I Became a New Magical Girl Priest

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Alright. Let’s forget everything for now.

I really don’t want to open my mouth and hurt myself for no reason. Just because I think they look alike doesn’t mean there’s any solid evidence.

What if I say something silly about her being your mom, and it’s not true? That would be way worse.

Everything was gradually returning to normal.

My circuits were starting to operate properly again. It wasn’t spinning crazily as it did when everything was running smoothly, but I could transform, swing my hammer, scare the combatants, and even take down aliens.

That was good enough.

Most magical girl shows end with the hero completely defeating the villain. Either they’re banished from Earth or wiped out. It has a bit in common with special productions.

It’s only natural, really. Isn’t it a cartoon for kids? It’s much better if the villain is simple and has a reason to be defeated.

The problem is that the webtoon I was reading was a satire of reality.

It placed the existence of magical girls into the real world. The enemy is a colossal corporation, and that corporation is rooted in real life.

Magical girls are swayed and tossed around by their studies, life, and relationships with children. They fill the story with a mix of comical and bittersweet reactions.

The corporation is similar. The ordinary combatants portray the struggles of low-level office workers in an oddly emotional way, which ends up making you want to laugh at it.

The content got serious once it was officially serialized, but the basic premise remained the same. It was just that the humor was somewhat diminished.

So, the conflict structure is similar to reality.

Even if the government collides with a gigantic corporation, it’s hard for one side to completely overwhelm the other. Of course, while a corporation can’t strike down a government, it’s not entirely impossible for the government to shake down a corporation… But still.

Eliminating a company brought in by Eun-ha just for immediate profit is another story. Maybe Noir Corporation is a company whose actual size is larger than the territory of South Korea.

So, perhaps this life of ours… is likely to continue for a long time.

I didn’t think it was a bad thing. Rather than thinking I want to be a magical girl forever, it feels more like… in a way, I’ve established a sustainable goal.

“Ji-eun.”

I was spaced out, staring up at the sky on the rooftop, not even noticing Ha-yoon coming up beside me.

“Yeah. The sky is just so pretty.”

Before Ha-yoon could even ask why I was acting like that, I answered her first.

“I see.”

Ha-yoon sat next to me.

It felt like we were a bit close, but, well, I didn’t mind at all. Why would I have a reason to dislike Ha-yoon? No, actually, if anything, if I had to put it in terms of feelings, it leans towards liking her.

We are childhood friends.

I didn’t know her as long as Ji-hye, but as ‘friends,’ there’s no one I’ve known since childhood like Ha-yoon in this life.

To be exact, I haven’t maintained a relationship this long before. I did go to elementary school in my previous life too.

It feels like we understand each other without saying anything, and our hopes and likes are similar. Above all, playing together is the most fun. Just as I think about Ha-yoon like that, she likely thinks the same about me.

That’s why I suggested we become magical girls together, and we’ve been working together ever since.

If possible, I wanted to sit like this for a little longer.

The call bell rang.

Ha-yoon and I instinctively stood up and shared a glance.

And without deciding who would go first, we nodded at each other and ran.

It’s strange.

When I was an adult, I disliked work that much. But now, maybe because I don’t have to think about much while working, it felt easier on my mind.

Is it like when you’re a student and think studying is the worst?

…

No, it’s probably just that I want to run away.

At least, when there’s a reason like that, it means I don’t have to move on my worries.

*

This time, our job was to ‘protect’ something.

To guard a research facility buried underground in a house.

It was way too big to just be called a “simple home.” But still, I couldn’t understand why there was a research lab underground in a place that was nevertheless just where people lived, and why we had to protect that lab.

Did the federation truly make a contract with these people?

“…Come to think of it, we don’t receive much information, do we?”

“Well, it can’t be helped. They may praise us as magical girls, but we’re just high school students, right? What if we share various things while laughing and joking around and it leaks?”

Yeon-woo, who had been beside me, replied.

It sounded reasonable at first, but when I recalled all the stories that came out in the news from the world I lived in, anyone, not just high school girls, could leak information.

No, to begin with, there are only six magical girls. There’s no particular reason to inform more people, but, still, it was a fact that something felt a little off.

Besides, there was something else that bothered me about this place.

I looked at Ha-yoon, who was far away.

She had been wanting to come over to me, but for some reason, the girl living in this house kept talking to her.

A rich girl.

Looking at her now made me somewhat understand why magical girls were specifically filled with daughters from wealthy families.

…If they were from ordinary households, wouldn’t they feel small when facing people like this? Or would the other party try to exert some subtle kind of oppression?

That girl is from our school. I even know her face.

I was maintaining relationships with the other kids that weren’t bad on the whole, but that doesn’t mean I got along well with everyone. Some kids ignore me. They probably see me as the one without parents before being a magical girl.

That girl was one of those. Of all people.

“I wish she’d just get the autograph she wanted and leave.”

As I sighed and said that, Yeon-woo chuckled bitterly.

“Yeah, well, it can’t be helped. Generally, rich kids try to network with those who share similar wealth.”

“I’ve been feeling that for a long time now.”

While we were talking like that, Jua, who had been hovering high in the sky, gently descended.

But her expression didn’t look too cheerful.

“What’s wrong?”

“There’s no sign of the combatants appearing…”

Jua tilted her head and said.

“Normally, the combatants move first, and we follow, right? They seem to initiate the attack, while we defend. So even if we made a small move first, there should be some sign of the combatants acting.”

“Could they have noticed us and given up first?”

Seo-hee, who had come over, asked.

“…No.”

Chae-yeon, who was sitting on a bench a bit away from us, spoke up.

“…Noir Corporation has fought in situations where they seemed unlikely to win until now.”

When she said that, it kind of felt like they’d taken center stage instead of us, didn’t it?

I felt unpleasant about that too, from some of the things in the comic.

When arguing for neutrality, it’s usually better to describe both sides as if they’re just the bad guys. Or else depict both with their good sides.

But in the official webtoon, it emphasized the negative and impulsive aspects of the magical girls while laying out the pitiful backstories of the combatants extensively. It was as if the magical girls were constantly banging away at beings that absolutely shouldn’t be hit.

…If that were the case, they shouldn’t show such heinous negative aspects as kidnapping people, stealing items, or driving out perfectly healthy people during redevelopment… They should’ve kept that stuff hidden.

But at this point, it’s a meaningless talk. I’m already in that world anyway.

“It’s interesting that they kept fighting even in situations that appeared unwinnable…”

I didn’t think I was the only one who found that a little odd.

“The combatants ran away. Even the one who barely remained hasn’t been seen lately.”

At Seo-hee’s words, Chae-yeon shook her head.

“…No. That’s not what I mean.”

Then she paused for a moment before continuing.

“I mean in terms of investment as a company. The combatants are just employees.”

“Oh, I see.”

With Chae-yeon’s explanation that followed, I could only nod in agreement.

After all, it’s not like they’re the ones getting hit.

They’re from a wealthy company, and if successful, they’ll gain immense profits, but it’s also not significant loss in case of failure.

It’s probably beneficial for them to annoy us anyway.

So it means that if they deemed it necessary, they’d just send us out to see how it goes.

“…”

We fell into a brief silence.

It seemed Ha-yoon was finishing her conversation with the girl. She was probably putting up a wall. Even from here, I could see her face slowly twisting into a forced smile.

Then suddenly, something came to mind.

“…Wait a minute.”

I looked back at Chae-yeon.

“So, how did you know this place was going to be attacked?”

The combatants didn’t come out in advance.

And Noir Corporation was, in a way, a company good at keeping secrets. Last time, we only heard the story after literally beating up an officer.

“…I saw some combatants hanging around a few hours earlier. Probably that person over there.”

Jua pointed to the girl who was chatting with Ha-yoon.

“That’s not a lie. We verified it through CCTV.”

Yeon-woo said.

“Then, what’s the reason they’re not showing up now?”

“They might be waiting until we leave our positions.”

Yeon-woo said.

Is that so?

It’s certain that if we think it’s no big deal and leave our spots, they might act immediately.

…But somehow, I felt oddly anxious about it.

As I watched Ha-yoon coming toward me, I thought that.

 

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