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I’m completely lost on how this circuit is even working right now.

If we’re talking about “talent,” well, maybe there’s a talent I don’t even know I have. Maybe I can imagine hope more intensely than anyone else or dig into the ground endlessly.

But what’s with gaining energy from kissing?

I can relate, though, so can Ji-hye.

Ji-hye’s body was shining.

Like when the other magical girls transform.

The Ji-hye in my arms felt warm. It wasn’t just warmth from a human body; it seemed like something else was layered over that body.

When I briefly closed my eyes against the dazzling light and opened them again, a princess was nestled in my arms.

Her outfit was somewhat similar to mine compared to the other magical girls. Just the colors were a bit different.

The colors of her outfit were a natural blend of green and light green. It seemed fitting for Ji-hye, who always wore a vibrant smile.

“…Ah, ah!?”

Ji-hye squirmed in my embrace as if she hadn’t thought she could end up looking like this.

I let go of Ji-hye.

“T-this, whoa!?”

Come on, you transformed into it, and now you’re acting all embarrassed.

Well, I’ll admit, I was a bit flustered the first time I wore an outfit like this too.

Could it be that I’m Ji-hye’s hope?

Or is the circuit wrapped around Ji-hye’s wrist reacting to something different than before?

I had a hint, just a bit.

So… that day, Ji-hye handed off the keyword “love” to that red-faced guy who seemed like a corporate sales rep for the chairman.

Given their lack of a big reaction to how we looked that day, it wouldn’t be strange if she passed that idea on to the chairman.

When I considered that, my face became a little red.

Or is it just because I kissed her? I should be getting used to this by now.

Bam!

But I didn’t have the luxury of dwelling on such thoughts for long.

There were aliens in the sky and on the ground around us.

“…What about the teacher and the children?”

“They’re all hiding in a safe place. So far, nobody has gotten inside the orphanage building…”

“Got it. That’s a relief.”

It was timely that Ji-hye managed to make it here. Plus, we had some equipment set up on our side.

Did the former chairman anticipate this?

The only ones left here were Ha-yoon, Jua, and me.

Rose, Dalia, and Delphinium went directly to the hospital where Pang-pang is. Those three should handle things just fine.

“…Alright.”

I nodded.

Then I cracked my neck and flexed my fingers to make a popping sound.

“Let’s tidy up this area first.”

As I pulled a hammer out of thin air, Ha-yoon and Jua also grabbed their weapons.

“Huh? How do you do that?”

“…”

Hmm.

Is it just my imagination that I have a sense of déjà vu?

“…You’ll figure it out naturally.”

I answered like that for now and swung the hammer at the attacking enemy.

*

So is this the main attack? Honestly, I still don’t know well.

The number of aliens was almost on par with what I saw near the DMZ. It seemed excessive to send them just for basic revenge, but the equipment that the chairman owns was nowhere to be seen.

I felt uneasy.

Was the equipment sent to the warp point last time not that important after all? James and Cherry told me it was equipment that couldn’t be easily made, and I’m sure the government is researching it as well.

Besides, there wasn’t even any aviation stuff coming this way.

Communications in the area were still cut off. I still hadn’t gotten a grasp on what happened to the three who headed toward the hospital.

If the chairman was dead set on hitting me, then he has definitely prepared for this.

Whether here is more important or not, it didn’t matter to me.

I was sure both sides were trying to save themselves, leading to the magical girls being split in half.

They tried to buy time, and both sides ended up taking a hit because we arrived too late.

They were making it so we’d be exhausted if we returned. And they wouldn’t allow all six of us to be in one place.

But the former chairman hadn’t anticipated this.

Bam!

We were exhausted. To be honest, just because I’m a magical girl doesn’t mean I can fight all day without tiring. We have limits both mentally and physically.

The longer we fought, the more drained we became, and the chances of losing increased.

Bam!

But—

“Ji-eun, are you okay?”

“Uh, yeah.”

I answered somewhat flustered after seeing Ji-hye blocking an enemy’s attack.

Ji-hye still didn’t have a weapon in her hands. But she was creating invisible walls to completely block the enemy’s attacks as if wielding magic freely.

There were a mountain of questions I wanted to ask, but I didn’t have the luxury of time to leisurely discuss them.

This time, I swung my weapon. The enemy charging toward Ji-hye bounced off.

Jua shot at that alien, and Ha-yoon rushed in to neutralize it.

The enemies kept turning their attention toward Ji-hye. I couldn’t be sure what kind of power was at play here.

Perhaps the aliens saw Ji-hye as the most vulnerable target.

“Hey, over here!”

When Ji-hye shouted, Ha-yoon and Jua, who had drifted a bit while fighting, flew over to us.

The four of us stood with our backs against each other. Now the enemies were completely focused on us. Thanks to us slowly rising into the sky, the aliens were also sneaking up behind us.

At least for now, the aliens wouldn’t attack the orphanage building.

“……You’ve got some amazing abilities.”

Ha-yoon remarked. She didn’t turn around, seemingly speaking to me directly.

“Yeah!”

Ji-hye cheered energetically.

“I feel empowered every time I think of my memories with Ji-eun. Is that where the strength comes from?”

So what she means is, she can create protective barriers fueled by memories of someone else.

…How should I put this? It feels super magical girl-like. Could Ji-hye’s “weapon” be something like that?

“I’ll protect you this time.”

Ji-hye’s voice was directed forward.

But it was so clear who she was talking to.

It was directed at me.

This time, would it be the time?

I had never properly protected Ji-hye before. I was only ever the one causing her pain.

The aliens came flying toward us.

Click.

I heard the sound from Jua’s gun. She must have changed the form of the weapon, just like when she fought me last time.

The aliens charged at us.

Even if they were to clash in the air, they wouldn’t stop their movement.

Splat.

It seemed there was a limit to the durability of the barriers. I couldn’t handle a large number of enemies all at once.

But when I glanced back, Ji-hye was smiling.

As if she was confident.

As if she was ready to prove herself again.

I smiled back at Ji-hye and gripped the hammer tightly.

Then I swung it hard at the aliens coming through the defensive wall.

Gunfire rang out.

The sounds of swords clashing.

I could feel my hammer hitting the enemy through its long handle. The enemies wouldn’t fall in one hit. No matter how much I improved, their numbers had seriously increased.

Little by little, we were thinning out their ranks.

There was no more pain.

Every time something flew toward me, it was blocked in between.

The aliens, who tried to use their bodies to charge at us, were injured by their own actions. The invisible walls continued to protect us.

Was this what Ji-hye had hoped for?

A gentle power that protects someone.

Even when she was in such a dangerous situation.

“…Huff!”

In that case, I just need to respond to that expectation.

Over and over again, and again.

This time, I wouldn’t let them touch the one I wanted to protect.

I fought with all my might.

*

“Ugh, this is really killing me.”

Clunk.

As I set down the hammer, which I wouldn’t have been able to lift had I not become a magical girl, a dull sound was heard.

The hammer that always cracked in two when we fought looked just like a colossal blunt weapon now.

The circuit’s energy kept overflowing as long as I didn’t lose hope, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t mentally exhausted.

Just the number I took down today was already more than the total I faced that day atop the headquarters.

And these aliens weren’t just ordinary ones but the alien-human hybrids driving the circuits.

They were like mass-produced magical girls.

…Well, if you think they look nothing like magical girls, calling them mass-produced superhumans is also valid. It seems they’re referred to as that in some countries.

“…Huh.”

But after taking a few seconds to rest, I raised the hammer again.

I was tired but had to keep going. Isn’t that obvious? With communication down, I had to check things out with my own eyes.

It’s not that I didn’t trust the three of them. There’s no reason to doubt a bond formed in a month, especially one where we saw each other nearly every day.

But they had also fought and then moved again, just like us.

Most importantly, they also had someone to protect—

Then it happened.

I heard a crackling noise from the communicator.

I listened as a voice similar to a person’s voice intermittently broke through.

[Ah, can you hear? If you can, please respond~]

I let out a small sigh upon hearing Rose’s voice, which oddly mimicked military communication.

It seemed Cherry and James managed to restore communication somehow.

When I looked up, a pink hamster was peering down through the window. It looked like it was moving with some effort but was too far away to see clearly. It seemed to be waving its hands.

“Is everything safe over there?”

[Oh, yes, yes!]

Rose replied, sounding somewhat surprised.

[Um, we handled everything. The police are currently apprehending the aliens… It seems they’re pulling out all the stops on their end too. We haven’t seen any alien hybrids recently, right?]

“Were there any on your side?”

[Didn’t you see?]

Nope. It was all human alines here.

A full-out war, huh.

At the very least, I knew they hadn’t thought this operation would succeed. Were they really attempting revenge? Knowing they wouldn’t be able to escape?

[For now, Pang-pang is safe too, but the outer walls of the hospital are a bit damaged. Fortunately, nobody was hurt. The ones who benefited from the fight will take care of the repairs.]

It’s a relief we hadn’t had to pay any money until now.

[What should we do? Should we meet up and discuss? If you ask me to hold the fort here for a few more hours, I could do that.]

I understood why they attempted communication before coming over. They wanted to avoid a situation where leaving their post would render their fighting meaningless.

“…No, that’s unnecessary. For now, return. Let’s sort out the situation. I feel like this isn’t just a simple attack.”

[Got it. I’ll relay that. Just to be safe, let’s keep the police here.]

“Alright, thanks.”

[What are friends for?]

Have we already become friends?

Well, a month is more than enough time to be friends, especially if we’ve been seeing each other almost every day.

Sure, I had been rather uncooperative, but it seems that didn’t matter since she was a magical girl.

Once I ended the communication, I turned back toward Ha-yoon and Jua.

Ji-hye included, the three of them wore somewhat awkward expressions.

Hmm… This awkward atmosphere is making me feel a bit uneasy too.

Wait a minute, haven’t all three of them kissed me? That doesn’t mean our relationship has moved beyond friends, but still.

They all suddenly pressed their lips against my face and mouth, leaving me frankly confused about what’s going on.

Hmm, okay.

For now, I decided to pretend to ignore that.

“Ahem.”

I cleared my throat while gathering my thoughts.

“The fact that communication has come back means the equipment they set up must have stopped working now.”

“Probably operating due to the energy from the aliens,” Jua nodded and said.

…It was a huge relief that I hadn’t activated the despair circuit. If I had, that equipment would still be functioning on my energy.

I had no knowledge about that equipment. It’s not only because it’s alien machinery, but also because I’m someone who knows little about mechanics in general.

So I can merely speculate that perhaps equipment charged by despair becomes useless in the face of intense hope?

The generator, which is a much stronger version of a circuit, was the only one I held. If the company were still in possession of it, it would probably cause a huge uproar.

There seemed to be one being produced in the Federal Government, but it would have likely stalled by now.

Since all the magical girls who could move it were here.

“…”

Ha-yoon had a somewhat serious expression.

“Do you have any thoughts? If you do, don’t hesitate to let it out.”

When I asked, Ha-yoon shook her head.

“Not yet, but… us reaching that point before was because we were wasting time fighting, right?”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

Given that the chairman hasn’t been discovered yet.

I had thought of the possibility that we were caught in a double trap. On the other side, the chairman could be hiding in the woods, waiting for us to arrive before launching an attack towards the North.

The equipment could be stay minimal, but it would have enough to serve as means of negotiation.

That’s the reason why countries that did not side with the Federal Government bring in alien firms.

So it wouldn’t be completely impossible if the chairman just managed to cross the line holding only the blueprints.

But would the chairman be agile enough to cross the DMZ alone?

She might manage to take out an Earthling; that’s a given, but things would be different if we’re talking about armed Earthlings.

The DMZ is full of mines and traps.

“Then, isn’t it possible that this is all to draw our attention away? That they might have laid traps in places we’d be interested in multiple layers, killing time before going to their real target…?”

“…Ah.”

Speaking of, isn’t there some protocol if a military base is attacked?

If one military base is ambushed, the probability of another being attacked increases, which means a national alert level would be raised.

It’s not something you could just brush off.

In government terms, it’s an “urgent national security threat.” It’s no different from someone with key military design plans trying to defect to the North.

“Surely not.”

If they were aiming for “us” this way and if touching the “front line” was part of a plan to draw our attention away—

If the current chairman tried to execute the exact same plan we had, and we just happened to fall into that trap—

“Everyone is safe.”

Around that time, Rose approached us and said that.

She was bruised and scratched all over. That suggests the fighting on their end was intense as well.

“…Oh.”

Rose looked a bit surprised when she saw Ji-hye dressed like us magical girls. Her gaze landed on Ji-hye’s wrist.

That circuit hadn’t lost its glow even now. Just like the one we were wearing.

But she quickly calmed herself when she saw our serious expressions.

“What were you all discussing?”

“We were wondering if the attack wasn’t, in fact, intended to draw our attention away.”

Rose glanced at Dalia and Delphinium, locking eyes with both.

“Did you have the same thought?”

“Well… It’s hard not to think that way. Who wants to fight a battle they can’t win?”

That’s right.

This attack was one that absolutely couldn’t be stopped without us, but at the same time, if they wanted to succeed, they could have created possibilities somehow.

If they had managed to corral all the aliens together in one spot.

While we were stronger individually, we couldn’t be in multiple places at once. If the range of battle grew too wide, the casualties would undoubtedly rise uncontrollably.

…But if that were the case, it would have also meant we couldn’t buy ourselves time to move.

And the government couldn’t move either unless both sides touch a target they’re extremely wary of.

“…However,”

Jua muttered, drawing our gazes to her.

“We haven’t precisely gone after the complex yet.”

“That’s because the government is conducting inspections there.”

The reason we had to fall back was that we had discovered the chairman was an Earthling’s enemy.

The government was putting considerable effort into investigating the matter. They wondered if the chairman had hidden something.

They couldn’t afford to put all the blame on the magical girls by doing nothing. They would need to leave behind some evidence that they had taken action.

However, so far, nothing had come out of that.

“But there aren’t any magical girls there.”

Jua asserted firmly.

“So—”

“Ha-yoon!”

Cherry’s voice echoed.

“Big trouble!”

Cherry’s tone was the most urgent I’d heard today.

How much power does she need to produce such a loud voice to reach us this way?

“News!”

Hearing her shout as she opened the window, we all quickly pulled out our smartphones simultaneously.

There was no need to even enter a video site.

Breaking news.

The moment I stepped into the portal site, news headlines were bolded and highlighted, followed by a small photo.

The image depicted a research complex that had already been partially destroyed, releasing black smoke.

 

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