episode_0017

Among those who have tormented me, I’ve never seen anyone who fights really well.

First of all, there hasn’t been anyone who brought a guy just to pick a fight with me. Whether it was good luck or they simply didn’t feel the need to go that far, I don’t really know.

Hwayoon doesn’t know about these things happening, and since she’s not around at the office, there’s no reason for anyone to come to my aid from behind.

No matter how much my job involves “fighting,” if there’s too much of a difference in status, it becomes a big problem. From that perspective, I suppose I can consider myself lucky.

Next, the ones who come to threaten me are usually just people who don’t know how to fight at all.

Whether they’ve tried exercising or learning martial arts… I’m not sure if they felt it wasn’t much help in their lives, but among those trying to torment me, there haven’t been any experts in that field. I guess I can consider that fortunate as well. Even if they’re fighting against a magical girl, it’s not just about physical abilities.

Apart from all of this, what remains are just people who try to make me kneel through numbers and influence.

They throw the first punch, then while the ones who got hit are flustered, I counterattack.

In the end, they belong to the category that feels exhilarated when making someone kneel on the ground.

“Ik…!”

But there’s no way I’d be hit by the fists they swing.

Even though it may seem like that, my body is adept at avoiding attacks to some extent. No matter how much I rely on the suit’s assistance, movement itself is something my body remembers.

It seemed like they were trying to slap my cheek, but I slightly moved back and evaded their hand.

A kick came at me, but it wasn’t particularly fast. I sidestepped, causing them to stagger as their foot landed on the ground.

Just a slight push with my foot here would make them fall, but I didn’t go that far.

“Still, I wish you hadn’t hit my face.”

If my face gets hit, Hwayoon will surely worry tomorrow.

Well, I have no intention of getting hit, whether it’s my body or my face.

I have no intention of hitting them either.

I glanced slightly upward.

There was a camera attached to the streetlight. Next to it, in red letters, it boldly stated “Surveillance Camera.”

The alley we were in was a bit away from the “rich folks’ area.”

It wasn’t exactly a full-fledged slum yet, but there were a few places up the hill that were a bit scary to walk alone after dark. Even if it’s not exactly where rich people live, it’s still a place where people with the means to extort exist, so I do take some precautions.

Moreover, it was the way up to the slum, so naturally, it was also a sloped area.

As I skillfully stalled for time by dodging, the speed of the individuals swinging their hands and feet towards me noticeably slowed down.

Gradually, as I continued to walk backward up the incline, my form became one of fists and feet swinging in rhythm with my ascent. Hitting someone already requires a fair amount of physical exertion, but doing so while climbing uphill naturally leads to fatigue.

“Hey, you… over there.”

“I’m here. Keep coming.”

I decided to provoke those who were panting and turning their faces crimson despite the winter chill, expelling breaths heavily as they climbed.

The higher we ascended this hill, the more challenging it became. By the end, it was comparable to the beginning of a hiking trail, yet surprisingly, it remained a consistent spot for parcel deliveries and mail, which was rather intriguing.

Watching three girls sweating in the winter air brought a bit of amusement. Did they not consider the toll it would take on their pride to turn back halfway?

“See, not so easy, is it?”

As I teased, the leader’s face turned an even deeper shade of red. Is this what they mean by “sparks flying from the eyes”?

“You, I’ll [expletive] kill you.”

The voice that had been shouting now lowered. The way they panted and spoke, as if chewing on their words, seemed quite convincing.

Assessing the distance between us, I observed the girls slowly making their way towards me. It seemed like their temper had reached a point where they were determined to finish me off today.

The alley was quite narrow. Considering all three standing side by side, it might be best to start running around this point.

With that in mind, I adjusted my stance.

“Wait—!”

Just as I was about to dash out, suddenly, someone shouted. Both I and the three who had been harassing me turned our heads simultaneously.

There stood a hero.

…Of course, I jest.

It was just some strange person with their face concealed by a makeshift mask. If you could call it a mask at all, it was more like a scarf loosely covering their face.

To put it nicely, they looked like a fundamentalist terrorist. To put it less kindly, they resembled a homeless person draped in rags.

Thankfully, their skin color wasn’t visible due to the winter weather. If their skin had appeared blue, it would have been problematic in many ways.

“What’s that all about?” one of the girls muttered.

My attention, too, shifted entirely away from the girls and onto the figure perched atop someone else’s roof.

“Hey, wait!”

Upon seeing the person about to leap down, I shouted with all my might.

“Huh?”

In response to my sudden call, the person’s head turned towards me, causing their poised leap to falter.

Their body tilted in an odd direction.

“Oh no.”

I shut my eyes.

“Eek!?”

The girls’ screams pierced the air, followed by a thud and a crash.

Opening my eyes, there was a guy lying in front of me. Not exactly a stranger, but he was dressed as some kind of hero or something.

Ah, this is trouble.

I quickly considered two options:

First: Leave him and run away.

Second: Still take him and run away.

Honestly, the first option was really tempting. If I helped him, I might end up in trouble myself. Plus, it would totally mess up the plans I had carefully set for myself.

I never intended to harm these kids. If I hit or suppressed them just because they resisted, it would put me at a serious disadvantage.

So, I had planned to sprint down the hill, hoping the others following would trip and fall.

…Could that be considered “assault”?

Earth is still a protected underdeveloped planet in many ways. While a galactic federation alien might get away with this kind of thing, for this guy who’s essentially an illegal tourist, it could cause all sorts of problems.

So, if I left him and got caught by the police, it was clear I’d be deported without exception.

“…Ah, I don’t know.”

I quickly ran over and grabbed the wrist of the guy struggling to get up, then took off.

“Huh, huh?”

He seemed completely clueless about what was happening as I grabbed his wrist and we started running.

Even though he still seemed clueless, he ran hard alongside me, following my lead.

I could hear someone shouting from behind, but I just ignored it.

*

“Hah, hah, hah…”

After running for a while, we arrived at the neighborhood park.

It wasn’t very big. There was a small stream flowing from the mountains, and next to it, there was a pavilion and a short walking path.

I looked back along the road. There was no one following us.

“Phew.”

Taking a deep breath, I roughly sat down on the pavilion. Normally, this pavilion was almost always occupied by elderly people from the neighborhood, but since winter hadn’t ended yet, there was no one else in sight.

“So, what was that all about earlier?”

“No, I’m asking you.”

As I asked, the guy from Earth loosened his scarf from around his face and inquired. I furrowed my brow.

“Where did you suddenly pop out from?”

“Huh? Oh, that, I was out to buy dinner.”

As he said that, he was indeed holding a plastic bag. Come to think of it, he had it when he was perched on the wall.

“…Ah.”

Then, looking into the bag, he immediately deflated. His shoulders slumped in an instant.

I went over and peered inside.

There were cup noodles, all crushed.

So, I hadn’t had much to do for a while. I mean, I basically receive an allowance, and my meals are all taken care of at the orphanage and school, so it’s not a problem. But as someone who has to pay all sorts of bills from rent to utilities, it seemed like I was living hand-to-mouth.

“…I guess I can just boil it in a pot and eat.”

I slightly furrowed my brow as I looked at Jigubba, who was laughing.

“Why did you come out then?”

I hadn’t finished listening to the story yet.

“Well, I heard something that sounded like someone being harassed.”

“So, what about it?”

“Well… because you were the one involved?”

I ran my hand over my face.

No, what kind of villainous battle operative is this? Well, I guess I’m a bit of a strange person too, trying to make ends meet for running the orphanage.

I let out a deep sigh.

“Come with me.”

“Huh? Where to?”

“Stop asking questions.”

As I started walking, Jigubba obediently followed behind.

I entered the nearest convenience store.

*

Honestly, I don’t really think it’s my fault, but for now, she’s the one trying to help me. And then the evening snack got ruined.

Feeling a little sorry, I bought a cup of ramen at the convenience store.

Might as well grab a small canned coffee too.

“Ahh~”

As a result, we were back sitting at the park.

Because Jigubba threw a fit saying “I don’t want to drink alone,” we ended up buying one more can. Just to note, the extra can was paid for by Jigubba. It was the result of her insisting that she should buy one can with her own money.

Jigubba held a blue can in her hand, and I held a warm one in mine.

The broken cup of ramen became our snack.

Actually, I didn’t eat any of it. It’s not that I have an aversion to crushing and eating ramen, but I just didn’t feel like mixing the spicy, crunchy noodles with coffee.

Jigubba, on the other hand, was devouring it like it was a side dish for alcohol, her face turning a little red.

Suddenly, I noticed the sign “No Drinking” posted prominently nearby.

“This, this. This is the taste of life.”

“Isn’t it a bit strange to say that at your age?”

I asked, thinking it was a hundred percent something she picked up from a Korean drama.

“It’s because of my age. We can’t do this kind of thing in Korea.”

Well, because it’s illegal.

I sipped my coffee. The lukewarm taste of canned coffee didn’t seem to go well with the ramen, no matter how I thought about it.

“…”

I looked at Jigubba, who was putting the ramen into her mouth with an extremely happy expression.

“Do you like living here?”

“Yeah? I do. Why else would I choose to live here?”

“What’s good about it?”

In response to my question, Jigubba blinked at me.

“Well… it’s a different country, isn’t it?”

No, well, it’s not that I don’t understand at all. Come to think of it, I hardly know anything about the Jigupa planet. I’ve never really thought about going to another planet. Seeing how the Jigupas manage well without any different life support systems from Earth makes it seem like there aren’t any major health issues here. But on the flip side, there’s no guarantee I’d be okay if I went to that planet. Even if it’s a minimal toxin for them, there could be something lethal for me. But even if I were to overcome such things, wouldn’t there be significant cultural differences? As I looked at her with an expression of disbelief, the Jigupa seemed a bit embarrassed and scratched her cheek.

“Well, it’s just… here, you can get caffeine anywhere, watch my favorite dramas and movies anytime. And isn’t it nice to see the latest movies?”

That’s true. It is true but… Somehow, by saying that, she seems reluctant to talk about something. I decided not to ask further.

Crunch, crunch. The sound of someone chewing loudly was heard from beside me. Watching her, the broken crackers strangely looked delicious. I picked one up and put it in my mouth. Then I took a sip of coffee. I felt like I did it for no reason.

The next day, as always, I took the bus to school with Hayoon. I sat down without much thought. Ignoring the other kids happily chatting, I was about to take out my textbook from my desk when— Bang! The classroom door opened with a loud noise, more like a thud than a bang. Startled, I looked towards the sound and saw a man with a flushed face. A large-framed woman.

“Mom!”

Then I heard the homeroom teacher shouting from behind. Upon closer look, the woman was wearing a necklace. The design was quite elegant, but her facial expression didn’t quite match. Her clothes were the same. Even if you didn’t know much about fashion, you could immediately tell it was a high-end brand’s logo prominently displayed on her dress. On top of that, there was fur or leather from some wild animal. The handbag she held was obviously very expensive. Her eyes, scanning the classroom, met mine directly. She was someone I had never seen before, but I had a rough idea of who she might be. Hmm. I didn’t expect this.

There have been quite a few who have tried to bother me so far, but I’ve never seen anyone bring their parents. Was it just luck that I’ve had until now? Or has something changed since the beginning of this year? To my surprise, the woman who recognized me came straight over to me without hesitation.

The students in the middle of the room subtly shifted in their seats. It seemed more like they thought there was nothing good about being involved with that girl, rather than simply trying to bother me.

Someone was filming a video with their smartphone.

Could that be used as evidence later?

I stood up from my seat. Hayoon, who was sitting in front of me, also got up when she saw me standing.

The girl’s face turning red seemed almost like it might burst. Her eyes were wide open, and I was starting to feel a little scared, wondering if something might pop out at any moment.

She doesn’t resemble her mother at all. I don’t know which one of the three women I saw yesterday is her mother, but none of them look like her.

I thought she would come close enough to shout at us, but she surprised me by raising her hand instead.

Should I let her hit me or should I avoid it? I seriously contemplated.

I guess avoiding it would be better.

If someone just posts the video without any reason, that’s the end of it.

If it’s uploaded under a title like “School Violence Exposed,” I could be in trouble. I didn’t want to act as the filming kids expected, and so I was fixating my gaze on her thick hand.

Thud.

Her hand stopped midway before it could reach me.

“….”

Hayoon was looking at the girl with an expression that seemed to ask, “What are you doing?”

The hand that was reaching towards me stopped midway. Hayoon was lightly holding back that hand with one of hers.

For the record, I didn’t grab her. Being smart as she is, Hayoon probably knew that if the girl got hurt, she could be seriously blamed.

“Um, ma’am.”

The voice that came out of Hayoon’s mouth was very polite and calm.

“May I ask what’s troubling you?”

After looking at her composed face, perhaps some sense returned to the girl’s head, as her pupils shook slightly.

“This brat—”

Suddenly.

Hayoon silently stared at the girl pointing at me.

Not even blinking once.

Oh, this is getting a bit scary for me too.

My fingertips trembled a little.

It’s not just the fact that Hayoon is angry that’s scary. The girl in front of me isn’t that scary either.

But the current situation.

This is a situation where I could tell Hayoon about what happened to me yesterday.

“This kid.”

After seeing Hayoon’s serious expression, whether she felt something, recognized Hayoon’s face, or finally remembered where she belonged, something in the girl’s voice showed a hint of rationality.

“You hurt my daughter yesterday.”

“….”

Hayoon looked at me.

It seemed like she didn’t believe the girl’s words at all.

“No, right?”

It felt like those words were spoken, and I almost made a groaning sound.

What should I say here?

I did it, so it’s literally my doing. There was a surveillance CCTV, but the problem is that it captured not just me.

If I were to really get reported and the police started looking for the “assailant,” problems could arise from there.

The woman looked visibly agitated at my silence.

“Yesterday, because of that incident, our child’s rib got fractured! Do you know that!?”

No, I didn’t.

Honestly, I thought it was nonsense.

Even if they went to a clinic, they would have been fine in a day, but it seems like those kids ended up stuck in the hospital.

They probably received treatment as needed.

“Jieun?”

Hayoon called my name with a slightly puzzled voice.

“….”

After a brief pause, I let out a long breath.

“So what?”

And that was what I said.