s enough energy.

“If you’re thinking of sending them back, don’t,” James said.

“They’ve seen this location. Even without circuits, they might be able to find it again.”

An abandoned house that even I don’t know the location of? It’s a place you have to go deep inside from the road. There is a path you can take by car if you really want to come, but when spring arrives, that path will probably be obscured by overgrown weeds.

“You usually overestimate magical girls’ abilities, but now you’re underestimating them. In this world, there are people who can determine a location just by looking at the mountain ridges in the background of a photo. That’s what experts do. And if you cross-reference the testimonies of five people, that possibility increases even more.”

“Then what should I do?”

“Don’t hide in here. Go outside and give those five some instructions. This is your territory. You’re the only one here with food, the only one who knows where water is, and the only one who has a somewhat usable abandoned house.”

James whispered in my ear.

“And above all, you’re the only one with circuits. Do you think five ordinary girls could rush you and win?”

No sooner had James finished speaking than there was a clicking sound from the aluminum box that had been empty.

It locked. When I had looked at it, there had clearly been no locking mechanism.

It seems James was telling the truth when he said it wasn’t just a box.

“It was meant to hold communication equipment, after all. What if someone came and looked inside while you were away for some reason? That would be a disaster.”

“…”

When I didn’t say anything, James sighed heavily.

Then he spoke.

“If you don’t know what instructions to give, let me tell you.”

After clearing his throat, James said:

“First, search their bodies. There are many items that can be tracked besides circuits. There are phones, and there are the pagers that magical girls carry. They’re all made with ordinary Earth technology, not magic, so they can’t be tracked within this range, but if someone takes one far away, they could reveal our location.”

James paused briefly and listened, then said:

“Good. No one has gone outside yet.”

He used those large fox-like ears to listen and then spoke.

“Go. Go and make it clear to everyone here that you are above them. Especially to Blossom.”

“…”

If I said I wasn’t moved at all by James’s words, it would probably be a lie.

But still, I didn’t want to win this way.

If I had told James this thought directly, he probably would have clicked his tongue and called me difficult.

But I couldn’t help it.

I… liked her as much as I resented her.

I probably wouldn’t be able to act completely cold as James suggested.

So even though I wanted to tear my hair out right now—

—well.

James wasn’t entirely wrong.

Staying in the tent wouldn’t solve anything.

I gritted my teeth and went outside the tent.

The girls were still standing there.

They looked somewhat pitiful. As if they didn’t know what I would say or what I would make them do.

The sun was still high outside, but it was dim in here. It was still damp, and there was a strange smell. It looked like some grotesquely shaped insect might crawl out at any moment.

Were they overwhelmed by that?

Only Hayun was looking at me.

As if she had steeled herself.

As if she would do anything—

It seemed like she was saying that, which made me clench my teeth.

Yes. Is that it?

Are you saying you’ll do anything? Is that why you came all this way?

“…You said you were sorry, right?” I opened my mouth while looking at Hayun.

Hayun nodded slightly.

“Then, at least follow my instructions while you’re here.”

This is a place with nothing.

It’s not even a place I own. This house probably isn’t without an owner. There’s no land left without owners in this country.

But that doesn’t mean the owner will rush over to claim rights to this land.

So.

“First, hand over your phones. I don’t want this place to be discovered.”

That’s what I said.

“And your pagers too.”

“We’ll return the pagers and phones soon. Of course, they’ll be missing their communication functions, so they’ll be essentially useless,” James added from beside me.

This isn’t my land.

But I still intended to claim it.

Yes, anyway.

Anyway, since there’s nothing here.

…So, at least this way.

It was a pathetic form of self-comfort—

But still, watching Hayun move according to my words, some emotion stirred deep in my chest.

It was a dangerous emotion. One that shouldn’t be left unchecked.

But for now, I let it be.

“…”

As I took the phone, our fingertips brushed slightly.

She was trembling a little.

Hayun was afraid of me.

“…”

Silently, I turned my gaze to look at the other magical girls.