LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 317
The feelings I developed towards my peers while finishing high school are quite complicated.
I know it’s inevitable. Ha-yoon and I are Magical Girls, and whether we like it or not, we attract attention in various ways.
People out there regard us almost like idols, so naturally, there are those who want to befriend us for that reason.
But sometimes, I find that a bit unpleasant.
It’s not that my attitude completely changed after realizing that Ha-yoon and I were going to be Magical Girls, but when we first met, it certainly wasn’t because of Ha-yoon’s background that I engaged with her.
I know this kind of comparison is unfair and narrow-minded in many ways, but honestly, I can’t help but feel less fond of those types of kids. Especially those who push it too far even when they know Ha-yoon is uncomfortable.
However, those clueless kids, whether they truly lack awareness or are pretending to, didn’t bother us when we arrived at school that Tuesday.
It was already after the news broke. We were running around the scene, where many people were injured or deceased, working hard to save others.
Occasionally, there are “experts” on news outlets questioning the existence of Magical Girls.
They claim that our presence is merely propaganda for the Federation, asserting that we don’t really provide significant help.
They argue that soldiers and police could handle the Aliens and that the Noir Corporation could control the situation with proper restraint.
Yet, even those people didn’t dare bring that up, at least not that day.
When a dangerous situation arose, we were the first to rush out and assist. This time, witnesses at the scene were unanimously testifying that we had been “helpful.”
For me, who was troubled for other reasons, it wasn’t bad at all.
“We did everything we could.”
During lunch, I climbed to the rooftop to eat bread, avoiding the other kids as usual, and Ha-yoon chimed in.
We really did do everything we could.
I think so, too.
It’s just that due to my excessively worried personality, I keep blaming myself for the explosion.
The original work was a comedic comic that didn’t particularly care about the flow of time. After its official serialization, that “comedy” aspect became hard to believe outside of the author’s claims, but the lack of time progression remained the same.
So, I don’t know whether such episodes existed in the original work because I didn’t read the latter parts properly.
However, I feel connected to that story.
I can’t help but think, what if this situation is something that shouldn’t have happened?
“Ji-eun!”
Did Ha-yoon read my thoughts?
She suddenly yelled, nearly making me drop my bread.
Ha-yoon pinched my cheeks hard with both hands and spun me around. In a daze, I found myself facing her.
Once again, I was a bit startled.
We had been friends for quite a while. So much so that we wouldn’t fuss about a bit of close skinship.
Like hugging or casually linking arms when we are next to each other. Of course, it wasn’t me leading it; it was Ha-yoon, feeling close enough to me to come over.
But had we ever been this face-to-face?
Ha-yoon’s grip was stronger than I expected. I could shake free if I gave it my all, but if I relaxed, I would easily be pulled along.
That’s how tightly Ha-yoon was holding my cheeks.
“…”
I could feel my face getting a bit hot.
I know this position is really nothing. Ha-yoon wasn’t doing it on purpose; she was just trying to cheer me up since I was sulking.
Just like when I comforted Ha-yoon after she got scolded by her parents for dropping her test scores a bit.
…She was the one hugging me back then too.
“Now, look me in the eye.”
Ha-yoon said.
Her cherry blossom-colored eyes seemed to be burning up.
As if she hadn’t expected me to make that kind of expression at all. It felt as though she was a bit bewildered.
“Repeat after me.”
“Repeat what?”
“Say ‘I did nothing wrong.’ Repeat it.”
“…”
Ha-yoon seemed genuinely serious. If I didn’t repeat it, she looked like she’d really not let go of me.
There would definitely be marks from her hands on my cheeks. No doubt.
“…I did nothing wrong.”
“Louder.”
“Um, Ha-yoon, do we really have to keep doing this?”
Without me fully understanding her feelings, I asked back, but Ha-yoon shook her head vigorously.
“About that incident, Ji-eun, you had no fault at all. Say it quickly.”
“But—”
“Hey, hey.”
Ha-yoon’s expression became stricter, like she was scolding a child or a puppy.
Wait, why is this happening all of a sudden?
…Actually, it isn’t sudden.
Not for me, but Ha-yoon had previously confronted an officer once for my sake. The reason was the same then.
Because I was sulking and looking down.
“That incident, in every way, the company was at fault. No matter what actions you took, it’s always wrong to harm someone like that. If there’s someone threatening lives, that threatening person is at fault; the one who doesn’t give in to the threats isn’t the one in the wrong.”
“…”
“Ji-eun. You knew what the Generator was meant for, didn’t you?”
That’s true.
In this world, it felt more accurate to say, “I realized it after thinking about it” rather than “I already knew.”
They plan to use Earthlings to produce massive energy and sell that energy across the universe. Right now, it’s limited to our galaxy, but in the distant future, it could become an energy source that reaches beyond the galaxy.
And by then, Earthlings might be bred like livestock and sold across the universe instead of energy sources.
…Stuck in a never-ending cycle of despair until the moment they die, unable to give up hope.
That’s what makes them villains, right?
“Then it makes sense to stop it. Laws or the justice they impose don’t matter. If the rules were made for the purpose of exploitation, then there’s no reason to follow them.”
That’s true.
But considering that logic, one might wonder if the Federation’s logic is truly free.
“So, Ji-eun. It’s not your fault. Never. I guarantee it.”
“…”
Looking at Ha-yoon’s expression… somehow, it truly feels like everything will go well from here on out. It’s a completely irrational thought, but.
The stories I would always share with Ha-yoon, now she is telling them to me.
That sensation is incredibly hopeful.
If I had some circuits on my wrist, I might have automatically transformed without realizing it.
“Whew.”
However, even before I could respond to that Ha-yoon, a loud whistle echoed.
Seo-hee was at the rooftop entrance, lips pursed into a loud whistle.
“Nice drawing, hey.”
As she clapped her hands and approached us, obviously other senior Magical Girls joined her along with Jua. Leaving Ji-hye out was solely because she went to a different school.
If Ji-hye had attended the same school as us, she naturally would have been among them.
…Now that Ji-hye is a Magical Girl too, should I invite her to our school next year?
By the way, Seo-hee was coming toward us with a teasing look, but her eyes were uncharacteristically cold.
Did we do something to make her angry?
Could it be because we were sneaking away during lunch?
Seo-hee approached us, looking suspiciously close to Ha-yoon’s face, alternating her gaze between Ha-yoon and me—
“Can I join in too?”
She asked surprisingly earnestly.
“No way.”
“Whoa? Wait, Ha-yoon.”
Before I could even react, Ha-yoon pulled me in tightly.
Then, burying her face in my embrace, she said, “This is how I’m going to be.”
“What? That’s unfair.”
Seo-hee frowned as she said this and then bounded over to hug me tight.
“Wha!? That’s cheating! This is a different story!”
Yeon-woo came running over, saying just that.
No, it wasn’t just Yeon-woo. Amazingly, Chae-yeon and Jua also joined with visibly upset expressions.
Huh.
What is this strange sense of déjà vu? Haven’t I experienced something like this before? Something similar.
Looking at the kids piling around me, I sank into deep thought.
I don’t really know why, but it feels like the story has taken a significant turn somewhere.
In both positive and negative ways, that is, in various aspects.
The problem is, I don’t know exactly where it started to get tangled, so I cannot find a way to unravel it.
Like how I am completely unable to move right now.
…
Though I feel good about it, it may indicate that I deeply crave affection.