Transformation or Death

Symbol of Peace (11)

“Altair?! Altair?! Answer me! Altair!”

The communication cut off with Orange Altair’s scream over the earpiece. The various magical girls who were about to interrogate, torture, or stop the torture of the attacker simultaneously looked at each other in confusion.

“This is…”

“It must be a villain.”

Someone muttered. The signal was cut off as soon as reports of observing a villain came in. The circumstances were so clear that no one objected.

A solemn atmosphere settled, colder than ice shards. The gazes that had been focused on one spot dispersed again.

“Jae-jung, stay close to me.”

Blue Sirius stepped forward, as if to shield Han Jae-jung. The other magical girls also surrounded the only civilian here in a circle to protect him, each drawing their weapons or surrounding themselves with magic.

The tense atmosphere rose in proportion to the increasing vigilance.

“Just so you know, I’ve spent all my money recently, so I don’t have any for condolence money.”

“What’s condolence money?”

“Money you give at funerals.”

“Oh, then I don’t have any either! I spend money as soon as I get it!”

“Are you bragging about that?”

Even as they exchanged these frivolous jokes, the atmosphere refused to lighten. Despite so many magical girls gathered here, no one was complacent or at ease in this situation.

“I’m not bragging, just saying.”

The wind blew.

“Alright, I understand.”

Blue Sirius adjusted her grip on her three swords, changing her stance in the direction of the wind.

“Then we shouldn’t create any situations where we might die.”

The wind continued to blow without dying down. It had a force similar to the strong, salty winds characteristic of coastal areas. Hair swayed as if it had a will of its own, and decorations like hats seemed about to fly high into the sky.

“Oh, ohhh…”

The man who had been in agony raised his head. The lifeless eyes of the strange middle-aged man, who called himself part of the Argo family and was neither human nor villain, lit up, and a curve appeared on his previously motionless lips.

Han Jae-jung, sensing something ominous, reached for his belt. Transforming among these people would be tantamount to suicide, but just in case…

Then the metal ball elegantly dodged his hand.

“…?!”

The belt that usually came immediately when called was suddenly refusing to transform. It was unthinkable. At the same time, his left eye started to hurt.

He suddenly realized that there was something wrong with both the belt system and his body.

“I believed in you, big brother!”

As he shouted, the wind grew even fiercer. There were few who this self-proclaimed Argo family member would call big brother. It was as good as revealing the identity of this wind.

The wind showed no signs of stopping and grew even stronger. It was hard to even stand properly. If an earthquake could be caused by wind alone, it would be like this. The overwhelming wind pressure made breathing difficult and filled their eardrums with nothing but the sound of wind.

“Ugh…!”

“Girls, find your positions!”

“What?! I can’t hear you!”

In the wind that made it difficult to even open their eyes, a shadow was visible. Han Jae-jung recognized whose shadow it was at a glance. One of the core executives of the Argo family. The second, October of the Sail constellation.

‘But wait.’

Starlight mixed with the wind. The wind sparkled like a shimmering silk cloth. It was as if the Milky Way was flowing on the wind.

‘That guy. Was he always this strong?’

That wind obscured their vision.

And then their vision cleared again.

“…I knew this would happen.”

What they saw was a completely different world from where they had been before.

The landscape of an oddly artificial island. A space with the scenery of a southern island that looked like a painting. They had reached Argo’s Goldilocks Zone.

“But…”

Looking around, he felt something strange.

“Why is there no one here?”

It was quiet. The gale that had been blowing until just now had transformed into a pleasant cool breeze, and at the same time, the many people who had been with them had transformed into silence.

There was no one around Han Jae-jung.

“Did I go somewhere else alone…?”

“W-well, what a coincidence! Ha, haha… Did you get lost too?”

Someone responded to his mutterings.

“…Jason?”

“Yes, it’s me, comrade… Ahem, I know it’s shameless, but I ask you once again.”

Han Jae-jung’s gaze fell on Jason, and without any hesitation, he knelt down.

“Please help me!”

***

Ippotranslation

***

“He’s late….”

Joo Ah-yoon grumbled disinterestedly, resting her chin on her hand. Having worked as a magical girl herself, she knew that during operations, one couldn’t make contact, but she couldn’t help feeling lonely.

[Why didn’t you volunteer as bait?]

“Two people aren’t needed for that kind of operation. It’s actually worse if the workforce is dispersed.”

[I see… But then why are you still here? You’re not needed, right?]

“Shut up!”

She vented her frustration on her former mascot, now a belt in the form of a parrot, and clicked her tongue.

“…If it’s dangerous, I could rush over, and if it’s successful, I could congratulate them when they return. If they fail and come back, I could comfort them.”

[Even so, is there any need to wait here stupidly?]

“Shut up!”

[If you were that worried, you shouldn’t have let this kind of operation proceed in the first place….]

“I said shut up! The reason I agreed to brother’s impulsive action was… was….”

Joo Ah-yoon sighed deeply and dropped her head onto the table. With a bang, the teacups on the table shook.

[She’s finally gone mad.]

“That bastard Altarimu… She keeps suspecting brother.”

[I think it’s quite reasonable to suspect him, though?]

“You’re not on our side. Well, fine. I think it’s understandable to be suspicious, but….”

Orange Altair’s behavior was particularly strange today. Though her hot-tempered personality was already known, she wasn’t the type to baselessly criticize civilians. There was only one reason for this change.

None other than Joo Ah-yoon’s existence. As someone who always subtly provoked and sought attention, she must have been annoyed by Han Jae-jung, who was now with her after retirement.

She had always been prone to prejudice and jumping to conclusions. If several suspicious incidents occur involving someone with an unfavorable impression, she would naturally interpret the content to fit her preferences.

From what was shown today, Orange Altair is suspecting Han Jae-jung of being a member of the Argo Family.

While the process of suspicion might have been rational, the result is absurd.

The problem is that result. What would happen if she, with her unnecessarily strong pride yet lacking self-esteem, realized that she had wrongly treated a civilian as an enemy based on a mistaken judgment?

“What will she do when she realizes she’s wrong….”

She would crumble.

“That’s why I agreed. She needs to realize before the problem gets serious. If she learns the truth after she starts seriously slandering him, it’ll be hard to turn back.”

Joo Ah-yoon agreed to the operation out of concern not just for Han Jae-jung, but also for Ara. Of course, it was also to make her realize her misunderstanding before she could harm Han Jae-jung.

Ara had a bad habit from the past. Act first, regret later. Even while regretting, she doesn’t know how to clean up what she’s done, so she just agonizes and wastes time. In the end, she doesn’t resolve anything and avoids problem-solving.

“She wasn’t like this when she first came….”

Joo Ah-yoon smiled slightly, recalling Orange Altair in her rookie days. Perhaps because the cafe that was bustling until just now had suddenly become quiet, Joo Ah-yoon was lost in memories.

There’s competition among magical girls. Except for exceptions like Red Vega or White Davi, no matter how close they are, they can’t help but be aware of being compared to each other. Orange Altair was one of those aware people.

There’s a certain tension at the magical girl headquarters. The tension of wondering what incident will occur today. The tension of wondering how much one can contribute today.

Joo Ah-yoon looked around the now-empty cafe interior and thought.

It’s certain that there won’t be any customers for a while anyway. In that case, it might be nice to use this cafe as a space for those restless souls.

A resting place to continue their dreams.

A peaceful space where magical girls can relax comfortably.

Is this thought simply a business mindset, or is it sympathy blooming now that she’s retired from being a magical girl and considers herself an outsider?

“…Have I changed because of brother too?”

Joo Ah-yoon smiled wryly and looked at the clock. There was still a lot of time left before the night would pass.

Also, it was too late for anyone to visit.

Knock knock knock.

A knocking sound came from the door.

[…Guardian.]

“I know.”

None of the people who might return would knock while opening the door, and even if it were a vagrant hurriedly seeking shelter from the night, the gesture was too polite and leisurely.

Joo Ah-yoon felt an unparalleled threat from this mannered gesture. She reached out and grabbed the metal ball. As soon as she felt the cold metal in her palm, the ball transformed into a W-shaped belt, like a bird spreading its wings.

“Who the hell is making a fuss at night?”

Joo Ah-yoon asked the person beyond the door.

“Hey, fuck, aren’t you going to answer?”

She tried speaking strongly, mixing in curses, but couldn’t erase the trembling underlying her voice.

“Hey!”

Crash! Before Joo Ah-yoon’s shout had even finished, the window shattered. No special weapon was needed to break the window. Just a strong vibration. Overwhelming air pressure was enough. Shards of broken glass grazed Joo Ah-yoon’s cheek as they passed.

“You bastard, do you know how hard I worked to clean that window! You’re fucking dead.”

Joo Ah-yoon wiped the blood trickling down her cheek and attached the belt to her waist. With a clinking sound, metal wires wrapped around her waist, firmly securing the belt, and Joo Ah-yoon immediately took a transformation pose.

“Transform!”

From the lens embedded in the center of the belt outward, a light pink light lit up, like a bird’s wings spreading.

[Deneb!]

[Denebola!]

[Deneb Kaitos!]

[Deneb Algedi!]

[Deneb Dulfim!]

Five different stars, the stars of their tails, came together to form a new constellation.

[CASSIOPEIA!]

[CONSTELLATION OBSERVATION!]

The light extended powerfully, unwavering even in the wind. By the time all that light enveloped Joo Ah-yoon’s entire body.

[Are You Ready?]

The wind stopped, and a new landscape greeted her before she had fully finished her preparations.

***

Ippotranslation

***

“Where… Is this place?”

Orange Altair looked around compulsively, like a meerkat.

“Why am I in this state….”

Holding an arrow tightly, ready to shoot at any moment, she wandered around the island. Her hand gripping the bowstring was trembling.

“…I guess I deserved this!”

Due to her own weakness, she couldn’t properly counter and fell for the enemy’s strategy. Who would have thought they had the ability to forcibly teleport someone? Is this the rumored Goldilocks Zone?

Even for someone who had faced various villains, she didn’t have much experience dealing with high-level entities with such diverse abilities.

“No, no. Don’t panic. This is an opportunity. A chance! I might be able to unravel the secrets of this place and dismantle the Argo Family… So don’t panic… Slowly… Stealthily….”

As she muttered to herself as if brainwashing herself, a fierce flash of light that could even kill sunlight blinked around her. Orange Altair turned her head as if enchanted and stared at the light.

Although the intensity of light was enough to risk blindness, her eyes, trained by the body of a magical girl, directly absorbed the light completely. Despite the considerable distance between her position and the source, her overwhelming sniper-like vision clearly reflected the scenery of the origin.

A human figure was visible in the flash. Moreover, it was the figure of someone she knew. Although it was just a silhouette, that outline was clearly…..

“…Deneb?”

***

Ippotranslation

***

[Are You Ready?]

“…It didn’t work this time.”

But the transformation that had already begun couldn’t be stopped. Even if she wasn’t ready, the emission continued, overlaying armor on Joo Ah-yoon’s body.

Joo Ah-yoon likes this sensation. The sensation of her field of vision rising. Her height after transformation is that of an adult male.

But this time, she couldn’t quite enjoy it.

She felt deflated because there were no enemies to face, no allies or buildings to protect.

“Ah, those bastards. Here again?”

As if fed up, Joo Ah-yoon flew into the sky, fluttering like a butterfly. It was a move to check the surrounding geography first.

That place, which had become empty in an instant, was continuously watched by one magical girl.

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