LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 318
Emotions are in turmoil.
Just when I thought the comfort from the children had made me feel a bit better, I suddenly found myself questioning if it was really okay to feel that way.
In the Magical Girl Headquarters, our enemy, the Noir Corporation, had officers imprisoned, and incomprehensible events were unfolding within the Noir Corporation. They were also incredibly unsettling events.
On top of that, people had died and been injured in an explosion, so was it really alright for me to feel this way?
Normally, I paid just enough attention in class and studied hard at home, but today I was even more distracted than usual.
Still, I managed to pretend to be focused and okay, wasting time before heading back home.
Yeah. To the orphanage where I stay.
It hadn’t been that long since I was away. Just a few days at most.
Yet, it felt like it had been forever since I last came home.
Given the current situation, perhaps it would have been better for us to just stay at the headquarters. However, that wasn’t a decision made without some political reasons involved.
The Magical Girls are, in all honesty, an armed group. No matter how much we make excuses to pretend otherwise, if we set our minds to it, we could inflict some damage on the police and military.
At least, as long as we were active in our country, it wouldn’t be a major issue… but the ‘Headquarters’ directly controlled by that ‘Federation’ exists around the ‘world.’
In some countries, they called themselves ‘Heroes’ and others ‘Magical Girls’ to avoid uniform identification, and they all dressed in ridiculous, cosplay-like outfits, but judging just by appearances was dismissive of the political motives of the higher-ups in every nation.
Perhaps, those beings who fought the enemies in such outfits looked even more bizarre.
Did they think we were plotting a coup? Anyway, the reason we couldn’t stay in the place we had set up for ourselves for too long was because we felt too much pressure. Especially since we had all gathered for several days, attempted contact with the Federation, and even armed ourselves for combat. Originally, we were supposed to go home on Monday morning.
Now that the reported period was over, it was time to return home. That was the reason.
Moreover, James was also speculating that the enemy might not be able to move right away.
Well, still, thanks to that, I could return home, so I guess I should be grateful for that.
“Ji-eun.”
“Ji-hye.”
As I entered the room, Ji-hye was already there.
She ran up to me and hugged me tightly as soon as she saw me.
“…Why?”
“No, I just felt like I had to do this.”
“…”
Ji-hye’s warmth slowly spread over me.
I raised my hand and gently stroked her hair.
Yeah. Maybe the kids who hugged me did it for this kind of sensation. To comfort me while reassuring themselves that they were okay too.
After all, aren’t we all teenagers? Even I, who should have been older than them, was doing this.
“I got a message from Cherry.”
Ji-hye said.
“She asked if we wouldn’t join the fight as Magical Girls if we could. She said it was okay to decline, but…”
Ji-hye probably wouldn’t consider that.
“I see.”
I nodded.
There’s something I still hadn’t told Ji-hye.
It was a bit awkward to mention, since it was just a guess and the current circumstances made it even stickier. Not to mention, asking that officer about it would mean Ji-hye would be with me when I asked.
Yeah, for now, I should just keep it buried.
“Do you think it’ll be okay?”
“I’ll be with you.”
Whether it would be okay or not, I wouldn’t know until I fought myself. Hitting someone was, at first, more repulsive than I had thought.
However, no matter what choice Ji-hye made, especially if she chose to live as a Magical Girl, I would be by her side. At least, to ensure that Ji-hye wouldn’t feel lonely.
“Thank you.”
Ji-hye responded that way, burying her face in my chest.
“…”
I felt a bit tired.
I wanted to stop thinking for a while. Ji-hye must have thought the same, because she pulled back and retreated.
“Then, let’s wash up… have a quick dinner and sleep early.”
“Sure. Sounds good.”
It was the first time back home in a while. Even though I was still going to sleep on the floor with a blanket laid out, it felt different somehow.
I really felt most at ease here. At least for now.
*
Following Ji-hye’s suggestion, I fell asleep early after dinner. I quickly dozed off, probably due to the physical and mental fatigue built up over the past few days.
So when the call came in, I barely woke up.
I fumbled to turn off the loudly ringing call device and pressed it to my ear, still half-asleep.
[Ji-eun!]
It was Ha-yoon’s voice.
[Right now, there’s a monster—]
Hearing that made me jump out of bed. My mind was alert as soon as I recognized Ha-yoon’s voice, but my body was still trying to catch up.
“Ji-eun…?”
Suddenly acting this way caused Ji-hye, who had also just woken up, to call out to me sleepily.
“We need to go—”
I began, but couldn’t finish the sentence.
Bang! I heard something explode.
Crash! Following that, something shattered.
When I snapped to attention, glass was pouring in our direction.
But before I could even react…
The room was filled with a green light.
“…Ji-hye.”
Ji-hye was holding a shining shield. The shards of glass that were supposed to fly towards me fell harmlessly to the ground, having collided with the shield.
“J-Just to be safe, I slept with my circuit on.”
By the time Ji-hye turned to look at me and smiled, I had already lunged forward.
Bang!
There was another loud noise.
Without even picking up a hammer, I was throwing punches forward. I was going toe-to-toe with the monster’s fist that shot out towards me from beside Ji-hye’s shield.
It hurt. Still, nothing seemed broken. I was also wearing my circuit.
…Good thing we had that pre-discussion with the others at school.
I never expected we’d be attacked today. Wearing the circuits was just a precaution, but it turned out to be a really wise decision.
That officer, James, had mentioned that the enemy wouldn’t be able to move that fast.
I didn’t think we were being tricked… but first, we needed to meet and confirm.
Whether it was deceit or not, we needed to have a deep conversation about the situation that had led up to this.
“…!?”
Seeing a fist far smaller than his own pushing him back, the monster appeared startled.
And I was also taken aback when I looked directly at the monster.
The monster’s appearance was—
“Urrrgh!”
Ji-hye shouted loudly and pushed the monster back with her shield. Ji-hye’s enhanced physical abilities, fueled by magic, were enough to stagger the creature sideways.
I threw a punch at the monster’s face before grabbing the hammer that was leaning against the desk.
Kiiing.
The end of the hammer erupted in white light. It was the magical output device that Jua had ingeniously crafted and continuously upgraded over time.
I was using it mindlessly just to blast out magic, but that was the most fitting way to fight for me.
Thunk—!
Like swinging a golf club, I swung the hammer from below to send the monster flying out of the door.
Ji-hye and I dashed outside.
Only then did I hear the sounds of children screaming from the orphanage, alongside the teachers shouting something.
Could it really be because of us?
While I wondered if I should have gone out sooner, I swung the hammer.
There were three monsters coming our way.
Could Ji-hye and I handle this together?
“J-Ji-eun.”
Ji-hye stammered, her voice trembling.
It was still a bit dark outside after bursting through. Being in the middle of Seoul, there was some light, but…
And that ‘some light’ cast a creepy glow that made the monsters look even more grotesque.
These monsters looked terribly twisted, like ‘people.’
Actually, calling them ‘people’ while considering Earthlings might be a bit racist.
Yeah.
What stood before us looked like Earthlings. Of course, they might not be. There could be all sorts of bizarre aliens that look like grotesquely swollen humans with arched muscles.
But.
Then what were those circuit-like things hanging from the monsters’ chests?
“…For now, let’s just focus on taking them down.”
Right. We can figure out the details later.
For now, we have to drive away the monsters and keep the kids safe. That was all that mattered.
[Ji-eun.]
A calm voice came from the call device.
“Sorry, we’re a bit busy right now!”
I replied while swinging the hammer at an oncoming monster before I could finish.
[Then, please just hold on for now.]
Jua said calmly.
[There’s a way to send the monsters somewhere else. With our help. There might be a way to resolve the current situation all at once.]
“A way?”
Jua had told me to just listen, but I couldn’t help but ask back.
[Yes. Warp magic. Just hold on and keep fighting as best as you can. I’ll do my best to make something happen.]
Wait, warp?
Are you talking about personal warp?
But, Jua isn’t from this world—
I halted my thoughts.
Alright.
For now, let’s trust Jua. Because she’s earned that trust after the years we’ve worked together.
I looked at Ji-hye. Having heard the same thing, Ji-hye nodded at me.
If Ji-hye trusts her that much, then I can’t doubt it. Of course not.