Chapter 18
Chapter 18
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: Beautiful Flowers Have Thorns 3
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I tried to keep a straight face, but my inner thoughts must have shown through, because Han Min-jeong let out a small chuckle.
"That's how it was when the defect first manifested."
"The first time?"
"Yes. The first time. It's gotten much worse since then."
A foreboding vision of the future flashed through my mind, and I swallowed hard.
Han Min-jeong gripped her husband's hand tightly, as if to say the real problem started now, murmuring in a low voice like she was talking to herself.
"Her sadistic tendencies have grown stronger day by day. She desperately searched for a way to either end the defect quickly or lower her resistance by drawing blood. Whether it was good luck or bad, she eventually found a method."
"Isn't that good news?"
The reason caring for retired magical girls is so difficult is that most of them can't even define their own defects.
So finding a way to mitigate the defect was incredibly good news.
Then why did the couple look so visibly downcast?
"The method. Yes. The method itself was the problem. Sadism builds up emotions to a peak, and she discovered that seeing blood at that peak quickly calms the defect."
Emotional climax.
Emotions intensify with joy, anger, sadness, fear, jealousy, or shame.
"So, to understand it right, she needs to see blood from the source of that emotional climax—whether it's from joy, anger, or crying in sadness?"
"Yes. Blood from the one who caused the emotional climax."
It sounded simple, but horribly difficult.
'Blood from the one who aroused the emotions... Can't substitute with a blood pack. And besides anger, is there any other way to artificially heighten emotions?'
As I rubbed my chin in thought, Han Min-jeong began to tremble.
Not sure if the analogy fit, but a doctor looking puzzled in front of a patient isn't good, so I quickly composed myself.
Then Yoo Seon-woo continued the conversation on behalf of his anxious wife.
"Besides what you mentioned, Kang Ihyeon, there's one more way to easily heighten emotions."
"What...?"
"...Climax."
"Pardon?"
I doubted my ears for a moment.
By definition, climax is indeed the peak of emotions.
But when people say climax, they usually mean during sex.
Caught off guard by the unexpected word, I stammered, but Yoo Seon-woo pressed on.
"We found that if my wife climaxes during sex and then sees blood periodically afterward, the defect manifestations drop dramatically."
Then why need a care supporter? But it wouldn't be that simple, which is why the warning.
I could sense the story ahead was a painful secret for the couple.
"So, my wife and I would have sex regularly, and toward the end, she'd always bite my neck or shoulder or injure me somehow to draw blood."
Yoo Seon-woo's face grew paler by the moment.
Listening to it, Han Min-jeong turned ghostly white, as if on the verge of fainting, her breaths coming in shallow gasps.
"Then an accident happened. During the act, while drawing blood, she lost control of her emotions, and the defect flared up massively..."
"I... almost killed my husband."
A cold sweat trickled down my back.
The rest of the story was straightforward.
Terrified of killing her beloved husband, Han Min-jeong said her body could no longer accept him.
Yoo Seon-woo tried reassuring and comforting her that it was fine, but her defect only worsened.
Even Yoo Seon-woo, traumatized subconsciously by nearly dying, started losing his erection mid-act.
'This is insane.'
It was a perfect example of why retired magical girls absolutely need dedicated care supporters.
Stories like this can't be shared with just anyone, and even if shared, no one could solve it.
'Wait... solve it?'
As I listened, a strange, ominous feeling crept in.
"W-Wait a minute? So how are you controlling the defect now? Sorry if it's rude, but I need to know the situation. If intimacy is difficult, do you use toys or something?"
These days, there are tons of adult toys like dildos for sexual satisfaction—maybe that?
At my suggestion, the quietly tearful couple turned their gazes toward me.
The air grew thick with despair—they'd clearly tried it.
"It was tough. Whether it needs emotional exchange with the target or some other condition, toys didn't mitigate her defect at all. It failed."
In short, artificially inducing emotions with drugs or some therapy wasn't viable naturally.
A headache hit me, and I let out a deep sigh.
"..."
An eerie silence fell over the three of us.
"I'm asking you, the care supporter. Hold me... and let me see your blood."
Han Min-jeong made her selfish, desperate plea.
I barely swallowed a hollow laugh.
"So, to sum up: I hold you, and at climax when emotions peak, you see my blood. If it fails to control the defect, I die instead of your husband. That right?"
At my cold question, the couple bowed their heads in shame, but Han Min-jeong couldn't hold back her surging emotions and screamed.
"Yes! I'm scared of killing my husband! I want to live happily with him for a long time. To think I nearly killed him with my own hands! I... I...!"
"Honey! C-Calm down. Deep breaths."
"Hah! Hah! Hah!"
The couple was trapped in their own narrow world.
As a care supporter, I had to do my utmost to prevent a magical girl's defect from manifesting.
But I never imagined this scenario when I became one.
'The previous care supporter didn't die by her hand, right?'
Han Min-jeong seemed selfish and desperate, but not twisted enough for that.
Her kind heart shone through even in our brief talk, making it all the more tragic.
A sticky resignation, like mud, weighed down my entire body.
"Then the previous care supporter also...?"
"Yes. He held my wife regularly and let her draw his blood."
Yoo Seon-woo continued bitterly, as if ashamed toward the former supporter.
"No, wait. From the start, you're saying you're okay with another man holding your wife...?"
"As if!"
Han Min-jeong twisted her face like a demon and shrieked.
Yoo Seon-woo paled, desperately pulling her back.
"If you hate it that much, how about using suppression bullets to forcibly calm her when the defect manifests?"
"That's what led to the current defect. Suppressing it only made it mutate and worsen."
Yoo Seon-woo clearly hated handing his wife to another man too.
Of course—even for those with that kink, it wouldn't be easy.
So every time her defect flared, she'd get hit with suppression rounds and collapse, repeating until she came to.
Without addressing the root, it only worsened, leading to this choice.
'This is maddening. Then Se-ah Sister, fighting her defect alone for five years, must be pretty twisted up too, right?'
When Se-ah Sister confessed about herself, she mentioned nearly attacking her care supporter dad.
She might not have noticed, but I worried her defect had worsened too.
Magical girls living with defects like uncontrollable mental illnesses.
Facing it head-on like this was driving me crazy.
"Hoo..."
Suddenly, I recalled Se-ah Sister clinging to me that morning, looking at her husband about to leave after an affair.
'This really feels like cheating.'
No other ideas came, so I stared at the sniffling, frustrated couple.
'Heard it, now I have to take responsibility,' echoed in my ears.
I thought it was a beautiful flower, but it had sharp thorns.
"Got it. I have to own my words."
At my acceptance, the couple visibly stiffened.
Especially Han Min-jeong, exuding a forlorn aura like a wife sold off for debt, cast a resigned gaze my way.
Fleeing her uncomfortable stare, I stood abruptly to prepare to leave.
I missed Se-ah Sister terribly.
"Then let's end the talk here for today. Contact me when you're ready next time, and I'll..."
"Tonight."
"...Pardon?"
I needed time to accept reality, and they needed to compose themselves, but as I rose, Han Min-jeong grabbed my ankle with a chilling voice.
"It's been too long without defect care. It could erupt any moment. If it does..."
Trembling all over in fear of losing her husband beside her, she fixed me with steely eyes as I tried to leave.
"Tonight. Right now."
Clearly, all retired magical girls were dying to drop unrealistic bombs on me.