I Became a New Magical Girl Priest

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I didn’t imagine they would freeze the corridor perfectly.

I thought just freezing the walls could sufficiently block the aliens stored there.

But Chae-yeon’s magic was more than enough; it literally filled it up with ice.

“…This is really amazing.”

Jua said with a look that was more absurd than surprised.

After touching the surface of the ice, Jua remarked, “There wasn’t that much moisture here. This… it’s like you created it out of nothing.”

“…No.”

Chae-yeon rebutted her.

“I burst the water pipes.”

“No, even if you say that, there are limits to bringing water…”

Well, anyway, it seemed like it was quite a challenging method.

“What about the aliens inside? Will they be okay?”

I said, not wanting Chae-yeon to turn into a villain.

“…There’s air. They won’t suffocate at least. The circuit must have been running for quite a while, so they won’t die from freezing either.”

She’d even thought that through.

Since she perfectly implemented what I casually said, arguing about it felt pointless.

I gripped the hammer.

“Alright then.”

“Wait a minute.”

Just as I was about to strike the ice with the hammer, Ha-yoon called me.

“I’ll help too.”

“Ah, okay.”

As I turned toward Ha-yoon, she jumped into my arms.

Of course, the circuit was running. Especially the generator circuit on my back.

…Since it was a circuit powered by hope, it was a clear signal that my getting close to Ha-yoon was a way of gaining hope.

Ah, this is a bit embarrassing.

More than anything, it was frightening that the kids were watching me with expressionless faces while I was hugging Ha-yoon.

It’s not like I wanted to do this!

Don’t look at me like I’m indulging in another kid while fighting!

Ha-yoon’s wand lit up brightly. It must have been powered by the generator on my back. Cherry really did her job perfectly.

“I can help too.”

As soon as Ha-yoon picked up her wand, Seo-hee suddenly said and hugged me.

She even slipped her arms between the generator and my back, squeezing me tightly. I let out a slight “ugh” sound, but the generator continued to run powerfully.

The magical girls were all good. They were such close friends. Enough to trust each other with our lives in battle.

It’s really nice that those kinds of friends feel friendship toward me, even in this situation. A hug is something that can only happen if you’re really close or if it’s something very political.

The next one to rush in was Ji-hye. She gently pressed her body against mine but was fidgeting a little for some reason.

Ji-hye uses a shield, but she can exert physical force by swinging it. She’s not the best at wiping out swarming enemies, but when it comes to breaking something, she just needs weight and hardness.

“I can do it too!”

As soon as Ji-hye let go, Yeon-woo dashed in.

The generator was now radiating heat. It felt cool, like the air conditioner was on, but somehow only around me was warm. Of course, my back was drenched in sweat.

Yeon-woo hugged me softly and sighed deeply while resting her face against my chest.

“Ah, it’s been so long since I could hug you like this.”

And then she said something ominous. Was she just joking like usual?

Once Yeon-woo pulled away, the only one left who hadn’t hugged me was Jua.

“Uh, I… well, since my weapon is a gun…”

Jua said, looking around nervously.

“Even if you gain hope, it wouldn’t be that helpful…”

“…”

If she was going to say that, I couldn’t just stay silent.

I let out a light sigh and hugged Jua.

It was a little embarrassing when my hand touched her back.

Jua snuggled close to me.

Rum, rum, rum.

I felt the generator shaking. Accordingly, the kids’ wands started to emit energy one by one.

“…”

Chae-yeon stared at me quietly and said, “Playboy.”

She summarized me neatly with just that one word.

“I’m not!”

I shouted, jumping into the ice-filled tunnel with the hammer still in my hand to lessen my embarrassment.

*

Bang!

The ice shattered more easily than I thought. At least, it was much easier than breaking the walls or doors of the Noir Corporation building.

Moreover, the corridor was wide, and there were plenty of magical girls in there to help each other out.

At first, Jua seemed hesitant to break it with her gun, but she quickly used magic to release heat and make the ice easier to break.

Thanks to that, we reached the end of the tight tunnel much faster than expected.

“…We finally made it. I’m honestly impressed.”

A woman at the end said.

She looked somewhat similar to Pang-pang, except her face was more red than blue. I wonder if the difference in skin color is like the difference in human skin color? I don’t quite understand the principle.

Maybe she wanted to show off that she was the next chairman of the company, because she was dressed in a fancy suit.

She spread her arms wide, looking like she was putting on a show.

“Perfect timing. This is the place where you need what you brought.”

Behind the woman was something resembling the generator I brought. It was floating in the air like a superconductor, but unlike the generator, it had a large hole in the middle.

“Air conditioner,” Jua murmured.

“You know well. Did that runaway officer tell you? Honestly, that guy is tenacious. But thanks to that, you brought the generator directly, which is fortunate.”

“…”

I glared at the woman.

The air conditioner was vibrating from the power coming from the generator.

Could I be mistaken?

Maybe in my haste, I had made a strange choice that played into the enemy’s hands?

“…No.”

I said.

I raised one corner of my mouth.

“Actually, it doesn’t matter what Noir Corporation does or doesn’t do. No matter what you guys do, you won’t completely succeed in the end.”

“…”

“You know, right? No matter how much you twist your bodies, there are those who genuinely want to protect the Earth.”

There might be heroes abroad who could betray the Earth, but at least most heroes fight while hoping like us.

What that means is, first and foremost, they are people who know how to think positively.

Moreover, there are people like Cherry. Even though she’s not an Earthling, for some reason, she does her best for the Earthlings. We have received Cherry’s help many times already.

“…Huh.”

The woman let out a laugh. I couldn’t quite tell if it was arrogance or not.

“Well, that’s how you’ll be living in a dream, I guess.”

The woman said.

“But realists like us are different. If there’s a chance in front of me, I’ll definitely seize it. Wasting an opportunity that could turn into money is just plain indulgence.”

I didn’t know Noir Corporation had such an important opportunity.

Well, it’s probably just the typical talk of leading the world, boasting the best technology or whatever. They must be after money.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing.

But if that’s what Noir Corporation is saying, it’s no wonder I keep having strange thoughts.

…

Well, whether those guys are bad or not, it doesn’t matter.

I just have to save Pang-pang. Leave the rest to other heroes.

This spaceship was originally going to head toward where Pang-pang is. If we could deal with that woman in the meantime, it means we can safely bring Pang-pang back to Earth.

“I, Puff-puff—”

“Wait a minute. What did you just say?”

While I was thinking about that, I couldn’t quite catch what the woman was saying.

Yeah. I must have misheard. There’s no way a person’s name could be like that.

“You said your name? Say it again. I’ll listen this time.”

“Hehe. Well, I like that attitude. It means you’ll definitely remember me.”

No, it wasn’t that I was having a hard time believing it that I asked.

“I am Puff-puff, the chairman of Noir Corporation—”

“Pfft.”

I let that slip out without realizing.

And that “pfft” wasn’t from just me. Each of us let out our own laughter, whether a little long or a little delayed.

Ah, is this racism?

But isn’t it a bit strange? I don’t understand the naming sense of people living on that planet at all.

Pang-pang was still a bit better. I wonder if there’s something like “Flat-flat.”

“…”

The woman seemed to have realized we were laughing at her and frowned.

“Well, whatever.”

The woman said.

“Time is up, so it’s fine. We’ve made the energy needed to warp.”

“Using hope?”

“Well, it took some effort. But still, making the air conditioning device is easier than making a generator, right? It’s not like our company doesn’t have other Squeaky Adults, after all.”

So, it’s a way of saying the efficiency drops.

I understood right away. When I looked at Jua, she nodded as well.

“And with that air conditioning device, we also made this.”

Clank.

The door on the wall of the engine room behind the woman opened.

What came out of there was probably an alien.

But it was wrapped up in white armor.

Looking at the shape, it seemed like a human was inside.

…Really, she’s a creature I can’t like even to the end.

 

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