episode_0014

Let’s not assume it’s manageable.

I pondered while looking at the figure of 70 percent.

If I think it’s even remotely manageable, the figure will drop. The battery may be there, but it won’t last forever. It’s crucial to endure as long as possible.

Yes, that’s how I see it. Even if I utilize all these abilities, I can’t defeat Iris anyway.

“What—”

Iris seemed taken aback as she saw me deflecting the beam.

67 percent.

So, just a brief distraction causes this. Am I unable to concentrate?

70 percent.

…The figure is truly honest, rising right after I berate myself.

I dashed forward.

Clang.

Iris seemed momentarily flustered, then quickly regained her composure and pulled out her fuse.

The tension was mounting.

Alright. Then I will too.

Let’s see how far I can go with the circuit.

I contemplated the utilization methods seen in the webtoon. Up until now, I’ve mainly used a method of solidifying energy in blade form, as I found it to be the most effective among the techniques shown in the webtoon.

If the circuit’s figure drops, attacking near the magical girls becomes impossible. My “despair” had to outweigh at least the “hope” held by the magical girls.

How is it now?

Being able to endure is similar to prevailing. In the webtoon, Iris usually maintained her hope circuit at around 70 percent. It sometimes dropped to about 50 percent when her mental state shattered.

Could it be because Iris utilizes the warp point technique? She found a breakthrough of sorts, considering that her power was lower compared to the almost 90 percent maintained by Blosum. It’s like sending it off before the enemy rebels.

I got rid of the blade on my wrist.

Then, as if a laser were emanating from the circuit, I extended my hand forward, assuming a stance.

Iris had already finished aiming at me.

75 percent.

If I’m hit like this, I’ll be sent flying somewhere. No, perhaps Iris adjusted her power in her own way. Just pushing with magic alone would be enough to render someone unconscious.

If I get caught like this, I’ll be exposed to Blosum as well.

Thinking that way made my heart race. Fear surged through me. What if Blosum, no, Ha Yoon, looked at me with a disdainful expression?

77 percent.

The battery was still full. Which side should I choose?

Of course, it was the battery side. Because I don’t trust myself.

Thud!

At the same time as Iris’s shot, recoil struck my wrist. The suit mitigated some of the impact, but my arm still throbbed painfully. It’s fine. It’s not broken yet.

73 percent.

……Seeing the numbers drop a little, I couldn’t help but feel a bit relieved. It was right not to trust myself after all.

Click.

I swiftly moved the circuit and removed the battery. As the top of the circuit opened, black smoke rose. The battery was fried. I shook my arm and let it fall to the ground, then opened the suit pocket and took out another battery, slotting it back in.

The battery was full. The gauge read 70 percent. It kept dropping. Not good.

It seemed Iris’s attack was a warp point assault. If she had chosen to push me back with just magic, I might not have been able to hold on and would have fainted.

A look of confusion crossed Iris’s face. Her gaze wavered as she looked at me.

65 percent.

My heart quickly steadied as I looked at her face.

Still not good.

I tried to think of the situation as desperate. If the numbers kept dropping like this, eventually I’d be at a disadvantage against Iris, and I had to think of some way to turn the tables—

“……”

I couldn’t help the slight curl of my lips.

Ah, maybe I do prefer being a villain over a magical girl.

Actually, it might be because I’m just a coward. In truth, I wanted to become a magical girl too. Maybe Wisdom was right. I could have talked to Hayoon about it.

But.

…I’m not capable of that.

It’s been like that since my past life. No matter how hard I studied, my grades dropped as I got older. After going to college and serving in the military, it was even difficult to maintain a B.

My high school grades were based on my own efforts from memories of the past, but that’s all. Maybe if a slightly more difficult subject came up, I’d collapse. Probably by the time I reached second year.

To fix the broken parts of the orphanage. To give the kids an extra cookie to eat.

With that excuse in mind, I followed the scout drone and became a nobody. Just like I was in my past life.

Having a pretty face and holding the position of the protagonist’s childhood friend is nothing.

I’m beyond saving.

72 percent.

Alright. I felt a bit more stable.

By the time Iris pulled out another fuse and shot at me again, I was already rolling to the side. I didn’t believe in the nonsense that a knife or a bullet is faster than a ray gun up close, but Iris’s rifle was definitely long. As I dashed forward, I narrowly managed to dodge the beam by veering to the right.

I swung my fist.

“Eek!?”

Had I never allowed a proper attack from a soldier until now? Iris screamed.

Without faltering at her scream, I channeled the energy of the circuit—

“Hmph.”

Iris immediately leaned her head toward me and swiftly ran her left hand down the hem of her dress.

“…Oops!?”

The skirt part of Iris’s dress was heavily wrinkled. Naturally, at first glance, there was no side slit. If there were, it would make the design look odd. However, Iris casually slipped her hand inside the hem.

…On the left side, she had inserted a side slit by overlapping the fabric. And there was probably another holster on the inside of that leg.

Her movements were extremely swift, as if practiced many times.

Thud!

I was able to block the attack by a hair’s breadth. I held out my left arm like a shield, emitting energy from the battery. It was just a moment, but a black semicircular defense barrier appeared, blocking in front of me.

Thud! Thud!

I was able to block up to three shots. The pistol looked like a one-handed automatic pistol. A small fuse popped out every time I pulled the trigger.

As the gun was small, it seemed to lack a warp point function, so I didn’t end up flying off to some strange place.

Clang!

After blocking three bullets, the battery was automatically discharged. While I was somewhat flustered by the fact that the circuit had opened—

“…Ah!?”

My distorted scream escaped through the helmet.

Thud, thud.

Bullets made of pure magic hit both my shoulders. The suit’s defense seemed better than the flimsy one I used to wear, and the pain was slightly less. But it felt like being lightly tapped by a boxer wearing gloves. Well, I couldn’t really tell if it was equivalent to a real punch. I’ve never tried boxing.

As I stepped back, Iris also leaped backward. Looking back, she still hadn’t touched the ground once.

It wouldn’t be fair to call this cowardly. If anything, this side is the more cowardly one.

As I reached into my pocket, Iris’s rifle barrel was aimed at me.

I flew toward the ground.

78 percent.

As the helmet hit the ground, my head inside shook violently. There was no time to feel the pain. I rolled to the side as quickly as possible and managed to hide behind the corner.

I changed the battery.

…This was the last battery. After using this, I would have to rely solely on the power of the circuit to fight. 81 percent. Okay. It’s not pleasant to see it rise only now, but in a way, it’s efficient. Anyway, it’ll help with survival.

Iris was humming a tune.

That’s a sign she’s angry. It’s a habit from the webtoon, and it’s something I’ve grown tired of since coming to this world. Despite wanting to appear mature, Iris, who has the appearance and habits of a child, seems childish when she openly gets angry.

So, it’s about hiding emotions. Pretending to be “happy” in that way. Even the relaxed behavior I usually show was the same.

… Iris wanting to kill me is because I occasionally teased her, just like last time, making her flustered.

No, but how did she really recognize me this time?

81 percent.

What should I do?

Should I escape from here too? But the direction I turned to was unknown to me. Rushing towards Iris and falling back, it was actually cleaner than before.

There weren’t even any combatants. Did they all surrender to Iris?

“….”

I looked in the other direction.

A corridor where Iris was facing directly.

Here, a few fallen combatants could be seen. They seemed to still have some consciousness as they wriggled on the ground like worms.

There were also a few places to hide in the corridor.

If I ran over there, the possibility of me escaping—

—was probably almost nonexistent.

84 percent.

…But, it’s not going to be that bad for me.

Even if an infuriated Iris were to send a pure magical blast, I could defend once with the battery. And if she uses warp point magic, it’s better to just take the hit and get thrown out.

If I dodge or block both, there should be a fallen officer inside.

If I release the officer, at least the story that I acted for my magical girl friend will somewhat get through.

82 percent.

No, I can’t.

I’ve dragged out the time too much. My emotions are gradually stabilizing. Emotional stability speeds up with time. I had to make a decision right now.

…Alright.

I closed my eyes for a moment, lost in thought, and made up my mind.

Since I don’t even think I can escape alone, there’s no point in thinking about it.

Without further ado, I burst out and flew towards the exit.

“There!”

Iris shot at me.

I rolled on the ground with all my might. I immediately felt the heat next to me.

Click.

The sound of a fuse dropping on the ground was heard. Whether she had finished reloading while I was hiding earlier, Iris immediately turned the gun towards me.

Using the energy charged in the suit, I rushed forward vigorously.

At the same time, I spent the battery’s energy to create a defensive barrier and scattered the lasers.

The battery from my wrist fell out.

A door appeared in front.

68 percent.

Due to the energy used by the suit and a slight sense of hope, the value dropped a bit. Once the value started to drop, it decreased at a faster rate.

Just need to get there.

Just need to get there.

There was a forcibly opened door in front. It was a door similar to the one I had opened, and it was also open in a similar way.

Beyond it, there was a fallen officer. He was lying on the ground, but forcibly raised his head, looking towards me and writhing.

61 percent.

I made a blade on my arm.

From behind, I heard the sound of loading the next round of the rifle.

Before reaching the door—

“…….”

Inside, I saw something pink.

The kid with pink hair was staring at me.

It wasn’t an extremely angry expression at first glance, as if he had forgotten how to be angry.

But I knew. Over the past few years, we’ve been together and I’ve seen it many times.

This was the expression when Blosum was genuinely furious to the core.

I’ve faced magical girls many times, but Blosum has never made such an enraged expression before.

…Is it because we intruded into their base without permission that he’s angry?

—Beep beep beep beep beep beep!

I turned my gaze.

There was something about to be destroyed.

I’ve seen it in webtoons. In the webtoon, the company came to destroy it but failed.

The ultimate goal they wanted to destroy in this operation.

It was the generator.

It was clearly an illegally installed facility, known to the country, but there was a reason why they didn’t make efforts to remove it.

It was the epitome of distorted utilitarianism and the ultimate goal of the existence of “magical girls.”

“Hurry, come at me!”

The officer shouted.

…Well, the reason the company wants to destroy it is not to sever that twisted utilitarianism.

Rather, they just want to show that their way is more efficient. The Galactic Federation’s method is much more complicated, and once that thing is destroyed, there’s no telling when it will be rebuilt.

“…Why are you going so far? Are you trying to crush even the hope left for us?”

Blosum said.

Even as he spoke, magic was surging in his hand.

The weapon Blosum was holding was a “magical girl’s” wand.

You know, those things. It’s about the size of a wand, with stars or hearts at the end.

It was much more magical girl-like than a gun or gauntlet.

And because of that, it was very dangerous.

A wand with a flower shape at the end, which at first glance looked like a bouquet. No, it must be right that the shape itself followed that of a bouquet.

Beep beep beep beep beep beep!

93 percent.

…Impressive.

Just receiving Blosum’s gaze made it like this. It wasn’t just a rise in numbers; my heart felt like it was about to burst.

Terrifying.

I was afraid of Blosum. Afraid that my helmet would crack from his attack and reveal my face inside.

And at the same time, I was feeling another negative emotion.

…With regard to that negative emotion, another negative emotion surged, and it felt like my despair circuit was spiraling out of control as if I were trying to find peace of mind.

“Hey!”

The officer shouted.

Even if I fight with Blowsome here, there is no victory. So, there was only one way.

I immediately bowed and grabbed the officer.

“Good—ugh!?”

Then, holding the officer like a shield, I rushed toward Iris coming from behind.

“Hey, wait!?”

Blowsome, who seemed to be trying to say something, shouted, but it was already too late. The increased circuit index was over 90 percent. Even without a battery, the suit could unleash explosive power.

“Ugh!?”

Wind rushed into his eyes and mouth, making the officer’s face contorted in an odd way as he shouted.

“……What!?”

Did she think I was a mouse in poison? Iris looked surprised as she came towards me, then turned and ran towards me.

With all my strength, I threw the officer at Iris.

“What are you doing!?”

The officer screamed as he flew.

“Ack!?”

It’s fortunate that the officer is ugly.

Flying swiftly towards Iris, aiming accurately at her face, the officer.

How would Iris have reacted when she saw the officer’s face head-on?

Iris hastily raised her gun.

“Iris, wait!!”

Blowsome shouted after me, but it was already too late. Iris had fired several shots at me, having already reloaded the next fuse.

Flames spewed from Iris’s rifle.

I leaped into the beam.

The officer and I were hit by the beam side by side.

After enduring the pain that felt like being beaten all over my body—

—We succeeded.

Seeing the scene change before my eyes, I felt relieved.

And then I collapsed to the ground.

“Crack! Cough! Thud! Huff!”

The officer made strange sounds as he rolled on the ground.

Still, I was much better off than that.

Perhaps because I grabbed the officer’s collar at the end, we landed in the same place.

“What, what is this! A scumbag who throws officers in front of magical girls!?”

And raising my head, I forgot what to say when I saw that we had cleanly escaped from the trap.

“……Is this your first time fighting a magical girl?”

Asking so, I drew the blade from my wrist.

The straps binding the officer were reinforced using magic. They can’t be easily cut with just a cutter.

“Uh, uh……”

Yeah, that seems about right. After all, it was their first appearance in the webtoon, and there wasn’t much information to extract even though they were captured.

Probably, it was a disposable pawn thrown in to investigate the internal structure.

Even among officers, each has their own role.

James may seem like that, but he held quite a high position in terms of combat. Even so, his goal is to accomplish as much as possible and not get captured by any means.

The technical and strategic management parts are usually not on good terms with other executives. They often act like antagonistic subordinates in a special effects drama, boasting about their abilities being better than James’s and pretending to go see the “chairman” instead, only to end up being scolded and laughed at by James.

When I released the shining strap, the executive got up from his seat and looked at me with a somewhat embarrassed expression. Then he scratched his head.

“Oh, thank you?”

“That’s enough.”

To be honest, it was more like I used it to escape. I brushed myself off.

“….”

I was in better shape than I thought. Unlike the last time I fought, there didn’t seem to be any injured areas. This is amazing. 40%. Maybe because I felt better than usual, my despair index was a bit lower.

“Hey, where are you going?”

“I’m going home.”

“In that condition?”

“You have to walk or run, one of the two.”

I said with a strangely refreshing feeling. Yeah. I didn’t win this time either. I couldn’t win, but I could give her a blow. Iris was definitely flustered.

Seeing Blossom’s face was a bit obvious, but… yeah, maybe the emotion I felt when I saw that face was jealousy. Isn’t she the protagonist of this world? Unlike extras like me who don’t even appear in the main story.

“Well then, I’ll go.”

“Uh, um… okay?”

Still not grasping the situation, I lightly bowed to the slightly clueless executive and ran. This time it was a mountain. Still, it’s fortunate that it’s inside Seoul. … It’s a little dark, but with these clothes, I won’t die if I roll a little, right?