episode_0031

As soon as I came to my senses, what came into my sight was a mass of magic flying towards me.

The massive clump that had caused me so much pain.

Reaching out in that direction was instinctive.

I didn’t want to hurt anymore.

Today, I was already in too much pain. I couldn’t understand why I should hurt more here.

I just wanted to give up and fall asleep.

I didn’t want to fall asleep and wake up again.

But even then, there was lingering regret.

In my past life, in this life, I was always inconsistent.

Without setting any goals in life, while thinking I wanted to be good, I never truly tried to be good.

I knew what Noir Corporation was doing, yet I worked there. Perhaps the donations were just for self-consolation.

Just looking up, feeling jealous of those better than me, wanting to be there somehow, I still chose that path.

Maybe I was convincing myself that it wasn’t something for me but for others.

Is punishment appropriate?

If I did wrong, is it right for me to be punished?

The Galactic Federation and the government of this country are untouchable, so if I stay quiet, I won’t be punished.

So is it right for me to be punished like this?

No, I don’t want that.

Even though I’ve lived like that, I didn’t want to suffer. I wanted to escape from blame.

I always wanted to quit, but I couldn’t give up on life.

I didn’t want to.

I didn’t want to…

For some reason, that white entity didn’t resonate with me.

Now I realize that something around me is distorting. Why does that black substance always appear whenever the circuit is pushed to its limit?

Magic kept flying. Big and small.

People were running away.

The sound of helicopters faded.

Ah, did they take a picture? Well, that makes sense. I’m floating so high up.

The surroundings that were faintly visible gradually shrank into darkness.

The magic presence that I felt around me slowly took on more substance and carried it away.

The arm I reached out with began to shrink back.

The magic slowly pressed down on my hunched body.

Oh, come to think of it, why am I like this?

I’m sure I was lying on the ground just a moment ago. There was a thick layer of metal and wires piled on top of me, making it impossible to get up.

Did I lose consciousness?

It didn’t really matter.

I was too tired to think or move. My stomach hurt. I wanted to collapse and sleep.

As I huddled, dangerous sounds continued to emanate from the circuit nearby. It was hot, but it didn’t hurt.

My body was tightly wrapped by the magic.

It’s as if they were trying to make a fuss.

Like the rubber tightly wrapped around the copper wire, within the tightly wrapped magic, I couldn’t even struggle.

Before understanding the situation, everything in front of me became hazy.

I saw the headlight that was facing me. The world seemed to be upside down.

The dark magic that was pressing on my body slowly, slowly peeled away.

My clothes had changed.

It wasn’t a patient’s gown that had become tattered and almost lost its meaning, but a light, airy dress that looked like something a magical girl would wear.

It was a dark dress with black as its base color.

Haha…

This is strange.

I was wearing a magical girl outfit.

Perhaps no one could hear my laughter. I didn’t have enough strength left to laugh sincerely.

I grabbed onto the air and got up.

A beam of light flew towards me, but it didn’t touch me at all.

I could see below.

Hayoon was there.

In pain and with blurred vision, only her silhouette could barely be seen.

Hayoon and, behind her, Rose. It was as if Hayoon was embracing Rose.

No, it might have been a different posture. But I didn’t have the ability to judge that right now.

The people below moved busily.

All the troops that had gathered like ants were running away in a panic.

What did I do?

It was just like last time.

I was being treated as if I had done something dangerous, even though I hadn’t done anything.

Did I… hurt the magical girls so much? There must have been many more injured combatants with delicate hands.

I must have been injured much more often.

Those people down there must have hit me much more.

“….”

It probably doesn’t matter.

After all, by tomorrow, I’ll really be a terrorist.

I didn’t want to worry about that.

Right now, I just wanted to sleep.

The magical girls below were preparing for something, but I had no intention of confronting them.

What should I do?

I want to run away.

As if responding to my thoughts, the magic moved.

I couldn’t tell exactly what was happening behind me. It just seemed to be sucking in things around me.

At best, it was just dust and air.

But at least the appearance of the world reflected in my eyes had completely changed.

I succeeded in leaving the place.

*

A safe place.

Yes, I need a safe place to rest. So, where is a safe place for me right now?

The orphanage was the first place the police would go. A monster who refused arrest, fled, caused multiple injuries, and confronted magical girls.

It’s odd that there are no police at the orphanage.

Hwayoon’s house? Of course, that wouldn’t work. The parents of the child mediate between the Galactic Federation and the government. In the worst case, I might be involved there.

…But in this world, there were only two places I considered safe.

Hwayoon’s house wasn’t actually safe; I just trusted Hwayoon.

…

Ultimately, it seems I chose a third path from the two.

When I opened my eyes, what I saw was not the white, clean ceiling I had seen in the hospital. It was a room with some stains, black mold growing in the corners.

Blinking, I sat up slightly.

“Ugh…”

I felt much better than when I was in the hospital, but there were still many painful areas.

Still, the new wounds had disappeared. Did someone take me to a clinic?

Did I collapse on the street? If someone took me, treated me, and protected me…

Do I not have a wanted notice out for me?

Thinking that far, I panicked when I realized there was no circuit on my left wrist.

Looking around hastily, I saw a circuit neatly laid next to the blanket on the floor.

My clothes… were gone.

This could only make my face turn pale. Someone had treated and cleaned me, yet the clothes I was wearing were gone.

It might not have been simply out of kindness that they brought me here.

Thinking that, I tried to get up quickly, but ended up groaning.

I had improved a bit, but there was still pain all over my body. Every muscle and joint screamed in agony. Well, hoping to recover immediately after such an ordeal was futile.

Struggling to sit up, I looked around.

It was a room that seemed familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. Where was the last place I thought of yesterday?

I must have wished for somewhere safe.

Lost in these thoughts, I heard a creaking sound from the narrow entrance door of the room.

It was the sound of a key turning in the lock.

Click. Along with a slight creaking sound, the door slowly opened.

On the other side was—

“Awake?”

A slightly surprised expression adorned Jiguba’s face.

Ah.

Right.

There were very few people I could rely on in this world. Of course, I couldn’t say that Jiguba was reliable, but among the people I knew where they lived, he was the only one who lived alone.

I remembered bringing that staggering guy here several times after he got drunk on caffeine.

“Don’t move too much. You were quite injured when I saw you yesterday. The wounds healed strangely fast.”

Jiguba said that while rustling a plastic bag in his right hand as he entered the room.

It wasn’t the first time I’d seen the room, but I rarely came in and out. There was only one time when I dragged someone who looked like they were about to throw up into the bathroom as soon as they came in and almost to the toilet.

It seems that I haven’t reported to the authorities yet.

“Why…..”

“Why are you here? Shouldn’t I be asking you that?”

Looking dumbfounded, Jigupa sat down in front of me and spread out various things from a black plastic bag.

Mandarins, drinks, cup ramen, coffee…

“I bought all this stuff at the supermarket in front of your place. You can get fruits pretty cheap by season. My aunt lives in the countryside.”

Jigupa said that, but I felt like saliva would drip from my mouth any moment.

Gurgle. My stomach growled.

“Would you like to eat the mandarins first? I’ll boil water for the ramen right away.”

“…Is that okay?”

“Well, you look like you haven’t eaten anything since yesterday. You probably don’t have any money. Do you remember what happened yesterday?”

I shook my head.

I heard a thud, so I opened the door and found you collapsed in front of it. You were wearing torn patient clothes.

“….”

It’s natural for magical girl clothes to be made by magic.

I hadn’t seen a magical girl return to her original state, so I couldn’t remember it properly, but in webtoons, it was said that when the transformation is released, she returns to her original clothes.

Anyway, becoming naked is too much. If that happened, being a magical girl would seem strange.

…So, yesterday, I came to this house and collapsed after the transformation was released.

While I was lost in thought, Jigupa reached out to the nearby electric kettle and pulled it towards herself.

She opened the lid, smelled inside, heard the sound of it shaking.

Then, nodding to herself, she put it back in the pot and pressed the button.

The light came on the button, and there was a loud bubbling sound.

Realizing that I hadn’t even held the mandarins in my hands until then, Jigupa picked one up and handed it to me.

Only then did I start peeling the mandarin. After feeling the texture belatedly, I felt a little impatient.

When I quickly peeled and put it in my mouth, it tasted good.

I’m not sure if the mandarin was tasty or if I felt it was tasty because I was very hungry, but anyway, it was delicious.

Honestly, tears began to well up.

“….”

Jigupa was lost in thought, just as Jigupa should be.

She was staring intently at the coffee pot, as if hoping the water would boil quickly.

After eating one mandarin, my head spun a little.

And I realized that just being here was a huge inconvenience.

“Um….”

“Yeah?”

“Can I stay here?”

I cautiously asked.

I barely found this place while looking for a place to escape.

If I had gone to a deserted mountain where no one would know, maybe I wouldn’t have been caught before all this happened.

In other words, I found a place where I can almost instinctively not be discovered in order to survive.

Not out of kindness or trust, but simply because it was the most likely place.

It must be a nuisance for the Earthling.

“Oh, well.”

But the Earthling just shrugged.

“You haven’t left me lying on the ground, after all.”

No, that and this feel different.

But I couldn’t argue with the Earthling, who spoke with such an indifferent expression.

The clothes I’m wearing right now are probably Earthling’s clothes.

Tak.

Just then, the water boiled, and the coffee pot’s button made that sound as it returned to its original state. Steam rose from the kettle.

The Earthling tore open a packet of instant noodles.

I did the same. And I realized later that I hadn’t said it was okay to eat yet, but the Earthling didn’t say anything about it either.

As the water poured into the noodles, we remained silent for about 3 minutes.

A delicious smell filled the room. One tangerine wasn’t enough after all.

I wanted to eat another tangerine, but I held back a bit because I felt a little self-conscious.

Looking again, the place I was lying on was an electric mat. It’s probably the only heating device in this room. It seems like the heater is hardly used.

The clothes I’m wearing are not short-sleeved shirts, but practically outdoor clothes, and the Earthling didn’t bother changing clothes either. They even took off their socks and threw them in a corner, putting on sleep socks instead. At most, they just took off their outerwear.

Sitting on the blanket was probably warm because it was one of the few warm places in this room.

The Earthling had already taken out a small table nearby and spread it between us.

They put the ramen on it and took out the wooden chopsticks from the bag to hand them to me.

“…Enjoy your meal.”

“Yeah.”

Even though the Earthling went this far, they didn’t ask any further questions. I was anxious, but grateful.

I quickly split the chopsticks and looked at the ramen.

It was a familiar smell, but at the same time, it was a very delicious smell.

Putting it in my mouth hastily, I almost miraculously didn’t spill it on my clothes.

*

“…Aren’t you suspicious?”

“About what?”

After finishing the ramen, the Earthling confidently came into my blanket and leaned against the wall. Our legs, sitting inside the electric mat, formed a T-shape.

Well, it’s their home, so it’s natural, but still. If that’s the case, they could just tell me to move.

Leaving this house little by little might not be so shameless, I thought, and a question that popped out without my knowledge was a blog question.

“Have you seen the news or something?”

My gaze turned to the smartphone Earth Lover was holding.

I don’t know how much interest Earth Lover would have in Earth’s news, but maybe it wasn’t too indifferent to ignore.

No matter how much the federal government and companies usually control information, it’s meaningless to hide it separately when so many people have already seen it.

Moreover, it will be uploaded as an online video.

In that case, it would be more advantageous to strike first and spread negative information about me.

“Oh, that.”

Earth Lover laughed as if it were absurd.

“You did the terrorism?”

“…Yeah.”

“I was there too.”

Earth Lover shrugged his shoulders and said.

“You gave me an alibi after that, didn’t you?”

“Ah….”

That was certainly true.

“Before that, we were just chatting, and before that, we were on a school field trip with the kids.”

….

Certainly, Earth Lover knew my alibi for that day.

But that didn’t make me feel hopeful or anything. If you want to manipulate evidence, you can do it.

Gyeonggi Province is at least two hours away from Seoul. Especially the road to that complex is very well maintained, so commuting from Seoul is possible. It will be tough, but…

It’s not unreasonable to say that I spent time preparing for the terrorism, but… Well, considering what Earth Lover knows, such news has already been released. Whether it’s a conspiracy theory or not, government announcements and articles from major media outlets carry different credibility.

“Well, just stay calm for a while. As long as you don’t go outside, no one will know, right?”

Earth Lover said, looking at my expression.

I wiped my face.

“…Thank you.”

I had nothing else to say.

Earth Lover opened his mouth to say something to me.

Thud. Thud.

But before that, a sound came from the front door.

I quickly got up from my seat. As soon as I put the circuit on my left wrist, I heard the sound of the circuit starting.

But it was difficult to exert proper force. Even though I surrounded my body with energy, my legs still trembled.

Earth Lover also approached the door with a somewhat tense expression in his own way.

And he looked outside through the small lens attached to the door.

“….Oh!?”

But as soon as Earth Lover saw beyond the door, he shouted loudly and opened the door wide.

I almost screamed when I saw what was beyond the door.

There was a person whose head was half blown off.

The upper part of the right eye was missing. Blood was flowing from the head.

There was someone there—

“….James?”

As I muttered, James collapsed forward.

Earth Lover hastily closed the door.

I staggered towards where James was.

Sprinkled red liquid on the floor, lying—lying?

The liquid coming from the head was clearly red, but it had a strange oily smell.

And that head, as I approached, opened with a small popping sound.

The broken top part was like a lid.

And what came out of it was—an animal that looked just like a hamster.

“Squeak squeak!?”

“……Squeak?”

“Oh, this person is talking.”

For something called a “person,” it had an incredibly animal-like appearance, but then again, among these “Xingren,” there were also people who looked like mere rocks.

“They can only make squeaky sounds, so to us, their language just sounds like squeaking.”

Saying that, the Earthling carefully lifted the fainted hamster.

“But Mr. James being a squeaky person… Well, I guess they could have made circuits too.”

“Squeak……”

No, it did look like a hamster.

……

Oh, I see now.

A hamster with large ears and a fluffy tail.

It looks just like the mascot I saw in the webtoon.

The color was completely different though.