12

In fact, there was a reason I cooperated in catching the stalker.

Shouldn't I survive first?

Of course, businesses also have their own fears.

But that fear is… well, to be honest, it was a bit ambiguous.

Frankly speaking, if I were to quit the company right now, it wouldn't make it impossible to run the orphanage.

It might get a bit tight, but I don't think there will be a shortage of operating funds as long as the government continues its support.

I also have some excuses.

I have no idea what a reporter looks like.

I could just claim that I was mistaken for a real stalker and insist on it.

That might work somehow, I thought.

Anyway, meeting with the company people will probably have to wait until this evening at the earliest, and right now, the magic girl in front of me is more terrifying.

I haven't faced a company executive, but I've been hit by a magic girl before.

If there's a choice between the worst and the lesser evil, wouldn't it be better to choose the lesser evil?

I have to admit, I was being emotional.

After all, Hayoon is my friend.

I just wanted to stick close and not be suspected.

Aside from Ji-hye, who lives in the same orphanage, Hayoon was the first real friend I made.

Anyway, with all these thoughts crowding my head, I acted impulsively.

"Did a civilian really help capture a monster?"

And now, thanks to that, I've found myself in an incredibly awkward situation.

I had only thought I'd help Hayoon and that would be the end of it.

I never expected to leave an impression on so many colorful magic girls.

For now, neither Hayoon nor Iris had transformed.

People passing by were already taking pictures, calling them magic girls, so disguises had become pointless.

But still, there was no reason to transform after catching the culprit.

On the other hand, the three people who came after Hayoon's summon were already transformed.

Thanks to the chaos on social media, it seemed they had decided it was a dangerous situation.

"It was a great thing to do, but you might be retaliated against later. In times like this, just leave it to the professionals. No matter how much you're friends, entering a professional domain recklessly could be problematic."

The person saying these theoretical words was a woman in a red dress.

Well, no, she might be a bit young to be called a "woman." I'd still call her a girl.

She was probably only a year younger than me.

Her fiery red hair was short, but it stuck up in all directions.

Even though it was short, it gave off a bit of a boyish vibe.

The dress was form-fitting, making her look feminine, but the overall atmosphere, combined with the gauntlets she wore, prevented her from having a completely delicate vibe.

I had been hit by one of those gauntlets.

I had three broken ribs that day.

It hurt so much that I had to walk carefully, breathing in short bursts until I was treated at the clinic.

I felt a cold sweat trickling down my back and swallowed dryly.

"So what?"

A girl in a yellow dress spoke.

Her long brown hair swished behind her as she walked.

The yellow dress had a deep cut in the back, but her hair covered it, making it hard to see.

I think in the webtoon, she had said something like "This is the service."

"Anyway, the incident is resolved, right? If we're not related to it, we might even get a brave citizen award or something, right?"

She looked a little younger than Rose, but not as young as Hayoon or I.

Maybe it was because of her relaxed demeanor.

Happy Dahlia.

She was holding a large staff.

Her long-range magic was excellent, but most importantly, that wooden staff was incredibly sturdy.

If you got hit with the bent top part, your shin bone would break.

I had been rushed to Noir Corporation's employee hospital in an emergency once.

That was when I realized that breaking a leg hurts way more than breaking ribs.

I nervously started tapping one leg, trying to calm myself.

"…Such tactics… relying too much on coincidence…"

The girl who spoke like that, with a lot of ellipses in her speech, was Delfinium.

She wore a blue dress, similar to her name, but her outfit was closer to the stereotype of a "witch."

Her short hair was neatly trimmed as if measured by a ruler, and atop her head was a large witch's hat.

She also wore a cloak that looked more like a robe.

It sparkled like starlight, and I couldn't tell what it was made of.

Looking at that starlight, I felt goosebumps on my arm.

Delfinium's magic is intimidating.

While the attacks of the other magic girls are something you can avoid because they just hurt, Delfinium's magic makes you feel a life-threatening danger the moment you see it.

Though I've never actually been hit and killed by it, she seems to adjust her power, but still, the sensation of my body feeling like it might burn alive was something I never want to experience again.

Usually, in battle, you encounter only one or two opponents. Even in a team battle, each person usually fights against a few others.

But right now, it's just me, the villain, and five magic girls.

"…Ji-eun."

Seeing me tremble in my chair, Hayoon called my name cautiously.

"Don't worry too much."

"Are you scared because you think the company might retaliate?"

No, I'm scared because you guys might take revenge.

But I couldn't say that out loud, so I shook my head.

"J-just a little cold. I was outside for a long time."

"Ah, I see."

Hayoon calmly nodded at my words.

"Then, Ji-eun, I'm really sorry."

Hayeon looked at me with genuine regret on her face.

"I think I need to handle the aftermath of the incident. I probably won't be able to stay with you today…"

"Ah, okay."

I felt a bit relieved, though I felt sorry for Hayoon, who was apologizing.

As long as I get out of here, I won't have to worry about being overpowered by a magic girl.

I looked again at the monster still unconscious.

Its face was fine.

The man-like face was a mask.

It had blue skin and antenna on its head.

It was someone from a planet like Earth.

As expected from someone who had undergone body modifications, one of his eyes was mechanical.

Seeing him still unconscious, I couldn't help but feel a little worried….

He won't be unable to wake up, will he?

"You don't have to worry too much."

Seeing my gaze directed at the stalker, Hayoon seemed to think I was still concerned.

She gently placed her hand on my shoulder and spoke kindly.

I nodded stiffly, feeling a strange mix of worry, guilt, and relief.

On our way home, I was lost in thought and kept quiet for a moment.

After a while, Ji-hye, who had been fidgeting beside me, finally couldn't hold back and spoke.

"Um… I'm not sure if it's okay to say this after what happened, but…"

"Hmm?"

I glanced at Ji-hye, who had been looking out the window.

She was now showing me a notebook.

When did she buy that?

"I ran to a nearby store to get it after talking with the magical girls earlier."

"Did you get any signatures?"

"Yep! I got two copies, one for you as well."

It was real.

Ji-hye opened the notebook to show me.

There were ten pages, one for each signature.

I wasn't too surprised since I figured Hayoon, Rose, and Dalia would enjoy getting signatures.

But Dalia and Iris also gave autographs?

I didn't know that.

Well, Dalia might not care much, but Iris seems to subtly crave the attention of the public.

Maybe that's why she was jumping around so much today — she probably wanted to show off her efforts.

Did she stare at me earlier because I was standing out too much?

Maybe I should have kept a low profile.

"Are you still worried?"

"No, it's not that."

"Right? Your friend…"

Ji-hye stopped herself mid-sentence and quickly glanced around.

We were bound to appear on the news, but our faces hadn't spread around the bus yet.

We were ordinary people, not celebrities, so it wouldn't be easy for anyone to recognize us just by passing by.

Still, it was nice that Ji-hye was cautious, considering her personality.

That's probably why she came out with me today.

Come to think of it, Ji-hye also got caught up in all this.

Was I too caught up in my own thoughts?

I almost let out a sigh but remembered that Ji-hye was right beside me and held it back.

That evening, just as expected, I got a message from the company after the combatants made some mistakes.

I had already anticipated this, so while Ji-hye was taking a shower, I quickly slipped out.

After about an hour of freezing in the cold, a message finally came.

[There is something urgent we need to discuss regarding today's events. Please come to the company.]

It was from Director James.

Considering he was a "director," I thought it was strange how often he called me, a low-ranking employee, in for one-on-one meetings.

I guess it was because I was friends with a magical girl.

I exhaled quietly and went straight to the bus stop.

From Director James's office, the view was always impressive.

Although the building wasn't taller than the others around it, it was situated right in front of Seoul Plaza, giving an open view of the cityscape.

But there was no time to admire the view.

James had already laid out a stack of printed photographs on his desk.

It wasn't a guest table.

He probably wanted me to stand and listen to the conversation over there.

Thinking that he might want to point out my mistakes, I walked over and stood up straight in front of the table, waiting.

James sat back down in his chair after laying out all the photos.

I glanced down at the photos.

It was a picture of Hayoon and me, both crossing our arms.

My expression wasn't clear, but Hayoon was smiling brightly, looking up at me.

"You two seem very close."

James spoke, his lips curled in a smile, but his eyes didn't match.

"From what I gathered, you've been friends since elementary school."

"Have you been close since then?"

"Well, that's fine. It's your 'private life,' after all. I won't pry into that."

James picked up a tablet from the nearby desk and turned on the screen.

He showed me an article on the tablet.

[Alien Stalker Defeated… Joint Operation of Citizens and Magical Girls]

I was done for.

My face was in the newspaper picture.

It wasn't a clear shot, though.

It seemed like it had been taken from a distance and then enlarged.

If anything, the focus was on the magical girls standing near me, with me in the background.

But that was enough for James.

He didn't say anything for a while, and the silence felt ominous.

Normally, I just thought of him as someone with a frivolous impression.

Even during combat, he would just shout loudly, and afterward, he would vent his frustration on the soldiers.

But now, for some reason, he felt intimidating.

Suddenly, I remembered the face of the stalker I had seen today.

When I first saw him, he just looked like a middle-aged Earth man, but when he removed his disguise, his face became a pale alien one.

Now, the man in front of me, James, also had an Earthling's face.

But what real face lay beyond it?

At least, I didn't know.

"Ji-eun, I have high expectations for you."

James stood up from his chair and looked out the window.

It wasn't quite night, but since the days were growing shorter, the city was already dark.

Looking down at the small moving lights, James spoke in a weighty voice.

"Why did you cooperate with the magical girls today?"

"That's…"

I quickly opened my mouth.

"…Because the magical girls noticed it first."

James turned slightly toward me.

"If I hadn't cooperated, the magical girls might have suspected me."

"I see. So you helped them by using a tracking program, did you?"

He didn't seem fully convinced, even though he used the word "I see."

I was about to explain further when James raised a hand to stop me.

"Ji-eun, do you know about the mechanism of trust?"

"If I think someone is untrustworthy, I won't trust them in the first place. I don't trust regular combatants. That's why when I plan operations, I assume they'll fail rather than succeed."

James walked toward me, tapping his boots on the floor as he circled the desk.

"But, you see, even those unreliable, untrustworthy people, after doing the same job several times, begin to develop a sense for it."

When he reached me, he looked down at me with a focused gaze.

"Then, at that point, you start thinking, 'Ah, this person has potential.'"

I kept my gaze fixed on the window, not looking at him.

"And once that happens, you start giving that person more important missions."

"But, what if the first operation entrusted to that person fails? What would you think then? If there's only one sample, and that sample is defective, doesn't that make the failure rate 100 percent? Especially if the sample itself is the one that ruined it?"

I couldn't say anything.

It was a clear fact that I had actively helped the magical girl.

James stared at me silently for a while, then suddenly burst out laughing.

"Well, fine."

After laughing for a while, James picked up a photo from the desk and stared at it before speaking.

"I don't know how fortunate it is that we've secured a close associate of the magical girl. No, honestly speaking, this is fate, and we should be grateful. Yes, your value is higher than some criminal-background worker. So, let's just say this excuse has 'merit' and move on. Besides, you're friends, right? I think it's understandable if there are some personal feelings involved. However…"

James leaned slightly on the table and looked at me.

Even if I tried to avoid his gaze, his face was right in my line of sight.

"From now on, we won't have any choice. If we fail once and succeed once, it's a fifty-fifty chance, but if both fail, it's just zero percent."

"…Understood."

At my response, James nodded as if satisfied.

"Well then, go ahead."

I quickly turned around.

I was relieved that the conversation was over and I didn't have to hear anything more, rather than being frustrated about why I was called for such a talk.

However, just as I was about to reach the office door, James spoke again.

"Oh, by the way."

I stopped and turned back. James spoke in a somewhat ominous tone.

"About the donation we're sending."

I turned back again.

"I didn't mention this before, but recently there's been talk about starting social activities seriously in our company. And as it happens, we've acquired the management rights of the orphanage."

I slightly opened my mouth.

"So, from now on, it won't be called 'donation' anymore, but 'operating funds.' Ah, don't worry, I'm not saying we'll manage it with just the donated amount. That would surely result in a lack of funds, wouldn't it?"

I stared blankly at James.

"Once we've taken it on, we can't neglect it. We don't know what the people who leave the place might say."

James looked at me with a somewhat amused expression, as if enjoying my reaction.

"Well, that's possible. Maybe the teachers there did something illegal and are being replaced."

"Like child abuse, for example?" I clenched my fists.

The teachers there… they're all doing their best. They're not perfect, of course, but they are more than enough for us.

"Well, maybe… Oh, I've got an idea!" James looked up at the ceiling as if lost in thought, then suddenly seemed to have an epiphany.

"You're in second year of high school, right? Isn't it about time to start thinking about your future? College or work? I've heard that more people are choosing to get a job right after school these days. Especially if there's an opportunity to join a big company. I hear your roommate is a close friend."

James turned the photo he was holding towards me.

It was a picture of Ji-hye.

"Imagine how happy your friend would be if she could get a job at a company with a decent starting salary. Of course, this isn't exactly a real job. She's still not an adult… but she could become a 'trainee' and get paid to learn on the job."

"Ji-hye is…"

"It's not a bad idea, is it? If she learns the ropes before even graduating high school, she could switch to another place later and start with better conditions. Plus, our company could support her with welfare policies. We could help her take the high school equivalency exam and even earn a college diploma while working here."

Seeing my stunned expression, James smiled.

She dropped out of high school with all those dreams, and now…

"Do you understand? The world is always unpredictable. There's always the possibility that all those benefits might be taken away."

At James's words, I didn't know how to respond. In the end… it was my fault.

"So, Ji-hye… think carefully. We're not enemies. We could become enemies, but right now, we're not."

"I understand. I'm really sorry today."

"Well, I'm glad to see you reflecting. Now, you may leave."

I turned around, holding my racing heart.