Ch.86Chapter 15. Difference in Direction (1)

Looking at the circuit spinning in the opposite direction, countless thoughts rushed through my mind.

Among all those thoughts, the most frequent one was, naturally, “Why?”

Why? How?

James had clearly said that this circuit couldn’t be made in the Federation.

Though the basic principles were similar, the way the circuit operated changed depending on the emotions used. That’s why even Iris, who was smart enough to manipulate circuits and create various devices in an empty environment, couldn’t fully understand the principles.

If changing emotions alone could alter the circuit’s purpose, we would have figured it out long ago. After all, despair is a universal emotion. It’s something anyone can experience.

Or was this also because of “magic”?

Was it because I believed that “it could be accomplished” when facing this circuit?

The painful sensation gradually faded. My blurry vision slowly became clear. It actually seemed even clearer than usual.

My mind was still confused, but with the “painful sensation” gone, all that remained was the certainty that I could move.

I stood up.

I held a hammer in my hand.

The hammer’s generator—

Indeed, it was burning white. Like my circuit. Like Hayun’s circuit in front of me.

But instead of burning wildly like usual, well, this might sound a bit silly, but it looked like someone had turned on a bright flashlight.

Of course, compared to an actual flashlight… it was more mystical. If the black dot I had created resembled a black hole, the light shining from behind the hammer looked like a rising star.

It didn’t burn anything. It just warmly enveloped everything around it.

Maybe it was because of the light, but my clothes also looked somewhat white. Had my appearance… changed? Well, there was no time to worry about that.

I couldn’t tell if what was moving my body now was hope or some strange resonance of despair that had gone too far, but right in front of me, Hayun was fighting.

I couldn’t just lie there alone.

By the time I had that thought, I was already rushing forward.

“…Jieun?”

Hayun called my name.

Her expression and voice showed that she understood this situation even less than I did.

But at the very least, Hayun was much quicker and sharper at assessing situations than I was.

Without questioning my stepping forward any further, she simply joined me at my side.

I wonder how we looked to others watching us.

Would we appear as comrades standing side by side, firmly protecting each other?

It was funny that I was thinking such thoughts in this situation.

I was the first to step forward. I raised my hammer and ran forward with all my might, relying solely on my own strength without the help of the propulsion system.

My feet pressed firmly against the ground.

Whoosh!

The sound of the dual hammer cutting through the air as it moved faster than usual was threatening.

The Kaijin dodged the attack, but—

“…!”

When the white light of the hammer touched its body, the black liquid covering it evaporated, causing it to leap backward.

Could that be refined despair?

But I wasn’t fighting alone.

While I had jumped forward, Hayun had somehow taken to the sky, and like performing a tumbling act, she elegantly spun once and landed behind the Kaijin.

Her pink sword, shining much brighter and more threateningly than usual, fell toward the Kaijin’s crown.

The Kaijin blocked it by placing its black blade between its head and her blade, and it also blocked my swinging hammer with its raised hand and blade—

Crack!

But it seemed unable to deflect it sideways.

Hope doesn’t seem to have any direct effect on the despair circuit itself. After all, circuits are influenced by the user’s emotions. Even if Hayun shows intense hope beside me, my circuit will continue to run on despair if I don’t feel hope.

So, if this Kaijin has weakened after seeing the power of us two, it means that the Kaijin itself is feeling an emotion far from despair.

The Kaijin is also an Earthling. I don’t know exactly what’s inside. If it’s a forcibly created being, there might be something other than organs in there.

But—

—who knows?

Other Kaijin returned to their original forms when taken far from Earth and treated diligently.

If the being in front of me is truly an Earthling, there might be hope of restoring it to its original form after neutralizing it. Even if I don’t know what that “original” form looks like.

The white light burned more fiercely, and influenced by it, Hayun’s circuit also shone intensely.

Pink and white lights intertwined and mixed. To be honest, it was a somewhat chaotic sight.

And, in a way, it was also beautiful.

Crack.

Finally, there was a sound like the black blade cracking.

It was the sound of my hope overcoming the other’s despair.

Bang!

The white light struck the Kaijin’s head, and it fell sideways to the ground.

“Haaah!”

Hayun immediately plunged her sword into the Kaijin’s chest.

The sword, which could wound only what Hayun wanted without harming a human body, pierced through the Kaijin’s circuit.

There was no explosion.

As if swept away by the light of Hayun’s sword, by that hope, the bursting black light was instantly diluted and disappeared.

Like a beam of light shining into a pitch-black room, Hayun’s hope extinguished the despair.

As the dazzling light subsided, what remained was the Kaijin, unconscious and collapsed.

Its body hadn’t returned to normal yet. It was barely breathing.

But it was still alive.

As long as it’s alive, yes, there’s hope for recovery.

“…”

The battle wasn’t over yet.

The other girls were still fighting, and there were still many Kaijin that hadn’t fallen.

But I couldn’t help but stand there in a daze for a moment.

Once the tension eased, my mind couldn’t immediately process the overwhelming information about the surroundings.

Me, wearing white clothes unlike usual.

The head of the hammer still emitting light.

Hayun staring at me intently.

“…Ah.”

I felt my face heating up.

My goodness, a white dress.

No, of course, I know there are countless white one-piece dresses in the world. Among them, there are surely dresses that can be worn casually and still be called “dresses.”

But no matter how I looked at it, what I was wearing was more excessive than that.

When it was black, the design was much plainer. Although it wasn’t something I could wear daily, being closer to cosplay than everyday clothes, and strangely had a bit of exposure around the chest, it was still a costume that didn’t have any distinctive features compared to the others.

The design itself is still similar now, but all the parts that had color were bleached to a spotless white.

Moreover, the semi-transparent skirt at the back had become completely opaque white silk, with a large ribbon attached to it.

Perhaps because of the ribbon, that part seemed to protrude upward.

So, overall, this outfit—

It wouldn’t be strange to say it resembled a wedding dress.

Well, of course, there were too many points to nitpick for it to be called a real wedding dress, but anyway, it was an outfit that could look like one if you squinted and glanced at it.

Why?

Once again, a single thought and question mark filled my mind.

Could it be that despair and hope are represented by black and white even in clothing? Is this sane? Whose idea was this?

Unsurprisingly, it was probably my idea. I’ve never thought about wearing such an outfit, but the dichotomous thinking of “despair is black, hope is white” was exactly the kind of thought I would have.

I gritted my teeth and flew up into the sky.

I tried to hide my embarrassment. Surprisingly, even in this situation, my circuit was spinning vigorously.

More than ever before.

To escape the gazes of the many people standing in a semicircle looking at the two of us, I flew away to help the others.

*

Hayun’s mind was complex.

Jieun was… Hayun’s favorite friend. That’s why when Jieun was in such a situation, Hayun became unable to use her power properly.

And at the same time, she was able to use her power properly after following Jieun.

To be honest, she was a bit scared.

She was afraid of what Jieun might think of her. As a magical girl, she had knocked Jieun down several times—no, not just knocked down, but inflicted wounds that might have left permanent scars or disabilities if it had been five years ago.

Naturally, she was afraid Jieun would hate her. She was also afraid of Jieun’s circuit that spun wildly whenever she was with Hayun.

Because the reason for that circuit spinning might be Hayun herself. Because the source of that “negative emotion” Jieun felt might be Hayun herself, she was scared.

She had thought several times that it might be better if Hayun disappeared. After all, if magical girls didn’t exist in the first place, Jieun wouldn’t have ended up like this.

But still, she couldn’t give up.

Even knowing that other girls were following Hayun and suffering, she simply couldn’t give up, so Hayun kept following Jieun.

Still, she had been somewhat reassured recently.

Jieun had become able to relax around Hayun. It seemed to have happened after Hayun directly saved Jieun.

If Jieun could think of Hayun that way, Hayun could risk her life for Jieun countless times.

Of course, she thought that shouldn’t happen too often because it would make Jieun worry too much, but anyway, that’s how it was.

…The cause of Hayun’s circuit spinning.

The reason she could emit a brighter light than her usual hope.

Hayun thought that maybe it was thanks to Jieun.

Because Jieun was beside her, because they could continue fighting together in this situation, because Hayun could stand up for Jieun and Jieun could stand up for Hayun, Hayun herself could hold such intense hope.

But maybe that wasn’t it.

The magical girls were able to use powerful abilities thanks to Hayun’s power.

It was because of that intense hope that Hayun usually held that helped the other girls’ circuits spin, allowing everyone to create excellent synergy.

Then, conversely, wouldn’t it be possible for Hayun to be influenced by others?

If Jieun was gaining hope from having Hayun beside her, and that’s why Hayun’s circuit could spin so intensely.

Just thinking about that, Hayun could hold hope so strong that she couldn’t feel even a speck of the surrounding darkness—

And now.

“…”

Looking at Jieun, who was staring down at her white dress with a somewhat dazed expression as if she couldn’t believe it, Hayun was certain.

Whether Jieun was influenced by Hayun or Hayun was influenced by Jieun’s transformation wasn’t immediately clear.

But.

“…This can’t be.”

Cherry, who was hanging on Hayun’s shoulder, muttered.

An impossible thing.

Something that could never be done with the “despair” Jieun possessed was happening right before their eyes.

Jieun was doing something that only someone who held hope could do.

Perhaps it was because it was hope that had risen from such deep and dark despair.

Jieun seemed to be holding light throughout her body.

Jieun, dressed like a bride at a wedding, blushed.

It was a somewhat strange expression to make in this situation, but because of that, Hayun could feel at ease.

“A new magical girl…?”

Yes. Right now, Hayun was witnessing it.

Before her eyes, the sixth magical girl was being born.

Until now, people had called Jieun the black magical girl or the sixth magical girl, but Hayun thought that name suited the current Jieun perfectly.

What would be a good name for her as a magical girl?

Maybe “Blossom” would be good, Hayun thought somewhat playfully.

If there are pink cherry blossoms, there are also white cherry blossoms. Well, flowers naturally come in various colors within a single species.

Looking up at Jieun, who was flying up as if escaping, Hayun followed suit.

Watching Jieun swing her hammer with all her might at the Kaijin the other girls were fighting, as if embarrassed, Hayun made up her mind.

Jieun’s name as a magical girl, yes.

How about Lily?

That outfit was in a color that suited the lily flower so perfectly.

*

When I flew up to help the other girls, all their gazes fixed on me.

Still, it was much better than the expressions of the people below. Being embarrassed in front of people I know is far better than being embarrassed in front of strangers.

I decided to transfer all the names of this anger and embarrassment to the Kaijin.

Although the Kaijin were in a very unfortunate situation based on the circumstances, unfortunately for them, they were the only beings I could legally hit at the moment.

Besides, in a sense, it was the Kaijin that had driven the situation to this point.

I ended up in this outfit while fighting those Kaijin, so it’s all their fault.

Thinking that, I swung my hammer from top to bottom with all my might, filled with anger.

Clang!

The hammer hit the Kaijin’s crown directly, and it fell as if shot toward the ground.

Bang!

Seeing its head embedded in the asphalt, I was horrified, thinking I had gone too far.

But I was somewhat relieved when I saw the body writhing and placing its hands on the ground. Although it was a grotesque sight in many ways, at least it wasn’t dead.

“What are you doing?!”

I shouted at Iris and Dalia, who were staring at me blankly.

“There are still plenty of Kaijin! We need to resolve everything!”

The two finally came to their senses and began firing magic at the surrounding Kaijin.

For some reason, Rose laughed out loud when she saw me, and Delphinium shook her head and sighed deeply.

Well, at least those two had regained their senses on their own. Rose gripped her gauntlet tightly and flew toward the Kaijin, while Delphinium created a mass of magical energy larger than her body.

All of their circuits were shining brightly without exception.

…What on earth was going on?

But one fortunate thing was that the serious expressions on the faces of the girls in that building had all been replaced with relief.

If magical girls despair in this situation, who would fight?

And though I really didn’t want to admit it—I was now included in that category of magical girls.

I gripped my hammer.

Perhaps judging me to be the most dangerous entity, one Kaijin flew straight toward me, ignoring the magical barrage from Dalia and Iris.

Just as I was about to swing my hammer, which was shining with an unusually sacred light, to hit that Kaijin like a baseball—

Bang!

Something like a meteor rising from the ground to the sky collided forcefully with the Kaijin’s chest, specifically around the circuit.

The description sounds strange, but it was exactly as described. The pink sword held by Hayun created the exact same trajectory on the flying girl’s body as the blade itself.

“Yaaaah!”

As if determined to protect me with all her might, Hayun shouted like that as she plunged her sword into the Kaijin’s chest.

Hayun’s body, rising higher and higher, soon became invisible, covered by the pink light. Once again, black light leaked out in all directions, and the pink light erased it.

The Kaijin’s body fell down gently, as if riding the wind. This too was Hayun’s power. Without any protection, falling from this height might shatter the body into pieces.

And that pink-haired girl, not even half the height of the falling Kaijin, stood proudly with the sun at her back, looking at me.

…She really was a childhood friend who loved to show off.

But why did that figure look so reliable?

It was a feeling I didn’t like, but in the end, I couldn’t help but let a small smile appear on my lips.