episode_0018

“And then?”

With my one word, the atmosphere grew incredibly tense. Even the supervisor standing behind turned pale. While it felt somewhat refreshing to let it out, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had made a mistake. This way, I’d only be suspected as the perpetrator. However, I didn’t want to mistreat that guy either.

I don’t want to talk about whether this method is right or wrong. I just… He did jump in for my sake, after all. Hmm, does this reason sound a bit selfish? Besides, we work at the same place. If he quits, it’ll put everyone in a tough spot. Yeah, that reason sounds good.

Anyway, that’s how it was. The atmosphere grew tense, and I felt like I had made a mistake, but I didn’t avert my gaze from that woman. I didn’t want to. Even when faced with situations where I always lose, my nature remains the same. Even if I lose, I still want to give something back.

“You, you…”

The woman raised her hand to the back of her neck, as if trying to support herself.

“Mom!”

The supervisor rushed to support them from behind, but failed.

Thud!

Just like in a comic book, the two collapsed. The woman seemed to have thought the supervisor would surely catch her, so she just fell backward, but the supervisor had no chance of doing that.

As I watched the two fall back, some worry faded from the children’s faces.

“At least this isn’t my fault. She just fell over on her own.”

By the way, the person filming from behind was still recording.

At this point, I should probably come up with a different title. Because of the way the woman fell so absurdly, calling her a victim would certainly be exaggerated. People online won’t pay much attention to reasons like that when they tear into someone.

I sat back down.

Then I rummaged through my desk to prepare for class.

The atmosphere was incredibly awkward, but well, it wasn’t my part-time job.

“You, you…!”

The supervisor somehow managed to rush over and cling to the girl who was shouting at me from her seat. Perhaps because she had fallen once, she didn’t seem to have any intention of doing something similar again.

“I won’t just let this slide!”

In the end, the supervisor took the girl outside after some struggle. Even as she left, the girl continued to shout loudly.

Seeing the expression the supervisor gave me as they left, I figured I’d probably be called in at least once during break time.

I let out a light sigh.

“Jieun.”

As I prepared for class, Hayoon spoke to me.

“What’s wrong?”

“…It’s nothing to worry too much about.”

I don’t want to lose. But I also don’t want to sacrifice someone else. Yet, I didn’t want to worry Hayoon either.

Am I being too greedy?

I heard her, but Hayoon’s face was full of worry. “It’s okay not to worry too much,” I said, putting a little more strength into my voice. “There’s a way to solve this.” In truth, there wasn’t.

Hayoon bit her lip and stared at me, and eventually, I avoided her gaze.

*

In the end, I was called out during break time. The teacher scolded me, but I didn’t say a word with my lips tightly sealed. The woman next to me, probably Jin’s mom, had a look as if she was about to have a stroke due to high blood pressure, but I kept my mouth shut. Part of me actually wished she would collapse from a real stroke, but she didn’t. Too bad. If she had collapsed, that annoying girl who always jumps up as if she’s been struck by lightning would have jumped up from her seat. “…Do you think things will just work out if you keep your mouth shut like that?” the homeroom teacher said. It probably won’t just work out. I intend to find a solution. Honestly, I don’t have any plan at all. In the end, the homeroom teacher just let me go. At least, nothing will be resolved today. Maybe in a few days, or maybe tomorrow, things will explode. I never thought things would roll to this extent. When I returned to the classroom, Hayoon was still looking at me with a worried expression. I didn’t say anything.

*

Still, nothing happened until the end of class. The homeroom teacher looked like he didn’t want to show any more interest in me, and that woman didn’t seem to have gone home. I wondered what she was preparing for, but since there wasn’t a clear answer, I ended up feeling ambiguous, uncomfortable, and in various ways, having mixed emotions without being able to properly turn off my mind or worry. It’ll probably continue like this until the end. I’m already getting annoyed. “Jieun.” “Yeah.” “Is there really nothing wrong?” “Yeah.” I only answered, but before I knew it, I was looking straight at Hayoon. Huh. Oh, Hayoon grabbed my shoulder. While I thought I had grown stronger in my own way by playing the role of a magical girl and a wizard, it seemed that Hayoon, the real magical girl, was stronger than me. There wasn’t a single stiff part when she touched me; where on earth are her muscles hiding? “…Really?” Hayoon looked straight into my eyes. When I look into those honest, sparkling eyes, I can’t possibly think of lying. Hayoon knows that too. As much as I’ve known Hayoon for a long time, Hayoon knows me well too. I avoided her gaze. “Jieun.” “…I want to help.” “…” At my words, Hayoon let out a slight breath. “…Is there nothing I can do to help?”

Amaha Yun will probably resolve everything neatly. There’s something that the woman wants from Ha Yun, but it probably isn’t anything illegal. It’s likely just a request to connect her husband with someone from the Intergalactic Federation or something like that.

If Ha Yun can be friendly with that obnoxious girl, then everything will be resolved neatly. However, I didn’t like the idea of Ha Yun getting involved in such matters.

Jealousy, pride, and… my selfishness. It’s because of my strange aversion to seeing Ha Yun getting involved with those weird girls.

I know. I know, but my feelings don’t cooperate.

“Later.”

In the end, I couldn’t bear Ha Yun’s gaze and blurted that out.

“If it really becomes unbearable later, then I’ll talk about it then.”

Ha Yun continued to look at me for a while after that.

Then slowly removed her hand from my shoulder.

I glanced up slightly to look at Ha Yun.

It’s a complicated expression. Still, the most prominent emotion there was disappointment.

I’m not sure if it’s disappointment in that disappointment, disappointment in our relationship, or just disappointment in the situation. I don’t really know.

“Okay.”

Just as I eventually said to Ha Yun, she also ended up saying that to me.

“But if it really gets tough, you have to tell me.”

Saying so, Ha Yun extended her pinky finger to me.

I looked at the pinky finger quietly and hooked my finger around hers.

We made this promise several times since we were young. Even when we became teenagers, Ha Yun often did this when making promises with me.

I’ve kept this promise all along.

And perhaps, this is a promise I couldn’t refuse.

It’s terrifying to be close to each other.

“If it really gets tough, I’ll talk about it.”

But maybe breaking this promise will be the first time for me.

*

While heading home after parting ways with Ha Yun, I received a text message from work.

I felt a little relieved that the message had finally arrived, but at the same time, it annoyed me. Still, the feeling of relief was greater. At least it meant I hadn’t been laid off.

Moreover, sometimes it’s better to immerse oneself in something when the mind is in turmoil. It might help clear my head a bit, even though it’s late at night.

As quickly as possible, I went to the daycare center, grabbed my combat uniform, sneaked out unnoticed, and took the bus back to the company.

Wearing my combat uniform, shouting slogans, and getting into a van.

And we headed to an unknown operational area.

But still, I remember the incident.

“Today’s combat zone is here.”

The officer, James, said.

“Yes, it looks like a house at first glance. It actually is a house.”

James looked at the bewildered operatives and said, “The place we’ve gathered is near where I live. Well, not exactly nearby. It’s across the street and up quite a hill on the other side.”

Nevertheless, it’s still a walkable distance. It felt a bit anticlimactic. After all, to think we took a car only to end up so close to home. Maybe it’s because of concerns about leaking classified information that they never tell us the location first, but at times like this, I feel a bit grumpy.

“However, there are some illegal activities taking place in that mansion. We’ve received intelligence that one of the key figures of the Galactic Federation is hiding in the mansion’s facilities.”

James continued, walking ahead of us with a slouched posture. “That’s why we borrowed this mansion.”

Right in front of us was the mansion we were aiming for. It felt somewhat awkward to be parked in front of the house while discussing such matters. Moreover, the walls were so high that it didn’t seem easy to get in. The place we arrived in by van was slightly higher than the house.

“We’ll infiltrate through the house line. Still, please refrain from causing harm to those who appear to be civilians. Even if we can’t dare report it to the government, it will be a problem if the police intervene and there are casualties.”

No one responded. The mention of the police seemed to make everyone uneasy.

“Don’t worry too much. This is truly a rare occurrence. Our company also has considerations.”

Noir Corporation was openly aligned with the government. And the government, when it comes to restraining the Galactic Federation, turns a blind eye to certain unlawful activities.

…The Galactic Federation boldly using extraterritorial rights. And a company leveraging similar rights through them. Truly despicable on both sides.

“Our mission is to find evidence that a figure from the Galactic Federation is present in the facility beneath the mansion. A smartphone photo should suffice. It would be even better if we could bring out the individual. Not expecting much, but we still need to provide inside information. Originally, there are four people living in the house.”

James explained earnestly, “A middle-aged couple, a teenage daughter, and a housekeeper. The daughter is reportedly hospitalized and not at home, and the husband is busy and won’t be coming in today. The housekeeper and the wife should be asleep at this time, so the mission shouldn’t be too difficult. Oh, by the way, the daughter’s bedroom is on the second floor, while the couple’s bedroom is on the first floor. The housekeeper’s room is the same. The rest of the rooms are either empty or storage.”

…Hospitalized daughter? Somehow, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

James glanced back at us, his lips curling into a slight smile as he put on a mask. “Then—”

From his pocket, James took out a small device and pressed a button.

Pew. Pew. Pew.

With a somewhat muffled sound, bullets were fired near the wall. Despite the sound, the bullets flew quite accurately and forcefully, embedding themselves deep into the ground beyond the opposite wall.

“Let’s go.”

The first to move was our team leader. It seemed like he had a competitive spirit towards me. Following him was Jigu, who had been standing next to me.

There were three constructed house lines, totaling around twenty combatants. To get everyone involved, we needed to move quickly.

I sighed softly and followed the three people ahead of me in line.

Beep beep.

The circuit was at 70 percent. Hanging onto the house line with just my hands was enough to support my body weight.

Honestly, the house line itself was quite fun. What wasn’t enjoyable was rolling on the ground afterward. Of course, the house line, installed for enjoyment, naturally had space for proper landing, but this one was hastily made and stuck directly into the ground, so it was hard to gauge the darkness of the street.

Still, rather than just rolling, I could use some parkour techniques to swiftly get up and appear somewhat natural.

“Alright. Everyone, move quietly.”

We all crouched and moved slowly.

It seemed there were no security guards here. Well, even though it was a big house, it didn’t seem to have guards at the entrance.

This time, the team leader didn’t ask me to handle the door. The windows were also incredibly large, just like the ones in that movie I saw before, about people living secretly underground.

Seemingly considering breaking the front door directly too risky, the team leader made a round hole in the bulletproof glass with his blade. He skillfully propped up the glass to prevent it from falling, then carefully placed a smoke-emitting canister inside.

“Hah.”

As he did, it revealed a dense array of red lasers on the other side.

It didn’t seem like the typical security setup in a house.

Even in a company like this, information is highly trusted.

How much does the Eunha Federation hate them to be so relentlessly aggressive?

Although there were lasers, they weren’t particularly threatening. The company doesn’t really care about the lives or safety of operatives, but they do provide support until the mission is about to succeed.

The team leader then took out something resembling a grenade. After pulling the pin and rolling it inside, there was a puff, accompanied by a muffled sound. After a few seconds, the red lasers went out. I’m not sure of the principle behind it. EMP? Well, as long as it has an effect, it doesn’t matter.

We quickly moved inside.

Beyond the secret facility underground, it was just a regular house, so there wouldn’t be any remarkable security measures within our daily living area. It would be quite annoying to mess with the security system just because I needed to use the bathroom in the middle of the night.

The leader seemed to share my thoughts and gestured lightly. “We dispersed quickly.”

Even though we were a group of misfits against the forces of evil, we had consistently fought alongside each other. Naturally, there was a certain level of cooperation among us. Perhaps even better than the magical girls.

The problem is that once the fighting starts, falling too easily becomes an issue.

The leader seemed intent on investigating the first floor and pointed at me, indicating that I should check out the second floor.

“Unlucky guy.”

Since it’s an underground facility, it’s highly likely that the entrance would be conveniently located on the first floor. The opening mechanism would naturally be on the first floor as well. It’s riskier, but any success will be favorably reflected in the accident report.

“Fine. I set the precedent last time, so this time, let’s pass it around a bit. My goal is not to get cut off.”

Leading the other members behind me, I took the lead.

I heard there was only the daughter’s bedroom on the second floor.

Well, that should be somewhat reassuring. If the daughter is hospitalized, then there shouldn’t be anyone on the second floor.

Let’s move quietly and carefully.

Thinking this, I ascended to the second floor and, turning to Jigubba and the other members, I pointed to each door with my finger.

A corridor running straight, with two rooms on each side. There wasn’t really a hiding place, but it wasn’t a big issue either.

The corridor wasn’t as wide as I had imagined. There was only one window at the end of the corridor, so it wasn’t as open as one might think. Still, if you thought about it from the outside, the windows in the room were quite spacious and airy.

Since there probably isn’t much to find, let’s each take a room and quickly search before going back downstairs.

As I was thinking this, it happened.

Creak.

The door opened.

Those who were about to open the doors to enter the rooms, and I, all froze in surprise.

The girl who came out making creaking sounds was a young girl of similar age to me.

Rubbing one eye and yawning loudly, she looked quite annoyed.

It was a corridor without any hiding places, so naturally, as soon as she appeared, the combatant opened the door facing her own room.

Wearing a black helmet on her head and a black jumpsuit on her body.

“Huh?”

As soon as she made that sound, I rushed towards her.

I covered her mouth to prevent a scream from escaping.

Her eyes widened.

She seemed unable to resist, despite having freedom of movement with her hands and feet.

This situation must be completely new to her.

Yeah.

It must be her first time.

“……”

The girl I restrained was none other than the daughter of the woman who had caused such a commotion today by coming to find me.

Wait, why is she here?

I frowned.

“Mmmph!”

Belatedly, whether she realized the situation or not, that girl struggled. As she tried to grab her helmet with both hands, I hastily pulled her head back. Other combatants quickly rushed over and grabbed her arms and legs. We carefully turned her body over. Then, using a multi-purpose cable tie and tape that I always carry, I bound her fingers and wrists, and taped her mouth.

“….”

It feels like I’ve really become a villain.

After we had her all tied up like that, we looked at each other.

Now what?

Even when I looked at their faces, my comrades just shrugged their shoulders or lowered their heads.

“….”

For now… should we take her down with us?

It could be troublesome if we leave her alone and she manages to escape.

I let out a deep sigh.

And then, I remembered the team leader who told me to go upstairs.

Surely this isn’t something he’s aware of?