READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 269
I tilted my head, thinking that this was quite a strange situation.
After all, the idea of getting close to a combatant seemed a bit odd, didn’t it?
I knew that most combatants were just ordinary people without anything particularly special about them.
Of course, those willing to work for a company like this were mostly individuals who had nowhere else to turn.
Especially those who were in dire financial straits, scraping by while saving whatever salary Noir Corporation provided.
The reason Noir Corporation ended up in this country is pretty straightforward. The leading nations of Earth granted various benefits to secure the technological prowess of alien corporations.
They got pretty close to being illegal according to federal standards.
One of the most notable benefits includes tax breaks—what you’d call a tax haven.
Additionally, there are many other perks and plenty that gets overlooked. The fact that they skirt on the edge of legality reflects how the public perceives it, which is rather alarming.
But in the end, the folks pulled straight from comics are either married men with kids or part of the extremely impoverished who struggle day to day… It might be that the person next to me is one of them.
Yet, this person always sticks around until the very end.
Staying put, they extended their fist toward me.
“……”
Staring intently at that person, who looked like they would never rise until I did, they awkwardly shifted, appearing somewhat uncomfortable.
They were about my height, but their build was slender, bordering on feminine for an adult male. It was evident they couldn’t hide their lady-like physique.
Not that it was anything overtly pronounced, just enough to notice.
“What kind of situation are you in?”
I asked, but the person naturally didn’t reply. They merely stood there, shifting uncomfortably.
“Do you really want to beat me that badly?”
Changing the question, their helmet turned towards me.
It looked like a motorcycle helmet, but upon closer inspection, there were more intricate details. Something akin to circuitry was drawn on it, and there seemed to be tiny antennae, suggesting it had communication capabilities.
“……”
I stared at that helmet for a while before saying, “……Does it have a black box function, by any chance?”
Oops, that wasn’t a good thought.
Magical Girls fight without those things, after all. I’ve no clue why they don’t have body cams like the police, but then again…
It was only after I said that that the combatant became extremely flustered and started fidgeting.
Could it be that they were trying to be considerate of me?
Or maybe they were secretly recording and got caught?
Well, whatever the case, it didn’t concern me.
I sighed softly and got up from my seat.
“Well, forget it. Thanks to you, I had a moment to think. You’re not just antagonistic toward me, huh?”
I said that and turned my back on the combatant, who appeared dazed by my words.
…Let’s hope that video doesn’t lead to some sort of altercation later on.
After all, I wouldn’t be seeing them again anyway.
*
I often visited Pang-pang’s house.
I wasn’t sure if I’d have a reason to go back after my first visit, but to my surprise, Pang-pang had a cheerful personality and was very easy to talk to.
Plus, she really loved it when I brought her coffee or something similar.
It felt a little strange to enjoy that kind of warmth, but I appreciated how welcoming she was.
It wasn’t like I was sneaking around to see her or anything.
I was just talking about it to Ji-hye, and she expressed the wish to make alien friends, so I asked Pang-pang, who nodded enthusiastically, and since then, I’ve occasionally brought Ji-hye along.
Surprisingly, Ji-hye and Pang-pang got along well.
Maybe it was because they shared a similar personality; they both enjoyed playing around.
Moreover, since Pang-pang lived alone, Ji-hye seemed to feel a sense of freedom whenever she was in that space.
“So, Ji-eun really gave that officer a flashy blow, right?”
“Yeah, right? That was amazing!”
Ji-hye sparkled her eyes as she replied, nodding along with Pang-pang.
In reality, it wasn’t as grand as that. I had merely wrapped my hammer in magic and swung it with all my might.
Well, if we’re talking about it flying away, I guess that could be classified as ‘flashy.’
Pang-pang had already opened two energy drink cans I brought and looked pretty tipsy.
“It was because I gathered too much magic energy that the surrounding power created a whirlwind…”
“Uh, really?”
Ji-hye blinked in surprise, looking at me.
“Did it?”
While gathering magic, my gaze was actually on the officer instead of my hammer. I didn’t really have the time to notice if my magic was particularly impressive or not while fighting.
“Eh? Didn’t it?”
“I don’t think I saw it on the news footage.”
They might have been filming, but essentially, battles between Magical Girls and combatants end pretty quickly. It’s not like these things are announced with set times and venues.
Usually, Chae-yeon’s magic is the flashiest. It rarely gets executed fully, but if it does, it’s practically a sensational spectacle, so the cameramen usually focus their efforts there.
Moreover, fights aren’t announced like, “Hey, we’re having a battle here at this time,” as there’s hardly enough time to carry multiple cameras and rush over.
And, well, my outfit is noticeably more revealing compared to the other Magical Girls.
If they were going to take footage of me, they might as well capture something else and churn out a stable video instead of mosaicing my body.
Of course, there might be videos shot by my personal fans, but it’s rare for my techniques to be captured from start to finish on the news.
While Ji-hye was indignant about that situation, she would fall silent whenever I pointed out the outfit I wore when I transformed.
“Oh, uh.”
Receiving Ji-hye’s not-so-subtle critique, it seemed like Pang-pang was frozen for a moment.
I casually chimed in, “Maybe my fan uploaded something online.”
“Oh, right. That’s it.”
Hmm.
Should I refrain from bringing coffee too often?
Pang-pang claimed she wasn’t addicted to caffeine, but honestly, I didn’t know what to believe.
Come to think of it, the same goes for drinkers; the most dangerous ones are those who insist they’re not drunk.
“I think I saw it on the internet.”
“Oh, that makes sense. Ji-eun does have quite a few fans in that arena.”
Ji-hye giggled as she looked at me. Are you tipsy too?
“……You know, clothing doesn’t change at my command or anything.”
I lamented.
“It’s made of magic.”
“Maybe you’re just imagining too much about Ji-eun?”
“……”
I fell silent.
How should I rebut that?
Ji-hye laughed out loud. Pang-pang merely smiled awkwardly beside her.
“By the way, isn’t it amazing how those combatants rush toward Ji-eun in such outfits? Especially the officers! They don’t even flinch.”
“What’s so special about those outfits, anyway?”
I shot back, but Ji-hye kept on talking, almost entranced by the mood.
“Fighting in such risqué clothing without a care and throwing punches? It seems a bit dull-witted.”
“Maybe they just don’t care about Earthlings.”
I said while popping a snack into my mouth.
“But most aliens don’t look too different from Earthlings, do they?”
“Combatants are like that. They need to wear combat suits. There are probably plenty who aren’t Earthlings underneath.”
As for the officers… well, wouldn’t it make sense if tiny aliens operated human-shaped robots or something?
Or maybe they use holograms to create faces and walk around? There’s surely all sorts of methods available.
“Or maybe you actually have fans?”
Ji-hye said with a laugh.
“Maybe they’re rushing in because they desperately want to connect with you.”
“……What? The combatant I mentioned earlier?”
“Since their expressions are concealed anyway, maybe wanting to fight you until the end means they’re a true fan!”
“Pfft.”
That thought briefly crossed my mind, but I quickly shoved it aside.
Ji-hye doesn’t really know that I ended up sitting next to that combatant for a fair while.
That person seemed pretty uncomfortable the whole time.
While I felt a bit of an emotional bond with them, they didn’t appear to reciprocate at all.
Maybe they just thought sitting beside me could save them from a hit.
“……”
“Pang-pang, are you tipsy? Ha-yoon said she’d be coming soon.”
For some reason, I noticed Pang-pang silent and her face was beet red.
“Ah, no. I’m not tipsy at all.”
“……Then how about you stop chugging coffee and talk like that.”
“Uh, okay.”
Strangely, Pang-pang accepted my words readily. Normally, she wouldn’t stop insisting, “I’m not drunk!” and just keep drinking.
Well, perhaps today, I might have actually gotten a little tipsy more quickly.
And there’s also the fact that Ha-yoon is way more famous than me as a Magical Girl, isn’t she?
Being a “Earth Buddy Pang-pang,” who wants to see at least one more Magical Girl’s face, she might be enduring it.