Transformation or Death

Symbol of Peace (7)

“What…?”

I barely managed to suppress the curse that rose to my throat. More than anger, I felt bewilderment, and more than bewilderment, I felt perplexed. Where on earth did she see something to arrive at such a conclusion?

I tried to rack my brain as much as possible, but no answer came. Was it because of a lack of oxygen to my brain, or was it due to the clues that were even more scarce than oxygen?

“What do you mean by…”

“There have been ominous rumors circulating in this city recently.”

Orange Altair continued speaking while calmly pressing on my neck.

The force pressing on the neck was quite professional, applying just enough pressure to suppress breathing and make the body languid, but not enough to lead to death.

[I recommend transformation.]

This time, I only muttered inwardly so as not to arouse suspicion. Transforming in this situation would be like affirming that you’re right. It’s not possible now. It’s still just at the stage of suspicion.

“Rumors… You say?”

“Rumors that non-humans are living mixed among humans… That’s what I mean. And that they’ve recently entered this city.”

Orange Altair’s hands trembled like aspen leaves. The guilt of attacking a citizen and fear coexisted, causing vibrations in her touch. It was like ripples created by throwing a stone into a lake.

“…They say those beings are one of the main culprits in this recent commotion. More precisely, the perpetrators of the recent incidents, starting from the disappearances.”

She pointed not to the invading Libra, but to another group. She must mean Argo Family, the root cause of Libra coming to this city and the culprits behind the recent disappearances.

As expected. She wasn’t talking about the Watcher. Han Jae-jung thought it was truly fortunate.

“I think it’s you.”

“There’s no evidence…”

“No! There’s plenty!”

Orange Altair suddenly raised her voice as if filled with confidence.

“Because you’re the most suspicious person in this city right now!”

“No, that’s…”

Han Jae-jung tried to argue but stopped. He had nothing particular to say. Seeing him give up on defending himself, Orange Altair seemed to grow even more confident.

“See! You don’t have much to say, do you? That’s because it’s true! The time you entered this city coincides with when disappearances became frequent. On top of that, you were strangely unscathed in today’s attack. Vega and Davi were injured in the bombing, but not you. Of course, there’s Ah-yoon… I mean, Deneb too, but let’s set that aside for now.”

Her grip tightened even more. In her other hand, light gathered and extended like a long thorn.

“You suddenly appeared when Deneb was retiring and opened a cafe with her in this city of all places? Isn’t that too suspicious? Moreover, you have no prior career or records. Wouldn’t it be strange not to be suspicious?”

She thoroughly investigated despite treating me like an invisible person and not even glancing at me inside the cafe. Han Jae-jung smiled bitterly.

‘Should I call her a good kid worrying about her friend or an eccentric worrying unnecessarily….’

Well, it wasn’t unexpected. Considering her interest in Joo Ah-yoon, there was a high possibility she would investigate within legal bounds.

“You deceived Ah-yoon, didn’t you?!”

But he never imagined she would come up with such an absurd theory and take such violent action.

“No, suddenly this is too illogical…”

“Weren’t you a non-human even before meeting Ah-yoon? You approached her disguised as someone she knew, then led her to open a store in this city. Hah, it gives me goosebumps.”

“What benefit would I get from doing such a thing?”

“I don’t know that either. But the fact that you’re deceiving Ah-yoon is certain.”

A bizarre situation where the reasoning process was completely wrong, but the conclusion was close to the truth.

“If not, that sharp girl wouldn’t have done something as stupid as opening a store in a place like this!”

That store is Ah-yoon’s destiny. Han Jae-jung barely suppressed the words that rose to his throat. There’s nothing good about provoking her unnecessarily.

“What’s your purpose? Money? Or the credibility of being acquainted with a magical girl? Whatever it is, it hasn’t worked out properly, has it? If Ah-yoon is put in danger because of you…”

Orange Altair’s current psychological state is not normal. If she were in her right mind, she wouldn’t corner a civilian like this based on mere suspicion.

She brought the arrow she was holding in her other hand close to Han Jae-jung’s eyes as if to stab them.

“Next time, it won’t be such an easy interrogation as this.”

With those words, Orange Altair put Han Jae-jung down. The arrow also disappeared, turning into light.

“Ugh, cough… Hack….”

“I apologize for the violent behavior.”

“Ah, yes… Well… I think these things can happen.”

Knowing that all magical girls were mentally ill, Han Jae-jung made allowances for her. It’s perfectly natural for someone who isn’t in their right mind to do things that aren’t sensible.

Han Jae-jung studied her eyes. In her sparkling pupils, sharp and distorted emotions glimmered like shards of broken glass. Rather than feeling anger towards her, Han Jae-jung felt pity.

‘She’s quick to lash out. She held her anger in well in front of the villain.’

He was even somewhat impressed. While she had been on the verge of tears and ready to kneel before Libra, she became a bully, threatening a civilian.

Of course, it’s unlikely that she suddenly became suspicious and acted out like this today.

It’s probably fair to say that the suspicions she had been accumulating exploded with this attack as the catalyst.

The Argo Family, a huge organization that even the notorious Libra was wary of. And when the Argo Family started to act up, a cafe that naturally established itself. Its employee is just one man who doesn’t even know the face of his former colleague properly.

She couldn’t respond properly to Libra, who was the culprit of today’s attack, and in the end, it was the villain who finished the job, but she was the one who was praised.

Nothing was actually resolved, and her friend is still in this dangerous city. Moreover, there are even rumors that a villain disguised as a human is in this city.

How much self-loathing must she feel?

Today, she must have realized her own weakness and felt tremendous anxiety at the same time.

“But don’t do this to anyone else besides me. You’ll fall into the abyss in an instant.”

“Is that a threat?”

“It’s a guess. Who am I to threaten you, Miss Altair?”

Perhaps she didn’t like this polite attitude. Frowning sourly, she pointed at Han Jae-jung.

“Today was just a warning, but next time it won’t be.”

Han Jae-jung exaggeratedly trembled at her fierce gaze that even emanated killing intent. While he thought it was an appropriate reaction, to Orange Altair it felt like nothing but provocation.

“That’s scary.”

“…Yes. Be scared. And be careful.”

As she had done in the cafe, raindrops scattered as she turned her head haughtily. The faint orange light, like starlight that had clung to her hair, also dispersed with the droplets. It looked like a tiny firework, a flash that bursts once and disappears.

“I’ll be keeping a close eye on you.”

Muttering so, Orange Altair leapt from the rooftop without a moment’s hesitation. If it had been someone else, people would have been alarmed, thinking it was suicide, but she was none other than a magical girl. There’s no need to be surprised whether she jumps from a rooftop or stands in front of a train with her bare body.

“What a hellish personality….”

Only after Orange Altair had disappeared could Han Jae-jung finally voice his true feelings. He felt truly wronged. He tilted his head, examining his face reflected in a puddle.

“How could she look at me and think I’m a monster?”

[I think she’s a magical girl with remarkably good intuition. Please be extremely careful with your words and actions until you gain her trust.]

It was a truly complicated feeling. While he felt wronged for being accused of being a monster, he felt that if he felt wronged, then she would feel wronged. After all, her deduction wasn’t that far off.

Han Jae-jung sighed deeply and muttered.

“Now, how am I going to explain this when I get back….”

He wasn’t at all threatened by Orange Altair’s declaration of surveillance, but he worried about the nagging he would receive from Joo Ah-yoon, who would see him return soaking wet after going out to lend an umbrella.

This prediction came true, and as soon as he returned, he had to endure a severe scolding from Jo Ah-yoon, whose nerves were already on edge.

***

Ippotranslation

***

‘Is my gaze not that scary?’

Orange Altair thought this while looking at Han Jae-jung’s gaze today. She thought she was glaring fiercely, but it seems others found it laughable.

Looking in the mirror and recreating her expression from just now, she let out a small chuckle. Even she found it amusing.

Well, who would find it scary?

Who would be afraid of a magical girl who threatened and assaulted someone who came to get an umbrella out of concern for getting rained on?

‘No. Let’s not regret it.’

If he had been a real monster, Joo Ah-yoon would have been in danger. Though it was extreme, it was something that had to be done. Absolutely, something that had to be done…

Slap! She hit her cheek hard to collect herself.

Orange Altair. Real name Ara.

A rookie who appeared like a comet in Korean society where there had been no new recruits for a while after Pink Deneb.

Literally appeared like a comet, a rookie who shone briefly and then faded.

Now a seasoned magical girl with decent experience.

The magical girl with the lowest win rate now that Pink Deneb has retired. She deploys often but fails to achieve results proportional to her number of deployments.

She is not free from the gaze of others. Unlike Red Vega, who accepts any insult as valid criticism, or Pink Deneb, who has firm personal standards and is not swayed by reputation, she is different.

Among the three often grouped as the Summer Triangle, only she is ambiguous.

Red Vega, who debuted as a major rookie and became incomparably stronger than her, is somewhat better. There’s no reason to be jealous or discouraged by someone in a completely different league.

But Pink Deneb was different. Magic specialized only in detection and movement, typical support magic with virtually no help in combat. On top of that, she’s short and has a bad personality. Her words and actions are unrestrained even in official settings, and her win rate is the lowest. Her debut timing isn’t that different either.

Yet she was confident.

Despite being a bridge that bows its head to connect Gyeonwu and Jiknyeo, she was truly confident.

Orange Altair did not like that. From her qualities as a magical girl to her human aspects, everything.

Human Ara could not like human Joo Ah-yoon that much.

Despite having nothing better than me, she’s not intimidated and remains confident.

Her unique attitude, way of speaking, and even her abilities could never contribute to creating a good image for the profession of magical girl, yet she’s unnecessarily brazen.

The one being grouped together doesn’t think about this side at all. She’s nothing but a nuisance.

Orange Altair could never accept that.

But…

“You’re going to retire and have nothing to do with magical girls anymore?”

This is absolutely unacceptable.

“Jjakjjak. Anything special?”

[No, guardian. I don’t see any unusual movements.]

Is it because of her magic specialized in sniping? Unlike other magical girls, she can send her mascot far away.

Using this, she was now monitoring Han Jae-jung from afar. Given that the mascot can only be seen by its contractor, he probably doesn’t even know he’s being watched right now.

No, since she warned him she would be watching, he’s probably on guard in his own way. But he can never see the watcher.

Like a panopticon.

The relationship between a guard who can always watch the prisoners and prisoners who must fear being watched anytime, anywhere.

Orange Altair, Ara, smiled wickedly as she gulped down some water.

‘Pink Deneb. You can’t become an ordinary person.’

Forcibly pushing to the back of her mind the huge power gap she felt when seeing the villain today, she emptied a bottle of water refreshingly.

‘You should be grateful to me. You, who don’t understand at all how many dangers are around you, won’t understand me.’

Retired magical girls often become targets of revenge for villains. Joo Ah-yoon cannot escape that danger either.

‘Let’s compare later who’s laughing, you or me.’

Your happy start-up has crumbled. What’s around you isn’t people, but surely villains. Because after all…

‘That guy is from Dark Matter.’

Dark Matter, where no ordinary human can survive. A human who survived from there. What does this mean? It’s evidence that he’s not an ordinary human.

‘Joo Ah-yoon. That guy probably isn’t the brother you knew.’

-That man in that store is my friend. Could you persuade him for me?

A disguised villain who carefully approached her while she was going to a cafe. Not knowing she was a magical girl, it naturally imitated a human. It was a stupid judgment. The dissonance of the disguise is clearly felt by magical girls.

It was fortunate for her. She found out the identity of Joo Ah-yoon’s suspicious man.

‘How amusing would that bitch’s distorted face be.’

Ara spent the night with such pleasant imaginings.

***

Ippotranslation

***

Orange Altair trembled with a heavily distorted expression.

“Altair. What are you trying to do?”

“No. That, no. Um….”

Orange Altair lowered her head, consumed by fear.

How did it come to this?

Today was supposed to be a good day. It was supposed to be a day to uncover Han Jae-jung’s identity, elevate her status, and gain recognition, but…

“Should I take this as a tantrum towards me? Or…”

It feels like being in a sub-zero freezer. The longer that gaze pierces her body, the stronger the flesh-biting cold becomes.

“Should I take it as a challenge towards me? You choose directly, Altair.”

Blue Sirius’s heavy gaze weighed down on her.

“Want to pass it off as nonsense? Or, do you want to fight me?”

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