Chapter 2 : Association

Ignoring Peng’s grumbling, I returned home alone.
Dahye had to go to school to teach the children, so this place became entirely my own space.

I sprawled out on the slightly faded sofa.
The spot I occupied was even more faded.
It was because of my habit of lying in the same spot every time.

I turned on the TV because I didn’t want to hear the ticking clock.
Since it was a little past 2 p.m., most channels were broadcasting news.
The main topic was the demonstration that had just taken place.
Channels focused on peace and channels focused on danger.
They were largely divided into two categories.

“Sigh.”

I turned the TV back off and opened the mail I had brought with my fingernail.
Utility bills, card statements, fan letters, donation thank-you letters, fan letters, fan letters, fan let… disguised genitals image.

Sigh… I thought this month would pass quietly, but it never fails to disappoint me.
Well, dozens come in every day by mail, so there’s no difference.
Let’s burn it so there’s no ash left.

I scanned through the rest and found what I was looking for.
It was a statement of the pension to be paid by the Magical Girl Association.
I requested it for Dahye, who will quit being a Magical Girl in a week.
I only needed to check the amount without reading the other details.
Hmm… It’s missing a zero.
They certainly said they would make sure of it in the previous conversation.

I flicked my finger lightly.
The magic power that escaped from the magic stone tore through dimensions and created a crack.
In less than a second, the shape of the gap was arranged into a small door just enough for me to pass through.
It meant that a connection had been made to the exit.

As I passed through the rippling door like water, I heard bustling noises.
Busy employees, visitors, and Magical Girls.
This was the first-floor lobby of the Magical Girl Association.

[Look over there, it’s Ember-nim!]
[Wow, she looks better in person than the statue.]

There was such a thing erected at the front gate of the Association.
A statue of a hero who led the era of peace, it was titled.
That statue, whose face was messed up, has remained an object of ridicule from the day it was erected until now.

The noise grew louder as attention was drawn to me, but I was offended by the statue comment and passed them by.
My original purpose wasn’t a fan meeting, so there shouldn’t be any drama on the online gallery.

A female employee in uniform saw me and jumped up from her seat.

“Ah! Ember-nim! What brings you here?”

“Call the president and tell him I’m here, ‘ppi.
That’s all, ‘ppi.”

With her eyes losing direction, she placed her hand on the wired telephone.
The number pressed was the direct line to the secretary.
She answered the phone before the ringing tone could even be heard.

–Yes, it’s the first floor. It’s nothing, but Ember-nim says she has business with the president. Oh… Did you say he went on a business trip?

The employee who looked at me anxiously was emitting a blue light.
Honestly, even if it wasn’t me, everyone would know she was lying.

I came to the lobby to be considerate, but it was useless.
I made a door again.
The place it connected to was the president’s office.

“Don’t move!”

“‘Ppi?”

Security personnel were lined up in the president’s office.
All of them were aiming magic-infused firearms at me.

“We apologize, Ember-nim. The president said he doesn’t want to see you. Please return home.”

“I’ll go back when you fix the pension that will be paid to Dahye, ‘ppi.”

“He said it’s impossible.”

“It was the president who made the promise first, ‘ppi. And you guys, ‘ppi. Are you really confident enough to shoot, ‘ppi?”

At those words, everyone, regardless of who they were, wavered.
They exchanged glances and lowered their firearms.

“How could that be? Shoot the hero who saved our lives? It’s absurd.”

Red light.

“Thank you, ‘ppi.”

Despite the simple greeting, they smiled brightly like children.
Truly pure.

I floated through the air and reached the bookcase reflected on the wall.
The book I needed to touch was this.
The Magical Girl’s Guidebook.

*Whirr*

A hidden room was revealed between the bookshelves that slid to the sides.
It was a complicated device, as if seen from somewhere.

In the space surrounded by silver walls, the president was sitting with a small desk.
A black suit, a 2:8 part hairstyle.
And the white silk gloves he wore were his trademarks.

He was in a welcoming posture with his arms spread wide, but a blue light was emanating from him.
It was clearly a lie, so it meant he wanted me to get out.

“Ahaha, I heard Ember-nim was coming, so I prepared a surprise welcome.”

Blue light.

“If there had been time, I would have offered you cake, but it’s a shame. It would have been nice if you had given me a heads-up.”

Blue light.

“Oh, you hate unnecessary chatter, right? What brings you here this time? I can’t imagine at all.”

Blue light until the end.
In a different sense, he was also truly pure.

There was no need for a long conversation between us, so I placed the letter I had received on the desk.
Even though he hadn’t opened it, he seemed to know what it was, as he grinned.
He gestured for the agents to leave immediately, and they complied without any objection.
They left quietly, but the sound of their shoe heels was noisy.

Only after we were left alone in the room could I see his serious face.
I lightly hopped onto the desk to have a private conversation.
He operated the remote control to close the bookcase and pressed another button.

“I turned off the CCTV. Of course, the recording function too.”

He put the remote control in his suit’s front pocket and began his speech.

“Where shall we begin? The reason why the pension is significantly low, I suppose? As you know, the Magical Girl Association receives its budget from the National Assembly. Even though there are some things we control independently, we can’t ignore them. I naturally expected the review application to pass. Isn’t that right? Ten million won a month for the hero who protected us from the Mazoku’s threat for 20 years? It’s cheap. Wait…”

He took out a water bottle from where he was sitting and took a sip.
The label featured Dahye in her transformed state as an advertising model.

“My throat is a little dry. Ah, the result is a failure. They said, ‘Is there a need to pay that much money? If it were when the Mazoku were invading, I would have understood, but in a situation like this, where the remaining Mazoku are closely monitored… Is there a reason to give away that kind of money?'”

“That’s…”

“I’m not finished yet. They also brought up the fact that we used national funds to recover from the damage. Several dozen times more went out under the name of material and human support. As for who requested it…”

“I know, ‘ppi.”

It was the disaster relief fund we requested when we didn’t know anything.
We held a press conference on our own and made demands based on emotions.

It couldn’t be helped.
We know now that such demands come at a considerable price, but we were completely unaware at the time.
That was when we learned the hard way that good intentions could turn into evil.

“Would you like a drink?”

He offered me a paper cup as I gritted my teeth.
It was a gesture of consideration so I could drink easily, and at the same time, it meant to calm down.
I refused.
It wasn’t because my life would be in danger.
I simply hated that it was he who gave it to me.

As if disappointed, he casually pulled back the paper cup and tilted it.
After staring at the water bottle label for a moment, he poured the water into his mouth.
He crushed the empty plastic bottle, threw it hard, and elegantly wiped his wet mouth with the letter.

“There was a lot of other talk besides that, but it was all superficial.”

Pulling his chair closer, he casually revealed something I hadn’t expected at all.

“The real intention is that they suspect the fairies, Mazoku, and even Han Dahye are all in cahoots.”

I instinctively slammed the desk.
Normally, it would have easily broken, but due to the nature of the space here, it didn’t.
Only a slight vibration signaled my rage.

“Because we advocated for peace with the Mazoku?”

“They’ve been giving me the stink eye since then. The decisive blow was the reason she said she was quitting being a Magical Girl.”

“What’s wrong with saying she doesn’t want to kill anymore?”

“They think it’s strange that a woman who’s seen it all acts like a virgin.”

My breath caught in my throat.
For a moment, my vision blurred and my palms tingled.
A slightly stronger vibration than before resonated through the room.

“Ha…”

I was at a loss for words.

What do they think of Dahye?
A sharp sashimi knife? A butcher knife?
I knew from the beginning that she was being used as a weapon, but this was too much.
No, I’m also thinking that way, so I’m at the same level as them.
Pathetic.

At least before we go back, I wanted to give her a life far from poverty…

I walked over to the only place on the smooth wall where a crack was drawn.
There was no switch.
The only way to open it from the inside was with the remote control that the president had.
Still, the act of clinging to the wall and knocking meant that there was nothing more to say.

“If you want more money, I’ll cover it with my own funds.”

“So you can be caught for embezzlement again? No thanks. Just open it.”

With a wry smile, he moved the bookshelf and opened the exit for me.
The office, which should have been empty, was full of soldiers instead of agents.
The muzzles of their fully armed guns, aimed at me, were shaking here and there.

The president hadn’t called them.
He had jumped out of his seat and admonished them, and a red light had emanated from him when he made excuses to me.
And the agents outside calling out to us were a bonus.
It seemed that the government still didn’t trust me.

“It seems like someone reported it from the information desk. She’s a new recruit we just hired, so she doesn’t know anything… What can you do? You have to understand.”

The president, who was combing his ruffled hair, took off his gloves and extended his hand.
It was hard to refuse that hand, messy with scars, which he didn’t erase, saying they were medals earned in battles with the Mazoku.

“Thank you always.”

His smile, showing his teeth like a fool, was exactly the same as it was back when we were agents fighting together.
This wasn’t a lie.
It was as bright red as a burning sunset.

I shook his hand lightly and immediately returned home.
I had plenty of time before Dahye came back, so I should tidy up first.
There was some laundry piled up, so I’ll start the washing machine, and in between, I’ll clean the floor with the vacuum cleaner.
It’s lonely, so I should put on my favorite documentary channel.
If someone saw me, they might mistake me for a housekeeper.