The Negative World

The next day.

It was a golden Sunday, yet there was no energy in my entire body to relax.

To be precise, even if I was resting, the real-time energy I had accumulated was being drained in real time.

I suddenly heard an alarm and ran out to evacuate, only to be chased by a sense that I was going to die.

I barely managed to return alive, only for a cadre to forcibly open my front door and enter my house.

It turned out that this cadre was none other than my old childhood friend Lee Harin.

In reality, she had been a magical girl, but due to brainwashing she was now serving as a cadre, and she asked me to help because being next to me made her feel better.

"...Haa..."

My head was in a mess.

In my ordinary life, unwanted huge events kept piling on.

It was painful enough just to learn that the class representative was a magical girl, but now it was the secret identity of a Demon King Army cadre...

If either side ever found out my true self...

"What are you thinking so deeply?"

"Kyahaaaaaaaak!!!!!"

I jumped up from the sofa in terror from the emotionless voice right behind me, tumbled to the floor, and rolled around.

—THUD! Clatter!

Because I tripped midway and collided with the desk, the books on top of it all crashed down onto my body at once.

"Guuuuuh..."

I had no choice but to let out a long breath mixed with pain from the relentless barrage of weapon attacks that continued without pause.

"You bastard."

Amid the pain, when I barely looked at the sofa's back wall, a shadow spread across it as hollow as the void leading into a black hole.

From within, only the face and upper body peeked out, looking down at me with a disdainful gaze—Lee Harin.

Her hair and eyes were dyed purple.

No matter how many times I saw it, the color sent chills down my spine.

"You were thinking something strange just now."

"Eh, eh!? N-no...!"

"Don't bullshit me. I can tell everything from your pupils."

How!?

I screamed inside.

Thinking about yesterday, Harin would definitely not like this appearance of hers.

Of course, since it wasn't something she wanted, but still...

If I was afraid of this appearance of hers, could it wound her?

Just as I was lost in thought.

Harin extended her legs from the shadow, stomped once on the sofa, and then lightly landed on the living room floor.

"Defo—"

The moment she said that, a flash of purple light erupted from Harin's body and vanished.

Harin, back to her normal appearance, plopped down on the sofa.

"...Haa..."

I carefully stood up without scratching my nerves and walked over to her.

"S-so... is there something I can help with...?"

I asked from a bit of a distance.

"...None."

Harin answered sharply.

"Just... I don't know either. I came because it felt like you would be okay with me nearby. There's no other meaning."

"..."

"I'm not going to kill you. ...At least while I'm like this."

So if I lose consciousness, you're going to kill me, huh.

Goosebumps rose all over my body.

The atmosphere was already suffocating to the point of death.

"T-then... am I hungry!? Eh, eh, you probably didn't eat anything yesterday..."

Just looking at her, there was no sign of a wallet, and since she had fled the Demon King's Army, she wouldn't have food with her either.

Maybe she had been starving all day yesterday and only came to our house since morning.

"I ate."

"Ah, I see... I'll make rice soon... wha?"

You already ate?

"Where? You have money?"

"Would you have any? Judging by how you look?"

"Then where the hell..."

You don't ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠look like the kind of person who would go buy food somewhere.

...No way.

"I stole it. I ran because I gave them a scare."

"...Why?"

"Why what. You ask strange things."

Harin seemed unable to understand my question.

No, maybe her very fundamentals were twisted. Or perhaps she wanted to break my expectation that she would act normally at least.

"That's the easiest way."

—THUMP.

It's dangerous.

I had thought she was just slightly out of her mind, but it wasn't that.

The very soul itself, the very way of thinking, had completely flipped to the other side.

I thought of turning around right now without looking back and secretly asking Class Rep for help.

But...

'Please... I... I don't want to be brainwashed again... I don't want to go back... to that hell...'

'I don't want to kill anymore people... I don't want to lose myself... so please...'

The words Harin had said to me yesterday while hugging and sobbing were echoing in my ears.

At the same time, the other words I had heard five years ago.

"...Haa..."

I let out a deep sigh, then quietly approached and warned in a low voice.

"Harin."

"...What."

She must have sensed a bit of unease, as her expression turned immediately grim as she looked up at me.

...Honestly, it scared me.

Whether intervening like this was the right direction or just being meddlesome.

After saying this, I didn't even know if my head would still be properly attached to my neck.

But ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I had to do something.

"...Don't do that kind of thing anymore."

"What?"

"You said it yourself. That you don't want to be brainwashed again, that you don't want to lose yourself."

"..."

"Then from now on, don't do anything like that—things like the Demon King's Army. Don't threaten or scare people either. Killing or crushing them is out of the question."

"Don't bullshit me. Who the hell do you think you are ordering me around..."

"It's not an order. It's a request. So please, just don't do that."

Harin's face contorted in real time.

The pupils of her grotesque blood-red eyes shrank, and she glared at me with irritation.

My whole body trembled with killing intent.

For a moment, I regretted that meddling for nothing might be the case.

But...

"Tsk, fine."

"...Eh?"

"Eh? What kind of eh. You told me not to."

"No, it's true..."

I didn't expect her to accept it so easily.

If I had said it normally, she would have been extremely irritated and spoken in a half-crazy tone, maybe halfway threatening.

Then I was going to take one step back and make another suggestion...

"...But I can't guarantee. Right now I'm... not in my right mind."

"Yeah, you do look like it."

"You crazy bastard."

Harin furrowed her brows even more and glared at me, but soon realized that it was a joke even to her and let out a small laugh.

"...Hah. Reminds me of the old days."

"Which thoughts?"

"The one back then. Was it elementary school? We were fighting fiercely, and you said I'm not a crazy bastard or something. So I answered that way and chased you while beating you up."

"You got scolded really badly by the teacher. You definitely... why can't you see that even though you're a model student, being around that guy makes you a troublemaker... or something like that."

"Exactly, you're right."

Harin chuckled.

"Hah... memories..."

When I saw her lightly smiling, I understood why.

There was definitely a part of the Harin I knew still inside somewhere in the body and mind that had been wounded and changed.

So if I helped, I could definitely bring her back.

...It would depend on how much Harin cooperated.

"Ah, and preferably... don't fight with the magical girls either."

"Fuck, what?"

—CRACK.

It felt like there was a phantom sound of something breaking.

"Ah, no... I won't hurt people either... preferably don't fight magical girls..."

"Hey, Siwoo. Are you joking?"

Harin suddenly stood up, and in an instant she stretched out her arms and grabbed my neck.

I couldn't breathe, but I felt her grip gradually strengthening, so instinctively I grabbed her wrist.

"You want me not to fight with magical girls? Bullshit. They are..."

"You were also a magical girl before...!"

"..."

"And, ugh...!"

My other friend is a magical girl too.

Even though I didn't want to know from the start, and it wasn't something I asked to be involved with.

I thought there was no place for me in the fantastical stories where they shone.

But I got entangled in it.

With my friends.

One was my class rep and homeroom teacher, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and the other was my childhood friend.

Because of that incident from long ago, my mind might have gone mad.

Of all things.

"Anyway, don't fight..."

"...Tsk."

—THUD!

Harin must have accepted it, as she relaxed her hand from mine.

"Got it, I got it. Fuck... But I still can't guarantee. Because I also have to defend myself."

"If it's just that..."

It was at least a promise not to attack unless first struck.

Even that showed how much courage Harin had mustered and how hard she was trying to shake off the brainwashing's influence.

This should be enough.

"But you're also hilarious. There's a brainwashed, crazy Demon King Army cadre right in front of you, and you're not scared?"

"I have no choice. I've already experienced way too many unrealistic things."

If it had only been the first entanglement, I might have been different.

I had run, received help from Class Rep, and even helped her once.

Moreover, I had felt the fear of death approaching my face twice in total, so my mind must have been completely in chaos.

So I probably couldn't hold on.

"Having one friend who's a magical girl, and one who's a Demon King Army cadre..."

"You have another magical girl friend?"

"Ah."

I stiffened.

In an instant, Harin's expression twisted into something sinister.

This time, my brain cells were definitely sending a warning that she was not in her right mind.

"Who is it, that girl you mentioned."

"No, it's..."

"Ah, right. By the way, last time that pink one... She definitely called your name, right? So it's her, huh?"

"H-Harin... wait, calm down..."

Every word she spat out, Harin's lips stretched into a grotesque smile.

Then, nodding her head, she showed a hollow laugh as if she had finally found her target.

"Guh...!"

Suddenly, she grabbed her own head with one hand and fell straight onto the sofa.

"Hey! Why are you doing this!?"

"Fuck... brainwashing..."

"W-what, should I call an ambulance!?"

"Would that even help, damn it...!"

Harin moved her pained eyes left and right, then finally ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠closed both eyes tightly and extended her remaining hand toward me.

Just as I thought she was trying to grab my neck again.

—CRACK...

She snatched my hand and began squeezing it with a strength that threatened to crush the bones.

It hurt, but I could tell she was barely controlling the force, so it wasn't painful.

Rather, the other side was the problem.

"Sorry, just a moment... like this..."

"...Yeah."

No matter what, to bring back the childhood friend...

My body might not remain intact.