Hayoon was wondering what kind of thoughts might be hidden behind that smile.
“Have I become this suspicious?”
She was startled by that thought.
“Hayoon?”
“Huh?”
“It’s not because you dislike us, right?”
The question came again.
“Yeah. It’s not that I don’t like you…”
“I see, then.”
The girl took Hayoon’s hand as she spoke.
“Well then, let’s try to hang out next time when you have time. Having a lot of friends isn’t a bad thing, right? And later on, you’ll—”
Hayoon could only listen to the conversation with a blank expression.
Until now, Hayoon didn’t hate school.
It wasn’t that she liked everything, either.
Hayoon, being human, had things she didn’t like.
But now, it was different.
The “reasons to like it” seemed to have completely disappeared, and school had just become a place she didn’t want to go to.
Only one thing had changed.
Jieun was gone.
Whenever Hayoon was hesitating or unsure about something, it was always Jieun who would step in and change the subject.
When Hayoon was feeling down, it was Jieun who would take her hand, lead her to somewhere bright, and buy her something sweet to lift her spirits.
Even just the absence of Jieun had made people’s attitudes toward Hayoon shift like this.
When Jieun suddenly intervened and took Hayoon away, how did people perceive Jieun? They probably didn’t think well of her.
Had Jieun been taking the glances Hayoon should’ve received until now?
Hayoon had thought it was nice that Jieun looked at her without any ulterior motive.
But did Jieun really do it because she wanted to?
Maybe Hayoon, her friend, had been looking at Jieun in such a way that, despite disliking it, Jieun had felt forced to act like that.
She had wanted others to look at her without any hidden agenda, but in reality, wasn’t it Hayoon who had been looking at Jieun in such a calculating way?
Hayoon missed Jieun.
But at the same time, Hayoon was scared.
She wondered if the reason she missed Jieun was simply because she wanted someone to take the hatred that should’ve been directed at Hayoon.
No one ever openly showed that kind of emotion in front of Hayoon.
But what if something else was happening behind her back?
Just like how Jieun had to work for Noir Corporation, could it be that, in places Hayoon couldn’t see, Jieun was actually suffering from severe bullying?
The thought made Hayoon feel a little cold.
Jieun…
She muttered softly, quietly, so no one could hear.
There was, of course, no answer.
Jieun’s seat was empty.
Could she come back?
Could things return to how they were before?
Maybe Jieun didn’t want to go back to that life anymore.
Hayoon was scared.
The reason she had suddenly jumped up from her seat after the homeroom teacher finished speaking, grabbed her bag, and rushed out of the classroom was because of that fear.
When she returned home, her father and mother were still out.
They would probably come back late again today.
After all, the work still hadn’t been settled.
With a slightly tired expression, Hayoon went to her room, lay down on her bed without even changing clothes.
What had Jieun thought when she looked at Hayoon?
Hayoon had thought she was being nice to Jieun.
She had given her gifts based on the things Jieun had shown interest in when they were together.
But now, as Hayoon tried to recall, she realized she didn’t really know what Jieun liked.
She knew that Jieun liked listening to music.
She knew that Jieun listened to all kinds of genres without any particular preference.
Hayoon had even bought the same albums Jieun had bought and listened to them.
Other than that, Jieun had always accommodated Hayoon.
Without Hayoon asking, without needing to be told what she wanted.
But in the end, Hayoon had never known anything about Jieun’s situation.
“…I want to meet again.”
Hayoon didn’t know what kind of conversation would happen, and that scared her.
But still, she wanted to meet.
She wanted to apologize for the things she had done wrong, and express her gratitude for the things she appreciated.
Even though, if they met again, it would never be under the right circumstances for a proper conversation.
But still…
And that wish was granted before the day had even ended.
“While you were working outside, I’ve prioritized some things.”
She spoke as though she had been doing something more important while working.
Well, technically, if you look at the amount of food and waste, James is the least in our group. He almost only ate nuts and seeds, and the amount of those was barely a handful.
He took showers or baths, but it was enough to just fill the sink with water and place him in it.
These days, he just gets placed in a water-filled basin inside the bathroom.
At least that way, he can get out on his own.
A hamster who bathes alone and is potty-trained—honestly, I can’t help but think he’s the perfect pet.
Of course, I’m the only one in this house who sees him that way.
Jiguppa, at least, seems to view James as an ‘alien.’
Every time I play with James, he gives me a look as though I were someone who abuses other races, like a serious racist.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
James, who had suffered quite a lot from me, looked at me with a wary gaze.
His front paws—no, hands—were planted on the floor, and he looked like he was ready to bolt at any moment.
Lately, every time I tried to catch him, James would run behind Jiguppa.
And each time, Jiguppa would make an even more complicated expression.
“No, keep explaining.”
Despite still looking at me like I was some suspicious person, James continued with his explanation.
“The most important thing is evading the tracker. I didn’t exactly create a combatant tracking system.
Most of the time, the energy levels are too weak for tracking through energy alone. Instead, I’d need to create much more expensive equipment.”
Right.
The Despair Circuit just has a GPS attached to it.
I remember hearing from the class president that, if it were possible, that would be far more economical.
The reason why magic girls are tracked through energy is simple.
There’s no one who would implant such a GPS into a magic girl’s circuit.
How can a group of mice come up with a plan to put a bell on a cat’s neck and succeed?
“So?”
“Tracking is done through satellites. But we can’t just drop satellites.”
A reconnaissance satellite in geostationary orbit.
Even if we track it, the information will only update every 90 minutes, as the satellite orbits once every 90 minutes. It’s better to just keep a satellite in geostationary orbit.
“But what if we destroy the receiver at the base station?”
“Just use a new receiver.”
“Do you know? That technology is classified. It was developed for the government.”
“Does that mean there are no backups?”
For something like that, all the combatants were able to access it.
Some of the magic girls probably know about it too.
There have been plenty of cases where combatants were captured, so it’s not strange if some information leaked.
“Only a very few know the location of the base station. And yes, you’re right. There are no backups yet. To be precise, they’re still being made.”
So.
“If you destroy all of that, you’ll be free for a while. It could be a few months, or even over a year.”
But, to do that, you’d have to carry out a terrorist act. Isn’t that a bit dangerous?
There are plenty of ways to leak the information.
Once the Federation learns about that ‘tracking technology,’ they’d be completely thrown off.
“At just the right time, the Federation and the company will want that. From the company’s side, it’s also a ‘deterrent measure,’ so it wouldn’t be entirely overlooked.”
“There’s no way around it. Even if the core technology is handed over, it still needs to stay in the right hands.”
I stared at James for a while.
“You really look like a villain.”
“Well, that’s too much of a compliment.”
Seeing James, with his office worker-like fur, bow his head gently, I couldn’t help but feel a strange irritation, but I managed to hold it in.
So, what you’re saying is…
When the two sides clash, we just need to slip in, achieve the goal, and get out.