10

The atmosphere grew incredibly tense.

And the reason for it was me.

Well, to be precise, it was because I was a combatant of that company.

Or rather, since that's the root cause, there's no need to exclude it.

So, here's the thing.

I became incredibly pale after coming out of the bathroom.

I realized I had been terribly mistaken about something all along—I cared about relationships between people much more than I thought.

I barely had any friends in school, and even at work, I'd give half-hearted responses when people spoke to me.

Naturally, the number of people who would initiate conversations with me dwindled significantly.

At most, there were odd Earth enthusiasts who showed interest in me, Ji-hye, who shared a room with me, and Ha-yoon, my childhood friend.

Well, the Earth enthusiasts were whatever, but Ji-hye and Hayoon weren't particularly fond of a malicious organization like Noir Corporation.

"Ji-eun, calm down," Ji-hye said, patting my arm.

"It's probably nothing serious. Even if he's a stalker, he's still a journalist."

Ji-hye, thinking I was scared of such things, earnestly tried to console me.

"Yeah, Ji-eun, you don't need to worry," Hayoon said confidently.

She had a face like one of those 'Blossom' heroines.

Though she still wore glasses without lenses and a hat.

"I'll make sure to handle it."

After thinking briefly, I spoke to Hayoon.

"Hayoon."

"Yeah?"

"Today… could we just ignore it, pretend we don't know?"

It was a statement I'd mustered a lot of effort to say.

I knew I was asking for something difficult.

After all, Ha-yoon was the victim.

But even so, there couldn't be any highly critical photos yet.

Noir Corporation, no matter how unscrupulous, wouldn't go as far as planting hidden cameras in bathrooms.

If they were crazy enough to do that, they would've done it earlier.

They're just… distorting facts to manipulate the situation.

If the Galactic Federation considers this matter seriously, they'll resolve it quickly.

It's not even a matter of fact to begin with.

However, upon hearing my words, Hayoon widened her eyes and stared at me.

"… Yeah, that makes sense."

Closing her eyes, Ha-yoon exhaled softly.

"If I step forward now, Ji-eun or Ji-hye might get caught up and be put in danger. The other party might even retaliate."

Uh…

That's not exactly what I meant.

In a way, retaliation might be right, but my point wasn't about that kind of retaliation.

Sure, the donations Noir Corporation makes to our orphanage allow it to function properly.

Thanks to them, the kids can wear decent clothes and eat what they want, and the facilities get regularly updated so they don't fall into disrepair.

Wow, this actually helps way more than I thought.

There's no way the orphanage could operate like this on subsidies alone.

"But don't worry," Hayoon said, thumping her chest.

"That's why we, magical girls, exist—to keep citizens safe from such threats."

What?

Isn't that technically a semi-illegal organization that only avoids being shut down because the state doesn't openly crack down on it?

Noir Corporation may not be clean, but in terms of legality, the Galactic Federation is more questionable.

It's just that they're treated with something akin to diplomatic immunity.

"Yeah, I know."

Noticing my complicated expression, Hayoon continued seriously.

"We can't save everyone. In fact, there are probably more people we can't save than those we can."

Though they do consistently show up to disrupt wherever mercenaries are dispatched.

"But… it's effective. Since we started our activities, incidents involving mutants have significantly decreased."

That's… true.

The power of hope is greater than one might expect.

They say it's non-lethal, but if you get hit, you're hospital-bound immediately, and it's incredibly painful too.

Noir Corporation is tolerated only because it operates within the bounds of legality.

Any outright illegal acts, especially those by alien criminals, are met with ruthless punishment before being handed over to the Galactic Federation.

Would that happen to me?

Would Ha-yoon treat me like that?

Ha-yoon placed a hand on my shoulder.

"So, don't worry too much. I'll protect my friends, no matter what."

"Oh, okay."

I nodded.

What choice did I have?

Was I supposed to confess my involvement now?

No matter how you looked at it, that would be too much.

As I wrestled with my thoughts, Hayoon pulled a small object out of her bag.

Beep.

"What's that?"

"Oh, this? It's a pager."

When I asked about the small device that looked like a vibrating bell, Ha-yoon kindly explained.

"It's cumbersome to pull out a smartphone and explain everything, right? With this, I can contact my teammates just by pressing it."

"Oh."

Ji-hye's eyes sparkled at Hayoon's explanation.

"Does that mean all five of you will gather here?"

"Well, not 'here' exactly."

Ha-yoon responded to my question.

"Everyone has their own style."

Ah, that's true.

Having dealt with them directly, I knew this well.

Hayoon always appeared openly and fought head-on.

After all, as the leader, her face was the most well-known.

If this were a tokusatsu series, the leader would be the Red Ranger.

But in a magical girl setting, the most 'magical girl-like' one becomes the leader.

Then there's Happy Rose, who was even more of a martial artist than Hayoon and always fought upfront.

Her punches were absurdly painful.

Once, my helmet was half-shattered, and I nearly freaked out.

Happy Dahlia was a wildcard.

You never knew where she'd pop up, and her tendency to target the back of your head forced us to add 'maintain vigilance' to our protocol.

Happy Delphinium specialized in long-range fire support.

Honestly, as a regular combatant, I couldn't handle her at all.

Once she locked onto me from afar, the only option was to run.

Finally, Happy Iris.

She handled both fire support and long-range sniping, but her role was slightly different from Delphinium's.

If Delphinium was about trajectory shots, Iris focused on direct shots.

However, the two were infamous for not getting along well, so they rarely complemented each other.

Iris herself preferred to work alone anyway.

But wait, so they're all coming here?

"They're professionals, so don't worry too much. Unless it's a truly serious case, they won't even need to transform."

"Wow!"

Ji-hye looked less scared and more excited now.

She seemed to be secretly hoping to see them transform.

Well, if I weren't involved, I might've looked forward to it too.

Trying to suppress my urge to facepalm, I tapped my foot nervously.

Internally, of course.

Doing it outwardly would make it too obvious.

"So, you're telling me you called me here for personal reasons?" Iris asked, her face exuding annoyance.

For someone who complained, she was the first to arrive.

It took her about fifteen minutes to get here.

Clearly, the warp-point technology she was researching wasn't just for offense.

When she arrived, she stared intently at my face, making me freeze.

Thankfully, Hayoon noticed and quickly ran over to talk to her, saving me.

Surely she didn't recognize me, right? My helmet was fully tinted.

Unless she had x-ray vision, recognizing me should be impossible.

"Sigh."

Iris adjusted her glasses with her finger.

Unlike Hayoon, whose glasses didn't have lenses, Iris's had some degree of prescription, making her look slightly softer when she wore them.

Does her eyesight improve when she transforms?

Not that such a detail was ever mentioned in the webtoon.

"Well, fine. Stalking is a crime, after all. Even if this country allows freedom of expression… following the law doesn't necessarily equate to doing good."

"What are you staring at?"

"Huh? Oh, nothing."

I mean, really.

A character speaking so formally in Korean?

Iris was the same age as Hayoon.

Not just the same age—they went to the same school.

In other words, she was the same age as me.

And yet, she used honorifics with someone her own age?

Well, she did that in the webtoon, so I guess it makes sense here too…

"Don't you think it's rude to stare so blatantly upon first meeting someone?"

But this wasn't our first meeting.

You used to visit our class often at school.

Sure, you never spoke to me, but I sat right next to Ha-yoon.

You often talked with her.

"Isn't it strange not to remember anything at all?"

Well, for me, it's probably better this way.

Iris glared at me as if she wasn't pleased, but she didn't seem intent on pursuing the matter further.

She took a small breath, exhaled, then opened her eyes to look directly at Hayoon.

"Then let's deal with this quickly. Whether it's legally or illegally, we'll make sure no more perverted pictures like this can be taken."

Isn't her wording a bit too extreme?

Her demeanor was different from when she's in her magical girl form.

Back then, she had a much more relaxed atmosphere, but now she was like a stiff, grumpy little kid.

And her height… Wait, what?

Isn't she supposed to be taller than this?

Oh, I get it.

She's always floating in the air, looking down on us—

"Excuse me."

"Huh?"

Iris was suddenly looking up at me again, frowning deeply.

"Weren't you just thinking something rude?"

"Sigh, seriously."

Iris placed a finger on her forehead in an exaggerated manner, shook her head, and then looked at me.

"If I weren't Blossom's friend, I wouldn't be so lenient, you know. Normally, I wouldn't even show you this side of me."

Friend or not, we go to the same school.

And magical girls in this world are already treated like idols, so everyone probably knows her real name and face anyway.

"Uh, well…"

Ha-yoon quickly leaned in to whisper something into Iris's ear.

Iris's face immediately turned red.

"A-anyway!"

Her voice suddenly got louder.

She really didn't know I was a student at the same school.

Let's just consider that a relief.

"Well, fine. If you're also victims, let's wrap this up and disband quickly."

"The others aren't here yet—"

"They're not students like us on break; they have other responsibilities."

Wait a second. Aren't magical girls supposed to all be minors?

At most, they're a year older than us.

If they're adults, they're not "magical girls" anymore.

In fact, there's ongoing debate about whether high schoolers even qualify as magical "girls."

Wouldn't "magical teens" be more accurate?

I didn't say this aloud, though. Iris would probably get angry again.

"What's with that expression? Do you have a lot to say?"

Oh, even when I stay quiet, she still has something to complain about.

She's incredibly annoying.

"You just thought I'm annoying, didn't you!?"

"W-wait, Juah!"

Ha-yoon quickly tried to calm Iris down as her voice got louder.

Realizing that her outburst was drawing people's attention, Iris shut her mouth.

There was an episode in the webtoon about Iris having no friends, and honestly, it makes sense.

Only someone like Hayoon would put up with her personality.

As I watched, feeling a strange sense of camaraderie, Iris glanced at me like she had more to say but held it back.

"Well then, let's confirm first."

Iris pulled out her phone and opened an article.

"All the pictures are taken from the back. The photos from a few days ago, though… they're side profiles taken as someone entered a building. That means they followed the person, taking shots as they turned around."

"Have you noticed anyone following you?"

We all instinctively glanced behind us.

Then we shook our heads.

Thinking about it now, it's possible the photos were taken from quite close by.

With a telephoto lens, there are only two ways to capture such photos: either looking down from above or shooting in a less crowded area.

Given how crowded this street is, sneaking around to take pictures here would be quite difficult.

But the problem is, we're currently in the middle of a busy park.

There are people everywhere, making it harder to figure out who's watching us.

"Well, sure, they could've taken the photos with a phone or something, but… this doesn't seem like a smartphone. The depth of field is too pronounced."

Iris continued her analysis.

The camera seemed to blur everything but Ha-yoon, as if intentionally focusing only on her.

"If it were a smartphone, the surrounding areas would still appear somewhat clear. For this, it feels like a physical telephoto lens was used."

"And? So what?"

Ji-hye asked excitedly, her expression like someone watching a detective deduce a mystery.

Iris, clearly pleased with herself, tilted her chin up slightly and began counting off on her fingers.

"In conclusion, it's simple."

She folded her fingers one by one.

"Someone was following you closely, equipped with a high-performance camera that can maintain clarity even in dimly lit environments, along with a telephoto lens for physical zoom."

Ji-hye and I exchanged glances before looking back at Iris.

Ha-yoon seemed to have already reached her own conclusion but just smiled slightly, letting Iris explain to her heart's content.

"And since we didn't spot anyone carrying such a camera, there are two possibilities. Either they're using off-world technology, or they've had their body modified. I find the latter more plausible."

"Why? Isn't body modification supposed to be difficult?"

"It's professional work. And no matter how small the camera, holding it to take pictures would still look unnatural."

Iris grinned mischievously, the same way she did when she aimed a weapon at me.

"And as a professional journalist, wouldn't it be faster and more efficient to store and send data directly using one's 'head' rather than transferring it to a laptop?"

Iris declared proudly.

"And fortunately, I happen to know an alien who fits that description."

"Also, that alien happens to be a wanted criminal. Isn't it convenient that they'd have enough reason to be in this country?"

Um…

Don't tell me she's memorized every alien criminal hiding on Earth?

"Aliens often hide on Earth," Hayoon explained to Ji-hye.

"Most advanced countries on Earth aren't part of the Galactic Federation, so they can bypass international law to some extent."

There's no extradition treaty, nor is there a comprehensive database of alien criminals here on Earth.

Even transferring such data is a hassle due to incompatibility between Galactic and Earth standards.

The Galactic Federation uses this as leverage, demanding various concessions in exchange for sharing their database.

The key point is aligning Earth's judicial systems with theirs, similar to how the EU operates as a semi-unified entity.

But this only fuels resistance from many Earth nations.

"…That's scary."

"Still, don't worry too much. Catching those people is part of our job," Hayoon reassured.

"Wow, that's amazing!" Ji-hye's eyes sparkled with admiration.

Meanwhile, my heart continued to sink.

That damn executive, James, hadn't mentioned anything about the journalist being a criminal.

Well, I guess it's better he didn't.

Noir Corporation is supposed to be "legitimate," after all.

The problem is, now I'm getting dragged into this mess.

"Is it really okay to have civilians here? Wouldn't it be safer to keep them out of this?"

Ha-yoon frowned slightly at Iris's suggestion.

She rarely showed such negative expressions and usually tried to hide them.

Iris and Ji-hye didn't seem to notice.

"Well, fine. If we split up now, the other side might notice us."

Iris relented, though reluctantly.

She seemed to respect Blossom's stance, despite her jealousy.

"For now, let's move somewhere with fewer people. Any poses that could make for good headlines? Something easy to misinterpret?"

"Oh, that's…"

Before Iris could finish, Hayoon linked arms with me.

Iris froze momentarily, then sighed.

"Fine, whatever. Let's just find them and end this."

Watching Hayoon cling to me with a mischievous grin, Iris shook her head in exasperation.

…Meanwhile, my heart felt like it was shrinking to the size of a walnut.

It's just my imagination, right?