I Became a New Magical Girl Priest

Chapter 18




“So what?”

My one remark turned the atmosphere icy cold.

Even our homeroom teacher, who was standing behind, turned pale.

I felt relieved after letting that out, but deep down, I sensed I might have made a mistake.

With this, I would surely be suspected as the perpetrator.

But still, I didn’t want to get Earth Buddy into trouble.

I wasn’t keen on discussing whether what I did was right or wrong. It was just… he jumped in to help me.

Hmm, isn’t this a bit embarrassing?

Besides, he works at the same place. If he gets fired, that would be one less person, and that would make my life harder. Yeah, that’s a good enough reason.

Anyway, that’s how it was.

The atmosphere grew tense, and while I did think I had made a mistake, I didn’t shift my gaze away from that girl.

I didn’t want to lose.

Even when stuck in situations where losing was inevitable, my personality always felt the same. Even if I had to lose, I wanted to feed them something.

“You, you…”

The girl, apparently feeling dizzy, raised her hand and gripped the back of her neck.

“Mom!”

Our teacher rushed over to support her from behind, but it was a failed attempt.

Crash!

The two of them collapsed in a way straight out of a cartoon. The girl probably thought our teacher could catch her, but the teacher had no strength to do so at all.

Watching the two tumble around caused the kids’ expressions to dull a bit.

“…”

At least this wasn’t my fault. She just tripped over her own feet.

By the way, the kid recording it from behind was still filming.

At this point, I thought it might be time to give it a different title. Seeing the girl fall so absurdly would make it impossible to just call her a victim. People hurling insults online wouldn’t care about reasons like that.

I returned to my seat.

And began rummaging through my desk to prepare for class.

The atmosphere was pretty awkward, but well, it wasn’t my problem.

“You, you…!”

The girl, flailing about and shouting at me, found herself being clung to by our teacher. It seemed she didn’t plan to attempt something similar again after that first fall.

“You, I will definitely not let this slide!”

In the end, our teacher pleaded and dragged the girl out of the classroom.

The girl was still shouting as she exited.

From the look on our teacher’s face as she glanced at me, it seemed I would at least be called out during break time.

I let out a light sigh.

“Ji-eun.”

Ha-yoon spoke up as I prepared for class.

“What’s up?”

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

I didn’t want to lose. But I also didn’t want Earth Buddy to be sacrificed. And still, I didn’t want to make Ha-yoon worried either.

Am I being too greedy?

Even after hearing me, Ha-yoon’s face was filled with worry.

“Don’t worry too much.”

I spoke with a little more strength in my voice.

“There’s a way to resolve this.”

Truth be told, there wasn’t.

“…”

Ha-yoon bit her lip and stared at me quietly, so I eventually looked away.

*

In the end, I got called out during break time.

I got scolded by the teacher but remained silent, mouth tightly closed. The notorious girl’s mom next to me looked like she was one breath away from a stroke, but I just kept my mouth shut. I thought half the time that she should just collapse for real, but it never happened.

Too bad. If that girl fainted, that little brat who had been sticking around would surely jump back up.

“… you think just staying silent will make everything resolve itself?”

Our teacher said that.

Probably didn’t.

I was planning to search for a way to resolve this. Honestly, I had no measures in place.

Finally, the teacher let me go.

There wouldn’t be a resolution today.

Maybe a few days later or, at best, by tomorrow, something would happen.

I didn’t think it would escalate this much.

Upon returning to the classroom, it was clear Ha-yoon was still looking at me with concern.

I didn’t say anything.

*

At least nothing happened until class ended.

Our teacher seemed to not want to pay attention to me anymore, and that girl didn’t show up after presumably going home. I pondered what she might be preparing for, but there weren’t any answers, so I ended up feeling a weird blend of anxious and unsure, a complex and uncomfortable sensation.

It would probably stay like this until the end. Irritation was already bubbling up.

“Ji-eun.”

“Yeah.”

“Really, is nothing happening?”

“Yeah.”

I only answered, yet somehow I found myself looking directly at Ha-yoon.

Huh.

Ah, Ha-yoon had turned me by the shoulder.

I thought I had developed some strength, doing all this Magical Girl and cool stuff, but the real Magical Girl Ha-yoon seemed to be far stronger than I.

There weren’t any stiff parts when she touched me, but where on earth were her muscles hiding?

“… really?”

Ha-yoon looked straight into my eyes.

When I met her pure, sparkling gaze, I felt like I couldn’t even think of lying.

Ha-yoon was aware of that, too. Just as I knew Ha-yoon well after spending so much time together, she also knew me just as well.

I looked away.

“Ji-eun.”

“… I want to resolve this.”

“…”

At my words, Ha-yoon let out a small sigh.

“… is there nothing I can do to help?”

If Ha-yoon helped, everything would probably turn out perfectly. That girl must have something she wants from Ha-yoon. It probably wouldn’t be extremely illegal. Likely just a request to connect some dots between Eun-ha and her husband.

And if Ha-yoon also became friends with that brat, everything would get cleared up smoothly.

But I didn’t like the idea of Ha-yoon doing such things.

Jealousy, pride, and… my selfishness. The weird compulsiveness I had about not wanting to see Ha-yoon getting tangled with odd people was complicating matters.

I well knew it. I knew, but my heart didn’t want to budge.

“Later.”

In the end, I couldn’t withstand Ha-yoon’s gaze and blurted that out.

“If it gets really tough later, I’ll let you know.”

Ha-yoon kept staring at me for a long time afterward.

Then slowly, she took her hand off my shoulder.

I glanced up at Ha-yoon.

She had a complicated expression. But the dominant emotion visible was disappointment.

I wasn’t sure if that disappointment was directed at me, our relationship, or just the situation itself.

“Got it.”

As I had said to Ha-yoon, she ultimately echoed it back at me.

“Instead, if it really gets hard, you have to tell me.”

Saying that, Ha-yoon held out her pinky finger towards me.

I quietly stared at that pinky for a while, then linked mine with hers.

Since childhood, I must have made promises like this countless times. Even now that we’re teens, Ha-yoon sometimes makes promises like this.

I’ve kept these kinds of promises before.

And honestly, I couldn’t refuse such a promise.

Being close to someone is so scary.

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

But somehow, I felt like this promise might end up being the first one I break.

*

While heading home after parting with Ha-yoon, I received a group message from the company.

I felt a little relieved that a message finally arrived, while also mildly annoyed. Still, the relief outweighed the irritation. At least this meant I hadn’t been cut from the team.

Besides, when my head is in turmoil, it’s often better to have something to focus on. Even though it was already midnight, after putting in some movement, I might sort my thoughts a little.

I made my way to the orphanage quickly, grabbed my combat suit, and blending in where others couldn’t see, snuck out of the orphanage to catch the bus to the company.

Dressed in the combat suit, shouting the battle cry, and getting into the van.

Then we headed to a mission site that I didn’t know.

But I still remembered the incident itself.

“Today’s combat zone is here.”

Officer James said.

“Yes, at first glance, it looks like a residential area. It is indeed a house.”

James observed the bewildered combatants.

The place where we gathered was near where I lived.

Actually, “near” might be a stretch. It was across the street and a bit of a hill climb.

But it was definitely within walking distance.

It felt kinda futile. I drove all this way, only to come to a place so close to home.

Maybe due to concerns about the leak of information, they never directly stated the combat zone, but in times like this, I felt a bit tempted to grumble.

“But in that mansion, some illegal activities are happening. We received intel that one of the key figures of the Eun-ha Federation is hiding in that mansion.”

James continued as he walked ahead of us.

“That’s why we’re borrowing this mansion.”

Right in front of the mansion that we were targeting.

No matter how you look at it, standing quietly outside someone’s house while saying this kind of thing is a bit awkward.

Plus, the wall was so high that getting in seemed unlikely.

The place we drove into was a little higher than that mansion.

“We’ll infiltrate using the zipline. But please avoid causing too much harm to civilians who may be considered innocent. They might not want to report to the government, but if there are casualties when the police come, that would be a big problem.”

“…”

No one replied.

The mention of the police visibly made everyone uneasy.

“You don’t really need to worry too much. It’s truly a remote possibility. Our company has backup plans after all.”

Noir Corporation has openly aligned with the government.

And the government, while keeping an eye on the Eun-ha Federation, somewhat turns a blind eye to mildly illegal activities.

… Using the extralegal means so boldly by the Eun-ha Federation. And a company that benefits from similar rights.

Really, both sides seem like they’re just villains in their own right.

“Our mission is to find evidence of the Eun-ha Federation figure inside the facility beneath that mansion. A smartphone photo would suffice. Ideally, it would be great if we could bring that figure back, though that’s not very likely. But still, we should gather some intel from inside. The household comprises four people.”

James explained in a rather serious tone.

“A middle-aged couple, a teenage daughter, and a housekeeper. The intel tells us the daughter is hospitalized and not home, and the husband is busy with work and can’t come home today. The housekeeper and the wife should be asleep at this hour, so our mission shouldn’t be too difficult. Oh, and the daughter’s bedroom is on the second floor, and the couple’s bedroom is on the first. The housekeeper’s room is likewise. The rest of the rooms are either empty or storage.”

… A hospitalized daughter?

That felt a bit off somehow.

James glanced back at us, gave a slight smile, and then donned a mask.

“Then—”

James pulled out a small device from his pocket and pressed a button.

Phew. Phew. Phew.

With a somewhat underwhelming sound, gunfire erupted near the wall.

The bullets flew accurately and strongly enough in comparison to the sound and lodged deep on the other side of the wall.

“—Let’s go.”

The first to move was the leader.

Glancing at me, it seemed he had some competitive spirit directed at me.

Following him were Earth Buddy and the other members who had been standing by my side.

The zipline had three wires. Including the combatants, there were about twenty of us, so we had to hurry to get everyone onboard.

I let out a small sigh and took to the zipline after those three.

Beep beep beep.

Circuit’s status: 70 percent.

Holding on with both hands felt sturdy enough to bear my weight.

Honestly, the zipline itself was quite fun. The rolling part afterwards, not so much. Naturally, since it was installed for fun, it had to have enough space for a proper landing, but this zipline had been hastily constructed, hence it was just a skinny wire sticking into the ground.

It was dark, making it hard to judge the distance.

Still, I wasn’t only rolling; I could manage to use a bit of rolling technique and get up quickly enough to appear somewhat natural.

“Okay. Everyone move quietly.”

We all hunched down and moved slowly.

It seemed there were no guards here. After all, no matter how grand a house is, it doesn’t seem like they would have guards at the entrance.

This time, the leader didn’t let me be in charge of opening the door.

As befits a large and nice house, the windows were really wide. Just like the kind of house you see in movies from back in the day. The kind where people live secretly in the basement.

Not wanting the front door damaged directly as that would be too risky, the leader created a round hole in the glass door with his blade.

He managed to catch the falling glass carefully and laid it out outside without breaking it, then rolled in a smoke bomb that emitted fine particles.

“Ha.”

Then, I could see red lasers densely scattered near the glass.

It didn’t look like ordinary residential security.

Even for a company like this, the trustworthiness of their intel is high.

Just how much do they hate the Eun-ha Federation to be this adamant?

There might be lasers, but honestly, it wasn’t that threatening. The company doesn’t usually care about the lives and safety of combatants, but until just before a mission succeeds, they still provide some support.

The leader pulled out another grenade-like object.

Pulling the pin and rolling it inside, it went phew, with an underwhelming sound while emitting smoke again.

After a few seconds, the red lasers turned off. I didn’t know what the mechanism was. EMP? Well, as long as it worked, it didn’t really matter.

We moved swiftly into the house.

Except for the secret facility in this basement, it was just a family home, so I didn’t expect there would be any impressive devices within the living space. It seemed overly bothersome to accidentally trigger the security system while just trying to visit the restroom last night.

It seemed the leader was on the same page as me, as he gestured lightly.

We dispersed quickly.

Even though they were little more than minor minions of the evil forces, I had been fighting alongside this team consistently.

Naturally, we had this much coordination, perhaps even better than with the Magical Girls.

The real problem was how easily they would go down once the fighting starts.

The leader likely intended to search the first floor, pointed at me, and directed me to the second floor.

What a pain.

As it is a ‘basement’ facility, there’s a good chance there’s an entrance on the first floor that’s easy to access. The device to open it would undoubtedly also be on the first floor.

That would be all the more perilous, but securing some success would reflect positively in performance evaluations.

Well, okay.

Since I had already done my part last time, I’d let this one slide. My goal is just to avoid getting cut.

Leading Earth Buddy and the other team members behind me, I took the lead.

They said the daughter’s bedroom was only on the second floor.

So that means, I could feel slightly reassured. With the daughter hospitalized, there shouldn’t be anyone on the second floor.

Keeping our footsteps as quiet as possible, we slowly turned back.

As I thought that, on reaching the second floor, I pointed out doors one by one with my fingers to Earth Buddy and the other members.

A long corridor with rooms on both sides. There wasn’t really anywhere to hide, but that didn’t feel like a huge problem.

The hallway wasn’t as wide as I imagined. There was only one window at the end, so it wasn’t really that open. Still, compared to what I recalled from outside, the size of the windows in the rooms was pretty decent.

Since there didn’t seem to be anything significant to find, let’s just have one person watch over each room and wrap it up quickly.

Just as I was thinking that, it happened.

Creak.

The door swung open.

The people attempting to enter the room, including me, all froze in surprise.

The one emerging with a groan was a girl my age.

Rubbing one eye and yawning big, she looked pretty out of it.

There were no places to hide in the hallway, and naturally, the very moment she stepped out, she spotted a combatant opening the door to her room.

Wearing a black helmet on her head, and clad in tight black clothing.

“Huh?”

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

I covered her mouth with my hand to muffle any screams.

Her eyes widened.

Though her hands and feet were free, she didn’t seem inclined to resist.

This was probably her first time facing a situation like this.

Yeah.

It had to be.

“….”

The girl I had pinned down was the daughter of the woman who had come after me today.

W-Why is she here?

I frowned.

“Mmph!”

The girl seemed to finally grasp the situation and started flailing about.

As she tried to grab my helmet with both hands, I swiftly pulled my head back.

Other combatants rushed over to grab her arms and legs.

We skillfully flipped her body over.

And using the multi-purpose cable ties I always carried, we bound her thumbs and wrists, then taped her mouth shut.

“….”

I felt like… I really was becoming a villain now.

After we tied her up like that, we all exchanged glances with one another.

Now what do we do?

Looking at her face, the other members merely shrugged or shook their heads.

“….”

First of all… we should probably take her down, right?

Leaving her alone would be troublesome if she somehow escapes.

I sighed deeply.

And then I recalled the leader who had told me to go upstairs.

There’s no way this was intentional, right?

 

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