The incident of that day was extensively covered by almost all major media outlets.
Basically, both the Galactic Federation and most companies opposing it tended to provide information about the event in a way that was advantageous to themselves.
As a result, the articles published in newspapers were mostly fragmented.
There was no way to create a comprehensive article other than combining photos taken by passing citizens with their smartphones or cameras, along with the information made public by both parties and testimonies from inside sources.
Of course, most media outlets only selected the “announced information” that suited their own agenda to create their articles, and very few of them made any effort beyond that.
However, the incident that occurred right in the heart of downtown Seoul was something that could not be completely hidden from others, regardless of who made the announcements.
A few police cars were damaged.
An armored vehicle transporting special forces flipped over.
There were no fatalities, but the number of people who were seriously or moderately injured was thirty-two.
There was a shooting incident in downtown Seoul.
It wasn’t just with handguns, but with rifles, submachine guns, and shotguns.
And among the bullets that were fired, some were live ammunition.
All of those bullets were aimed at a single person, a minor girl.
When subduing a monster, bullets are often used.
In truly dangerous situations, live rounds may be necessary, and citizens somewhat accept that, as long as no one is seriously injured.
However, firing a gun at a human, especially at a minor girl, easily stirred strong resentment in many people.
“It was a necessary action.”
A police official said that.
“The girl on the run had a circuit capable of harming people, and she was able to move without any major issue, even with live ammunition being fired. It was necessary to use force to subdue her.”
“Then how do you explain allowing her to escape after taking such necessary action?”
The discussion about the use of live ammunition had sparked some division.
Even if the person is a minor, if they wield a knife and cause chaos, live ammunition should be used to subdue them.
Otherwise, someone could genuinely be killed.
While the use of a taser or other non-lethal weapons could be considered beforehand, if the person didn’t just have a knife but a circuit, there was little difference from a monster.
So, did they stop the girl with that action?
Everyone knew what had happened in that situation.
That day, in the heart of Seoul, a new magical girl was born.
The magical girl soared into the sky, created a black hole, and fled into it.
Whether it was truly a black hole or not was debated, but one thing was certain:
If that girl wanted to, she could appear anywhere.
They shot live ammunition at a rampaging minor.
But in the end, they failed to stop or neutralize the minor, and instead, the only result was her escaping with the very dangerous “circuit” in her possession.
The police had nothing to say in response to this.
“I’m sorry.”
If they were to say anything, that was all they could offer.
A failure is a failure.
The Galactic Federation kept silent. Noir Corporation also remained silent.
The only ones speaking were the commanders who had mobilized the forces at that time, but even they didn’t say much.
It was an incident that was enough for people to perceive as an attempt to evade responsibility.
In reality, both of those groups were seething internally, in many ways.
The magical girl was no different; she was also boiling with frustration.
“I just turned down another interview request. That channel has already asked four times. Don’t they ever get tired?”
“Well, of course. Even in the process of turning them down, they get to talk a little, so if they can get a story out of it, they’ll keep doing the same thing over and over.”
“Yeah, it feels like they’re trying to keep scratching at it. Asking if the magical girl was there at the scene, and why they couldn’t stop her…”
Rose let out a deep sigh.
About a week had passed since that day.
It could be considered just a week, but in modern society, a week is enough time for a lot to happen.
A light rumor could easily die down within that span of time.
However, even as time passed, the story of the incident continued to spread. It needed more time to fully settle.
That is, if the black magical girl didn’t appear again.
After that, there were no further movements from Noir Corporation.
Despite boldly accusing Jieun as the suspect, they hadn’t said anything else afterward.
No matter who requested an interview, they only gave very general responses.
The Galactic Federation also remained silent on that front, and the magical girls were left to suspect that, aside from Jieun’s escape, something else significant had occurred.
“Now… what happens to us?”
Iris asked, a little nervously.
Iris always tried to maintain a confident expression, but this time, she couldn’t help but worry.
Over the past two years, Iris had solidified her identity as a magical girl.
She had even come to take pride in it.
In a sense, she could say that her self-esteem was tied to her role as a magical girl.
But if she were to stop being a magical girl now…
If she couldn’t even finish the research she had been working on until now…
That thought made her even more anxious.
And then—
She saw Hayoon sitting in the corner of the break room, looking downcast.
For Iris, quitting as a magical girl would only mean giving up her role.
No matter how much she tied her self-esteem to it, she still saw it as a “job”—a good one, a job she liked.
Even if she had to quit, she’d have to accept it. After all, she couldn’t hold onto the title of “magical girl” forever.
But Hayoon, she had lost a friend.
It was a relief that no incidents had occurred yet, but if they had to fight again in this state, Hayoon would only drag down the other magical girls.
Hayoon was considered to have the most powerful energy among the magical girls.
Delphinium’s magic had a wide range, Dahlia’s magic was versatile and adaptable, Iris’s attacks had long range and precision, and Rose could face threats in close combat head-on, smashing them with her strength.
And Hayoon—Blossom—could cut through anything with her energy.
No matter how thick the opponent’s armor, the light from Hayoon’s staff could pierce through it.
And yet, despite that power, no one got hurt, making her ability incredibly useful.
Moreover, that immense energy affected the circuits of the other magical girls as well.
Just by Hayoon maintaining her center, the powers of the others almost doubled.
But that wasn’t the case now.
Hayoon had lost hope.
Not completely, though.
She could still transform and summon her blade.
Other abilities were still accessible.
But she no longer had the same strength as before.
When had it become so decisive? How could she revive that hope again?
Hayoon pondered deeply.
No matter how difficult her situation was, she didn’t want to be a burden to her teammates.
As much as she thought about it, the answer always pointed back to Jieun.
Jieun, the one she had grown up with since childhood.
Even when Hayoon became a magical girl and the perceptions of others slowly changed, Jieun was always by her side.
Even when others had expectations of Hayoon, Jieun never asked for anything.
She simply smiled, always just a regular friend by her side.
Why, then, was Jieun involved in the combat units?
…
The conclusion didn’t take long to surface.
Noir Corporation had tried to remain silent until the end, but a tenacious reporter uncovered the fact that
Noir Corporation had been consistently donating to an orphanage.
Noir Corporation had never donated anonymously, and that’s what led to their slip-up.
Perhaps they wanted to build an image of being a socially conscious company.
But that reporter also discovered that a girl named “Jieun Jeong” had been living in that orphanage.
After persistently tailing the girl, the reporter directly approached her on her way to school and managed to get her to say, in a flustered state, “She was the one I lived with in the same room.”
Jieun had been living in an orphanage.
Without any family to care for her.
Of course, Jieun had managed to grow into a bright child because the teachers at the orphanage and the other children there were all kind-hearted people.
But Hayoon had never known.
As a magical girl, she had leaned on her friend, but never understood the situation Jieun was in.
Jieun’s bones had been broken by Hayoon more than once.
While Hayoon’s magic didn’t harm people, her physical strength certainly could.
Not every fight ended neatly with magic.
To subdue someone, Hayoon had to hit, kick, and sometimes even slam them into the ground.
Especially Jieun, who had always fought back stubbornly.
Jieun had fought so persistently, probably to earn money for the operating costs of the orphanage.
The company must have noticed the energy Jieun possessed and approached her, setting conditions that led to her being sent into battle over and over again.
In the end, Jieun must have fought while facing Hayoon’s face—the face of the person who mercilessly beat her.
Hayoon looked down at her hands.
They were trembling.
Justice.
What did Jieun think when she met Hayoon at school?
Even the day after her fingers had been twisted back while blocking Hayoon’s kick,
the day after she had been thrown to the ground after being struck in the elbow and abdomen,
the day after her collarbone had caved in after a punch, her glove shattered from a stab wound.
Jieun had met Hayoon.
Though they were all wearing helmets, it was impossible to tell exactly who was hitting whom.
But one thing was certain: Jieun had been there.