READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 80
Iris had never thought that fighting was a good thing.
But saying that she didn’t enjoy fighting would be a lie.
As a Magical Girl, she thought she was fighting for justice, but to claim she didn’t feel exhilarated while fighting would also be a lie.
After all, she was a Magical Girl. The combatants were no match for her. No matter how many new ideas the officers brought, the Magical Girls would easily overcome their opponents.
Thus, for her, the combatant who persistently challenged her was an eyesore.
The best way to recognize that combatant… Well, it wasn’t just about physical ability, but also their attitude.
With a clumsy demeanor, every time they faced Iris, that combatant would try desperately to outsmart her, acting like a comical villain.
“…….”
To be honest, that annoyance was somewhat enjoyable.
Among those who only ever ran away, here was someone who actually dared to fight. Though it was frustrating, it also brought a strange sense of relief.
“Victory” against other combatants simply meant the end of that fight.
If she shot a few rounds and drove off the combatants at the front, then that bout would be over. There wouldn’t be a need to chase after them for a victory.
Yet the fight with that combatant—Jeong Ji-eun—was a bit different.
Iris considered victory to be defined by the opponent’s surrender.
That arrogance stemmed from her confidence of not losing in battle; she simply imagined the opponent giving up and walking away.
Was that why, when Iris lost to Jeong Ji-eun, she was so shocked at losing that researcher?
…After learning about that combatant’s situation afterward.
Could it be that Iris had, at some point, begun to see that fight as a game?
While the opponent fought fiercely, suffering from broken bones, Iris might have just felt the thrill of rivalry.
That realization sent a shiver down her spine.
The reason Iris remained in that place was also due to that.
There was a reason, but there was no goal.
How could she reach that unknown goal?
Was it for Jeong Ji-eun to feel happiness, to live a hopeful life?
That seemed too vague for a target, especially since it didn’t appear to be Jeong Ji-eun’s aim at all.
Though she aimed for revenge, she never seemed to think about what would happen afterward.
To simply persist and live despite such circumstances—that was Ha-yoon’s goal.
It was rather strange.
Iris understood that Jeong Ji-eun’s circuit operated on a different emotion from the Hope Circuit. She also knew that those emotions were not bright; at least, they were far from hopeful.
Yet, despite everything, Jeong Ji-eun struggled to keep moving forward, almost as if she represented hope itself.
*
“This is… magnificent.”
As I muttered this, Cherry puffed out her chest, wearing a proud expression.
Unintentionally, I pet Cherry’s head, only to recoil when I noticed Ha-yoon staring at my hand.
What’s up with her these days?
Could it be that my actions look too racially biased? Well, if I called someone “cute” just because they’re shorter than average, and if that very reason linked back to race, it might indeed seem a bit racially insensitive.
Given Ha-yoon’s righteous character, I guess it’s only natural for her to think that way.
Should I be a bit cautious?
The more I started to think about it, the more complicated it became. Just not long ago, I thought everything was over and left it at that, yet now I saw Ha-yoon risking her life to save me, making it impossible for me to act up.
At the same time, I didn’t want to come off as bad either.
These days, it’s hard to fall asleep at night. With Ha-yoon lying right next to me, I found myself frequently recalling the words and actions I had toward her since I came here, making me want to kick my sleeping bag in frustration.
But with Ha-yoon under it too, I couldn’t do it.
…Anyway, back to the point.
Cherry hadn’t come here empty-handed.
Knowing something like this would happen, or perhaps planning to make it this way, she brought along a translation device—her ribbon around her neck doubled as a projector.
It didn’t look like any projector I knew of, lacking lenses or even a minimum focal distance, but the results were impressive nonetheless.
And what that projector showed me was a map of Seoul.
It had no navigation functions; it merely displayed the map itself. However, it contained a lot of diverse information.
“…….”
Come to think of it, I’ve never been to the chairman’s house, so how could I navigate to such a high place?
My phone was, of course, still turned off. If I went online, it could reveal our location. I could turn it on without the internet or GPS, but what high schooler would have an offline map of Seoul saved on their phone?
More importantly, the appearance of the chairman’s house mattered most.
Not just that—it also questioned how I ended up here in the first place. While I wished for “somewhere no one could find me,” it certainly turned out that way—but typically, just moving aimlessly would likely land you somewhere random on Earth.
It wasn’t guaranteed that the place wouldn’t be urban.
Could it be due to “magic”? Did I take for granted that it would just happen?
“Hmph.”
Seeing Cherry’s proud expression, James commented.
“Isn’t a map rather pointless? Even if you know the exact location, you’d still be able to navigate just by explanation.”
“Is this your first time guiding a Magical Girl, then?”
Cherry said, slightly lifting her nose at James.
“Well, that’s exactly why you keep losing in fights.”
“……I’ve won before.”
“That was just once.”
Considering the implications of that one victory, it wouldn’t be fair to say it was insignificant. Still, I remained silent, as I could sense the conversation spiraling out of control and didn’t want to take sides.
“Look, there’s a common misconception. People think that imagination is stronger when you don’t know. In reality, the more information you have, the more concrete your abilities become.”
“…….”
“You seem skeptical, but think about the things Ji-eun has accomplished so far. Do you, by any chance, have rocket science in your head?”
“No.”
“Exactly. Yet you can wield that hammer with ease, right? To imagine that requires at least an awareness of the existence of ‘rockets.’”
Does it really work that way?
“The gap between common sense and common sense—that’s what we call imagination. The more concrete your imagination, the better it is to have knowledge as well. After all, magic inevitably collides with reality. As long as ‘reality’ exists, you can’t just pretend it doesn’t, and if you’re going to use that gap, you need to know a lot.”
He sounded like a school teacher.
No, more like an orphanage teacher.
I glanced at the other Magical Girls. They all gave slightly surprised nods, as if they thought James and I were taking advantage of the situation.
“Regardless of how much one learns, there’s a limitation to human brain capacity, right? Even professors who systematically study a specific field often think ‘this will happen’ rather than ‘I wonder how it will turn out’ during scientific experiments. The essence of magic lies in the ‘this will happen’ thought.”
I see.
There are limitations to technology. As far as I know, even those aliens with top-notch technology couldn’t discover the causes of physical phenomena. Instead, they might have become incapable of delving deeper because they were busy relying on magic.
Thus, theoretical physics is said to be best understood on Earth. It seems most aliens think, “Is that really necessary?”
Heck, in the Harry Potter series, wizards often looked down on Muggles.
“So, having a map like this is useful, right? It makes it easier to think and plan.”
“What’s the point of planning when you can use a black hole to get there instantly? You just need to determine the target you want to take down.”
At James’s words, Cherry momentarily fell silent.
However, I agreed with Cherry’s point.
If I… were ever unable to utilize the black hole, that ‘map’ would undoubtedly become extremely useful information. It would help find the shortest route when I needed to escape as quickly as possible.
Of course, everyone here still didn’t realize that my powers were weakening. Most didn’t even understand the principles behind the circuits.
I cast a glance toward Ha-yoon.
When our eyes met, Ha-yoon smiled at me, prompting me to quickly look away.
…Even though I acted so coldly, why?
Biting my lip slightly, I looked at the map again.
“So, where should we go next?”
“According to the radio,”
James quickly opened his mouth, as if he wouldn’t be defeated by Cherry.
“I heard that security has been tightened around the office buildings. The police patrols have increased, and the chairman requested protection…”
James moved his hand across the floor, mimicking zooming in on a map like when viewing it on a smartphone.
The projector screen magnified and even changed into a three-dimensional view. It resembled those navigation systems that show building models in 3D.
The buildings were apparently in Yeouido. To be honest, I didn’t have much confidence in picturing the layout of all of Seoul’s districts, but I did know what Yeouido looked like right next to the Han River.
“……It seems this building has enhanced energy.”
“Department store?”
“Not at the moment. It’s a research institute.”
That area once hosted a huge department store in the world I lived in. Here, I couldn’t even fathom going there. After all, there was no reason to even consider heading to Yeouido while living here.
“A research institute in the middle of Seoul? Research is being done here?”
“Well, it’s a bit different from research conducted elsewhere. The content of the research itself is a circuit for both sides. However, it’s about fostering competition among departments in the company to produce better results.”
That’s right; they’re not just making it for fear of sales in the short run.
“By the way, the circuits used by the combatants are produced on the enemy’s side. The circuits on this side are far more productive.”
“So…”
I asked James.
“What does this mean? Are you just worried that the research institute will be attacked? Or is the chairman here?”
“They likely want us to imagine both possibilities. At least, they prefer us to think of one of the two.”
“So, there’s nothing important in there?”
“If they have any thoughts, then it shouldn’t be. If they intentionally induce an attack, they wouldn’t leave anything behind. Ah, and just to clarify, while the circuits used by the combatants are made on the enemy’s side, the ones you use are created at this research institute. To be honest, they’re not economically viable for sale. Unique, complex, and expensive circuits without a proper human to utilize them.”
“So you’re saying the place where you worked could be clean-sweeped.”
“…….”
James remained silent for a moment at my words.
“Perhaps the reason they had to make those circuits into bombs is exactly that. It could be ‘the only thing they could make.’”
“Just because one person disappeared, the entire technological strength of Noir Corporation crumbles, huh? They have a rough time.”
Cherry said that teasingly.
“Didn’t you also mention that it was troublesome for you to disappear? There may be others like you in other countries, but at the moment that news came out, your existence didn’t seem so insignificant, right?”
“…….”
Cherry lost her words this time.
“I’m going back.”
“When? When the Federation no longer conducts experiments on girls? Or when the precarious alliance with Noir Corporation collapses completely?”
“…….”
Cherry’s ears drooped. She looked so downcast that I felt pity for her.
“Anyway.”
I interjected between the two.
“What should we do? Do we strike or not?”
“First, let’s pretend to cooperate. They likely want me to provoke them.”
“So we’re going to keep falling for it until they finally bring a force capable of capturing us?”
“Isn’t that the initial plan we laid out?”
I couldn’t help but smile at James, who looked up at me with a face suggesting he didn’t even remember that.
It appeared Cherry was getting increasingly irritated by my playful expression while continuing to scratch whatever was bothering her.
“…….”
While they were having that banter, I was left anxious inside.
Wasn’t it true?
If the police reinforcements flooded in, boosting their forces to capture us, could I really fight back properly? Or would I just end up catching their feet and failing to make my escape?
What if the risk meant putting Ha-yoon in danger?
“Ji-eun.”
I had stepped out for another walk, gazing up at the sky and mulling over the situation when Ha-yoon came over and spoke to me.
The circuit in my head, which had been churning to some extent, abruptly stopped vibrating the moment Ha-yoon addressed me.
“…….”
I turned to look at her in silence.
There she was, even in this dim, gloomy place, still beautiful in her tousled clothes that were starting to fray.
“Are you worried?”
There’s a way to activate the Despair Circuit here.
I could treat Ha-yoon coldly, to the point where I’d almost sever our relationship.
But I hesitated.
What if I severed it but couldn’t turn the circuit properly? If it led me to abandoning hope instead of submitting to despair?
Even if I inevitably fell into despair and ended up giving up, I didn’t want such an outcome.
“……Yeah.”
Among all the shades of thought swirling in my head, the only thing that came out was that simple reply.
“Don’t worry too much.”
Ha-yoon said as she approached me.
“You’ve done well so far.”
Hearing such words made my heart sink.
Not into despair, but into relief.
Surely, before coming this far, those were words I had said to Ha-yoon. I had reassured her when she was anxious.
Where did it all change?
Slowly, Ha-yoon came closer and reached out to hold my hand.
“I’ll help you.”
“…….”
The circuit was still.
“So let’s hang in there together.”
“…….”
I couldn’t answer for quite some time, just standing there in a daze.
Right now, I had to utter hurtful words. That way, Ha-yoon would be less at risk tomorrow.
If, by some chance, Ha-yoon couldn’t escape alone…
If it meant getting captured…
……What kind of experiments would the Federation conduct? Those people who would take me away might also do terrible things to Ha-yoon.
“…….”
But ultimately,
“Okay.”
The only response I could give Ha-yoon was that.
My mind was too chaotic.
My heart was too calm.
Perhaps, it was simply that feeling hope after such a long time was just too comforting.
As if I were addicted, I couldn’t free myself from it.
Whether this could be called salvation or if it was genuine hope, I had no idea.
“Someday, we’ll return together.”
“……Okay.”
At that moment, when I finally replied to Ha-yoon’s words, the circuit on my left wrist trembled slightly.