Transformation or Death

Symbol of Peace (3)

Fill a tall glass with ice and a little vodka. Pour orange juice over it until the glass is full. Stir it well with a long teaspoon and it’s done.

It’s a cocktail called a Screwdriver. Han Jae-jung once worked part-time at a bar to earn money for his civil service exam preparations. Wanting to avoid showing his face, he worked in the kitchen, so making simple cocktails like this was no big deal for him.

He handed it to Baek Ah-hee and sat down across from her.

“Thank you.”

Ooh, Baek Ah-hee exclaimed softly, examining the glass with sparkling eyes. Han Jae-jung smirked as he watched her marveling at this cheap cocktail as if it were the finest wine.

“It’s just an ordinary cocktail.”

“What about mine?!”

“Why would a minor drink alcohol? Just have some juice.”

Haru whimpered softly. He handed her a glass filled with just plain orange juice.

‘I didn’t hear anything.’

At the same time, he decided to consider Haru’s words as just an exaggerated comparison. Thinking that a foreign magical girl might soothe herself with such things would surely break his heart. Magical girls live on dew alone!

“What about mine?”

“There’s still some coffee left from earlier.”

“Seeing that guy’s face earlier made me feel like I need a drink. Should I just pour some vodka into the coffee?”

“Mix in some whipped cream or milk. That’ll make it taste better.”

“Okay~ Want some too, brother?”

“Yes, please.”

It would become a White Russian with just a slight change in ingredients. Suppressing the guilt of drinking alcohol during the day, Han Jae-jung asked Joo Ah-yoon.

“Ooh… This is sweet!”

“I made it sweet.”

“So this is what alcohol tastes like….”

Grinning broadly, Baek Ah-hee kept moving her glass. Before he knew it, the glass was already half empty. Han Jae-jung only then realized that the Screwdriver was one of the lady killer type cocktails.

Lady killer refers to cocktails that easily intoxicate women. It’s a term for cocktails that are easy to drink despite their high alcohol content because they’re sweet, yet they quickly lead to intoxication.

Making it sweet so it would be easy to drink for her first time with alcohol had a counterproductive effect.

“Ms. Baek. Drink slowly.”

“Hehe~? Why? It’s delicious! Is it because you made it, Jae-jung? Why does it taste even better?”

“How can you say that when you have nothing to compare it to? Really, drink slowly. You’ll get drunk.”

“Okay~”

Baek Ah-hee half-listened and brought the glass to her lips again. Haru, who had been grumbling until just now, seemed to have regained her excitement and was looking at Baek Ah-hee with great interest.

“I want to see that Vega Girl drunk!”

“No way. You can’t handle it. Ah-hee, drink slowly.”

Joo Ah-yoon firmly refused and brought Han Jae-jung’s coffee mug with alcohol in it.

“Thanks.”

“So? What’s this about wanting to use this place as a base?”

It seems Joo Ah-yoon had heard everything while beating up Haru. She asked Baek Ah-hee with a serious face.

“Ah, forget about that! Jae-jung~ Sister~ Let’s toast!”

Lightly ignoring Joo Ah-yoon’s words, Baek Ah-hee raised her glass high and urged them to toast. Han Jae-jung frowned as he felt the cold glass lightly touch his cheek. Joo Ah-yoon let out a deep sigh.

It seemed impossible to proceed with the conversation properly without dealing with this situation.

“…You handle her, brother.”

“At times like this, the senior should take care of it.”

“How mean… You don’t want to drink with me?”

“Brother, take responsibility quickly.”

Baek Ah-hee got heavily drunk before he could teach her about pacing or manners. How weak to alcohol could she be? Is this my fault? Han Jae-jung suddenly felt wronged.

Nevertheless, unable to refuse Joo Ah-yoon’s suggestion to tend to Baek Ah-hee’s drinking, Han Jae-jung raised his glass, inwardly displeased.

“Okay, okay, let’s toast and get to the main point….”

“Hehe~ Then! To wish for success! To wish for progress! Su….”

“Yes, yes, cheers!”

“Cheer~!”

Han Jae-jung quickly cut off the embarrassing toast before it could be completed. How could this be considered an adult? It’s just like a pubescent middle schooler giggling while saying and doing lewd things.

Seeming disappointed that her toast wasn’t completed, Baek Ah-hee grumbled. Then she downed the remaining contents of her glass in one gulp.

“Ah-hee… I told you to cut down on the internet.”

“Why did you do that? Why did you interrupt Vega’s words?”

“You just don’t need to know….”

“I’ll search for it!”

“Don’t.”

First White Davi, now this, why do these juniors only learn bad things from the internet? While shaking her head, Joo Ah-yoon felt the need for headquarters to manage the digital literacy of magical girls.

“I see, it was originally intended as such wordplay! Vega, you’re so witty!”

As Haru nodded with interest in the background, Joo Ah-yoon opened her lips again.

“…You want to use our shop?”

“Yes! We’d like to use it as a temporary base to investigate the strange phenomena occurring in D5 City!”

“Yes~ Give me more~ Jae-jung, one more drink~ Ehehe~”

“Stop talking nonsense and drink juice like Ms. Davi. You’ll see if I ever give you alcohol again, Ms. Vega.”

While casually refilling Baek Ah-hee’s glass with orange juice, Han Jae-jung drank the contents of his own glass.

The bitter coffee aroma swirled in his mouth once, followed by the dull taste and scent of alcohol mixed with sweetness that shook his throat.

“Hmm….”

The proposal from the magical girl headquarters itself made sense. The incidents happening in this neighborhood are clearly strange. A mysterious person who takes people away without leaving any trace? Leaving such phenomena unchecked would only cause anxiety among citizens and undermine the organization’s authority.

When dealing with such a tricky case, rather than a dispatch system, it would be more beneficial to set up a base and observe the city as a whole.

However, this is merely the circumstances of the headquarters. They had their own circumstances.

If the two people in this store were ordinary people, they would have readily allowed them to come to the store. But the two were not such people.

‘We can’t overlook the possibility of our identity being discovered.’

Joo Ah-yoon and Han Jae-jung are special beings who can transform from humans to villains. It would be problematic if the magical girls realized this.

If they were branded as villains, not only would they face attacks from magical girls, but they wouldn’t be able to rest comfortably even in their human form. Every human in this world would know their faces and be wary of them.

It’s also problematic to be accepted as human. In modern society that desires trustworthy heroes, heroes who hide their identity and act like vigilantes are nothing but villains. If not, they would have to reveal their identity….

‘That’s not possible.’

Whether sold as villains or heroes, either way is unacceptable.

Han Jae-jung doesn’t want his face to be exposed to the public. His deeply ingrained trauma has become a fear that binds him.

‘Besides, heroes other than magical girls? Such things aren’t needed.’

Their existence would be highly appealing to the public, who are always excited about new and groundbreaking entities. There’s also a possibility of shaking the position of magical girls, who are already gradually losing trust.

Ironically, by becoming allies, they would become the biggest enemies.

“Don’t worry too much! It won’t be used for anything other than a temporary gathering point for magical girls! They say it’s not meant to provide lodging and meals! Of course, they plan to pay enough money! Senior, you know the personalities of your colleagues! They’re not the type to carelessly dirty a borrowed place!”

Haru quickly defended the headquarters, judging that their worried expressions were because this story offered them no benefit.

Although Baek Ah-hee said it wasn’t a big deal, seeing such specific defenses prepared, it seemed like a quite seriously considered proposal.

“That’s right, that’s right~ Don’t worry too much, Jae-jung! If this cafe becomes a temporary base, I can always be by your side to protect you!”

“No, please work….”

“Ah-huh-huh, Jae-jung has become too cold. Is Haru the only one for me after all~?”

“Yes! Come to me, my Vega!”

“But I’m not really into younger ones….”

“Ee, uso (lies)!”

Behind their banter, Joo Ah-yoon glanced at Han Jae-jung. It was a look that meant ‘What are you going to do?’

He didn’t know how to react when the boss personally showed respect to an employee. Realistically, refusing would be the right choice. Money aside, they might notice his identity while searching for the hidden villain in this neighborhood. They would search for the hidden villain anyway.

But Han Jae-jung couldn’t be realistic.

“I think it’s good.”

From the moment he volunteered to be the guardian of the guardians, he could no longer prioritize his own interests. He extended his life to prioritize their well-being over his own safety.

[Quest appeared. Accept the proposal. The consequence of non-compliance is death. Quest acceptance confirmed. Quest successful.]

As soon as Han Jae-jung expressed his agreement, the belt presented the quest. It was impressive how the occurrence and success were processed simultaneously, causing the voices to overlap.

He had no choice anyway. If it benefits them, he gives up his own benefit. Even if it involves danger.

In fact, it wasn’t entirely without benefit for him either. The abnormal phenomena in this city needed to be dealt with. Having collaborators in that process would be reassuring. Information about magical girls might also be shared.

“Then it’s decided.”

Joo Ah-yoon nodded, putting down her cup with a thud.

“We’ll cooperate with you guys.”

“This quickly?”

“Brother said it’s good. Then it’s good for me too.”

[As expected of the person I chose! How refreshing! The progress of unrequited love should be a bit more refreshing too….]

‘Shut up.’

If he chose, Joo Ah-yoon also had no reason to refuse. She, who could protect the dreamer even if she couldn’t dream herself, could indefinitely support the path Han Jae-jung decided to take.

“Yes!~ Really? You really, really, really swore to be with me every day, right?!”

“When did I say that? I just gave you the right to come to the store as you please.”

“Aw, that’s the same thing, isn’t it!”

Baek Ah-hee grinned widely and grabbed Han Jae-jung’s hand, shaking it as if playing a game.

“I look forward to working with you~”

“Yoroshiku onegaishimasu (Please take care of me)!”

Maybe I shouldn’t have accepted. Han Jae-jung felt his energy draining even though not much time had passed, and he smiled bitterly.

“Then, shall we depart right away?!”

“Where to?”

“Neighborhood patrol, of course!”

***

Ippotranslation

***

In the end, he couldn’t refuse Baek Ah-hee’s words.

“Hmm, It’s a quiet neighborhood! If I were to live here in the future, a place like this would be nice! What do you think, Jae-jung?”

“I like my neighborhood.”

“Eeh~ I don’t like it!”

Baek Ah-hee, who was looking around the street, grumbled softly.

She said she needed to check out the neighborhood she would have to monitor in advance and asked to be shown the surrounding geography. It wasn’t exactly wrong, and given how stubborn they were, Han Jae-jung and Joo Ah-yoon agreed to the proposal.

“You asked us to show you, but we don’t know much either. We haven’t been here long.”

“Still, it’s better than not knowing at all, right? Prevention is better than cure!”

“Where does a Japanese girl learn such things?”

“How tremendous! To rephrase a compliment using an erudite expression like that!”

Haru cheerfully deflected Joo Ah-yoon’s words, but contrary to her smiling mouth, she looked around the street with cold, sunken eyes.

“There seems to be quite a few commercial districts, but there are only this many people walking the streets… Hmm, it seems the rumors are indeed having an effect.”

“Rumors?”

“Yes! That there’s an invisible villain in this neighborhood….”

“Jae-jung~ Give me a piggyback ride~ I want to see the world from a higher place~!”

“Your real intention?”

“I want to be on top of Jae-jung’s head!”

“Ah, Vega, please let me do it next!”

“Oh my….”

It feels like taking a child out for a walk. As Jae-jung sighed tiredly, he felt a presence behind him.

“Realize.”

[Reveal the truth.]

The voice of a villain releasing its disguise.

Han Jae-jung turned around as if entranced.

“It’s been a while.”

A villain adorned with a giant scale on its shoulder was right at the end of that gaze.

“…Libra.”

“I see you haven’t forgotten. That’s good.”

Libra gathered light in her fist. It was even larger than what he had seen before.

“Really, that’s good.”

As she extended her fist towards where Han Jae-jung was located, the light advanced, pulverizing everything in its path.

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