Chapter 19: Suspicions and Secrets

Kim Si-yool was strange. At least, that was Sora’s opinion.

His record alone was enough to raise eyebrows: a deserter who evaded capture even during the kaijin invasion, claiming to have been in another world, calling himself the Moon Warrior. He was clearly not right in the head.

Sora didn’t usually judge people based on hearsay. She preferred to see for herself. But her brief interaction with Si-yool had been enough to confirm his strangeness.

He’d provoked a kaijin, wiped kaijin guts on her clothes, and remained nonchalant after nearly being killed.

And now…

That crazy lunatic…

He was taunting the kaijin, trying to provoke them despite their inability to understand him. It wasn’t just bravado; it was madness. Was he truly insane? Or was he simply incapable of feeling fear?

Either way, he was strange.

But what was even stranger was his ability to effortlessly evade the kaijin attacks, moving with minimal effort.

Two, maybe three steps.
A single block, or two.

That was all it took.

When facing multiple kaijin, his movements became more complex, using their bodies as springboards or deflecting their attacks against each other. But he never wasted a single movement.

If it had only happened once or twice, Sora would have dismissed it as luck. But it was happening constantly.

How many times has it been now?

Could it still be attributed to luck or coincidence?

Sora didn’t think so.

“I don’t understand…” she muttered, shaking her head. She nudged Ray. “Sister.”

“What is it, Sora? Why?” Ray asked.

“Don’t you think sunbae is strange? How is he doing that?”

Ray shrugged. “Well, it’s making things easier, isn’t it?”

Sora had to agree.

Most magical girls operated in teams, usually with their roommates. They covered each other’s weaknesses. But…

We’re short-handed.

One roommate was on assignment, another on vacation. And the third had retired, which was why Si-yool was here.

But Si-yool was just an ordinary man. He wasn’t a viable asset, especially now, with a seemingly endless horde of kaijin bearing down on them. Even with her and Ray’s perfect teamwork, they were only two people. They couldn’t hold out forever.

There are too many of them…

Sora didn’t understand why there were so many kaijin. The other magical girls were still fighting, judging by the spells flying through the air. And it didn’t make sense for them to be overwhelmed. The kaijin weren’t that strong.

Did they break through the lines? Or is someone deliberately sending them here?

Sora had no answers.

But she did know one thing: if this continued, they wouldn’t make it to the other magical girls.

It’s unlikely.

Their chances were slim.

But Si-yool had changed the game. He was somehow drawing the kaijin’s attention, despite their inability to understand him. They were relentlessly targeting him, though he effortlessly evaded every attack.

It made things easier for Sora and Ray. They could focus on attacking, turning the battle into a one-sided hunt, a target practice session with kaijin as the targets and magic as the ammunition. The kaijin ignored Sora and Ray, their focus solely on Si-yool.

He was an asset, at least to them.

I’m grateful, but…

He was still strange.

“Oh, you play mobile games?” Si-yool asked a kaijin with a flowerpot for a head. “Are you stuck in bronze?”

A chill ran down Sora’s spine. She’d been momentarily distracted, but now she had to refocus.

What is he doing?!

Despite its comical appearance, this kaijin was dangerous. It could unleash a barrage of powerful magic from the flower in its pot, magic strong enough to seriously injure even a defensively specialized magical girl.

“Sunbae! Watch—!” Sora yelled, but it was too late.

The kaijin unleashed a volley of magical projectiles, thin beams of energy slicing through the air.

No!

This was bad. The kaijin’s magic was too fast to react to, even if you knew it was coming. And it wasn’t weak. It required a team of magical girls to take down, at least two of whom needed to be able to block its attacks. One to act as a shield, and another to protect the flanker targeting its weak spot – the back of its head.

Could an ordinary man handle this? No. He would be hit. And he would die.

“You’ll never reach platinum at this rate,” Si-yool said, effortlessly dodging and deflecting the kaijin’s magic. He moved with an almost preternatural grace, weaving through the barrage of attacks as if he’d done it a thousand times.

“Re-try,” he added, as the kaijin continued its assault.

Sora was dumbfounded. How could an ordinary man react to attacks that even magical girls struggled to perceive? It wasn’t just quick reflexes; it was something… more. It was like a miracle.

How is he doing that?

The only explanations she could think of were absurd: he had intimate knowledge of the kaijin’s abilities, he could predict the future, or… he was incredibly experienced in this type of situation.

How is this possible?

She couldn’t comprehend it. She even briefly entertained the thought that he might actually be from another world.

No way. She quickly dismissed the idea.

He was just… strange.

What does he do for a living?

Sora stood frozen, her mind reeling from the impossibility of what she’d just witnessed.

Ray, however, wasn’t as contemplative.

“Good job, darkie!” she yelled, taking advantage of Si-yool’s distraction to circle behind the kaijin and deliver a swift kick to its back of the knee.

A sickening crunch echoed through the air as the kaijin’s leg twisted unnaturally, its body spinning halfway around, its head hitting the ground. Ray stomped on its head, pinning it down, then pointed her wand at the back of its skull.

“Gotcha, kaijin-dian,” she said. She took a deep breath, then looked at Si-yool with a bright smile.

“Darkie! That was amazing!”

“I told you, I’m not a darkie, I’m a warrior,” Si-yool said, a small smile playing on his lips. For the first time, the tension between them seemed to dissipate, replaced by a moment of shared camaraderie.

“Warrior, my ass. You’re definitely crazy, darkie,” Ray said, grinning.

“You’re dead,” Si-yool retorted.

Their moment of peace was short-lived.

They’re a perfect match, Sora thought, sighing inwardly. They communicated well, and their fighting styles complemented each other. There was an age gap, of course. Ray was 26, and Si-yool was 33. But they looked about the same age, Si-yool even appearing slightly younger.

It’s not like my ten-year age gap with my sister, Sora thought.

He was still strange, of course. But he wasn’t a bad person. And she didn’t dislike him. In fact…

I like him.

He was… interesting.

She wanted them to become closer, more than just bickering partners. Like… lovers.

“There’s no such thing as a warrior, darkie. You’ve been reading too much manga,” Ray said.

“I’m telling you, I was the Moon Warrior!” Si-yool insisted.

“No f*cking way.”

“Can I please punch you in the gut? Just once? I’ll be gentle.”

It seemed unlikely, for now.

I’ll have to help them, Sora thought. It might take time, but she would make it happen. It was her dream, a step closer to her ultimate goal.

The surrounding area was clear now. No more kaijin were approaching. Only the one Ray was pinning down remained.

“Just one left. Finish it off, sister,” Sora said.

Ray aimed her wand, ready to fire.

“Die,” she muttered.

But she couldn’t.

“Hey,” a voice called out, its tone grating.

A foot shot out, kicking Ray’s wand away.

“We’ll take it from here,” the voice said.

Sora turned to see a group of familiar magical girls.

Familiar, yet unwelcome.

“Give us the kaijin,” they said.