Episode 170 – The Meaning of Strength (10)
“You, how are you here? I made sure no one was around!”
“That’s not the important part…”
I clicked my tongue at the panicked Jeon So-hyun. I had to send Plesea and Gabi away to call Ashburn. To avoid being caught by the angels, I needed to maintain the balance of the commanders that had crossed over here.
But it seemed that since Gabi, who usually stuck by her side, had left, Jeon So-hyun considered this an opportunity.
“Ahem. You won’t tell anyone else, right?”
“Why?”
“Hey!?”
As she cleared her throat, my amused chuckle seemed to scare her, making her flare up in surprise. Instinctively glancing towards the stairs, it was clear she didn’t want to be discovered.
“You think I’m scary just because I usually stay quiet, huh?”
In her desperation, Jeon So-hyun swore and tried to act tough while wearing a frustrated expression. Of course, all I saw was her making a fool of herself.
When I merely tilted my head to look at her without reacting, her narrowed eyes trembled slightly.
“You’re not really mad, and it’s written all over your face.”
“What, what?”
“The last time I met you, I didn’t smell like smoke. What made you start smoking suddenly?”
I posed the question back to the flustered her. As far as I knew, she hadn’t smoked even before Gabi stuck around.
“…Right. I only learned to smoke out of necessity, and I don’t even like it that much.”
Realizing she had been found out, Jeon So-hyun sighed and hung her head.
“I just needed something to calm my mind.”
“What does that mean?”
“There’s so much noise nowadays. Every time I watch the news, it drives me insane.”
Her tongue clicked as she scratched her head, frowning. I had a rough idea of what she was getting at; most of the news was focused on the rampage involving the monster Razak and his soldiers.
There are countless news stories about how much damage was done, how strong they are, and how they are responding, among other things.
And consistently featured among all these news stories are those fighting over there. Most notably, me, Takilas.
“Is there someone you’re worried about there?”
“Th-that’s…ahem.”
When I asked, having caught on, Jeon So-hyun cleared her throat.
I suspected she was worried about her friend, Aria. Suddenly, a memory flashed in my mind of her getting beaten up while trying to stop the rampaging Aria.
“You really don’t need to worry too much.”
“Huh?”
“Magical girls can’t keep fighting indefinitely. If all goes well, maybe we’ll see headlines today about those who have been fighting returning since the first day?”
I dropped a hint for Jeon So-hyun. She recoiled with a startled face when I seemed to catch onto her feelings, but she didn’t question me further.
“Just…smoke in moderation. I don’t want to smell it.”
I passed her by and went down the stairs. She stood there, staring at me with a dazed expression.
“It’s a close call, but at least I got through it. What if you had seen me?”
“What can you do? Just have to keep my mouth shut.”
Ren murmured on the way back to the room.
Getting caught by Jeon So-hyun as Takilas? Honestly, it sounded a bit annoying. It didn’t seem like she’d have a hard time keeping her mouth shut given her personality.
“Not being caught is good enough. I got to observe everything while talking. If she was just pretending not to know after figuring it out, I could accept that.”
Though Jeon So-hyun appeared surprised, it was clearly due to the smoking. Immediately after, she tried to intimidate me to keep my mouth shut, so I didn’t think she was doubting my identity.
“Let’s take a break now.”
I navigated through familiar corridors, opened a familiar door, and entered a familiar room.
As I recalled the details Plesea had imparted to me while I had been acting as her, I naturally dragged Kim Soo-jung, who was lounging on my bed, out and flopped down beside her.
Then I checked the news on my phone. If Ashburn was starting to move upon receiving my orders, there was no way it wouldn’t make the news.
*
“…”
On the rooftop where a cool breeze blew, a girl chuckled as she returned to her room, but she stood still, unable to move.
‘Is this a dream?’
Actually, she wasn’t able to move at all. Her bare feet in slippers jolted. Legs exposed beneath her short shorts and arms under her short sleeves also prickled with goosebumps, and she rubbed her arms. It wasn’t because of the chilly summer wind.
“Takilas.”
The name slipped from her trembling lips. Jeon So-hyun could not believe her eyes and ears at that moment.
The surrounding scenery appeared so monotonous and peaceful, especially considering she was the only one in turmoil.
‘Lee Jin-ah is Takilas!’
However, the undeniable fact she stumbled upon refused to change.
Like the first encounter between runaways living in an illicit organization, witnessing the identity was also a series of coincidences.
But it wasn’t merely random chance. Jeon So-hyun had honed her innate skill, psychic abilities, not in a human way but a demon lord’s way, granting her heightened sensitivity and superior physical prowess compared to others.
Even Gabi, who had stuck by her side since their first meeting, being absent, and her long-overdue smoking on the rooftop stemmed from a kind of snowball effect.
Because of this, she saw something quickly cross the air and land on the rooftop, then transform back into a familiar face. She used the large puddle that had gathered on the rooftop floor as a mirror to witness it.
‘H-how did I not get caught?’
Jeon So-hyun peeked down the stairs. The absent Lee Jin-ah had not returned.
As she tried to exit the rooftop, pretending to know nothing, running into Lee Jin-ah was a calculated act born out of extreme confusion. It was a gamble to eliminate suspicion before Lee Jin-ah could realize who she was.
The opponent was as fearsome as they came, known as the strongest and most terrifying being. If she were caught hiding, there would be no way to defend herself.
“Haah…”
Jeon So-hyun sat down in her spot.
Concluding that her life-risking gamble had succeeded, all her strength drained away.
“Time to eat, everyone~ don’t run.”
That evening, Jeon So-hyun came out of her room and looked at the middle school kids ahead of her. Among the kids moving under their teacher’s guidance, she spotted the ones she was searching for: Lee Jin-ah and Kim Soo-jung tightly clinging to her arm.
‘How is this even possible?’
Pretending to head to the dining hall, she couldn’t stop glancing at Lee Jin-ah.
Although she had seen it for herself, there were honestly parts she couldn’t comprehend. For instance, how could Takilas, who had been operating in China until now, overlap with Lee Jin-ah, who had stayed at the facility since ‘that incident’?
‘What can’t she do?’
But Jeon So-hyun nodded to herself. Takilas had introduced her to Gabi and was the one who helped her train her powers. No one knew the full extent of Takilas’s abilities, so even the possibility of creating a clone could seem believable.
‘…And does it even matter? That Lee Jin-ah is Takilas.’
She gathered her own tray while absentmindedly watching Lee Jin-ah, who was taking her food, as she sat down to eat with Kim Soo-jung.
Unlike before, her heart had settled a great deal.
Initially, Takilas had been, to her, terrifying in the same way as others. Having witnessed Takilas horrifically murder those she had spent her time with, and the mass slaughter at her workplace had solidified that fear.
However, things felt different now. She thought she had awakened her strength with Takilas’s help, believing she had escaped the sense of powerlessness she despised.
‘If I act like I know, it will definitely backfire. Better to forget. Just forget.’
Ultimately, Jeon So-hyun shifted her mindset. The shocking truth was too much, but she decided to ignore it.
“Hey? So-hyun unnie.”
“Can I sit here?”
Thus, she faced the situation head-on, even if it was to reinforce her resolve. She sat down in front of Lee Jin-ah and Kim Soo-jung, who were eating side by side.
“You didn’t mention it, did you? Just try not to get caught.”
Lee Jin-ah, who had a spoon in her mouth, looked at her and gave a little chuckle. The confusion in her gaze stemmed from the continued misunderstanding about the smoking.
“?!”
“Don’t act all sly like you have my weakness. I’m your older sister, you know?”
Jeon So-hyun trembled as she voiced her own actions in disbelief, but it was Lee Jin-ah who looked more flustered. Seeing her wide-eyed stare as she held her head made Jeon So-hyun faintly smile.
Despite herself, she felt a peculiar thrill.
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