---

Despair is a dangerous emotion.

Ha-yoon had never experienced getting strength from despair, but one thing she knew for sure.

It was much easier to give up while in despair than to hold onto hope and not give up.

Hope is the strength that keeps a person in the same place.

No matter what threats there are, no matter how much you want to give up.

It’s the power to keep moving forward knowing that that distant white light is watching over you.

Thus, Ha-yoon questioned Ji-eun’s demeanor time and again.

Why, even when so steeped in despair that her heart was tinged with darkness, did she not give up? Why did she hold on even when everything seemed lost?

Of course, it wasn’t that she wanted to see the person she liked give up everything. She was simply curious, as a magical girl, about how she could endure in such a way.

So, when Ji-eun vanished right before her eyes, Ha-yoon could do nothing but despair.

She knew Ji-eun’s abilities because she had seen them many times. She was well aware that if she was thrown out into space from here, there would be no way to escape unharmed.

Yet, even then, she couldn’t give up.

And it was then that Ha-yoon felt she understood.

Even within such despair, Ha-yoon was searching for some possibility. She was looking for unseen hope.

The ship was large enough that even if it flew far away, could they stay inside?

Even if she were to go outside, Ji-eun was strong enough to endure for a moment, wasn’t she?

Thinking like that, she simply couldn’t bear to ‘give up.’

And maybe, just maybe,

That’s why she was able to endure.

Just as Ji-eun had managed to withstand such situations.

And, as if by a lie.

No, just as Ji-eun always did.

In the moment Ha-yoon seemed about to fall into despair, Ji-eun came to save her.

The white light visible beyond the shattered space.

Even though it was surely a similar situation to Ha-yoon’s, the sight of that figure radiating with light symbolizing hope shone as if it would be etched into her retina.

It was only natural that she couldn’t help but rush toward that smiling face.

*

It feels like my heart is floating.

Wasn’t it said that people can’t discern the reasons why their hearts race?

Now it feels like I somewhat understand why despair and hope dance with each other.

If you layer a reason on top of a heart racing madly, the situation itself changes.

Yeah. After all, for me, both despair and hope originated from Ha-yoon. Whether that’s wholly a good thing, I still don’t know.

But one thing is certain.

If the light disappears from my life, I might end up giving everything up.

That might be better.

It might have been better if I had never existed at all.

Otherwise, the chairman and the former chairman could have just failed at everything.

It’s quite possible that believing in something like a despair circuit would yield no benefits.

Yet, even so, here I am. Unable to give up anything.

“I still don’t see the others.”

As I said, perhaps a bit shyly turning my gaze away, Ha-yoon smiled.

And this time, she nodded as if to say she’d let it go.

“They’re all holding on.”

Is that so?

Well, they are magical girls, after all.

Honestly, I’m not sure what the source of hope those girls possess is.

But even so, like Ha-yoon, they are children who could be called the protagonists of a webtoon. They must be fighting in their own ways.

“I’ve figured something out.”

I held up my hammer with one hand. My other hand was still around Ha-yoon’s waist.

“That guy doesn’t seem that strong, after all.”

At my words, the monster screeched as if going into a fit.

Ha-yoon pulled me aside to avoid its charge.

It’s kind of embarrassing, in a way.

But still, I didn’t want to fall off for some reason.

Isn’t that hope? Isn’t it only natural to not want to fall when you’re holding onto hope?

“This is a generator, right?”

When Ha-yoon said that, she abruptly placed her hand on the long handle of the hammer.

My white light and Ha-yoon’s pink light began to merge slowly. Not fully mixed yet, it looked as if pink lines were overlapping on the white light, just as it had when we fought earlier.

The generator, powered by hope, absorbed another light of hope.

Slowly, a pink hue began to blend with the color of the day. By the time it reached the hammerhead, the separated lights had merged into one, making it nearly impossible to tell where pink ended and white began.

But even so, the light is beautiful.

“Let’s go.”

Ha-yoon whispered to me while clinging tightly. Even if she took her hand off the hammer or wrapped it around my waist, our light of hope remained unchanged.

With one hand gripping the handle, I raised it up.

The monster looked our way. It was a creature that had been unable to control its power and had flown far away.

Now it reared back and hurled a punch toward us.

That fist collided with my hammer—no, this thing that had now taken the form of an axe.

Once again, the sound of shattering space echoed.

“No…!”

The monster finally spoke like a person. The arrogance it had maintained until now was shattering in midair like shattered glass.

The opposite fist moved.

I wasn’t going to just take its hits.

Once again, my blade struck something solid, breaking through the space that surrounded the monster. The barrier protecting the monster was cracking and breaking under every one of our strikes.

And then, past the cracks, another light appeared.

Even amidst this situation, the lights of my comrades who were refusing to fall alone.

“I told you, I’m a magical girl.”

“Yeah, I’m not just any magical girl, you know?”

Ha-yoon said, still holding onto me tightly.

That warmth, that tenderness guides me. Just like it always has.

Was it really because I was operating as a guide for Ha-yoon that I reached out to hold her hand? Or was it merely that my heart was wide enough to notice and comfort Ha-yoon’s wounds first?

No, I don’t think so. If that were the case, there would have been no reason to feel inferior in the first place.

Originally, Ha-yoon was capable of becoming a magical girl without me.

A child who could craft that kindness and tenderness into something her own.

It wasn’t just Ha-yoon; the others were like that too. I suppose Ji-hye was likely to become a new heroine in the webtoon, though I didn’t see it.

Drawn in by Ha-yoon’s warmth, I grasped her hand. And I drew her close, holding her firmly.

That sin can certainly be said to be great.

But.

“…I don’t regret it.”

I said, raising the generator now transformed into an axe.

Creak, creak.

The hammer transformed. Just like when I first swung the hammer and had an odd belief, those somewhat square parts of the hammer were slowly morphing.

What had once been a single-edged axe was now a double-headed axe.

I swung that axe toward the monster charging at us.

It was merely a mockery of despair, a third-rate creature clad in someone else’s despair. There was no way to shatter the hope that had been earned against that despair.

Because what helps a person endure even in despair is that faraway, thin light.

Yeah. Despair and hope are merely a matter of directionality.

If one does not believe that the situation will get better, one cannot endure.

Thus, what enables that to happen is desire. A longing to grasp the hope in front of you or a desire to seek that hope out.

Indeed, I thought that was how it was.

The axe didn’t split the monster’s head open.

Instead, I decided to take the monster’s punch with my own body. Pain flared up, but it was bearable.

And my axe plunged not into the monster’s head, but into the black hole that followed behind it.

The essence of human despair had been compressed, and there, the rays of hope pierced through.

“…What!?”

The monster screamed. As if it hadn’t even anticipated that.

“You really don’t understand how to fight, do you?”

I said, glaring coldly at the alien.

Splitting.

The darkness that shouldn’t have been able to break apart was cleaved by the light.

And simultaneously, the space with the cracks shattered.

Another light of hope poured down upon us.

*

The first emotion Ji-hye felt when she witnessed that scene was jealousy.

Despite having felt it several times, she still didn’t want to see Ha-yoon and Ji-eun together.

Even though she knew exactly what Ji-eun thought of Ha-yoon.

However, simultaneously, the strongest feeling in Ji-hye’s heart was ‘thank goodness.’

It wasn’t something lost. At least for now, she was still right there.

That feeling of joy pushed everything else out.

Ji-hye moved her body, too.

Towards Ji-eun.

“Ji-hye!”

Seeing Ji-eun looking at her with a bright smile, Ji-hye felt like it was infuriating.

Really, talking like that while hugging another girl right next to her?

Well, if it were Ji-eun, she probably wouldn’t even be aware of it. And rightly so; aren’t they both girls?

Having kissed many times and given cheek pecks, Ji-eun seemed to totally miss that those were signs of affection.

So this time—

This time, she was not going to forgive.

It was quite a selfish thought, but still, she felt that Ji-eun needed to pay for having vanished from her sight for those few minutes.

Seeing Ji-eun’s surprise at how close Ji-hye was, Ji-hye pulled tightly.

And pressed her lips against Ji-eun’s.

And—

Mmm. A bit of an adventurous attempt at something that usually didn’t happen.

“Ugh!?”

Ji-eun made a sound, clearly flustered, but her light only grew brighter, irrespective of that.

She was really lighting up.

Grumbling inwardly about how bothersome this was, Ji-hye broke off the kiss.

And only then did she see the axe.

A white and pink axe, intricately entwined.

“…Hmph.”

Ji-hye huffed, placing her hand on the axe.

Amidst the dizzying swirl of colors, a green light began to intertwine again. Strangely, Ji-hye found herself thinking it looked a bit like ice cream.

*

From the side, she felt a scorching gaze. Even the monster seemed a little dazed, so in a fit of anger, I swung the axe at it.

The double-headed axe had taken on another form. Was it that my hope was too much for the generator to handle?

No, it likely wasn’t simply that.

It was only that because I thought I wanted to eliminate that guy for certain, it was changing form accordingly.

Between the two blades, a long edge was sprouting again. It was nearing something resembling a spear rather than an axe.

“Not this again!”

This time, a voice I hadn’t expected resounded.

It was a voice that felt strangely out of place amidst the situation, resembling that of an angry child throwing a tantrum.

I had heard that voice a few times before. It was the same tone Iris used when provoked during our fights.

Coming towards me, the purple-eyed Jua glared while gripping my axe handle tightly with both hands.

“Not again, not again, not again! Why are you sandwiched between two girls again?”

I can’t exactly claim they aren’t both my allies. Besides, one of them has been my comrade since we fought together as magical girls.

Yet, it was true that I was indeed sandwiched between two girls, so I had no retort to that.

Magic was flowing from Jua’s hand too. The purple energy intertwined with the already tangled blobs of power swirling around the axe.

And finally, the blade sprouting between the two heads became too large to be referred to as a spear.

It became a massive double-edged sword, too large to be wielded by a single person.

To my eyes, that sword looked like this.

“This is insane!”

A voice filled with despair.

“You guys, I won’t let this slide! How could you get this far… so far…!”

The monster wasn’t just going to sit idle either.

Absorbing the black hole I had torn open, its body began to grow larger.

Its once-white armor was now tinged with black, taking on a far more threatening appearance. Spikes protruded from its fists, and it seemed that a single blow could crush bones to pieces.

During that time, hands began to rest lightly on my axe.

Rose, upon meeting my eyes, quickly pulled her hand away from the blade and raised both hands slightly.

Her face was filled with laughter, clearly playful and mischievous.

‘I’m not going to kiss you.’

That was the expression she had, and it only served to infuriate me.

Dalia and Delphinium poured magic into my sword. As they glanced at my face and quickly fell back, they wore expressions similar to Rose.

“No, I’m not going to.”

Exactly what they were not going to do, I was unsure—

“———!”

A scream that could tear one’s ears apart.

The giant monster of despair that loomed over us swung its fist toward me.

As it moved, it seemed as though part of the space itself distorted.

That swift movement appeared strangely slow to me, just like when I had created that black hole.

Light flowed.

It streamed from my hand, from the sword I held. The monster was greedily devouring that light as if to annihilate it, swallowing space whole.

Yet my light did not fade.

This hope was not just my own.

It was the hope shining beyond the thick darkness of despair.

Throwing the enormous sword, which had seemed to be forged from multiple stars, over my head, I slashed down hard.

The two entities collided without sound.

Black and white blended, and from there, specks of light burst forth in all directions like small stars.

“Gah!?”

The enemy screamed.

I strained my arm. In a place where there shouldn’t even be gravity, I held my feet firmly in the air.

As if to give me strength, Ha-yoon, Ji-hye, and Jua each placed their hands on the handle.

Before I knew it, I was shouting at the top of my lungs.

I wasn’t even saying anything particularly cool nor unleashing a final blow.

Ha-yoon, Jua, Ji-hye, and even Rose and Dalia, Delphinium, who had been supporting my back, kept pushing against me.

Creeping, creeping.

Something that was neither an object nor of space burrowed in. And produced a sound that should not exist.

“This is impossible, this is impossible!”

The monster screamed.

“That much despair… for just this few people…!”

In that moment, regardless of how much I wanted to retort and silence it, I couldn’t help but yell back.

“That’s because…!”

I gritted my teeth and pushed my strength into my arm as I shouted from the cracks.

“Hope found on your own is worth more than the despair crafted by others!”

The enemy regarded humanity as a fuel source for despair. That thought itself was just twisted, but one thing was certain.

In the end, across time and space, the strength to overcome something comes from the desire to improve just a little.

It’s not about just sitting in despair; it’s due to that painful walk trying something new.

Yeah. This one thing, above all else.

I can say I’ve found it well.

And here’s a thought I have now, the idea of being a magical girl turns out to be well thought out.

*

Long ago, at the dawn of the universe.

The darkness was divided by the light.

The pitch-black darkness melted away into the light the moment it was split.

And high in the sky, almost reaching the limits of the heavens, the gigantic spaceship lost its energy.

Slowly, the spaceship began to fall. At first, it appeared as if it wouldn’t drop at all, but the more it sank, the faster its speed became.

The existences within it also should not have been able to withstand that force. The ship should have been reduced to a pile of charcoal.

Yet even though it was still before sunset, the people on the ground saw that shining entity in the sky.

The ship, which looked like it would plummet, miraculously slowed down and descended slowly, enveloped in light, until it landed gently near where it had taken off.

Even magical girls who had taken down the chairman attempting to seize the galactic-scale company couldn’t help but feel a sense of relief knowing they hadn’t crashed into the ground, their legs going weak.

The magical girls who wore seven colors slumped to the ground as soldiers walked into the ship, half-conscious.

Ultimately, the burden of explaining the situation would fall to the squeaky adult, who had managed to connect Ji-eun’s generator to the ship’s energy circuit until the last moment.

 

---