Chapter 24
Chapter 24
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: The Gun Monster, Sortie
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“Well then, I’ve got some business with the temporary housing, so I’ll head out.”
“Ah, sure. Take care, Si-woo.”
“See you later, Si-woo!”
I’d already packed my laptop and tablet, so it was time to go.
Those four were planning to hang out together… I had no idea how Arin and Sori ended up befriending the magical girls, but it was a good thing.
They’re my only friends, and being with magical girls means they’re safe.
In a world overflowing with monsters, nothing was safer than sticking close to magical girls.
Comet’s side was a bit iffy, but with Solar there too, it should be fine.
Everything I needed was packed, so I was about to leave when Comet approached me cautiously.
“Um…”
“Yeah?”
“Could I maybe… get your number?”
“My number…”
I hesitated. Was it okay to give a monster’s contact info to a magical girl?
At least not until she knew I was Clok and still didn’t try to kill me—
“Is that… not okay?”
“Of course it’s okay.”
Her eyes were like a kitten begging for boots—it was impossible to say no.
Why was I always so weak to pretty girls?
…Come to think of it, most people probably were.
Anyway, I handed my phone to Comet so she could input her number.
“Huh? Why is my number…”
“What?”
For some reason, her contact was already in my phone.
I glanced at her suspiciously, and she froze with an oh no expression.
“…Ah! Sorry about that, Si-woo.”
Just then, Arin jumped in to explain the weird situation.
“The truth is, I recently lost my phone, so I’ve been using A-ri’s since we live together.”
“Ah, got it.”
That made sense.
“…Well, I’m really leaving now.”
“Wait! Me too! Give me your number!”
“Uh, sure…”
Right as I was heading out for real, Solar grabbed me this time. In the end, I exchanged numbers with her too before finally escaping the apartment.
As I walked down the street, a message popped up from Arin.
-Arin: Thank you so much for saving me earlier!
-Arin: (Cat bowing emoji)
“…That’s gotta be Comet, right?”
The writing style was totally different, confirming it was her number.
I sent a polite reply and pocketed my phone.
Time to head back to Ji-yeon and Ji-hoon.
I stopped by a convenience store for some snacks first, then stopped time and returned to where the two were.
“Oppa, the ramen’s ready.”
“Ah, thanks.”
“Damn cup ramen! I love this stuff!”
“Pfft!”
Damn, Ji-hoon almost made me spit out my water.
Lately, he’d been spouting lines that sounded weirdly familiar.
Anyway, it had been a few days since we moved to the temporary housing provided by the government.
The place was spacious for one person, well-insulated, and fully equipped, so there was no reason not to bring Ji-yeon and Ji-hoon. I’d carried them inside while time was stopped.
Slurp. Slurp.
The sound of ramen being eaten filled the room.
Compared to eating alone in loneliness, this was way better.
I could eat more by myself, sure, but it got lonely.
Family was better to have around.
“Hyung! How about a round of Mareo Kart today?”
“Sounds good. Let’s eat this and play a match to unwind.”
“Awesome!”
As I ate and made plans with Ji-hoon, Ji-yeon called out to me cautiously.
“Um, Oppa.”
“Yeah?”
I set down my ramen and looked at her. She clearly had something to say.
I gave her a gentle smile and waited patiently.
“Hoo… Oppa!”
“Yeah!”
Gathering her courage, she clenched her fists and stared at me.
Then she shouted.
“P-please let me fight the magical girls!”
“Huh?”
What the hell…?
Her unexpected words caught me off guard.
I thought she was being cautious about something serious, but she wanted to fight magical girls?
I wondered if she’d developed some monster-hating grudge against them, but thankfully not.
“Your goal is for the magical girls to survive long-term and protect people’s time, right? So, so… let me fight them desperately and help them grow! Unlike you, Oppa, who’s on a whole other level, I’m weak!”
“Huh…”
“Let me help like this! I can’t take it anymore otherwise!”
“Can’t take what?”
She gritted her teeth at my question.
“You took us in, treated us well, and even though our house collapsed because of us, you never once complained. Meanwhile, I can’t even do housework properly as a monster, and I can’t show my face in public. So the only way I can help you is… this!”
“You don’t have to do anything at all, really…”
“No way! Even as a monster, I have a conscience!”
“I… see.”
Honestly, at first I thought it was just youthful bravado.
But thinking it over, having her fight at a more balanced level would actually help the magical girls more than me stepping in.
Plus, as a long-range dealer that even I couldn’t replace, fighting her would teach them how to handle ranged attacks.
Unlike monsters who grew by killing, magical girls could power up through battles, emotional growth, friendship, love—whatever.
Though that got screwed up and ruined the ending.
If I balanced it right, we could change the original bad end.
And…
“Hmm…”
“Gulp.”
I looked Ji-yeon up and down.
She wasn’t weak overall; she’d just been chased by that busted monster organization.
I didn’t know her exact specs since we hadn’t fought, but we could figure that out over time.
One last check.
“Ji-yeon, you’d definitely be a big help. But… are you really okay with that? Fighting magical girls means taking hits from people’s hate, getting hurt, and it’ll be tough.”
Saying it out loud made me want to talk her out of it.
But before I could backtrack, she nodded firmly.
“If it helps you, Oppa.”
And so, Ji-yeon decided to fight the magical girls for me.
“Sounds fun! Me too!”
“Ji-hoon, you—”
“I’m tough! Even if Noona hits me full force, I won’t break!”
“Ji-hoon… you’re still too young, so stay with Noona—”
“I don’t care! Take me too! I wanna fight! I’ll protect Noonaaaaa!”
“Haa…”
“…Haha, if he wants it that bad… I’ll pull him out if anything happens.”
“…Sorry.”
Ji-hoon too.
A peaceful day.
“What’s the answer to this problem!!”
“I-I don’t know! I’m a liberal arts major!”
“Even lib arts majors need to know trig functions!”
“Kyaaah! Save me!”
A monster appeared, its body a jumble of drafting tools, pencils, erasers, and glasses perched on its face. It grabbed people and flipped open book-like hands to show them problems.
“Quick! What’s the answer!!”
“Uh, y-ye, zero…?”
“Wrong! What kind of multiple-choice answer is that!”
A giant compass sprang from the monster’s back as it lifted the wrong answerer.
“Wrong answer means I take your life! Death to the ignorant!”
“Kyaaaaah!!”
The compass’s sharp point lunged—
Bam!
“Like a comet in your heart! Magical Comet, appearing!”
“…Huh? Oh, uh… Like the sun in your heart! Magical Solar, app…earing.”
The two magical girls, Magical Comet and Magical Solar, arrived.
The crowd cheered at their entrance.
“Woooah! Magical Comet! Magical Solar!”
“They came to save us!”
“Comet! Comet! Comet!”
“Solar! Solar! Solar!”
One magical girl was reassuring enough, but two turned despair to hope in seconds.
The Math Monster raged.
“Grr… Magical Comet! Magical Solar! Problems for you two as well!”
“What?”
“Huh?”
They blinked at the idea of quizzing magical girls, and in that moment—
The monster spread its book-hands, revealing two problems.
“Here! This one is—”
“34, 3√2.”
“?!?! How in seconds…!”
“Whoa, how the hell?!”
Comet solved both in under three seconds flat. The monster—and even Solar beside her—couldn’t hide their awe.
“Tch… Th-then this one—”
“Number 2.”
“Damn it! Are magical girls the pinnacle of human intellect too…!”
The Math Monster slumped.
“B-but… I won’t stop until everyone understands trig functions! Die, Comet! I slumped to gain momentum—”
Its compass reached Comet—
Bang!
The monster’s head exploded in a blink.
The two girls whipped toward the gunshot just as the head burst.
There stood—
“Nice to meet you all. I’m the Gun Monster, Eve.”
A feminine monster with gun barrels on her head and arms.