READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 303
“I’ve thought about it a bit.”
Seo-hee, who was munching on a sandwich, said.
“I don’t think it’s a bad idea for us to stick together for a while.”
“…Huh?”
Her suddenly random comment made me stare at her.
“Well, since we went through that ordeal. It wouldn’t be strange at all for the company to be on high alert for some time, right? Even if something blows up, it wouldn’t be surprising.”
“That’s one way to look at it.”
I didn’t think Seo-hee’s point was all that strange.
Noir Corporation is undoubtedly a colossal entity. In fact, even without the infighting, it fits snugly within the realm of capitalist horror wrapped in cosmic fear.
So, she’s saying that since we went through that, they’d likely be revving up for revenge for a while.
The generator is located at this headquarters.
I can’t really say whether Noir Corporation would plan to strike the headquarters or not, but if we’re talking about ‘possibilities,’ I’d say the chances are higher than ever.
If 1 percent goes to 2 percent, it’s double, right? Though it’s still a story with almost no odds.
“At least we need someone to guard this place while Cherry researches the generator. Having just one or two people here seems a bit lacking.”
“But we need to go to school.”
“Today’s Friday.”
Seo-hee said.
“The generator will be here only until this weekend. But that doesn’t mean Noir Corporation will immediately spring into action today. I bet there are things brewing within that company too. They’ll have to account for responsibilities and consequences. It’s all tied to money, right? The officers will definitely be scrambling to survive.”
We can’t mobilize a large force to the headquarters right now. The government wouldn’t want that either.
And no, a few people wouldn’t be able to defeat us.
Of course, even if an officer tried to make that claim alone, it wouldn’t mean much.
In other words, yeah. It’s a bit tricky to be ambushed while we’re at school today.
“So, how about we hang tight here until the weekend?”
“……”
I looked around at the other kids.
“That sounds awesome… no, that’s a really solid idea,” Jua said, opening her mouth in excitement before quickly changing to a serious expression. It was clear that her eagerness to fit in made her overly cheerful at first.
That makes sense.
Even so, we can’t just have fun all the time. There are also friend issues between Ha-yoon and me.
For now, we’re getting along fine. And since the officers seem to know they can’t act recklessly, we can remain safe for the time being.
But I can’t just keep pushing my friends to stay gloomy; it’d become uncomfortable between us.
“Separately from Jua’s enthusiasm, I consider it a reasonable idea,” Yeon-woo said, nodding slowly.
“When it comes to the most politically dangerous situation we’ve faced as magical girls, I think it’s right now.”
“I’m sorry about that.”
I answered a bit weakly. Yeon-woo waved her hands in a panic.
“No, don’t worry about it. You didn’t do this because you wanted to, right? You did it because you were told to.”
Ah, right. I immediately changed my expression.
That’s true. I did have some intention to act. I couldn’t honestly say that I didn’t have feelings about beating up the officers.
But still, I did move according to the federation’s orders, at least for now.
Seeing my expression change, the kids gave a bittersweet smile.
“……”
Chae-yeon hadn’t said anything, but she didn’t look uncomfortable or voice any opposing opinions to our conversation.
I pondered for a moment.
“But… still.”
“Still?”
In my hesitation, Seo-hee tilted her head.
“There are people who would worry if I don’t go home.”
“……Ah.”
At my words, all the kids suddenly had awkward looks on their faces.
No, that’s not the kind of expression I wanted to evoke.
I don’t have any blood relatives.
But everyone living in the orphanage is family to me. How close we are varies from person to person, and many don’t keep in touch after leaving the orphanage, but that can’t be helped.
The teachers and Ha-yoon, who shares a room with me, already treat each other like family.
So, even if there’s no ordinary kind of family as most people would talk about, it means I have a family of a different kind.
“The teacher would probably say it’s okay, but I’m a bit concerned about Ji-hye.”
“…Uh, Ji-eun?”
After listening quietly, Ha-yoon finally spoke up.
Ha-yoon’s face was tinged with embarrassment, her head bowed, but now she was looking at me seriously.
“Yeah?”
“How about we bring Ji-hye along?”
“Bring Ji-hye?”
I momentarily wore a blank expression.
“Is that okay? Really?”
I mean, she’s still an outsider, after all.
The last time I brought Ji-hye, there were clear places she could and couldn’t go. But in a situation where it’s staying overnight, is it really okay for Ji-hye to come?
“Anyway, even if we end up sleeping at night, we rarely go anywhere other than the place we showed Ji-hye last time.”
Thanks to Ha-yoon’s explanation, I understood.
That makes sense.
Right. No matter what, whether we sleep here or not, we have no reason to go into places like the equipment room.
“Isn’t it going to be hard to get permission?”
But just to be sure, I asked again.
“I’ll talk to Cherry about that.”
Ha-yoon said.
“Ji-eun, all you have to do is bring Ji-hye after school.”
“…Okay.”
For some reason, with Ha-yoon’s quite proactive words, I nodded in agreement.
*
“Isn’t it really dangerous?”
Ji-hye has asked me that several times.
No matter how late into the night we work as magical girls, somehow, I managed to get home yesterday, but this time I’m staying out.
And I actually forgot to inform everyone until late.
Plus, now I’m even bringing Ji-hye along, it’s not strange for her to worry if we need that much protection.
“Dangerous… Well, to be honest, I’m not sure.”
Since it would be hard to lie in such a situation, that’s how I answered.
“The chances of intruders are likely lower than usual. But that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s highly likely. It’s just… we brought something really important from inside that day, and we’re just guarding it.”
“Is it really okay for me to be in a place like that?”
Is it really okay?
If you put it that way, obviously it’s not okay. But since we’ve determined it’s not dangerous, it is accurate to say she can go. But if you break it down further, it becomes ambiguous: ‘It might not be okay, but the chances of it being okay are high.’
If it’s safe enough for Ji-hye to go, then shouldn’t I not need to be there at all?
It doesn’t take long to get there either. Just flying there would suffice.
“……”
No matter how I thought about it, it seems like an excuse.
But we’ve come this far. It wouldn’t look great if I alone bailed out with everyone here.
“I think it’ll be fine. There’s plenty of shelter there, and most importantly, there are non-magical girls around there 24/7.”
After I said that, Ji-hye seemed to think a bit more before nodding.
Normally, Ji-hye is the type to laugh and joke around, but right now she’s so subdued.
“……It’s fine. Even if there are a bunch of magical girls, there’s no need to be scared. I mean, I’m a magical girl, right?”
I puffed out my chest and said.
“If anything happens, I’ll get my revenge!”
“……What are you talking about?”
Having met those guys several times already, Ji-hye smacked my arm in disbelief.
Well, at least if that lightened the mood a bit, I’d consider it good. I let out a small sigh, thinking.
*
We packed a few personal items and headed towards the headquarters.
Ha-yoon had already arrived at the headquarters with the other kids. They each brought their things from their rooms to the lounge.
Seeing the pile of blankets next to the couch, it looked like they planned to sleep here for the night.
“Why? If we’re going to move as one, we need to be in the same place. I considered sleeping at the training facility too, but that place just doesn’t have the same vibe as here.”
Seo-hee’s words left me speechless.
She spoke with such confidence; I hardly knew how to respond.
“Is that okay?”
“Ah, yeah. It doesn’t look too hot either.”
Ji-hye said, sounding a bit downtrodden.
“Come on.”
Seo-hee approached Ji-hye and patted her on the back.
“You don’t need to be that scared. Who’s going to eat you?”
Why’s she looking at me when she says that?
I exhaled a deep sigh.
“Well, it’s not like we’re going to sleep right now, right? We’re not even spreading out the blankets.”
“Right. Let’s take our time and enjoy for a bit before we sleep.”
Seo-hee said as she plopped down on the couch with a smile.
“Until then… let’s just relax, whether we talk or do something else. What do you say?”
“……Sounds good.”
I nodded in response to Seo-hee’s words.
I have no idea what they expect to accomplish by gathering like this, but right now, there’s really nothing else to do.