episode_0012

Truth be told, I did have a reason for cooperating in catching the stalker.

I mean, I should live on, right?

Sure, corporations have their own fears. But those fears… well, to be honest, they were a bit ambiguous.

To be frank, quitting my job at the company wouldn’t make running the orphanage impossible. It might run a bit rougher, but it shouldn’t become financially insufficient as long as the country provides support.

I have my justifications.

I have no idea what journalists are like. Sometimes I think I could just vaguely pass it off as a misunderstanding by a real stalker and get away with it somehow.

Anyway, even if I meet with a corporate executive, at best it’ll be tonight before anything happens. Right now, the magical girl in front of me is more intimidating.

I may not have fit well with the corporate personnel, but I seem to fit well with the magical girl. If there’s a choice between the worst and the lesser evil, wouldn’t it be slightly better to choose the lesser evil?

…I have to admit, I was emotional.

After all, Hayoon is my friend.

I wanted to stick by her side without being suspected. Apart from Jihye, who lives in the same orphanage, Hayoon is the first friend I’ve made.

In any case, due to these and various other thoughts, I impulsively acted because my mind became complicated.

“So you cooperated in the civilian arrest?”

And thanks to that, I found myself in an extremely awkward situation.

I only thought of rescuing Hayoon and that would be the end of it; I never thought I’d have to face all these different magical girls.

For one, Hayoon and Iris didn’t transform much.

Although people passing by were vigorously taking pictures, claiming they were magical girls, disguising ourselves lost its meaning. However, there was no reason to transform after catching the culprit.

On the other hand, the three who rushed over upon Hayoon’s general call were already transformed.

It seems that due to the commotion on social media, they judged it as a dangerous situation.

“It’s a great deed, but you could be retaliated against later. At times like this, it’s better to leave it alone. Even if she’s your friend, it’s a bit tricky when someone ventures into a professional field without caution.”

The person speaking theoretically was a woman in a red dress.

Well, not exactly a ‘woman,’ perhaps a bit young. She still seemed young enough to be called a girl by me.

She was probably just a year younger than me.

Her fiery red hair was cut short. However, despite the short length, there was a somewhat edgy atmosphere about her hair sticking out here and there. The dress overall clung to her body, giving off a feminine vibe, but the overall atmosphere and the gauntlet on her hand made her far from delicate.

I once got hit by that gauntlet. On that day, my ribcage felt like it was going to collapse. I had to walk cautiously, taking shallow breaths until I received treatment at the clinic because the pain was so intense.

Feeling a slight sheen of sweat on my back, I swallowed dry saliva. “What’s up?” said the girl in the yellow dress. Her long chestnut hair swayed behind her. The yellow dress had a deep cut at the back, but it wasn’t easily visible due to her hair. It seemed like something you’d see in a webtoon with the line, “That’s for the fanservice, right?”

“The incident has been resolved for now. If it’s not related to us, wouldn’t we receive some kind of recognition for bravery or something?” She looked a bit more serious than Rose, but didn’t seem as young as Hae Yoon or me. Maybe it was because of her relaxed demeanor.

Happy Dahlia. She was holding a large staff. Long-range magic was impressive, but most importantly, that wooden staff was incredibly sturdy. If you were hit with the curved top part, your shinbone would break.

I’ve been rushed to the Nuare Corporation General Hospital for employees before. It was when I realized that breaking a leg hurts more than breaking a rib. I shivered and hastily pressed down on my leg to ease the pain.

“…To carry out such an operation in such a place… relying too much on coincidence… to follow through with such an operation…”

The one who spoke with an excessive amount of ellipses was Delphinium. She was also wearing a blue dress, but her attire leaned more towards the stereotype of a “witch.” A large witch hat sat neatly on her short hair, which seemed almost razor-sharp around her neck. She also had a cloak-like robe, and the way it shimmered with starlight was beautiful.

Looking at those stars, I felt a chill run down my arm. …Delphinium’s magic is menacing. While the attacks of the magical girls mentioned earlier were at the level of “it hurts, so you have to endure,” Delphinium’s magic made you feel a threat to your life the moment you saw it.

I’ve never been hit directly and faced death, so she probably adjusts her firepower in some way, but still, the sensation of intense heat, as if your body were burning, was something I never wanted to experience even once in my lifetime.

In a typical battle, you’d encounter one or two people at most. Even in a group fight, it’s usually a few against each other. And anyway, once a fight breaks out, we get repelled and end up in a hospital or clinic, so it’s rare to face more than two magical girls in a single day.

But somehow, right now, there’s only one villain and five magical girls. “…Ji Eun.”

I sat on the chair, shivering, and Ha-yoon called my name cautiously. “Don’t worry too much.” “…Okay.” “Are you afraid they might retaliate at work?” No, I’m scared you guys might retaliate. But I couldn’t say that directly, so I just lowered my head. “It’s a bit cold. I was outside for a while.” “Ah, I see.” Ha-yoon calmly nodded at my words. “Then, Ji-eun, I’m really sorry, but I think I need to handle the aftermath of the incident. I probably can’t walk with you today…” “Oh, okay.” I felt genuinely sorry for Ha-yoon, but to be honest, I felt a little relieved. As long as I get away from here, I won’t have to deal with the magical girls. I still saw the giant lying unconscious. His face was unharmed. It was a mask of a man from Earth. Blue skin, antenna on his head. He looked like he came from a planet like Earth. Despite the talk of body modification, one of his eyes was a mechanical eye. I was a bit worried seeing him still unconscious… he won’t wake up, will he? “There’s nothing to worry about.” Seeing me still concerned, Ha-yoon put her hand on my shoulder and spoke kindly. I nodded stiffly, feeling a strange mix of worry, guilt, and relief.

On the way back home, lost in thought, I was momentarily silent, but Ji-hye couldn’t hold back any longer and finally spoke. “Um… I don’t know if it’s okay to say this after experiencing such an event.” “Huh?” I had been looking out the window and turned to Ji-hye a little late. She was already showing me a notebook. When did she buy it? “I ran to the nearby store when we were talking to the magical girls earlier.” “Did you get autographs?” “Yes! Two each, including yours.” It was real. Ji-hye unfolded the notebook, showing ten pages, one signature per page. It wasn’t surprising that Ha-yoon, Rose, and Dahlia would enjoy giving autographs, but I didn’t know Dahlia and Iris also signed. Well, Dahlia aside, Iris does secretly crave public attention. Maybe she wanted to show off her performance today. …She glanced at me briefly earlier. Did I act too arrogantly? Or did I look worried? “Are you still worried?” “No, it’s not that.” “Really? Your friend—oh.”

지혜는 말하려다가 얼른 입을 다물었다. 그리고 주변을 살폈다. 우리도 뉴스에 나오겠지만, 아직 버스 안에 우리 얼굴이 퍼진 건 아니다. 애초에 우리는 연예인도 아닌 일반인이니 지나가다가 단숨에 알아보는 것도 조금 힘들거고. 그래도, 지혜가 저렇게 기억하고 조심히 해주는 건 좋았다. 그런 성격이라는 걸 알아서 오늘 같이 나온 거기도 하고. …… 다시 생각해보니, 지혜도 휘말려 버렸었구나. 너무 내 생각만 한 탓일까. 한숨을 푹 쉴 뻔하다가, 옆에 지혜가 있다는 걸 기억하고 꾹 참았다.

전투원들이 뭔가 실수하면 언제나 바로바로 부르는 회사답게, 나에게 연락이 온 것도 바로 그 날 저녁이었다. 그럴 거라는 건 미리 알고 있어서, 나는 일부러 지혜가 씻는 사이에 얼른 밖으로 나왔다. 한 시간 정도 추위에 덜덜 떨면서 마구 쏘다니고 있는데 결국 문자가 왔다. [오늘 일 때문에 시급한 이야기가 있습니다. 회사로 와주세요.] 간부 제임스의 문자였다. “…….” ‘간부’라는 것치고는 말단 사원인 나와 독대하는 게 너무 빈번하다는 생각이 들었다. 마법소녀의 친구라는 사실을 알아서 그런 거겠지. 나는 작게 숨을 내쉬고, 바로 버스 정류장으로 갔다.

간부 제임스의 사무실에서 내려다보이는 풍경은 언제나 처럼 근사했다. 주위 모든 건물보다 더 높다거나 하진 않았지만 바로 앞에서 울광장이 있는 곳이라서 도심에서도 시야가 탁트여있었다. 그리고 그런 풍경을 감상할 틈도 없이, 제임스는 자기 업무용 테이블에 크게 인화한 사진들을 늘어놓았다. …… 손님용 테이블이 아니라. 아마 거기까지 가서 서서 이야기를 들으라는 의미겠지. 역시 내 잘못을 지적하려고 부른 건가 싶어서, 일단 그 앞까지 걸어가 나름대로 차려자세를 하고 기다렸다. 사진을 다 늘어놓은 제임스는 의자에 앉았다. 나는 사진을 살짝 내려다보았다. 나와 하윤이가 팔짱을 끼고 있는 사진이었다. 나는 표정이 별로 보이지 않았다. 반면에 하윤이는 나를 올려다보면서 활짝 웃고 있었다. “두 분이 아주 친하신 모양입니다.” 제임스가 입을 열었다. 입가에는 미소가 있었지만, 눈은 딱히 웃

It wasn’t clearly captured. Should I say it was forcibly enlarged from a distance? If we were to be particular, the focus was on the magical girls around me, and I was just the background. However, it seemed enough for James. For a while, James said nothing. The silence was terrifying. I used to think he had an insubstantial impression. He only made noise during battles, and after the battle, he always vented to the other soldiers. Maybe it was because he reminded me of the officers in children’s special filming that I saw in my childhood. But now, it was somehow frightening. Suddenly, the face of the stalker I saw today came to mind. When I first saw him, he was just a middle-aged man on Earth, but when he took off his disguise, he became the face of a blue alien. James in front of me now had the face of a man from Earth. I didn’t know what real face was beyond that. “Jieun, I have quite high expectations for you,” James stood up from his chair and looked out the window. It wasn’t midnight, but the sun had already set, so it was completely dark outside. Looking down at the small lights moving below, James spoke with a weighty voice, “What was the reason for cooperating with the magical girls today?” “That— I quickly interjected, “—because I noticed it first from the magical girls.” James glanced slightly in my direction. “If I hadn’t cooperated there, the magical girls might have been suspicious.” “Ah, indeed. So are you saying that you helped the magical girls by using tracking programs?” I added the word ‘indeed,’ but he didn’t seem particularly convinced. I opened my mouth to explain further, but James raised his hand slightly to interrupt me. “Jieun, do you happen to know about the mechanism of trust?” “….” “If you don’t think they’re a trustworthy party, you wouldn’t trust them in the first place. I don’t trust ordinary soldiers. So when I make a plan, instead of thinking they will succeed, I assume they will fail.” James walked around the desk, making a clacking sound with his shoes. “But, you see, even those insignificant, untrustworthy folks, after doing the same thing several times, they learn. And then, at that point, you start thinking, ‘Oh, this person has potential.’ That’s when you start giving them better missions.” I didn’t look at James, just kept my gaze fixed on the window. “And from then on, you start entrusting them with various excellent operations.”

“However, if the first mission entrusted to that person fails, what do you think they would feel? If there’s only one sample and even that one turns out to be defective, wouldn’t the failure rate be 100 percent? Especially if it was the will of the sample itself that caused its own destruction.”

I couldn’t say anything.

It’s a clear fact that I actively assisted the magical girl.

James, after staring at me in silence for a while, suddenly broke into a smile.

“Well, that’s fine.”

After chuckling for a while, James picked up a photo from the desk and looked at it.

“We are so fortunate to have secured the magical girl’s confidante. No, honestly, we should see this as fate. Yes, your value is higher than that of a mere criminal-turned-laborer. So, let’s just consider this excuse as ‘reasonable.’ Besides, she’s your friend, isn’t she? I think it’s inevitable to have some personal feelings. However…”

Leaning slightly on the table, James looked at me. Even if I avoided eye contact, his face was still within my line of sight.

“We can’t help it from the second time. If we fail once and succeed once, it might be fifty-fifty, but if both fail, then it becomes simply zero percent.”

“…I understand.”

James seemed satisfied with my response and nodded.

“Then go.”

I quickly turned away.

Rather than thinking, “Did he call me here just to talk about this?” I felt more relieved that it could end without any further discussion.

However, when I was almost near the office door, James spoke again.

“Oh, by the way.”

As I stopped walking, James spoke with a slightly somber voice.

“It’s about the donation we’re sending.”

“…”

I turned back.

“I haven’t told you yet, but recently our company decided to start social activities in earnest. And coincidentally, we acquired the operating rights of that orphanage.”

My mouth slightly agape, I listened.

“So, from now on, we should call it ‘operating funds’ rather than ‘donation.’ Oh, don’t worry. It doesn’t mean we’ll run the place solely on the amount we were donating. If we did that, surely the funds would ‘fall short,’ wouldn’t they?”

I stared blankly at James.

“Once we’ve taken it on, we can’t neglect its operation. Who knows what people who gain independence from there might say or do?”

James looked at me with a rather pleased expression.

“Ah, but that could be possible. There might be a situation where the teachers there are replaced because they committed some illegal acts, like child abuse.”

I clenched my fist.

The teachers there… they’re all doing their best. They may not be perfect, but they are overflowing with care for us.

“Or, oh, I see, that could be an option.”

James naturally looked up at the ceiling lost in thought, then he said, “You’re becoming a high school sophomore now, right? It’s about time to decide your career path, isn’t it? Whether it’s employment or college. Nowadays, many choose to enter the workforce directly. Especially if there’s an opportunity to work for a large company. You have a roommate who seems like a close friend, don’t you?”

James turned a photo he had been holding towards me.

It was Wisdom’s picture.

“If your friend hears that you can get a job at a company with excellent initial compensation, how happy do you think they’d feel? Ah, of course, it’s not actually getting employed. After all, you’re not an adult… Of course, if you were a ‘trainee learning while receiving money,’ it could be possible. And Wisdom—”

“Why? It’s not a bad thing, is it? If you learn proper work before graduating from high school, you could start with excellent conditions even if you move elsewhere later. Also, our company can support various welfare policies. While working at the company, we can help you take the GED and simultaneously obtain a university degree.”

Looking at my hesitant expression, James smiled.

“And all those dreams, dropping out of high school, and suddenly all those benefits being canceled could happen as well. Who knows? The ways of the world are always hard to predict.”

“….”

I couldn’t figure out what to say in response to James’ words.

So, in the end… it was my fault.

“So, Ji-eun. Think carefully. We are not enemies. We could become potential adversaries, but not enemies.”

“…I understand. I’m truly sorry for today.”

“Yes, it’s good that you’re reflecting. Well then, go on in.”

With my heart pounding like crazy, I turned around and walked away.