READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 42
I’ve learned a transformation method in my own way, and I think I’m starting to understand when my powers activate.
However, the moment to actually use those powers doesn’t come easily.
“You can’t just be the first to act all the time,” James said.
“The more you move, the easier it is to get caught. The time it takes to respond when an issue arises, the direction they appear from, everything can give clues. Our goal is ‘to show up unexpectedly at a critical moment.’ We appear when all hell is breaking loose and it’s hard to predict.”
“Using a black hole to move, are you telling me it can be figured out that easily? The direction would just be random, wouldn’t it?”
“……”
James fell silent at my words.
Why do I still seem like his underling even now?
Despite appearances, we are on equal footing. A mere lowly insect that has made its home in a one-room apartment belonging to a poor worker from another planet, far from power or wealth.
…Thinking about it like that made me a bit gloomy, but I tried to hide my expression and spoke.
James’s face twisted slightly, but at the end of the day, he was just a hamster. Even if he bit me, it would likely just end with a little bleeding. Plus, he wasn’t a wild hamster, so there wasn’t any chance of him having some kind of disease in his mouth.
As I looked down at him with ridiculous confidence, James spoke with a face that looked like he was holding something back.
“Anyway, you haven’t even used that weapon yet, and you’re not perfect at utilizing your various powers. It’s crucial to find a more suitable opponent to practice against, and to seize opportunities. The beings we’ll be dealing with are much larger than you can imagine.”
Regardless of what kind of opponent it is, properly utilizing my abilities is an important thing.
However—
“…Do you really think opportunities come that easily?”
I tilted my head and asked.
“Let me ask you something. Do you usually keep up with the news?”
James stared at me and then asked back.
His expression was slightly irritating, but if I quibbled over every little thing, it would be clear that our conversation wouldn’t even happen, so I pretended to be lost in thought for a moment before answering.
“No.”
To be precise, the frequency with which Ji-hye messes around on her smartphone and tells me things was much higher than the times I deliberately watched the news.
Most of it was entertainment-related stories. There were tales of magical girls, but there were far more news about actors and idols.
Since it wasn’t something I was particularly interested in, I just let it slide.
And judging by what James was asking about it, I shook my head.
“Aren’t you at least interested in what’s going on in the world? If you have a magical girl as a friend, isn’t it normal to follow related news periodically?”
“……”
“Well, fine. Since you seem to not know much, I guess I’ll just have to explain it to you.”
James cleared his throat like he was showing off and began to speak.
“The beings we’re targeting are aliens.”
“Aliens.”
“Yes. Aliens. Individuals without any group backing them, but extremely difficult for the people of this planet to subdue. Of course, it’s not that they can’t be subdued at all, but the damage can be significant if it’s not handled by a ‘magical girl.’”
It’s rare for someone to die during the process of subduing an alien.
But “rare” means there is still a possibility of someone dying.
These beings are not creatures living on Earth; they are aliens from another planet who, for some reason, have lost their sanity and have become monsters on Earth.
This was often depicted in webtoons. Up to the part I had read, their identity was never clearly portrayed.
“The intervals aren’t set, but you won’t have to wait too long either. There’s a reason why the magical girls of the Eun-ha Federation are allowed to rampage by the government here. They are the most reliable means to subdue the ‘aliens,’ who will inevitably appear, with minimal damage.”
Right, that was the setup.
In that case, wouldn’t it be better to outright deny the entry of aliens? But the Earth already has countries that have joined the Eun-ha Federation.
The space industry was already in shambles; the Earth couldn’t just stop receiving aliens if they wanted to keep technology without pride or interference in domestic matters. If they brought in the headquarters of an alien corporation, those who worked there and their families would naturally come live here.
The same reason applies to accepting tourists. No matter how many families come, there must be places on Earth where those aliens can feel a cultural kinship.
There are quite a few restaurants in bustling areas of Seoul that serve food that “Earthlings can’t eat but aliens can.” This isn’t a matter of rights; it’s a biological issue.
Some see ores as food, while others drink liquids mixed with tetrodotoxin.
And from what I hear, as the number of such aliens increases, a certain proportion is bound to turn into aliens.
Well, it makes sense if you consider that’s how the existence of magical girls comes to be.
“So, we wait for an incident to occur?”
“Yes. And then, once the magical girl responds, you show up and take care of it for her.”
“Help the magical girl?”
“To others, it might appear that way. But in the end, that’s just a hindrance. The powers of magical girls are currently quite weak. If you repeatedly steal their work, citizens will start to distrust their existence.”
Let’s just set aside the fact that I’m wearing a magical girl outfit.
“So what do I gain from this?”
“Right now, you are being pursued by the federation, companies, and the government alike. They all have the same reason for chasing you. Because if they can’t catch you, they won’t be able to prove you’re capable. So you have to prove that you are more competent than those three.”
James lifted the corners of his mouth.
He always looked like he was part carnivore when he smiled, particularly when he only eats seeds.
Though I bet he looks like he could eat mealworms at most.
“At the very least, the government won’t chase you. The biggest reason for creating the current situation lies with the government’s negligence. To put it simply, they won’t act because they haven’t touched the magical girls until now.”
If left alone, they can handle the problems on their own.
“If we’re lucky, one of the other two organizations might try to recruit you. So ‘image’ is important. Even if it’s a possibility that may come later, you must at least have an image strong enough that those who support you can become an ‘organization.’”
“So, you mean I have to wait until something happens?”
I sighed deeply while saying so.
“Uh… about that.”
Just then, my Earth Buddy, who had been slightly off to the side listening to us, jumped in.
“I don’t think you’ll have to wait that long.”
“Hmm?”
When I turned my head, I saw the smartphone the Earth Buddy was holding. It was an older model but surprisingly well-kept.
And on its screen, there was a text message floating.
[Confirmed disturbances caused by an alien at the Chungmuro Station area in Jung-gu, Seoul. Police, firefighters, and relevant personnel have been dispatched to the affected area, please act calmly according to the instructions. Further instructions will be sent based on the situation.]
That was a message I received from time to time.
Even so, I had never been caught up in an incident before. Generally, when they say “Chungmuro area,” it doesn’t cover the entire Chungmuro. Rarely does an incident escalate to the level of requiring dispatch. Usually, they get subdued fairly quickly before the situation escalates.
Those who become aliens first succumb to intense pain and start convulsing. By the time someone reports it to 119, they’re already treated as a sign of “alien transformation,” and emergency responders and police are dispatched together.
If they’re not caught at the scene, it can get quite tricky from that point on, but many aliens themselves report, so it’s not very common for it to escalate into a “mass terror” situation in this country.
“That’s excellent.”
Hearing James say that made me frown.
How can it be “excellent” when aliens are rampaging and might hurt people?
James met my gaze and shrugged.
“Shall we head over? Let’s monitor the situation and decide if we should intervene or not.”