Mr. Magical Girl

Chapter 72.

Boom

Clang

Thud.

Did I not use it for a long time? Maybe that’s why the handle feels slightly itchy.

As the door opened, the design of the Thunder God’s room filled my field of vision. It was suspiciously clean, as if no one had been coming and going. The walls were without a single scratch, and the white appliances were spotless. Overall, there was a thin layer of dust accumulating, but it was not to the level that it bothered me too much.

“So, well…”

Intentionally, my internal thoughts spilled out of my mouth.

“I know you’re listening, so if there’s a bug in here, get out of here. Quickly!”

Talking into a room with no one, I threw myself onto the bed. Thanks to that, the dust piled on the blanket stirred up, making me sneeze.

Whoo

With a great effort to control my reflexes, I exhaled, and my breath turned into a shockwave, pushing the dust into the corners.

If they heard it all with the bug and did something ridiculous like a sneeze, then I couldn’t let that slide.

Turning my body over, I looked up at the metallic ceiling. The lights reflected off it, shining in a silver sheen.

As the light filtered in from all around, the image of the Thunder God came to my mind.

She, who wrapped her body in bright light, wore a beautiful smile… the Thunder God.

She seems to have grown a lot. It’s only been 11 years since then, but she’s grown up into an adult.

Everyone is changing while I’m the only one remaining the same… That emotion washes over me again: a negative feeling, probably a rejection of the past.

With that feeling, the image of her pops back up.

Bright yellow hair that glows, her face damp with sweat from today’s encounter, the clear skin revealed under her shirt.

Ugh, useless emotions bubbling to the surface.

Why do I feel this way towards an old comrade? The feelings that burn people and drive them to death!

That fiery emotion struggles to be controlled as I take a deep breath.

Inhale… exhale. I repeated it several times, but the flame within me refused to be extinguished.

Once again, her image surfaced.

Bright glowing yellow.

What made her so special that I feel this way? Why is it?

The emotions, which I had tried to control and bury, refused to settle down again, as if they were things I’d waited a long time to feel.

Thud!

Someone knocked on the door.

“Is it Haram Lee? Are you calling?”

The dull voice of a monster could be heard.

Maybe because of the bug, my feelings quickly began to dissipate, but in return, an inexplicable annoyance surged within me.

Holding onto the annoyance, I roughly opened the door.

“Oh! You’re here. I heard you, and I’m here to remove the bug.”

That was what he said as he stood in front of the door—a huge man.

At first glance, he looked human, but the slight beastly scent at the tip of his nose was enough to tell me he was definitely a monster.

“Come in.”

For a moment, a spark of annoyance flickered within me, but he did help calm my emotions, so I hid my irritation and opened my mouth.

“Well, excuse me.”

He flashed a refreshing smile that was the opposite of my own feelings, stepped inside, and immediately began crouching to work.

He was ripping at the wallpaper, disassembling the appliances, and taking down the lights hung from the ceiling.

Every time he moved his hands, silver spheres steadily piled up.

“Looks like you’ve been working hard.”

The bugs kept popping out from everywhere—the wall, above the sink, even in the drain.

At first, it was amusing to see the devices popping out of all sorts of places, but it quickly grew dull, and I began to pass the time.

“What kind of beast is it?”

“Well, it’s a creature that doesn’t really exist here, but if I had to say, it’s somewhat similar to a dog.”

Upon hearing that, I looked closely, and indeed, there were some similarities to a dog.

A snout that poked out slightly.

A nose fidgeting around as if searching for something.

It wasn’t evident at first glance, but now that I knew it was a dog, these biological traits became apparent.

“What tasks are you responsible for in this group, and what is your rank within the organization?”

The guy working hard in front of me didn’t seem like he held a high rank, but that was fine; I was just looking for some idle talk to pass the time.

“I hold the position of the head of the Hokkaido branch and a mid-rank officer in the organization.”

“Branch head? Mid-rank officer? Am I mishearing?”

“You heard correctly.”

Why on earth is a guy of that rank here doing menial work?

He’s lower than the thirteen high officers, but a mid-rank officer doing such chores?

“Why is a mid-rank officer like you doing this instead of the others?”

“I surely should be the one serving you and Ren Sua, especially since you’ve come.”

He said that with a hearty laugh, and as soon as his laughter faded, he went quiet again and continued his work.

About three minutes passed, and he finally stood up straight after removing a bug from the floor.

“It’s done. Is there anything else you need?”

“Are the other rooms the same?”

“What are you referring to?”

“The bugs.”

If the other rooms were the same, then the Thunder God would already have noticed.

After recovering even a fraction of her power, there was no way she wouldn’t have sensed it.

“Well, bugs are installed in every room, but for now, they’re all turned off,” he said. “Ah! Your friend Haram Lee’s room is the same, so you don’t have to worry.”

So, they’re capable of remote operation, huh?

Understanding why it hadn’t been heard so far, I found it bizarre.

“Then why bother coming to take them away?”

“If I just explained, and you discover them later, it would cause quite a ruckus, so the higher-ups ordered me to remove them brazenly beforehand.”

“Orders?”

Ping!

“From a higher rank?”

With that single phrase, all the amassed annoyance and anger exploded.

Did he read my feelings?

The expression on the monster’s face warped strangely.

“Ah… I see. You’re from the Al’Sil high officers.”

Ugghh!

What the hell is that octopus brain?

“Ugh!”

A deep sigh escaped me. Does Al’Sil have a hobby of making me out to be a villain?

Sure, it was his fault. It’s all that octopus brain’s fault!

“Stop fretting and do it properly. Don’t mess up and turn everything upside down.”

“Well, what should I do?”

“Act normal. Just act normal.”

Am I really asking for this?

“Sure! Then, I’ll count on you moving forward.”

The monster said that and then stepped back, leaving the room.

Maybe he wanted to keep his back to me so I wouldn’t see him?

Just then, as he was about to close the door to leave…

“Hello! Are you one of the employees?”

Thud

“Oh! Hello! I am Ilra, the chief of this branch.”

The voice of Han Ah came from beyond the narrowly closing door.

“Looks like Haram’s coming out of the room. Do you know each other?”

“I just met her today, but it’s because she is famous in our organization that I came to see her.”

The conversation between those two leaked into my ears while I lay on the blanket.

What a decent excuse, calling her a famous person.

Yeah, she is quite famous indeed.

“Famous, you say?”

“Well, she’s famous for many reasons, but the most notable one is the huge donations she made.”

“Senior donating? That doesn’t suit her.”

Han Ah! That senior is in your room!

How about choosing your words more carefully?

“Well, no one fits the word ‘donation’ like her. Ten years ago, she gave away all her money…”

“That’s enough.”

Suddenly darting out of the room, I hastily covered my mouth with my hand and interrupted their conversation.

“Stop talking unnecessary nonsense.”

After pressuring the monster, I turned my head toward Han Ah, who seemed shocked.

“What’s up?”

Was she surprised by my abrupt appearance?

Han Ah seemed nervous, trembling and unable to open her mouth.

“Ah, we’re having dinner. The Prohibition senior called us.”

Dinner?

Come to think of it, I didn’t feed the kids today.

So, they must be quite hungry—better hurry.

“Let’s go! Lead the way!”

I said and pulled the monster along.

I could hear the sounds of disbelief coming from behind, but that was just the punishment for idly chatting away.

But for some reason, Han Ah wasn’t guiding me; instead, she was staring fixedly at where the monster had just collapsed.

“Han Ah? Aren’t we going to eat?”

“Uh, senior…”

“Why?”

“Uhm, that Ilra is…”

Why was she dragging her words out? What did that monster do now?

I thought so and turned to look at where she was staring.

With foamy drool in his mouth, the octopus-faced guy lay there, his eyes rolled back and writhing.

Did I hold him too tight?

Calming my anxious heart, I approached the foaming corpse and leaned down even closer.

Just stay alive for me.

Pulse: abnormal.

Breathing: abnormal.

Heart rate: abnormal.

Finally, I summoned my hammer and shone the light into his eyes; his pupils quickly contracted.

“He’s not dead! Let’s go!”

“What?”

Han Ah seemed dazed as I pulled her along, trying to understand the situation while struggling to keep up.

The restaurant is this way, right?

“While it’s correct that the restaurant is that way…”

“Is he really okay?”

“He’s fine! He’s not dead!”

He’s a monster! There’s no way he could die from this, right?

Sitting in an unexpectedly clean restaurant, I took a bite of the meat bowl with my chopsticks.

The round item was clearly fresh; as the yolk broke, the finely chopped onions and meat began to mix with the rice in a savory blend.

“Master! You’re supposed to eat the bowl without mixing it!”

White Sihyeon, who had been stuffing her face in the bowl, finally opened her mouth as if annoyed by my actions.

“I know. But it’s bothersome.”

Is there really a need to make it complicated, eating it with chopsticks?

It would be so much easier to just mix it up and shovel it into my mouth.

“Understandable. But, you know, that little hammer has some strange habit of mixing everything as well. Back in the day, I used to throw everything together and shove it into my mouth…”

“Prohibition. Don’t inject weird knowledge into my student. At that time, there was no time to eat properly, so I was like that.”

At such moments, I wouldn’t have had time to eat properly with enemies attacking.

Right now, it was just that I found it bothersome to eat with chopsticks, not because I liked my meals like a dog.

“Still! What you mixed in your bowl is just like then, isn’t it?”

At those words, I turned to look at my bowl: A hastily mixed pile of rice, meat, and assorted sauces mixed together—similar, huh?

Without being able to refute, I stared at the bowl, and somewhere, laughter echoed.

“Looks like your habits haven’t changed.”

The Thunder God burst into laughter, covering her mouth, and I realized she had taken on a daintier vibe of Japanese-style cuisine. Rice, miso soup, grilled fish—it was exactly what one would think of with Japanese meals.

“Then why is it that your portion is so small? Normally you’d eat much more than that.”

Gulp.

Pain shot through my stomach.

Rrrrgh! Crash!

The sound of splitting air rang out. I’d already experienced that punch from the Thunder God several times today.

“Why?”

Quickly recognizing it as the Thunder God’s punch, a single thought emerged in my mind: Where exactly in my words was it an offense?

I could see the bowl of food swaying in the air.

Just a moment ago, I had thought it was a dog’s bowl, mixing my meat up.

Regaining my balance to grab my bowl before its contents spilled all over, it happened in an instant, so thankfully my food remained unscathed.

“Thunder God! What gives?!”

I huffed angrily; I don’t touch even monsters when I’m eating!

Rumble!

My anger surged as I roared, while a black barrel pointed straight at me.

“Boom!”

What now—am I in trouble again?

“That was just the little hammer’s fault!”

I asked, “Was it really my fault?”

Looking at Han Ah, she stares at me with a stunned expression.

That made it the third time today I’ve seen that look.

The first time was when I first met the Thunder God, the second at her room, and now…

I don’t know if I was in the wrong or not, but it seems I was.

Again bowing my head, I looked for the Thunder God, but her figure had already disappeared.

“Where’s the Thunder God?”

“The remaining food should be given to me, and you should return to your room!”

Bae Sihyeon said that as she gobbled down a grilled fish.

That fish must be the Thunder God’s dinner.

Things aren’t going well today.

I couldn’t even talk properly to the Thunder God, and I kept getting hit; I still don’t know what’s wrong.

If I could just have a meal with the Thunder God as in the past, then I’d feel nostalgic.

As I contemplated, I held up my bowl and made my way back to the table.

“Tonight, I’ll be going to your room, so keep waiting,” Prohibition whispered back to me.

She had said the same earlier.

“Try apologizing, kid; the way to mend things is still there,”

“Shut up, lady!”

Smack!

That hurt.

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