19 – promise
It was cold. It’s autumn now, so it must be that his physical strength has fallen to the limit after sleeping on the street, to the point where he can’t stand the cold.
clothes are thin
He even wore a hospital gown he had obtained from the hospital, but it was not enough to protect him from the cold.
The hood is not a thick material and the wind comes in well.
Sweatpants are the same.
I almost died without exaggeration on the day I was homeless in this outfit.
If it hadn’t been for the blanket covered by a kind person whose name and face he didn’t know, he would have gone back to his mouth.
At this rate, it seemed that he would freeze to death before being beaten to death by a monster or unable to complete a quest.
After all, if survival is not supported, other concerns will be pushed to the back.
It was just the other day that I made up my mind to establish my memories and self. What is this?
But if you die, everything is useless.
When you die, you wander the nether before you even find a future. Life should always be treated with respect.
So I invested all my free time for three days looking for a house. He also avoided contact with magical girls. After completing the quest, he always moved to Alkaid to avoid the danger of being pursued by Deneb.
After a lot of hard work, I finally managed to get a room.
It’s a house with no problems except for cockroaches. The average living alone is suitable, and the options are okay.
Above all, it was reasonable in terms of money.
Half the rent compared to other places.
Of course, as with all the principles of capitalist society, there is a reason why it is cheap.
I turned my gaze to the call of someone knocking on the door from the morning. Unfortunately, it was on the window side, not the front door.
It was an irregular sound, more like a wave than a knock.
When I turned my gaze, there was something like a squishy octopus leg banging on the window in the morning.
“Wow Mr.”
Not the Han River view, but the monster view.
As long as safety is certain, this is likely to be popular as a unique housing product.
Yes. The house I rented is a high-risk area with monsters.
This neighborhood has a very high incidence of monsters, so house prices are quite low.
There was no management at all, but where did you find a place to sleep with peace of mind? You can just clean the dirty stuff. I gladly signed a contract with this house.
It’s my fault that I don’t know when the house will be destroyed by monsters, but at least I can fight them and win. Even if their house is destroyed, their lives are not lost, so they are in a much better position than others.
In other words, except for me, all the people living here are crazy bastards who deserve their lives.
The eyeballs attached to the suckers of the octopus beyond the window were clear.
I have to get out of this crazy town quickly.
[Do you want to transform?]
“…Not now.”
It would be embarrassing to find out about his activities, so he planned to lure him to a quiet place and handle it without others knowing. I wrapped myself in the new clothes I bought with tears in my eyes and finished preparing to go out.
It wasn’t all good to have a house.
Now I had to earn money to sustain this life. With the money that came into the house, there is no real back now. It’s not another money, it’s a waste of insurance money.
Today is that important, money-making day.
Narat Don is the most delicious among all the money.
Among them, to get a subsidy.
In other words, it’s the day you go to the suicide counseling center.
It seems to be quite similar to a magical girl in terms of making money through taxes.
life….
**
Eventually, after dealing with the baby octopus, I was able to reach the counseling center.
The ink was quite unpleasant, but when the transformation was canceled, it disappeared like a ghost.
I was almost late, but it was easily solved by riding a bike supported by Megrez Form.
Transformation… It might be quite convenient, right?
Of course, the job market is at a disadvantage. But it’s not just the quest, it’s also because of this traumatized body.
No, it should be considered the mind, not the body.
‘Han Jaejoong’s body is born, my mind is Han Jaejoong, and Han Jaejoong is born… Oh, it’s complicated.’
The butterfly came and I was the butterfly.
I walked down the street shaking my head at the dream-like reality.
“Han Jaejoong!”
“…?!”
I was startled by the feeling of a tap on my back, and I put my hand away.
“Ah… Mr. Vega.”
It seems that he reacted too sensitively after going through a lot of hardships recently.
He smiled shyly and lowered his shoulders.
“Ah, you, weren’t you too reserved? Next time I’ll pay more attention…”
“It’s not like that. I’m just a little surprised.”
Especially, it was because I was tormented by monsters both in reality and in my dreams for several days.
Strong memories are hard to forget.
He is constantly dreaming of being chased by those monsters. Even just this morning.
Even now, it seems that the unpleasant feeling of blood is clinging to my body.
The feeling of helplessness and fear was hard to get rid of.
“I had a bad dream today…”
“Huh? You didn’t stay up all night? No!”
Red Vega vigorously moved both arms and showed off her health.
“People should eat three full meals, exercise, and sleep well! There is nothing wrong with the old saying that physical health leads to mental health!”
Among them, only exercise was observed.
Because every meal ends with one meal, and I wake up with a nightmare and then go back to sleep.
But even Red Vega, who said that, didn’t look very good today.
“Come to think of it, you didn’t transform?”
“Ah. Yes. Ahahahaha! As expected, is it a little awkward? I remembered the story that Han Jaejoong-ssi didn’t like to stand out…”
Indeed, was it caring?
Even though I was miserable and ashamed of my reality of being cared for by Mi-ja, I was grateful to her for remembering and practicing even the smallest things.
Even without transformation, her beauty did not die.
Certainly, there were no flashy red hair, twin tails, red tops and white skirts with lots of frills.
The distinctive red and clear eyes and glossy black hair were enough to give a neat and clean look even without transformation.
The light makeup made use of her naturalness and gave a fresh feeling.
But maybe because of that, the young dark circles around the eyes were not hidden.
“No, you’re really pretty even without transformation. But… Vega-san doesn’t seem to be in a position to point out me, either?”
I smiled mischievously and tapped my eyes. It must have been the same that we both stayed up all night.
“Yes? Ugh, ah… Eh, this. It’s because I’ve been dispatched until this morning! It’s not like that usually!”
“Until this morning?”
Where are these crazy bastards selling the Youth Labor Standards Act?
“Mr. Vega is still underage. But you still work until night?”
“Ehehehehe… Usually, the older sisters tell me to go in. Recently, monsters have been appearing more and more… I am also a magical girl, how can I ignore the pain of the citizens! Of course I have to walk on my arms!”
There was a strange feeling of wanting recognition in Red Vega’s voice when he said that.
Well, now Libra is starting to test magical girls in earnest.
Are you going to drive me to such an extreme that I can’t even sleep?
From today, I promised myself that I would find and catch even the monsters for whom the quest did not occur.
No matter what, the child must be put to sleep.
“It’s really amazing. To be able to work so hard at that age.”
“Whoa, right? Right! And I’m not really that child. I’ll be an adult in a few months now!”
Even after becoming an adult a few months later, being a child remains the same.
Did you know that I don’t even know your age?
If you haven’t lived even one-fifth of your life, you’re a kid. After all, aren’t they the ones walking through the time of spring?
Rather, there was a lot of childishness in that remark.
“If you’re that busy, you don’t have to come.”
“Yeah?? That’s absolutely not possible! If I don’t keep an eye on you like this, Han Jaejoong-ssi, you might think strangely again, right?”
“…That’s also true. If Vega-san doesn’t keep my will to live, I’ll be in trouble too.”
Holding back a sigh, I smiled and made an offer.
“Mr. Vega. You don’t have to do counseling in this counseling center, right?”
“Uh… maybe it is!”
“Then why don’t we have a conversation outside with the wind blowing?”
It would be better to face nature directly rather than the blinding fluorescent lights and the sunlight and wind blocked by the windows.
“Why is there such healing? And Vega-ssi, I think you weren’t satisfied with the cup noodles I bought you before… Please take this opportunity to buy something you like street food.”
“…Can I be honest with you?”
Red Vega grinned.
“Absolutely, completely, completely!!! I like it!!!”
**
“Hey…”
“why?”
“Why did you dare to choose Kang? No way…”
The place we came from was the river where Vega misunderstood that I was about to jump.
However, not on the bridge like before. A promenade designed to take a break while watching the river.
“hahahaha, it can’t be. I told you before. Death is scary. It won’t happen anymore.”
The river was blue. It started green and went green. Youth has passed, but the green still lingers and flows in autumn, it was truly a blue autumn.
Besides, the person next to me is still young.
Of course, if I had to ask, I’m the age of spring, but…
“Besides, isn’t it the ending where only your clothes get wet and Vega rescues you if you get lost here?”
“Of course! I’m confident I can rescue you in 3 seconds!”
“Then I’m glad. I don’t want to die.”
It was sincere.
Dying or being in danger of death is a no-no.
If you look at this mindset, you have already completed suicide counseling and deserve a plaque.
“By the way, what did you buy?”
“Oh this!”
Red Vega unfolded the paper box he brought right away. Inside was a line of donuts that looked appetizing. Oh, please this
“It’s a Porris donut!”
“Ah, that’s it. The shop started from a donut truck protected by the magical girl Polaris.”
“You know?! It’s kind of old now! Yes, that’s right! Right there!”
She looked proudly at the box of donuts.
“Right! See the sign printed on the box? Kyaaa awesome!”
“There shouldn’t have been any around here… Did you fly all the way there for a while?”
“You already have the ability! It’s useful to use!”
“You’re right. I’m envious of that.”
There are flying bikes, but I can’t help but feel envious of flying naked without tools.
Among those donuts, I picked up a chocolate donut and looked at the river as I put it in my mouth.
“There’s also coffee! Look! Here’s the vivid image of EBE1FF, the iconic color of Sky Polaris, printed on the cup!”
“Ah yes, thank you…”
It seems that the setting of being a magical girl is still the same.
No, now that it’s real, it would be rude to say it’s a setting.
A webtoon called ‘Magical Girl’s Golden Age’ was still vivid in my memory.
Are these memories all fake and I was actually Han Jaejoong? It’s still hard to accept. Of course, it is still possible that this speculation is false.
“But Red Vega, do you remember your symbol color?”
“Huh? Uh… What was E…”
“What is it? Why don’t you know your own color?”
“It’s because you don’t fantasize about yourself…?”
“That, too, is correct.”
And at the same time, it means that you lose interest in yourself. I took the coffee cup she gave me and slurped it.
“Ms. Vega. Please listen while you eat. It’s a consultation.”
“Eww?! Yes, yes!”
As the hot coffee flowed down my throat, I felt relieved.
“I told you before that I knew the fear of death. In fact, I think everyone who commits suicide has it. I think everyone who has committed suicide is afraid of death. Then why do people want to die?”
From the day I recalled the memory, that fear did not go away.
Or maybe it was from the day he was hanged.
“Perhaps it’s when the fear of living transcends the fear of dying. I think you lose your life when seeing tomorrow is scarier than dying now. Oh, I’m sorry. That was too heavy a story. I’ll pretend. Have coffee.”
“Oh, mine is cocoa, not coffee. Thanks anyway!”
Hororop.
Concentrating on the story, Vega, who had stuffed donuts in her mouth and didn’t even think to chew, was happy while drinking cocoa.
“So what do you want to say… Vega said before? Not afraid of death? I thought that was brave, but on the one hand, it sounded like this.”
The look in Vega’s eyes as she drank the cocoa was serious.
Also, he seemed to have forgotten what he was putting in his mouth while concentrating on this.
I put the cup down in surprise as if my tongue had been burned by the cocoa. Then he stuck out his tongue and cooled it with the wind.
what are we going to do Oh yeah.
“How far?”
“Be careful when drinking something hot… what the heck.”
I handed her a napkin and continued.
“To Vega, the most important thing is not his own life, but the life of an ignorant person. He is most afraid of losing it. That is why you can say that he gives up his life so easily. You can… I thought so. I’m sorry. I’m a little selfish.”
Red Vega’s hand, which received the napkin and wiped the cocoa and donut powder, stopped.
“You’re a counselor, right? You shouldn’t belittle your own life.”
“Oh, sorry, sorry…”
“Yes. Please forgive me for this. Please live while always fearing death. How precious life is.”
I accepted her apology without refusing it.
“And promise me. Just like when I was about to die here, I swore I wouldn’t do it again. Mr. Led Vega too.”
A magical girl’s life is lighter than expected.
That is why the world perished.
I don’t care about myself, and I don’t care about others.
When their lives were wasted in this world, there was no one left to protect the order of the world.
“I fear monsters and death, and if one day I am in danger of losing my life, I will run away.”
When Contradictions and Red Vega were annihilated.
In the world, only the monster who tried to find an answer to the magical girl and the person who would be sacrificed by the monster remained.
When the monsters couldn’t find an answer anymore, they became enraged and slaughtered people.
A hero’s life is not for sacrifice. It should not be downplayed.
For my survival, and for their survival.
Libra is now in full swing.
It’s not enough. Other members of the dilemma will also emerge from the shadows.
Their lives are now in serious danger.
“That’s how I live. I was encouraged by Vega to live, but what will I do if the person who cheered for me disappears?”
Because of the experience of being close to death, I was able to realize the value of life better than anyone else.
Death should be feared. Knowing that fear, you can treat it more preciously.
It was quite valuable to say that it was an experience coming out of homelessness.
