Under the Lamp? (1)
"What are you so scared of?"
"Th-that's right, but we did bad things..."
"It'll be fine. Just relax."
I glanced at the magic mirror. The room we were waiting in was basically like an interrogation room. It appears in movies all the time, right?
Beyond the mirror, they were probably listening to everything.
"If they just send us home like this, what then?"
"If the law is like that, then we'll come out again."
I let out a dry laugh. I was indeed a bit uneasy, but they couldn't just treat us however they wanted.
"Are you all ready?"
At that moment, someone opened the door and entered. I now clearly knew who she was.
Management Bureau Policy Director Oh Yun-seo. One of the people deeply intertwined with magical girls in this country.
But next to her was someone else. The moment I saw her, I instinctively hid my hands underneath.
"Why, why are you doing that?"
[Thinking about it, if I release the transformation, the mascot wouldn't be visible to other magical girls' eyes... It's nothing. That girl over there, she's a magical girl. She's the one I saw last time.]
"How do you know that?!"
Ren's eyes widened in shock. She seemed unable to see me now.
[Mana is also flowing through me.]
Probably because she's healing from injuries? I could sense a very faint flow of mana circulating in her body.
"Don't be too cautious. This side is Han Eun-seo. She's a close student of mine."
"Yeah. And I also ran away from home."
She said it casually. But for some reason, that face was familiar. She might not know, but... Kim Su-jeong's attention was drawn to that, loosening her guard a bit.
"From now on, you'll be having counseling with the teachers. If there's anything you want..."
"Just one thing, promise me."
I laughed lightly and spoke first. If asked if there's anything wanted, of course I'd say it.
"Huh?"
"Me and you, we won't be going back home."
I nailed it from the start. Director Oh Yun-seo looked slightly taken aback. Han Eun-seo, who introduced herself, furrowed her brows too.
"Eh, why? If there's a problem, we'll solve it well..."
"I won't believe that anymore. If you forcibly send us, what, we'll just come out again. Then we'll avoid being caught."
I didn't lower my posture. Kim Su-jeong was fidgeting, grabbing my sleeve, but I ignored it.
"That's thinking too easily."
"Well, our personal matters, we know best?"
Han Eun-seo said something, but I countered immediately. Her eyebrows twitched. Even without transforming, it seemed like the magical girl appearance was faintly visible.
"W-well, got it. Let's start with inspection first."
Oh Yun-seo intervened and cleared the atmosphere. I backed off there too. If I pushed more, it seemed she'd really hit me.
"Why, why was that?! That older sister really looked scary..."
"Don't worry. And this world doesn't look after people who suffer alone. So if there's something you want, don't hesitate and hit it."
It's the common sense of the Demon Realm. But I was sure it was also common sense here.
"Hmm. Goodbye?"
"Goodbye."
We entered separate rooms and each met a psychologist one by one. I smiled brightly while looking at the psychologist greeting me.
Here, I should appear as a normal kid as much as possible, so things would go smoothly.
"B-bright kid, huh. By the way, Jin-ah, you said you went out for a bit that time, right? But why did you go out in the middle of the night?"
"Just a walk."
"Alone...?"
I roughly made up an excuse and rolled my head. I knew nothing about psychotherapy, but to create the best result.
"It won't be that hard. Do you like drawing pictures?"
Her first suggestion to me was to draw a rainy landscape.
It wasn't difficult. I immediately grabbed the paper.
"Let's assume we set up the seats like this. Then will you live a normal life?"
[Normal? What does that mean?]
"Like other girls, go to school quietly! Stop the killing too."
[Acting, I guess. But why should I stop killing? I only punish evil according to the rules.]
When it got quiet, Ren, as if waiting, poked at my side.
I laughed at his words. I could invest in enjoyment. But I had no intention of imposing self-restrictions.
[You know what I'm worried about, but just stay quiet. Nothing will happen. You don't know the company is closed?]
"Damn it... That's the problem. Why isn't the company saying anything!"
Ren tugged his big ears and fidgeted. Strictly speaking, my agency, Ranaland, only fulfills contracts thoroughly.
Ren, just a middle manager, didn't know that.
"J-Jin-ah? Is that the drawing of the rain?"
"Ah."
At the psychologist's surprised words, I unconsciously put down the bright red crayon I was holding. While I was distracted talking to Ren, I drew the extreme poisonous red acid rain falling on the Demon Realm.
"I was mistaken. I'll redraw it."
"Eh... uh-huh. Redraw... try it."
"Really."
Oh no. Looking at the psychologist's serious face, I redrew the rain.
Like crying over spilled milk, but what can I do.
"...Why are you interested in that kid?"
"Just had no manners. A lot of it."
While counseling the kids who got involved in the incident. Oh Yun-seo approached Han Eun-seo, who was watching the counseling room camera.
What Han Eun-seo was watching was one of the two youngest girls. A girl with black bob hair and a somewhat cold appearance.
"Jin-ah. Indeed, she seemed bold."
"First, the common sense test... top tier. She's smarter than most adults."
"Really?"
"But she's crazy."
Han Eun-seo nodded. In fact, the girl Lee Jin-ah was already imprinted in her heart. She told Oh Yun-seo that Jin-ah drew the blood-red rain.
"Don't say that. It's your job to treat and protect such kids."
"Yeah, but strangely, that kid..."
She trailed off. It was hard to say her thoughts.
'It feels similar to Takilas.'
The intuition was quite sharp. But she couldn't confirm it.
"Those kids, are you sending them to the Management Bureau facility?"
"Jin-ah's words were right. Sending back kids who don't want to is useless. Let's investigate a bit and send them to the facility..."
Oh Yun-seo nodded. Han Eun-seo didn't speak further. But Oh Yun-seo brought up another topic first.
"Are you from the same school?"
"My name is Jeon So-hyun. Have you heard of me?"
"...Never. I didn't go to school in the first place."
The topic was about Jeon So-hyun, who was the same age as her and one of the runaway girls involved in this incident.
"..."
This was the counseling room where the psychologist had left. Jeon So-hyun sat with her mouth shut.
'What should I do now...?'
Her hands clutching her thighs trembled. She didn't want to go home either. But she didn't want to go to a facility either. Originally, she wasn't in a state where she could act as she wished.
'I'll be chased by them.'
She looked at the small tattoo on her wrist and flinched.
The mark inscribed on her innocent body was what she paid as a price.
She exchanged the money she wanted and her freedom. They already had several ways to control her. As time passed, her chest grew more anxious.
"3rd year 1st class Jeon So-hyun."
"..!?"
And then. Someone entered the counseling room. It was her classmate Han Eun-seo with a strange expression.
"Who..."
Startled, Jeon So-hyun quickly scanned Han Eun-seo's body and realized the school uniform was from her own school and stiffened. She crossed her arms and crossed her legs.
A reflexive defensive posture.
"Who are you? A student from Seomun High?"
"Yeah. I'm from the class next to yours."
"...But why are you here?"
The voice naturally became sharp. However, Han Eun-seo, or magical girl Aria, was already seeing what others couldn't.
'The evil being spewing evil... but not all of this evil is this kid's evil.'
"School, you'll have to go back."
"Tch."
"Or there might be a reason you can't go to school. Did something happen to you during that time?"
Han Eun-seo questioned her like interrogating her directly. Jeon So-hyun's face crumpled, but she couldn't lash out.
"Tell me honestly, So-hyun. Your gang, drug trafficking, violence, all the crimes you were involved with."
But the crumpled expression quickly turned to despair. Oh Yun-seo appeared behind Han Eun-seo.
Oh Yun-seo delivered the final blow to Jeon So-hyun who was holding firm with mentions of law and crime.
"Really, nothing at all."
"...Then you might face disadvantages, So-hyun. The law has changed, and now even high school students can be criminally punished."
"R-really?"
Jeon So-hyun barely made an excuse. Of course, no one here believed it, and Jeon So-hyun herself didn't either.
But she had to say that.
"Or... I'll go back home."
She said it with a voice that sounded somewhat resigned.
It would be better to go back home and then run away again.