Ch.77Chapter 13. Counterattack (9)

It took me quite a while to grasp the situation.

No, that’s not right. In terms of actual time, it might have been just a fleeting moment.

But considering I barely managed to stop falling right before hitting the ground, I could say it took an extremely long time relative to the “situation.”

Thud.

Since I’d only managed to stop the fall at the very last second, I couldn’t avoid hitting the ground immediately afterward. I was having that much trouble maintaining my concentration.

“Hayun!”

That was the first thing I shouted.

I called out for Hayun.

There was no response.

I carefully sat up, cradling Hayun’s limp body in my arms.

My hands felt damp. What was covering them wasn’t Hayun’s sweat.

Red.

Blood.

We clearly hadn’t managed to escape the “50-meter radius” blast range of the bomb.

Or perhaps I’d made things worse by detonating it in the air.

Matter doesn’t simply disappear. While the components at the core of the circuit might have vaporized in the intense heat, everything surrounding them would have scattered in all directions as “fragments.” I’d been in too much of a hurry to check that. I should have created a black hole and thrown it inside instead.

My hands started trembling the moment I saw the blood. My breathing became rough. Hayun still hadn’t opened her eyes.

Had Hayun managed to surround herself with magical energy at the last moment? Had she been able to block the fragments sufficiently? It seemed so, considering her body wasn’t torn to shreds.

But she was still unconscious, with fragments embedded in her back and legs, bleeding. She might have suffered burns too. My skin was burning, so Hayun must have been injured even worse.

I heard footsteps approaching. Not Iris’s footsteps. Multiple people.

We had flown up into the sky and then gone into free fall. We wouldn’t have landed in the exact spot we’d jumped from.

“It’s falling!”

I heard someone shout, and people raised riot shields over their heads.

The gazes that had been directed at us all turned skyward.

Everyone’s face had turned pale.

Was it because they finally believed such a bomb existed? Or because I’d thrown the bomb into the sky to try to deal with it? Or because Hayun had lost consciousness as a result?

No, none of those might be the reason. They’d naturally look like that if they thought fragments were about to rain down on their heads.

But those people didn’t need to worry about fragments.

Slowly, a dark cloud formed above our heads.

I looked up.

Light was converging in one place. As if defying the laws of physics, the sunlight that had been spreading in all directions to fill the world was now flowing like a meteor shower, like rivers forming around a black hole.

It wasn’t… exactly a positive sight.

There was no rain of fragments. The small black hole that had been floating up there since before I fell was probably pulling everything up there with even stronger energy.

Ever since Hayun had pulled me in front of her.

In the end, I couldn’t prevent fragments from hitting Hayun’s body—

“It’s… pulling us in…!”

People’s concerns had completely changed.

Those who had been worried about things falling from above were now crouching as low as possible to the ground.

The hems of their clothes fluttered. The air around us was swirling like a vortex. All of it was rising upward.

The black hole, which had initially been smaller than a fist, was now larger than any I’d ever created. Floating more than 50 meters up—no, certainly much higher—the black hole was blocking almost an entire corner of my field of vision. My left wrist felt burning hot and was trembling uncontrollably.

I slowly got to my feet.

Unlike everyone else, my body alone seemed to defy the physics of this place.

Even as I lifted Hayun in my arms and slowly rose from the ground, I wasn’t being sucked into the black hole.

“Blossom!”

I heard someone shouting from below.

Looking down, I saw Iris, James, and Cherry rising up together.

James was riding his drone. Cherry was in Iris’s hand. The drone she had arrived on was already destroyed.

Iris was holding my hammer in one hand. Her gun was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps she’d put it in subspace.

And below, many people looking up at us with difficulty. People dressed in black, holding shields.

A few people were gradually moving with the wind. Several cars shook. But no one had been sucked in yet.

“…Jeong Jieun.”

Iris spoke, seemingly surprised to see me.

She couldn’t say anything when she saw Hayun in my arms.

Hayun’s clothes were reverting to what she had been wearing originally. The parts torn apart by the blast pressure were clearly visible. The red wounds were more starkly visible than when she’d been in her magical girl outfit, as the torn areas were more exposed.

“We need to go.”

“To where we were staying?” Iris quietly asked in response to my words.

Doesn’t she care about Hayun?

No, that can’t be right. Though she was pretending to be calm, the fingertips of the hand where Cherry was sitting were trembling slightly.

“…To somewhere she can be treated.”

I was like that too.

My voice was steady. Much more so than when we’d been arguing about how to handle the bomb just moments ago.

But in reality, it wasn’t like that at all.

My emotions were so turbulent that I couldn’t even describe them. Perhaps that’s why my voice was steady. I didn’t know what emotion to convey.

But even in the midst of all this, there was one thing I could understand.

That massive black hole.

That black abyss, formed solely by my “despair,” was larger than any hole I had ever created.

Even at this height, I couldn’t see the color of the sky.

Everyone around must be watching. After hearing an explosion in the sky, something like this had appeared.

…I couldn’t even think about the aftermath right now.

“Let’s go. Together.”

That’s what Iris said.

There was no need to respond.

*

The medical staff at the clinic were horrified when they saw us.

That’s only natural. For these people, we were like a bolt from the blue.

Normally, one would have to wait in a long line to enter, but when I carried Hayun inside, the medical staff hurriedly guided me to the emergency room.

At least the people here know my identity and aren’t chasing me away.

I thought James might say something about me coming to a place like this, but he didn’t say anything.

The clinic rarely performs “surgeries.” Unless someone’s limbs are completely severed, broken bones can be set and then healed with magic. There’s no need for pins or plates.

And Hayun’s condition was much better than that.

“…”

Even knowing that the patients around us were frightened, I sat down next to the bed where Hayun was lying.

I was still wearing my magical girl outfit.

Just a few months ago, if someone had given me these clothes and told me to wear them, I would have strongly refused. I probably wouldn’t have worn them even if paid to.

Now it didn’t matter.

No, I actually needed to stay like this. Someone might come and try to take me away otherwise.

Iris had returned to her original outfit. She carefully placed my hammer beside me.

…I felt powerless. There was nothing I could do for Hayun. And she was lying there unconscious.

It was all because of me. Everything.

I should have just left. The explosion was inevitable. Besides, it wasn’t my fault.

The police said they had evacuated people from the area, so I should have trusted that and just left. Then Hayun wouldn’t have been hurt.

I, I was stupid.

Iris, standing beside me, clenched and unclenched her fist. She seemed unsure whether she should put her hand on my shoulder.

I raised my expressionless face to look at Iris.

“…Go back. I’ll send you back. Take… Cherry and James with you.”

Though I called Cherry’s name, Cherry, who was sitting at Hayun’s bedside with a worried expression, didn’t change her attitude at all.

Was that silent consent?

“…I’ll stay here.”

Iris answered quietly.

I didn’t bother to argue with her.

A few minutes later, police officers naturally burst into the emergency room.

But no one said anything. Was my mood that heavy?

Or were they afraid of the hammer placed beside me? If I caused trouble in here, all the surrounding patients and medical staff would be in danger too.

I didn’t say anything.

Iris looked a bit worried.

After sitting there for a long time, I grabbed a medical staff member who came to check on Hayun’s condition.

“Hik, hiik…!”

When the most wanted and dangerous fugitive in Korea—no, probably in the entire world—grabbed him, the staff member was terrified.

“…How is she?”

When I asked concisely, the employee swallowed hard and answered.

“There are no special external injuries. We’ve done everything we can… If there are no major problems, she should wake up in a few hours…”

“…I see.”

With those words, I stood up.

Since she wasn’t on an IV or anything, I simply picked up Hayun from the bed and stood up.

When Hayun’s arm hung limply, Iris caught it and placed it back on her stomach.

I turned and walked toward the exit of the clinic.

If they had come to arrest me, this would have been the perfect opportunity, but people carefully made way for me.

The way they looked at me and Hayun in my arms was a bit different. They were all police officers.

Some were already taking off their hats.

I noticed their change in attitude, but my mind was already so full of thoughts about Hayun that I had no room to think deeply about it.

I just wanted to get back quickly and protect Hayun. I wanted to lay her down in the warmest, safest place possible.

Hayun’s body in my arms was warm. Her chest was still rising and falling steadily, so the medical staff’s words were probably right.

So, I tried not to worry. I didn’t want to worry.

I didn’t want to blame myself.

…

On the way back, the black hole I created was massive again.

I had been trying to deny it all along.

I really liked Hayun and thought of her as a close friend, but I hadn’t thought of her as the goal of my life… or so I thought.

But like this…

Depending on Hayun’s condition, depending on what she said to me, depending on how I felt about her, my circuit state changed dramatically.

So, I couldn’t deny it anymore.

In the end, Hayun’s existence must have been hope for me.

Just because Hayun was by my side—because of that—I didn’t fall any lower.

I was just jealous of that hope. I was just denying that fact itself.

Though I realized it too late.

*

When Hayun opened her eyes… actually, even Hayun herself didn’t know exactly how long she had been unconscious.

However, she could tell that quite some time had passed. All the children were asleep.

The last place she had fainted was up in the sky, but when she opened her eyes, she saw an unfamiliar orange fabric.

A tent?

She had seen a tent of that color before. She had been staying with Jieun, after all. This was the color of the tent Jieun slept in.

Startled, she tried to get up, but realized her body was strangely bound.

No, not bound… she was inside some kind of sack.

Looking again, she realized it was the sleeping bag Jieun used. Someone had put Hayun in it and even zipped it all the way up to her neck.

It was a bit damp inside the sleeping bag. Honestly, it was a bit hot. Though the night was still a bit chilly, the sleeping bag completely blocked that chill and was warm enough to make her sweat a little.

As she clumsily unzipped it from the inside, she suddenly realized that the tent felt very cramped.

“…”

It was strange. The tent Jieun had prepared wasn’t particularly large, but it wasn’t so small that one person couldn’t fit properly.

If Hayun were alone inside, there should have been plenty of space left, but for some reason, both her shoulders were touching the walls beyond the sleeping bag.

…One side was definitely the fabric wall of the tent. When she pressed it slightly, she could feel the elasticity of the tightly stretched fabric.

But the other side was blocked by something more solid. Not a stone or anything like that—something softer and warmer, almost like…

Yes, like someone’s back.

Hayun took a short breath.

Without any evidence, she somehow felt she knew whose back it was.

Slowly, she rose from the sleeping bag to look at the person lying next to her.

It was Jieun.

Jieun was sleeping next to Hayun. Although she was showing her back to Hayun, they were almost completely pressed together.

It couldn’t be helped. For two people to sleep together in this tent, they had no choice. So Jieun had deliberately put Hayun in here, squeezed herself in as well, and was now sleeping on her side.

Hayun could see Jieun’s dark, fine hair. The ends were a bit split, but considering everything they’d been through, it was in very good condition.

One shoulder was slightly exposed, rising and falling with her quiet breathing. The t-shirt Jieun wore comfortably was already stretched out at the neck, to the point where one shoulder would be completely exposed if she wasn’t careful.

And white legs extending below her short pants.

…She didn’t seem to be injured anywhere. Since Hayun had embraced Jieun from the front, she might see injuries if she could see Jieun’s front, but…

At least Hayun’s body wasn’t in pain.

Had she been treated somehow? Even when she touched herself, she couldn’t feel any wounds.

“…”

Again, without any evidence in the current situation, she somehow felt that even this state was possible because Jieun had taken care of her.

There was no one else awake. Everyone was sleeping quietly. That must be the case. The tent was closed, so she couldn’t see outside.

Hayun slowly came out of the sleeping bag.

Jieun, not covered by anything, looked too pitiful.

After pondering what to do, she flipped the sleeping bag over. Then she spread the unzipped part over both of them like a blanket. It was a bit narrow, but enough to cover everyone.

Though they had to stick close together.

With her body still slightly damp, Hayun pressed herself against Jieun’s back.

Jieun was warm.

Embracing her from behind, Hayun thought.

Since Jieun had let her sleep inside here, it would be problematic if she didn’t cover herself with anything.

But if Hayun didn’t cover herself either, Jieun might be hurt.

So—this was the best solution. For now.

To secure what little space there was in the cramped area, Hayun carefully wrapped her arm around Jieun’s waist.

Perhaps because she was deeply asleep after experiencing such exhausting events.

Jieun didn’t wake up during all this.

Her hair had a slight fragrance. Hayun didn’t know exactly what it was. But she vaguely thought it was nice.

Hayun, somewhat reassured by Jieun’s body heat, soon fell asleep again.

She remained in a deep, peaceful sleep until the next morning when Jieun saw the situation, jumped up in shock, and screamed.

*

An explosion occurred in the middle of a wealthy neighborhood.

At first, people thought it was another terrorist attack.

But after a few smartphone videos of the area were uploaded to the internet, the story changed a bit.

The black magical girl was quickly rising into the sky, carrying something large.

High up, the girl threw that large object upward with force.

And Blossom, who had urgently followed behind her, embraced her body.

After that, there was a massive explosion. The smartphone videos turned completely white for a moment.

A huge black hole formed at the explosion site.

The black hole absorbed all the fragments, and thanks to that, there was no damage from fragments raining down below.

If it had been a “terrorist” attempt, it was thwarted by that black magical girl’s magic. Not something a terrorist would do to themselves.

According to experts who analyzed the videos from various angles, the estimated blast radius was just over 50 meters.

Due to the magical girls’ warning, the police standing nearby retreated, and the evacuation of local residents was completed relatively quickly, but…

Within that 50-meter radius, an elderly couple with mobility issues remained. There were also two police officers who were escorting them out.

If the bomb had exploded on the ground as planned, they would certainly have been caught in the blast radius and would not have survived, according to analysis.

Thanks to the two magical girls risking their lives to throw the bomb high into the air, apart from some broken windows and damage to the interior of uninhabited houses, there were no casualties.

No one would call their actions “terrorism.”

It’s unknown how the girls obtained that information and entered the area. But one thing is certain: whatever their intentions were, the girls succeeded.

It was a result that could be considered at least a minimal counterattack against all the false rumors surrounding the girls.