Chapter 30

The Samsung Police Station wasn’t too far from the hotel.

Running, it took about 10 minutes.

As soon as I arrived at the main building on the first floor, I made a call, and shortly after, a man in plain clothes came out, looking around.

“Are you, by any chance, Mr. Lee Gyu-ho?”

“Ah, Ms. Yoo Yeon-woo? The guardian of student Kwak Dusik…”

“Yes, that’s me.”

“Please come this way.”

Following the man, I walked through the noisy police station hallway and entered a room with a sign that read “Juvenile Section.”

The space was wider than I expected, but something caught my eye.

“Dusik!”

At the very back, in the holding cell, Dusik was sitting with his knees hugged and his head buried.

His shiny hair was hard to miss anywhere.

Even though now, it seemed to have lost its luster.

Hearing my voice, Dusik lifted his face from his knees, and it was covered in scars.

As I stared blankly at Dusik, I felt a tap on my collar and turned to see the man frowning at me.

“Ms. Yoo Yeon-woo? Can you hear me?”

“Uh, why is Dusik in the holding cell?”

“I’ll explain, so please sit here.”

I sat on the chair he pointed to.

A bit away from me, on a long wooden bench, six children were sitting in a row.

All of them were more injured than Dusik, if not less.

“Well, first, let me give you an overview.”

“Yes, yes…”

Though flustered, I needed to know what was going on.

Even if it was a violent incident, Dusik and these kids were minors. There wouldn’t be severe punishment.

“First, Ms. Yoo Yeon-woo, what is your relationship with student Kwak Dusik? Judging by your last name, you’re not siblings, right?”

“Siblings…”

If I answered yes, it would be a disaster.

Dusik’s last name was actually Yoo, but his name was too… unique. If I attached the Yoo surname, it wouldn’t make sense.

“…We’re practically family. We grew up in the same orphanage, and now I take care of him.”

“Hmm, well… I see.”

The man scratched his closely cropped sports hair with a pen. Some white powder flew off, and I leaned back slightly.

“First, student Kwak Dusik hit those kids over there. Since he’s the aggressor, he’s being held in isolation. Well, up to that point, it could be dismissed as a typical fight among kids… but there are two problems.”

“What are the problems?”

I didn’t know what the problems were, but could there really be issues beyond juvenile delinquency laws?

“The first problem is that student Kwak Dusik is a Magical Girl, and the second is that he hit the kids while transformed.”

Oh, there it is.

Magical Girls aren’t supposed to hit people. Moreover, attacking someone while transformed is considered a serious crime.

Even among Magical Girls, assaulting civilians is treated as a grave offense by the Association.

Dusik hit those kids while transformed… Wait a minute.

“Detective, I just saw that Dusik also has a lot of injuries on his face. It doesn’t seem like Dusik started the fight.”

“Those kids said they were just playing around, and student Kwak Dusik got angry, tripped, and rolled down the stairs. Since all six testimonies match, we can’t really…”

You can’t do anything? In this country of CCTV?

“There are security cameras everywhere, right? Detective, can’t you release Dusik for now? Please?”

But I was the one feeling regretful. I couldn’t leave Dusik in that cold cell. If necessary, I was ready to beg.

“The parents of the victim students will be here soon. Once they arrive, we’ll release him. We need to conduct a confrontation anyway.”

Even so, my gaze kept drifting toward the holding cell. Dusik was standing by the bars, looking at me.

“Then, can I go see his face? Do you have any ointment or something?”

“Hey, Officer Park. Bring some ointment and alcohol swabs.”

After a short wait, the man called Officer Park placed some scar ointment, band-aids, and alcohol swabs in my hand.

—

“Older sister… I’m sorry.”

“Sorry for what? Let me see your face.”

Seeing him up close, Dusik’s condition was much worse.

His uniform was torn in several places, with bloodstains visible, and his face was covered in scratches.

Considering the rapid healing ability of a Magical Girl, it must have been even worse initially.

This… from rolling down the stairs?

Who do they think they’re fooling? It’s clearly injuries from a group beating.

“You were hit first, weren’t you, Dusik?”

“…”

“Dusik, I can tell just by looking. Be honest with me.”

“Yes, I was hit first. A lot.”

“Why were you hit?”

Dusik hesitated for a long time at my question. Honestly, I could guess.

The saying that young children are innocent and kind is truly foolish.

That only applies to kids like our Kabe. By the time they reach their mid-to-late teens, like Dusik, they become cunning, knowing exactly what their shield is and how to use it.

In such a world, not having parents to be your shield is a huge weakness.

“I’ve been through it too. They teased you for not having parents, didn’t they?”

“Yes… today was especially bad…”

“I see, that’s what happened.”

Even though it must have stung, Dusik didn’t make a sound as I disinfected his wounds with alcohol swabs, applied ointment, and put on band-aids. Nearly half his face was covered in band-aids.

“Ms. Yoo Yeon-woo?”

“Yes?”

While I was stroking Dusik’s head through the cell bars, the detective called me.

“The parents are here. Student Kwak Dusik, come out.”

The cell lock clicked open, and Dusik hesitantly grabbed his bag and stepped out.

The bag was torn, and the zipper wouldn’t close properly.

Holding that bag in one hand, Dusik hesitated, glancing at me.

I reached out and took his hand.

“It’s okay. It’s not your fault. You have a guardian too. Me.”

I might not seem very reliable, but still.

Holding Dusik’s hand, we returned to the original spot, where the parents of the six kids were gathered, making a commotion.

With seven kids, including Dusik, and thirteen guardians, plus three detectives, the room was cramped. Soon, we moved to an empty interrogation room.

—

Judging by the parents, they all seemed to come from well-off families.

Their clothes, the mothers’ handbags, and the fathers’ watches were all high-end.

If they wear such things daily, they must be wealthy.

“Come on, saying someone doesn’t have parents is something even friends can say, right?”

What a loose mouth.

Seeing how they blurt out anything without filtering, it’s clear.

It started with those kids.

Without Dusik even needing to speak, they admitted they started the teasing.

Of course, they said it was just light teasing. Then Dusik tripped and rolled down the stairs.

They said they tripped him, and he transformed into a Magical Girl and indiscriminately attacked them.

“That’s a lie!”

Dusik shouted angrily.

“They were the ones who started it, calling me a parentless brat, saying some nameless prostitute must have birthed me after sleeping with a soldier and abandoned me…”

Wow, this is beyond imagination.

“Student, even so, there are things you can and can’t do. If you’re a Magical Girl, you should protect people. You can’t just hit your friends like this.”

“Mom, she’s not a Magical Girl. She’s a traitor from the Mogmog Group or something!”

“Oh, is that so? That explains it.”

Hahaha, laughter filled the interrogation room.

Now, I stopped thinking they would understand.

Dusik might have been wrong. Dusik might have lied to me. But still.

“Dusik.”

“Yes.”

“You didn’t lie to me, right?”

“I swear on the heavens, I didn’t lie.”

Good. Then I’ll believe him. Dusik wouldn’t lie to me.

“Parents, don’t you think friends shouldn’t say such things to each other?”

“Oh, come on. They’re just kids. They didn’t mean it. They were just joking around.”

“Ah, just joking. Just joking.”

“They’re just kids, after all.”

“Ma’am, even if they’re just kids, shouldn’t you, as adults, not say such things?”

At my words, the most well-dressed woman frowned.

“Guardian, if you keep talking like this, it’ll be difficult. Don’t you need to reach an agreement? Sorry, but Mr. Taesik’s father is a judge, and his grandfather is a retired high court judge, so reaching an agreement won’t be easy…”

“Shut your mouth. I’m in a bad mood. Answer when called, who said we came here to be investigated?”

My sudden outburst shattered the atmosphere.

“Ma’am.”

“What, what? Ma’am? Ma’am? You little brat, where did you learn such manners…!”

“Ah, you talk too much. Calling you ma’am is polite. Just because you spend money doesn’t make you a young lady.”

I brought my finger to my eye, making my pupil clearly visible.

“Have you seen my eyes before? Aren’t they unique?”

“Vertical… vertical pupils…?”

“You haven’t seen them before, have you? You don’t know.”

That’s right.

“If you don’t know, you deserve to be hit.”

I punched one of the boys who was snickering beside me. With a thud, the boy spun around and collapsed.

“Taesik, Taesik! What are you doing! Detective, what are you just standing there for!”

“Stay still. I’ll deal with anyone who moves first.”

I pressed my earring. A sensation tightened around my body. When was the last time I welcomed this feeling? Probably never.

“I saw something online. It said civilized people can be rude without consequences, making them more impolite than savages. Seeing you, it seems true.”

I removed my coat. Dark magic energy rose from the gloves on my hands.

“And, in movies, they say if someone commits a sin, they must be punished. That’s the way of the world. So, I’ll punish you now. Accept it gracefully.”

—

“Now, I caused all this chaos. Understand? I showed you the price of messing with my subordinate right here, so don’t mess with me. Got it?”

I caused quite a scene in the police station.

Later, even Dusik tried to stop me, so maybe I went a bit overboard. But to escape the police station smoothly, I needed to leave them too shaken to chase.

The Mogmog Group might seem laughable, always getting beaten by Magical Girls, but in my memory, they were on the verge of conquering the world before Magical Girls appeared.

That means they’re monsters that modern weapons can’t harm.

Magical Girls are the same. And I’m a body that even Magical Girls can’t easily damage.

It’s only been about 10 years.

I don’t know why people forgot so quickly, but as the Mother-Body of evil Magical Girls, tearing down a police station was nothing.

That’s why I could leisurely escape the police station with Dusik.

“Mother-Body, what are you doing?”

If Eve hadn’t blocked my path, having come after receiving a request for backup.

“Eve. Move. I don’t want to fight today. If you let me pass, I’ll leave quietly with Dusik. I didn’t destroy the police station, and no one died. Or rather, if you keep wasting time, someone might die.”

“Whatever happened, as a Magical Girl who protects light and justice, I can’t let you go like this…”

“Stop talking nonsense!”

My sudden shout silenced the surroundings.

I didn’t plan to go this far, but hearing Eve talk about light and justice made my stomach churn.

“Is the light and justice you protect the kind that lets a girl raised as an orphan hear that she’s a parentless brat? That some nameless prostitute must have birthed her after sleeping with a soldier and abandoned her? Is that your light and justice?”

My grip on Dusik’s hand tightened.

“Move, Eve. If you keep blocking me, I’ll test whether you can protect all the civilians here.”

Silently, I stepped forward. Eve just watched me.

As our paths crossed, I quietly said to her.

“Come to the hotel tomorrow afternoon.”

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