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Bang!

Hearing that sound from the truck pounded with a hammer caught me a bit off guard.

So far, I’d never managed to break a steel plate with this hammer, let alone whatever was happening now. Plus, it wasn’t even a hammer—more like a pickaxe.

However, despite the trailer not crumbling, the driver seemed terrified for some reason.

I heard that weird, electric whirring sound unique to electric vehicles, and the truck lurched forward. I spread my legs a bit and steadied myself on the slightly swaying trailer to avoid falling off.

That makes sense.

If there’s something important inside, they’d do their best to protect it from this side too. It’s only natural.

Of course, the truck was heading toward the warp point.

That area was still a mess. From our end, as well as theirs.

In the distance, about 200 meters away, there was a building that looked like an airport terminal. It wasn’t as massive as Incheon International Airport, probably because there was no need for planes to land, but it was a stylishly constructed place.

However, the trailer wasn’t heading toward the main entrance of that building.

The warp point wasn’t just a place for people to come and go. It had a high capacity for transporting goods, which is exactly why the chairman insisted on coming here.

Naturally, the building was shaped like a C, with one side wide open to allow many trucks and heavy equipment to pass through.

I had no idea how they managed to drive such a huge truck towards that open side, but it was already barreling forward.

Given that this place serves as an international airport, of course there were soldiers and police present, but—

“Ugh!?”

“Stop that truck! What about our vehicles!?”

“They’re already split in half!”

…Be they soldiers or police, they couldn’t stop a magical girl with ordinary equipment.

It was a sensitive situation to call her a “magical girl” for many reasons, but her fighting style was the same as ours. Each combatant connected their circuits and released energy, making it feel like they were facing an airborne armored unit.

Plus, it wasn’t just one truck.

Another truck had its trailer open. It had some temporary stage like politicians use during campaigns, but obviously, it wasn’t a politician holding a microphone inside.

Gunfire erupted from all directions. The chairman had brought not just “Earthlings” but also monsters made from aliens of other planets.

It was, quite literally, a full-scale attack in this place.

The idea of creating a distraction to draw attention away from somewhere else didn’t even seem to come to mind.

They must have been under pressure to complete the setup, and with the facility itself needing to be dismantled, going through with just one truck would indeed be tricky.

Plus, they were on the verge of success.

I jumped on top of the truck. Even though it was speeding ahead, I pushed with all my might to move toward the driver’s side.

And then I spotted a thick steel plate covering the driver’s window.

“…Impressive.”

Why not just use an armored vehicle?

If it had been bulletproof glass, I’d have tried to break through it with the hammer, but with this, it was hardly any different from the back trailer. Most importantly, my stance was pretty awkward.

Up ahead, several beams of light shot across. Jua was trying to stop the truck from the air.

I didn’t know if a person or AI was driving the truck, but whatever they were doing seemed to be effective.

The tires weren’t blowing out. I had no idea what was done, but the beams hadn’t managed to puncture the wheels.

Jua noticed this too and focused on creating obstacles in front of the truck. She maneuvered the monsters to move toward the front—

“Hey, wait a second!?”

Crash!

The armored monster smashed into the front of the truck, causing it to lurch wildly. I had to bend my waist to stabilize myself and hold on tight to avoid falling.

And that wasn’t even from the monster creating a bumpy road with magic and causing all sorts of debris to fly in. It shook me up badly.

What’s going on?

Do I have some sort of grudge against me?

Just recently, I thought we had become pretty friendly. No, she even used my back as a pillow while she slept. Just yesterday, Ji-hye and I had to squeeze in, so if Jua had lain next to me, she would’ve used me as a pillow.

Or maybe, that’s it?

In the original story, Jua was friends with Ha-yoon. Of course, she often had her quirks and would disagree with what Ha-yoon did, but that didn’t mean the feelings were bad at all.

In the comments on the official serialization, it seemed the main fanbase had split, so that kind of comment had vanished. However, before the official serialization, many interpreted Jua’s feelings toward Ha-yoon as “bittersweet affection.”

And some even went so far as to suggest that she was really into her.

So… what if Ha-yoon was a little jealous when she saw me kiss Jua?

Clunk.

I clung tightly to the bouncing truck once more. It wasn’t to the point of being thrown off. Who knows what kind of equipment was inside? And there might be people we needed to protect inside, so it’s safe to say they weren’t trying to flip it completely.

What a weird, self-centered thought, huh?

Just as I managed to redress my balance, Jua gracefully landed next to me from the sky.

“…Stopping the truck won’t be easy. Given the situation, it might take some time, but there’s nothing blocking the way.”

As she said, the police and military vehicles had all been wrecked. The area in front resembled a battlefield. I hoped there would be fewer casualties, but wishing won’t change anything.

“Looks like that last attack wasn’t strong enough. Or do you have any concerns? Is your mind not fully settled to activate the circuits completely?”

“No, it’s more like they were prepared.”

Seeing Jua suddenly throw out a biting remark left me a bit stunned.

It wasn’t so much that I felt offended, rather I just wondered why she was acting like that out of the blue.

Right?

No matter how much I touched Ha-yoon, in this urgent situation, it feels a bit too much to bring that up.

No, I hadn’t heard her say anything like that, so I might just be overthinking it.

“That’s right. They must have fortified their preparations after observing the level we usually fight at. They probably have no idea how many monsters are inside. They’re likely using every method available to them.”

Jua’s tone was a bit ambiguous.

Her face seemed somewhat angry, yet her words were coherent. The analysis made sense, didn’t it?

One circuit could shield one person from a magical girl’s attack, so in turn, if they installed a few circuits, they could shield the entire truck.

Those crazies might find a way to modify people to run circuits or use some specific method to operate the circuits.

“Right now, it seems like there truly isn’t a complete solution.”

The ground trembled, and I had to ponder deeply what that meant.

Better yet, couldn’t I just find another obstacle to stop the truck? After thinking about it, couldn’t I even move the debris of an armored vehicle?

“So, you need more power, huh?”

“Huh?”

In that brief moment, I didn’t understand what Jua meant.

And as if she were trying to take advantage of my confusion, Jua put her hand on my cheek.

Huh.

This gesture felt strangely familiar.

As in, I feel like I saw this action today too.

To be precise, it was identical to what Ha-yoon did to me.

Wait, seriously?

“I don’t know how much help I’ll be, but based on past experiences, you’re definitely a pervert who needs this kind of action.”

“No, wait—”

Before I could say anything, Jua was already on her tiptoes.

Her face came closer, and there was no denying the sound that came from it.

In this situation, of course it was natural, but my lips… no, at least something soft and warm brushed against somewhere around my cheek.

…

Wait, what did I just say?

Is it really natural?

Kissing in this situation is insane, right? Huh?

I have no idea what either Ha-yoon or Jua is thinking. If I kiss a girl now, will I be perceived as this weird dude overflowing with power?

No, it’s not that I feel bad about it. Ha-yoon is someone I like, and Jua… well, I don’t dislike her. Just like Jua said last time, if I had to choose between liking or disliking her as a friend, of course I’d say I like her. That’s why we’re friends, if I didn’t like her, how could we be friends?

If I didn’t like her, I would’ve reacted negatively to her squeezing my hand at night or sticking close while sleeping.

Hold on.

Thinking logically, whether Ha-yoon or Jua knows about my past life, they’d understand that I use that action to gather power.

Both times when Ha-yoon hugged me tightly and Ji-hye held me in her arms, I had turned my hope circuits to their fullest to do something.

Logically considering, there’s no way around that conclusion. Jua would likely realize this even more.

But even so, don’t expect a friend to publicly kiss like that—only someone fully devoted like Ha-yoon would do something so brave, and Jua wouldn’t go that far.

She seems like she hasn’t had a boyfriend, so this would probably be her first kiss. I would have freaked out if someone told me to kiss a guy in my past life.

Just the fact that she got close to my lips was an immense sacrifice. And that too, a same-sex one.

In reality, Jua’s face had turned crimson, as if it would burst. The hand holding my cheek trembled. The way her eyebrows were raised like she was angry suggested that it had indeed been a real sacrifice.

However.

But, you know.

I have something to say too.

“During a fight?”

As I blurted that out in shock, she replied, “Well, what am I supposed to do!? Ha-yoon’s way over there fighting, and it’s just you and me here! We’re out of options and have to pull out your strength to wreck this thing!”

No, if she’s far away, I could at least call out to her… No, more than that, since she was calling me by my name rather than “Blossom” in the heat of battle, it showed she too was flustered.

Right. It must have been that pressing a situation. So, what other resource could I pull out?

The truck was moving, and it was even getting closer to the warp point. For Jua, it probably felt like she was thinking of the best means available.

I’ll just have to blame it on the day I was surrounded by children and my hope circuits were spinning.

“…Alright, I have no choice.”

As I said that, I gently placed my hand on Jua’s head. Startled, Jua stumbled backward, almost falling off the truck.

What’s this? You went to such lengths to cuddle during the night, but now I can’t even touch your head?

What’s more, just a little while back, we shared a kiss similar to that?

She looked at me somewhat bewilderedly.

“Hey, let’s wreck this truck! If we hesitate any longer—”

At Jua’s words, I came back to my senses.

Of course, she’s right.

Whether Pang-pang was in this truck doesn’t matter, we came to find her.

If the chairman was present, I’d have to make him pay for all the troubles he caused us up until now, but at the moment, we needed to focus on saving Pang-pang.

Moreover, bullets were whizzing past us right now, and other magical girls were darting about, buying us time. We had no time to waste dissecting things.

I turned around and sprinted back toward the trailer.

Then, I raised the pickaxe over my head with all my might.

To be honest, I’m not even sure if Jua’s kiss had any effect. It didn’t have as stimulating a vibe as direct contact with my lips, so I have no idea what to think about it.

But it’s true that thanks to Jua’s actions, my heart felt a bit relieved. The hope I felt among friends and the despair that my friend had been captured by the enemy.

If I can’t utilize both, then I wouldn’t even be able to call myself a magical girl.

But at the very least.

In front of the enemy, I wouldn’t be alone.

If someone wants to fight with me, I have friends ready to help me. Even if it costs them their lives—whatever the ridiculous method we must use.

There are friends who are willing to sacrifice just to help me without a second thought.

I shouldn’t take that for granted. I also have to wonder if it’s alright to feel hope for these things.

But feelings like that can’t be controlled at will.

So now, let’s just be grateful and unleash this power.

“Haah!”

With a powerful swing, my pickaxe sliced through the air with a sound that was downright intimidating.

And then—

Boom!

The white stake seemed to penetrate deep inside, slowly, like it was in slow motion. The sharp tip collided with something solid, and sparks of black and white exploded in all directions.

This time, I didn’t bounce back.

It was as if I was watching slow-motion footage of cutting through tofu with a knife, slowly melting through the invisible barrier.

And at last, it reached the thick steel plate beneath.

The surreal sparks of white and black gradually transformed into the orange flame of welding.

And—

Crack!

The sound of metal creasing echoed as the white blade portion was driven deeply inside.

Boom!

The “hammer” in the back slammed into the remaining part of the steel plate with a loud noise. The steel plate encasing the trailer crumpled inward messily.

Grasping hope is hard at first, but once you find the trick, it shines ahead like it’s following right behind me.

I raised the hammer.

The hole revealed a glimpse inside. I hadn’t fully checked yet, but at least it was a lot better than being completely unable to break through.

My heart raced wildly. Just as it had when I sunk into despair.

But this time, the feeling was the opposite.

I wasn’t powerless anymore; I knew I could do this.

At least for now, I clearly understood how to win.

Boom!

I swung the pickaxe down again. The steel plate shattered. Two holes appeared.

Boom!

Another hole formed between those two, and as the three connected, they made one large opening.

Soon enough, Jua had joined me at my side. She drew out a blade from her rifle like a sword and wedged it in the end of the broken barrier, forcing it outward.

Is that kind of function possible?

Maybe she prepared it because of me. I was probably one of the few people who could rush to “Happy Iris” and throw a punch for her.

While Jua kept the barrier from closing again, I swung my pickaxe—or hammer—down repeatedly.

And then—

“…I see it.”

I saw the inside.

Even though the sun was high in the sky, it was still at that time when the weather could get a bit hot, so long as it wasn’t cloudy.

That bright sunlight illuminated the inside.

“…Pang-pang!”

I called out the name of my friend inside.

There was no response. She seemed to be sleeping with her eyes shut.

No, to be precise, she was enclosed in some sort of capsule.

I knew what that was. It wasn’t something I had seen in a webtoon; it was one of the advanced technologies that came down from space, one of the most usable items we had.

A capsule for treating people. Usually, it was used to stabilize the lives of critically ill patients at death’s door.

“You don’t have to worry.”

As if she had read my thoughts, Jua spoke.

“It’s something they used for early space travel. It’s something that can be used even if you’re not a patient. Its latest model has a feature that maintains the body while allowing prolonged unconsciousness.”

I just nodded vaguely and dove into the opening.

“Grah!”

Inside was infested with monsters as if it were a trap, but—

Bang!

I drove my fist into one of the monsters’ sternums.

I had drawn a blade akin to the one I used in battle when I was a combatant from my wrist.

Was the worry about the chairman’s granddaughter getting hurt during my rampage here?

Or was it that they didn’t have the capacity to produce stronger monsters?

If not that, it could be because my body was still overflowing with energy.

The blade pierced the monster’s chest, destroying the circuitry that had been there.

Upon closer inspection, the monsters were tied to the large trailer wall. It didn’t seem to be for protection but rather to control the truck’s movements from the get-go.

Jua jumped inside as well.

“What’s the plan?”

Having been watching for a while as I plunged my fists or the pickaxe into the other monsters’ sternums, Jua blinked at my question before replying.

“Let’s stop the truck first.”

“Understood.”

I responded like that and promptly drilled through the front part of the trailer with my blade.

Then, I targeted the rear section of the driver’s seat.

“Ugh!?”

The person sitting in the driver’s seat—probably not an Earthling—turned around in shock.

“Stop.”

I said to that person.

“Or I can stop you myself.”

I could almost hear the sound of that person gulping in the chaos.

 

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