READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 10
“…….”
The atmosphere turned incredibly serious.
And the reason for that was me.
Well, even excluding the fact that I was a combatant for that company… No, I guess in the end, that’s the cause after all, so it doesn’t make much sense to say ‘excluding.’
So, here it is. I had been extremely pale ever since I stepped out of the bathroom.
I realized I had been thinking wrongly all along; I valued interpersonal relationships more than I thought.
I barely had any friends at school, and even at work, I would respond absentmindedly when people spoke to me. Naturally, the number of people who would initiate a conversation with me dwindled significantly.
At most, it was just my weird Earth Buddy who showed interest in me, Ji-hye who shared the same room, and Ha-yoon, my childhood friend.
…Well, I could brush off Earth Buddy, but Ji-hye and Ha-yoon didn’t seem to like evil organizations like Noir Corporation very much.
“Ji-eun, calm down.”
Ji-hye said, patting my arm.
“It probably isn’t a big deal. I mean, even though he’s a stalker, he’s still a reporter.”
Ji-hye, who thought I was scared of such things, earnestly comforted me.
“Yeah. Ji-eun doesn’t have anything to worry about.”
Ha-yoon said, full of confidence.
She had a face reminiscent of Blossom. Still wearing her glasses and a hat, though.
“I’ll make sure to handle it.”
“…….”
I hesitated for a moment before speaking to Ha-yoon.
“Ha-yoon.”
“Yeah?”
“Couldn’t we just, you know, pretend we didn’t see anything today?”
Those words came out after quite an effort on my part.
Sure, I knew I couldn’t say something like that to Ha-yoon. After all, she was the one in trouble.
But still, there probably weren’t any critically damaging photos yet. No matter how much Noir Corporation excelled at evil, they surely wouldn’t sneak into a bathroom to take secret pictures. If they were the kind of crazies that would do that, they would’ve done it way earlier.
They were just… trying to distort the facts, after all.
If the Galactic Federation took the matter seriously, they’d resolve it soon. After all, it wasn’t even a fact to begin with.
However, Ha-yoon, who heard my words, widened her eyes and looked at me.
“…Yeah, I guess so.”
Ha-yoon closed her eyes and exhaled softly.
“Certainly, if I go do something now, both you and Ji-hye could be in danger. The other side might retaliate.”
“……”
Uh…
No, that’s not what I meant.
In one sense, retaliation would make sense, but at least that’s not what I was saying.
Of course, because of the donations from Noir Corporation, our orphanage managed to function normally. The kids were provided with clothes that didn’t make them look deprived, they were fed as much as they wanted, and the reason the facilities didn’t deteriorate over time was thanks to Noir Corporation.
…
Um, this was actually a huge help more than I expected.
There’s no way we could do all this just with subsidies.
“But don’t worry,”
Ha-yoon said, slapping her chest.
“That’s what we, magical girls are here for! To protect the citizens from such threats.”
“……”
What the heck is that?
Isn’t that basically a semi-illegal organization as long as the government doesn’t openly intervene?
While Noir Corporation is not exactly clean, from a strictly legal standpoint, the Galactic Federation appears to be more legitimate.
They are practically just being given ‘diplomatic immunity.’
“Yeah, I know.”
How did Ha-yoon figure out that my expression had become strange? She continued with a serious face.
“We can’t save everyone. There are probably more people we can’t help than those we can save with our activities.”
At least we show up regularly at sites where we are deployed and make disruptions.
“But… still, it has its effects. Ever since we started our activities, the actions of aliens have drastically decreased.”
That’s… true.
The firepower of the Hope Circuit surpasses imagination.
While it is said that “you won’t die,” if you get hit, you end up in the hospital, and above all, it really hurts.
The only reason Noir Corporation is more lenient is that they fall under the category of ‘that being legal’—if you get caught doing something really illegal, you’re done for. Particularly alien criminals are ruthlessly punished and then handed over to the Galactic Federation.
“……”
Can I end up that way, too?
Ha-yoon? To me?
Ha-yoon’s hand landed on my shoulder.
“So don’t worry too much. I will surely protect my friend.”
“Uh, okay.”
And I nodded my head.
What can I do?
Do you want me to say that now I’m involved in all that?
No, even if that’s the case, that’s just…
While I sat lost in thought, Ha-yoon pulled out a small object from her bag.
Beep.
“What’s that?”
“Oh, this is a beacon.”
When I asked Ha-yoon, who was pressing a small device that looked like a tiny doorbell, she kindly explained.
“It’s a hassle to pull out a smartphone for detailed conversations, right? By pressing this, the comrades get notified.”
“Oh.”
Ji-hye’s eyes sparkled at Ha-yoon’s words.
“That means all five of us will gather here?”
“Yeah… well, we probably won’t gather ‘here.’”
“Then?”
I asked, and Ha-yoon answered.
“We all have our own styles.”
Ah, for sure.
Given that I’ve experienced it personally, I know well.
Ha-yoon tends to fight in a straightforward manner, showing herself to the opponent. She was originally the ‘leader,’ so there’s no surprise there.
If this were a superhero story, she’d be the Red leader, but since this isn’t a magical girl story, the most ‘magical girl-like’ one is the leader.
Happy Rose is way more of a martial artist than Ha-yoon, so she fights front and center without question.
Her punches are literally extremely painful. I once freaked out when my helmet cracked halfway through.
Happy Dalia is a mood-based fighter. You never know when she’ll pop up, making it quite a headache for us. She’s considered the instigator of the rule ‘beware of sudden strikes’ because she always goes for unexpected hits, which isn’t very magical girl-like.
Happy Delphinium specializes in long-range fire support. Honestly, she’s not someone I can handle as an ordinary combatant, and once I get hit from afar, I have no choice but to run away.
…Finally, Happy Iris.
She also takes care of both fire support and long-range sniping, but she has a slightly different role than Delphinium. While Delphinium is indirect fire, Iris is direct fire. The two, however, are known for not getting along so well and almost entirely unable to complement each other.
Well, Iris prefers to act separately from the others anyway.
“……”
But hey, are they all coming now?
“Don’t worry too much; they’re all professionals. You don’t have to worry at all. Unless it’s a really serious situation, I doubt there’ll be a need to transform.”
“Wow!”
Ji-hye seemed to have thrown all her fear away.
She was subtly looking forward to the transformation instead.
Well, if I didn’t get caught up in it, I’d probably be a little excited too.
Suppressing the urge to cover my face, I tapped my feet nervously.
Of course, inside my head.
If I did it outwardly, it would be too obvious.
*
“…So you called me for personal reasons like this, huh.”
Iris said, looking exceptionally annoyed.
For saying that, she was the first to run over. Did it take about fifteen minutes to get here? It seems that the warp point technology she’s researching isn’t solely used for attacks.
For some reason, she froze in place right after arriving as she stared at my face, but Ha-yoon, knowing this, quickly ran up and struck up a conversation to save me.
…There’s no way she figured out who I am, right? The helmet is thoroughly tinted. Unless she has some kind of x-ray vision, it’s impossible to recognize me.
“Uh…?”
“Ha.”
Iris pushed her glasses up with her finger.
Wearing glasses without a prescription or lenses wouldn’t have changed Ha-yoon’s face much regardless of how she adjusted them, but Iris definitely had a prescription in hers. She looks a little softer when she wears them.
I wonder if her vision improves when she transforms? That’s a setting that hasn’t been mentioned in the webtoon.
“Well, it’s fine. Stalking is a crime after all. Although this country does allow freedom of expression… just because the law is strictly adhered to doesn’t mean it’s doing good, right?”
“……”
“…What are you staring at like that?”
“Uh? What? No, it’s nothing.”
How should I put it…
It’s that kind of respectful character common in Korea.
Iris is the same age as Ha-yoon. It’s not just her being the same age, they even attend the same school. In other words, that means she’s also the same age as me.
Yet, using honorifics with someone my age?
Ah, of course, she did that in the webtoon, so she must be doing it here too…
“Don’t you think it’s rude to stare so openly at someone you just met?”
…
No, we’ve met before.
She used to visit our classroom from time to time. Of course, she never spoke to me, but I was sitting right next to Ha-yoon.
We talked frequently with Ha-yoon, and it felt like it wouldn’t be that hard to remember, right?
Well, it would definitely be much better for my sake that she doesn’t remember.
Iris shot me a glance as if she found me incredibly annoying, but nonetheless, she seemed to be done lingering on the subject.
Taking a small breath in, she exhaled.
Then she opened her eyes and immediately gazed at Ha-yoon.
“Well then, let’s resolve this quickly. We’ll definitely ensure that such perverted photos won’t be taken legally or illegally moving forward.”
Isn’t that a bit extreme?
Moreover, she’s got a different atmosphere from her usual magical girl form. This time around, she gives off a stiff childlike impression.
And… Oh?
Isn’t her height supposed to be taller than mine?
Ah.
Now I get it.
She always looks down at me from above—
“Excuse me.”
“Uh?”
Iris had been looking up at me once again with a frown.
“Did you, perhaps, just think something rude?”
“……”
“Ugh, seriously.”
Iris pointed one finger at me, shaking her head in a condescending manner.
“…If you’re saying you’re friends with Blossom, you’re letting your guard down, but normally I wouldn’t show such a side of myself.”
Normally or not, we’re in the same school.
And the magical girls in this world are already in a position somewhat akin to idols, so everyone would know their real names and faces… right?
“Ah, well…”
Ha-yoon hurriedly whispered something in Iris’s ear.
Iris’s face immediately turned red.
“Ah, anyway!”
Seeing her voice raise suddenly, it looked like she really didn’t know I was a student in the same school.
…Let’s think of it as a blessing.
“Well, whatever. You all are victims, so we should finish up quickly and disperse.”
“But the other girls haven’t shown up yet—”
“Unlike us, who are students on vacation, they probably have a lot to deal with.”
But aren’t all magical girls minors?
The oldest one would only have a one-year difference at most.
What kind of adult magical girls are there, anyway? It doesn’t even seem fitting to call them ‘girls.’
Moreover, there were varied opinions on whether high school students could even be magical girls at all. A magical ‘youth,’ doesn’t it?
I stayed quiet because I felt like saying something about it would annoy Iris again.
“What? Why do you have such a troubled look?”
Oh, she’s chatting even if I stay silent.
What an incredibly bothersome personality.
“I figured you just thought something annoying!”
“Uh, Jua!”
Seeing Iris raise her voice, Ha-yoon quickly intervened.
Iris soon realized that by yelling, she was gathering the attention of those around us and quickly shut her mouth.
…
In the webtoon, there was an episode with Iris lacking friends, and now I could see why.
The only one who can accept such a personality is probably Ha-yoon.
Iris looked like she had something else to say, but for now, she kept silent.
“…Then let’s confirm first.”
Iris pulled out her phone and opened an article.
“All the pictures captured were from behind. The photo that came up from a few days ago was a side profile, but it was taken the moment someone entered the building. What that means is, it was likely a picture taken from behind while following someone. Have you noticed anyone following you?”
We all glanced at each other and turned our heads.
Then we all shook our heads.
Surely, upon hearing the story, it definitely crossed my mind that it was likely captured from somewhere close.
There are only two types of photos that can be taken with a telephoto lens.
Either taking a picture from above or shooting when there aren’t many people around.
In a crowded subway, there’s a lot of space for someone to mingle around, and when there are many people, it gets difficult to identify a target.
The problem is that we’re currently in a crowded intersection.
We were at a decent spot in the park, yet there are still plenty of passersby. A few have glanced our way, making things even more confusing.
“Well, it’s fine to snap pictures with a smartphone, but… Um, this doesn’t feel like a smartphone, though. The depth seems quite shallow.”
Iris continued.
The camera indeed blurred everything except for Ha-yoon.
If it isn’t about putting mosaic patterns on the surroundings, it may not be wise at all. For ‘confusion’ to happen, the surrounding space needs to appear somewhat blurry. Otherwise, it might end up looking like one’s ‘boyfriend’ could just be a ‘friend’ instead.
“A digital camera stores the images captured by a sensor. Considering the surrounding objects have all been blurred, well… I can’t think of anything other than that a physical close-up was performed.”
“If they open the aperture too much, too much light hits the camera sensor, making it difficult to take a shot.”
“So what, so what?”
Ji-hye leaned in excitedly.
She looked like a detective who simply had to piece together a mystery.
Iris spoke, puffing out her chest a little, as if feeling proud.
“Well, the conclusion is simple.”
While Iris curled her fingers one by one as she spoke.
“They’re following from somewhere close by, with a high-performance camera that can deliver sharp images even in dark environments, and with a lens that allows physical zooming, right?”
“……”
Ji-hye and I looked towards one another before turning to Iris again.
By now, Ha-yoon seemed to have concluded something but kept quietly smiling at Iris, perhaps out of consideration for her excitement.
“However, since we couldn’t spot anyone holding a camera, the conclusion is likely one of two options: either they possess an alien technology camera, or they’ve undergone some body modifications. Personally, I find the latter more plausible.”
“Why? I heard body modifications aren’t easy.”
“Because it feels like an expert’s touch. Moreover, no matter how small the camera is, if it’s being held in hand, it’ll eventually look unnatural.”
Iris said, smiling.
That was the same smile she had when she aimed a gun at me.
“And if it’s a professional writing such articles, they generally undergo body modifications. Sending out articles straight from ‘the head’ is faster and more convenient than transferring them to a laptop in between. Also, feel grateful; yet again, I happen to know someone acquainted with that sort of alien.”
Iris spoke with an air of smugness.
“Moreover, that person is also a wanted criminal. Isn’t it just perfect for our region?”
…Hmm.
Don’t tell me she is memorizing a list of alien criminals hanging out on this planet?