LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 330
I can’t think of what to do. There’s only one way for us.
I don’t really know the extent of a Magical Girl’s powers and limitations. But at least it’s certain that our situation has improved compared to a little while ago.
So, I flew.
The Space Station I knew of was incredibly cramped. It wasn’t so much a house as it was a collection of small interconnected rooms. Humanity’s technology just hadn’t advanced beyond that yet.
However, this station was surprisingly vast, much more so than I could have imagined. The hallways were wider than those of any large building, and naturally, there were no obstacles in the way as we flew.
That meant our destination was also quite far away.
“There’s nothing to worry about,” said Jua.
A soft purple light swirled around her. Her outfit had changed a bit too, looking much closer to mine. Seeing the slight reveal in the center felt a bit strange.
Unlike the original story, Jua had perfected her warp magic. It was no longer chaotic magic that allowed random flying, but magic that could take us purposefully towards a destination.
Still, that didn’t mean she could unleash it recklessly. This was outer space, and if we went off course, there was no way any of us would survive.
Moreover, among us were the elderly who seemed to be fading at this very moment.
“Once again, there’s nothing to worry about,” Jua said with a smile.
“We’ll only go in a safe direction. I’m sure we’ll all make it out alive.”
Her voice carried confidence. I didn’t quite understand what the basis for it was. Perhaps I myself was the foundation of her confidence.
Because our lips had met. It’s not something anyone can just do without any feelings behind it…
If it’s that power, maybe we really can do it.
“Right now, I can help,” I said.
“I’ll help too,” Chae-yeon swung her wand, creating thick ice around us.
“I’ll make an ice that won’t break even from just one hit.”
Chae-yeon’s eyes sparkled a clear blue.
“Sounds good. Then, are we ready?”
I lifted Pang-pang. Ha-yoon cautiously held the Chairman close, her expression full of dissatisfaction.
“There’s no need to worry if something pops up in front of us.”
Seo-hee, her hair blazing brightly like it was on fire, said as she clenched her fists together. Her gauntlets looked sturdier than ever.
“I’ll help too,” Yeon-woo said, smiling. She seemed to be encased in sunlight.
Whatever might block our path, it felt like we could incinerate it in an instant with that magic.
“Chairman, this is kinda dangerous, right? If anything flies our way, I’ll definitely stop it.” Ji-hye grinned beside me. Her light green aura was as pretty as leaves.
The shield on her back was as thick as a tree trunk.
But at that moment, Ji-hye’s mother was lying unconscious in her arms. Ji-hye’s face was filled with a bright smile as she clung tightly to her family.
Hope. For Ji-hye, today was the day she found hope. Ironically enough.
“No, I’ll protect all of you.”
At Ji-hye’s words, we all ended up laughing.
I couldn’t believe we could laugh in a situation like this.
But I was glad.
I was not alone. No matter how we got here, in the end, we had all met like this.
So, until the very end.
“Let’s go!”
I shouted, and all the kids ran.
One step, two steps, three steps; with each leap, we soared higher and higher, as if to touch the ceiling of this vast hallway.
And—
Jua swung her wand.
At first glance, it looked like just a gun-shaped wand; whether it contained a fuse or not, it shone with a bright purple light.
The beautiful glow that resembled the pictures of space I had seen before.
We leaped into that purple light.
A sound exploded behind us. At the same time, there was a crack, as if something was breaking. Yet, there was no engulfing fire behind us.
Something poured down towards us, but it fell over our heads without harming us.
Even if the hallway ahead collapsed, it would clear in an instant. Any shards large or small tumbling after us were all efficiently erased by Seo-hee and Yeon-woo.
Once again, we dove into the purple light.
Our field of vision changed yet again. With each leap, we moved much farther, closer to the spaceship.
A deafening blast echoed behind us. This time, even that thick ice seemed unable to withstand it, and I heard something shatter.
We leaped once more toward the greatest warp that Jua had created, the largest we had ever encountered.
*
Just barely wrapping the Chairman’s body, I managed to stop us from rolling on the floor.
I carefully set Pang-pang down. She immediately scooted over to where Ha-yoon had gently placed the Chairman.
“I’ll stay here!” Ji-hye shouted. Chae-yeon naturally sat beside her to watch over the patient.
I nodded, running alongside Jua and Ha-yoon.
The ice that had frozen the corridor of the spaceship was starting to melt and crumble, but the aliens had all collapsed, clearly out of power. It seemed they couldn’t move properly due to being exhausted, likely because of the still-unfinished technology. I had to check each one carefully, but since they were still bodies of aliens, their lives didn’t seem to be at risk.
First, let’s just get the ship moving.
I shouted towards the communicator, warning them about the potential appearance of aliens.
And then we ran.
We reached the place where the spaceship’s air conditioner was located.
The generator had already been reduced to dust. In this situation, could we even move the air conditioner?
“There’s a circuit over there,” Ha-yoon said, looking at me.
“With this circuit, we can generate our energy.”
“How—”
But before I could finish my question, Ha-yoon was already executing the answer.
Once again, our lips met.
This wasn’t the first time. During that brief moment, I realized I had also kissed all the other kids besides Ha-yoon.
Yet, my heart raced again.
Was something wrong with me?
No, I thought it was only natural… but still.
Everything up until now had progressed way too fast.
I felt hope. I didn’t know why, but somehow I thought every day ahead would be bright and joyous. It felt like a vague notion. Thinking about it a little more, I had no clue how to act in the future.
How should I face the children when we return to headquarters?
How should I accept the feelings I had held until now?
More importantly, I had struck at the core of Noir Corporation, and here I was in front of the site where their astronomical investment in building the Space Station was exploding. Honestly, I couldn’t even figure out how to respond when people asked about that incident.
But all those worries were overshadowed by the emerging hopes, drifting away.
Why bother thinking of those later?
We have to live right now!
We’ve got to live to see what comes next.
Aren’t you excited?
The voice in my head whispered those words.
What’s amusing is that I ended up agreeing to that.
The circuit spun faster than anything from before.
The circuit, like the generator had done, slowly broke down. Just as our clothes had transformed into Magical Girl outfits, the properties of the circuit itself seemed to be morphing into something beyond our understanding.
That could be, I might not have the knowledge in this area beyond basic common sense, at best barely being capable of handling the wand Jua had made for me, but that white light was something I could recognize.
That light was hope itself.
The very hope we looked toward was being manifested as we wished.
White light. Pink light. Purple light.
And then, other lights. The remaining blue and green lights joined together with red and yellow hues.
The air conditioner activated.
“Jua!”
With my shout, Jua quickly ran toward me.
Her clothes were slowly returning to what they had originally been. They were torn and frayed here and there, but strangely, I couldn’t help but think she looked brighter than anyone else like that.
My outfit was the same, and so was Ha-yoon’s.
But still, this place was overflowing with magical energy.
Our hopes themselves.
“I’m going to jump in any direction for now!”
Jua shouted that.
Then, for a moment, my thoughts went blank.
The spaceship suddenly roared to life, throwing Ha-yoon and me down, and Seo-hee and Yeon-woo, who were trailing behind, stumbled as well.
We all held tightly onto the floor.
I looked at Ha-yoon.
Despite struggling to hold on, she smiled at me.
We did it.
We all managed to do it together.
I could tell we had touched hope, even without the circuit.