NOVEL NEXT Episode 16 – Under the Lamp? (1)
“What are you so scared about?”
“Well, we did something bad after all…”
“Don’t worry about it, just relax.”
I sneaked a glance at the magic mirror. The room we were waiting in felt more like an interrogation room. It’s not like I’ve never seen it in a movie before.
They were probably eavesdropping on us from the other side.
“What if they just send us home?”
“If the law is that ridiculous, we’d just have to come back out again.”
I snorted. Sure, I felt a bit anxious, but they couldn’t treat us poorly outright.
“Did everyone wait long?”
Just then, someone opened the door and walked in. I instantly recognized who she was.
The head of the Management Bureau’s Policy Department, Oh Yoon-seo. One of the people pretty deeply involved with Magical Girls in this country.
But there was someone else beside her. The moment I saw her, I instinctively hid my hands.
“Why, what’s wrong?”
[Now that I think about it, when I transform back, mascots can’t be seen by other Magical Girls… Not a big deal. That girl is a Magical Girl. I saw her last time.]
“How do you know that?!”
Ren’s eyes widened in shock. It seemed she didn’t notice Ren at all right now.
[You can feel her magic, right?]
Is it because she’s healing? Just a slight flow of magic through her body registered with my senses.
“Don’t be too wary. This is Han Eun-seo. She’s a close student of mine.”
“That’s right. And I also ran away from home.”
She said it so nonchalantly. But for some reason, her face felt familiar. She probably didn’t know, but Kim Soo-jung seemed a bit less guarded at her words.
“We’ll have a bit of a consultation with you and your teachers now, so if there’s anything you want…”
“Just promise me one thing.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle before speaking up. Of course, it was only natural to say what I wanted when asked.
“Hmm?”
“I won’t go back home with her.”
I put my foot down from the start. I could see Policy Department Head Oh Yoon-seo’s slight surprise. The girl introduced as Han Eun-seo frowned as well.
“Wh-why is that? Even if there are problems, we can solve them well…”
“I don’t believe that anymore. If you send me back forcibly, I’ll just run away again. I’ll make sure to stay hidden next time.”
I refused to lower my posture. Kim Soo-jung fidgeted, grabbing my short sleeves, but I ignored it.
“That’s thinking too simply.”
“Well, we know our personal matters best, don’t we?”
Han Eun-seo said something, but I immediately shot back. This time, her eyebrows twitched. Even when not transformed, there was a slightly visible trace of a Magical Girl.
“F-fine. For now, let’s do a check.”
Oh Yoon-seo intervened to take control of the situation. I decided to back off there. If I pushed too hard, I felt like I might really get hit.
“Wh-why did you do that?! That lady looked really scary…”
“Don’t worry about it. And remember, in this world, no one is going to help you just for suffering alone. So, if you want something, feel free to do whatever it takes to get it.”
That’s the common sense of the Demon Realm. However, I was sure this was a common sense that applied here at times too.
“Hmm, hello?”
“Hello?”
We entered separate rooms and met with a counselor one by one. I smiled brightly at the counselor who greeted me.
I needed to come across as a decent girl here for things to go smoothly.
“What a bright child. So, Jin-ah, you mentioned you went outside briefly back then? But why were you out at night?”
“I just went for a walk.”
“Alone?”
I’m not familiar with psychological therapy, but I was doing my best to come up with a decent story for a good outcome.
“It shouldn’t be too hard. Do you like to draw?”
The first suggestion she offered was to draw a scene of rain.
It seemed easy enough. I quickly grabbed a piece of paper.
“Let’s say we set this spot. So are you going to live normally now?”
[Normally? What does that mean?]
“Just like other girls, going to school peacefully! And stop the violent acts.”
[But I have to keep up the act. Why should I stop the violence? I only punish evil according to the regulations.]
As it quieted down, Ren seemed ready to chime in beside me.
I snickered at Ren’s words. I could invest in enjoying myself. However, I had no intention of limiting myself.
[I know what you’re worried about, but just stay quiet. Nothing bad is going to happen. Can’t you see how the company is keeping quiet?]
“Damn… That’s the problem! Why in the world is the company saying nothing!”
Ren tugged on her big ears, flailing around. Strictly speaking, my agency, Rana Land, was just fulfilling our contract.
Ren, a mere middle manager, just didn’t know that.
“Jin-ah? Did you draw the rain?”
“Ah.”
At that moment, surprised by the counselor’s words, I unconsciously set down the bright red crayon I was holding. While I was distracted talking to Ren, I accidentally drew a crimson acidic rain pouring from the Demon Realm.
“It was really a mistake. I’ll draw again.”
“Um… yes, try again.”
“I’m serious.”
What a disaster. I glanced at the counselor’s serious expression and began to redraw the rain.
It felt like closing the stable door after the horse had bolted, but I had no choice.
*
“…Why the interest in that child?”
“Because she’s just incredibly rude. Like, really.”
While the consultations were ongoing with the kids involved in the incident, Oh Yoon-seo approached Han Eun-seo, who was watching the counseling room’s camera.
The one Han Eun-seo was observing was one of the youngest girls. A girl with a black bob, who looked somewhat cold.
“Jin-ah. She certainly did seem quite bold.”
“First, her common sense test… is off the charts. They say she’s smarter than most adults.”
“Really?”
“But she’s pretty crazy.”
Han Eun-seo nodded. In fact, Jin-ah, the girl, already caught her interest. She informed Oh Yoon-seo about Jin-ah drawing blood-red rain.
“Don’t say it like that. It’s our job to treat and protect children like her.”
“That’s true. But strangely enough…”
She trailed off, finding it difficult to voice her thoughts.
‘It’s almost like, Takilas.’
Her instincts were quite sharp. But she couldn’t muster the courage to confirm it.
“Are they going to put those kids in the Management Bureau facility?”
“What Jin-ah said is right. Sending them back after they say they don’t want to doesn’t help. We have to look into it and first send them to a facility…”
Oh Yoon-seo nodded. Han Eun-seo didn’t say anything more. But this time, Oh Yoon-seo brought up a different subject first.
“Is she at the same school as me?”
“Her name is Jeon So-hyun. Have you heard of her?”
“…Not at all. Didn’t you say she doesn’t go to school?”
The topic was about Jeon So-hyun, who was the same age and one of the runaway girls caught up in this incident.
…
In the counseling room where the counselor had left, Jeon So-hyun sat tightly with her lips sealed.
‘What am I going to do now…?’
Her hands clenched on her thighs trembled. She didn’t want to go home either. But she sure didn’t want to go to a facility. The truth was, she was in a situation where she couldn’t act freely.
‘Someone is going to come after me.’
She flinched as she looked down at the small tattoo on her wrist.
This mark etched onto her unwitting body was what she had offered up as a price.
Trading her desired money and her freedom. They already had several methods to control her. With each passing moment, her heart felt heavier.
“3rd Year Class 1, Jeon So-hyun.”
“..!?”
Just then, someone entered the counseling room. It was her classmate, Han Eun-seo, with a strange expression.
“Who…”
Jeon So-hyun flinched, quickly scanning Han Eun-seo’s body and realizing her uniform belonged to the school she used to attend, freezing her in place. She instinctively crossed her arms and crossed her legs.
It was a reflexive defensive posture.
“What are you? Seemun High student?”
“That’s right. I’m from the class next to yours.”
“…But why are you here?”
Her voice turned unexpectedly harsh. However, Han Eun-seo, or rather, Magical Girl Aria, was already seeing things that others couldn’t.
‘Evil emanating from a villain… but not all of this girl’s evil is hers.’
“You should go back to school.”
“Tch.”
“Or do you have a reason why you can’t go to school? Did something happen to you in the meantime?”
Han Eun-seo directly interrogated her. Jeon So-hyun’s face crumpled, but she couldn’t muster the courage to retort.
“Honestly, So-hyun, your group… is connected to a criminal organization that did everything from drugs to human trafficking and encouraging violence.”
However, the crumpled expression soon changed to despair. Oh Yoon-seo appeared behind Han Eun-seo.
Oh Yoon-seo struck the final blow to Jeon So-hyun, mentioning law and crime.
“It’s really nothing.”
“…Then you might be at a disadvantage, So-hyun. The law has changed, and now even high school students can face criminal charges.”
“I-It’s true.”
Jeon So-hyun barely managed to make an excuse. Naturally, no one present believed her, and neither did she.
But she had to say that.
“I’d rather… go home.”
She said that in a somewhat resigned voice.
She thought it might be better to say she was going home and then run away again.