Chapter 22: Unexpected Friendships and Sinister Plots

After a chaotic day, Si-yool listened to the company commander’s debriefing. He learned about the next day’s light workload, bonus points for their dorm for killing the most Kaijin, and special leave for Ray for landing the final blow. Back in the dorm, Si-yool lay on his bed, exhausted but unable to sleep.

“This sucks,” he muttered. Being forced to fight Kaijin was one thing, but being berated by a talking, suicidal Kaijin was another. It was humiliating. ‘Even the Kaijin don’t think I’m human,’ he thought angrily.

“Why’d you have to kill yourself, you a**hole?!” he shouted into the empty room. Fatigue finally caught up with him. He’d pushed himself harder than he’d intended, testing the limits of his enhanced abilities.

“Gotta sleep,” he mumbled, drifting off.

“Hey, are you asleep?” a voice asked.

Si-yool opened his eyes to see Ray looking down at him, with Sora watching from a distance. They had returned after showering.

“What?” Si-yool grumbled.

“Um…about earlier…I’m really sorry for what I said. You know, calling you Darky,” Ray said hesitantly.

“Really? What brought this on?” Si-yool asked, surprised by her apology.

“Well…you’re not as bad as I thought. I think I was being too judgmental…especially since you helped me get a vacation. I really needed this break,” Ray explained.

“You needed a vacation that badly?”

“Yeah…”

Ray looked down. “I’m sorry. I was wrong.”

“Just don’t do it again.” Si-yool nodded.

“Really? For real?” Ray seemed shocked by his easy acceptance.

“What’s with the surprised Pikachu face? Why would I refuse an apology?” Si-yool retorted.

“No! It’s just…you’re so chill about it. Other people stay angry at me even after I apologize a bunch of times…”

Si-yool understood. Even he hadn’t expected magical girls to be so…different.

“It’s fine. The other world was way worse. You’re not even close to their level of discrimination,” Si-yool assured her.

“Oh yeah? What did they do?”

“They just cried when I confessed my feelings. They wouldn’t even agree to date me. The discrimination was intense.”

Ray fidgeted in silence. Sora quickly intervened.

“That’s not discrimination, it’s distinction.”

“Shut up.”

Si-yool noticed Ray was now addressing him as ‘you’ instead of ‘Darky’. Progress.

“So, now that we’ve made up,” Sora said, holding a large bottle, “how about a small party to celebrate your arrival?”

“What’s that?” Si-yool asked.

“Water. Here.”

“Cool.” Clean water was a luxury Si-yool had rarely enjoyed in the other world. He took a swig. It was bitter and strong.

“This is alcohol,” he stated.

“It’s water. Just…with some impurities,” Sora said.

“You’re insane.”

Ray was already holding out a cup. The sisters were clearly crazy.

“Are you two serious?”

“Don’t you want Magical Water?” Ray asked.

“Forget it,” Si-yool said. Sora snatched the bottle back, scowling.

“Give me another cup,” Si-yool said.

“You just said you didn’t want any,” Sora pointed out.

“You must be Jesus. It was water, but it turned into wine in my mouth,” Si-yool quipped. Sora glared at him. He held out his cup.

“If you don’t, I’ll report you and have you crucified.”

“You’re such a jerk,” Sora muttered, pouring him another drink. “That old-lady-kicking personality hasn’t changed.”

“You wanna die?”

And so, their little party began.

The Company Commander was bewildered. A man had been assigned to her unit as a magical girl, dragged in against his will. He was a deserter, claimed to have spent ten years in another world, and called himself the Warrior of the Moon.

‘Why is he here?’ she wondered.

‘What were they thinking?’ She couldn’t understand the higher-ups’ decision.

But the most baffling person was right in front of her: Magical Battalion Commander Pale Crow. She was the Company Commander’s superior and the most enigmatic person she’d ever met. Pale Crow had no mascot, remained transformed at all times, and had risen to Battalion Commander faster than anyone in history. And yet, she’d never been seen fighting or even using magic. Rumor had it that she had powerful connections, but the Company Commander suspected something more sinister. Some whispered that Pale Crow had changed completely after the Kaijin invasion began, but those who spoke up had mysteriously disappeared.

‘What is she planning?’ the Company Commander wondered, remembering Pale Crow’s nonchalant response to her earlier concerns about Si-yool. She wasn’t worried about Si-yool’s safety; she was worried about the fallout from sending him into a dangerous situation. Si-yool was under the protection of Purple Snake, one of the most influential magical girls. This could have serious repercussions.

“What brings you here at this hour?” the Company Commander asked.

“Just delivering some files,” Pale Crow replied. “Regarding that magical girl who retired because she lost her powers.”

“Right, she had some decent magic,” the Company Commander said, still uneasy. Pale Crow seemed unconcerned about the loss.

“Is something on your mind?” Pale Crow asked, a gentle smile on her face. The Company Commander found it chilling.

“No, Battalion Commander,” she quickly replied. She couldn’t risk asking about Si-yool. Pale Crow hated repeating herself.

“Go ahead. Ask,” Pale Crow pressed, staring intently at the Company Commander.

“I…I was just wondering why you assigned Kim Si-yool to that dorm,” the Company Commander blurted out. It was something she genuinely wanted to know. “It’s supposed to be for new recruits, but it’s full of misfits.”

“It is,” Pale Crow agreed.

Si-yool’s dorm was notorious for housing magical girls who were too problematic for general population, but not disruptive enough for the Magical Green Camp – the rejects.

“One girl is relatively normal, just tagging along with her sister. But the rest…not so much,” the Company Commander explained. “We finally had some balance after one retired, but now with Si-yool there, I’m afraid things will get out of hand. He’s a ticking time bomb. He’s already disrespectful to superiors. What if he clashes with the others?”

“Isn’t that a good thing?” Pale Crow asked.

“What?”

“I’d prefer they fight. Seriously fight. Until someone draws blood.”

The Company Commander stared at her in disbelief.

“Have you heard of Gu?” Pale Crow asked.

“Gu…?”

“It’s where you put insects in a jar and let them devour each other until only the strongest one remains.”

“But…” the Company Commander stammered. This was dangerous.

“I’m hoping the same thing will happen with those rejects. Maybe one of them will prove useful to me.”

Pale Crow emphasized “to me”. The Company Commander almost asked about the prized stag beetle Pale Crow kept, but thought better of it.

“Besides,” Pale Crow continued with a cold smile, “if they’re busy fighting, it’ll make things easier for us. They won’t have time to notice what we’re doing.”

“I…I suppose so,” the Company Commander agreed. She was already planning how to take advantage of this distraction. ‘Maybe I can skim some funds from the snack budget,’ she thought.

“You’re brilliant, Battalion Commander.”

“So, let’s just observe. If one of them turns out to be useful to me, great. If not, they’ll at least exhaust themselves. Either way, it’s a win-win for me.”

The two magical girls smiled, anticipating the chaos to come.

Meanwhile, Si-yool and Ray, instead of tearing each other apart, were bonding over alcohol.

“Dude, we’re totally BFFs now!” Ray declared.

“Cheers!!!”

“More drinks for everyone!” Sora shouted.

“Hey, buddy, wanna play a secret game?” Si-yool asked.

“What kind of play? Leash walkies?”

“Nah, complaint game.”

In other words, things were about to go very, very wrong. In a way that neither the Company Commander nor the Battalion Commander could have predicted.