Chapter 21
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: A Rewarding End to the Year
-----------------------------------------------------------------
A week had already passed since that day's incident.
—Lately, the story of a certain magical girl who murdered a civilian and fell into corruption has been the hot topic day after day.
Christmas, which should have been spent buzzing with excitement, had come and gone in a haze. Without even properly hanging out with her school friends... Today, too, a girl was holed up in the training room, staring blankly at the TV.
—Ah, you're talking about Robelia.
—Yes. Her whereabouts have been a complete mystery since that day, but footage recently resurfaced of her fighting in the city back when she was Seriel, and it's making waves again...
It was truly bizarre. The Seriel she knew was more righteous than anyone, kinder than anyone, and brighter than anyone—a shining magical girl.
"Senior..."
It hadn't even been a full year since they met, but the girl had fallen head over heels for her... for him. That's why she truly hated how people were only now starting to notice and marvel at Ha-yul's greatness—one by one—things that only she had known about before.
"If only I'd been stronger. If only I'd been a magical girl he could rely on more..."
If only she'd become a magical girl a little sooner. If only she'd tried a little harder to grow stronger faster. Every time she saw Seriel on the TV screen, those thoughts flooded her mind endlessly. Just a little more. She knew they were pointless hypotheticals, but she couldn't help it.
"......"
She knew. Even if she'd fallen, she was still the senior—Yu-na's beloved and respected Ryu Ha-yul. Surely, she'd willingly played the villain to keep Yu-na from being dragged down with her.
"...If that were the case, Senior wouldn't have had to cry."
She could still clearly picture Ha-yul gazing at her through the rain, forcing a blank expression. No one else might have noticed, but Yu-na could tell. How much sorrow Ha-yul had felt that day. How much agony.
"Idiot. Senior's such a real idiot."
With such a cute and lovable junior right there watching over him, how could he not even come to her for a single consultation? It was so unfair. And at the same time... she wanted his approval.
"Just you wait. Next time we meet... I'll make you regret not taking me with you."
With that, she finished training and headed home.
"...Huh?"
Did Mom or Dad order a package or something? In front of the modest house's fence sat a colorful box that inexplicably drew the eye.
Thump, thump.
For some reason, she could hear her heartbeat ringing in her ears.
"......"
By the time she snapped out of it, she was clutching the box to her chest, sprinting at full speed with her breath catching in her throat.
"Hahk, heuk...!"
She didn't even know where she was running to. Even she, lost in the frenzy, had no idea. She was just following her instincts. This way—she was sure she could catch up. That's what it felt like.
Rustle...
Even as the sun was about to set, a warm breeze tickled her ear and whispered. The person she was looking for was up ahead.
"Senior—!"
And so, Yu-na spotted her in the distance—a petite girl with long-braided hair swaying as she walked lonely-like, whom she hadn't seen in a while.
Flinch.
Was she trying to play it cool? Yu-na stared at the girl's back as she hesitated for a moment, struggling to force her reluctant feet forward.
Shake, shake.
The black-haired girl who turned around with a soft sigh just shook her head firmly, as if to say no.
'Don't come.'
That was the message from the cute lip shape visible even from afar.
Clink...
Then, the girl deliberately lifted the necklace from around her neck—glinting red in the sunset light—and quietly pointed a finger at her own chest.
"Down...?"
Yu-na's gaze naturally drifted to the small box clutched in her arms.
"......"
The box wrapped in garish red paper with multicolored patterns that made her question the sender's taste. Looking closer, she spotted a small note tucked between the green ribbon decorating it.
Click.
Opening the box in a daze and unfolding the note with one hand, Yu-na...
"Ugh...! Seriously...!"
Tears welled up as she jerked her head up.
"Ah..."
Had she melted into the air somewhere? Or had she hallucinated from sheer longing? As if she'd never been there at all, the black-haired girl—Ha-yul—had vanished completely.
【Happy Birthday.】
All that remained was a note with just those five characters... and a necklace adorned with a gem the exact clear blue of the sky, matching the hair color of her transformed self.
Jingle...
Upon closer inspection, it was the September birthstone necklace Yu-na had gifted Ha-yul. A slightly different shade from sapphire. Probably turquoise, the December birthstone.
"As if this makes me forgive you... Hic."
Clutching the necklace—far more luxurious than anything she'd given—Yu-na sniffled and shouted toward the spot where Ha-yul had just been.
"I'm gonna get strong! Strong enough to one-shot someone like you! So! So—!!"
She absolutely couldn't lose to any other magical girl. She kept those last words firmly locked in her heart.
"...Next time we meet, at least pat my head and say I did well."
With that, Yu-na took one step up the stairs toward adulthood.
Whew, damn. Thought I was caught for a second there.
"...Phew."
I cautiously peeked my head out from between the fence where I'd barely escaped while she was distracted for a moment... and only sighed in relief after scanning around to make sure Yu-na had left.
"Jeez, why does that kid have such sharp instincts..."
In my case, my ability was detection-based from the start, so fine. But that girl isn't even detection-type, so why's her intuition so damn good? No idea.
Anyway, 'strong enough to one-shot someone like me,' huh.
"Heh, interesting."
Yu-na could definitely pull it off. She had more talent than any magical girl I'd seen—potential to grow stronger than them all.
"Hang in there, Junior."
With that sentimental hum, I whistled a little tune.
"Hmm, hmmm~♪"
The year's almost over. Gonna be busy as hell next year. I mentally ticked off the tasks ahead.
"Alright, time to arrive."
I headed into a dark alley where the fading light barely reached anyone's eyes, using the faint sobs of fear already drifting over as background music for my belated Christmas carol.
"Please, please... What the hell did we do wrong...!"
"Spare us, please. Please, spare us...!"
How long had I walked? Around the time the whimpering pleas of three or four men grew clear in my ears...
"Finally here."
"Something unexpected came up. Wait long?"
"Not really. You seem extra cheerful today?"
There, at the entrance to the familiar abandoned building, sat a man in a suit—Bell—straddling a chair backward, waiting for me.
"Yeah. Got to see Yu-na's face unexpectedly."
"Whoa. Dodged her somehow, huh."
"Yeah."
I lightly patted the shoulder of the guy who was watching the Magical Girl Raiser match that'd probably started a bit ago—one eye on me, the other glued to it.
"That's enough. You can go."
"Music to my ears. So, what do you wanna eat for dinner?"
"Hmm... Year's ending today, so... maybe order some chicken?"
"You buying?"
"...Yeah. I'll buy. Happy now, cheapskate?"
Seriously, he says he'll get anything when we're home chilling... but every time I suggest takeout, he pulls this. No one's stingier.
"Sigh, of course. How could I dare suggest otherwise when you're treating?"
I glared at Bell as he bowed obsequiously, then...
"I'll be quick, so order as soon as I get back."
"Yes, ma'am!"
Leaving behind the guy who scattered like black mist, I pushed open the door to the abandoned building with eager hands.
"Teacher...! We're sorry...! We did something wrong...! Please, just spare our lives...!"
"What did I even do wrong...! Please, I have a wife and young kid...!"
"Someone! Anybody! Save us here!"
"Untie this! Damn it, hurry up and untie us!"
Inside were four burly adult men. All bound tight to chairs with ropes, thrashing pathetically.
"Hey there."
It was hilarious. The same thugs who'd once tied me up, now trussed up in the same spot.
"......"
They'd been frantically denying fault or begging for mercy, each scrambling for their own skin. But the moment they saw me, they shut their mouths in unison, like they'd rehearsed.
"Nice to see you. Been a while, right?"
No reply. Well, yeah. I wasn't the ringleader. They'd all figured that, coasting along thoughtlessly as always.
"Aw? Guess you weren't dying to see me? I missed you guys tons."
Thus, I casually scanned the thugs who'd kidnapped me alongside the punk I'd killed recently.
"I'll give you a chance. If you told anyone my identity, sell them out to me."
I said it with a faint smile. If they'd spilled my secret to anyone... better confess now.
"You guys are good at that stuff, right?"
Then they spilled everything—who they'd drunkenly blabbed to, or bragged about—in a rush to save their own skins first.
"Jeez, such loose-lipped bastards."
Still, relief. Combined, not even double digits. Easy cleanup.
"Heh, hehehe... So, you'll let us live, right...?"
As I nodded, thinking a few more rounds like this and anyone knowing my identity... Yu-na's identity... would be gone, one of the bound thugs timidly asked.
"—Transform."
In lieu of an answer, I transformed into Robelia... and flashed a bright smile at their panicked faces.
"Why would I let you live?"
These weren't people. Just monkeys lacking even the bare minimum human decency.
Slash.
Maybe because I'd done it once before. The second time felt no resistance.
Slash.
The third, I even learned how to make it cleaner.
Slash.
And the fourth. Only after all the monkey necks claiming to be human rolled...
"Ahh, now I feel refreshed."
Did I finally stretch languidly and gaze at the beautiful night sky.
"Happy birthday. And happy new year, Yu-na."
It was a truly rewarding end to the year.