Public Enemy (6)

Public Enemy (6)

“Wh-What?! Aaaargh!”

Jeon So-hyeon groaned as she got up and was shocked to see the store in chaos. Customers were collapsed, and the display stands had fallen over with products spilled everywhere.

“You… bitch! Are you hitting people now too?!”

“Don’t be so noisy after I just saved you. You, what’s going on with you?”

Jeon So-hyeon shouted at Han Eun-seo, who was now working as Aria. However, she snorted and instead pointed her finger at Jeon So-hyeon.

“…What are you talking about?”

“I’m asking how you got spiritual abilities. No, let’s talk about this later.”

She immediately picked up the phone and called somewhere. The Management Bureau received the report and notified the local police of this incident.

As a result, the man who had collapsed after the possession was lifted was transported to the hospital, and everything ended without any further incident.

“What do you mean nothing happened?! Who’s going to clean up the store?!”

“The manager said it’s fine, so what’s the problem? The part-timer should clean up, of course.”

She left Jeon So-hyeon standing there with a dumbfounded look and walked out of the shopping center. The atmosphere outside was no different from before.

“Are we really just going to leave like this?”

“…We’ll need to keep an eye on her as a person of interest.”

Han Eun-seo shook her head at Lulu’s words as she left the shopping center.

The abilities of a medium are special. If well-honed, they can even awaken as a shaman who can handle the power of Parma. She was certain that Jeon So-hyeon had the blood of a medium in her lineage. And a powerful one at that.

“That’s one thing. The number of evil spirits isn’t decreasing. The search for Mammoth is progressing more slowly than we thought. Are we sure it’s really in this country?”

“Y-Yes, it is. But…”

Lulu lowered her head with a serious expression. It was indeed strange that there were so few traces. However, there wasn’t much else to say.

Ha Eun-seo looked around with a dark expression. People who knew nothing were bustling about around her.

“What if Mammoth is receiving help from some group? If they’re cooperating and hiding their activities…”

“T-That’s impossible. Who would help that arrogant tyrant?”

Lulu jumped at her muttering. There were reasons why certain possibilities weren’t even considered.

In fact, the monster Mammoth was known as an uncontrollable disaster-level monster that indiscriminately killed even other monsters.

No one would believe that such a being would join hands with another force, especially one from Earth.

“…Let’s keep looking around for now.”

Ha Eun-seo sighed and started walking.

As the late afternoon was ending, the busy streets began to be tinged with the dim darkness of the approaching evening.

“Is that…?”

Just then, Ha Eun-seo’s eyes caught sight of another familiar figure.

“Huh? Who is that?”

“It’s the girl who was with Jeon So-hyeon. The one who went to the facility.”

While Lulu couldn’t recognize that face, she did.

Those unfathomable deep eyes, and that strange air of composure. It was definitely Lee Jin-a, the girl she had been keeping an eye on.

*

“Are you sure it’s okay?”

“I didn’t expect them to allow it so easily.”

Park Tae-jun shrugged his shoulders. I nodded in agreement.

We never thought that the teacher in charge, Lee Seon-young, would allow my outing with just one phone call from Park Tae-jun. He’s not even an adult, just a kid who’s barely started middle school.

“What does age matter? If you grow up early, you should be treated accordingly. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to bring you back safely.”

They left school together, and the guy snickered.

But I know there’s a hint of bluff in this arrogant smile. Surely the teacher wouldn’t have allowed just this guy to leave.

That big guy who keeps following him like a shadow must have done something.

“So, what are we going to do for fun? What can I do for you?”

“Do for me? We’re just hanging out together. We’ll drink, which you like. This time, I’ll introduce you to some friends who aren’t from school.”

“Sounds good.”

I nodded obediently. If he’s offering to do things I’ve been wanting, I might as well go along with it a bit.

In the nightlife district, I could now do things I could never do alone with this slender body. Although the friends I’m with might not be the best, for now, I’ll just enjoy it.

It feels slightly different from the entertainment I wanted when I was closer to being a normal person, but now I don’t care about anything. In a good mood, I even let the guy casually put his hand on my shoulder or the back of my hand in the taxi.

“Hmm…”

“What, what’s wrong?!”

However, when we arrived at our destination and got out of the taxi, the guy who was about to put his hand around my waist quickly withdrew it, startled by my sigh as I frowned.

“No, it’s nothing. Just really bad luck. There must be something going on with me.”

But I clicked my tongue and shook my head.

It wasn’t Park Tae-jun’s behavior that annoyed me. The evil spirits that kept appearing on the street. Those were really bothering me.

Especially knowing what kind of trouble a person possessed by an evil spirit could cause. It felt like annoying things were forcibly getting tangled up.

“If you want to avoid the hassle, the right thing to do would be to turn back right now.”

Ren, sitting on top of my head, muttered the right words.

“No. Let’s keep going. Where to?”

“Everyone probably hasn’t gathered yet. Want to eat first?”

The guy let out a small sigh of relief and pointed across the street. As I walked, I glanced back slightly.

The muscular guy was still following us as a shadow. I’m not sure if he can be trusted, but he’ll probably step in if needed.

“Isn’t it dangerous?”

[Shut up. I’m finally trying to set the mood properly, I can’t give up now]

I wasn’t originally a delinquent student who hung out with gangs, and the reason I went along with Park Tae-jun was just to get a taste of that atmosphere.

Like the entertainment I last enjoyed during my freshman year of college, something that feels like a uniquely human pleasure that I could never experience in the Demon Realm.

If I was just going to get a taste of it and he was going to forcefully criticize me like this, I had no choice but to go all the way out of spite.

“Order whatever you want. I’ll buy it.”

“Alright.”

Park Tae-jun, who had brought me to a pretty decent place despite being an immature kid, puffed out his chest and quickly became arrogant again.

The guy particularly showed off his confidence whenever he bragged about money to me. He probably knew I was poor, but to me, he just looked like a walking wallet or an easy mark.

“This one.”

“…Alright.”

Seeing me choose the expensive item without hesitation, the guy’s expression changed to look a bit disgruntled. He probably thought I would be intimidated and cautious.

“If anything happens today…”

So I decided to do him a favor.

“Don’t panic and focus on running away.”

“…What are you talking about?”

“There’s something like that.”

My shadow moved smoothly through the darkness and caught and killed an evil spirit that was about to enter a customer who had just arrived.

Park Tae-jun looked confused, as if he had heard something strange, but didn’t say anything more.

“Sh-should we take a picture?”

In the slightly awkward atmosphere, I obediently took a picture as he suggested.

My role was ultimately to be a trophy, dressing up and acting as he wanted, and I intended to fulfill that role sufficiently.

“Looks like everyone’s here. Let’s go.”

When it had become completely dark and neon signs replaced the sun.

We crossed the evening streets. I was already in a good mood. Even though it was just the atmosphere, just the atmosphere alone.

It was an indicator of how much I had missed this kind of thing all this time.

“Hey, you guys.”

“…We meet again, unni.”

Therefore, her sudden appearance blocking my path was not very welcome.

I looked up at her. A high school girl presumed to be a Magical Girl. Han Eun-seo.

“What’s this? Someone you know?”

Park Tae-jun, with what little pride he had, lowered his voice and stood in front of me.

Clicking my tongue, I grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him back behind me.

“I have permission to be out, you know.”

“…Is that so?”

Her eyes scanned me up and down. I didn’t avoid her gaze. After all, someone of her level wouldn’t be able to detect my disguise anyway.

I could feel Ren keeping his mouth tightly shut, afraid of being discovered.

“This might sound strange, but it’s dangerous to be out here tonight.”

“What… Who does he think he…”

“It’s not dangerous at all. Other people are playing too.”

I pushed the grumbling Park Tae-jun further back and shook my head with a smile. It seems he’s saying this after seeing the evil spirits.

“If it’s really dangerous, please tell me why.”

When I demanded a reason, her eyes twitched behind her glasses. She probably can’t say it, since it doesn’t look like she’s ready to announce it yet.

“Dangerous things are roaming around. That’s why the Management Bureau is on high alert too. It’s related to the monster.”

“M-Monster…?!”

However, she exceeded my expectations and even revealed information about the Management Bureau’s involvement. Maybe because she seemed close to a Bureau employee.

“…”

At that moment, a fact flashed through my mind. A fact that made me wonder why I hadn’t noticed it until now.

A magical girl closely associated with the Management Bureau. If she’s close enough to have a personal relationship with an employee, honestly, there’s only one person like that.

Magical Girl Aria, who has an image of being an outright minion of the Management Bureau. She was the high school girl Han Eun-seo standing in front of me right now.

“…I’m not particularly worried.”

“What?”

“Because a magical girl. A beautiful and cool magical girl like Aria will defeat all the villains.”

I mentioned that name with a smile in my eyes. At that moment, I saw her eyes shake violently. I unexpectedly got my hands on a piece of high-level information.