episode_0050

If I had more to lose, the plan James and I were putting together would have been more intricate.

We would have distinguished between what we could lose by causing such an incident and what we wouldn’t, and if we did lose something, we would have figured out what to give up and what we couldn’t.

Yet, I ended up losing almost everything I had.

“There’s still something you haven’t lost yet.”

James said.

Ah, right. From another person’s perspective, maybe not yet.

There’s still wisdom, and there’s Hayoon.

“Both of them are still alive and well, aren’t they?”

It’s truly fortunate that the person next to me making such remarks is someone I shouldn’t give up on immediately.

Otherwise, I might have smacked him with a hammer.

“Wisdom isn’t something you can meet right away. So, it’s as good as not having it.”

Right. Unreachable. If I were to go meet Wisdom for whatever reason now, it would lead to various problems.

Firstly, my cover would be blown, and people would think that I’m close enough to Wisdom to give up all these important things just to see her.

Although it was an important connection that I valued enough to not just go meet her without thinking a step ahead.

“…And Hayoon is a magical girl.”

In reality, Hayoon and I are at odds. Every time the magical girls crossed paths with me, they made gestures trying to subdue me.

It could be understandable when I first infiltrated the company. To them, there was something very valuable at stake, and it was a competition over it.

But then, when we subdued the monster.

I saw the magical girls rushing towards me.

To help those kids and even getting shot for it.

At least Hayoon stood there with a blank expression.

Isn’t that strange?

If they are magical girls, they should be able to tell that I’m not the criminal. They might not be able to dig deep into federal records, but based on that encounter alone, they should know.

I am not the criminal.

“So, are you saying you’ll crush them all?”

James asked, raising his eyebrow. That ‘little rat expression’ of his.

He puts forth this plan himself but speaks as if it’s my choice.

Well, it is my choice. There was only one option.

“…It’s getting tiresome.”

I escaped because I didn’t want to be punished for a crime I didn’t commit, and I’ve been on the run ever since.

But the magical girls haven’t uttered a single word in my defense.

I tried to understand… I really did.

Aren’t they still just kids? Hayoon too, most likely following their parents’ strong influence to play the role of magical girls.

But still.

But still—aren’t they supposed to fight for justice?

Do they know how many times my bones have been broken and crushed for that cause? Do they know that the people falling under their protection were fighting from another planet just to protect their families?

Well, probably not.

They probably never thought about it.

Even if I were a magical girl, I might have been the same.

If someone turns to thievery due to poverty, becomes a gangster, would they receive the same support? Probably not. If someone commits a crime out of poverty, regardless of the reasons, no matter how much leniency is shown based on circumstances or attitude, a crime is a crime.

And thus.

An uncommitted crime is not a crime.

Yes, I decided on one thing.

If what I’ve destroyed suddenly comes back to haunt me, I’ll have to face the consequences.

But I can’t stop now. Even if it leads to a more despairing end, it doesn’t matter. I’ve already lost everything.

“Let’s make one thing clear before moving on.”

Even with my statement, James seemed somewhat skeptical, responding in a serious tone.

“If we proceed with our plan, you will inevitably come across the magical girls during the process. And among them, your friend, Blossom, will be there.”

“….”

“If you end up fighting them, can you fight sincerely? Can you properly subdue them? I’m not saying this out of emotional reasons. It’s because if you can’t win, it will be troublesome in many ways.”

I pondered for a moment.

Can I attack Hayoon?

The conclusion wasn’t that hard to reach.

I’ve encountered Hayoon several times until now. Naturally, I’ve attempted attacks.

It was an attack knowing it wouldn’t work, but that knowledge remains unchanged now. After all, Hayoon is a magical girl, and in this world, even if she gets a few limbs broken, they can be fixed in a matter of hours.

So, can I win?

This time

“…’You’re saying you don’t know if it will succeed?’

James said that, and naturally, I think the same.

Every time I look at James and call him a rat or something, but in reality, I’m no different. A rat pushed into a corner.

That’s why I want to ask him about being a cat for once.

‘Isn’t it that you’ve calculated whether I can win inside there or not?’

I can attack Hayoon.

But with my face exposed, can I break his arm while looking him in the eye?

That’s a completely different story.

It’s similar to how Hayoon couldn’t attack me after seeing my face.

Above all, the current me… can really hurt Hayoon. It’s different from when I was a combatant.

I can attack, so maybe I could break something, but—

Can I go all the way?

That’s a completely different issue.

Even though I crumpled up my answer like that, James had already anticipated it and nodded.

‘Well, alright. We’re not aiming to be magical girls.’

‘Are you sure about yourself?’

To my question, James looked at me.

He seemed very puzzled.

‘Why?’

‘No. It’s strange that you’re asking me such a question.’

‘Is it strange that I worry about you?’

‘That too, but hmm.’

James chuckled and said, ‘Shall I put it this way? Have you ever felt loyalty to the company you work for?’

‘Uh…’

‘It seems you sincerely showed loyalty to me while working as a combatant. It’s a touching story, but I’m not a fool to be loyal to the company I work for. It was just a relationship of selling my skills and getting paid.’

Hmm.

Would it be okay to give him a little smack? I think I know how to hit without killing.

‘Of course, we cooperated more for mutual purposes rather than a simple monetary relationship, but what’s the point of cooperating now?’

‘You seem surprisingly straightforward.’

‘I wonder what kind of person you are saying such things, but it doesn’t matter. For my plans to continue as long as the company chairman is alive, any hindering presence must be removed.’

I thought he had given up decisively, but it was actually quite sticky.

So, this guy has bet on other possibilities he currently holds.

‘Do you have any thoughts of trying something like being a magical girl?’

I think this mindset fits well with the hope circuit.

‘I don’t understand what kind of joke that is.’

James replied with a frown.

*

‘…Well, I’ve been a nuisance so far.’

‘Oh, no, I never thought of it that way.’

As we were about to leave the house, Jigubba turned back and said, smiling.

His expression seemed so nonchalant that I almost laughed.

‘You always waited quietly while we were arguing.’

‘Well, it wasn’t a topic I could intervene in.’

Hmm, that’s true.

As I was pondering over what to say, Jigubba spoke first.

‘It’s better to have someone around than to be alone all the time. It’s better to have someone to drink coffee with when needed. And it’s better to share the bills than paying them alone.’

But at the same time, it was very risky. If it were the Federation, Jigubba, being an alien, probably wouldn’t do anything strange because of me, but it would be a different story with the company.

Moreover, Jigubba lost the job where he could earn the most money because of me. The situation at the company was not good because of me.

Many people get angry even at such facts. No, it’s normal to get angry. There are many cases where people pour out their anger at the primary cause of the confusion they don’t know how to resolve.

…I’m the same.

‘But it was fun. There were people to talk to while working together, and most importantly, there was a magical girl near me, right? A special existence that can only be a human?’

‘….’

If he goes that far, there’s nothing to say.

Jigubba… because he’s ‘Jigubba.’ If he says that’s fine too, well.

‘It’ll probably be hard to see each other in the future.’

We didn’t plan to run away anywhere. James also said he hadn’t thought of a separate place.

This operation was truly a ‘glow.’

Fleeing as far as possible while the opponent is dealing with the situation. That was our plan.

James thought about the danger of staying in the same place, and I also thought about the fact that if I stayed here, I would eventually be killed. I didn’t want to gift danger to someone who had helped me.

‘That’s a shame.’

Jigubba said.

‘But

Upon arriving here, I wonder how many friends I will make. I have never encountered a friend of an Earthling before.

I’m not sure how it was on the planet I originally lived on, but Earthlings tend to be passive about making alien friends.

In the early days of alien landings, there were always people who wanted to make alien friends, but as time passed, the number of those who wanted to get closer to them, who were increasingly classified as privileged, decreased. In various ways, people were divided into those who could do that and those who couldn’t.

Some tourists looked at Earthlings as if they were primitive beings, which worsened the mutual image. With the alien issue on top of that, even if you don’t openly participate in anti-alien or anti-Federation demonstrations, you might receive disapproving looks.

Moreover, Earthlings are more involved in physical labor. Isn’t there quite a distance between them and the “privileged class” that one should befriend?

Perhaps, for an Earthling, the friend they make on this planet might be just me.

“…When everything is over.”

I replied.

I don’t plan to die. Maybe it’ll be the worst-case scenario, like being imprisoned or something like that.

So, well.

If I end up in some prison-like place and she’s still living here, we might meet again.

To avoid showing any hint of such implications, I casually shrugged my shoulders and reached out my hand.

I hesitated for a moment, then reached out and grabbed her hand.

“Oh, and if you happen to disclose our presence here elsewhere or something, *tchk*!?”

James inside the bag made such a sound, so I quickly put my hand in and grabbed her cheek.

“Well then, until next time.”

After a brief pause.

“…Pangpang.”

I called out that name.

No matter how much I think about it, it’s a name that doesn’t stick. It might be a plausible name on that planet, in that country.

“See you next time, Jieun.”

Pangpang said as she shook my hand.

“When we meet next time, let’s have a cup of coffee.”

I said that and turned away.

I didn’t look back, but I could tell that the sound of the door closing was quite delayed.

*

After walking for a while, taking a bus, moving by subway, choosing paths without CCTV cameras, changing clothes several times, we entered the mountains.

“Let’s do a final check.”

James was already armed with his equipment.

At the sound of my circuits running, the drone naturally rose. The light emanating from the propulsion device was similar to the light that comes out when I wield a hammer.

By the way, the hammer in the spatial dimension could be retrieved after several failures. James also improved that hammer. At least, there won’t be a repeat of dragging the hammer around like last time.

“Once we’re inside, smash anything in sight.”

“Excellent.”

“And when all eyes are on us, I’ll say what I want to say.”

“More precisely, stealing the broadcasting equipment inside the main building is the first step. Your words are a backup plan. Well, the likelihood of choosing a backup plan is quite high.”

“Alright.”

There will probably be a lot of operatives inside, but their loyalty is low. If the company has somehow dealt with that, the story might change.

Anyway, you have to know what you don’t know.

My circuits were spinning around.

Ironically, thinking that the chances of failure are high has been quite helpful. Thinking that I might run into Hayoon there is also helpful.

A circuit of despair.

It’s reliable in times of crisis—

So, I don’t really know if I can accomplish something great with it.

I looked at the circuit.

98 percent.

Even that fact doesn’t seem to be of much help.

With a sense of irony, I shivered at the dark energy enveloping my vision.

*

Although the Galactic Federation has not formally established diplomatic relations with South Korea, exchanges continue in the form of ‘citizen representatives.’

And such ‘citizen representative’ buildings are almost the same size as most embassy buildings in Seoul.

It is a well-known fact that the diplomatic privileges within the building are merely a facade.

However, since the Korean government has not yet joined the Federation, the Federation is still cautious towards the Korean government.

Inside that building, there was also a space where magical girls could gather to rest. The building was constructed on a limited site, so it couldn’t utilize a very large area, but it was spacious enough for about five girls to gather and rest.

The ordinary magical girls gathered there for a meeting. It was a place where secrets could be shared without fear of others listening in, ensuring the confidentiality.

… However, today was different.

“Then, let’s go with this plan.”

Ha-yoon said softly, exhaling quietly.

The surroundings were not dominated by buildings based on white colors but rather appeared somewhat cozy. While lacking in sophistication, the atmosphere felt warm.

It was Ha-yoon’s first time visiting Ju-ah’s house.

Other magical girls’ experiences would likely be similar.

Naturally, within the Federal building, there was always the presence of Federal ears. Hence, discussing matters elsewhere would draw attention from people’s eyes and ears.

Especially within a room.

The parents of magical girls were all involved in Federal-related work. Therefore, their time at home was irregular.

In such situations, one had no choice but to find a place where parents were most consistently absent to have these discussions.

That place happened to be Ju-ah’s house.

Ju-ah’s room was a bit cramped for five people. Although everyone found a corner to sit in, having five people there made it feel a bit stuffy.

The conversations held there were no different from the previous ones with Ju-ah.

Whether to tell the truth or continue feigning ignorance.

“…”

No one responded to Ha-yoon’s words.

Everyone was lost in thought.

Not a single person wanted to abandon the position of being a magical girl. Even Ha-yoon herself wanted to hold onto it as much as possible.

However, they couldn’t hide the truth forever.

Continuing to conceal everything would eventually lead to problems. Everyone present understood that much.

“If we take away the circuits… what then?”

Dahlia spoke cautiously.

“So, are we planning to make a move first?”

Ha-yoon replied.

“If we don’t speak up, they can threaten us with the circuits. But if we reveal the truth first, until they counter our words, if we take away the circuits, things will get complicated.”

It was a reasonable statement.

The Federation placed considerable importance on public opinion. Hence, they exploited individuals with a somewhat serious nature who identified as “magical girls.”

But why were they keeping silent about those terrorist incidents and instead blaming someone who remained silent?

“I hope everything turns out fine.”

Rose remarked.

Delphinium remained silent.

“Yes, definitely—”

However, Ha-yoon’s sentence didn’t reach its conclusion.

The pager rang sharply.

Everyone jumped in surprise.

Perhaps because the conversation was heading in that direction, they thought someone might have caught wind of it from the other side.

Ha-yoon quickly picked up the pager. The other girls did the same.

The pager, resembling a vibrating bell, was typically used to call other magical girls. While it could record detailed messages, there was usually no time to do so as it was primarily used for urgent matters.

Recording messages was usually done by Federal personnel, serving as a substitute for briefings.

Even if a warning voice was included, it wouldn’t be unusual.

However, the message on the pager was different.

“Huh?”

Ha-yoon’s voice trembled slightly.

[Nouar Corporation Headquarters, Black Magical Girl under attack. Target’s objective still unknown. Immediate dispatch required.]

As if using a voice synthesis program, the mechanical voice continued its explanation.

[Major media outlets are already assessing the situation and en route. Cause is unknown. Upon arrival, control the scene immediately.]

“…”

A pallor spread across Ha-yoon’s face.