Chapter 32
Chapter 32
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: Déjà Vu
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Of course, the lipstick mark Galaxy left on my lips didn't mean that kind of thing.
The celestial monster Galaxy had kissed me as she transferred her green energy into my body.
'This mark is just an unavoidable byproduct of the process.'
But Ji-yeon seemed to think I'd gone out and fooled around somewhere after seeing it, so I needed to clear this up in a hurry.
I couldn't go looking for her in this state, so I frantically scrubbed it off with the back of my hand.
"Ji-hoon, I'm heading out for a bit! Don't open the door for anyone, no matter who it is!"
"Got it! Just trust me!"
With that, I dashed out urgently to find Ji-yeon.
"Phew... Everyone's such good people."
A-ri walked alone, carrying four cups of coffee.
Her mascot and comrade, Solar—who was trying so hard to cheer her up—along with Solar's mascot Solia, had all been so kind. To repay them, she'd slipped out alone to buy coffee.
The other three were at the nearby mart, shopping for ingredients.
They'd boasted about whipping up something amazing for her, full of confidence: Solar, Solia, and Aste.
She couldn't just keep receiving without giving back—her conscience wouldn't allow it—so she'd come out for at least this much.
On her way back to the mart...
"Haa... Where are you? Ji-yeon! Ji-yeon!"
"Huh...?"
She spotted a familiar blond man.
"Si-woo-ssi?"
"Who—oh, A-ri-ssi."
He gave an awkward smile.
A-ri was searching for words when she bowed deeply.
"Thank you so much for saving me last time."
"Huh? Haha, no need. We ended up saving each other, right?"
Si-woo smiled softly, like it was amusing.
Looking at him, A-ri finally understood why Aste treated this man so kindly, despite being so curt and sharp with everyone else.
'He's got great manners, a sense of humor, and he's so gentle!'
As that thought crossed her mind, A-ri felt a strange sense of familiarity.
'Huh? Somehow, these impressions feel like I've had them before—'
"Yeah? Haha, no, A-ri. Teaching you is teaching me too, so it's basically mutual, isn't it?"
"Kyaaak!"
"?! W-What's wrong?!"
In that instant, the man before her overlapped with him from her past.
A-ri broke out in cold sweat, trembling uncontrollably.
"Haa... Huu..."
"...I don't know what happened, but let's sit down and rest first."
Si-woo supported her with a worried expression.
He guided her to a nearby bench and helped her sit.
"Are you okay?"
"Ah... Thank you."
"No, no. You look exhausted. I'll grab some medicine from nearby."
"I'm fine. I just... need a short break."
"I see. Alright then."
Si-woo sat beside her, leaving a polite distance.
When A-ri stared at him blankly, he flashed another awkward smile and spoke.
"I do have something urgent right now, but... I can't just leave someone who looks this worn out."
'Again.'
Once more, he overlapped with that figure from her past.
This had never happened before, not even once.
'Maybe.'
Maybe this man in front of her wasn't ordinary at all.
Aste, who was blunt and prickly with everyone except A-ri, showed him such fondness. Even Solia's mascot, who seemed fierce, turned into a docile puppy around him.
'I'm curious.'
Maybe he held the key to resolving her trauma.
This man resembled him in so many ways.
With that in mind, A-ri reached out toward Si-woo—and in that moment.
-Thud.
"Huh?"
About five meters away, an old man sweeping trash collapsed limply.
Murmurs rose from the surrounding crowd.
"That guy's..."
"What the..."
A-ri and Si-woo voiced their confusion in unison—then the anomaly struck.
-TRASH MONSTER-
Tentacles erupted from the old man's body.
They dragged over a nearby trash can and absorbed it whole.
The old man's form was instantly buried in refuse.
Soon, the trash enveloping him began to take shape.
-Gurgle...!
-Rustle.
Squelching noises mixed with the crinkle of trash bags.
The frail old man was gone—replaced by a hulking trash heap with a bin for a head as it rose up.
"Groooaaar! You trash scum! I'll dispose of you all!"
A guttural roar exploded from the trash can head.
People grasped the situation and fled in panic.
"Kyaaak! It's a monster!"
"Trash Monster! Everyone run!"
"What the hell?! Out of nowhere!"
Monsters were humans who mutated from an intense craving just before death.
A-ri pieced it together and murmured.
"Sudden death..."
"Heart attack?"
Si-woo voiced the same conclusion from beside her.
Their eyes met.
"...Si-woo-ssi, let's get out of here first."
"Yeah."
'I'll slip away midway while running with Si-woo-ssi and transform.'
A-ri bolted alongside Si-woo, but midway...
"!! A-ri-ssi!"
"Kyaaak?!"
Si-woo scooped her up and dove to the side.
A plastic shard whizzed past his back in that instant.
As A-ri blinked in shock, Si-woo smirked and said,
"Always watch your rear when evacuating. Got it?"
"Y-Yes..."
Si-woo warned her to be careful.
A little later, and she'd have died in his place—yet he remained so composed. She couldn't hide her amazement.
'His selflessness...'
It rivaled her own.
As that thought struck her, Aste popped into existence in mid-air.
"..."
Aste glared fixedly at Si-woo in the urgent moment, but when A-ri shot her a look, she immediately granted transformation permission.
A-ri halted in place.
'After this is over, I need to talk to him more.'
She resolved to forge a connection with Si-woo, clenching her fist tightly.
Her gaze locked on the Trash Monster.
"Heart linked from the comet!" "Transform! Magical Comet!"
⟨ Comet Light ⟩
As she chanted, Aste dissolved into a burst of light that enveloped her body.
With a flash, her transformation completed swiftly. Staff in hand, she turned toward the Trash Monster.
"Like a comet in your heart! Magical Comet, arriving!"
"Like the sun in your heart! Magical Solar, arriving!"
Her comrade Solar arrived just in time.
The two exchanged smiles.
"Let's finish this quick!"
"Got it!"
The two magical girls swiftly dispatched the Trash Monster, with zero casualties in the process.
After the fight, A-ri couldn't find Si-woo, so she left him a text.
-A-ri: Si-woo-ssi, I'm so sorry for worrying you today... But thank you so much for staying with me!
-Si-woo-ssi: No worries.
-Si-woo-ssi: Sorry I vanished suddenly at the end. I had someone urgent to find...
-A-ri: It's fine! We can meet again next time, right? So, um, how about this week? Me, Arin, Hwa-yeon unni, and Sori unni all get together for dinner? Feel free to say no if it's inconvenient!
Replies came promptly, letting their conversation flow smoothly.
A-ri mustered her courage to suggest dinner, then awaited his response.
And his reply was...
-Si-woo-ssi: Sounds good. See you then.
-A-ri: Yes!
It hit just right with A-ri's hopes.
A vast lawless wasteland reeking of rot.
Corpses of countless humans and animals littered the ground, stinging the eyes and nose.
"Tch, another failure, huh."
In the center of what looked like a blend of dump and graveyard sat a massive monster, legs crossed.
Its skin was a deep, uniform green, with enormous insect wings sprouting from its back.
Displeased, it clicked its tongue and gaped its huge maw.
Its compound red bug eyes turned skyward.
"My soldiers! Bring me the deaths of that damn crow bitch and clock-head! More death! More corpses—that alone will sate our hunger!"
Soon, a buzzing swarm erupted from its mouth like a fountain.
"Uahaha! Ibeor seuregi gaei neu si pae haeji ma ije da reu geosi da! (This trash monster failed, but now it'll be different!)"
Its true nature: the Fly Monster.
Its repulsive, tenacious malice spread across all of Korea.
And it was all aimed at...
"Magical Girls! Clok! Kedi! Bring me every last irritating bastard!"