Chapter 96

“Huh.”

I put down my phone after glancing at an internet news article.

When was this photo even taken?

“How am I supposed to clean this up…”

When I picked up my phone again, the photo had opened in a new window, probably because I accidentally touched it while putting it down. It was now displayed prominently.

A photo of just me and Escario.

And below that, a photo of Escario lifting my chin, saying something.

Those photos were plastered all over the news portals, not just the page I was looking at.

– Mogmog Group Boss and Core Light’s Collusion Exposed?!

– Leaders of Evil Organizations Spotted Together!

– A Moment of Peace, Was Mogmog Group Just a Facade?

Huh.

It’s a situation where I can only laugh bitterly, but I’m not particularly angry.

It’s not exactly wrong, either.

Mogmog Group is, after all, an evil organization that once declared world domination and launched attacks.

Led by the magical girl Eve, countless magical girls appeared, and after a series of defeats, the group faded into obscurity for ten years. But before that, they were definitely an evil organization that caused destruction.

With photos like these, it’s only natural to be suspicious.

“I need to clean this up.”

But how?

Do I need to make a public announcement?

Would they even believe me?

With Core Light launching attacks and photos of the leaders of both evil organizations meeting and talking like this, even if I say, “No, they’re the bad guys,” would that even work?

“Hmm.”

Well, whatever.

I don’t really need to explain myself, do I?

Core Light will keep attacking, and their targets will be magical girls or us, so even if I stay quiet, it’ll sort itself out.

At least allied organizations won’t fight each other, right?

People will believe that when they see it.

“You’re living in a flower garden, aren’t you?”

“Huh?”

Aquamarine put down a bowl of soup in front of me, making a face.

“If we show them fighting each other like you said, do you really think people will go, ‘Ah, they’re not allies after all~ They’re enemies~’ and believe it?”

“Then?”

They wouldn’t?

Allied organizations don’t fight each other, right?

“Allies don’t fight each other.”

“Wow, your brain isn’t just a flower garden; it’s a whole rose garden.”

How did she know that?

Aquamarine sat across from me with her own bowl of soup.

After Dusik and Sohee went out somewhere with Kabe, I thought I’d be eating alone for the first time in a while, but Aquamarine showed up for work, so we ended up having lunch together.

“Of course, they’ll say it’s a staged fight. Ugh, seriously, unbelievable.”

“No, if we really fight viciously…”

“Are people stupid? You and Core Light aren’t even human, and the bosses aren’t fighting to the death. Even if you fight viciously, the underlings will just run away. What’s the point?”

Well, that’s true.

“Just don’t respond. No one will believe you even if you speak up, and there’s no need to convince anyone.”

“I-I knew that, okay?”

“You looked like you had no idea.”

I really did know.

That’s why I was going to do that.

“Hey, Aquamarine.”

Lately, Aquamarine’s been getting a bit too cocky. Maybe it’s time for some discipline.

“What?”

“Reheat the soup. It’s too salty.”

“Huh?”

“I said, the soup’s too salty, so reheat it.”

“Just add water.”

“Are you feeling okay lately? Did someone step on your earring?”

“…”

Oh.

Hey, don’t make that face. It makes me feel bad.

Seeing Aquamarine looking like a soaked puppy makes me feel a bit guilty.

“…Never mind. I’ll just add water.”

I poured some water from the pot into the soup, stirred it, and it was fine now.

Alright, let’s eat.

“Mother-Body.”

“Yeah.”

“There’s something I’m curious about. Can I ask?”

“What is it?”

“Why is Escario so obsessed with you? Even if you’re our god, I just don’t get it.”

“Hmm. What did Eve say?”

“She said… even if you’re not as good as her, you’re still a decent person, so that’s probably why.”

“Really?”

It’s good to have that kind of reputation.

“He likes women with big breasts. Honestly, I’m better than Eve.”

“Ah, I see. That’s convincing.”

Is she lacking something?

Does that kind of reasoning even work?

I must have looked incredulous because Aquamarine cleared her throat and straightened her expression.

“Eve and you, Mother-Body, must be joking. No one invades for something like that.”

She’s right here, Aqua. Even if it’s a weird explanation, it’s true.

There’s really a guy who came down here just to get a girl. That’s him.

“But Mother-Body, you can’t keep going without using magic. Have you figured anything out?”

“No.”

That’s what I’m worried about too.

If I can just get close, I can win. If I can just get close, I’ll win.

Last time in Myeongdong, when that photo was taken, I was in a strange state.

I wasn’t acting like myself, and I felt like I shouldn’t provoke Escario, but if I meet him on the battlefield again, I’ll beat him to a pulp.

But that’s the problem.

How do I get close?

The Vesprede Rifle is good.

But it only works on Aquamarine to a limited extent, and it probably wouldn’t work on Eve.

I don’t even know if it would work on Escario, so relying on it alone is a bit of a stretch.

Magic.

I need magic.

If only I could channel magic power through my entire body, then maybe I’d have a chance.

Realize that you’re a woman…

Isn’t that hard?

I was a man before, and just because my body changed to a woman’s, I can’t just start living as a woman right away.

Eve, from what I can see now, has fully become a girl, but she’s been living as a woman for ten years. It’s only been a few months for me. It’s not that easy.

Sigh.

What should I do?

“That was good.”

“Put the dishes in the sink.”

“Okay.”

Even after thinking about it for a while, I couldn’t come up with a solution.

This is really complicated.

If I can’t use magic, there’s no answer. To get stronger, I need to accept being a woman… I guess.

I feel like having a beer. I just had lunch, but alcohol tastes best during the day anyway.

“Aqua, I’m going to the convenience store. Do you need anything?”

“No.”

“Alright.”

Since Kabe is here, I try not to keep alcohol in the fridge, so if I want beer, I have to go to the convenience store.

And in the elevator on the way to the convenience store, I ran into an unexpected person.

“Where are you going?”

“Convenience store. You?”

“PC bang.”

Hmm.

Wait.

Come to think of it, I’ve never done any girly events before, have I?

“Hmm.”

I looked Chilho up and down, and he nervously touched his face here and there.

He seems fine, right? He’s not a complete stranger.

I don’t have any issues with Chilho.

“Chilho. Do you have time now?”

*

I brought Chilho downtown, but now the real problem begins.

I’ve never been on a date with a girl before.

Now that we’re here, I don’t know what to do.

“Chilho.”

“Yes, noona.”

“Is there anything you want to do?”

“With you?”

“Yeah. With me.”

“Hmm…”

Chilho probably hasn’t done anything with a girl either.

I’m not expecting much, but since I dragged him out here, I should ask for his opinion.

After thinking for a moment, Chilho looked at me and asked.

His eyes were full of mischief. I already knew what he was going to say…

“A date?”

Chilho went straight for it.

“Well, uh, yeah… something like that?”

“If it’s a date, let’s watch a movie first.”

“Uh… a movie?”

“Yeah, a movie.”

“At the theater?”

“Of course. Where else?”

“Uh, sure…”

I haven’t been to the theater much.

I never had friends, a girlfriend, or even female friends. What business would I have with a theater?

“This one looks good. What do you think, noona?”

“…You’re pretty smooth, huh?”

I narrowed my eyes and glared at Chilho.

From the way to the theater to the area with all the movie posters, he led the way like a pro. It’s hard to believe he’s a beginner.

Not to mention, out of all the movies currently showing, he skipped the action, horror, and thrillers that girls might avoid and went straight for the romance.

“Me?”

Chilho took my gaze in stride and laughed.

“Who else is here but you?”

“I come here often, so I know.”

Often?

How?

“Well, we do meet girls and stuff.”

Wait, what?

“You… you meet girls?”

What are you talking about?

I thought you guys didn’t have sexual desires?!

“We get paid, and on days off, there’s no work, so everyone goes out and does leisure activities. Even I…”

“You must be getting paid well.”

The smile on Chilho’s face faded.

“Guess it’s been quiet lately with no fights.”

Chilho’s face started to lose color.

“Was I the only one stressing out?”

Chilho’s face turned pale.

“Noona.”

“Never mind.”

I clenched and unclenched my fist… took a deep breath.

No, I shouldn’t be mad.

But why am I so annoyed?

I took a few deep breaths to calm myself.

It’s not like we have much to do outside of fighting anyway.

What they do is none of my business.

And I have no right to say anything about them meeting girls.

“Let’s go with that one.”

“That one?”

“Yeah.”

“But that’s an action movie…”

“Just go with that one…”

Wait, no.

The goal is to act more like a girl, right?

“Uh, then the first one. The one you suggested earlier.”

“That’s better, right?”

“…”

Just do what I say, you brat.

*

Surprisingly, the movie wasn’t bad.

No, it was actually pretty good. There were hardly any clichéd lines, and especially, the male lead delivered his lines so well. He was really impressive.

Even in situations where you’d wonder why he was saying those lines, just looking at the male lead’s face made it all okay. You could tell he had a good face.

“Wasn’t the female lead a bit of a pain?”

“Really? I thought the male lead was worse.”

“Was he?”

I thought he was fine.

Was he weird?

Right after leaving the theater, there was a large chain café in front of us.

It didn’t seem too crowded, and most importantly, the tables by the window looked quite nice.

“Noona, want to grab some coffee now?”

I was craving something sweet.

“Is it what you always drink?”

“How do you know what I always drink?”

“You always get an iced café au lait, something sweet.”

Wow, look at this guy.

How does he know?

“Uh… yeah.”

“Then, grab a seat. I’ll order and bring it over.”

“Alright, thanks.”

After parting ways with Chilho at the ordering counter, I went up to the second floor and sat at a window table.

I took off my padded jacket and put it on the next table, then brushed my messy hair… It’s gotten really long. Maybe I should get it trimmed.

Looking out the window, there were a lot of people passing by.

Even after the incident in Myeongdong, people’s behavior hasn’t changed much.

It’s probably because they haven’t felt it firsthand yet, but Escario could attack anywhere at any time. It’d be good if they were a bit more cautious, but… that’s not something I can control.

But seeing people like that doesn’t seem all bad.

After all, peace isn’t a bad thing.

“You seem to be enjoying yourself, Vesprede.”

On the other hand, my mood quickly soured.

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