I Became a New Magical Girl Priest

---

I confirmed that Ji-hye is safe. In fact, the very reason I came here included my selfish motives, so there was little else to do beyond verifying that.

Thus, I intended to leave after a few minutes.

If there’s no Chairman at the headquarters, it would be nearly impossible for us to find him.

It would be great if we really could track him down. I had many questions to ask, and if possible, I would love to give him a good whack.

However, at this moment, my aim was to raise suspicions towards the Chairman, diverting Noir Corporation’s forces to protect him.

There was a deliberate reason for not showing interest in the actual target.

Moreover, while it’s unclear how far the government is willing to overlook the Chairman, it’s clear that they are showing that they are pursuing him.

If the Chairman begins to consolidate forces for his own safety, that could inadvertently reveal his position.

It’s possible he could just take off into outer space—but if he never returns, I might find it easier to detach myself entirely.

If he can’t do anything on Earth anymore, wouldn’t that be sufficient?

…The conversation has gone off track, but anyway, I originally didn’t plan to stay here for that long.

But then…

“…Ji-hye.”

I gently spoke to Ji-hye, who was still clinging to me.

Ji-hye’s face was a mess of tears.

In fact, it wasn’t just tears.

She had come straight here without cleaning off the oil and blood from fighting aliens and smashing cars. Though the blood might be dried, the oil couldn’t have dried up that fast.

Of course, the oil had stained Ji-hye’s clothes, making them a mess.

“It’s getting greasy. Just a sec—”

But even as I gently tried to push her away by grasping her shoulder, Ji-hye clung tighter around my waist. Like a little kid throwing a tantrum.

No, it was an emotion that couldn’t even be described as a tantrum.

Just as I thought of Ji-hye as family, she must think of me as family too.

She had already let me go twice, but if this continues to repeat, it would only pile up worries.

“…”

In that warmth, I realized anew.

The thought that I had nothing was merely my own delusion.

In reality, I already had something precious that I could never lose. Ji-hye, and Ha-yoon.

The emotion I should have felt was guilt. My mind was telling me that finding joy in such a situation was immoral.

But even with those thoughts, my circuits were already spinning vigorously.

At least Ha-yoon and Jua behind me understand what this means. I was literally showing my heart to others.

Ji-hye held on to me for another two minutes before finally pulling back.

Her face was already smeared with grime, and red, yellow, and black stains dotted her white shirt. While Ji-hye didn’t seem to care at all, I felt nothing but regret.

…Really.

Was it really necessary to avoid this much?

Couldn’t I have come just for a moment to see Ji-hye’s face? Did I misjudge and end up worrying excessively by thinking I would ruin everything on my own?

Even if I think about it now, it was useless.

“…Can’t we just rest for a bit before going?”

The teacher cautiously asked, sensing something from us.

“Ah, that’s…”

I hesitated with my words.

Rose, Dalia, and Delphinium were already heading towards Noir Corporation’s headquarters.

Based on the fact that we hadn’t received any separate news, it didn’t seem like there were any unusual circumstances, but in this situation, we couldn’t just rest comfortably.

In fact, even just sitting here in this state was quite troublesome. Objectively speaking, it was just like we were slacking off while others were working.

But then.

Ji-hye grabbed my hand.

She clasped my right hand with both of hers and gently pulled me toward her.

The force wasn’t enough to drag my body. It was merely enough to tug my arm slightly.

It was a small strength that I could easily shrug off with a little determination.

But that wasn’t simply an act of ‘holding.’

Maybe it was a plea.

She thought she had no right to hold on, yet still wished I wouldn’t leave.

“…”

I turned to look behind.

At Ha-yoon and Jua.

Both wore complex expressions.

Jua’s expression was hard to read. It was close to her usual impassive face, but the angle of her eyebrows was slightly different. With the ends turned down, it seemed her feelings were closer to disappointment.

My story was already known to the other magical girls too. They might not understand how special Ji-hye and I were to each other.

Ha-yoon’s expression was even more complicated.

More accurately, it was as though she didn’t know what kind of expression she should make.

Though she thought she should quickly join the other kids, at the same time, she couldn’t just tell me to move on. An awkward smile.

“…It’s okay.”

Finally, after catching my gaze, Ha-yoon cautiously expressed her opinion.

“For now, there’s nothing dangerous… and besides, there’s the police.”

Right. For now, those who seemed ready to barge in to catch me were not really a concern, so the immediate situation was ‘okay.’

Really?

Am I just rationalizing this alone?

“Ji-hye, I…”

As I turned my head to speak to Ji-hye—

Bang!

A loud noise rang out.

For a moment, I wondered if the people outside had changed their minds. Those were the only people who could attack us at that moment.

But it was something different.

That sound wasn’t just a door slamming. It sounded like something was clearly exploding. A sound I had heard several times before.

Louder than gunfire.

After a brief delay, the orphanage’s window shook violently. Though it wasn’t an earthquake-like energy, it was surely the aftermath of tremendous energy.

“Ji-eun!”

Ha-yoon shouted out my name.

Even while shouting, her body was already leaping forward. Jua followed suit.

Completely different from the somewhat contemplative attitude just moments ago.

I also turned back.

“Ah.”

I let go of Ji-hye’s hand.

Unintentionally, I glanced back and found Ji-hye standing there, her face frozen in anxiety, hand raised as if caught in indecision.

My heart raced violently.

To be honest, I was more afraid of Ji-hye’s expression than the explosion happening outside.

She wasn’t angry. Ji-hye clearly understood the situation. She must know that I needed to go.

But the expression was different from the times we had parted before.

It was like a plea.

But that expression only briefly surfaced before Ji-hye resolutely brought her hands to clutch tightly on her stomach.

A smile emerged on her face.

It was the same smile she had shown during our last two partings.

“…Ah…”

And upon seeing that face, I let out a groan without realizing it.

I see.

Ji-hye didn’t want to let me go either. Before that expression appeared on her face, she must have made that expression a moment ago.

She just didn’t want to show it in front of me. Trying not to become an obstacle in my escape.

Because she too knows we are each other’s only family.

“…”

I gritted my teeth.

I thought everything was gradually sorting itself out.

While I felt a sense of ambivalence about becoming a magical girl in various ways, I still thought it was a meaningful choice that would help organize the situation, and it indeed had some effect.

However, the more I made that choice, the more I distanced myself from the previous ‘Jeong Ji-eun.’

Naturally, I would continue to drift away from all the relationships surrounding me.

As ‘Lily’, becoming a magical girl meant I might not see Ji-hye for a long time. And even if I did, it would only be in fleeting glimpses.

I thought it was something that would happen when I became an adult. But by then, the relationship would already have been established—in a way that allows us to enjoy each other’s company as friends.

But now.

I’m still in high school. It’s barely been two months since I became a sophomore.

Many who left the orphanage before us, but most of them, we couldn’t even keep in touch regularly. The relationship ended before it truly became a family.

Would Ji-hye and I end up like that?

That thought terrified me.

It’s so strange. Can people really hold such dual emotions at once? Yet, at the same time, in a corner of my heart, I found joy in the fact that Ji-hye was waiting for me like this.

It’s ugly.

Since becoming Jeong Ji-eun in this world, I felt the ugliest I had ever felt about myself.

…In some ways, even more so than when I felt dual emotions towards Ha-yoon.

I cursed all that had pushed me into this situation.

Including myself.

“I’ll be back soon.”

I said that.

It was practically a lie. It wasn’t entirely devoid of sincerity, but—

“Yeah, I’ll wait.”

Ji-hye said that. Her voice was much calmer than earlier.

And upon hearing that voice, my heart felt like it dropped and rolled to the floor.

Clenching my teeth, I turned around with my eyes tightly shut.

And then, I ran forward.

Whatever the cause of the explosion outside was, I felt I wouldn’t be settled until I dealt with it.

…Even after I pounded on it with all my might, it was uncertain whether I would actually feel settled.

*

When I took to the skies to check, I found that the explosion had occurred at a family home.

And seeing that, I felt a chill run down my spine.

It was a direction I knew all too well.

“Ji-eun!?”

As soon as I confirmed the direction, I dashed towards it without a word, causing Ha-yoon to exclaim in surprise.

But I had no time to reply to her. More importantly, I needed to confirm something from there.

A human life? That might have been a possibility. Even for someone like me, I understood the basic duty one should have as a human.

However, in my view, that human duty was ultimately secondary.

What mattered more was the appearance of someone who might be in the direction of that explosion.

The direction of the explosion was where I had taken refuge until I met the magical girls.

Pang-pang’s house.

For some reason, thinking of her name made me reluctant. I had been calling her ‘Earth Buddy,’ a silly nickname that might have made her angry if she heard it, but she was a person close to me.

Black smoke was rising from there.

Why? At this moment?

Could it be that the Chairman figured it out? That I was staying at Pang-pang’s place without any special conditions.

How did they know? Was there someone at my last workplace who recognized my face beyond the firewall? Was there someone who saw me using a hammer and reported me to the Chairman?

If not, did they check CCTV or something and managed to locate someone close to me?

I didn’t know.

…I just knew that I had been overly complacent until now.

 

---