Transformation or Death

Chapter 17 – 

The Stars Are Beautiful, So Let’s Be Homeless

The Magic Girl Association. 

It was a huge building in the center of the city.

A building soaring high enough to freely monitor people’s movements.

The optimal place for a magic girl to be dispatched.

Unlike its modern interior, the exterior looked solemn like a castle. The pastel-colored walls turned that solemnity into a dreamy fantasy.

It was a symbolic building of the modern magic girl, visited daily by tourists from all over the world.

It was also the optimal place for magic girls to rest.

Only current magic girls, former magic girls, and mascots not bound to individuals were allowed.

There was no need to worry about anyone’s gaze.

Red Vega was taking a rest in the lounge of those upper floors. 

She lay on the sofa, blankly staring at the large TV screen.

-It was really the best! As a junior at the same school, I was truly in awe. Really…

-Even though we’re the same age, she’s completely different! Smart… and brave…

-I thought her life must be enviable since she’s not taking the college entrance exam this year, but I’ve changed my mind! The entrance exam would be no wall in front of Red Vega!

-Despite the unprecedented simultaneous attack by A-grade villains, thanks to the magic girls’ quick response, there were no casualties…

It was content praising the magic girl, pretending it wasn’t.

On the news screen, students from the same school were cheering for Red Vega by making a light banner with their smartphones. Someone was playfully bowing.

“Heh…”

Their appearance amused her greatly.    

Indeed, what she had done was not wrong. She could think that again.  

But it was still not enough.

If it hadn’t been the villains of the Big Dipper, what would have happened to the university people? It was obvious without seeing.

An A-grade villain could break through the barrier for super-villains in just minutes.

No matter how quickly she got there, some would have already lost their lives. Red Vega could naturally tell.

‘If the villains hadn’t unexpectedly ended up fighting each other there…’  

No, was it really just a simple conflict between them?   

If the Big Dipper villain had actually acted to protect those citizens, not just fighting among their own kind?

Red Vega turned on her smartphone and searched the internet.

-Praise the True Hero Big Dipper!

  └Since Big Dipper is a bit off, how about we call him Septentrion instead?

  └Big Dick! Big Dick! Big Dick! Big Dick! Big Dick!  

  └You guys are crazy

There were already posts playfully praising him in the community of the university attacked today. And those were being captured and spreading everywhere.

Although praising villains should still be avoided according to some reactions, most participated in the joke by reacting with praise or laughter.

They’re not being serious either.  

It was a chance for safety that occurred from the conflict between villains, so they could joke around like this.

But if this is repeated.  

If the Big Dipper villain gradually becomes perceived by people not as the attacker but as the protector.  

To be honest, that villain being on our side is not a problem at all.   

Rather, it would be better if so.

There was certainly sincerity in his words today.   

There had been no hostility in the emotions he had shown so far.

Bewilderment, compassion, concern. Just those.   

Why? Why was a villain concerned about her, a magic girl?   

The long history of tragedy between humans and villains came to mind again.

‘Still…’   

Even though she knew it was a vain dream, Red Vega prayed so.

She would be scolded harshly if she said this to her senior.   

But she could not stop wishing his goodwill to be true.  

Of course, she had been defeated twice, but…  

That’s something she could eventually take revenge for.

The problem was not the villain being on the same side, but the obvious opinions that would arise the moment that villain was perceived as being on the citizens’ side.  

The uselessness of magic girls theory.  

Words like those bitches who can’t do anything compared to villains while taking money. She could clearly envision such words going back and forth.

Red Vega did not wish for such a reality.   

Being a magic girl was her dream and also her most beloved existence.

Even now, all sorts of magic girl goods were plastered all over her room.

She didn’t mind receiving insults herself. But she didn’t want the value of magic girls themselves to be denied.

“The answer is still one!”  

[Protector…?]

So that she would no longer be looked down upon as pitiful by that villain, to prevent incidents like this, to stop any future happenings.

Red Vega sprang up and boldly declared to her mascot, a fluffy red cat-like creature.

“Just get stronger! Ribbon! Is there no way to increase the brightness of the stars here?”

“No way, you idiot.”

Pink Deneb barged in by abruptly opening the door.    

“A girl not even a year in is thinking about increasing her brightness? Whenever you do that, I end up being compared because of our similar colors. Cut it out.”

“But I can’t! Now that the Dilemma has started moving, we need to get even stronger!”

“You don’t get strong just by deciding to. Otherwise, I’d already be the strongest. This girl.”  

Pink Deneb brushed off her words as insignificant.

“Hey, don’t be so hasty. We can’t save everyone in this world anyway. Tens of thousands are still dying on the other side of the earth as we speak, you know? Hm? I’ll give, but make sure to take too. Never let go, absolutely.”

Wandering around, Pink Deneb took out a beer from the fridge and drank it. She naturally sat on the sofa and slapped Red Vega’s thigh. 

“The hasty side has a short life in a battle for life and death.”

“Ow… Don’t curse me!”

“Curse, this brat? It’s well-intentioned advice from your senior with bones.”

After gulping down a few beers, Pink Deneb seemed to recall something and let out a small exclamation.

“Oh right. We’re all going to watch the important CCTV footage from that university today. You coming?”

“For real?!”  

“Of course we are. Three S-grade villains gathered, we need to prepare. Unless you don’t want to.”

“No, I’ll go! I’ll absolutely go!”

“Good then.”

Chuckling, Deneb gulped down her beer.  

The alcohol tasted bitter today.  

She thought about two people behind her junior’s bright voice.

Blue Sirius, probably drunk at home right now, crying herself to sleep.  

And the man who caused it.

‘Han Jae-jung…’

The pathetic appearance of the man she had once followed still did not sit well with her, no matter how many times she saw it. She didn’t even want to get used to it.

‘Memory loss, my ass… Telling such an obvious lie…’

Were we really so unpleasant to look at?

The bitter taste made her crush the innocent beer can.

***  

Ippotranslation

***

“Damn it.”

It was a night that a cigarette, which I had never touched in my life, seemed tempting.

The crumbling of self and pondering over identity at this age was something that should have been resolved and graduated from during adolescence, it was truly pathetic.

Moreover, this dilemma was not even abstract. I couldn’t just brush it off vaguely. 

Am I merely a reincarnator, or Han Jae-jung who has lost his memories? But this body doesn’t seem to have undergone disfiguration either.

It’s complicated.   

And with no clues, rashly jumping to conclusions was impossible.

The stars were bright.  

But in the city at night, the faint starlight was obscured by the streetlights.

As I blankly gazed up, faint and small memories surfaced one by one, like stars.  

Memories are said to be linked in a chain.  

Just as finding one star makes it easier to find the next when connecting a constellation,

By searching for memories like tracing lines, soon a fragmentary memory was complete.

What had formed was Pegasus, commonly seen in the autumn sky.

The first to attack me was Pegasus.  

A villain with a horse’s head as a chest ornament and pure white wings on its back.

Except for those two white parts, the rest of its body was disgustingly covered in thick, snakelike muscles.

-Did you also think of me as a horse’s head? Are you afraid of my hideous appearance?!!!

Starting with Pegasus’ sudden charge, the faces of the disfigured ones surfaced one by one.  

Delighting in my fear, they never let me die with one strike. Virgo had a particularly strong tendency for this.

-Jae-jung, no way. You’ll die if you don’t run more? Huh? Our cute Jae-jung. Let’s properly work that body.”  

It was a tone that didn’t seem like our first meeting.

Was it Virgo’s opinion to decide to attack Han Jae-jung, me? What was our relationship for her to do that?

Among the magical girls, was Blue Sirius not the only one associated with Han Jae-jung? No, that’s not it. He may have dated her and gotten acquainted with various magical girls. But what reason would she have to chase me?  

Anyway, I ran away from the disfigured ones to avoid death.  

Gradually my body became covered in wounds, and my stamina drained.  

The more I recall, the more fear wells up. At this rate, I’ll develop a phobia not just of the media, but of the villain as well.

[That will make future guardianship difficult. I recommend clearing your mind and achieving a relaxed state. Let me transmit a yoga method that can calm your mind…]

‘Be quiet.’

For now, I need to think this through.  

And finally, lying under Virgo’s beam, mulling over the fear of death, I’m consumed by the starlight the villain intentionally fires.

‘Was their aim to give birth to the villain from within fear? Most other humans who underwent villainization probably felt similar emotions too? Was there something that set me apart? Why go through all this trouble for me?’

It’s not just one or two strange things.  

Why did Han Jae-jung, who feared death so greatly, choose suicide in the first place?  

What secret lies hidden within this body?  

What truth lurks beyond the many memories I have yet to recall?

“Hey Belt…”  

[What service do you require?]

“Do you know any ways to recover memories?”

Even as I asked, it seemed absurd. What was I expecting?  

With the desperation of grasping at straws, I asked the metal ball beside me.

[The first method is to meet the involved party who holds clues to the lost memories, activating the chain of memories, like today. The second is the continuous performance of quests.]  

“…What?”

Belt stated without hesitation.

[Gathering star fragments to strengthen your transformation body. If the star fully activates, there is a chance of regaining memories. The latter is recommended.]

Hearing its words, I fell silent for a moment. 

I was dumbfounded.

The reward for quests was not just strengthening myself, but also finding my lost memories? I had stumbled upon a lifeline from an unexpected place.

“Why are you telling me this only now?”

[You did not ask until now.]  

Fair point, but still petty. He should have mentioned this when talking about rewards.

“Then, what exactly am I meant to reenact?”

[That is something the Guardian must find out directly.]

“Oh for fuck’s sake, so evasive.”

He says he didn’t tell me because I didn’t ask, but now evades when I do ask.

Come to think of it, there are more than just one or two shady things about this Belt too.

As a medium that allows transformation, only visible to the user, it’s identical to a magical girl’s mascot.  

However, it forces the user to act through quests, and does not fully cooperate with the user.  

Was it taken somewhere and remodeled? The more I think about it, the more questions arise.

But I know what needs to be done now.

This Belt does not lie.  

It may hide the truth, but cannot disguise that truth as something else entirely.  

Therefore, the way to regain memories is likely the truth.

“So…either way, what I have to do is the same, right?”

In the end, what I must do remains unchanged.

Perform.  

Guard.

Advance.

[Quest generated.]

“At this hour…? Well, the stars do look pretty tonight, I guess I’ll be homeless for now.”  

Getting up from the bench, I moved towards the location the Belt transmitted. 

Not just to grow stronger or survive anymore.  

I had to keep moving to find my memories.

***  

Ippotranslation

***

“And here we go?” 

“Yes! Um… Where is Sirius?”

Red Vega asked while watching the CCTV footage start to play on the screen. In the audiovisual room, there were not only Red Vega and Pink Deneb, but also several other magical girls present.  

However, Blue Sirius was nowhere to be seen. It was strange since she always showed up for important meetings like this.

“That’s right! Our queen sister is not here!”

“Hey, who taught that weird stuff to the white dummy over there… Oh, never mind. The senior is a little sick today, so she’s resting.”

“Oh, she’s sick?! Is it serious? Let’s go visit her right now.”

“Who’s worried about who? It’s fine, just look over there.” 

On the screen, there was the criminal from the Big Dipper taking out a new weapon again and attacking the villains.

“They’re shooting guns too…”

“We’ve seen villains like that before, haven’t we?”

“villains using such diverse abilities?”

“They really have no ethics.”

“I guess not…”

The power to swat away the A-grade villain like flies looked quite formidable. 

If such power existed in conventional weapons, the military could have eradicated the villains by now.

Following that villain, Virgo was seen descending from the sky.

“…Red Spica.”

“That’s Red?! After Red is Vega! That’s official! Don’t call the traitor Red!”

“It’s Virgo… Please be careful with the names.”

“That’s right! That guy is a villain ! A water rocket that couldn’t keep up with the times, went berserk and became a monster to prolong his life!”

“White Davih, don’t say that!” 

“You really need to get off the internet!”

Her appearance caused an uproar among them. Various statements intermingled, causing confusion as no one could make out what anyone was saying.

A reddish shadow was cast over their faces. 

It was due to the flashing starlight from beyond the screen. An overwhelming luminance.

For a moment, most of the A-grade villains were taken care of with such force that the chattering girls fell silent.

Then the Big Dipper and Virgo clashed.  

The reddish starlight and the green starlight collided powerfully.

Light flashed from the gun, but Virgo withstood it easily.

Just from the aftershock of the battle, the tiles shattered like crackers, and the CCTV shook violently as if an earthquake had struck.

That short battle was enough to bring about silence.

“We have to fight against something like that…?”

Someone muttered in despair, but no one refuted the statement. They knew they should refute it but couldn’t easily voice it. Baseless hope only breeds annoyance.

The winner was Virgo. 

He had pierced the void with the binary magic unique to the double stars.

After some time passed, the starlight scattered from his body.

“…Huh?”

His body gradually began to change from the appearance of a villain to human attire. 

Was he suddenly releasing his transformation?

No, since he’s a villain, it’s more like a disguise.  

It was peculiar. There was no reason to make such a choice in the midst of battle.

Red Vega was curious about the intention behind this action. 

And she was secretly pleased as well. If they could identify his disguised appearance, they might be able to catch the villain during everyday life.

While most humans tend to have a blurred memory of a villain’s disguise, those with starlight can see that appearance clearly.

As a magical girl, she can distinguish villains in daily life.  

Unfortunately, despite her scrutiny, she couldn’t make out his face.  

This was because he reverted to villain form right before all the starlight scattered from his body.  

It was probably some strategy to catch them off guard.

“Ugh, seriously…”

Disappointed at the futility, she leaned back in her chair after bringing her face close to the screen.

“I thought I could at least see his disguised form… Huh? Sister?”

Discouraged by the lack of results, Red Vega turned to seek Pink Deneb’s agreement. 

However, Pink Deneb’s expression seemed strange.

“Could it be…”

She had a grave look, as if she had sensed something extremely dangerous.

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