I Became a New Magical Girl Priest

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One thing’s for sure: James is a technician.

And not just any technician, but an incredibly exceptional one.

If I were to compare him to an Earthling, he’d be someone very famous in the field of power generation. How about someone researching nuclear fusion?

Modern science and technology have become so vast and profound that, theoretically, it’s impossible for one person to grasp everything perfectly. At least that’s been the case for Earth’s scientists until now.

Even making a single generator involves components that can’t be produced by just one person. Each process and theory belongs to a different area of expertise, and each person has a unique focus for their research.

So, it’s nearly impossible for someone participating in the theoretical design of a nuclear fusion generator to have specialized knowledge in high-speed communication too. The areas of study are just too diverse.

But, true to the alien stereotype, James seems to defy that notion.

“Who do you think made the suit and circuit you wore?”

Well… if you break it down, each suit has different areas of expertise. It’s the difference between a generator and a state-of-the-art combat suit powered by that generator.

“Are you saying you made it all yourself?”

At my words, James scoffed.

“You’ve got to know this much to be called a Squeaky Adult.”

Ah, I see.

Also, it seems typical Squeaky Adults shy away from sharing the most basic parts of their tech with others.

Of course, no matter how smart a race may be, there are physical limits, as well as individual knowledge limits. While their knowledge limits dwarf those of humans, their physical limits… well, no need to spell that out.

If he were caught on Earth without a translation device, he might end up being raised as a pet.

Anyway, in the end, they have no choice but to share their knowledge with others. It’s crucial to accept assistance from larger alien races when creating things, but against beings who’ve formed a network of knowledge like Earthlings, relying on ‘one’s own strength’ is problematic.

Forming nations, joining federations, securing jobs—

That’s how Squeaky Adults survive. And along the way, they show off their strength by either sending someone of similar size to fix specific parts, or patching up important components with knowledge only they possess.

Most of the stellar battleships built by Squeaky Adults are renowned for their superior performance; however, they all share the common issue of being notoriously difficult to maintain, which makes them a rather insular group for a race that’s joined the intergalactic federation.

It seems James acted similarly when he worked at the company.

“Don’t you get any pushback?”

“I’m the one who stands to lose if I don’t do anything. It’s the company that’ll suffer.”

“… Were those kidnapping shenanigans really just something you wanted to do?”

When I asked, recalling James waiting alone in the car without any subordinates, he simply shrugged.

“If I need information, I take it. I had that much authority.”

“…”

Have you ever thought that all this might be your fault?

Well, if someone had seriously intended to dunk James, they would’ve acted at some point, and given how things look through the company’s eyes, even I—being the ‘James Line’—would have been considered a risk. Somehow, someway.

Honestly, it was a mistake for me to take a job there in the first place, so I won’t complain about it.

But, still, I can’t help but feel that this is utterly intolerable.

“Isn’t it just that you’re so difficult to deal with that you ended up with a bounty of enemies in the company?”

James ignored what I said.

Could he perhaps not deny it?

He glared at me as I let out a deep sigh, but I just brushed it off.

*

I decided to act without the Earth Buddy.

Considering that we’re planning ops in a room with just one, there’s no way to keep things from leaking out to him, but James didn’t seem to care much about that.

If I had to put it bluntly, he had the attitude of “What are you going to do about it?” Maybe he trusts me because I haven’t reported this to anybody else until now.

Or perhaps he’s resigned. He’s already been targeted in the company anyway, and considering that he’s been engaging in actions that are practically acts of terror, maybe his reason for bringing me along is purely for convenience’s sake.

In reality, his goal might just be to find the guy who attempted to kill him and get revenge.

“….”

Even if I think I’m being used, I don’t particularly feel angry. After all, this is about all that I can do right now.

So saying, it’s not like I’m saying “it’s okay.” Instead, it felt more like acceptance.

“Alright then,” James said.

We had arrived at a rooftop of a building. The way up was just ordinary.

We were in the heart of downtown Seoul, right in the middle of Gangnam. Naturally, it was also a bit far from Noir Corporation.

Given its importance, it was definitely set up in the middle of Seoul. That way, even if the location gets revealed, the Magical Girls wouldn’t be able to attack.

The building I was on was a few stories taller, making it seem easier to slip into the adjacent building.

That said, it was high enough that I could understandably ask why anyone would jump down.

How would the Magical Girls infiltrate? They were probably thinking along the same lines as I was—sneaking in through the rooftop.

“The Magical Girls are moving. It seems they don’t plan to use warp points today.”

“Why? That would be much faster.”

“Well, I don’t know everything myself.”

But while he said that, James seemed to ponder for a moment before speaking up.

“Perhaps there’s been an issue with ‘Hope’. The energy utilized for warp is quite massive.”

“….”

I recalled the contents of the webtoon.

For me, it was a long-ago event, so I couldn’t remember it well. Still, compared to other works, I retained a relatively vivid memory. I really liked it from the blog serialization days, eagerly waiting day by day, from a few days to weeks and months.

Though the officially serialized webtoon that came out weekly eventually got discontinued.

And the setting of this world was based on that ‘official webtoon’. A comedy that had turned overly serious despite originally being about a cliché twist.

If I rummaged through the thoughts that came to mind, the circuits of the Magical Girls were actually aided by the overflowing energy of Blossom. Therefore, if Blossom encountered any problems, the overall firepower of the other Magical Girls would diminish too. The same would go for Iris.

… Could it be because of me?

I mean, I am… Ha-yoon’s close friend, but…

If it were Ha-yoon, she’d likely be shocked by something as simple as a classmate getting hurt. If someone as close to her as I am were in this state, it wouldn’t be strange for something to go wrong with her ‘Hope’.

“Are you concerned for the Magical Girls?”

James said mockingly, and I chose to ignore him.

“Well, sure. Thanks to that, we have some time.”

“By the way, doesn’t that device keep logs of access?”

Looking at the smartphone James held, I asked.

“This is a smartphone made for Combatants. Even if there are access logs, there’s no record that I used it. I completely turned it off while bringing it here.”

So, perhaps having access logs wouldn’t matter considering we’ve already come this far.

“And besides, if we destroy it thoroughly this time, it won’t matter whether the logs are left behind or not.”

“That’s true.”

I took a deep breath.

It would be a lie to say I wasn’t nervous. It’s just that there’s little I can do, but the truth is, I don’t really want to. If it were possible, I would prefer to just escape like this.

I’d miss Ha-yoon… and Ji-hye, but—

…

Yeah, in the end, I’d probably go for it. I acknowledge that.

“So, what’s the plan?”

“Nothing much. We’ll break whatever equipment is visible once the Magical Girls arrive at the base. I’ll accompany you and point out the important devices for you to smash.”

“Sounds good.”

I nodded.

Then I asked James, “How do we get inside?”

“If you can use that magic you showed me last time, it’ll be sufficient. Well… actually, it might yield more than just sufficient results. If those nearby black holes get destroyed as we enter, that alone could serve as a splendid attack, right?”

“Ah, I see.”

I nodded.

And I asked again, “How do you use it?”

James, who was busy strategizing above my palm, abruptly looked up at me.

“….”

“….”

For a moment, we just stared at each other in silence.

“Wait a minute.”

James placed a hand on his forehead and spoke.

“Do you seriously not know?”

“… I don’t. More importantly, how do you even transform in the first place?”

“You should have known that!”

James stomped his foot on my palm.

Hearing that, I found myself more flustered.

“No, but how could I know… I wasn’t exactly conscious when I transformed.”

When I came to, the situation was already like that, it was just instinctual—thinking to run away, that magic just happened to activate.

Right. Not once did I consciously realize what I was doing in that moment.

“Energy! What about the energy!?”

I showed him my smartwatch.

With one hand flipped over, James’s body tilted, yet he managed not to fall in his fluster.

Well, if we’re being picky, he did fall over. He just toppled forward onto my left wrist.

And in that state, he touched the smartwatch.

A spinning compass needle appeared on the smartwatch again. When James tapped the screen once more, numbers appeared this time.

Eighty-one percent.

“What the heck is this number!?”

I mean, why are you asking me?

I can guess… kinda.

These days, I’ve been feeling somewhat at ease. I suppose the reason it hasn’t dropped below eighty percent is still because I’m in a highly anxious state.

But I really didn’t want to convey that to James. After all, if I’m better off being miserable, he’d just use that to his advantage.

“Quickly think of something unfortunate! If not, this operation will fail! Do you want to end up as experimental material for the Galactic Federation? Considering everything you’ve done, this time the government won’t even back you up!”

Not that they ever did.

“Moreover, I have no idea how to use black holes after transforming.”

“Magical Girls use it naturally, don’t they?”

You’ve never been a Magical Girl.

I swallowed my complaints and sighed.

… Well, yeah.

In the end, James is right. If I linger here, I’m just making it worse for myself.

James has already laid the groundwork, and the Magical Girls are running over here. I have to adjust my pace with that.

I carefully set James down on the ground.

Then I took a few steps back and closed my eyes.

I think about the situation I’m in.

It wasn’t that challenging. It’s usually more difficult to calm my mind through meditation than to dwell on negative thoughts before sleeping.

I forcibly pulled out concerns I had tucked away.

I envisioned an uncertain future.

Unwantedly, my circuits began to vibrate. As if something inside was buzzing energetically.

And that unwanted emotion dragged me further down.

“Alright, alright!”

James’s encouragement only irritated me. To begin with, there’s no way I’d feel good being cheered on to be miserable. I’m not some sort of masochist.

I slowly opened my eyes.

Heat was building up in my circuits.

Just that alone made me feel a far greater power than when I was a Combatant fully donned in armor.

However—

One hundred percent.

…

Still, I couldn’t transform.

Why?

“Transform! Transform!”

James yelled, but I couldn’t do it.

I recalled that moment. I had been in pain from being beaten up and entangled in nets. And not just any nets; nets made from wire so heavy that merely placing it on a person could cause serious injury.

Only when I was caught in such a situation, dragged to an unknown place, could I transform.

Does that mean I have to run into a situation like that again to transform?

That thought intensified the heat in my circuits. The buzzing sound grew louder.

But, an overflow didn’t happen.

Did James perhaps intend for these circuits to facilitate transformation? It seemed that way on the surface, but in reality, perhaps it wasn’t.

He likely realized that the energy emanating from me could protect my body but did not create a suit simply because he was in a hurry back then.

I also needed to be able to hide.

So then this might not even be equipment for transformation, but I forcibly managed to transform because of it.

Do I have to get hit more and tortured further?

Am I going to have to meet such a fate every time I need to solve something?

The circuits felt hot. If only that heat could wrap around my body.

Yet strangely enough, my body was getting colder. I felt like curling up on the floor any second now. But I knew that wouldn’t solve anything. The chill was emanating from inside me.

It was cold.

“Alright! That’s it!”

I tightly closed my eyes and wrapped my arms.

And muttered, “Transform.”

And—

Nothing happened.

“Transform!”

I shouted again, but again, nothing happened.

I grew anxious.

Could it be that focusing solely on beating webtoon clichés had led it to ignore such clichés entirely?

The circuits were unbearably hot, and my body was cold. I could hear the buzzing sound grow louder without even pressing my ear.

“Please, transform!”

Even my voice was stifled—

“… Ji-eun?”

“….”

I felt my heart drop at the sound of that voice.

I slowly opened my eyes.

The voice came from above.

Up there, colorful Magical Girls were watching.

My clothes fluttered. Smoke was rising in black puffs from the circuits. It wasn’t entirely covering my body yet.

Suddenly, I felt something tugging at my pants. Something seemed to be crawling up my body—

“Hurry and transform!”

James shouted as he climbed onto my shoulder.

“If you don’t transform right now…!”

What am I supposed to do?

Ah, I just wanted to die.

I had put in so much effort to stay in shape in front of Ha-yoon. I tried hard to look cool. Honestly, collecting music CDs was partially for that reason. I could just stream it, but knowing it made me seem cooler, right?

And yet, here I was, wrecked.

I had yelled about transformation right in front of me.

It seemed the Magical Girls didn’t have such dramatic transformations. Then again, in the officially serialized webtoon, they had skipped all transformation scenes, but in earlier blog versions, some characters thought calling for transformation was cringeworthy.

So…

“Ji-eun!”

I saw Ha-yoon rushing over, calling my name, and I squeezed my eyes shut.

In that moment, I felt a slight warmth in my body.

“… Ah.”

How strange.

Something that didn’t move according to my will, was unfolding just like this, unexpectedly.

My vision turned completely black. Normally, there would still be a little light coming through when you closed your eyes; now it disappeared instantly.

The voice calling my name faded far away.

Something constricting wrapped around my body. The cold inside me began to permeate my being.

It felt like I was suffocating underwater. I couldn’t breathe properly, and my chest felt tight.

Even as I tried to scream, my voice was completely trapped, unable to escape. My ears felt muffled.

It felt as if I had plummeted deep into despair.

In the depths of the abyss, where not a single ray of light could penetrate,

I struggled.

Squelch.

I had heard that sound before.

The sensation of the shell that had wrapped around me peeling off.

The previously invisible view rapidly brightened, and the suffocation suddenly lifted.

I gasped for air repeatedly. I checked my neck with my hands to see if anything was constricting it.

Looking down, I found that I had already changed into different clothes.

“Alright! Perfect!”

James cheered.

As I looked up, Ha-yoon was staring at me with a look that was hard to describe in words.

“….”

Cold sweat trickled down my back.

I wanted to get out of here.

Knowing it meant nothing, I realized that the task lay in conversation.

When I looked at Ha-yoon, my heart felt as though it was clenched tightly.

I don’t know why. I just wanted to escape from here.

Was it perhaps because I would be embarrassed if she saw me like this? Or…

Would I be scolded for lying? Because if we talk, I would have to explain everything one by one—

Ha-yoon would surely look at me with pity.

“….”

The buzzing circuits paused for a moment. Perhaps my heart had stopped as well.

A cold sensation sharpened my mind, preventing unconsciousness.

I despised that.

I hated not being able to stay close to Ha-yoon.

“Ji-eun…!”

Ha-yoon turned to me. The Magical Girls nearby rushed toward Ha-yoon, surprised, but—

Behind me, a black hole that drank in the light had already formed.

And yet again, I ran away.

Like I had always done.

 

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