---

I’m not the type to feel a sense of bliss in a situation where I might faint from pain.

But, ironically, this time, it feels right to say that I fainted and had a comfortable sleep.

After all, I fought with all my might.

Moreover, the opponent was the one who tormented me until the very end.

When I opened my eyes, I saw a ceiling that was completely different from any I had seen before. If I had to describe it, it seemed like a ceiling one might find in a common building rather than a private residence, even if I hadn’t seen it in person.

There were no doctors bustling around. No nurses anywhere.

Actually, there was nothing connected to my body. It wouldn’t be unusual to have at least an IV if I were to pass out in a place like this.

Yet, I could tell this was a hospital, mostly due to the patient gown I wore and the typical hospital bed and blanket.

I thought about sitting up, but as soon as I moved a little, I realized every part of me ached and stung, so I gave up. Right, after rolling around all day without resting, there was no way I’d feel fine.

Thanks to magic, I had avoided fatal injuries to some extent, but the truth was I hadn’t rested at all. Plus, I couldn’t remember eating anything.

“……”

However, even if I had given up on getting up, staring at the ceiling all the time was simply too boring.

I reached out with my right hand and found what looked like a remote control beside the bed.

When I pressed a button, the head of the bed slowly rose up like a chair. I set it in a position somewhere between lying down and sitting up, then I reached for the bedside table. Unlike when I fiddled around the side of the bed, this time my arm hurt a little, but it didn’t last long.

I grabbed the remote again and turned on the TV.

[…So, it seems many are curious how the government will respond to this incident.]

[Yes, various discussions have arisen. It appears that the government’s plan is to wait for the most important witnesses, the magical girls, to awaken.]

[What will happen to Noir Corporation?]

[First, there’s no way they can avoid punishment now. Until now, they’ve received a lot of leniency under the pretense of needing to keep the federation in check, but the scale of their transgressions is so massive that they can’t let it slide this time. Yes, the magical girls who dealt with it right away are magical girls, but heroes from around the world are paying attention to this.]

[It’s said that the magical girls effectively broke away from the federation.]

[Still, there was a time they were affiliated with the federation. Moreover, the incident involving Happy Lily is quite complex. If the federation really wants to regain control and was attempting to have Noir Corporation hand over Lily, then foreign heroes who were part of the federation wouldn’t just sit by.]

I see.

I had almost completely forgotten from the middle, but the conversation we had when we broke away from the federation was about becoming a third force.

If I think about it like this, it feels like we’ve accomplished something. I have no idea if all heroes could withdraw from the federation overnight. But that said, not all heroes would want to stay loyal to the federation.

Of course, it’s too optimistic to think that all those people will join our side, but even if they merely form their own groups in their respective countries, they’d still be influenced by us.

The very act of warning the federation that such situations could arise is a considerable accomplishment. This means they can no longer recklessly poke at our countries.

…Still, I don’t want Ha-yoon to become a sacrifice and a power source for this universe. But, well.

If they’re offering a proper price from their side, what could I say if Ha-yoon does something? That’s just employment activity. As long as labor rights, days off, and insurance are adequately guaranteed, I might even want to get a job myself.

“…No, that might be too much.”

If possible, I want to play around for at least a year after graduating university. Given how much I’ve struggled since I was little, that shouldn’t be too much to ask, right?

Of course, that assumption holds if I have money.

I switched the TV channel.

Most of the talk was about such matters. There was hardly any news about us. The only bits of information were brief mentions of being carried out on a stretcher. Even that didn’t last more than a few seconds. Still, I realized that was “yesterday.” It seems I haven’t fainted for as long as I thought.

And then, I could also understand why people were worried. Our faces, as we were carried on stretchers, showed no signs of life whatsoever.

Moreover, I wasn’t even in a magical girl outfit; I was wearing my last outfit. It was torn and tattered all over.

Naturally, there were no updates about Pang-pang, and there was still nothing on the chairman’s situation.

Was it all something they intended to deal with altogether once we awakened?

“I kinda want to faint again.”

I muttered with a sigh.

Thinking of all the work I’d soon face, I wished I could faint for another month, let everything pass, and then wake up leisurely.

But then Ha-yoon would worry like crazy.

So would Ji-hye.

“……”

I felt my face getting warm. I raised both hands to touch my cheeks. They were flushed. It wasn’t because I was feeling hurt.

Rather, it was from embarrassment.

I was incredibly embarrassed.

Yeah.

I kissed Ha-yoon. Well, of course, I’ve done it before, and I’ve kissed Ha-yoon directly, but that was… how should I put it? It was almost like a kiss for the sake of pushing through a very urgent situation.

But that sword was created back then.

“Phew.”

Okay. Let’s calm down.

Still, I don’t have a circuit right now. In any case, I won’t need to wear one for a while. There are still various kinds of equipment in the room, but since Noir Corporation has turned out this way, I probably won’t have to fight for a while.

The aliens… well, I’ve handled them well enough, so I don’t think any problems have cropped up yet.

So for a while, no matter how much hope I have regarding that, neither Ha-yoon nor Ji-hye will notice.

“Alright.”

I murmured like that and reached out again.

This time it was the call button at the head of the bed.

I should let them know that I’m awake.

*

When the doctor and nurse came and examined me carefully, they concluded, “You’re fine.”

I had no severe injuries, and my bones were intact. I told them I had already been treated at the clinic because I thought there could be underlying issues.

They had done CT and MRI scans, and the results showed nothing particularly wrong.

Feeling slightly relieved at that statement, I asked about the other kids.

Seeing that I was fine, it seemed they were all okay too.

“What about Pang-pang? Is she still inside the machine?”

“Pang… No, we were able to unlock it using the chairman’s biometric information. Although she is still asleep, there doesn’t seem to be any major issues with her body at the moment.”

“Yeah….”

The doctor seemed hesitant to say the name “Pang-pang.” Well, then again, I hadn’t called her by that name in a long time either, so it’s to be expected.

“Ah.”

Hold on a second.

“What about the chairman?”

Right, earlier I was swept up in my emotions, and because our lives were on the line, I didn’t think it through. But we needed the chairman’s strength to save Pang-pang. The lock was so intricate that there was no other way.

Since they opened it with his biometric information, I could tell that it was secured with such information, but does that mean the chairman is still alive?

The doctor and nurse exchanged glances first before looking at me.

“He survived.”

Hearing that, a wave of emotions washed over me.

The feeling that I hadn’t become a murderer.

But another feeling that I hadn’t managed to kill him.

Still, I thought it was best that he wasn’t dead. No matter how much I wanted to smash that guy’s head in, the weapon contained all the magical power of the other kids as well.

If I were to become a murderer, it wouldn’t just be me who would be guilty.

Um, was that too much?

Honestly, now that I considered it, there’s no reason to dwell on that.

I just hoped the chairman wouldn’t return to his position.

Moreover—

“But, somehow… Yes, it seems various obstacles have been placed.”

“Obstacles?”

“I feel a little silly asking this question in front of a true expert,” the doctor said as if feeling a bit shy about explaining.

“The phenomenon of aliens becoming monsters on Earth—if they move far away from the Earth, they can revert back to normal again. You know this right?”

“Yeah.”

This was common knowledge in this world if you had the slightest interest in such matters, rather than being something I knew for being a magical girl. After all, many people have faced disruptions in their lives because of those monsters.

“Usually, they return without significant aftereffects. But that doesn’t mean there are no side effects. Depending on the person, some may have temporary, long-term, or even permanent disabilities.”

“I… I see?”

The doctor nodded seriously.

“Most of the side effects don’t cause any major problems in daily life. They often just end up being a bit uncomfortable.”

“But that doesn’t seem to be the case for the chairman?”

“Yes. It seems that brain damage is quite severe. For specifics, they would probably need people from the same lineage to take a look, but it seems there are limits to the treatment at the clinic. While I don’t know what happened inside, it looks like he was exposed to very pure energy.”

“Ah….”

I nodded.

In that case, it made sense. He must have been fully immersed in that energy source.

But then again, it would be an issue if there were no side effects to wielding such tremendous power. Wouldn’t that be a bit unfair?

“Then, does that mean he’s no longer on Earth?”

“He is on Earth.”

“Um… what about treatment?”

“We reached a conclusion that treatment is nearly impossible and considering he’s a wrongdoer in this country. If he were to be released carelessly, he might find some way to escape.”

Aren’t monsters supposed to be treated away from Earth?

But well, I guess it doesn’t matter much here.

There’s no need to worry too much about it from here. While it’s not a nice thought, it could be said it’s worth the price.

I have no idea how the trial’s outcome will turn out.

“So, you’re saying that even if he goes beyond Earth, he would still be like that?”

“Yes, that’s correct. Although it is still in the realm of speculation.”

I nodded.

When things fell silent for a moment, my stomach growled.

“Shall I bring you a meal?”

“Uh, yes.”

If I had laughed, it might have been embarrassing, but considering he’s a doctor, he brushed it off with a completely nonchalant expression. The doctor even noted the time for my meal in his smartphone.

“But, do meals come out at this time?”

I checked the clock, and it was three in the afternoon.

I know hospital meals are typically served rather early. It’s not that I’ve never been hospitalized in my past life.

And, of course, there were set times for group meals in that form.

“No problem at all. This is a private room.”

“Ah….”

I understood once again and nodded.

So, it’s a deluxe hospital room.

In dramas, VIP rooms are sometimes decorated like hotels, but it looks like this is just an ordinary single room.

After saying goodbye to the doctor, I was left alone in the hospital room.

The sun was still shining brightly outside. When I had first fled, it was around the time the sun was setting rapidly, but now the trees were fully green.

After a few months, I had finally achieved one objective.

I can’t say everything has been accomplished yet, but still.

For the first time in my life, where I hadn’t got anything done right so far, I had achieved something.

With the people I love.

Anyway, I’m glad to be alone in the hospital room.

If not, I would’ve ended up showing the others how I was blushing alone.

*

Considering I hadn’t eaten for almost a day, begrudgingly, the meal that came was almost like a blended soup.

So… five different colored soups and some drink close to the same thickness came out. I wondered if this was hospital food or space food, but my stomach was hungry, so I ate it.

The taste wasn’t terrible, which made it even more weird.

With nothing to chew on, my meal time lasted no more than five minutes.

As I set the bed table down and carried the tray to my bedside table, the room door burst open.

“Ji-eun!”

It was an incredibly welcome voice, but before I could respond, my vision entirely filled with pink.

Ha-yoon dived towards me, wrapping her arms tightly around my neck.

She must have been in a similar situation and had also been asleep for a while. Despite not being able to wash up, there was an alluring fragrance coming from her hair.

The scent of flowers. I can’t be sure if it was cherry blossom.

Ha-yoon’s warmth transcended the thin patient gown and reached me.

With her already having kicked off her slippers, she climbed onto my bed, sitting on top of me, pressing closely against me.

In many ways, it’s a bit embarrassing.

Is she not even going to try to hide it now?

“I’m so glad you’re okay. I’m really glad…”

Ha-yoon said that, almost tearfully, right by my ear.

“……”

I pulled her in and gently stroked her head.

It felt a little embarrassing.

But at the same time, it felt good.

How could it not feel good? The person I love is holding me like this.

As I slowly stroked her, a tickling sensation compelled me to hold Ha-yoon tightly. As I wrapped my arms around her waist and pressed her against me, Ha-yoon gasped, “Huh!?”

I buried my nose in her hair and took a deep breath.

“Ji-eun?”

Ha-yoon murmured that as if confused. What kind of reaction is that?

As I embraced Ha-yoon with all my might and felt her warmth, I loosened my grip slightly.

A soft breath escaped from Ha-yoon’s lips. I liked that breath.

Slowly, the intense pink that filled my vision faded, revealing Ha-yoon’s face.

Her pale face had turned a rosy shade. Truly, the name “Blossom” suited her well.

“Um, uh…”

Ha-yoon stammered.

“What is it?”

“Well, the others came with me.”

“……”

At her words, I hastily moved my hand that was resting on Ha-yoon’s waist away.

Trying to pull my face back was limited due to the angle of the bed being propped up, though.

Looking around quickly, my gaze met Rose’s.

“You’re not even trying to hide it, are you?”

At Rose’s words, I found myself at a loss for words.

But, honestly, it was Ha-yoon who jumped on me first.

As I quickly turned my head away, I locked eyes with someone looking at me with a rather chilly stare.

It was Ji-hye.

I had spent nearly my entire life sharing a room with Ji-hye, but I had never seen this expression on her before.

I had seen her angry, but this was different.

What should I say?

In other words,

It was an expression that seemed to be… jealous.

Ji-hye calmly approached me compared to Ha-yoon.

And with a perfectly nonchalant expression, she climbed onto the bed beside me.

Right next to me. Close enough that our legs and arms almost touched.

Then, she slipped her hand around my waist and nestled in between Ha-yoon and me.

Um…

Rose whistled, but I honestly couldn’t find anything to retort.

Rather, my brain wasn’t functioning at all. If my brain worked in this situation, only someone who was used to such a popular life could think that way.

Looking at Ji-hye burying her face into my shoulder, Ha-yoon seemed to realize her mistake of backing away too late and pressed against me again.

“……”

In the end, I found myself unable to move this way or that, just looking at the other magical girls.

Would it be too much to ask for a little help?

However, Rose leaned back against the window and smiled as if she had just witnessed something delightful, while Dalia and Delphinium seemed at a loss for words about what to even say.

And Jua—

Jua was glaring at me even more intensely than Ji-hye had just moments before.

I eventually decided to give up on resisting and just accepted the situation with my eyes closed.

Well, even so…

Even so, where could I find moments like this in my life?

Though I can’t express this to Ha-yoon, Ji-hye, or Jua.

 

---