Chapter 18
An angel is a noble being, and therefore must not interfere in human affairs.
Then how far does that interference extend?
Is it direct interference, or indirect interference?
Does it refer to one person, or to everything within the category of humanity?
Why can magical girls help?
Is helping them also interfering in human affairs?
In the first place, even the meaning of “help” is ambiguous.
What is permitted, and where does it become forbidden?
One thing was certain: saving hundreds of lives was judged to be interference.
"Ugh.... Hh, haaah...! Uuugh...."
Was it because I had blocked the monster's attack?
Or was it because I had interfered in human affairs?
I staggered through the sky from pain that felt as though my entire body were breaking apart, then fell onto a rooftop.
I had intended to return home first, but I didn't have the strength.
"Hheu, kkeuuugh...!"
The pain was so intense that I could barely keep my body upright.
There wasn't a single place on me that didn't hurt from head to toe.
It hurts.
It hurts so much.
"Sob, hngh...."
If I'd known it would hurt this much, I shouldn't have done it....
Why did I stupidly step forward and put myself through this?
I should have just ignored it.
I could have said that it couldn't be helped and that I wasn't allowed to interfere in human affairs.
I only had to look after one magical girl, so why had I gone out of my way to save people who had nothing to do with me?
I should have pretended not to know.
If I'd known it would hurt this much, I should have just ignored it.
What rose to mind along with the surging pain was regret over what I had done.
Regret over saving people, the selfishness of treating hundreds of deaths as trivial, and the self-justification that it couldn't be helped.
Ah, so this is why they call it falling.
"…Don't make me laugh."
I gritted my teeth and clenched my fist.
Regretting that I had saved people?
Regretting saving people just because I was in pain, just because I was suffering?
'It's an insult to the magical girls...!!'
Did they give up because they were in pain?
Did they give up because they were suffering?
No.
Even as they shattered and broke, even as they were trampled and bent, they rose again and again to save people.
And I'm going to give up after just one bout of pain?
And with that attitude, I dare say that I'll make the magical girls happy?
When I can't even overcome something this trivial, what right do I have to spout that kind of crap?
'This is what you chose...! You're the one who has to take responsibility...! Get up.... Get up...!!'
Bracing myself against the floor, I slowly rose to my feet.
Cold sweat streamed down my body, and my arms had almost no strength in them.
Every joint, bone, and muscle in my body felt as though it would break apart, but I endured it.
For saving hundreds of lives, this was a small price to pay.
Thinking that, I struggled to stand up on my own somehow.
'I have to get home before Ms. Seo-ah gets back....'
It might already be too late, but at the very least, I had to get home first and pretend that I knew nothing.
That way, she wouldn't worry.
Just as I finally managed to lift my hands from the ground and stand on both feet,
I caught sight of a familiar pair of legs and flinched before raising my head.
"…Ah."
Yoo Seo-ah, transformed into Magical Girl Black, was standing there.
Anyone could tell from her expressionless face that she was absolutely furious.
"Um, Ms. Seo-ah...?"
Yoo Seo-ah had been silently staring at me, but then she strode over and picked me up in her arms.
"W-wait! I can move on my own!"
"After showing me that state, you still have the nerve to lie?"
I tried to say something at her low, subdued voice, but shut my mouth.
I had a feeling Yoo Seo-ah would truly get angry if I said even one more word.
In the end, all I could do was meekly remain in her arms.
Yoo Seo-ah picked me up, flew straight into the sky, and headed somewhere.
That place was none other than the emergency room of a university hospital.
"W-wait! I'm okay! I'll get better if I rest for a little while...!"
"You were collapsed on a rooftop because you couldn't even keep your body upright, and you say you're okay?"
I could feel her voice and hand trembling as she held back her anger.
Seeing her like that, I fumbled for words, then cautiously reached out and gently clasped her hand.
"I'm okay. Really."
"…."
Yoo Seo-ah silently looked down at me, as though trying to gauge my intentions.
Soon afterward, she sighed, changed course, and headed home.
As soon as we arrived, Yoo Seo-ah laid me on the bed and began lifting my clothes.
It would have been less embarrassing if I had been wearing a T-shirt or something.
But I was wearing a dress.
The kind of clothing that revealed everything the moment it was lifted.
Heat rushed to my face in a flash, and my strength returned for an instant.
Shame and embarrassment made my body move reflexively as I tried to stop Yoo Seo-ah's hand.
"M-Ms. Seo-ah!? You can't suddenly do this...!"
"Stay still."
"Uuuh...! N-no...! I-I'm embarrassed...!!"
I begged her like that, but Yoo Seo-ah ignored my pleas and undressed me.
But even if my strength returned for a moment, it was impossible for my injured body to resist a magical girl's strength.
I strained so hard that my face turned bright red, but no matter how much I struggled, I couldn't stop her from lifting my clothes.
Cool air touched my bare skin, making me shiver.
"U, uuh...."
As a final act of resistance, I twisted my body as much as I could, but it was utterly useless.
"Stay still. I need to check whether you're hurt anywhere."
This is so embarrassing.
No, seriously.
We even showered together, so why was I embarrassed?
Taking my clothes off of my own accord to shower and having them forcibly removed weren't the same thing!!
I wanted to fly away, but Yoo Seo-ah didn't mean any harm, so I simply endured it.
"P-please let me go now...."
"I just need to check your back."
"Mmph...!"
Yoo Seo-ah used her strength to turn my body onto its side.
"I... I'm really okay...."
"You couldn't even keep your body upright. If you aren't going to the hospital for a thorough examination, then stay still."
"Uuuh...."
Yoo Seo-ah examined every inch of my body, only releasing me after confirming that I had no injuries anywhere.
I covered my face with both hands and trembled.
My face felt scorching hot. If I looked in a mirror right now, it would probably be bright red.
"There are no injuries."
I immediately pulled my clothes all the way down and turned away from Yoo Seo-ah.
"That's so mean.... I said I was okay...."
I muttered that, unable to meet her eyes properly because of my embarrassment.
But she wasn't having any of it.
"You're the one who's worse. You suddenly went outside in the middle of the night without saying a word and got into trouble! Do you know how scared I was when I suddenly sensed magic while I was sleeping?"
"Th-that..."
"And that's not all. I thought it was an attack and went to wake you up, but you weren't beside me. I didn't think I had time to search for you, so I hurriedly transformed and went outside—then light suddenly burst out along with an explosion. I followed the traces and found you collapsed on the rooftop, groaning in pain...."
Yoo Seo-ah sighed and pulled me tightly into her arms.
"Do you know how worried I was...?"
I had nothing to say.
No matter what anyone said, this really was my fault.
If I excused myself by saying that I had done it for her, it would be like blaming Yoo Seo-ah for it.
In the end, all I could do was apologize obediently.
"…I'm sorry. For making you worry."
"If you know you're sorry, don't ever do this again."
Answering, 'I understand. I'll do as you say,' would have been a lie.
If something like today happened again, I wasn't confident that I could simply stand by and watch.
"I'll try."
"Haa...."
Yoo Seo-ah sighed, but she didn't press the matter any further.
She merely tightened her arms around me.
"So. What happened?"
"Sss.... Th-that's... I mean. It's just...."
Can I tell her this...?
No, it was something I had to tell her anyway.
'What if what I was worried about happens just as I feared...?'
I thought about it for a moment, then closed my eyes.
…Let's trust her. Yes, let's trust the magical girl I believe in.
"The thing is, actually...."
I carefully broached the subject, then told her everything that had happened a little while ago.
I told her the convenience-store clerk's identity, the monster's atrocities, how it had threatened me by taking people hostage, and how I'd moved to stop it myself.
Once I had laid it all out, it made for a short story, but Yoo Seo-ah's expression after hearing it was more complicated than ever.
"So that's how it is.... That monster was still alive, and it had worked at the same convenience store for six years, infusing cigarettes with magic and getting me and Moya addicted."
"Yes, that's what it said itself."
"I see."
Yoo Seo-ah was silent for a while, rubbing the corner of her mouth.
I swallowed dryly and watched her until she let out a deep sigh and nodded.
"Looks like there's something I absolutely have to do."
I blinked at how calm she seemed compared to what I had expected.
Her reaction was a little different from what I'd predicted, but that only made me more worried.
"You're not going for revenge, are you?"
"Revenge.... I can't say it isn't."
I bit my lip at her bitter smile.
Should I have killed the monster back there, even if it meant falling?
"Even so, that's secondary."
"Huh?"
"Magical girls are beings who fight to protect people. Rampaging while drunk on power or emotion isn't something a magical girl should do. And I've already experienced what happens when I fight with that kind of mindset."
Yoo Seo-ah gave a bitter smile and stroked my hair.
"So don't worry. I'll fight not for revenge, but for atonement."
Flash, flash.
My heart pounded, and everything before my eyes sparkled.
I want to pour out my love.
Love so full that it overflows.
"Good grief, it's dazzling, I tell you."
Ah, there was one thing I had overlooked.
My condition was worse than I'd thought.
And this body couldn't handle such an overwhelming emotion.
"A hun, hundred po...ints."
In the end, I mumbled that and fell asleep as though I had passed out.