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Despair Circuit, that’s how it is.

If I somehow embrace hope, energy drains away, and the more I continue in despair, the stronger the force becomes.

It might be good during the fight.

The more I’m in danger, the better it might be—it’s only natural, since I grow stronger the more I despair.

On the other hand, if I win.

If I win and think that I can move on to a better situation, then the power drains away, making it impossible for me to win against my opponent.

Now that I think about it, I understand why such a thing was created.

…It has overwhelming power. The more my opponent represses, the stronger the force becomes.

Yet, I cannot win through fighting. The moment I embrace hope, the level of the circuit gradually declines—

That’s why I thought.

“Do you really… not understand the feelings I have when I fight?”

The hammer vibrates.

A massive energy that seems about to explode at any moment. Even if something is in front of me, it makes me want to crush everything.

That’s what that guy is doing.

So, I think I’m worse off now than the previous chairman. Perhaps the previous chairman didn’t fully understand the device he had created.

[Ha… Hahaha!]

Even as I was hit like that, such a sound flowed from the alien’s speaker.

It might be a natural thing.

Because he isn’t getting hit himself. He’s always hiding behind and enjoying fighting in my place.

…Ah, really, I hate all of this.

Whether it’s the federation that parades magical girls or the company that showcases combatants. In the end, they were just fighting while keeping each other’s gains in sight—

Boom!

With one last swing of the hammer, I looked up at the sky.

There were still many aliens around. Magical girls were fighting with all their might here and there.

But the fight is definitely for us—

[Hey, everyone!]

However, betraying my thoughts, a voice came from the speaker we were using.

[It’s not just here! From where it fell—]

From where it fell?

But before Cherry could shout, a voice came from the alien beneath my feet.

[That’s why I said, choose.]

It was the chairman’s voice.

[I don’t know how it ended up so precious here, but anyway, that one friend, or the humans of this world.]

“…What?”

I murmured quietly.

What does that mean?

[It’s the spaceship! A huge one! Right now, on the news—]

“……”

[It’s not that I wasn’t preparing. If you’re going to sell something, you need to have the equipment, right?]

I looked up at the kids.

Everyone was fighting, but they seemed a bit flustered.

I swung the hammer with all my might and thought as I knocked the aliens down.

I can do this.

I can somehow make this work.

Didn’t they say it was on the news? If we fight while moving back and forth like a black hole, maybe we can somehow resolve this situation—

Thinking of the number of aliens, perhaps—

“Ji-eun.”

Ha-yoon, who flew over to me, said.

“We’ll go.”

“What?”

“If it’s a ship that big, it must be very important to the chairman.”

“……”

“There might be production equipment and… you know?”

There might be facilities for producing earthling aliens.

We didn’t know if they were still producing them or abducting them to create them. But either way, there should be ‘equipment.’

Especially if they were thinking of selling humans as a power source.

Thud.

I heard a sound from the hammer handle in my hand.

“…For now, hide the friend. Let Jua and Dalia take care of the kids. You just hide them, then come back and protect them.”

“…Got it.”

At least, if I had to point out one advantage in this situation.

It would be that I was in a very desperate situation.

…The chairman has messed with the wrong person.

I thought definitely that if I see him, I’ll smash his head in with a hammer.

*

“…Ji-eun…!”

When I took Pang-pang back to the ruins, she grabbed me, panicked.

“It’s okay. If you stay here, you probably won’t know anything. I have the generator, and I’ll try to block that ship—”

“No, Ji-eun, it’s not that…!”

It was an urgent situation.

Actually, I did have a small question.

Why Pang-pang?

It could be more effective to touch someone else to threaten me. Rather, wouldn’t it have been better to target Ji-hye, who had already been effective once? If they were going to demand something, it would make more sense to ask for her.

Of course, I could make some deductions. They might have confirmed the existence of a being named Pang-pang by taking pictures of us from afar.

Since they found the house, they might know that Pang-pang and I are close in our own ways, and they might even suspect that Pang-pang has hidden me—

“…It’s because of me.”

But at Pang-pang’s one statement, I instantly froze.

“What do you mean, because of you?”

“I…”

Pang-pang hesitated, carefully speaking in a small voice.

“…Because I’m a person related to Noir Corporation.”

“…More than a combatant?”

“More than a combatant.”

I stared intently at Pang-pang.

“Are you perhaps a person from Noir Corporation?”

Pang-pang placed her hand on her chest, biting her lip. After a moment of hesitation, she finally spoke.

“…No, it’s not that, but—”

“Not that?”

Without realizing it, I snapped a bit at Pang-pang.

I knew I shouldn’t be doing that.

Even if Pang-pang were someone affiliated with the company, she really did help me.

I can’t imagine that she did it because she was listening to the company’s orders. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have gone through so much trouble to save me—

“I…”

Pang-pang hesitated, but eventually seemed to have made up her mind and looked directly at me.

There was guilt in her two eyes.

Ah,

I’ve seen this face before.

Not long ago, when Pang-pang came to find me and seemed to want to say something but couldn’t.

That was the expression she had back then.

“The missing chairman of Noir Corporation.”

“……”

“That person is my grandparent.”

“……”

My mouth dropped open in shock.

My mind, which had been running in circles, suddenly stopped.

What should I say to Pang-pang?

‘Is that so?’

‘I see.’

‘I don’t care.’

…Should I have said something like that?

Maybe I should have.

After all, Pang-pang has helped me to that extent. There must be some circumstances. There’s a reason the granddaughter of the chairman has been involved in such dangerous matters.

But at the same time, I could remember once again that someone had come looking for Pang-pang’s house.

I see.

Perhaps that person wasn’t looking for me.

They just happened to find Pang-pang, and I was there by coincidence.

……

“Have you been hiding this all along?”

“……”

At my question, Pang-pang opened her mouth and closed it again.

Various thoughts flowed through my head again.

If Pang-pang had revealed her identity while hiding me, would I have found it that difficult to accept? I really don’t know.

Rather, if she had confidently revealed that she was the chairman’s granddaughter and just gone into the company, would I have found it this difficult? I also don’t know.

At least, she’s not the current chairman’s granddaughter.

She might have become a victim of a family feud, just like the former chairman.

Pang-pang might have a very bad relationship with the former chairman—

But then, why did the current chairman come looking for Pang-pang—

“……”

I tried to say something, opened my mouth, but no voice came out.

I heard a low humming sound around me.

“Ji-eun.”

Noticing that my demeanor had changed a bit, Pang-pang came a step closer, calling me.

I took a step back. Why?

Perhaps it was to prevent me from touching the black hole again. I had to return to the orphanage. Because I had to send Ha-yoon, Rose, and Delphinium away by boat.

But the words that came out of my mouth were somewhat distant from those thoughts.

“Did you know everything?”

No, I know very well that she probably didn’t. Pang-pang was just a kid living freely.

Anyone could see that she was far removed from the upper echelons of Noir Corporation.

So, asking like that was just a purposeless hard blow. I was well aware.

The low humming sound near my ears grew louder.

“Were you— was that it? Knowing everything, and just being next to me like that?”

Pang-pang had no obligation to help me.

Pang-pang was just resisting in her own way.

Just like I had been running away, turning down every bit of help. Pang-pang was just doing the same.

My vision blurred a bit.

“…Ji-eun, I’m sorry.”

Pang-pang was crying too. She reached out a dispirited hand toward me, but I stepped back even further.

“…It’s okay.”

That’s what I said.

I barely managed to hold back the words that followed.

I knew it was a critical situation, and if we start an emotional fight here, it would truly become uncontrollable.

“…Not now, later.”

I suppressed my emotions with great difficulty and said that.

The hand that Pang-pang had reached out slowly retreated.

Pang-pang clasped her hands over her chest and nodded while crying.

As if to say that was a relief.

I messed up there as well.

Just as I always did.

 

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