Ch.82Chapter 14. Chaos (5)

Hope is not an emotion that can only be felt in bright situations.

Rather, hope is an emotion that can feel even brighter because the situation is dark.

A single ray of light appears whiter and more intense to the eye when surrounded by darkness.

Hayun’s feelings likely stemmed from that context.

Objectively, the situation wasn’t particularly good, but at least Jieun was by Hayun’s side now.

Jieun, whom she had thought she might lose forever until just recently.

“…Magical Girl…!”

There weren’t zero combatants inside the facility.

As if trying to block the way to the first floor, more and more combatants appeared as they descended, and by the time they reached the third floor, combatants in tight black battle suits swarmed out in droves.

Hayun’s sword danced.

She dodged a punch aimed at her face with a slight movement to the side, then sliced the wrist with her magical energy sword.

The bright pink blade cut through the energy surrounding the battle suit with remarkable ease.

Psshk.

The circuit in the combatant’s wrist burst. It wasn’t as explosive as when cutting a Kaijin’s circuit.

A white beam grazed past Hayun’s side and pierced through several combatants blocking their path. The combatants who had been standing in their way, trying to block their path, vanished from sight in an instant.

“…”

Iris blinked, looking somewhat surprised.

Perhaps she hadn’t expected to pierce through so many enemies at once.

It was unfortunate for the combatants. Those hit by that beam were certainly injured. They would recover quickly with treatment, but remembering how they had struck Jieun, Hayun couldn’t feel entirely comfortable about it.

Nevertheless, they had no choice but to fight now. Especially since Jieun was fighting alongside them.

Several combatants rushed at Jieun, but seeing her threatening weapon that could create large cracks in walls and floors, they couldn’t approach easily.

Though they charged in without any real tactics, they hastily retreated at the ground-shaking sound, making the situation even more chaotic.

The large number of opponents actually made the wide corridor more disorganized. Those in the back tried to move forward while those in front tried to hold their ground, causing the combatants to become entangled with each other.

Dalia drove the final wedge into their formation.

From behind, several magical orbs flew through the air, striking the combatants.

They weren’t particularly threatening. She seemed to have adjusted the power to avoid seriously injuring her opponents.

The impact was perhaps equivalent to an adult male throwing a punch. It wouldn’t have been very threatening to someone wearing a battle suit, but when the magical girls, lined up on both sides, approached without fear of their numbers, the combatants seemed to realize they had no chance of winning.

Leading the charge were Hayun and Jieun.

When Hayun approached with a light sword dangling from one hand and Jieun with a hammer in both hands and a fierce expression, those standing at the front turned back in terror.

Only then did those pushing from behind realize the situation wasn’t favorable.

Finally, their formation collapsed.

After seeing several people at the front disappear when hit by the beam, some quickly turned and began to flee.

At a glance, it might have looked like they were annihilated with a single attack, but in reality, they were just transported far away. They might get hurt somewhere, but they would never die.

They knew this too. But knowing something and finding the courage to face it are two different matters.

Dalia continued to scatter her small magical bullets, while Delphinium floated a terrifying large magical orb above her head. Seeing that energy mass, far more intense than the artificial light sources illuminating the surroundings, which looked like it could fly toward the combatants’ heads at any moment, standing firm at the front seemed pointless.

After seeing a few turn and flee, the rest eventually turned and ran too. The magical girls stood still for a moment, blankly watching people running away in a tangled mess.

In the end, Hayun, Rose, and Jieun no longer needed to fight the combatants.

“Feels… a bit empty.”

Rose muttered, sounding somewhat disappointed that she hadn’t gotten a chance to fight.

“There might still be enemies left.”

Hayun said as if to comfort her, and Rose smiled slightly.

“I guess so.”

That conversation was like the ones they used to have during previous battles. Back when they were still fighting under the Federation.

It wasn’t that she wanted to go back to the Federation. Going back wouldn’t restore Jieun to her original life anyway.

Rather, it felt like they had returned to the time before, when the magical girls still believed themselves to be righteous. Not like now when they were constantly worried, but to a time when they also shared everyday conversations and light concerns. That thought made Hayun feel a little excited.

The circuit was spinning.

The Hope Circuit.

The circuits of the other girls were resonating powerfully with Hayun’s emotions.

—Except for Jieun’s circuit.

Among them, only Jieun wore a confused expression.

Hayun had noticed for some time that the power of Jieun’s hammer had strangely weakened. The propulsion device’s firepower had decreased, and the magical energy that had previously rippled around her body had also diminished.

Jieun’s power was weakening.

Hayun didn’t think this was entirely a bad thing.

Though she felt a bit sorry for Jieun, Jieun’s circuit never ran on positive emotions.

Hayun had overheard the conversation between James and Cherry.

The language of the Squeakeans was too different from human language to understand perfectly, but if Hayun hadn’t misunderstood, there was definitely a word mixed in there.

The word ‘despair.’

She couldn’t be certain that it was related to the circuit. Perhaps they had just concluded that the process of dismantling the circuit was ‘hopeless.’ Maybe they had casually discussed Jieun during their work, and she had overheard them saying Jieun’s situation was ‘hopeless.’

But even so, Hayun believed that word was related to Jieun’s circuit.

Hope and despair. Aren’t they completely opposite concepts?

She didn’t expect Jieun to give a definitive answer if she asked—

…It hurt her heart.

If Jieun’s energy truly was despair, it meant Jieun was despairing even at this very moment.

How could she give Jieun hope? How could she pull her out of that despair?

Again, she didn’t know.

But, at least one thing.

Jieun’s energy had been gradually decreasing from some point.

That’s why Hayun could hold onto hope. If being by Jieun’s side gave her hope, then Hayun could stay by Jieun’s side forever.

“…”

Nevertheless, Jieun still wore a dark expression.

It wasn’t perfect yet.

That’s why Hayun tried to smile. At the very least, she shouldn’t become a source of Jieun’s despair.

Jieun shouldn’t look like she was about to collapse every time she saw Hayun, like before.

Hayun moved forward confidently.

Even if Jieun’s power diminished, she would absolutely protect Jieun without letting her get hurt.

Just as Jieun had supported Hayun during their childhood, preventing her from falling apart.

That was a role she didn’t want to hand over to anyone else.

*

I had hoped that anxiety would drive my circuit, but it wasn’t that simple.

I didn’t want to be protected. I wanted to fight on my own.

Even if that was just useless pride.

I… wanted to surpass Hayun. I still do. Even though I like her, that feeling of inferiority hasn’t completely disappeared.

But the more time I spend with Hayun, the more my power gradually fades.

That made me anxious.

Had I received Hayun’s power?

The power of the surrounding magical girls was intensifying. The sound of their circuits vibrating was audible even from a distance.

The enemy was already fleeing before I could even fight anyone.

I…

“Let’s continue investigating,” Rose spoke up.

“Are there any documents? Like prototypes?”

“Or they might have left behind components. The more circuits, the better. We can make anything with them.”

“Right. Even if they cleared things out, some things must remain. They can’t just throw away certain items carelessly. Besides, with this much space, it would take time to organize a department.”

Cherry responded in agreement with James’s words.

Indeed, there were quite a few items in places where there had been many combatants. Whether they were important or valuable items… I couldn’t tell.

“They might have left behind fabric too— Wait, aren’t we acting too much like thieves here?”

“…We are thieves, actually.”

Dalia muttered, and Delphinium answered.

“My identity as a magical girl feels a bit shaken…”

Iris lamented.

“…”

I didn’t say anything.

What could I say? At this rate, I could only serve as a carrier, transporting these children from place to place.

If I expressed such concerns, Hayun would say, “That’s important too.” She might even say, “You fought too.”

But even hearing such words, I wouldn’t be easily convinced. That’s how twisted my personality had become.

I feel hope while simultaneously feeling despair. My circuit barely avoided breaking. At the very least, I still had enough energy to keep going.

That perfectly reflected my dual emotions. Even while seeing the bright light, I was still trapped in feelings of inferiority.

At some point, Hayun seemed to notice this about me and began glancing in my direction.

I avoided her gaze.

I didn’t know what expression to make if our eyes met. Like a child who doesn’t know how to be angry properly but bursts out in anger, and then doesn’t know how to resolve it when the anger subsides, so continues pretending to be angry.

Resolution.

Yes. Thinking about it now, everything went wrong because I got angry.

Should I have just sacrificed myself? Like those children were willing to—

Thud.

As my thoughts were sinking deeper, a loud sound interrupted them.

I quickly raised my head.

Could it be Kaijin appearing again? Since they had combatants stationed here, it wouldn’t be strange if there were more Kaijin too.

Thud.

“Wait.”

When the sound was heard a second time, Hayun raised one hand slightly and said that.

We stopped walking.

And looked toward the source of the sound.

It wasn’t difficult to locate. The direction was straight ahead of us, far away.

The inside of the research facility wasn’t a widely open space. Like how department stores have various shops setting up their own walls and occupying space, this research facility was similar. The difference was that unlike department stores with at least one side completely open, this place had wide corridors running parallel on both sides with rooms arranged in a grid pattern.

There weren’t many places with doors. Perhaps to allow researchers to move around comfortably.

But now, in front of us, at the end of the corridor, there was something that looked like a hangar.

The children entered combat stance with confident expressions. I also gripped my hammer tightly.

A warning sound was heard. Yellow warning lights on both sides of the large door that opened vertically were flashing, and slowly, the door was opening from bottom to top.

“Do you know that place?” I asked the drone carrying James.

“I do know it, in a way. They also researched weapons powered by circuits here. Well, theoretically they could make things that moved, but since there were no humans who could operate them, they eventually gave up. That place was for storing such unfinished products.”

“…Isn’t that dangerous? With me here…”

“Well…”

James’s drone moved up and down once, as if shrugging.

“What’s beyond there might not be what I knew. At least, if it is what I knew, it wouldn’t be much of a match for you all. Since the magical girls seem to have regained their ‘hope.'”

He was still an uncooperative hamster.

Or was he saying that to control my emotions?

I wish he would be a bit more patient right now.

As the hangar-like door slowly opened halfway, as if something inside was about to launch…

Crack!

A large hand emerged from inside and grabbed the door.

Then somewhat hastily pulled it upward. The parts touched by those white fingers tore like paper.

“Hahaha!”

And from beyond came a frivolous laugh. The voice wasn’t heard directly, but was slightly distorted, as if someone was speaking too close to a loudspeaker.

“James! My friend!”

“Who’s calling who a friend?”

James muttered, as if he knew the owner of that voice.

I frowned. The voice sounded familiar, but I couldn’t quite place it. I must have rarely heard it before.

“And my former subordinate.”

Ah.

Could it be him?

“…Mohican?”

“That’s right.”

James answered my muttering.

But the entity beyond… wasn’t in his bare body.

What was there was a huge giant. Rugged from head to toe.

Well, at least it doesn’t seem to be a modified human body, which is fortunate.

It had a design code similar to the armor worn by Kaijin, but it was even larger. Large enough for an adult male to… sit inside.

So, it was truly a ‘robot.’

“A robot without a Kaijin. Well, it seems they haven’t learned their lesson either.”

James’s voice flowed from the drone.

“There’s a reason the company puts Kaijin inside.”

“What did you say?!”

Mohican, probably sitting inside, shouted.

“Without a Kaijin, it’s nothing special. The magical girls can just go all out and dismantle it, can’t they?”

At James’s words, Iris stepped forward.

And fired a beam at the robot.

But—

“Kuk… Kuhahahahaha!”

As expected, it didn’t work.

“I guess you were too big for me to send flying?”

“…Well, I expected that.”

Iris sighed deeply as she pulled the bolt. A fuse fell to the floor and rolled.

“Then, we just need to start with a much stronger attack, right?”

Rose said.

And from behind came a sound like something being swung.

Bang!

For a moment, there was a sound so loud it seemed like the building might collapse.

“…Don’t worry. I calculated it.”

Did I look a bit scared?

Delphinium spoke to me like that.

“Delphinium is being so kind.”

“…”

At Rose’s words, Delphinium closed her mouth as if feeling it wasn’t worth responding, and began preparing her next spell.

“Yes, so it has come to this.”

Mohican—the robot—said.

The armor plates where he had crossed his arms to block Delphinium’s magic were dented, but Mohican inside seemed completely unharmed.

“Haha, you don’t know at all. James, there are things even you don’t know, huh?”

“Noir Corporation is a large place. Of course there would be many projects I don’t know about, just as there are many programs you don’t know about. Those circuits excessively embedded throughout that robot. They’re all resonance devices I designed. Tell me honestly. Are you producing them properly now?”

“…”

“Items crafted by a master are difficult to maintain in quality without the master. It’s amusing. Those who claimed they could make money with ‘less efficient circuits’ are now trying to use high-efficiency circuits that exploit magical girls’ despair.”

“This bastard…”

Mohican muttered lowly, as if James’s words had greatly upset him.

“The plan will be complete once you’re all gone.”

“Well, if there’s no one to interfere, that might be true, but I’m not so sure. Even here, there’s someone whose sole purpose is to interfere with you.”

James’s drone turned toward me.

“Besides, I don’t think you can win with the current power balance.”

James said that while looking at me, as if he knew something.

Is there something beyond the fact that I can’t properly use my circuit?

“No need for long talks.”

Rose said with a grin, showing her fist.

“We’ll know once we fight, right?”

The circuit on her left wrist was spinning intensely.

“James.”

At Hayun’s words, James’s drone changed direction again to look at her.

“Is this person an important figure?”

“Ah, of course.”

James replied in a voice that sounded like he might burst into laughter at any moment.

“He was an executive like me. We weren’t the only executives in the company, but if he took my position, he certainly would have risen to an important position.”

“I see.”

Hayun nodded.

“If you’re an important figure.”

And as she moved forward, she said. Her blade was shining brilliantly.

“I have a few questions to ask after extracting you from that robot. I’m not sure how much you’ll be able to answer, but I’ll be intruding.”

Though she spoke as if being polite, her eyes weren’t smiling at all.

They were burning fiercely.

As if sympathizing with my anger.

She was speaking as if my revenge took priority over questioning.

My heart beat rapidly.

With this, if I fought together with Hayun, we could surely win.

Even if something dangerous happened in the middle, somehow it felt like the current group could overcome everything—

Even while driving the circuit of despair, I was dualistically holding onto hope.

Hayun’s circuit display seemed to shine a bit.

That circuit, which I had seen countless times while facing magical girls until now, was spinning more intensely than ever before—