She couldn’t catch up, no matter how hard she ran, panting until she was out of breath—she was still far behind, couldn’t even catch a whiff of the bus’s exhaust.
But a powerful voice echoed relentlessly in Su Mu’s mind, driving her forward, even if it was all in vain.
Under the shifting interplay of light and shadow from the streetlamps, she didn’t know how long she had walked.
Perhaps it was because she hadn’t eaten much that evening, but a chill began to creep up her spine, making her clutch her cotton jacket tighter and bury her head nearly into her collar.
Her vision was a little obstructed.
She hadn’t walked far before she crashed hard into someone’s back, as if she’d struck a boulder.
Su Mu’s delicate nose ached sharply, her mind going blank for a moment.
She brushed aside the stray hair on her forehead, looked up, and finally saw the tall figure before her.
It was a Man in Black Trench Coat, his build rather thin but exceedingly tall, standing abruptly in the empty street, like a lanky ghost that had appeared out of nowhere.
His face was obscured by shadow, but his hawk-like eyes sent a chill through Su Mu, making her subconsciously take two steps back.
Be careful—slippery.
Though that’s exactly what the sign nearby warned, Su Mu clearly hadn’t been careful enough.
The sneakers she wore were anything but slip-resistant, and the moment she stepped on the Slippery Manhole Cover, it was as if an unknown water ghost had yanked her down.
She couldn’t stop herself from falling backward, landing hard on the ground and splitting her backside into four.
So painful!
Her tailbone was ruthlessly pummeled by the hard stone bricks.
If the bricks could feel, they’d surely be hurting too—but the only one in enough pain to cry out was Su Mu, and that certainly drew the attention of the Man in Black Trench Coat.
Finally realizing the person who bumped into him was just a little kid, the shadow in the man’s eyes vanished in a flash, replaced by a somewhat exaggerated smile, as if he were deliberately trying to appear friendly.
Such foul weather, and after wandering for so long, he hadn’t expected it—but just when he thought his catch for the day was only a few, a valuable prize had delivered itself right to his feet.
Heh, wasn’t this what they called waiting for the rabbit under the tree?
“Hey, little one, why are you out here alone? Uncle will take you home, all right?”
Su Mu grimaced in pain, clutching her backside and shaking her head repeatedly.
‘Bad man.’
Alarm bells rang in her heart, but she was already too weak to get up.
All she could do was let the man grab her hand and hoist her to her feet.
“Don’t be shy, Uncle’s a good person. Look at you, falling like that. How about a candy first? When your mouth is sweet, your bottom won’t hurt.”
As he spoke, ignoring Su Mu’s struggles, the man placed his hand on Su Mu’s waist, feeling her slim figure.
He hesitated and thought, ‘Too skinny—would she be up to standard? Those guys had said before, they wouldn’t take ones in bad shape.’
If he threw this kind at the far end of the village, no one would want her.
Everyone liked fat boys, only that bunch specialized in collecting little girls.
But those guys were picky.
No matter how much money he offered, if even one didn’t meet the mark, there was nothing he could do.
‘Still, this girl had a pretty face. Maybe a wealthy family would want her. Anyway, better to knock her out first.’
Thinking this, the man fished a candy wrapped in glutinous rice paper from his pocket.
Judging by the bulging wrapper, he hadn’t managed to hand out many tonight.
Then, he tried to shove it straight into Su Mu’s mouth.
Su Mu twisted her head away as far as she could, clamping her teeth shut.
She knew—she’d seen it on TV—if she ate the candy, she’d never see her mom again.
“Damn it, why won’t you eat? Eat it! Eat it, you little brat!”
Seeing no one around, the man grew bolder, his actions rougher.
With adult strength, he forced Su Mu’s mouth open and threw the candy inside.
The moment it touched her saliva, the candy melted rapidly, turning into a sweet syrup, its cloying, dizzying flavor flowing straight into Su Mu’s stomach.
Moments later, Su Mu’s body began to go limp, yet her mind stayed extremely clear.
The terror of being taken away, the desperate hope that Su Ya would come to save her—fierce emotions clashed violently in Su Mu’s mind, and this intense stimulation seemed to crack open her obscured memories, gradually restoring her awareness.
She’d nearly been dragged into a memory point—thank goodness.
Cold sweat broke out all over Su Mu.
But now that her memory was back, she should—
Wait, what was she thinking?
Right now, she ought to get rid of this pathetic scum first.
Su Mu’s clarity lasted only a moment.
The restraints from the past wouldn’t let her go so easily—instead, old sensations resurfaced.
She broke free from the man’s grip with ease, startling him.
But as he looked at Su Mu, his eyes changed from fierce to terrified, as though he’d seen the most horrifying thing in the world.
“You—what are you? Wait, you aren’t one of those Strange Persons, are you? Stay back.”
Strange Person—what was that?
In the next moment, an invisible force gripped the man’s throat and lifted him into the air.
The intangible arm seemed poised to snap his spine, his face turning bright red almost instantly, his eyeballs bulging—he looked just like a corpse in the throes of a violent death.
“Help… help, Magical Girl, help… help… me.”
Driven by a desperate will to survive, the man forced out a string of broken cries, making his once lawless appearance look utterly ridiculous.
Even scum begged Magical Girl for help.
It was almost laughable.
But Su Mu didn’t feel like laughing.
She was merely displeased—no, infuriated—by the terror in the man’s eyes, and so she tightened her grip a little more.
“Magical Girl—what is that?”
Through the man’s hopeless gaze, Su Mu caught her own reflection.
At some point, she’d grown to the height of a near-adult, but those once-clear eyes were now filled with a chilling, ash-gray light, as if she’d activated some terrifying white-eyed power.
Crushed by such overwhelming strength, the man could no longer utter a sound.
His eyes were bloodshot, countless capillaries bursting in silent agony, weaving a truly ghastly death mask for their wretched owner.
Suddenly, Su Mu remembered—about Magical Girl.
‘Magical Girl is a wonderful existence that brings happiness and dreams to people. I bring happiness to people too—even to scum like you, I’m willing to give you a sweet and gentle embrace of death. Surely, that makes me a Magical Girl.’
‘Don’t you think your death would make life better for others? Since you pray for a Magical Girl’s salvation, you should have the spirit of sacrifice. Let me see if there’s anything in you worth saving.’
The man’s cries couldn’t pierce the bitterly cold wind.
In the end, the instinct to survive meant nothing under overwhelming force.
And yet, it was as if a real Magical Girl had answered his desperate plea and appeared here.
She arrived in such a rush that the heels of her high-heeled shoes left cracks in the solid pavement.
She reeked of alcohol, her hair in disarray, but her gaze was clearer than ever before.