Loss, Preparation (2)
Loss, Preparation (2)
Han Jae-jung and Baek A-hee stood frozen, staring at each other for a long moment.
“Ah, no, well... that’s... um... but... are you two... acquainted?”
Jo Ah-yoon floundered for an excuse, then took note of their reactions, which clearly showed they recognized each other.
“What’s she doing here?”
“What are you doing at Unnie’s place, Jae-jung?”
Han Jae-jung asked, flustered. Baek A-hee asked, dumbfounded.
“Why would the man who was on a date with Sirius-unnie just a little while ago come to Deneb-unnie’s house...?”
Baek A-hee’s mind raced. She recalled recent events to piece together this chain of cause and effect.
Pink Deneb had overreacted when she heard Han Jae-jung was getting suicide counseling.
Blue Sirius and Pink Deneb had seemed connected even before becoming magical girls.
Blue Sirius and Han Jae-jung had dated since their school days.
Naturally, Pink Deneb, who was close to Blue Sirius, would also have ties to Han Jae-jung.
And so the conclusion was...!
“Two-timing...!!”
Baek A-hee’s face went pale as she muttered the words. In her head played a feature-length film of a sticky, adulterous affair stretching back years.
“An ill-fated meeting... betrayal by the junior I trusted and my boyfriend... a man split between night and day....”
“...What’s with her.”
“No idea. She gets like this sometimes. She’s high-strung. You’d be more comfortable if you just got used to it.”
Baek A-hee flinched when her eyes met Han Jae-jung’s.
“Don’t tell me the reason you got close to me was...?”
She wrapped her arms tightly around herself, as if hiding a shameful secret.
“Dabih was right after all?! Is Jae-jung truly a master of using his distinctive looks and smooth talk to make women cry their hearts out...?!!”
“Hey, watch your mouth. The kid’s got no filter.”
“It’s exactly like the old saying that a man lives up to his looks! Judging by your interest in Deneb-unnie, you seem to like women who are young or look young... but if you approached me hoping to try something, you’ve miscalculated! I think the getting-to-know-each-other stage is still best! And I hate two-timers! Clean up your relationships with women and then try again!”
“Please, stop talking bull— stop talking crap.”
“Was there a reason you changed that word?”
Baek A-hee got to her feet and waxed passionate.
“Ah, anyway, two-timing is... a bad thing... I think. Sirius-unnie would be so hurt... and De-Deneb-unnie! There are plenty of good men in the world! You don’t have to stay with a man with sadistic tastes and a lolita complex like Jae-jung! I’ll take responsibility and cure Jae-jung!”
“You’re getting more and more out of line, you know? No matter how close we are, there’s an age gap, and basic manners...”
Baek A-hee shot a sidelong glance at the source of the objection, grinned, and gently patted her own stomach.
“Jae-jung, do you remember that time? I said I didn’t like it, but you forced...”
Han Jae-jung shut his mouth. That incident would probably haunt him for the rest of his life, and at the same time, it clearly possessed an undying value that would never change over all those years.
Tea leaves are bound to weaken after a few infusions, so why did that particular past never lose its distinctive aroma, no matter how many times it was steeped?
Seeing Han Jae-jung close his mouth with a grim expression, Jo Ah-yoon stared at him in disbelief.
“I understand the appeal of a secret relationship just between the two of you. It’s depraved, and it has that distinctive guilty pleasure. But still, as a magical girl who upholds justice, that’s a little...”
“I’m not a magical girl anymore. And I’m not the one you should be saying that to...”
Jo Ah-yoon retorted coldly. The corners of her eyes, normally not particularly kind, grew even sharper.
“Sounds like you’re the one, Oppa. What was that just now? What did you do to her.”
“What do you mean, what did I do. I...”
Han Jae-jung mulled over what he could possibly say to avoid sounding like trash, but since what he’d done was trashy, no matter how he packaged it, it would sound like trash. After brief deliberation, he told the truth.
“I... I just stepped on her stomach with my foot....”
“Yes! That’s right! Jae-jung just greatly admired my stomach, that’s all! The two of us have an extremely wholesome and harmonious relationship... probably. Unnie! Don’t worry! I am not Jae-jung’s affair partner!”
“....”
Baek A-hee agreed with a bright smile, while Han Jae-jung regretted opening his mouth.
‘A-hee, you think she’ll stop worrying after hearing that?’
His thought was correct. Jo Ah-yoon wavered between trust and a sense of betrayal, and that wavering affected her eyes. Her gaze, trembling like a light feather, hinted at her confusion.
“Huh? But is it okay to say that? Back then you definitely....”
Watcher’s merciless assault on Red Vega. Pink Deneb had witnessed that scene. What Han Jae-jung just said could be a crucial clue linking him to Watcher.
‘No, I know nothing about that.’
Baek A-hee stopped thinking. She decided to pretend she didn’t know Han Jae-jung’s identity. She resolved never to get close to the truth.
Watcher and Han Jae-jung were separate individuals. That was what Baek A-hee had to believe.
‘Because only then can I protect Jae-jung.’
As White Dabih had done today, the principle was to attack a monster if you knew their identity, even if it were a disguise.
If she completely connected Han Jae-jung to Watcher, Baek A-hee wouldn’t even be able to talk peacefully with him like this.
Baiting him with suspicion and circumstantial evidence was fine, but she must not recognize him as the truth.
Around the time she grew serious, Han Jae-jung and Jo Ah-yoon grew serious in a different direction.
“O-Oppa, what did you do to the kid....”
“W-Wait. I’ll explain everything. Okay?”
“What is there to explain! I-I should have known ever since I saw your search history, Oppa. Was looking not enough for you?”
“That wasn’t my history, it was Seol-hwa’s. Anyway, I’ll explain everything over there....”
Han Jae-jung paused as he reached for Jo Ah-yoon’s shoulders. Right now, even that kind of physical contact could be mistaken for an act of violence. His characteristically careful and sensitive nature made him considerate of others even when his own social standing was crumbling.
Jo Ah-yoon, realizing his consideration, tempered her anger slightly.
“Ah-yoon, trust me. Please. I’ll explain everything.”
“...Fine.”
Jo Ah-yoon grabbed Han Jae-jung by the wrist and pulled him toward a room.
“I got too worked up. If you have something to say, I’ll listen.”
Baek A-hee, who had been drinking cocoa, gave a start.
“Yo-You invite a guest over and then go off to do what kind of stuff together...?!”
“To explain, you little bitch! And what do you mean guest, you let yourself in!”
“Hehe, of course I’m joking~ Have a good time.”
“She didn’t understand a thing, look at her. That bitch, her mind’s completely pink. Why are you Red—you be Pink.”
Jo Ah-yoon took Han Jae-jung into the room where she had once pulled him out of the bathroom and calmed him down, and listened to his explanation.
The explanation ended around the time Baek A-hee finished her cocoa.
“I’ve heard it all. It really wasn’t a big deal... or rather, not to the level I was imagining.”
Compared to the worst-case scenario of the sexual exploitation of a minor, anything was wholesome.
“That’s what I’m saying~”
“I’m going to wash up now. Vega, you should play a bit more and then go home. Don’t stay too late.”
“You sound like the homeowner. You must stay over often.”
Now finally realizing the correct post-return-home activity, Han Jae-jung happily turned his steps toward the bathroom. His whole body was soaked with sweat, and dust or blood clung to the sweat. The sight alone gave a sense of the hardship he’d endured.
Baek A-hee looked at the traces of that hardship and felt relief. It may have been a spiteful and selfish thought, but she was genuinely glad he had returned safely.
White Dabih’s suspicion that the lightning monster who appeared today was probably Watcher was true. Watcher had taken on the battle with Contradiction, a fight that could have escalated into calamitous damage.
“...You did a great job today.”
Baek A-hee spoke with guilt and respect. It was only speculation, but he might be Watcher, after all.
Han Jae-jung answered with a small nod to Baek A-hee. As he turned to re-enter the bathroom, he felt Jo Ah-yoon’s burning gaze.
When he met her eyes, Jo Ah-yoon averted her gaze slightly, as if shy, and murmured.
“Thank you for coming back.”
Jo Ah-yoon conveyed that too, full of gratitude, respect, and relief. Though this unexpected three-way confrontation had delayed her words, this was what had been foremost in Jo Ah-yoon’s heart today.
She had trusted Han Jae-jung and fled, but unease was bound to remain. She was happier than anything that he had pierced through that chaotic lightning and returned to her.
Trust him and flee.
That was the best Jo Ah-yoon could do just now.
A deadweight, indeed.
Jo Ah-yoon had no dream. She considered dreaming a misfortune. Even so, she did not want to hinder those who dreamed.
To someone who had already endured countless hardships and would endure countless more, she did not want to become yet another hardship.
Jo Ah-yoon looked at Baek A-hee.
“You, you said you were Oppa’s suicide counselor?”
“Yes? Yes, yes! That’s right! I’m Jae-jung’s counselor!”
Though, to be honest, she had been counseled more than she had counseled him. Hiding the latter half, Baek A-hee giggled.
“Thank you. For helping Oppa.”
“Oh, oh~ it was nothing~ Something anyone would do! He, hehe....”
Even while pretending otherwise, Baek A-hee’s lips loosened, pleased by the praise.
“Magical girls really do all sorts of things. Isn’t it hard?”
“Heu-heu, Unnie, you’re talking like an outsider now just because you say you’re not a magical girl anymore? To put it bluntly... of course it’s hard!”
Baek A-hee was confident and honest.
“But magical girls are cool. Isn’t it worthwhile to keep going without giving up even when it’s hard? A star in the sky doesn’t stop shining just because it’s a bother. I want to be a star like that. A star that guides everyone to peace, like the North Star.”
Thus, those words too must be without pretense.
Even at a young age, the way she held a dream and devoted herself to it was unmistakably beautiful.
The sight of her continuing to challenge, even when hardship follows a dream. Jo Ah-yoon felt a respect for this younger girl akin to what she sent toward Han Jae-jung.
“Ah, that’s right! I can’t rest like this! Thank you, Unnie! I’ll go work some more!”
“What more are you doing?”
“Monsters don’t rest even at night!”
Baek A-hee rose from her seat and headed for the front door. Jo Ah-yoon had no time to stop her. Her will was firm.
“You said you’d eat dinner before going!”
“Now that I’ve confirmed both of you are safe, my business here is done!”
Baek A-hee smiled, a touch mischievously.
“And... I’ll be as careful with my words around Sirius-unnie as I can. Your relationship. Fufu, have a good time! This uninvited guest will be off now!”
“...What?”
Only then did Jo Ah-yoon realize she still hadn’t cleared up the two-timing misunderstanding.
“Hey, hey, wait! Hey, you, you’ve got the wrong idea! Hey!”
And so Baek A-hee left the house.
“She left early? Good. It would’ve been awkward to keep her here so late.”
Emerging from the bathroom, Han Jae-jung came into the living room, drying his damp hair. Jo Ah-yoon retorted, her face flushed.
“G-Good, what’s good about it... our relationship... sh-she thinks it’s an... a-adulterous kind of thing....”
“It’s just something I can clear up next time I see her.”
Han Jae-jung considered it no big deal. Jo Ah-yoon seriously pondered whether that was because he didn’t mind their relationship being mistaken that way, or because he truly had no other thoughts about it.
’...He’s always going on about how we’re like real siblings or whatever... so does he actually not mind?’
But after concluding it was likely the latter, Jo Ah-yoon brought up her business.
“Oh, right, Oppa.”
“Yeah, what?”
“About us opening a shop.”
“You were really going to do that?”
“Would I do it as a joke?”
It was disappointing. She continued, pouting slightly.
“You know, I was thinking maybe a café? Oppa, do you have a barista certification?”
“Would I have something like that...?”
“Then get one later. For the record, I have one.”
“Can’t I just wait tables?”
“No way. I’m going to run the business with a good-looking café employee. Wow, that’ll make good money.”
“Don’t sell my face.”
“Don’t want to. I’m going to show off your face, Oppa. So, the thing is, I want to look at properties? That’s part of why I went out today... Oppa, will you help me tomorrow?”
With a conflicted look, Han Jae-jung took out his phone. Yoon Seol-hwa, seemingly quite busy, still hadn’t contacted him.
In actuality, Yoon Seol-hwa was very busy. This was because she had to punish White Dabih for the magnificent trolling she’d committed today and devise future countermeasures. The former made up 70% of the reason for her busyness.
From the association basement rose pitiful howls, but the soundproofing was so good no one heard them.
“...Alright, I will. Getting kidnapped by that eagle freak again would be trouble.”
“Right? Look at this, Oppa. The bruise I got here.”
Jo Ah-yoon naturally pulled up her hoodie to show the injury. An angry blue bruise marred her pale skin. Han Jae-jung averted his eyes because of the glimpse of her chest.
“Ahem, a grown young lady shouldn’t be showing her skin so carelessly.”
“But it’s fine for a grown man to kick a woman’s stomach and show his naked body?”
“Hey, I didn’t show you that, you saw it... fine. I was wrong.”
Jo Ah-yoon beamed. A good excuse to walk the streets with him had presented itself.
“Then, that’s permission to go out together tomorrow?”
Thus tomorrow’s schedule was set.
**
Atop a shabby building, a man with a monstrous appearance, feathers adorning his entire body, watched the scene below.
“Hm... a failure this time.”
“What is?”
The man behind that monster, Contradiction, asked.
“The kidnapping. I happened upon something that looked rare and thought to bring it back... but it ended regrettably.”
Around the monster, several enormous birds soared through the sky, howling. The eagles that had abducted Jo Ah-yoon today. They were colossal birds comparable in size to light aircraft.
To his complaint, Contradiction answered with a formal laugh.
“Well. If you fail, you simply try again, is that not so? So, are you quite pleased with this place?”
“Hm, cramped and shabby though it is... I like it. There’s also much I want.”
“Very glad to hear it.”
Each one of those birds was a monster rivaling an S-rank monster. The prime monster commanding such monsters was a man in the form of an eagle.
“Aquila.”
“Hmph. I shall overlook the rudeness of calling my name, just this once.”
The Aquila Monster, as he was called, smiled in satisfaction.
“For I, who have found something I desire, am remarkably merciful.”
Not long after arriving in this country, he had discovered a peculiar girl in whom the star of a magical girl and the star of a monster could be sensed simultaneously.
She was a rarity hard to find even in his own country. Well worth the value of abduction.
Even now, Aquila was nodding his head, reminiscing about it.
“You are right. If I have failed, I simply try again.”
Once he sets his mind to possess something, he acquires it without fail. This was Aquila’s credo.
“In all the world, there is nothing I cannot possess.”
He had the ability to realize this arrogant credo.
Dozens of eagles let out their roars.