Chapter 17
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: New Name
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I killed a person.
Ridiculously, what I felt wasn't guilt, but a sense of liberation.
Ah, so this is the end for Seriel. The existence known as 'me' will completely vanish.
-Senior.
But no. Even without Seriel, there were people who would remember me as myself. That's why I took his hand.
"......"
The next morning, after collapsing from exhaustion and waking up, I stared blankly at the unfamiliar ceiling, flexing my numb hand due to the accepted magic power.
"In the end, I went through with it."
Perhaps because I'd vented some of the anger built up inside me. In a situation where I should be worrying about what to do next, my mind felt surprisingly clear.
"Yes. You committed it quite refreshingly."
And just like that, from behind me came the voice of that utterly suspicious man, acting as if nothing had happened... Wait a minute.
"...Who are you?"
I had to ask in disbelief upon seeing the man who had ditched his impeccably tailored suit—that outfit so intimidating just by looking at it—for baggy training clothes that made even the local strays on morning patrols look better dressed. He was lounging in a chair, yawning.
"After such a deep exchange last night, and you ask who I am right off the bat? That's quite harsh."
Anyone hearing that would think we'd had some intimate affair.
"No, there's a limit to image changes."
If it had been anyone else, a fist would have flown first. If it was another magical girl, she might have transformed and unleashed magic.
"Sheesh, really. Is that how you treat someone who stayed up all night guarding you?"
Only then did I realize why he was here, as the stray—glaring at me with the world's most tired expression, even yawning—spoke.
"Bullshit. Guarding my ass. I felt you peeking all night, so I couldn't even sleep properly."
"Such foul language. But I like hearing you say you couldn't sleep, so I'll let it slide."
"...Should I just transform?"
"Go ahead. Do you even know whose power that is?"
I had to clutch the back of my neck as my blood pressure rose, watching the stray thrust out his chin mockingly, as if daring me.
"Well, let's stop the jokes here."
Joke... right?
"Now that you're up, let's have a meal. They say you need food to muster the energy to move."
Either way, he was a face I'd be seeing a lot from now on.
"...White rice with crispy fried spam for me. Half-boiled eggs."
"Haha. No conscience, ordering for free like that."
Since he was offering anyway... I went with what I wanted most right now.
Nom nom nom.
Despite his grumbling, Ryu Ha-yul chewed like a squirrel with his mouth full of perfectly cooked rice, crispy spam just as requested, and a properly half-boiled fried egg.
—Now, onto the next news. Last night, a magical girl who should protect people instead murdered an innocent citizen...
He glanced at the man who plopped down opposite him and turned on the TV with the remote... then let out a hollow laugh as the news from last night hit at the perfect timing.
"Innocent my ass."
"Well, until you come forward and clarify, he was an innocent citizen."
Ha-yul's calm demeanor despite the major incident was unexpected.
"By the way, you're calmer than I thought."
The man peered across the now-empty table—the generous portions that seemed too much for his small frame had vanished—toward Ha-yul, who glared back with half-lidded eyes as if to say 'I knew it.'
"No regrets?"
In his experience, most cases of one person killing another stemmed from impulsive judgment or accidents. Especially for a magical girl who'd devoted her life to protecting others. Naturally, he thought Ha-yul might regret it upon waking, which was why he'd turned on the news.
"Not a chance."
The man just quietly let his eyes gleam as he watched Ha-yul speak calmly, cradling his slightly bloated belly with both hands.
"If anything, I'm grateful. Thanks to you, I realized what I need to do."
Ha-yul explained that last night's incident was just a small trigger. It was a conclusion he'd reach eventually anyway.
"So, how's Yu-na?"
"Your junior?"
"Yeah."
"Well, with that precise control of power, she should be full of energy by now..."
"That's not what I'm asking."
Interrupting the man who knew the intent of his question yet pretended otherwise.
"You saw her."
With serious eyes... Ha-yul asked the man about Shin Yu-na's condition as he'd witnessed it firsthand.
"......"
Those eyes held no worry for the junior he'd hurt. It was as if the Yu-na he knew wouldn't need worrying over... just thick anticipation.
"She was overflowing with motivation."
Thus, the man scratched his head, his excitement deflated, and answered.
"She bawled her eyes out, then got furious. By the end, she was even thinking of stripping you naked, making you kneel, and forcing an apology."
This time, it was nothing but the plain truth, without exaggeration.
"That's a bit scary."
"Yes. Honestly, I seriously considered whether to nip it in the bud before she grows more..."
"If you ever lay a hand on Yu-na behind my back... I'll kill you first, no matter what."
"Yeah, I figured you'd say that."
The man shrugged, sticking out his tongue playfully.
"At least, I swear there won't be any actions against your will from now on."
He rose from his seat and bowed politely like a medieval noble.
"...Ryu Ha-yul. That's my name."
Watching quietly, Ha-yul marveled at how the sloppy outfit still exuded elegance, clicking his tongue before reluctantly sharing his name with an unenthusiastic expression.
"Very well. Miss Ha-yul."
"Miss...? Fine, whatever... call me however you like."
"As you wish. I'm... Bell. Call me Bell for now."
"What? Only I shared my real name?"
"Unlike you, Miss Ha-yul, my real name could be a weakness. Once you truly trust me... I'll tell you then."
With their belated introductions done.
"So, what do you plan to do next, Miss Ha-yul? And how?"
Sitting across the cleared table, Ha-yul rested his chin on his interlaced hands as Bell asked.
"Hmm. For now... I want to rest a bit."
His full belly brought back drowsiness; he answered languidly, tension released.
"I'll watch while I rest."
Not from a magical girl's perspective, but from beside them, the true faces of people not shown through media—he wanted to see that once.
"And I'll let them know."
In a voice chillingly sharp, contrasting his relaxed posture.
"That the peace they've just enjoyed is over."
Magical girls are no longer a given, Ha-yul declared.
"People need to know. That magical girls aren't an obvious existence."
Watching Ha-yul, now fully twisted in his ideals... Bell, with a similarly warped smile, teasingly asked.
"That means... people have to face threats magical girls can't stop directly?"
The intent was good. But Ha-yul's words meant countless people facing danger.
"There will definitely be deaths. That's okay with you?"
He tested her resolve, asking if she could truly bear it.
"Necessary pain. Pain they've put off until now."
Her response held no hesitation.
"Wasn't it obvious back when there were no magical girls?"
Just returning to the days without magical girls. Ha-yul's eyes were coldly sunken.
"If they don't want to die, they'll struggle. And in struggling, they'll realize life is worth living more than they thought."
What brilliant words. Bell trembled with surging emotion... eyes wide to etch Ha-yul's chilling expression into his retinas, nodding quietly.
—Thus, the government has unusually released all data on the magical girl in question. They've decided to issue a wanted notice to prevent citizens from mistaking her for another magical girl.
On TV, alongside an un-mosaiced image of Seriel... a darkly stained magical girl appeared on screen amid the ongoing news.
—Viewers, please remember the name of this fallen magical girl you're seeing now.
Zooming in on the purple flower adorning the blackened magical girl's dress... they began broadcasting the new name of the one no longer worthy of being called a magical girl.
—Traitor, Robelia.
Hearing the name announced on the news.
"Robelia... Robelia..."
Ha-yul murmured it like savoring his new name, then met eyes with the man before him—Bell—with a beaming smile.
"Not bad. I like it."