NOVEL NEXT “If you make that banging sound again, I’ll turn it into a ten-hour video.”
…And from the day after the aunty came down to our floor, the sounds noticeably decreased, making all my previous thoughts feel utterly pointless.
The subwoofer I’d purchased with great determination.
Thankful for its performance, I carefully moved it next to the monitor so it could fulfill that purpose.
The two pairs of earplugs I’d bought from Da-young would also go unused now…
But what of it, what does it matter?
Just thinking I’d made that brazen face uncomfortable brought a refreshing sensation, as the food that had risen to my throat slid straight down into my stomach.
“How should I search for it?”
“You just write the title you want to find here and press this big button…”
As the computer meant for noise terrorism suddenly found itself with nothing to do, it settled in the corner of our apartment and began to be used for its original purpose.
What I was doing now was searching for the animation Siyeon liked on YouTube.
My finger awkwardly tapped each letter, searching for the right one.
I couldn’t help but see a reflection of myself when I first learned to use a computer and Siyeon.
Thinking back, this was probably around the time when I’d first encountered computers.
‘A magical girl looking for a magical girl animation…’
Watching Siyeon struggle to type, I mused absentmindedly.
Maybe it was because there were more scenes resembling a magical girl than actual magical girls?
“Oh, here it is!”
“Now move the mouse and click the left button.”
As dazzling scenes filled with pastel pinks passed by, the magical girl animation began.
Since the computer came into existence, the TV had inevitably become a cold dish.
Even though the animation was childish, its cheerful sounds filled the previously quiet room, so I didn’t even feel like turning it on.
After all, why bother with the TV when it mostly just had bad news?
Even with a childish storyline, laying on the floor watching the animation while completely absorbed…
“Siyeon?”
“Lady Mari?”
The mascots called us almost simultaneously.
Since they called first, the expectation was that it was a single matter, no need for guessing.
In anticipation of what was to come, I grabbed a black mask from the closet with one hand and asked just in case.
“Is it a monster?”
“Yes.”
A firm answer that showed no sign of straying from expectations.
Sometimes, I wished it would be wrong.
“What can we do, Siyeon?”
“…”
“Siyeon?”
When I received no answer, I called again.
It seemed my voice had been drowned out by the video that was playing.
Raising my voice for the second time, I finally heard her response.
“Ah, okay!”
“If you click the screen, it’ll pause. Hurry up and deal with it so we can watch again.”
Siyeon’s gaze flickered toward the computer for a brief moment as she was about to leave the house.
That feeling of suddenly being interrupted when deeply focused on something isn’t pleasant.
Understanding that feeling well, I purposely quickened my pace to lead.
“Moon Power, Transform!”
“Sun.”
In the shadows between the lonely buildings without a person in sight, we shouted our transformation spells and soared into the sky.
As we flew towards where the mascots, like a monster navigation system, were pointing, a question flew from Siyeon, who looked somewhat puzzled.
“Sun, why do monsters have so many minions in cartoons?”
“Minions? Ah…”
I pondered, trying to grasp what she meant, and then realized it was so.
The minuscule figures dressed in full-body tights that obscured their eyes entirely.
Is she talking about those speechless little buddies?
“Hmm…”
Listening to her question made me ponder it as well.
While flying, I let out a short sigh, crossing my arms in the sky.
Minions, the essence of minions.
In terms of story setting, they might be there to drain the magical girls’ powers, or maybe there’s a quota of useless minions allocated per monster.
But realistically speaking…
“It’s a padding of content.”
“Padding…?”
Her expression showed complete confusion.
Did I explain it using vocabulary too complex for a primary school kid? I decided to simplify my explanation.
Ever since the monster alert went off in our designated area of Sun and Moon, the average time to deal with a monster has been below five minutes.
“Why, aren’t monsters weaker than you might think?”
If produced straight into an animation, it would become a shorts animation.
If they kept going in such one-pattern storytelling, kids would lose interest quickly.
In reality, dealing with monsters is best done as swiftly as possible.
“Really…?”
“You can’t fight all day, so we need grateful beings to fill the time until the cartoon ends.”
“Grateful…?”
Siyeon seemed to have mixed feelings.
Those minions she’d only thought of as the villains siphoning the magical girls’ powers were actually such a great help to keep the cartoon going.
Oh dear, have I just touched upon a realm of childhood innocence?
“Ha ha! You’ve come, Mar-vu?”
Just as my thoughts deepened for a moment, a voice, presumably from below, grazed my ears.
“Ah, Lady Mari! You passed by! You passed by!”
“Siyeon! Back, back!”
Soon after, the mascots’ urgent cries echoed in my ears, warning that we had passed a monster.
“Oops.”
“Ah.”
With a short sound of having made a mistake, I braked in mid-air and flew a few meters further.
Quickly spinning my body, I turned towards the voice.
This is why you shouldn’t get distracted while driving.
Anyway, once I got close enough and landed, I finally saw the monster, which had earlier only appeared as a dot.
It had a head with three-pronged horns that seemed to be a combination of a stag beetle and a rhinoceros beetle.
Its arms were forelegs shaped like a mantis, suited perfectly for snatching something.
It looked like an insect’s ultimate weapon.
Siyeon, being less adept at flying than me, would likely arrive a bit later, so I opened my mouth first.
“Ah, what was it… I will not forgive you or something.”
I scratched the back of my head, trying to recall the words a magical girl was supposed to say after so long.
Even that was too bothersome to think up, so I settled for a vague expression.
“Ugh, these little brats! How dare you pass me and one of you is even wearing that weird mask! Are you insulting me?”
It seemed that my lack of respect had struck a nerve, as the insect monster angrily pointed at me with its mantis-like arm.
“That was a mistake, of course, but isn’t it a given?”
“What…?”
It swung its stick-like appendage to massage its shoulder, bemusedly questioning me, so I kindly explained.
“Why should we show respect to a nuisance that might just cause collateral damage when we’re about to fight anyway?”
“Uh, well…”
The moment it answered with an “uh,” was my chance.
As soon as I heard that, I leaped forward, putting all the power collected in my toes into my jump.
A magical girl fighting in full condition, standing against the monster head-on?
That’s something you’d only find in cartoons on TV.
This was a job, and it was reality.
All I felt was a desire to end this quickly and return home to rest.
“Ha ha ha! You fell for it!”
“?!”
As my magical wand clashed with the monster’s headgear, a sharp metallic sound echoed around us, like two blades colliding.
Then, the monster’s tone and laughter mixed, as if it were expecting this.
The horns, reminiscent of a stag beetle’s pincers, bore sharp spikes that aimed toward my waist.
Siyeon’s startled cry reached my ears.
“Sun!”
“I’ve heard plenty about you!”
The monster’s voice, convinced of its victory, rang forth bravely.
The hole above was blocked by something like a rhinoceros beetle’s horn, and due to the monster’s head extending forward, I found no escape below.
No avoiding it.
“Your treachery and cruelty surpassing even that of monsters! This legend comes to an end here!”
As the pincers of the stag beetle attempted to chomp at my waist, it soon…
Much like when my wand smashed down on its head, a sharper metallic sound resonated in the surroundings than before.
The pincers, as if trying to sever my waist, rubbed against me like a saw but only made a clatter without actually hitting.
“…Huh?”
The voice of the perplexed monster, filled with doubt, flowed from right in front of me.
It seemed to have been pierced by the inside of the pincers with their sharp spikes.
Surely, it must be feeling something, right? Was it wondering the same thing?
“Hey, are you done?”
“No way, this can’t be happening…?”
Disbelief mixed with its surprised tone as the pincers fell away from my waist.
“Where do you think you’re going, you punk.”
I saw the thin legs trying to back away and grabbed what had been blocking my escape, the long horn like that of a beetle.
Previously that horn had blocked my escape route, but now it had become a handle, preventing it from fleeing.
Was that the desperate finishing blow? Instead of bravely rushing forward, it was now pitifully flapping its transparent wings as it tried to escape from its shell.
“I hear you’ve been talking a lot about me?”
“W-wait a moment…!”
“Cruel, kind of monster-like? Vicious… ah.”
It must have realized it was not going to win; with each word, its flapping grew even more frantic.
The sound of its insect wings flapping filled the air, raising dust around us.
“Oh, no! How could I dare to speak recklessly!”
“No, don’t worry about canceling…”
I gently smiled at the insect monster that seemed eager to take back its words, assuring it that there was no need for that.
What I was about to say surely wasn’t welcome to it.
“That’s probably all true…”
The heart decoration on the heated wand was glowing a deep shade of despair red.