15
Chapter 15
An alleyway somewhere in Seoul, damp and gloomy.
"Kaaagh-!!"
A woman clutching her head thrashed in agony, letting out a roar like a wild beast.
"It...... hurts......."
Panting heavily, the woman soon collapsed to the ground.
"Where...... am...... I......?"
When she came to her senses, she found herself in an unfamiliar place.
The woman felt like she could remember something, but the memories just wouldn't surface.
Who she was, where she came from—nothing at all.
There was only one thing echoing in her mind.
"Go...... to...... the tower."
Someone's whispers had been loudly urging her to head to the tower for a while now.
The incessant whispering was gnawing away at her memories.
Grabbing her throbbing head, the woman tried to stand up and turn around.
"Suhyun!"
Hearing a remarkably familiar voice, Suhyun looked back.
"Who...... are...... you......?"
Suhyun glared at the person with glowing blue eyes.
A worn-out white lab coat.
A shaggy beard and unkempt hair that looked like it hadn't been cut in months. Along with a gaunt face.
It was none other than Chanhoon, who had chased after Suhyun.
"Suhyun, let's go with Dad. Dad will make you better."
"Su......hyun......? Dad......?"
"Yes, it's Dad!"
Suhyun stared blankly at Chanhoon.
Old memories flashed through her mind.
Walking hand-in-hand with the man at the amusement park, eating cotton candy.
Memories of the man giving her a piggyback ride on his shoulders at the zoo.
The sight of him dozing off by her side, always keeping watch whenever she was sick, and more.
All sorts of memories shared with the man swept through her head.
"Dad......?"
Suhyun slowly murmured as she looked at Chanhoon.
"Yes, Suhyun. It's Dad!"
Tears slightly welled up in Suhyun's blue eyes before...
Drip-
A single teardrop fell from her ocean-blue eyes.
"Dad......!"
It was right when Suhyun tried to approach Chanhoon.
A ripple erupted in her mind.
"Keugh-!"
She grabbed her head from the severe headache and stumbled backward.
'Kill the humans-'
A voice she had never heard before continued to echo in her mind.
As Suhyun stumbled backward, her foot caught on something.
"Kugh-"
Suhyun's gaze slowly shifted down to her feet.
Right there.
"Uh......!"
A person lay collapsed, bleeding profusely.
Fortunately, he was still breathing, but the wound was so deep that he needed to be rushed to the hospital.
Suhyun slowly backed away from the man collapsed on the ground.
And she looked down at her hands.
Her hands, stained with the thick stench of blood.
Then, her forgotten memories came rushing back like the tide.
The truth that she was the one who had done that to the man lying on the ground.
"Kaaagh-!"
As the forgotten memories surfaced, she thrashed about again from the agonizing headache.
"H-hey, Suhyun! Calm down! Dad will take care of everything. We just need to go home like nothing happened."
Saying that, Chanhoon slowly approached Suhyun.
As Chanhoon neared her, his hand reached toward his left side.
A net artifact.
It was a ball-shaped artifact, about the size of a baseball.
Pressing the button and throwing it at a target would release a net to bind them.
Because it was made of magic stone, its durability was excellent, making escape impossible unless one used an awakening ability.
It was an artifact favored by the police when catching criminals.
Anyway.
Chanhoon was trying to catch the agitated Suhyun.
He had to somehow catch her and take her away before she caught the eyes of others.
"Kugh, kugh-!"
Suhyun's grip on her reason was slipping away due to the voices constantly echoing in her head.
'Head to the tower.'
'Kill the humans.'
Due to the terrible voice constantly repeating in her mind, Suhyun eventually lost consciousness again.
Her blue glowing eyes instantly glared at Chanhoon.
Realizing that the atmosphere had taken a dangerous turn, Chanhoon hurriedly threw the net artifact at Suhyun.
However,
"Kaaagh-!"
Suhyun, who had lost consciousness and been perfectly still just moments ago, closed the distance to Chanhoon in a flash.
"Damn it-!"
Chanhoon had come wearing a speed-boost shoes artifact that drastically increased his movement speed just in case, but shaking her off was impossible.
"Keugh-!"
Leaping faster than Chanhoon, Suhyun swung her hand at him.
Slam-!
The attack itself was blocked by his defense artifact, but he was sent flying barrier and all, crashing straight into a wall.
"Phew."
Since the barrier didn't absorb the shock of the impact, even standing up was a struggle.
"Suhyun, you punk. You can't do this. Snap out of it!"
Chanhoon cried out desperately, but there was no way it would reach her now that she had completely lost her reason.
"Kaaaargh-!"
Suhyun lunged at Chanhoon once again.
Thump, thump, thump-!
She repeatedly swung her hands at Chanhoon, but she couldn't break through the barrier artifact he was wearing.
Of course, it had its limits.
Because it was an artifact with a set number of times it could block attacks.
Just one more time.
Only one more strike, and Suhyun's claws would rip Chanhoon's stomach wide open.
Slam-!
The remaining barrier disappeared with the final attack.
Suhyun raised her hand high once again.
"Suhyun-! Snap out of it!"
Chanhoon shouted, clenching his teeth tightly.
He couldn't die by his daughter's hands like this.
He couldn't leave his daughter with the massive trauma of having killed her own father.
Did his feelings somehow reach her?
"Grrr-"
Suhyun stopped, left Chanhoon where he was, and stood up.
Kaaaargh-!
She let out a loud roar and stared at the day moon.
Then, quickly losing interest in Chanhoon, Suhyun swiftly escaped from the alley.
"No, Suhyun! Don't go!"
Chanhoon called out to the retreating Suhyun, but she didn't stop.
If she went just a little further that way, she would reach downtown.
If Suhyun headed in that direction, she was bound to catch people's eyes.
No, before that.
He had no idea what Suhyun might do now that she had lost consciousness.
He had to catch her before she crossed the point of no return.
"Urgh-."
Chanhoon grabbed his trembling legs and forced himself up.
He didn't have time to stay still here.
He had to hurry and catch Suhyun.
"We can go back."
To those happy times.
To the days when he spent time together with Suhyun.
As Chanhoon was about to leave the alley, he looked at the man who had collapsed from the injuries inflicted by Suhyun.
He called 911.
"I'm sorry."
Chanhoon offered a brief apology to the fallen man.
He rushed out of the alley to track the trail of Suhyun, chasing right behind her.
* * *
"So....... you're saying it's not an artifact......?"
"Yeah! Anyone can see it's a living creature!"
Mina tilted her head, staring blankly at Joohyun.
"Hmm......."
Suddenly, Mina lifted Joohyun up and examined him from every angle.
Then, she brought her nose close and sniffed him.
"Such a cozy scent......."
Mina rubbed her face against Joohyun's belly, grinning vacantly.
"Aaagh. That tickles, stop it."
Just like with Yuna, Joohyun's ability had activated.
✨ I’m a Mascot!
Mascot Effect: You are a cute mascot! You are destined to be loved by girls!
The one who rescued Joohyun from his predicament in Mina's grasp was none other than Yuna.
She swiftly snatched Joohyun out of Mina's hands and brought him into her own arms.
"Ahem-! The CEO seems troubled, so why don't you stop?"
Yuna hugged Joohyun tightly while keeping her guard up against Mina.
"I-I can't breathe-!"
As Joohyun struggled and spoke from her embrace, she finally realized that she had unknowingly put too much strength into her grip.
"I-I'm sorry!"
Only then did Yuna hastily set Joohyun down on the floor.
'I'm crazy! Why did I do that all of a sudden!'
Seeing Mina hugging Joohyun and rubbing her cheeks against him made her heart ache for a moment, and her hands moved on their own.
'Even though I acted like that when we first met.'
That's right.
In fact, Yuna was in no position to judge others.
Yuna herself had done the same when she first met Joohyun.
Still, she couldn't help but feel upset.
Hugging Joohyun out of nowhere like that.
'I want to rub my face against him too!'
Thinking that, Yuna looked at Mina, but she was staring blankly only at Joohyun, seemingly unbothered by Yuna's gaze.
"Certainly, that softness....... It's like a living creature......."
Only then did she nod as if she somewhat understood.
"Yeah. I am a living creature, clear as day."
Joohyun gave a snort and looked at Mina confidently.
"Hmm....... But can you really use awakening abilities outside......?"
At Mina's question, Joohyun nodded.
"Yeah. I don't know the reason myself, but apparently I can."
Standing on his two feet, Joohyun shrugged.
Mina seemed deep in thought about something before looking at Joohyun with sparkling eyes again.
"If it's an awakening ability and not an artifact, that's intriguing too, isn't it? Up until now, awakening abilities could only be used in the tower. So, even if it's not a dissection, can't I just run a few experiments?"
Mina spoke with an excited voice again and grabbed Joohyun's hands.
"Like hell I'll do experiments! Why should I have to do something like that!"
When he yelled back at her words.
Mina looked at Joohyun with a slightly gloomy expression.
"......There are so many things I want to try."
Saying that, she looked at Joohyun with earnest eyes.
'She's dead serious.'
Seeing Mina's expression gave him goosebumps all over his body.
'I'll drop dead before making a contract at this rate.'
It seemed like he might end up subjected to human experimentation while trying to make a magical girl contract for nothing.
'Still, I have to make a contract.'
She was the first suitable candidate he had seen since Yuna.
He couldn't just give up like this, not knowing how many potential contractors he might find later.
He had to do it while he had the chance.
Just as Joohyun was agonizing over when to bring up the contract to Mina.
Yuna spoke up.
"By the way, why were you collapsed in front of our house? Where were you headed?"
At that question, Mina suddenly sprang up from her seat.
"Right! This isn't the time to be doing this!"
Saying that, she hurriedly went in front of the TV.
"What is it. Is there a drama you never miss?"
Joohyun looked at Mina questioningly.
"Please let nothing have happened......."
Unlike just moments before, Mina anxiously flipped through the channels.
Her hand stopped on a news channel.
There.
It was a report about a man who had been attacked by an assailant.
The wounds looked as if an animal had clawed him.
According to the news, the man said he heard an animal-like roar from behind before being attacked.
Following that, a suspect appeared on poor-quality CCTV footage.
The face was under a mosaic blur, so of course it couldn't be seen.
"Huh? That place is close to Eunha's school."
Yuna said that, covering her mouth.
"O-oh no."
A panicked Mina hurriedly put on her shoes and tried to head out.
Joohyun stood in front of Mina.
"Wait, you know something right now, don't you?"
Eunha could get swept up in a dangerous situation.
He couldn't just let her go like this.
Besides, he hadn't even managed to make the magical girl contract yet.
"Well."
Stomping her feet, Mina quickly explained what had happened.
"So, you're saying the woman named Suhyun you mentioned seems to be the culprit in the CCTV footage."
"Yeah. I can't be doing this here right now! I'll give you a reward later, sorry!"
Rattle-!
Saying that, Mina threw open the door and left.
"CEO, what should we do?!"
Yuna was also anxious at the thought that her younger sibling might be in danger.
"......Let's go too for now. Towards Eunha's school."
"Yes!"
With that, the two also followed Mina toward Eunha's school.