NOVEL NEXT Chapter 19 – Under the Lamp? (4)
“Magical Girl Takilas, once again, a dozen people…”
“We must capture her and control her…”
“Magical Girl? No, she’s a Demon Girl!”
From the restaurant’s TV news that has blared my story all morning until now, all they’ve done is criticize me. The old geezers like doctors and professors have come on air to lecture about how evil and wrong my actions are.
Of course, the actual public opinion seems to differ a bit from their lofty perspectives.
I couldn’t care less, though. The only one who seemed a bit different was Kim Soo-jung, sitting next to me and glued to the TV.
“But… you killed bad people. There must be people who like you.”
“They say they dislike you for disrupting order.”
“Order..? That order only favors those who support it.”
While munching on her lunch, she sighed in a dark voice.
Even without knowing my true identity, she subtly keeps defending me, which made it seem like she genuinely believes I’m in the right.
“Interesting.”
I chuckled with a spoon stuck in my mouth. Most of the people who enjoy my actions are young folks. Ironically, kids like her seem to view it quite negatively.
“So, what do you think, Mrs. Teacher?”
Curiosity piqued, I asked our homeroom teacher, Lee Sun-young, about me, or rather, Magical Girl Takilas, after lunch. This institution is intrinsically linked to Magical Girls, after all.
“Huh?”
She flinched at my sudden question, then turned her eyes away as if contemplating her answer.
“Ahem! She’s definitely a Magical Girl who punishes evil, but murder is bad. So, um… that’s a wrong action.”
“But if not, bad people will commit bad deeds again.”
“W-well, that’s true… but there are many who go to prison, reform, and ask for forgiveness.”
She was sweating under Kim Soo-jung’s argument, stumbling to pacify her. Still, this was a decent opportunity to gauge an educator’s perspective.
“Then why not be kinder? You could easily get results without having to kill.”
Rene, sensing an opening, started poking fun at me. When the two weren’t watching, I kicked him lightly, suppressing a chuckle.
I suppose I did have some unreasonable tendencies.
Yet, with everyone hounding me like this, it became harder to tolerate. My value system, transformed by a century in the Demon Realm, viewed all actions in this society as a challenge against me.
“U-um, anyway, today I’ll discuss your treatment moving forward. The administrative processing is complete.”
At that moment, Lee Sun-young cleared her throat and finally broached the main topic.
“First, you will be going to school.”
“What about the high school equivalency exam?”
School? The moment she mentioned school, I brought up thoughts of high school equivalency exams I had been mulling over. There was no way I could attend school with a bunch of middle schoolers at my age.
“…Middle school is compulsory education. According to institutional policy, you must attend. School isn’t just a place for studying; it’s where you mingle with friends and develop social skills.”
Lee Sun-young, wide-eyed and surprised, shook her head. I clicked my tongue inwardly. I already suspected this wouldn’t fly, but my taste soured anyway. And I wondered if they had moved too hastily.
“The middle school you’ll be attending is Se-won Middle School nearby; you’ll commute with other kids, so be ready on time going forward.”
“…Yes.”
Kim Soo-jung’s voice was small. She clearly didn’t want to go to school.
“Jin-ah, how about you?”
“Of course.”
But somehow, Lee Sun-young’s arrow seems aimed at me. It felt as if I were genuinely targeted. So I forced an exaggerated laugh and nodded.
Satisfied with my answer, Lee Sun-young asked us to wait a moment and left the room.
“School…”
“Why? Don’t want to go? I don’t either.”
“Y-really?!”
I casually dropped the line, and Kim Soo-jung grabbed my shoulder with excitement. A bit taken aback, I pulled her hand away and turned serious.
“The reason I don’t want to go is that I dislike the noisy and childish environment. But that doesn’t seem to be your case.”
“That’s…”
“C’mon, be honest. Did something happen at school?”
I asked, braving the annoyance of probing her story. After all, she was going to be my roommate from now on.
Eventually, Kim Soo-jung, glancing around awkwardly, shared what had happened to her in the past.
“They bullied me, hit me… I couldn’t resist. If I fought back, their parents would come and slap me repeatedly. But I had no parents to come and defend me.”
“What about the teacher? Never mind, let’s not even go there. You’ve had your share of rotten people to deal with.”
What would the best ability be, I wondered. Money? Looks? Luck? No, none of those mattered. The best thing is simply meeting good people.
“Honestly, I didn’t learn much. More practical things like proper laundry methods were more helpful than addition and subtraction.”
“That’s a short-sighted view, but you had no choice back then. Anyway, you have to go to school.”
Having heard her story, I declared it firmly. It didn’t matter that she’d had bad memories; to survive in this society, she needed at least the bare minimum qualifications.
“Yeah, I’ll go. But this time, you’ll be there, so it’s okay.”
Yet, contrary to her words, Kim Soo-jung nodded obediently. My eyebrows twitched hearing that response.
“But I’m smaller than you?”
“Still, you seem… strong. And having a friend will make it better.”
She said this with pure eyes, without a hint of hesitation. I was almost speechless, taken aback.
“…Sometimes that pure intention pierces through everything. Quite the sharp insight.”
Rene muttered from the bed.
“Gah!”
Knowing he was just trying to seem cool, I dramatically flopped onto the bed, attempting to squish him with my backside.
“This is your school uniform. Handle it well, okay?”
Lee Sun-young, having returned, brought us the clothes. I accepted them with a grim face. I felt uncomfortable wearing a uniform that left so much skin exposed.
As she urged us to try them on so she could check the size, Kim Soo-jung and I exchanged glances, took off our clothes, and changed into our uniforms.
“The size fits well. You both look good.”
A regular white blouse, a red vest, and a red checkered skirt. The red ribbon was the school’s uniform. After a few checks, Lee Sun-young stepped out again.
“We’re really going to school.”
“Which means you should sleep early. That way, you can wake up fresh like today.”
I chuckled at her, remembering how Kim Soo-jung had admired how well she slept thanks to my help earlier this morning.
But I wouldn’t be able to sleep soundly tonight. I had to revisit the ledger I had raided last night.
The list included illegal businesses with detailed information. For example… the names of the girls working there. I found one familiar name on that list.
I couldn’t understand why I felt so restless back then, but now I knew for sure.
“Are you really going to kill that girl too? Whether they’re selling or buying, they’re the same, right?”
[But there seems to be a difference in visible malice… we can listen to her story. No, why should I be the one accommodating? If I want to save her, I will. If I want to kill her, then I will.]
I scoffed at Rene’s words. I was not some executioner or judge who had to stick to strict criteria for life and death.
I would do as I pleased.
So that night too, I soared into the sky.
The rhythmic music echoed through the late night sky.
A street meant solely for entertainment and pleasure. Sadly, my hands were full of those who deserved to die in this perfect and beautiful span of road.
“Ugh! Aaaah! Magical Girl!”
“Code Red! It’s Takilas!”
Unlike my unintentional infiltration yesterday, I drew immediate attention upon landing. As I touched down, the screaming crowd began to scatter in panic.
Seeing them like this felt somewhat unfair. I’d never kill innocent people.
“Or maybe, they feel guilty about a lot?”
I chuckled as I swung my hand, unleashing blades of shadow. Three fools trying to stop me found themselves sliced in half, raining blood as they collapsed.
“I don’t kill the innocent, you know?!”
I maneuvered the shadows, breaking down the door and stepping inside.
Inside, chaos erupted. People rushed toward the only narrow emergency exit in a desperate attempt to flee.
“Looks like I could wipe them all out in one go…”
“Haah!”
Just when I reached out my tendrils towards them, a random thug charged at me from the side.
“Ugh!”
“Who are you? You’re not exactly normal.”
As the punk, who looked like he came from a bad B-movie, threw a punch at me, my shadow blocked it. Just then, he reeled back, preparing to kick me.
The kick landed squarely on my chest, carrying a shocking force.
If I had been an ordinary kid, my ribs would have shattered, and my insides would have exploded.
“Interesting, huh?”
“Ahhh!”
I impaled his limbs with tendrils, pinning him to the wall.