LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 62
Of course, I don’t plan to spend my whole life being close with Magical Girls.
But since I’ve been allowed to stay for a short while, we needed some rules to make group living easier.
I was just permitted to stay temporarily; I hadn’t become a slave.
…For some reason, Ha-yoon did say something similar to me, but still, as a civilized modern person, I had no intention of taking that word at face value.
“First of all, this is a radio.”
I said as I presented the radio to the kids.
It looked just like a speaker, but it had two knobs you could turn. One was for volume control, and the other was for adjusting the frequency. There was also a small screen below it, showing how the current frequency was set.
“You don’t need to worry about electricity. I can run it with my weapon.”
Magic and electric power actually operate in quite different ways.
In the case of electricity, a generating device and a charging device have to be separate. Even if you work hard to spin a generator and produce electricity, if you don’t have a place to store surplus power aside from using it, you won’t be able to use it again later.
But magic is different.
Once it’s created, it stays around for a while. Of course, if you create separate capacitors or batteries, you can hold onto it for much longer, but as long as you keep the circuit running, it’s possible to maintain it stably even without a separate storage place.
So… think of it like a video game. In a survival game where you can build various things, if a generator function is involved, it’s often set up so that it activates when touched within a certain range, without needing to create separate wires or other installations like in reality—this is what a ‘circuit’ is.
As for aliens, since some of them can basically handle magic power, they seem to solve the problem by deploying relevant personnel or using small generators to charge batteries.
Still, it’s much more convenient than how humans produce and use electricity, but the fact that just a person owning the circuit could lead to “generation” is quite shocking even by those aliens’ standards.
It’s also the reason why Magical Girls and heroes from other countries only exist on Earth and why creating a generator is complex—because it needs to handle that immense generation amount while being stable at the same time.
…Anyway, thanks to that, as long as we can create the equipment, there are quite a few things we can solve in here.
[The whereabouts of the Magical Girls have yet to be identified. The authorities are cooperating with the Eun-ha Federation in this regard—]
To summarize what was flowing from the radio, the government still seemed unable to understand why the Magical Girls went rogue and fled.
Even after sharing opinions with the Federation, there didn’t seem to be any gains.
“Guess they don’t consult regularly?”
I threw out a heavily sarcastic remark—but—
“Then you must have consulted the company quite often, right?”
“……”
Rose’s answer left me speechless.
“Why do you look at me like that?”
When I looked at James, he responded with disbelief.
Why, didn’t you do something similar to consulting too?
Ah, no, it wasn’t a consultation; it was more like extortion. Thinking back, this guy also had some responsibility for why I ended up in this situation.
“I should mention that Squeaky Adults have more bones than flesh. Eating them won’t leave you full.”
Looks pretty plump for a creature. It even felt a bit squishy when I was holding it in my hand.
But that could be due to the skin or fur. In any case, if I wanted to eat it, I would have to gut it and drain the blood, so after dealing with that, there might not be much meat left.
However, there are still some solutions.
One of the significant portions of my food supplies is nuts.
The reason is simple. I can eat them, and James can eat them too. No way I’d want to pack dried mealworms or anything.
So, I could fatten it up by force-feeding those nuts and then have a decent meal. Then I could increase the quantity in each bite, right?
Unless that’s not it—
“How many kids do you have?”
For a moment, I almost used the word ‘offspring’, but then I considered that James was also an alien treated like a “person”, so I said kids instead.
Seeing the Magical Girls’ faces turn pale, it seemed they understood my intent.
“…Even if it’s a joke, you shouldn’t say something so chilling.”
Shaking, the villain sounded creeped out.
Hmm.
Rodents do give birth to many offspring, and their lifespans are only about two years. That means they reach adulthood in no time.
I thought if I could secure many, raising them could somewhat solve the food crisis.
Still, he’s not an actual rodent. Even if he gives birth to many, it’s a bit tough to assume they’d reach adulthood in just a couple of months.
“If we can’t solve the food issue, they’ll starve in a few days? Since those kids are here.”
I said while looking at the Magical Girls.
They all slightly averted their eyes. Does that mean they have some conscience after all?
“But surrendering isn’t an option, right? You wouldn’t want that either, would you?”
“Even so, it’s better than being eaten.”
That much is true.
“Uh… um…!”
As I shrugged, Dalia raised one hand slightly.
In this world, there are various hair colors, but Dalia’s wasn’t red. Usually, in magical girl or sentai stories, a ‘yellow’ character having truly yellow or blonde hair isn’t as common as you’d think.
Dalia’s hair was orange. Although she was the type to ride on whims, right now, that ‘whimsical’ vibe didn’t seem to show at all.
Her hair, which fell just below her chin, wasn’t too tidy, and her long bangs were pushed back behind one ear.
It looked a bit oily from not being washed properly, but she still seemed to have made an effort to tidy it up.
Impressive. I just splashed my face with water at the creek this morning. It was still pretty cold, so I gave up on washing seriously.
“I can solve the food problem to some extent.”
“How?”
When I tilted my head, Dalia spoke with a still slightly nervous expression.
“You mean the field that’s been prepared in front?”
It seemed she had noticed the vegetable beds in front of the building.
To be honest, I hadn’t made the beds so much as they were somewhat already organized when I got here. It was likely a place that had originally been used as a vegetable garden.
If it had been midsummer, there would have been tons of unnamed plants growing, but having gone through winter, the plants that were there were mostly dead.
Since I had time anyway, I pulled out everything that had taken root there.
I hadn’t tilled the field myself, but I had seen it done, so I simply shaped it into what I thought a ‘field’ would look like. Before people left, it probably used to be well-tended, as there were hardly any big rocks visible.
As I nodded, Dalia looked a bit relieved.
“That means there are seedlings too.”
“…And?”
While there weren’t many types, I think I had a few ‘things’ I could grow from seeds.
Cucumbers, eggplants, zucchini. And a couple of alien vegetables too. There are some planets with similar natural environments to Earth, and many of the plants and animals that grow there are edible for Earthlings. Just like how James eats Earth-grown nuts.
…Honestly, it wasn’t so much that I was seriously planning to grow them; I just figured it might be better to have something than nothing.
To grow them, you’d need at least a few months, and above all, since I had no experience in cultivation, I doubted I could manage to raise them until harvest time.
But judging by how Dalia’s face brightened at the news, she seemed to have something else in mind.
“If that’s the case, I will manage somehow.”
“…You know how to grow them?”
“No, I can do much better than that. I can speed up the growth rate of the plants.”
I stared at Dalia in disbelief, then looked down at James.
“It is possible. However, I’m not an expert, so I can’t guarantee it.”
Certainly, after contacting the Eun-ha Federation, the prices for vegetables and fruits had lowered significantly. I thought it was because they could grow an enormous number of them on those planets.
“If we have alien vegetables, that’s even better. There are modified species that have been cultivated to naturally grow and sell well using magic.”
Dalia continued explaining.
“It’s like a treatment center. Ever since we made contact with the Federation, we’ve been able to heal wounds in a day. That means there’s technology that boosts the healing power while maintaining the longevity of the treated area, without serious side effects.”
I guess they could even manipulate the growth rate of humans. Such things might be normal in places beyond Earth.
And, indeed, I had heard that many aliens often have significantly longer lifespans than Earthlings. Since we had only met for five years, it might be too early to start a serious discussion about lifespan.
In reality, such knowledge might have already seeped deeply into Earth’s culture, but frankly, it seems I’ve never had to worry about death with anyone around me.
“…Got it.”
I nodded, feeling too lazy to think any further.
Well… since she says she can do it, it should be doable. I doubt she’d lie about something like this in such circumstances.
I glanced over at Ha-yoon. She was smiling brightly. It feels a bit wrong to say this, but her smiling face made me believe it even more.
“…I’ll help too.”
Seeing Dalia stand up, Delphinium also stood up after her.
Aren’t those two constantly wary of each other?
Sure, that’s how it plays out in webtoons, but that doesn’t mean they’re enemies. They’ve said that if necessary, they can set aside their relationship.
Eventually, I got up from where I was sitting, went into the tent, and fetched the seed bag.
The amount of seeds isn’t much, but if harvested and increased in number, it should work out somehow. If not, I could always stop by a supermarket during the next raid.
After handing over the bag and turning back, Iris and James were engaged in conversation.
“If we can use energy, wouldn’t it also be possible to create something like a heater?”
“Originally, I wasn’t planning to stay that long, so I was maintaining a state where I could retreat at any time. However, hearing you say that makes me think it might be a good option.”
Are they trying to install a heater? That’s not a bad choice.
I have a sleeping bag, but those kids don’t have anything like that.
When I woke up this morning and looked around, all the leftover plastic was wrapped around them as they huddled together.
I don’t know about the others, but seeing Ha-yoon in there didn’t make me feel all that great.
If they need spare parts, I have them piled high in my space. I could take some out now, and if I handed them over, the two of them should manage to build something. After all, James has made various items alone.
“Then let’s make a bathtub!”
Ha-yoon suddenly jumped up from her place and shouted.
“Oh, that sounds good. I was feeling a bit uncomfortable anyway.”
As Ha-yoon stood up, Rose also got up to follow her.
“The bathtub is broken, but… I saw a large basin. If we get in, we should be able to sit.”
…Did we have that?
When I got here, my body was worn out, and my mental state wasn’t that great either, so I hadn’t exactly been looking for places that looked completely abandoned.
“We could find something like a water tank and bring a bunch over. It’s bothersome to go fetch water every time, so we could just boil a large amount at once and store it.”
“Yes, that would work!”
“Um… If we could make something like a motor, we could also draw water. I should look into that.”
Iris replied after listening to their conversation.
And I was seriously confused watching the kids moving around.
Why is everyone so serious about this?
I get it if Ha-yoon insists on staying. It’s a bit embarrassing for me to say it directly, but the two of us are somewhat close friends.
Ha-yoon has… sometimes relied on me, and there were times I relied on her too. Besides, since I’m a bit tense around kids approaching Ha-yoon, there aren’t many who can be really close to her.
Of course, those kids usually approached her with some reason, but… even if they approached with such intentions, it doesn’t mean they couldn’t become friends.
It’s common to get close without too much trouble, even if the first impression isn’t great.
So, in a way, the fact that Ha-yoon has so few friends must also be my fault.
“…….”
As I sat there with my mouth agape, the kids were all busy finding something to do.
When I tried to get up from my seat—
“Ji-eun, you rest.”
Ha-yoon said.
“Uh?”
“We’ll handle it, so it’s okay for you to rest a bit.”
“…….”
I looked up at Ha-yoon with a dazed expression.
Ha-yoon smiled at me and immediately went out of the house. Rose, after observing my face, followed a bit late.
Inside the house, only Iris and a single hamster remained, tinkering with something.
Naturally, those two were also having their own conversation, completely ignoring me.
Interest—well, I guess those who don’t get involved are also helping out in their own way.
On Iris’s wrist was a watch quite similar to what I used to wear. It was an enhanced version of a wristwatch James had made as a spare.
So it could operate by receiving my energy.
According to James, just that would not reveal the source of the energy, but honestly, I’m not sure. But in truth, how would it make a difference if it got discovered now?
Things were flowing in a direction completely different from what I had envisioned.
To put it plainly, if we were to discuss it in the way of Magical Girls, this situation could be called ‘Hope’—
But for some reason, the Despair circuit on my wrist showed no signs of stopping.