Chapter 66 : Requirements (2)

“Something feels strange.”

Iris said, looking up at the people.

“Usually, they’d evacuate everyone in nearby buildings first…”

“Are there cases where they don’t?”

“When the building is too big and has too many people inside, or if it’s a government office where essential personnel need to stay… Usually, there’s a logical reason for it.”

Iris furrowed her brows.

“But it’s almost never a simple mistake. It might make sense for one or two people, but not for this many.”

“Hmm.”

I looked up as well.

“They don’t seem like professional broadcasters.”

They were holding a smartphone in their hand.

The world had changed a lot in the last five years.

Once Earth encountered the Federation, it became impossible to completely reject their technology.

Bringing in all their technology at once would have caused excessive social chaos, so unless a nation had directly joined the Federation, it adopted the technology gradually, mainly through “technology transfers.”

This was part of why relations between Noir Corporation and the government weren’t all that bad.

But even with all that technology, there were still areas governed absolutely by physical laws, where alien technology couldn’t provide a solution.

For instance, things like, “Larger electronic devices function better,” or “Larger glass can reflect and refract more light.”

The image sensor in a smartphone is far smaller than that of a broadcast camera, and the lens attached to it is no exception.

No matter how much optical zoom it boasts, it can’t compare to professional broadcasting equipment.

If they were professional broadcasters, they’d likely have something better than a smartphone in hand.

“Unless, of course, they’re intentionally trying to look like amateurs,” Rose said.

“Maybe the Federation, the government, or Noir Corporation is trying to sway public opinion without stepping in directly?”

“I don’t know how effective it’ll be if we just show videos of us defeating a monster instead of the police.”

Wouldn’t that backfire instead?

So far, the police hadn’t been able to catch either the monsters or us.

Even if the monsters were an unprecedented phenomenon, and even if they were resistant to most attacks, our magical girl abilities were effective against them.

If we really wanted to, we could probably kill them.

Noir Corporation was already controlling the monsters in its own way.

“Do you have any ideas?” I asked James.

The drone, which had been silently floating nearby, turned towards me.

“Well, I have a few thoughts.”

“And?”

“It’s still just speculation.”

James’s voice was calm.

He didn’t seem particularly scared by the current situation.

Hmm.

I lowered my gaze again.

In the corner of my vision, I saw a girl with pink hair.

She had been staring at my face for a while now, which made it clear she was very interested in me.

Well, she wouldn’t have suggested taking a bath together if she wasn’t.

Should I talk to her?

I thought about it but realized I didn’t know much about the current situation.

How much time had passed?

I hadn’t checked the clock when the loudspeaker warned us, so I wasn’t sure.

It felt like about ten minutes.

Just as I was starting to get bored—

A loud noise came from the distance.

It wasn’t an explosion or anything like that. Instead, it sounded like—

“A helicopter?” Rose muttered.

But it wasn’t quite like a helicopter.

I’d seen helicopters before.

The sound didn’t seem like it came from a single propeller.

Looking towards the source of the noise,

I stood up and gripped the handle of my hammer.

Something was flying towards us from afar.

It was long and narrow, with four propellers.

At a glance, it looked like a large drone.

But unlike drones, it wasn’t just equipped with cameras.

Between the two pairs of propellers, it carried a container.

I could hear murmuring among the police.

And then—

Thud!

The drone reached our location and unceremoniously dropped the container.

It wasn’t close enough to crush us, so there was no need to dodge.

Neither I nor the other magical girls moved.

“Hm.”

James murmured, his tone suggesting he had a guess about what was inside.

There was no need to ask.

The container opened immediately.

Instead of a single side opening like an ordinary container, all four sides opened outwards.

Clang!

With the sound of metal echoing, the container unfolded like a cube being laid flat.

Inside the container was—

…a robot.

I let out a dry laugh without realizing it.

What stood there was a large robot.

Or rather, something that “looked like a robot” at first glance.

Inside the robot was a monster.

The massive robot, shaped somewhat like a bear, was clad in heavy white armor.

The surface was smooth, almost like it was made of ceramic.

It seemed the government or the Federation had decided on a different approach, one that didn’t involve us.

In essence, it was like saying, “No negotiations with terrorists.”

I looked up again at the people filming us.

They were holding smartphones, positioned high above.

While they could zoom in to capture us, they probably couldn’t hear us shouting from here.

Even if we went up to talk to them, they could just cut the connection.

“I see.”

Still, they couldn’t completely antagonize us.

After all, the generator was a critical matter.

Though the generator utilizing hope circuits was under development, the Federation itself didn’t have magical girls.

That unfinished generator wouldn’t even function without hope.

The generator my company had been using? I stole it.

I wasn’t sure how much time or cost went into building a generator, but if creating such advanced equipment required a specific person or relied on knowledge only the former chairman possessed…

The chairman had disappeared, and James, who likely designed it, was with me.

So, perhaps this was their “warning.”

A reminder that resistance would be meaningless.

Vrrmmm—

A sound came from near the robot.

It was caused by me.

The robot’s appearance was different from last time.

Of course, I’d seen various robots before.

While the monsters inside were biological rather than mechanical, their appearances varied.

Still, robots of the “same model” typically looked quite similar.

This time, however, the robot had two circuits.

Both shoulders glowed, emitting light that resembled the circuits magical girls used.

However, the edges of the glow were an abyss-like black, reminiscent of the “world’s darkest paint”

I’d once seen online.

Did they install LEDs?

If so, the brightness seemed a bit lacking.

Creak.

The robot’s eyes lit up, and its bear-like head tilted upward.

It moved stiffly and unnaturally, turning toward the monster.

I realized again why they kept the cameras far away.

If they were too close, people would notice the robot malfunctioning.

…I think I understand a bit now.

“This is a controlled situation, isn’t it?” Iris said.

Yeah.

To us, it looked like the cameras were blatantly pointed in our direction, but viewers of the broadcast likely wouldn’t see it that way.

From their perspective, the camera wasn’t aimed here.

They could always claim it was being filmed secretly.

And if the robot malfunctioned or became unusable, they could simply cut the footage.

They’d just explain it away later.

No matter what we did here, they could manipulate the narrative however they wanted.

“Ridiculous,” I muttered.

“Agreed,” Hayoon replied.

Hearing her, I finally turned to look at her.

Hayoon, rarely angry, was visibly upset.

It was probably the thought of exploiting the monster that enraged her.

After all, monsters were, strictly speaking, just people in pain.

To properly neutralize them and send them back into space, we’d have to resort to violence, but ultimately, they were victims.

That made subduing them even harder.

“We should’ve shown the actual situation during the last broadcast,” Hayoon said.

“Well, we were too busy back then. Nothing we can do about it now,” James replied to my mutter.

“You don’t seem particularly concerned,” I said.

“As you can see, that thing only functions properly with their involvement,” James responded.

“If they could’ve deployed it earlier to defeat the monster, they would’ve done so from the start.”

“Then what’s with the bravado?”

“They likely still have some intention to negotiate. If there’s mutual benefit, there’s room for a deal, don’t you think?”

As I glared at the drone, it wobbled slightly from side to side.

“They may know you don’t want to negotiate, but people often waver when faced with overwhelming conditions, don’t they?”

“And why would they assume I’d react that way?”

“Because you were someone who became a fighter for money.”

That was… something I couldn’t deny.

Even though I donated all of it to the orphanage, that money allowed me to live a much more comfortable life.

The allowance I received was enough for me to enjoy hobbies and occasionally treat myself to meals outside.

“…What should we do now?”

“If you fight the monster, it will probably make you seem desperate—like you’re trying to prove your worth by taking it down before the robot does. On the other hand, attacking the robot outright would be considered an act of terrorism. And opening the container would be pointless; they’d cut the feed before that happens.”

“So, just watch and wait?”

“Well, if there’s nothing to gain for us either way, watching and hoping the robot loses is an option.”

I glanced at Hayoon.

Even in this situation, she was still glaring at the robot with the same furious expression.

Creak, creak.

The robot slowly turned toward the monster.

The monsters were incapable of communication.

All they had was an instinctive desire to destroy whatever was in front of them.

Some monsters, like the one now with its flat, fish-like face, moved cautiously, but many others rampaged without hesitation.

So, how would the robot, with a monster caged inside it, react to that destructive instinct?

If it were programmed to target only a specific direction, it would fight whatever was in front of it—monster or not.

“Roooaaaar!”

The robot let out a distorted roar, more like an electronic sound than one from a living creature.

After all, if word got out that they were using monsters, that would be problematic.

Sensing the action as an attack, the other monster began to move.

Fast.

So fast it appeared as a gray blur for a moment.

Thud!

Still, the robot wasn’t easily taken down.

I recalled the robots from the corridor that day—robots that had all attacked us while using monsters inside them.

Now I understood why.

Back then, the chaos left no time to analyze the situation, but the robot’s movements were far clumsier than I realized.

If they tried to attack each other, the system would likely stop them.

The device was probably already at its limit just suppressing the monster’s strength.

But if it fed on my energy, that was a different story.

The battle was fast-paced.

The monster saw the white robot as the greatest threat, circling it swiftly and launching attacks.

The robot, in turn, focused solely on the monster, recognizing it as the primary danger.

Though the robot seemed defensive, it wasn’t entirely without offense.

Its hands, fitted with sharp artificial claws, moved so quickly they left afterimages.

I stood up.

Grabbing my hammer in one hand, I walked over to Hayoon.

“So, what’s the plan?”

When I spoke, Hayoon turned to me, her face showing a hint of uncertainty.

If Hayoon were still a magical girl in the truest sense, she wouldn’t have hesitated.

She would have charged in to fight both the robot and the monster without needing this conversation.

To her, the situation in front of her always took precedence, no matter how others might judge her.

The fact that she was hesitating now meant she was concerned about how her actions might affect me.

“I’ll move according to your decision.”

I looked up again.

No matter what we did, our actions would only be presented in ways that benefited them.

Once people accept a narrative, it’s hard to make them change their minds, even when the truth comes out.

From the moment they labeled me a “terrorist,” anything we did would just reinforce that label.

Even if I had once drawn attention through broadcasts, and even if popular magical girls had chosen to stay by my side—

“Well, I’m not sure if it’s the best idea.”

James made his usual blunt remark, but I shoved the drone aside with the end of my hammer.

“You decide.”

Hayoon and I hadn’t fully reconciled yet.

Our relationship might never return to what it once was.

But even so, Hayoon was still the protagonist.

Even if this wasn’t a traditional magical girl story, even if it was just a parody of magical girl clichés—

Hayoon was a magical girl.

One who truly believed in love, justice, and peace.

At least, I still believed that.

Rationally, I knew that in a situation like this, the protagonist’s choice mattered more than an extra like me, who could easily derail everything.

“Are you okay with that?”

Hayoon asked.

Her voice held a subtle note of hope, which made me uneasy.

“If we’re going with the majority, then it’s easier to follow your lead,” I replied, deflecting.

“Alright.”

At my words, Hayoon smiled—a determined, confident smile.

“Then let’s fight. Let’s send both of them… off this planet.”

With that, Hayoon looked to me and the other magical girls.

They all had resolute, confident smiles on their faces.

Unlike me, who didn’t know how to wear such an expression.

Why is it, I wondered.

Even back when they used the same energy as I did, those kids found hope in moments like these.

A single ray of hope—a solution that was far from perfect but still better than the worst outcomes.

And even now, in this situation, they hadn’t lost that hope.

The circuits running through them proved it.

Their magical girl costumes proved it.

Those kids weren’t losing hope, not even in this moment.

It didn’t sit well with me.

I didn’t like it, but somehow, it reassured me.

In the end, the thing I disliked the most was myself.

“Let’s go.”

With those words, Hayoon shot forward.

We followed close behind.

Though I didn’t notice it much when monsters attacked me directly, the pressure of slipping between two fighting monsters was overwhelming.

It felt like forcing yourself between two fast-moving presses, the white and gray blurs blending together so much that hesitation could cost you.

So, I opted for the least stressful method—not pushing my way in, but launching an ambush.

Click.

The back half of my hammer opened up, revealing a booster.

At full power, it shot me upwards into the air.

Following an arc, I brought the hammer’s head crashing down on the white robot’s head.

Bang!

The robot raised its arms quickly to block my hammer.

Creak.

Its head turned toward me.

Its eyes, just cameras on the outside, likely held a human gaze behind them—a gaze of someone deranged for reasons I couldn’t fathom.

I activated the front boosters on my hammer.

“Graaah!”

The robot shoved its arms outward, but my hammer’s output was stronger.

While it had small auxiliary outputs up front, the main thrust from the back was overwhelming.

The robot’s arms began to glow red-hot.

Not ceramic—an alloy? I wondered.

And then—

Crash!

The gray monster slammed into the white robot’s body.

Right, those two were still fighting.

Neither seemed prepared for this situation.

The robot stumbled backward, while the monster tried to avoid my hammer and ended up dragging its body across the ground.

With nothing holding back my hammer, it struck downward.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

I rained blows on the fallen monster, adjusting the rear thrust slightly and splitting the front boosters into short, powerful bursts.

Combined with my arm strength, my movements became threatening.

But the monster didn’t just take the hits.

Rolling to the side, it tried to escape—

—or so it thought.

Hayoon intercepted it with her shoulder.

Instead of the metallic sound of clashing machines, there was a brutal thud, like flesh hitting flesh.

Unfazed, Hayoon immediately slashed at the monster with her sword.

She didn’t manage to cut it, but her attack was enough to keep it from approaching or escaping.

Bang!

A loud noise came from beside me.

Rose had blocked the robot’s arm as it swung toward me.

Bang! Bang!

Iris’s concentrated shots struck the robot’s head repeatedly.

Each hit seemed to damage its control systems further, with the white armor cracking and turning to powder, revealing the machinery beneath.

They were probably planning to cut the video feed soon.

If they decided to use this footage, it wouldn’t be in a way favorable to us.

We’re working surprisingly well together, I thought.

Or maybe they were aligning themselves with me.

It didn’t sit well with me, but what could I do?

We were already in motion.

First, deal with what’s in front of us.

Then, think about what comes next.

Maybe I’ll rob a convenience store and run off after this.