After the broadcast ended, I stood still for a while.
The tips of my fingers trembled slightly.
I exhaled heavily, my shoulders rising and falling with the motion.
“That was an excellent speech,” James said.
“This might change public opinion a bit. Many Earthlings, and frankly, people across this galaxy, have never fully trusted the government or the police. Blindly following authority a hundred percent is something only fools do, after all.”
It was a bit ironic for someone like James to say that, considering he occupied a fairly high position in the hierarchy of “authority” himself.
Though to be fair, James was a businessman, not a politician or a minister.
Even in this country, no matter how wealthy a businessman might be, they would still bow before a member of parliament.
So maybe his position wasn’t as high as I thought.
It was only because I happened to be below him that James appeared to be in such a lofty position.
“Are you sure the broadcast went out properly?”
“Of course. I have confidence in my skills.”
“…Why couldn’t they stop the chairman?”
“Because he’s never been on the frontlines. He probably thought he was smart. But the things you can only think of when you’re actually in the field—those didn’t occur to him. He was used to being in a position where he just orders the people below him to ‘do it.’”
And I scared the people in this building into running away.
How did they flee so neatly?
Perhaps it was partly luck.
I didn’t want to kill anyone, so I started by scaring away the people gathered on the first-floor shopping mall.
Some of the staff must have gone down first to help evacuate them.
Plus, one of the other buildings owned by this company had already exploded—because of me—resulting in casualties.
Since I was the one who had stormed in here too, it’s no surprise many thought a similar situation could unfold here, even if they didn’t know all the details.
Whether the government turns a blind eye or not, both the federation and the company still have to care about public opinion to some extent.
At the very least, they would’ve conducted evacuation drills, even if just for show.
James had anticipated this evacuation drill as well.
“They probably thought it was enough. After all, they hid so many forces here. Those creatures only moved because of your arrival, didn’t they?”
James deliberately emphasized that it was my presence that triggered the movement, as if he wanted to gauge my reaction.
Circuits began to activate in response to my energy.
The restraints binding the creatures turned into armor that amplified their strength, freeing them entirely.
I managed to drag the plan to its conclusion, but I came dangerously close to being captured without accomplishing anything.
“Those who think solely with their heads can’t understand the variables of the field. They assume the world will work as they’ve predicted in their brilliant minds and devise ‘neat’ solutions for various contingencies. But… well, variables don’t tend to come in forms that suit your preferences.”
I stared at James.
He looked unusually proud.
Come to think of it, although James was a high-ranking executive stationed in this headquarters building, he always came to the field to directly lead the combat teams.
I had thought it was because he was obsessed with gaining credit for himself, but that didn’t seem to be the case.
Perhaps it was because his subordinates, being mere hired hands, wouldn’t do their jobs properly without their supervisor watching over them.
If there had been even one person left here who could think critically, the plan would have become much harder to execute.
If they had destroyed the broadcast room, for instance.
“Well, the job is done. All that’s left is to escape—”
James’s gaze shifted to a spot behind me.
“Before that, is there any conversation you’d like to have? They don’t seem to intend to attack, at least. You might have a few minutes.”
…He was right.
I had deliberately avoided looking back.
Behind me stood Hayoon.
My face was visible on the screen, but Hayoon’s was not.
She had positioned herself just far enough behind me for that to be the case.
Hayoon helped me.
So did the other magical girls who followed her.
Why?
I still couldn’t fully understand.
To their eyes, I must be a terrorist they’re obligated to capture.
Or perhaps not.
The magical girls had been present at the scene.
It wouldn’t have been difficult for them to deduce that what happened wasn’t my doing.
If that’s the case, the only explanation is that they acted for the sake of the federation.
They hadn’t actively protested or moved on my behalf until now.
Why was today different?
Not knowing made me afraid to turn around and face Hayoon.
What would I think when I saw her face?
What kind of expression would she have as she looked at me?
I wasn’t ready to accept everything yet.
Even if Hayoon suddenly showed friendliness toward me—
Though I hoped for that—
I simultaneously didn’t want to accept it right away.
I wanted to be angry a little longer.
I wanted to rage.
I wanted to hate those who despised me with all my might.
The situation was dire, but paradoxically, I felt free within that chaos.
When swinging a hammer, I didn’t have to think about anything.
Hayoon waited.
She didn’t call my name to urge me, nor did she turn away in disappointment.
She simply waited for me to look at her.
Should I run away?
As I had always done.
But I knew I couldn’t do that.
I looked at James.
He twisted his lips into a smirk.
He was laughing at me—at how I was agonizing over the trivial choice of whether to turn around.
Wasn’t this hamster of a man a sadist, reveling in my irritation and pain?
That expression annoyed me so much that I turned around on the spot.
There was Hayoon.
The other magical girls weren’t visible.
They hadn’t left yet, surely.
They were likely giving us space to talk, waiting for what Hayoon wanted.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.
Then I opened them.
There stood Hayoon.
She was a mess.
Perhaps even worse than I was.
Torn and bruised all over, bleeding, yet standing firm, staring at me.
She stood there, looking at me.
What should I say?
Should I say thank you?
The fact that I could be here despite making countless emotional mistakes, the fact that I could achieve my goal—it was all thanks to Hayoon and the other magical girls’ help.
Even if they hadn’t stepped in, could I have managed to defeat so many monsters on my own?
Could I have broadcast my plea of injustice and delivered my warning?
No, I probably couldn’t have.
Whether I had gone to the orphanage or not, I likely would have failed.
It was only because Hayoon and her companions came here that I was able to succeed.
Without even asking what I was trying to do, they jumped in and helped me.
And yet, I couldn’t bring myself to say thank you.
The words felt stuck in my throat as if something was blocking them.
Instead…
“Why?”
I ended up asking that question.
It wasn’t because I was embarrassed or because the situation felt awkward.
It wasn’t some excuse about saying something that wasn’t in my heart.
I genuinely didn’t know.
“Why did you help me?”
At my question, Hayoon’s expression faltered slightly.
“I’m your enemy, aren’t I?”
That’s right.
The reason magical girls had come here was likely to capture me.
There was no other reason for them to be here.
They didn’t know that monsters were hidden on the top floor of this building.
“You belong to the Galactic Federation. So… isn’t this the kind of thing you shouldn’t be helping with?”
My warning wasn’t just aimed at the chairman of this corporation.
It was aimed at everyone who had driven me to this point.
The government, the Federation, all of them.
I couldn’t bring all of them down, but I wanted to knock at least one of their leaders off their pedestal.
And magical girls exist to prevent things like that from happening.
“Why? Why did you go so far to do this?”
Hayoon’s gaze dropped.
That wasn’t the answer I wanted.
I wanted her to say something more straightforward.
I had envied her.
Her unwavering stance as a defender of justice, earning the admiration of everyone around her.
The way she wielded hope—such a dazzling and fitting power—was the opposite of my despair.
I often wished I could’ve been born as Hayoon, not as someone like me without even parents to lean on.
And so, I wanted to win.
Not that I wanted to hurt her, but…
So, I wished she would speak plainly, without dodging the question.
Because I couldn’t do it.
If Hayoon had spoken first, if she had said everything would be okay, that she would move for my sake from now on—that she’d even help destroy the Federation or whatever else needed to go…
That she would help me with my revenge.
If she’d said that, it would’ve been great.
But at the same time, I wished she wouldn’t say that.
I wanted her to remain on the other side.
I wanted a reason to keep opposing her.
So that we could fight again.
So I could have a chance to win.