Transformation or Death

Symbol of Peace (2)

– There was an attack by a villain at an apartment in D City tonight. The magical girl who responded to the report unfortunately found that most residents had gone missing…..

Watching the news about the mass disappearance incident that occurred in this city last night, Joo Ah-yoon clicked her tongue. Nothing but ominous news recently. 

“Rumors of dwindling customers are reaching even here…”

She had secretly hoped it would become a hidden gem known only to those in the know, but she didn’t mean for it to become a desolate place that no one visited. With only a few days left until the grand opening, the only rumors dominating this city were disappearances and deaths.

“Maybe it’s not a good idea to open a store after all?”

Jingle. The door chime rang as Han Jae-jung entered the store. Brushing off the white particles accumulated on his shoulders from the swirling snow outside, he gave a bitter smile.

“Already losing motivation before even opening? You should be prepared to franchise it.” 

“My goal is to make it a hip hangout spot. I don’t intend to get famous.”

Han Jae-jung chuckled and dragged a chair to sit in front of the bar table. Joo Ah-yoon handed him a pre-brewed coffee and complimented him on his hard work.

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll stay positive. Good work on the patrol. So… Did you find anything?”

Taking a sip of the coffee, Han Jae-jung let out an impressed oh before answering her question.

“As expected, nothing much.”

“Sigh…”

Just seconds after mentioning staying positive, Joo Ah-yoon let out a deep sigh. It was frustrating to have power but no target to use it on.

It was clear that the culprit behind the recent murders and disappearances was a villain. If it were a human, there would definitely be traces left behind. Like the mass disappearance incident from just yesterday – could that many people vanish without a trace if not caused by a villain?

The problem was that while there was definite circumstantial evidence of a villain, the villain itself couldn’t be found. This applied equally to the two transformed humans with villain tracking abilities, leaving them extremely vexed.

If the villain was in the vicinity of D5 City, it should trigger a reaction from their belts. And if it came from outside, there would be a report prompting the magical girls to be dispatched. Of course, if the culprit was an S-rank villain capable of disguise, it may not be reported until it reveals its true form. 

But even in the process of escaping, it should be caught by either the two transformed humans or the magical girls.

Once found, resolving the situation itself would be easy. But that discovery was proving impossible.

“Those darn cockroaches… Are good at hiding, I’ll give them that!”

Facing potential failure before even opening. Enraged, Joo Ah-yoon gulped down her coffee. Her heart burned hotter than the scalding drink. Hot enough to cool her temper instantly…

“Ah! Hot damn!”

Never mind.

The steaming coffee assaulted Joo Ah-yoon’s vulnerable insides. Far from cooling her temper, it only stoked the flames further. Startled, she spat out the coffee in her mouth.

“Oh geez, calm down why don’t you. You okay? Didn’t burn yourself anywhere?”

Han Jae-jung hurriedly grabbed tissues to wipe her mouth. Feigning tears at his gentle touch, Joo Ah-yoon leaned against him.

“Waah… Brother…”

“You really should have been more careful in choosing.”

“I just had this feeling…that this place was my destiny…like when I met you and sister Seol-hwa…”

What began as simple curiosity and interest eventually morphed into an obsessive conviction for Joo Ah-yoon that this place was her one and only destiny. Not just confidence, but a blind faith. In a matter of days, she had ignited a burning passion akin to Romeo and Juliet willing to die for love, resolving to put down roots here.

It was truly a fateful encounter.

However, if she was going to burn with such fiery determination, she would have to endure the searing smoke as well. Watching people leave D5 City day by day, Joo Ah-yoon felt the burden of responsibility weighing heavily on her bones.

It was the common mistake young entrepreneurs make – assuming ‘I’ll succeed for sure’.

‘What do I do about this…?’

Han Jae-jung patted the back of Joo Ah-yoon, nuzzling her cheek against his chest, and suppressed a sigh. After all, Joo Ah-yoon was the boss. He couldn’t really object to a decision she had made herself. 

Still, seeing someone who claimed to want to enjoy a happy, slow life willingly walk the path of hardship was inevitably perplexing.

“Let’s patrol one more time later. Okay? Can’t give up already. You’re my adorable Ah-yoon. You can stay strong, right?”

“Mmm…”

Joo Ah-yoon kept rubbing her cheek against his broad chest, like a newborn kitten nuzzling its mother.

Chalarang. As the doorbell rang, Joo Ah-yoon swiftly broke off her embrace with him like a butterfly and assumed a relaxed, hostess-like pose. 

Han Jae-jung looked at her in disbelief and was about to lash out at the uninvited guest when he turned his body.

“We’re not open yet…”

“What, you really opened a cafe?” 

“I said we’re not open yet.”

Ignoring his words, the uninvited guest brazenly stepped inside the shop, her gaze fixed on Joo Ah-yoon.

“Long time no see, Pink Deneb.”

“…What? How did you find out about this place?”

The two seemed to know each other. As Han Jae-jung quietly studied her face, a flash of recognition sparked in the corner of his mind. Han Jae-jung also knew this uninvited guest unilaterally. 

“Altairmoo.”

Orange Altair. A long-range magic girl capable of sniping from kilometers away by wielding the magic of the bow.

She had a decent presence in the original work as well. Above all, her distinctive character was hard to forget.

“…When will you stop calling me by that dog of a nickname?”

“Why, it just rolls off the tongue, Altairmoo.”

“Huuu… Fine.” 

She would constantly nag Pink Deneb, Joo Ah-yoon, after all. An uncommon individual with an inferiority complex towards the Pink Deneb, the lowest-ranked anti with the worst win rate.

“What are you going to say to someone who’s not even a magic girl anymore?”

“Wow, your impudence has only grown worse since we last met, Altairmoo.”

“Shut up…!”

Han Jae-jung admired Joo Ah-yoon. If it were the old her, she would have immediately thrown the cup in her hand at that provocative tone. Whether she had matured or become accustomed to it, she was nonchalantly brushing it off.

Han Jae-jung was touched by Joo Ah-yoon’s more considerate tone. Our girl has really grown up. She gets along well with her friends too.

“So what’s the deal? How did you find out about this place?”

“You don’t need to know that.”

She dismissively cut off the conversation and slowly looked around the shop.

“I wondered what you were up to after quitting as a magic girl… So this is what you had in mind? Does this mean you’re completely cutting ties with that world now?”

You thought she had cut ties, but she keeps getting tangled up in it somehow. Have you ever tried transforming into a belt? Want to get slapped around like a butterfly? She sliced through the rising fury within her with a blade-like rationality.

Joo Ah-yoon smiled wryly and addressed the kind customer who had given her early access to dealing with troublemakers even before opening for business.

“Hey, don’t be rude, customer… If you’re not going to order anything, please leave.”

“What do you sell?”

“We’re not in business yet. We’re not selling anything.”

“What the heck is that supposed to mean?”

“It means get out.”

Hah, really. After letting out a few frustrated laughs, Orange Altair briskly brushed back her hair. She violently took off her disguise sunglasses and fixed her burning gaze on Joo Ah-yoon.

“Fine, I’ll leave then. What a boring place!”

“Oh it’s a super fun interior! Hipster, isn’t it? YOUNG, isn’t it? Omoshiroi…”

Chalarang. Following that, another uninvited guest entered. This time, it was someone Han Jae-jung also knew.

“Ms. Davi…”

“Ah, don’t be so formal! Call me Haru! I’ll grant you the right to call me by my name!”

It was White Davi, Otonashi Haru. Grabbing her by the shoulder from behind, another uninvited guest poked his head out.

“Grant me the right to call you by your name too! You used to let me call you that all the time back then!”

It was Red Vega. Baek Ah-hee. Han Jae-jung immediately realized why that first uninvited guest, Orange Altair, had come to this cafe. Jooo Ah-yoon realized it too.

“So you guys told her…?”

“Huh? Naniga (What)? Ahh. Yep! I spread the rumor all over!”

Joo Ah-yoon and Altair looked back on a day that boldly affirmed.

“Senior is opening a store, so I couldn’t just leave it alone! I promoted it to every magical girl I met! How’s that! Boku, erai (I’m amazing), right?”

“Erai, sukonyan.”

In the end, unable to hold back, Joo Ah-yoon threw a coffee bean. It was as rough and unhesitating as when exorcizing a ghost. For a moment, Han Jae-jung wondered if a ghost would retreat from a coffee bean, but he understood since it seemed effective against Western ghosts.

“There are separate people to tell and not tell. Why did you tell her?”

“Eh, senior. You can’t bully. Stop the violence! Telling only some people and not others is ostracization!”

“That’s not ostracization, it’s consideration, you idiot.”

There was a gap between Orange Altair and Pink Deneb that couldn’t be fully expressed in words.

The two operated in the form of supporting magical girls dispatched from afar.

If their operating ranges were similar and they became friends, things would have been much smoother, but their personalities didn’t allow for that.

The gap between Pink Deneb, who prioritized civilian rescue, and Orange Altair, who prioritized defeating villains, only deepened.

Even among the Red, Pink, and Orange often grouped together as the Summer Triangle, with Pink having the worst grades, Orange often berated her, further worsening their relationship.

“You’re even tarnishing our light.” Orange Altair’s verbal abuse had no significant effect on Joo Ah-yoon’s defeatism, and she would scold her all the more fervently each time.

 “Are you just worthless trash with no drive for self-improvement?” she’d say.

“That crazy b*tch with those grades….”

Altair and Joo Ah-yoon glared at each other like distant relatives, and their confrontation ended with Joo Ah-yoon backing down first.

“Ha… fine. Yeah, the more people who know, the better for me. Since you came to play, I’ll make you something. Do you know how to drink coffee?”

“I don’t like bitter things!”

“Ehehe, um… Me neither.”

“I’ll smack you.”

Looking at the two, Joo Ah-yoon then glanced at Orange Altair.

“By the way, there’s none for you.”

“I know! I wouldn’t drink it anyway!”

Bang! She slammed the door shut as she left.

“Close it gently, you idiot!”

“…Is your friend okay? She seems upset.”

“Not a friend. Whether she’s upset or not, why should I care?”

Han Jae-jung was worried about Joo Ah-yoon, but her voice was as cold as could be.

Joo Ah-yoon leaned her arms on the bar table and rested her chin on them, looking at the remaining two uninvited guests.

“So, what did you two come here for? If you can’t even drink coffee.”

“To play!”

“I missed seeing you… Ah, was I a nuisance?”

Baek Ah-hee’s gaze curved like a more sinister crescent moon, and she faltered, clutching her belly. Her gaze was fixed on Han Jae-jung.

“Jae-jung?”

“No, no, it’s fine. Feel free.”

“Brother, do you think this is some playground?”

“I’m, I’m an adult now too!”

“You’re still just a brat.”

“Jiknyeo is taller than me!”

“You’ll get beaten up later.”

With a throaty laugh, White Davi ran away, only to receive a fierce dropping kick to the back of her head.

Watching this scene with satisfaction, Han Jae-jung approached Baek Ah-hee and asked, “So? If not coffee, what can I get you?”

“Ah, it’s okay. I brought my own drink.”

Baek Ah-hee rummaged through her bag and pulled out a large bottle of vodka.

“…What’s this?”

“You couldn’t drink alcohol before, so…”

“But why this?”

“…? Because it’s cool…?”

Han Jae-jung let out a deep sigh and examined the vodka bottle.

“Hey Vega, this is really strong. 40% alcohol, you know?”

“Yeah, but. I wanted to give it a try….”

Baek Ah-hee looked at Han Jae-jung with sparkling eyes, full of longing.

“I wanted my first alcoholic drink to be with you, Jae-jung… Was I being a nuisance?”

She gently pressed her abdomen against his waist. Han Jae-jung, not oblivious to the implied threat in her words, frowned deeply and stepped back.

“Alright.”

Then he headed to the fridge.

“Instead, I’ll mix something for you. That’s okay, right? Starting with this could upset your stomach.”

“Okay~”

“Could you, um, make one for me too… Please?”

“You’re going to end up drinking yourself to the emergency room today.”

“Kwaaaan! Don’t break… my joints!”

The previously gloomy atmosphere had brightened up. Seeing Jo Ah-yun’s tension noticeably rise, Han Jae-jung smiled contentedly. Even if they were uninvited guests, it wasn’t so bad like this.

As he took out ice and juice, Baek Ah-hee spoke up in front of him.

“Ah, and this is kind of a trivial matter, but…”

“Yes, what is it?”

“You know how Davi said she promoted this cafe to her seniors?”

“Yes, why?”

“It seems to have reached headquarters.”

“Yes…”

“They want to use this cafe as a base for the D5 City incident.”

“Yes… Wait, what?”

That’s a trivial matter? Han Jae-jung shot Baek Ah-hee a look, but she just grinned mischievously.

“Compared to us sharing a drink, it’s a trivial matter, right…? Why are you looking at me like that?”

Infuriating. Han Jae-jung swallowed a curse inwardly.

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