episode_0004

Honestly, I hardly know anything about music. I enjoy listening to it, but I’m not particularly interested in the titles of the music I’m listening to or the names of the composers. I just… listen. Because it sounds good to my ears.

So, I don’t really have a specific genre preference, but I do tend to like music with lyrics. It’s even better if the lyrics are in Korean. It helps me concentrate more.

As expected, the album that Ha-yoon gave me, well, I didn’t think it would be that kind of album. Well, I had anticipated it. That’s why I didn’t buy it right away at the store.

But still.

“Oh, is it good?”

Laying an eiderdown on the floor and placing a pillow near my feet instead of under my head, I tapped my toes along with the music, as Ji-hye spoke.

Yeah. It was good.

It seemed to be one of those commonly referred to as a “jazz classic” or something like that.

Listening to the softly resonating trumpet sound, I leaned back in my chair at the desk and examined the album Ha-yoon had given me.

The album cover had an overall dark atmosphere. With “blue” in the album title, it wasn’t originally designed with a bright mood in mind.

It was an album art where the performer, holding a trumpet, seemed to be playing something with a serious expression.

Well, sometimes, listening to this kind of atmospheric album isn’t so bad.

I slotted the album into the space among the albums lined up on the desk.

Among the row of music albums, all set at nearly the same height, on either side of where I had just placed the album, coincidentally, were all albums Ha-yoon had given me.

She’s like a childhood friend. Naturally, we exchange gifts quite often. If we were to nitpick, I’ve received more, though.

Contrary to appearances, Ha-yoon has quite a keen sense of observation. It’s not because she has the job of being a magical girl… no, that’s not it. After all, she’s only been a magical girl for about two years.

Because of her pink hair, it’s easy to harbor strange preconceptions, but Ha-yoon is good at studying and is quite popular. She teases me about receiving confessions, but in reality, she also receives confessions quite frequently. Some of them are even from fairly well-known kids at school.

“But, so what?”

“So what?”

After gazing blankly at the albums for a moment, I turned my body towards Ji-hye. Giving a slight push with my toes, the swivel chair turned smoothly, and I looked towards Ji-hye.

Ji-hye was still lying down with her feet propped up on the pillow, turning her head towards me, smiling brightly.

“So, what about it?”

I leaned back in my chair, sighing as I asked, as it seemed impossible for me to open my mouth first.

Well, it’s not like the answer was unexpected.

“That gift, was it from a guy?”

“It was from a girl.”

I answered with closed eyes.

The music transitioned to the next track. Well, it did transition, right? The mood changed, so it must have.

“Was she pretty?”

“She was. But why do you ask?”

Ji-hye laughed playfully at my response and took a long breath.

“Oh, it’s nothing. I just thought about how far away you are from dating and stuff.”

Yesterday, she said something about me meeting a guy late, wasn’t that it? Well, I did tell her it wasn’t me.

“That girl, Ha-yoon?”

“Well, yeah.”

“Yeah, that makes sense. It’s her taste, this album.”

I turned my chair back around and looked again at the album I had just put on. Huh. The one I put on is jazz, the one on the left seems like Beethoven, and the one on the right is a Beatles digipak. That… has a photo across the cover. That’s it.

I don’t really know much about music, but I do know that the three types are completely different.

“So, it’s about the vibe, right? The vibe. It’s classy.”

Well, I’ve never received an idol album as a gift.

In fact, this is to some extent made up from a misunderstanding.

When I browse albums, I just look at the ones with album art that I kind of like, and then put them back. Occasionally, I buy one, but those are mostly movie or anime OSTs.

So, in Ha-yoon’s eyes, there’s always going to be those albums on the list of ‘things Ji-eun looked at closely but didn’t buy’.

Since I’ve never disliked a gift from Ha-yoon, naturally she keeps choosing those kinds of gifts for me.

Well, I don’t mind. In fact, I like it. Actually, these kinds of albums are often more expensive than movie OSTs.

But, it’s Ha-yoon’s taste.

She definitely doesn’t seem like someone who would like idols. She lives well, and she even has connections to the Eunhae Yeonbae. That’s why Iris dislikes her more.

“….”

Oh, the music changed again. Actually, I might not even know how many times it’s changed already. I can’t help it because I can’t distinguish the beginning and end very well.

Until now, the music was somewhat cheerful depending on the person, but now it’s clearly become slow. Still, I can distinguish this much.

“Oh, it’s snowing.”

At Ji-hye’s words, I looked out the window.

White snowflakes were fluttering down. Quite a lot. Maybe the road will be a bit slippery tomorrow.

“It snowed a lot yesterday.”

If it had snowed yesterday, the way back would have been much more depressing. I’m glad.

Ji-hye half-heartedly hummed along with the music and then turned her head back towards me.

“But, how’s the atmosphere right now?”

“The atmosphere?”

“Why, doesn’t it feel like a scene from a youth drama?”

“….”

I thought for a moment and then smiled slightly.

“Yeah, it does.”

Actually, I have no idea who this Miles Davis person is, but for some reason, I feel like he knows a lot about albums and stuff.

We stared out the window for quite a while, watching the snow fall outside.

…But I should be thankful for the gift. I should repay the favor. Maybe it’s okay to consider it as a New Year’s gift. I can’t give something too expensive, but Ha Yoon will probably be happy.

*

December 27th.

We received another assembly order.

At least it was a Saturday on the 27th. It didn’t feel great to gather on a day off, but it was much better than not being able to leave after being ordered to assemble during a weekday at school. It’s probably resentment from the last defeat. If they are that confident, they should just cultivate more officers. For a company of galactic scale, there should naturally be an abundance of talent, right? To be frank, I was confident that even if the number of employees exceeded the population of the United States, I wouldn’t be surprised.

“Oh.”

When I got off the subway and headed to the company entrance, a blue-skinned alien was loitering in front of it.

Some people around glanced at him as they passed by. Most of them were older people. In contrast, younger children and adults didn’t pay much attention. They were somewhat used to it.

Mixing in together at school for classes or at work in the company. The social atmosphere has changed in just five years. There’s still quite a bit left to adapt to, but things will gradually improve in this kind of atmosphere.

While people were fervently protesting at Gwanghwamun, there was no protest at all in front of the Nuar Corporation headquarters.

It’s natural. Nuar Corporation has a track record of neatly clearing out protesters at the “land” site.

The government isn’t completely turning a blind eye, but that doesn’t mean there are people feeling good about it. Moreover, before all the combatants were arrested, they were reassigned to other planetary sites, so the incident was left unresolved without a single witness.

…Well, anyway, that’s how it is.

“…Why aren’t you going in?”

He looks like a high school student of similar age to me, if you ignore his skin color. He seemed somewhat familiar because his expressions were almost exactly like those of an Earthling.

“Oh, you’re here!”

His expression brightened as soon as I spoke.

…I guess he didn’t want to go in alone and get scolded first.

I let out a small sigh and immediately turned towards the building.

He stuck close to my side and started chattering away.

“By the way, isn’t Iris amazing? I was so shocked when I saw her shoot the beam back then. No, more than that, how did she know and prepare in advance?”

“Earth enthusiasts” are just that—enthusiasts about everything related to Earth’s culture. They typically adore various aspects of Earth’s culture. Just as someone who is a fan of Japan isn’t solely fixated on anime. While they may be quite selective in their consumption of content, they often don’t blindly imitate the habits and ways of living in the country they idolize, do they?

This person is no exception.

Usually, their interests are associated with “beautiful and cute girls.” Magical girls are no exception.

…Wait.

Surely, he’s not a guy who walks around wearing women’s clothing, right?

“Huh? What’s wrong?”

As I furrowed my brow slightly and turned to look at him, he stopped his incessant chatter and grinned at me.

“…No, it’s nothing.”

“Really?”

Without any hint of doubt, he immediately came back to my side and started chattering away again.

“Oh, but I really wanted to meet Happy Cherry Blosum. The clothes she wears look incredibly soft. How nice would it be to go and touch them?”

Even die-hard fans have their limits.

Well, maybe he thinks he couldn’t really harm a magical girl.

Seeing how he can enjoy even being hit, it seems like his body is incredibly sturdy, almost like an alien.

Click.

Presenting my ID card, we entered deeper into the building.

While there are shops on the first floor, about a quarter of the building towards the back houses the elevator for employees. Without an ID card, you can’t enter.

People might see us entering, but hardly anyone pays much attention. After all, this company is known for weekend work.

“…Phew.”

“….”

The moment we stepped into the elevator, he fell silent too.

“…What should I say to him?”

Seeing someone who always has a smile on their face act this way, you can tell how intense the pressure in this company is.

He never resorts to violence. He doesn’t even curse. But the other person isn’t human, are they? Not many people can stay cheerful until the end while being incessantly chatty for almost an hour.

I wonder if he’s a villain or something.

Ding.

The elevator arrived at the 13th floor, and the door opened.

The 13th floor is where the dormitories and offices are located.

But the thing is, the dormitory is an old military-style one, where two people share a room. Unless it’s really crowded, no one wants to stay there.

Some say it’s refreshing because there are so few people, but since there’s a possibility of having two people crammed into one room, I’d rather just stay with Jihye at the daycare.

Thankfully, it’s not mandatory. However, if you’re late, you’ll be in trouble.

“….”

Next to me, the person who had been making such a fuss didn’t seem to want to move forward, so I let out a deep sigh and twisted the doorknob as if it were writhing.

Click.

Was there someone who arrived before us? Usually, the higher-ups show up at the last minute—

Bang!

As I entered the auditorium, fireworks suddenly went off from both sides. Well, calling them fireworks might be an overstatement. It was those cone-shaped fireworks you get for free when you buy a birthday cake at a bakery. Thanks to that, I was taken aback.

As I removed the long paper scraps that had landed in my hair with an irritated expression, someone suddenly put their arm on my shoulder.

Startled by the presence larger than mine, I looked around, and the person quickly withdrew their hand, perhaps realizing it was a bit much.

However, there was no change in the smiling face.

He looked like an ordinary human being. Should I say he was a little sinister-looking?

If he didn’t wear a supervisor’s uniform, he could easily be seen on the subway. But he wasn’t a human. He was just someone who evolved to look similar.

When going into battle, he would cover his face with a mask resembling a monster.

“Wow, our hero has finally arrived! Come on, everyone, applaud!”

Clap, clap, clap.

The rather lackluster applause sounded throughout the packed auditorium where folding chairs were lined up, filled with exhausted-looking office workers.

…Could this be because of me?

Is this some kind of new company initiation?

I was looking at the supervisor with a very skeptical expression, and he raised one palm upward, pointing to the stage.

It was quite embarrassing.

Didn’t this person say something really important over the communication system right after the battle ended?

“Come on, this way.”

Seeing my skeptical expression and my reluctance to move, the supervisor tapped my back. When I glared at him, he stopped. It seemed he was a bit afraid of being accused of harassment.

While vigorously shaking the confetti from my hair, I eventually moved forward.

When I looked back, the Earthling, just as bewildered as ever, took the remaining seat at the back.

Then, clenching his fists tightly, he struck a “fighting” pose toward me.

Like a traitor.

Suppressing the urge to sigh, I moved forward anyway.

So, when I got up on the stage—

“Ah, ah.”

The supervisor hurriedly followed me to the microphone, making an unpleasant sound like “keying,” then tapping the microphone with his finger.

After hearing the annoying sound, the supervisor seemed satisfied, straightened his neck, and opened his mouth.

“Ladies and gentlemen, finally! Someone from our team with circuits charged to 100 percent has arrived! Come on, applaud!”

Ah, so that’s how it is. This was something new.

Actually, this was the first time I had encountered Iris so closely. My head was filled with either dopamine or adrenaline, but whatever it was, it surged wildly. I wanted to go crazy and hit something, even just once, but probably it would have been better to just run away.

“Please watch the video material!”

…Even that?

Blink.

Because of the wind that projected directly onto my face, I squinted and closed my eyes. Then, I shifted a little uneasily and made space for myself.

The video coming from the projector was a headcam video taken with my helmet.

[Happy Iris! Panties! Purple!]

[Huh!? Don’t be ridiculous! Today, it’s definitely black—]

“….”

The atmosphere became tense in an instant. If I were a man, maybe a full water bottle would have flown at me.

“Now, everyone, please take a look. What do you think this is!”

This is insane.

“It’s courage, everyone!”

The officer shouted loudly.

“Saiwon Jung has overcome fear solely with his own courage and raised the circuit operation rate to 100 percent. Isn’t he everyone’s role model!”

“….”

The atmosphere became tense again. This time, they looked at me as if I were crazy.

It was kind of insane. Iris had a crazy eye for distinguishing opponents just by the scars on my helmet. I was sure that next time we met, she would chase after me with a smile on her face.

Moreover—

“Now, for our ‘courage’!”

“For our….”

Poor trainees who were called in on the weekend were raising their hands weakly, following along.

“Saiwon Jung will be promoted specially. Please look forward to the next battle.”

Just hearing that didn’t make me feel good at all.

Moreover, courage. The energy needed to operate the circuit comes from despair.

Well, the government knows, the company knows, but they can’t openly say that the power to turn the circuit comes directly from your despair to the people here.

Anyway, even if you bring courage, there’s no chance of winning, and if you provoke the enemy, all that comes next is despair. That way, you can increase “efficiency.”

I feel like I’ve become a lackey of a black company without realizing it.

…No, not a “feeling,” but am I really a lackey?

“This time, we will add a bonus and put it into the childcare fund.”

“…Thank you.”

Only after hearing that did I bow my head towards the officer. He nodded as if satisfied.

I wonder if he feels good because his performance has improved.

Still, it’s a good thing that money is going to the orphanage. The warehouse door has been getting moldy and starting to break at the bottom anyway, so this might be an opportunity to replace it with a new one.

… Everyone at the orphanage just thinks they’re doing some kind of corporate social act.

Maybe if they find out I’m working in a place like this, they’ll tell me to quit right away, won’t they?

But money is just money. As long as it’s being used in the right way, it can’t be considered wrong.

With that in mind, I took a deep breath.

Far away, without knowing what’s on my mind, Jigu was waving vigorously towards me.

It’s a bit uncomfortable.