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“First time.”

Ji-hye replied to Ha-yoon’s words.

“Well, if it’s the first time, then it is.”

Ha-yoon looked at Ji-hye after her words.

“So, it’s about the kiss.”

“……”

Whether she was at a loss for words or simply had nothing to say, Ji-hye looked towards Ha-yoon.

Seeing that expression made me feel a twinge of guilt. I had already felt several times how precious Ji-hye was to Ji-eun.

In terms of empowerment through a kiss, Ji-hye must be at least as important to Ji-eun as Ha-yoon.

But I didn’t want to lose.

“Ji-eun, um. I believe she hasn’t kissed anyone before. So, the kiss we had turned out to be my first kiss.”

That was a statement that came out of nowhere.

Still, I wanted to make sure this fact was clear.

The kiss back then wasn’t something I did thoughtlessly.

How could I kiss someone I didn’t like?

“I haven’t dated anyone else.”

“I see.”

But surprisingly, Ji-hye took that statement calmly.

“I don’t care.”

Ji-hye said,

“As long as I haven’t hurt Ji-eun.”

“……”

At Ji-hye’s words, Ha-yoon fell silent.

“What’s so important about who Ji-eun kisses or dates? It would be nice if they were her first partner, but that’s all. In the end, the most important thing is the person who’s there in the end, right? If we have to choose between dating and marriage, then marriage is definitely more important, isn’t it?”

That made sense.

“There aren’t many cases where you marry your first love. If the person isn’t really loved and is simply someone you’ve kissed, then who knows how that will turn out.”

“But there’s no rule saying you can’t marry that kind of person. In fact, they say it’s hard to see your childhood friends as romantic prospects if you’ve been too close for too long.”

“……What have you two been doing? Haven’t you been glued to each other for over a month? It couldn’t have been in a vast place.”

“That’s true, but…”

Now that I thought about it, even though we hadn’t spent as long as Ji-hye had, we had been able to show each other enough if we had something to show.

Although it was just backs, Ha-yoon had seen Ji-eun’s body before.

…And on that back were various bruises. Bruises that Ha-yoon might have caused.

“……You’re right. It might already be too late. But that doesn’t mean I’m thinking of giving up now. The later I realize it, the harder I need to push forward.”

“Just because you’re running late doesn’t mean the ones ahead stop.”

Actually, this kind of conversation felt awkward for Ha-yoon.

Fighting with someone—well, emotionally fighting with someone—wasn’t something Ha-yoon was particularly used to.

She felt it was much easier to just laugh off when others said bad things.

“And you don’t know that either.”

Ji-hye said with a hint of a whine in her voice.

Her tone reminded me of Ji-hye walking with Ji-eun before.

The energetic voice from when the three of us went out together.

“You also don’t know who started running first.”

That sounded like a remark to herself as well.

Ha-yoon hesitated for a moment, preparing to respond but—

“There you are.”

At the voice heard from behind, she quickly shut her mouth.

Ji-hye quickly composed her expression.

Probably because she didn’t want to show a fighting scene in front of Ji-eun.

“Were you getting some fresh air?”

Ji-eun said, sticking her face between the two.

“The organization inside is all tidied up now, so let’s go in.”

“Okay.”

Ji-hye stood up first.

“Got it.”

Ha-yoon did the same.

“…What’s up? Did you two fight?”

“Not really.”

Ha-yoon was the first to speak. Ji-hye nodded along with her.

That’s right. They hadn’t fought.

If anything, it was closer to a positional adjustment.

“Um, well… it’s fine.”

Amidst their exchange, Ji-eun tilted her head, sensing something.

In the middle of their conversation, Ji-hye intertwined her arm with Ji-eun’s.

And pressed her body close to Ji-eun.

Ha-yoon, not willing to lose, hugged her from the other side.

Ji-eun’s face turned bright red in an instant. She still didn’t seem to have much tolerance for this kind of thing.

She was good at pushing someone against a wall.

But couldn’t handle being pushed back?

“……”

However, she needed to be cautious about executing it.

After all, Ha-yoon had already hit Ji-eun several times.

Feeling somewhat uncomfortable with Ji-hye’s gaze drilling into her, Ha-yoon slightly turned her head.

*

I thought peace would last a little longer. No, I was probably hoping for that.

But as expected, the chairman must have handed over the equipment because he sensed something was off.

The communicator rang the very next day.

I jumped up from my seat. I completely ignored the curious gazes around me and activated the communicator.

[Hey, guys! It’s dangerous!]

It was Cherry’s voice coming from the communicator.

[We need to move right now! Otherwise, it might be too late!]

Hearing the urgency in her tone, Ha-yoon and I quickly turned and dashed out of the classroom.

No one tried to stop or catch us.

The hallway, which should have been quiet due to class, was now filled with the sounds of someone running.

From the noises coming from the lower floors, it seemed the three third-graders had also heard the warning.

We ran into each other in the hallway. Without needing to exchange opinions, we headed straight up toward the rooftop.

“Ji-eun!”

As soon as we reached the rooftop, Ha-yoon shouted at me. I thought she was suggesting we transform and fly as magical girls, and I immediately turned to face her and replied.

“Yeah!… Huh!?”

The noise I made was because Ha-yoon, with a look of certainty, grabbed my cheeks with both hands and pressed her lips against mine.

There was no time to close my eyes or savor that soft sensation. Once again, I found myself being forced to transform with my eyes wide open.

Not that I was saying that was a bad thing.

Rose, Dalia, and Delphinium all watched us with utterly incredulous expressions.

“This is much faster.”

Ha-yoon said, placing a hand on her chest as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Having said that, Ha-yoon was already dressed in her magical girl outfit. Even though it was a bright pink outfit, it suited her perfectly.

“And it helps me too.”

The power of love.

Or perhaps the power of desire.

Right now, I didn’t have time to think about which one it truly was.

When I turned around, I saw Rose, Dalia, and Delphinium’s outfits shining and changing. Once I confirmed all three had transformed, I nodded and caught Jua’s gaze.

Jua looked extremely pale.

And she wasn’t dressed in a magical girl outfit.

She was still in her school uniform.

“Jua?”

When I called her name, Jua looked even paler as she tapped her circuit on her wrist. She wouldn’t even meet my eyes and only stared at her wrist, a sight that was definitely not acting.

Or rather, she surely was the type of kid who couldn’t act to begin with.

“What’s wrong?”

“It, it’s that, the circuit isn’t responding. I don’t know why.”

Jua’s voice trembled.

“Hold on. Calm down.”

I placed my hand on Jua’s shoulder.

It might seem natural at first glance for a magical girl to transform into a magical girl. After all, magical girls are beings who hold onto a shard of light, even in the face of despair.

But even so, if you lose that light of hope, it’s over. If the circuit doesn’t turn, the transformation itself cannot happen.

In fact, Ha-yoon also had a time when her power was very weak because of me.

“What’s wrong? Did anything happen yesterday?”

“N-no, yesterday…”

Her trembling eyes looked up at me.

Seeing the eyes filled with near terror made me realize.

“…Once despair captures you, it’s over.”

I said.

[Hey guys?]

“Wait a minute. Give me a moment.”

I still didn’t know what was happening over there, but at least the fact that we could contact each other meant that the orphanage was safe.

The incident itself might have happened far away. After all, we set out after we heard the incident at the warp point last time.

[Got it. But we have to resolve it as quickly as possible.]

[That’s right. If we’re not careful, they might cross the ‘line’.]

I heard James adding a word, but I looked back at Jua as calmly as possible.

“I don’t know what despair you’re in. But right now, we need your strength. You’re the one who can best counter the enemy farthest from us.”

At my words, Jua’s circuit glowed just a little.

I see.

Rather than something happening yesterday, perhaps due to the tangled situation, Jua’s hope had run dry.

“You’re the only one who can toss the enemy away just before they kill us, and you’re also the only one who can think calmly in that situation.”

I didn’t know how my compliment could help, but if it could return Jua to her original self, then it was worth it.

In fact, the situation was urgent, and what I was saying was true.

Yet, even though Jua’s circuit was beginning to turn, she still seemed to be insufficient for transformation.

I closed my eyes briefly before opening them again.

What I saw was Jua, still looking at me with some measure of fear.

“What are you so scared of?”

I asked Jua.

“What are you afraid of that’s blocking your hope?”

Jua’s trembling gaze swept around.

“…What if I become useless….”

“I told you what I said.”

Could it be that she was lying?

“We need you.”

I glanced back. No, if you’re watching me, at least say something.

Ha-yoon was looking at me with a very flustered expression, while Dalia and Delphinium were rubbing their temples.

And Rose looked unusually like she knew something.

“U-um, I’m sorry but I don’t think we can help.”

“What do you mean by that?”

I asked back in disbelief at Rose’s words.

“No, I mean what I said. It’s probably… because of you. Or maybe… um, it’s a bit difficult to say.”

For some reason, I thought I saw Rose’s gaze flick towards Ha-yoon for a moment.

There was no time to get caught up in a verbal tug-of-war here. Adding another person would likely just lead to more chaos.

I looked back at Jua.

“…Tell me.”

I demanded directly.

“What should I do to help you regain your hope?”

“…Ah.”

It seemed like Jua let out that sound without realizing it.

“That, um.”

Jua turned her eyes away, looked at me, and then tightly shut them.

“I need proof!”

“What?”

“I need proof that I’m important!”

Hearing her scream caught me off guard.

Proof?

What proof? Shouldn’t there be a video recording of all the battles we had so far? James was off somewhere far away.

“I-I did things for you too!”

“Such as?”

“The warp gate!”

Jua shouted again.

“At the warp gate!”

“Ah.”

For a brief moment, my brain stopped again.

What was that?

Could it be?

Her?

Towards me?

Why?

No, thinking about it again, it would feel strange to think we could kiss just because we were somewhat close.

“Really? No, really? Is that right?”

I asked, but Jua was just tightly shutting her eyes.

“…Ah, I really don’t know.”

In the end, I pulled Jua’s shoulder close.

“Okay, just a moment, prepare yourself!”

No, what are you saying now!?

You asked for it!

Besides, I was already in motion, there was no stopping now.

It was urgent, and I didn’t have the luxury of time!

Tap.

A peck, a gentle touch of lips against my cheek without any noise.

But that sensation made Jua’s eyes open wide.

And in an instant, a bright light appeared before me.

As the light passed, there stood a purple magical girl before me.

Though her face was red, isn’t the name Rose actually fitting for her too?

I let go of her and quickly turned around.

And without even meeting the eyes of the other magical girls, I took off.

“Let’s go!”

After deliberately shouting loudly, I flew up into the sky.

I had no idea how the day was turning out, nor did I understand why my circuit was also turning at that moment, but—

Isn’t it good?

Friendship between friends. Thinking like that. There seems to be such love. If Jua was in a situation similar to Ha-yoon’s, it was only obvious that she would seek such feelings.

“So, what’s the situation?”

[It seems a group including the current chairman of Noir Corporation is trying to cross the ceasefire line.]

“You should have said that sooner!?”

[Well, I thought you also had your own important matters to attend to.]

When I panicked, James answered as if he couldn’t believe it.

No, it was indeed important! If I were to argue, it was extremely important!

Damn, but that didn’t mean I could just leave Jua behind.

“Where is it?”

[I’ll send it to you via smartphone!]

Cherry replied.

[If possible, move there immediately! Ah, and Ji-hye is already on her way here in a police car! Don’t worry too much!]

Good.

Then it was a relief.

In any case, moving shouldn’t be too difficult.

After all, my circuit was spinning more vigorously than usual, powered by some unidentifiable force.

*

The fact that I served in the military on the front lines in my previous life didn’t help much.

Even if I had been in Gangwon Province as a soldier, would I be able to memorize all the terrain of that long ceasefire line? More importantly, I learned where the posts were located, but that didn’t mean it all neatly fit in my head as a ‘map’.

So, honestly speaking, what I saw before me looked no different than an expanse of mountains with a thin line drawn across it.

That endless line must be the ceasefire line. In fact, the road leading up to the ridge was rather clear due to the trees that had been widely cleared around.

Fortunately, it seemed the chairman hadn’t reached that far yet.

Even if the monster were using the circuits, they weren’t a match for actual magical girls yet. We could always overpower the monsters that outnumbered us.

Plus, the army wasn’t completely useless against monsters either.

Since the opponent was an alien, they were struggling to capture it alive, but if an armed military were to deploy with the intent to kill, what would happen?

Moreover, technology often makes its way to the military first.

Smoke was already rising near the ceasefire line. It seemed like something had failed to fly over. Perhaps they were trying to create an aircraft using the circuits, but those had already fallen around the mountains, puffing out smoke.

Wouldn’t a dry day lead to a forest fire? But it seemed soldiers didn’t have the luxury to worry about that.

Gunfire could be heard directed at the sky. Even if the flying monsters had fallen, they hadn’t yet subdued the monsters on the ground. It was extremely difficult to hit beings that defy physical laws by soaring through the sky with bullets.

Even firing missiles wouldn’t guarantee a hit, and it would likely be nearly impossible for missiles to strike an enemy flitting around like a fly with absolute certainty.

Bang bang!

That doesn’t mean they weren’t hitting at all.

I could see the bullets of a machine gun colliding with the body of a monster flying through the sky. They had probably created a barrage since they couldn’t hit each one directly.

But that wasn’t enough to take down the monster.

When I saw one of the monsters flying towards the machine gun nest, I moved my body.

Boom!

I collided with the monster, using my body like a projectile, and we fell sideways.

Thanks to that, I was able to drag down the monster that blocked my way, and we both tumbled into the woods. The sounds of branches breaking and grass hitting my body echoed around.

I couldn’t hear what the monster was saying as the wind whistled in my ears, but judging by the way it clawed at my face, it was clearly letting out some monstrous roar.

I seized the monster’s fingers and bent them back.

Whack, whack.

It was around the time I landed a few punches on the monster’s face.

Boom!

I felt a heavy impact on my body. The monster’s back slammed into the ground below, and its remaining force hit me.

I was okay. The monster wasn’t even knocked out yet.

“No way.”

Before the monster could get back up, I quickly drove my hammer down on its solar plexus.

Crack.

The circuits stuck to the monster’s solar plexus broke and exploded. The monster’s body slumped forward, releasing black smoke from its chest.

…Was this thing really mass-produced?

How many of these has the chairman been hiding?

Moreover—

I heard sounds of battles taking place in the distance. Sounds of clashes were ringing out in the sky—gunshots—and the occasional explosion.

How long does that person intend to keep doing this before they’re satisfied?

Still holding onto the monster’s arm, I stood up, grinding my teeth.

 

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