The Seoul Incident (1)
Radiant White had always been exceptionally proactive.
So proactive, in fact, that once she decided in her head that she was going to do something, she charged in without looking left or right—a serious flaw, to put it mildly.
That unprecedented drive of hers had, in the original story, often cast her as a troublemaker second only to the Zodiacs—or perhaps even more malicious precisely because she meant no harm.
Still, thanks to that same drive, she had prevented disasters and saved people who would otherwise have died. It was not all negative.
More than anything, that headstrong personality of hers meshed with Su-hyeok's overly cautious nature and produced a strange kind of synergy.
The reason I was evaluating Radiant White's initiative right now was simple: less than twelve hours after I had given her advice, she had already taken action.
On the television screen she stood before the public, reflecting on her own immaturity while vowing that she would hunt down the monster Hemoregia no matter what.
Not only that—she was pointing out my outfit and my arrogant bearing, making a clear effort, from her perspective, to provoke me.
I had specifically told her to set up an environment where she could definitely win before she provoked me. Looking at this interview, it seemed she had simply gone ahead and started the provocation first.
Hmm… well. It was not incomprehensible. Seoul had more magical girls stationed than anywhere else, and it even housed the headquarters.
Once she lured me to Seoul, a whole swarm of magical girls could beat me down all at once—something like that must have been her thinking.
Too crude. Calling that a plan… Haah, I should have given her far more careful guidance.
I could feel Shining White inside me sighing so deeply it felt as though the ground might cave in.
"It's not your fault. She's just that kind of person."
Feeling a little sorry for White, I decided to offer at least this much comfort.
I did not know how to send thoughts—or whatever you called them—to her side, but seeing how she reacted to what I saw and heard, it seemed this kind of communication worked.
It was not that I intended to get along with her. Looking at the things she sometimes let slip in words or thoughts, I doubted we could ever get along.
It was simply… a bit of mercy, or pity, for how deeply Shining White cared for her little sister.
Just now… did you answer me?
But Shining White's reaction was a little strange.
Pure bewilderment.
As if she had never dreamed I would answer her. As if she had not even considered that I might be listening.
Thinking about why she was so flustered, I realized—this was the first time I had spoken to her side, wasn't it?
First time. Yeah. That must be it. Still, was it really that surprising?
I had naturally assumed that just as her thoughts overflowed into me, mine would occasionally spill over to her as well.
…Judging by her reaction, that did not seem to be the case.
Not knowing how to respond, I decided to brazen it out as usual.
"So what?"
At that, Shining White fell silent for a moment, as if she had nothing to say, then unleashed her fury at me in a voice that sounded thoroughly pissed off.
It's not "so what"! Give it back. Right now!!!
"I don't wanna. Why should I?"
What did you just—
We could not keep talking. I had nothing more to say, and right now I needed to go punish Radiant White.
Besides, she kept raging about giving it back, so she clearly had no interest in conversation.
I had learned from experience that talking to an angry person never led to productive dialogue.
I shoved Shining White into a corner of my mind the way one clears away stray thoughts, and Na-rae asked me with a thoroughly dubious expression.
"Lady Min-a. I'm asking this completely seriously. Have you… lost your mind?"
"You picking a fight with me right now?"
Na-rae looked at me as if she had a great deal to say, then closed her mouth with a "never mind."
Smart choice. If she had said one more word, I would have summoned Radiant White right then and there.
Na-rae asked if I was planning to go.
"Of course."
I answered as if it were obvious, but there was no real need to respond.
However, if I wanted to exert influence over Radiant White as the "vampire Seong Min-a," I needed to give her the experience that things went well when she followed my words.
And I also wanted to test my limits once.
Just how far I could go.
"I'll be back around dawn, so just sleep… no. Hey, you're coming with me."
I had originally planned to leave her behind, but then I realized that if I went alone there would be no way to recover my clothes and suppressor once I took them off.
Incheon was basically abandoned, so I could leave them somewhere deserted and pick them up later, but that was impossible in Seoul.
"What?"
"Someone has to take my clothes, right?"
Saying so, I grabbed Na-rae's hand without warning and dragged her out.
I would have liked to bring Su-hyeok too, but that was still difficult.
He was still being tracked.
I could not drag him into this simply because I wanted him along.
I needed to give him some kind of status freedom soon.
…Well, later-me would handle his identity issues somehow.
Putting the worry off for later, I headed stealthily toward the train station bound for Seoul.
Partly because the sun was still blazing, and partly because there were a few things I wanted to see after arriving in Seoul early.
So this was the magical girls' headquarters.
It was oddly bright for a military building, yet definitely stuffy for a place where magical girls lived.
When they painted the exterior, it felt as though the magical girls' opinions had been reflected about thirty-five percent—that awkward middle ground.
Wouldn't it have been better to just build it like any other ordinary building? But a girl's heart probably would not have allowed that.
Or maybe it simply looked stuffy because I was seeing it at night.
Since nothing particular came to mind even after coming this far, it seemed impossible to just extract Shining White's memories this way.
I had come to Seoul early and toured places associated with Shining White, but nothing was coming back, so maybe I really did need to talk with her.
Anyway, I had killed enough time, so I asked Na-rae to shut off the nearby CCTVs.
"Lady Min-a, do you think just saying it makes it happen like magic? Honestly…"
"Oh, it doesn't work?"
"…It does work. It just takes a little time. I was saying that if you want me to do something like that, just tell me properly."
What, so it does work. Why scare me like it doesn't?
"Haah… It's not my place to worry, but if you keep living this recklessly, you're going to get into real trouble later."
…I had nothing to say to that.
"I figured you could handle something like that as a matter of course."
Feeling embarrassed, I whined that of course I had known she could do that much, and Na-rae's reaction was priceless.
"Yes, yes. I'm so incredibly grateful."
Having nothing more to say, I watched as Na-rae grumbled and wrecked the surrounding CCTVs.
"All broken?"
"Yes. Now go somewhere out of sight and do whatever you want."
I dragged the deflated Na-rae into a nearby alley, then took off my clothes and necklace, returning to my true form.
"Guard these with your life. If you lose them, you won't walk away unharmed. Now go back. Things are about to get messy."
"Yes, yes…"
I tossed the clothes at the unmotivated Na-rae, told her to run back to Incheon, then soared straight up into the sky.
Not even ten seconds later, warning sirens blared through the area and civilians fled.
And from the nearby magical girl headquarters, magical girls poured out like bees whose hive had been attacked.
Radiant White was among them.
"…So you enjoy putting others down, but you can't stand being insulted yourself?"
Hearing her say that, it seemed she had definitely misunderstood my comment about her clothes not suiting her.
"Let's see how long that loose mouth of yours can keep yapping."
I was not actually angry. If anything, it was more amusing.
But looking angry would be better, so I put on a displeased expression and directed unrestrained hostility toward her.
As if responding to that hostility, the magical girls behind Radiant White each drew up their starlight and took combat stances.
Alright then. Time to see just how far I can go.
I grinned and created a spear of blood—and right at that moment.
Something that sent a chill racing up my spine from below leaped up, and I instinctively dodged.
What sliced through the spot where I had just been floating with terrifying force was a monster.
Something that looked like a half-mix of tiger and machine—a threatening, muscular mass of something.
It was looking at me with a grin so wide it reached its ears.
…What the hell is this bastard?