LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 49
She gave a hint.
Ha-yoon understood what that meant.
At first, the children hesitated to speak, trying not to say anything. Even those who had made the first verbal blunder seemed to pick up on Ha-yoon’s unusual behavior and changed the subject.
“If you don’t say anything, I’ll find out my own way,” Ha-yoon said, and eventually, they started to open up.
In reality, Ha-yoon’s only way of ‘finding out’ was to meet Ji-eun.
It seemed the others knew that it would come to that someday. At least, they understood that Ha-yoon’s feelings towards Ji-eun weren’t purely ‘hostile.’
‘Hints’ were, by their own description, truly ‘hints.’
So, bumping shoulders while passing by on the street.
Or slipping a textbook.
Or writing a note and hiding it inside a desk.
Or calling someone over and telling them not to act out.
Since these were the words coming from the children who did those things, it was clear they were downplaying the severity of what had actually happened.
The textbook probably didn’t just end with a ‘slip.’ They likely didn’t even return it properly. It wouldn’t be surprising if it was all torn up; Ha-yoon knew Ji-eun was very diligent about taking notes in both textbooks and notebooks.
The note must have contained things that definitely shouldn’t be said aloud. They probably saw it and, without reacting at all, discreetly discarded it elsewhere. No, did it really just end with a note? Wouldn’t they have hidden something else away as well?
Was the shoulder bump really just that—a shoulder bump? Wouldn’t unpleasant words have followed afterward? No, could it really just have ended there?
The part about calling someone over and telling them not to act out was the same.
“……”
Ha-yoon listened quietly, not saying a word.
At first, she was angry. Not just at first, but the entire time, she felt anger building up inside her. She wanted to stand up right then and scream. She wanted to tell them never to come near again.
But.
Did those kids torment Ji-eun as much as Ha-yoon tormented them?
Ji-eun, who had been bullied by those kids, faced Ha-yoon with an expression that said she was completely unbothered.
And even the day after Ha-yoon had beaten her, it was the same.
Perhaps the reason Ji-eun could endure that bullying was that she had already gotten used to much worse bullying.
Ha-yoon didn’t know how she made her way back to the classroom and sat down.
The kids who had followed her to lunch didn’t talk to Ha-yoon all day. Other children, perhaps sensing the atmosphere, didn’t say a word either.
But despite finally having a quiet moment after such a long time, Ha-yoon’s heart was far from settled.
All of Ji-eun’s misfortunes were tied to her.
The reason Ji-eun was hurt and unhappy while being a combatant.
The reason she was bullied and tormented by the other kids at school.
All for the simple fact that it was linked to Ha-yoon.
In truth, Ha-yoon didn’t know anything. While Ji-eun was suffering so much, Ha-yoon thought only about how happy she was to just be near Ji-eun.
Even now, it was the same.
When Ji-eun defeated the alien, just knowing that she was there to protect Ha-yoon ignited a fierce flame of hope within her. For a moment, it wiped every doubt from her mind clean.
……But that shouldn’t have been the case.
It didn’t mean Ji-eun had forgiven Ha-yoon.
What’s more, right after that, Ji-eun was shot. By the very people she had been trying to help.
Ha-yoon could understand why she was angry.
No, in fact, it was a miracle that no one got hurt in such a situation.
What would Ha-yoon have done?
Wouldn’t she have lost all strength from overwhelming betrayal? Wouldn’t she have ended up in a situation where she was unable to do anything, having lost all hope?
Ha-yoon had no idea where Ji-eun was. But surely, she wasn’t in a place where she could be comfortable, either physically or mentally.
And—
—the biggest part of that cause was related to Ha-yoon.
Because on that day of the terror, the magical girls hadn’t made any statements.
Since the magical girls hadn’t said anything when Ji-eun found herself in such a situation, she eventually bore the stigma of being a terrorist.
Logically, it made no sense.
There’s no way a single high school student, especially one who is practically forced to live in a group, could prepare such a massive amount of explosives that could take down a major part of the largest corporation in the country.
Moreover, Ha-yoon was there that day to witness it. Ji-eun really didn’t know anything.
Something had to be done.
Instead of wallowing in self-pity, Ha-yoon thought she would rather come up with some other solution—
“Ha-yoon.”
While she was lost in thought, she heard someone call her from behind.
Turning around, she saw Iris…… Jua standing there.
Ha-yoon blinked.
They were not in the school.
Somehow, class had ended. Ha-yoon was currently on her way home. Jua was probably in the same situation.
There weren’t any other kids around. Perhaps they didn’t approach when they saw Ha-yoon’s demeanor. She had a feeling that maybe the kids who had shared lunch with her wouldn’t come near her again.
“Let’s talk for a bit.”
Jua spoke to Ha-yoon, who still seemed dazed.
Ha-yoon nodded.
Jua moved first, and Ha-yoon silently followed her.
The face of the magical girl was already known around them. When they went out onto the street, there would be people gathering just to catch a glimpse of a ‘magical girl.’
But at least not around this school. Because it was a face people saw so often, their interest had significantly waned. While it might be easy for stalker-like figures to form, it wasn’t so simple after all. Because magical girls were, quite literally, ‘magical girls.’
The only ones who could stalk someone after watching a combatant defeat them would be those confident in their physical abilities, or those with some power behind them, just like that stalker from last time.
Jua led Ha-yoon to a café near the school.
Usually, during this time, students would overlap with school dismissal, so there were often quite a few kids around.
Ha-yoon personally didn’t go to cafés by herself that often, but she used to go home with Ji-eun every day.
However, the place Jua guided her to wasn’t very crowded.
It seemed to be a spot without even the slightest sign hanging outside.
“It’s upstairs and only accessible if you know someone. But it’s not a suspicious place, so don’t worry.”
Jua said that and naturally headed for a table in the corner.
It was quite far from the window.
Inside, there were a few students, but most appeared to be alone, or perhaps in pairs. All were unfamiliar faces.
There were also a few adults, but they were all sitting separately. They didn’t seem to engage with anyone around them, merely closing their eyes to listen to the café music, or looking at their smartphones or reading books.
“Such a place…”
“It’s hard to find a place like this without someone tipping you off. Most people here are just unusual types.”
“……”
Ha-yoon gaped at Jua’s words.
The inside of the café was a bit dim. Not in a creepy way, but the lighting was low.
Behind the counter where they took orders, old LP records were crammed tightly.
“I never thought there would be a place like this near the school.”
“That’s probably why it’s here.”
As Jua said that and set her bag down, she turned around.
“…What would you like to drink? It’s just coffee anyway.”
“…I’ll have what you recommend.”
At Ha-yoon’s words, Jua shrugged.
*
Ha-yoon didn’t know much about coffee. In fact, unless she was with Ji-eun, she almost never had it on her own.
She personally didn’t like bitter flavors very much.
Even so, if someone told her to drink it, she wouldn’t refuse. She could adjust herself according to the atmosphere.
Because of that, she wasn’t sure how good Jua’s coffee choice would be.
“How is it?”
“It’s good.”
Ha-yoon replied like that to Jua’s question.
Jua didn’t seem to react particularly to that answer. She appeared to take it as a natural evaluation.
“……”
Just as Ha-yoon was relieved to hear she didn’t dislike it, Jua’s expression shifted slightly.
It wasn’t the usual playful, slightly cheeky expression, but one that looked somewhat serious and contemplative.
As Ha-yoon waited for her to speak without saying anything, Jua opened her mouth.
“What do you think about that girl, Jeong Ji-eun?”
“Uh?”
Ha-yoon was momentarily taken aback by Jua’s sudden question.
“I feel like you don’t just see her as one of many friends.”
Jua stared intently at Ha-yoon as she said that.
“……”
Ha-yoon tried to infer Jua’s intentions.
Jua was looking at her with a slightly furrowed brow.
Her expression seemed somewhat angry, but because of that, it was hard to easily grasp the feelings behind it. Jua often wore that kind of expression.
“Well, it’s fine. You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to. Your reaction is already enough.”
Jua said that, leaned against the chair sticking to the wall, and crossed her legs.
Ha-yoon began to feel a bit uneasy.
Jua had recognized Ji-eun as a combatant. She had said she recognized her by the scratches on her helmet.
And she already knew that those two didn’t have a good relationship, having heard Jua grousing about it after a battle.
So if Jua were to declare hostility against Ji-eun, Ha-yoon couldn’t just sit by and let that happen.
Jua glanced around a bit.
No one seemed to pay attention to them.
But feeling a little nervous still, she uncrossed her legs and leaned forward slightly to look at Ha-yoon.
This time, the look on her face was different from the previous ones.
A bit, anxious.
What was the reason for changing her expression so suddenly? Ha-yoon suspected that it was because Jua was trying to act but ended up failing. Jua sometimes did that.
“……Do you plan to stay like this forever?”
Jua asked with a serious expression.
“……Like this?”
“I mean, we both know.”
Ha-yoon could finally understand what Jua was saying at that point.
So Jua was talking about Ji-eun now.
“We all know, right? Logically, that girl could never cause such a terror.”
That was true. Everyone knew.
There’s no way an ordinary high school girl, especially one who is pretty much always forced into a group lifestyle, could procure that many explosives.
“But we’re still not speaking up denying that she’s not responsible for this.”
“……”
After a moment’s thought, Jua opened her mouth again.
“If we are righteous beings, shouldn’t we have revealed that?”
Jua didn’t seem to be saying this to blame Ha-yoon.
Rather, Ha-yoon thought it was more of a conversation.
The magical girls may have thought some things about each other that they didn’t like. Delphinium and Dalia had overlapping roles.
Rose was a bit better, but until Ha-yoon stepped in, they had had various troubles. They had even said that Dalia and Delphinium, who are often at odds, grew apart because of the need to mediate between them.
Iris became a magical girl around the same time as Blossom. Naturally, she ended up becoming closest with Blossom.
And originally, Iris, who always aimed for the best, had such a single-mindedness that she found it hard to get close to other magical girls.
But perhaps it was that kind of singularity that kept Jua occupied with those thoughts until now.
Ha-yoon remembered that Iris hadn’t fired in the company. Wasn’t it because Jua was deliberating?
“……”
“I don’t think it’s an easy matter…”
Jua said with a furrowed brow.
“And, yeah. If we do that, we might end up losing our circuits…”
With Jua’s serious expression, Ha-yoon kept her mouth shut.
Jua often complained with a dissatisfied expression while working as Iris, and she had even cursed at combatants she thought were Ji-eun after battles.
But even so, it was clear that she felt proud when taking on the role of a magical girl. The mere thought of possibly losing that could bring fear even to bring it up.
Perhaps it was why she spent so much time worrying about it.
“……”
What about Ha-yoon?
Despite making various excuses and losing herself in self-pity, the truth was that Ha-yoon hadn’t acted either.
Ji-eun…… had committed no crime. She was merely cornered, desperately struggling from there.
If one were to consider that situation, the ones who were truly guilty would be the other things surrounding Ji-eun.
The federation.
The company.
And those of them working from within it.
“……Alright.”
Ha-yoon nodded.
“Let’s try to find a way. But as you said, the moment we act recklessly, the situation could change drastically.”
Ha-yoon looked at Jua seriously as she said:
“If people believe it or not doesn’t matter. Just the fact that it was spoken could bring out those who will believe it. It might lead to arguments in various broadcasts around that topic.”
“……”
Jua’s face turned pale.
That was an imaginable scenario. Most importantly, considering the facts, it was wrong to remain silent from the beginning.
“But before saying anything, we should first ask other people too.”
Ha-yoon said calmly.
Because the magical girl was not just Ha-yoon and Jua alone.
So they couldn’t just speak on behalf of all ‘magical girls’ randomly.
“What if they oppose?”
“……Then we’ll have to speak discreetly away from the others.”
At Ha-yoon’s words, Jua fell silent.
“It may not be possible for everyone to join together. If they’re not on the speaking side, they might be able to maintain their status as magical girls.”
“But……”
“After all, you didn’t intend for this to be buried forever.”
Ha-yoon said that.
Jua stared at Ha-yoon for a while.
Then she nodded.
“That’s true.”
“Let’s discuss with everyone first, and then we’ll decide.”
Ha-yoon said, then lifted her coffee cup.
The bitter coffee that rolled off her tongue felt unusually bitter today.
*
After parting ways with Ha-yoon and heading home, Jua tried to organize her complicated thoughts.
She was the one who had spoken first, but why did Ha-yoon suddenly take the lead in making decisions?
“……”
Though she didn’t want to believe it, perhaps Jua had hoped Ha-yoon would stop her.
She thought that what she had said was nonsensical and that they should focus on solving the incident first.
And to argue for Jeong Ji-eun’s innocence in whatever trial came.
……But she knew, in the end, that was also an escape.
The longer it took, the more the innocent would get hurt and suffer. And the longer it took, the greater the chance that the innocent would no longer be innocent.
So far, there haven’t been any casualties due to Jeong Ji-eun.
Crimes like trespassing or property damage are much more acceptable than murder. Moreover, if the facts come to light immediately, public opinion would scorn the remainder more than Ji-eun.
This is why the magical girls, who are essentially vigilantes, are tolerated after all.
Because the Noir Corporation is embossed as a malicious business in public perception, and they are working for the sake of those suffering underneath it.
Moreover, the magical girls can resolve the alien encounters often occurring without any victims—indeed, even without killing the aliens.
Knowing all that, she spoke to Ha-yoon.
“……Was it all just creating an accomplice?”
She thought she was figuring things out herself.
But perhaps she just wanted someone else’s judgment to come to the conclusion she desired.
She was trying to shift the responsibility to those figures she recognized…
Jua walked silently for a while before suddenly recalling the magical girl, Jeong Ji-eun.
She then overlapped that image with the frustrating combatants she had encountered before.
“……”
It seemed right. The attitude, the way certain parts looked.
Jua was not one to easily recognize others. She often thought of herself as stiff and inflexible.
But every time she faced off against those combatants, she certainly wanted to conquer that combatant.
Even after losing so many times and being wrecked countless times, it felt almost fascinating to see her stand back up again.
It wasn’t exactly a good feeling, but there were brief moments when she would think, “Did she give up?” when she didn’t see her around.
……Yes.
It wasn’t just a superficial resemblance.
Even in situations like this, it reminded her of the way they kept fighting without giving up or disappearing.
“……”
She had no idea how to express the emotions rising inside her.
She still felt anxious. She still didn’t feel comfortable in this situation.
Because when all the facts were revealed, they would ultimately have to acknowledge that the people they had repeatedly beaten and sent away were actually ordinary citizens just like Ji-eun, who wouldn’t give up.
And that among them existed many with equal dreams that rivaled those of the magical girls, something they never even considered.
But still.
Deep inside, Jua couldn’t turn her back on that singular personality she possessed.
She felt a slight shiver traverse her body.
She couldn’t imagine what would unfold next.
What she truly despised the most was herself for not being able to assert her own thoughts and ultimately passing the judgment onto someone else.