Public Enemy (6)
"What the hell?! Grrrrr—!"
Jeon So-hyun shot up from her chair with a groan, eyes widening at the complete chaos in the store. Customers lay scattered on the floor, shelves overturned, goods spilled everywhere like a battlefield.
"Hey... you little punk! Now you're even hitting people?!"
"I just helped you out, so stop making all this noise. What the hell happened to you?"
So-hyun yelled at Ha Eun-seo—the girl currently going by Aria. But the girl only smirked and pointed straight at her.
"...What does that even mean?"
"You really think you can handle spiritual power like that. Nah, we'll talk about that later."
Before anyone could blink, she grabbed her phone and dialed someone. The Management Bureau would get the report and alert the local police.
In the end, the possessed man was rushed to the hospital, and the whole mess was quietly swept under the rug with no further drama.
"Why is nothing ever happening?! Who cleans this store?!"
"The manager said he's fine, so what's the problem? Then the cleaning is the part-time worker's job."
So-hyun stood there stunned while the girl walked straight out of the store. Outside, everything felt exactly the same as before.
"You're really just leaving it like this?"
"...We should definitely keep an eye on that suspicious person."
Walking out onto the street, Ha Eun-seo shook her head at Ruru's words.
The psychic ability was special. If sharpened enough, it could awaken a pure-spirit exorcist wielding the Purifying Power. She was certain the blood running through So-hyun's veins carried a strong psychic mage's spirit.
"That's one thing... but the number of evil spirits isn't decreasing. The search for Mammut is dragging on way more than expected. Is this even real in this country?"
"Y-yes... but..."
Ruru's face grew serious. Traces this faint were weird. She had nothing more to say.
Ha Eun-seo scanned the quiet surroundings with a dark expression. Normal people hurried around, oblivious to everything.
"What if Mammut's being helped by some hidden force and they're cooperating to stay hidden?"
"N-no way. Who would ever team up with that arrogant tyrant?"
Ruru jumped at her muttering. Anything overlooked usually had a reason behind it.
After all, Mammut was a rank disaster monster who slaughtered even other monsters without mercy. No one in their right mind would believe a creature like that was secretly working with Earth-based powers.
"...Let's just keep looking around."
Ha Eun-seo sighed and kept walking.
As late afternoon faded and the bustling district began to darken into evening, her eyes caught something familiar again.
"Eh? Who was that?"
"The girl who was with So-hyun. She went to the facility."
Ruru didn't recognize the face, but Ha Eun-seo did instantly. Those deep, unreadable eyes and the strange air of calm around her belonged to none other than the girl she had been watching—Lee Jin-ah.
"You're really okay?"
"I didn't think you'd even let me out once."
Park Tae-joon shrugged, and I nodded along.
I never imagined the homeroom teacher Lee Sun-young would approve my outings just because of one phone call. He's not even an adult—he's just a middle-school kid.
"Age doesn't matter. Grow up faster and you get the respect that comes with it. Don't worry, I'll make sure I take you home properly."
The guy walking beside me let out a small chuckle.
But I knew that arrogant laugh for what it was—bragging. There's no way a teacher would let a middle-schooler out just like that.
The big shadow trailing us was probably the one who had somehow gotten permission.
"So, what do you want to do? I can help with anything."
"Help? Just hang out with me. You can drink whatever you like. And tonight I'll introduce you to some friends who aren't from school."
"Sure."
I nodded without hesitation. Even if the guy was offering me stuff I didn't really need, at least he was being generous.
In the neon-drenched nightlife district of the city, this slender guy could finally do things a normal person like me never could. Even if the "friends" he promised weren't great company, right now I just wanted to enjoy it.
My mood was already good, and I didn't even mind the way his hand kept sneaking onto my shoulder or the back of my neck in the taxi.
"Huuuum..."
"Why, why what?!"
When we reached our destination and got out of the taxi, the guy who had been about to wrap his arm around my waist suddenly froze, eyes wide in panic.
"N-no, it's nothing. Terrible luck, man. Looks like there's something weird going on with me."
But I just clicked my tongue and shook my head.
It wasn't his behavior that annoyed me. It was the evil spirits I kept seeing on the streets. They were way too annoying.
I already knew how much chaos a possessed person could cause. It just felt like trouble was constantly chasing me.
"If you really want to avoid trouble, you should probably head back right now."
Ren, perched on my head, muttered the correct advice.
"Nah. Keep going. Where are we?"
"They probably haven't shown up yet. Want to eat first?"
The guy let out a small relieved sigh and pointed across the street. I walked over, glancing back once. The shadow was still following us, acting as a bodyguard.
"Isn't this dangerous?"
"Shut up. I've finally found a mood to enjoy, and I'm not letting go of it now."
I was no longer a delinquent gambling around after school, but I had been waiting for this exact kind of human fun—the kind you only get in the Demon Realm. This was as close as it would ever get, and I wasn't going to stop just because some idiot was pushing me.
"Do whatever you want. I'll pay."
"Great."
The short guy who had taken me to an actually decent-looking place instantly puffed out his chest again, showing off.
Every time he bragged about money, he acted like he was the richest guy in the world. I knew he thought I was broke, but to him I was just a walking wallet.
"This one."
"...Good choice."
The guy's face twitched a little. He probably figured I was being shy or awkward.
"What if something happens tonight?"
So I decided to give him one small favor.
"Stay focused and don't panic if it does."
"...What?"
"There's something like that."
My shadow slipped through the darkness and dragged the evil spirit that had just tried to enter the last customer into the void.
Tae-joon looked shocked. "W-what the heck was that?"
But he didn't ask for details.
"S-should we take a photo?"
At the awkward silence, I just nodded and took the picture he asked for.
From his perspective, I was just the trophy he wanted to show off, and I was perfectly fine playing that role.
"They should all be here by now. Let's go."
When the street lights finally gave way to glowing neon signs, we crossed into the heart of the evening crowd.
"Over there, you two."
"...Again? With unnie?"
That was exactly why her sudden appearance blocking my path felt completely unwelcome.
I looked down at her. A high-school girl dressed like a magical girl. Ha Eun-seo.
"What. Do you know her?"
Tae-joon, proud as he was, stepped in front of me and lowered his voice.
I clicked my tongue and grabbed the back of his shirt, pulling him away again.
"We're just hanging out. With her permission."
"...Really?"
Her eyes scanned me from head to toe. I didn't look away. No matter how good she was, she wouldn't see through my disguise.
Ren must have felt my lips press tight, trying not to give anything away.
"Even if this sounds weird, it's dangerous for you to be here right now."
"What... who are you..."
"Not at all. Other people are having fun too."
I pushed Tae-joon farther back and laughed, shaking my head. He must have thought she was warning us about evil spirits.
"If it's really dangerous, tell me why."
Her eyes fluttered behind her glasses. She clearly didn't want to say anything yet.
"There are dangerous things wandering around, so the Management Bureau has their guards up. It's something connected to monsters."
"Mon-monsters?!"
But instead of backing down, she dropped the even bigger bomb that the Management Bureau was involved. Maybe she really was close to an official.
"..."
That one fact hit me like a truck. Why hadn't I noticed it sooner?
The magical girl with close ties to the Management Bureau. And if she had a personal relationship with an employee...
Only one person came to mind. Aria—the magical girl who openly looked like the Management Bureau's lapdog.
She was standing right in front of me in the form of this high-school girl, Ha Eun-seo.
"...I don't really worry about it."
"What?"
"The magical girl. With someone like Aria around—pretty, cool, the kind who actually takes down the bad guys—I mean, she'll handle everything."
I flashed a grin and said her name out loud. Her eyes flickered for a split second. I had just scored some high-level info.