I Became a New Magical Girl Priest

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No one thought there was certainty.

But at the same time, none of the Magical Girls were uncertain.

At the very least, the entity that planned this entire incident was clearly affiliated with Noir Corporation.

Whether the person called ‘Mom’ was my real mother or not, it was a tactic devised to shake Ji-eun’s spirit.

“……”

In the midst of the silence, the first to speak was Ha-yoon.

“Right now, Seo-hee unnie and Chae-yeon unnie have a mission.”

At Ha-yoon’s words, Jua and Yeon-woo’s eyes widened.

“Oh, right! Who’s the officer leading the Combatants this time?”

In response to Yeon-woo’s question, Ha-yoon was already pulling out a communicator from her bag.

The three of them quickly got up from their seats and walked.

“Seo-hee unnie!”

After a moment of silence,

[Oh, yeah? Sorry, I was just throwing a punch a moment ago.]

“Are you going to fight the Combatants? Wait, that’s not important right now!”

Somewhere along the way, Yeon-woo was already speaking into her communicator.

“The officer should be out now, right? Who is it?”

[Officer?]

Then the sound cut out briefly, as if she was checking something.

It was Chae-yeon, not Seo-hee, who answered first.

[……Parted 2:8. That foreigner.]

“……”

The three of them exchanged glances.

[Why?]

“We have to catch that officer. I have something to ask.”

Ha-yoon said so.

“I’ll go right away.”

*

I was staring vacantly at the ceiling when I started rummaging through the bag I had placed next to my bed, pulling out the circuit.

Nothing was missing or broken. There were plenty of scratches here and there, but nothing was shattered or damaged.

It would’ve been easier if it had broken; unfortunately, the inspection results showed it was normal. So, the reason I couldn’t transform was purely due to my own state of mind.

Hope.

How absurd it was that just finding family made hope disappear.

Was I really that fragile mentally?

I thought as I put the wrist-mounted circuit back on.

“……”

And I stared at it intently for a while.

The clock hand trembled and seemed to move slightly, then returned to its original position.

“……”

I tried to think of a reason. I figured if I knew the cause, I could organize my thoughts one by one.

But—there were too many reasons.

The biggest reason was undoubtedly the thought that if I continued down this path, ‘Mom’ would be hurt.

If she really was my biological mother, I didn’t want that. Yes. Let’s admit that. At least that person was worried about me.

And if I ignored all those feelings and continued with my actions—at that point, I might really ruin our relationship.

If that person was a family I fought so hard to find.

I would be fine without her. I would be okay. I tried to tell myself that many times, but I couldn’t shake the awareness of her existence; I couldn’t just discard it. To say I had never longed for her all those years would simply be a lie.

I sighed deeply, rubbing my face with both hands.

Ah, they say that continuing to ponder over unsolvable problems is really bad for mental health. I just couldn’t think of a way to get out of this loop.

Knock, knock.

As I stared blankly at the ceiling, someone entered through the door.

It was her. The person I called my mother.

Every time this person came, hope was chipped away. And the reality forced its way into my life.

That reality was cold, yet simultaneously hard to push away.

She didn’t demand anything from me. She didn’t outright deny my being a Magical Girl, and it seemed like she would try to do anything if I asked her to.

Isn’t that what ‘Mom’ is supposed to be? I couldn’t say every mother in the world is selfless, but—

This person, too, wasn’t exactly selfless when I was little.

Maybe it was because I realized her gaze wasn’t as sharp as I thought it would be. Her expression was softer than before. At least, she seemed to be less tense.

“It’s nice weather today.”

“……Yeah, it is.”

When I replied, a smile spread across the woman’s face.

What was so good about that?

I had only said a word in return.

I hated it.

At the same time, I missed her.

I had such contradictory thoughts as I watched the woman’s actions with a blank stare.

First, she set down the disposable shopping bag she held in her hands. Then, she pulled out a few fruits from inside.

Goodness, she really was consistent. It was impressive how she was trying to befriend me by any means.

“……”

While I was staring blankly at her peeling the apple, my communicator buzzed.

No, it wasn’t my phone; it was the communicator. The Magical Girl communicator.

One of the Magical Girls was calling for me through it.

I turned my head, and the woman was looking at me with wide eyes.

“……Just a moment, I need to take this call.”

I said that and pressed the button on the communicator.

*

The Magical Girls, who had been poised to fight at any moment, suddenly changed their target.

Without caring at all what would happen to the antenna in front of them, Delphinium jumped high up.

The magic changed. The ice that could freeze everything around it in an instant converged into one place, becoming a huge, transparent lens. Such lenses lined up in a row, varying in type.

Could it even become a telescope?

Did they receive some new mission?—

Rose, who had been raising her fist, held her ear and mumbled something to herself.

A call.

She was on the phone with someone—

Rose suddenly looked up at the sky. Then, Delphinium looked down at Rose.

“Okay.”

Rose murmured that and turned to Pang-pang.

“Hey, we have something else to do today, so we don’t have much time. So, don’t waste time and just go home. …I’m letting you off because I’m thinking of Ji-eun.”

“……”

Pang-pang blinked. Of course, the expressions of these Magical Girls could not be seen.

Then Rose soared from her spot and flew away. Along with Delphinium—

Heading in the direction where Pang-pang and the Combatants had left.

“……Huh?”

For just a moment, I felt a bit strange.

Magical Girls generally didn’t harbor any killing intent. They didn’t fight with the expression that they really wanted to kill someone; it was just that their attacks were so strong that they would end up hurting someone.

However, Rose’s last expression was slightly frightening.

She was smiling, but it seemed like if you touched her the wrong way, she would immediately break someone.

“……”

Pang-pang trembled.

Naturally, the thought of destroying an unguarded antenna vanished. Delphinium could attack from a very long distance, and she could also take revenge next time they dangerously crossed paths.

Until now, that had never happened, but for some reason, it felt like it could.

But.

Beyond that, a strange feeling arose.

It felt like the Magical Girls— were on the verge of doing something un-Magical-Girl-like.

And somehow, it felt like Ji-eun would be very sad if the other Magical Girls did such a thing.

That’s how I thought.

“……Ugh.”

So, trembling, I turned around.

And I started to run back in the direction I had originally come from.

Yeah.

After all, all my personal belongings are that way. I had to go back home, so I needed to go back to the apartment first.

So, just on the way, let’s check it just once. What might be happening?

If the Magical Girls seemed like they were going to stir up something really big—

……

Then what?

Was there anything Pang-pang could do? I didn’t really think so.

But still, I ran.

As I ran, I somehow imagined Ji-eun lying alone in a hospital.

*

The word hope is usually used positively.

So, hope to fulfill dreams.

Hope that things will get better than they are now.

That kind of thing.

But I thought that depending on what went into that dream, or the situation, the meaning of that hope might change a bit, too.

Hope to fulfill dreams.

To become closer with Ji-eun… It could happen. If only Ji-eun continued to fight alongside Ha-yoon without giving up hope.

Hope that things will get better than they are now.

It can improve.

At least, they found the clues that pointed to Noir Corporation’s mischief. They also knew who was leading it.

Thinking back, if that had been the result of biological ties, there would have been no reason for Noir Corporation’s officer to come looking.

So, if Ji-eun could only know that fact for certain, if she could just show clear evidence—

Anyone who couldn’t see Ha-yoon flying in the sky drawing a pink trail would likely never exist. It wasn’t the kind of sight you could easily witness.

Almost no one would have seen that pink trail almost falling right in front of them.

“……!”

That guy, who rolled backward while barely managing to contain his scream at the sight of the ground caving in, stumbled to his feet, fumbling with his words.

“M-Magical Girl—”

“……I just want to ask you one thing.”

But before he could finish that, Ha-yoon lifted her head, looking directly at him.

The Magical Girls behind her were all equally furious.

“……Is it you?”

Ha-yoon asked.

The wand in her hand gleamed menacingly.

A ray that could split anything apart.

“It’s you, who put Ji-eun… into such a trap…?”

James, the officer of Noir Corporation, who always opposed the Magical Girls, thought this was perhaps the first time he was seeing a Magical Girl ‘angry.’

Surely, it must have been a sight difficult for others to witness.

Perhaps this time, James was the first one to see it.

 

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