episode_0025

“Vine, shall we go out?”

“No, how can you ask me to go out dressed like this! Are you trying to announce to the world that I’m a magical girl walking around with a villain by my side?”

“Why, what’s wrong? You look pretty.”

“No, this… sigh.”

What kind of outfit is this skirt and blouse combination?

It’s like a school uniform but also like formal wear, this is…

What do you want from me to make me wear this kind of clothes?

“Is there a reason you’re making me wear this outfit? Why… sigh.”

“First of all, we’re going to the Association to work. It’s only natural to dress neatly when going there, right? Among the clothes in the closet, this is the neatest and best.”

“No, that’s not the issue! Sigh… at least let me wear a scarf.”

“No. Come on, let’s go quickly.”

“Ah, really… sigh.”

Nothing else matters. But, who on earth wears a dog collar and this kind of outfit…

My face… sigh. Seriously.

Could you cover it up a bit…

And so, being dragged by Blanc, I walked out onto the street.

It feels like everyone’s gaze is focused on me.

That person over there. It feels like they’re cursing at me.

And so, my body starts trembling more and more.

The amethyst on my chest vibrates.

My heart beats wildly.

“Vine, why are you shaking?”

“Sigh, sigh…”

“Vine, look at me.”

“Sigh… sigh…”

“Ha, I should have let you wear a scarf… no, never mind.”

“Ugh, ugh…”

“Vine. Look here. Come on. No one is looking at you. Right?”

“Sigh… yes…?”

“Look, no one is here. Even without a scarf, you don’t have to cover your face.”

“No, I… I, what I’ve done…”

“Look. You can walk around showing your face and nothing will happen. And I’m here with you.”

“No, no… I’m more worried about you… if something were to happen while you’re with me…”

“Vine, you know as well as I do. My body is too weak to harm an ordinary person, right?”

“That’s not the issue… your social reputation… how…”

“That’s my problem to handle. You don’t need to worry about it. Come on. Let’s go quickly.”

“…Sigh, okay.”

With a slightly calmer feeling, I walk down the street.

The feeling of being shot by those people’s gazes is slightly less intense.

What used to feel like needles piercing me now feels less intense.

Although the attention is still burdensome,

revealing my appearance is scary, but having someone by my side…

well, I can’t trust them. But I know their strength well.

And so, we nervously arrive at the telecommunications company.

Activating the mobile phone didn’t take too long.

I just asked for the cheapest one.

But, isn’t there something like a flip phone or something?

Even so, Blanc insisted on buying the best one… sigh.

Why does it cost over 100,000 won a month?

What can you do with 100,000 won…

And all of that goes towards the phone bill, it doesn’t make sense…

Even in Eden, I received a mobile phone under some fake identity from a ghost company, it’s all a bit complicated and I don’t remember it well.

Anyway, even though I had lost the concept of phone bills, now I’m sure of it.

Yeah, it’s expensive.

“Blanc, we don’t need such an expensive plan… why…”

“If something happens and you can’t make calls, that wouldn’t be good, right? So it’s necessary. Come on, now that it’s activated, let’s go to the Association. The President is waiting for you.”

“Sigh, really. How much debt are you trying to put me in with all this?”

“It’s not debt, think of it as employee benefits.”

“What kind of company spends over 100,000 won a month on mobile phone expenses for their employees…”

“Come on, let’s forget about that now. Let’s go to the Association.”

“The Association, isn’t it far away from here?”

“Yeah, you can get there quickly by taking the subway.”

“…Are you serious?”

“Yeah. We’ll take the subway.”

“Even after you saw me on the street just now, are you still saying that?”

“Yeah, how much longer do we have to walk.”

“Why am I the only one going out…”

“Are you planning on only taking the subway from now on? With that scarf on?”

“I don’t think I’ll have much reason to go out…”

“Really, do you think that’s the case? No, not at all.”

“Anyway, as long as you stay at home, everyone will be more comfortable, right?”

“…I don’t want you to just stay at home.”

“The world wants it. I want it too.”

“Ah, right. We have to go to the association with Arin. Arin doesn’t have a car, how will she get around?”

“Someone will give her a ride.”

“Well, everyone must be busy.”

“I don’t particularly want to go out… Ah.”

“But still, it’s a road we have to take someday.”

“…So in the end, you mean we’ll be taking the subway.”

“Yes. To help you live in the world without anxiety.”

“You have no intention of breaking that stubbornness.”

“Yes.”

“…Ah. In the end, okay. We should go, right?”

“You thought well. Let’s go. It’ll be better than what you’re thinking.”

“I don’t know. I just want to disappear…”

“Let’s go. Quickly.”

“…Yes. Ah.”

And so the two of us set off.

I feel the gaze of the people outside looking at me again.

There weren’t many people inside the agency.

It wasn’t too difficult with just two employees.

As expected, it’s difficult to move around when there are a lot of people.

It feels like they’re telling me to die, asking why I’m out in the world.

I hold Blanc’s arm tighter.

It reduces the noise and makes me feel better.

That way, we entered the subway station.

As expected of a crowded station, the noise felt like a dagger aimed at me.

It’s scary, like that dagger is targeting my heart and throat.

“Look, no one is paying attention to you. They’re just walking their own path. Right?”

“…They’re cursing at me. Can’t you hear it?”

“No, not at all, so don’t worry.”

“Do you really not hear it…? The sound that could kill me any moment, the eyes that could attack me at any moment… You really don’t see them…?”

“There’s no one like that here. If you’re that scared, you can come closer to me.”

…”

With Blanc’s consideration, I nestled my body closer to Blanc’s embrace.

It felt even more reassuring than when Blanc held my arm earlier.

After standing there for a while and having a moment of peace, I realized that people weren’t really paying attention to me.

I was still afraid they might turn on me at any moment, but with the defeated magical girl by my side, I felt more confident.

And so, we went down to the subway platform and boarded the train.

The fear didn’t subside with so many people on the subway, but being closer to Blanc made me feel safe.

Why is it that I feel safe being embraced by the magical girl who was once my enemy?

I didn’t question it at all.

It was still difficult for me to deal with crowds.

And so, we safely arrived at the association.

Nothing had changed since the last time I was here.

I followed Blanc through the main entrance of the association.

Then, a loud siren blared throughout the association.

Soon after, I realized that I was the cause of the alarm.

It seemed that this necklace had a function to alert all association employees when I entered the building.

I could release all the monsters and villains from the underground if I changed my mind. Well, that could happen.

But I didn’t expect the security team to surround me and point guns at me.

“Don’t move! Villain, what is your purpose here?”

“…Can’t you see the magical girl next to me?”

“Magical… girl, oh. Aren’t you Lady Blanc?”

Blanc, who was standing next to me, simply smiled and replied.

“Ahaha… I must have told the Chairman that I was coming with Vine.”

“Oh, is that so. I’m really sorry. Then, what about the villain next to you…”

“I’m Vine, from Eden. Can you please let the Chairman know that we’re here?”

“Y-yes! Please wait a moment. Hey, lower your guns! What are you doing!”

The people who were aiming at us, following the words of the person who seemed to be the leader, lowered their weapons.

Ah, how could there be such a troublesome situation as soon as we arrived at the Association?

Well, after waiting a bit, the Chairman finally appeared.

He seemed to have come down in a hurry, and he looked a bit flustered.

The employees, who were used to his dignified and serious demeanor, were slightly surprised to see the Chairman in such a state.

Perhaps they were more surprised by the fact that the Chairman had come out to greet a villain.

“Thank you for coming, Vine. Does that mean you’ll consider my proposal?”

“Well, I’d like to talk in a place where there are no people. Please understand.”

“Y-yes. Let’s go to the Chairman’s office. Oh, and that box is also in the Chairman’s office, so take it with you.”

“Okay. Where should I go?”

“Ah, this way.”

And so, following the Chairman, we went up to the top floor of the Association building where the Chairman’s office was located.

As expected, it was a spacious and luxurious private room used by the leader of an organization.

We sat on the sofa there and began our conversation.

“Vine, so you’re willing to help with the magical girl training, right?”

“Well, for now, it’s true for the magical girls at my training facility. As for other magical girls… tell them to defeat Blanc first.”

“If they can defeat Yoonseul… is that possible?”

“Well, there’s nothing that can’t be done, right?”

“R-right. Well, I’ll be grateful if you help.”

“But first, I need time to analyze their powers, don’t I?”

“Y-yes?”

How will the Chairman deal with a villain who openly talks about analyzing the magical girls’ powers?

Chairman, you really need to think carefully.

Do you really trust me?