I Became a New Magical Girl Priest

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We weren’t actually standing in a place where reporters would ask questions on purpose.

What we intended was merely to have the chairman come this way.

“Well then, since they must be noticing us over there and preparing to respond, we’ll head out too. I hope we can chat like this again sometime. You didn’t cut off the broadcast in the middle today, right?”

As I continued speaking, a bit of my sanity returned, and I jokingly said that while trying to move, I belatedly realized my arms were still being held by two people.

Glancing to the side, I was relieved to see Ha-yoon and Jua letting go of my hands.

“Wait a sec, Jeong Ji-eun…!”

As I tried to get up, a reporter shouted.

“Oh, right!”

I wanted to say something to that reporter when suddenly, from the side, there was a loud clap.

“You don’t have to call me that anymore! You can drop those temporary names like ‘Black Magical Girl’ or ‘White Magical Girl’ too!”

Huh?

Ha-yoon’s energetic shout caused the camera to swing back toward her, who was slightly off to the side. Her face was glowing with brightness.

She usually wasn’t one to like being seen by the media.

Ha-yoon opened her hand toward me and said, “The Ji-eun here is the sixth Magical Girl starting today!”

“Hey, wait a minute.”

Whatever I might say, the reporters were already in an uproar.

After all, being a Magical Girl was a kind of official position.

So, telling someone in a company that “this person is now the manager” wouldn’t mean much at all.

It was comparable to an employee being on a similar level to those they’re working for at a federal agency.

But… if you think about it that way, the five current Magical Girls wouldn’t really qualify as Magical Girls either, huh.

So, it struck me for a moment that maybe caring about such things now didn’t really matter.

I wondered if Ha-yoon was thinking something similar.

“From today on, please call me Happy Lily!”

“……”

Ah.

Right.

Everyone forgot for a moment since they were calling each other Blossom, Rose, Iris, but the official title for the Magical Girls wasn’t that.

You add ‘Happy’ in front of it.

I don’t know why it had to be ‘Happy.’ I’m not sure why it even had to be attached. Perhaps it was inspired by the naming system of generations in Japanese Magical Girl media.

So, if I entered the group of Magical Girls in our country and started using the name ‘Lily’—

Naturally, the name they’d call me would be ‘Happy Lily.’

“……”

I hesitated.

How could I explain? What kind of impact would it have if I said I wasn’t what they thought I was here—

But really, despite the intense embarrassment I felt in my head, my Hope Circuit was churning vigorously.

Why?

Oh, speaking of which, Ha-yoon’s circuit was probably also running.

Ha-yoon’s circuit was famously intense enough to impact the circuits of other Magical Girls, so maybe mine had been affected as well.

Unless—

“Ah!”

As I grabbed Ha-yoon’s wrist, she looked a bit startled and turned toward me.

“First, let’s get out of here.”

I said that and soared upward with great force.

Ha-yoon followed me as I flew up, and—maybe it was just me, but her laughter seemed to echo through the sounds of wind in my ears.

As if she almost knew what I was thinking.

I decided just to ignore it.

*

Now that things had already blown up, I couldn’t dwell on trivial matters with Ha-yoon here.

It would be more rational to finish everything I wanted to do and either head back or chat during the remaining time.

While avoiding eye contact with Ha-yoon, who was still smiling brightly at me, I turned my gaze here and there and spoke toward the Magical Girls who had followed us a bit late.

“First, we need to find the chairman’s car.”

“That’s obviously what we should do.”

Rose replied to my statement.

Over the past week, we had the discussion regarding the events of today quite a lot. Plans and B-plans in case something went wrong. And what to do when that went wrong.

Fortunately, this area was familiar to us. Although looking down from the sky felt somewhat awkward, the landmark buildings here made it easy for us to share our location.

The first thing we contemplated while forming our plan was, of course, the chairman’s behavioral patterns.

Did he anticipate our arrival? That’s how we thought.

But would he change direction? Even if he did, it wouldn’t change the facts that he’d already set off. With six of us, we could divide into teams if needed. Plus, everyone could fly, so would taking a longer route stop us from finding it? After all, it only took about twenty minutes by car from the headquarters to here.

What kind of car was he using? Given the need for disguise, he might not have taken an extremely expensive vehicle. At the very least, he wouldn’t have used public transportation. That would be far too risky in many ways.

Sure, the chairman could use the same mask I wore when I was hiding, but James judged that the current chairman’s personality didn’t align with that.

James described the current chairman’s character as that of a “ high-ranking villain straight out of a cartoon.”

He would do anything for money. Unlike the former chairman, who delicately navigated the line between legality and illegality, the current chairman thought if he earned money, he could just change the laws with it.

Large corporations often take pride in flaunting their riches through expensive cars, disregarding the laws of a nation they consider beneath them, and the current chairman of Noir Corporation was exactly that sort of person.

“So there’s a high possibility he’s driving a luxurious car.”

James speculated.

“If he only has a driver in the front seat, he could be in a smaller car.”

“Do you know how many reporters will be at the venue where the chairman appears? He’s definitely not the type to want to be seen getting out of a regular car.”

In some cases, businessmen might emphasize their ‘humility’ by driving a plain vehicle.

“People’s personalities don’t change that easily. Plus, the current chairman really values his safety. He’d want a car that could survive if someone with malice rammed into him.”

Which meant he was quite the paranoid individual.

Perhaps it was similar to how people who earn money through illegal means flaunt their wealth with expensive vehicles.

Anyway, what we had to do now was to find a vehicle that fit exactly what James was describing.

In the heart of Seoul, we’d often see such cars, but this area was still located in Jung-gu, which had a concentration of government buildings. Ordinary vehicles were also in abundance.

Among those, we searched for the cars heading to the Prosecutor’s Office from the company. Especially since we had arrived a bit later than we expected, the chairman’s vehicle would have likely turned toward the summons location.

“Among the visible vehicles, excluding the parked ones, I’m seeing about six.”

Iris quickly scanned the surroundings and said. Following her gaze, small magical orbs began to move. Was this some magic that helped with visibility? Cherry, who was preparing one piece of gear with James, must have been the one using it.

There were six large, sturdy, expensive-looking cars.

Coincidentally, there were six of us.

“Let’s split up and check. Everyone has communicators on them, right?”

Seeing the kids holding their communicators, we dispersed under Iris’s directive.

Flying straight in the direction I was assigned, I spotted a vehicle with a very authoritative atmosphere. Since I wasn’t usually into cars, I couldn’t remember the company name by just looking at the emblem, but it definitely didn’t seem like a vehicle made in Korea.

I landed in front of the long black sedan.

This area always got congested. The streets are relatively wide, but since it’s the center of Seoul, many cars pass by, and above all, the complex layout results in a lot of traffic lights. It wouldn’t be a great place to turn and run away if one wanted to.

That very car was stuck between others, so it was unlikely that I could just dash in front and escape.

However, as soon as I landed in front of it, the car’s engine roared loudly.

Before I could confirm who was inside, the vehicle surged toward me.

I barely managed to plunge the head of my hammer into the ground to stop it, but I couldn’t help but be pushed back.

Luckily, there was hardly any room, but I was still surprised that if I were 20 meters away, Ha-yoon’s circuit might have reversed.

“……”

What were those thoughts?

Seeing my circuit run while watching Ha-yoon, she probably acted to help me. I don’t think she had any other intentions.

If I set my expectations too high, I’d likely find myself betrayed.

Does such an embarrassing crush exist!

Despite the front being dented, it didn’t split apart completely. The engine seemed still alive, and the car immediately reversed.

“Whoa.”

Before I could stop it, it ferociously backed up and hit the car behind it. The driver of the black car didn’t even look back but swerved the wheel sharply to illegally U-turn across the center line.

I quickly pulled out my communicator and pressed it, darting toward the rear car.

The poor compact car had its hood deform and stuck in place, unable to move.

I knocked on the front window, and the man inside, who had been sitting dumbfounded, rolled down the window.

“Are you okay?”

“Pardon? Oh, yes. I’m fine, but…”

“That car just now, it’s from Noir Corporation, right? If you need to file a claim, make sure you do it there.”

“Uh?”

“And first, report this to the police. If I tell them I was chasing that car, they should understand right away.”

Honestly, I thought they wouldn’t take it seriously at all. While I had heard the police were decent, I had no personal experience talking to them.

But then again, I couldn’t just leave that poor man without saying anything.

Suddenly, I recalled moments when the other Magical Girls had fixed homes or objects broken during battles and apologized.

…Maybe the Magical Girls had their own unique challenges. Much bigger challenges than having to dash out in the middle of a listening exercise.

I gently tapped the window frame with my hand twice and turned around, rushing off.

[Lily!]

As I ran, I heard Ha-yoon’s voice from the communicator I had pinned to my shoulder.

For a moment, hearing that title made me stumble, but I managed to find my footing and jumped up as if to take off into the sky.

“What’s with that title?”

[Usually, we call each other by name in daily life, but during operations, we use these designated names we set up. Ha-yoon’s codename is Lily, right?]

I wanted to say so much, but I swallowed it all and got back to the point.

“I think I found it. The car I blocked just took off!”

[About that, is it possible that the tinting on the windows was so dark that you couldn’t check inside?]

“Um, maybe?”

Hearing Ha-yoon say that as if she already knew made me feel a bit uneasy.

[That applies to me too.]

As if picking up on Ha-yoon’s statement, Iris added, [There’s a black sedan fleeing. It seems it’s bolstered enough to resist gunfire.]

“Even bullets made from magic?”

[It seems they’ve reinforced it for that purpose.]

It was Dalia’s voice.

[Well, it’s only natural to think ahead like that. The current chairman is very suspicious.]

That was a classic method. It was effective because of that.

“…Then, you’re saying there might be other vehicles, apart from the one we’re chasing. There could be other ones capable of recreating a minimum level of authority?”

[That would overly increase the number of potential targets. By now, they might have entered a parking lot and hidden away.]

[…Plus, if we mess with those vehicles, it could lead to really troubling situations if they end up being regular citizens.]

Listening to Delphinium made me pause in thought.

“……”

Even though our real target wasn’t to take direct action against the chairman, to be honest, getting played like this incurred some frustration.

“Then, let’s prioritize chasing that car we were after. Let’s resolve it as quickly as possible and then move to Plan B. At the very least, we need to show the chairman we’re really angry.”

Hearing my words, I could feel the responses from the kids around me, and I proceeded to pursue the black vehicle once more.

Despite people insisting that humans can’t run faster than cars, I wasn’t actually trying to outrun it.

The reason flying in the sky is faster than running on the ground isn’t just the absence of friction concerns—it’s also because at that speed I didn’t have to worry about surrounding obstacles or road conditions at all.

I zigzagged between vehicles and dashed upward into the air to overtake that black vehicle, then activated the booster in the back of the hammer and slammed it down onto the front of that car.

Bang!

The front end of the moving car sank deep into the ground while the back arched up, as if it were about to break off, and took off into the air.

Now, what to do?

How durable was this car compared to a normal one? My hammer was definitely dented, but that’s only natural when it gets hit by something like a cannonball.

Is it a bit questionable to tint the front windshield like that? Would the traffic lights still show the right colors?

Well, knowing that a person who uses human beings as a means to an end wouldn’t care about such things was probably accurate.

For a brief moment, having made that judgment, I jumped up and grabbed onto the back of the car. The front end had collapsed completely, just before the roof nearly touched the ground.

Fortunately, the car didn’t crash to the ground after ripping apart the back; it was merely sent flying back up into the air from the force I provided.

I was slightly worried about what might have happened to the person inside.

But hey, if they were wearing a seatbelt, they probably wouldn’t die from it anyway.

Crash!

I landed the car back on the ground and reached my hand through the broken window.

“…Huh!”

Feeling a strong pull inside made me hurriedly give it some force.

The grip on my hand was, at the very least, not from the strength of an ordinary person.

A being.

So that was why I didn’t hear any groans or screams coming from inside the car.

I placed one foot on the back door and pushed hard. The back door bent inward, and the rear section of the car shifted sideways.

The being inside seemed to spill out a little.

What caught my sight was, indeed, a hand that looked overly muscular and forcefully swollen.

“…”

I hadn’t imagined that the summoned guy would bring out the same sort of thing with the intention of shaking off a Magical Girl.

Had he perhaps found a way to control it? I didn’t think beings were that easy to control.

As if we were in a tussle, the being pulled me back inside again. Sadly, in terms of weight, I was overwhelmingly lighter. No matter how much I resisted, there was a limit.

Crunch.

The window shattered, and I was helplessly pulled into the car.

“Tch.”

As expected.

The driver’s seat was empty. It seemed it was on auto-drive. I mean, it was an alien capable of building spaceships, so it wouldn’t be too odd for such abilities.

And then.

“…You really aren’t my type.”

I spoke to the alien who met my gaze.

The being raised the opposite hand that wasn’t holding my arm. It assumed a threatening posture as if it were getting ready to jab me with its elbow.

But hey, I had a hammer in my other hand.

The booster activated, and the hammer in my other hand shot upward.

Then, it smashed down on the side of the alien’s head, tearing through the car’s ceiling.

Boom!

I felt a bit sorry about it. Yet, perhaps because it was an Earthling in origin, I found myself feeling a little sympathetic.

Plus, it wasn’t like this was what he wanted either.

…No, was that thought too presumptive?

It didn’t seem like it was the right time for such illusions either.

It was fine to smash the alien’s head with the hammer, but the fact remained that I was also trapped inside a crushed car. Damn it.

I should have thought a little more carefully.

Since I was distracted by Ha-yoon and the chairman had me riled up, my concentration waned.

Crash!

“Oof!”

I had been struck on the back by my own knees.

Looking back, the seatbelt holding me was somewhat special. It wasn’t like those seatbelts we usually wear; it resembled the kind of armor worn by other beings.

Crash!

“Hey, that hurts!”

I complained and stood up again.

Creak, creak.

With the power of my circuit surpassing that of a human, the car’s ceiling buckled under my hands. I think I heard some screams around me.

And then, what came into view as I sat upright was the circuit dangling from the chest of the being.

I raised my fist and slammed it down onto that circuit.

“Graaah!”

The being launched back from that uppercut.

Alright. For now, I’ve gotten out of the car.

 

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