This chapter is broken. Please report this on discord.
T/N note: And with that, we have now caught up to the latest chapter. This series is currently on hiatus, so until the author comes back this will be the last. Thanks to everyone for reading and following the tale of the yellow haired magical punch. Hope to see you again in the next one.
"…Unnie?"
At the word "Unnie," Yoo Seo-Eun's face stiffened momentarily. Seeing her reaction, Alice gasped and quickly withdrew her hand.
"Oh my! I'm sorry. I should have called you 'sunbae.' You just seemed so approachable that I accidentally…" Alice chuckled awkwardly.
"…"
She gazed at Yoo Seo-Eun with her signature, playful puppy-eyed expression, as if pleading for forgiveness.
Yoo Seo-Eun stared at Alice for a moment before forcing a smile. Anyone could tell it was a mechanical, reluctant one.
"O-okay. You can call me unnie if you want."
"Thank you! But since I'm a newcomer, it wouldn't feel right calling you unnie, so I'll stick with 'sunbae' instead!"
For a split second, a look crossed Yoo Seo-Eun’s face as if to say, Then why did you call me unnie in the first place?
"Anyway, since we’ve got such an adorable new recruit, let’s make sure we look after her well. And Alice? Now that you’re in Team 5, you need to understand what our team does, right?"
"Yes. I heard that among all the special task force teams, we handle the most dangerous operations."
"That’s right. When a hostage rescue mission arises or particularly dangerous villains appear, our team is the first to respond. Because of that, the most important thing we value is teamwork. You understand that, right?"
"Yes!"
"Good. So what is teamwork? It means we operate as one. Your teammate’s concern is your concern. Which means…"
I casually walked over to the fridge and opened it.
"The ice cream in this fridge belongs to all of us. So, feel free to enjoy it."
"Ah! Wait a second! I just bought that this morning!"
Realizing my intent, Lee So-Young leaped from her seat in alarm.
"Hey, hey! Teamwork is essential! What’s yours is your team’s! Haven’t you learned that yet?"
"I thought I’d get a pass today! What kind of lesson are you teaching the newbie?!"
"Lesson? What do you mean? This is just our daily life. Accept it."
"Ugh… That was expensive!"
"Guys, grab a spoon. Oh, Alice, I prepared one for you too. In our team, breakfast starts with ice cream. Got it?"
"Uh… But didn’t she buy it? Are you sure it’s okay?"
"It’s fine. This is how we do things."
And so, our morning duties began with everyone enjoying a Häagen-Dazs ice cream.
After the introduction of Alice, we all briefly went about our own tasks. Since this part wouldn’t be aired, the other team members weren’t focused on the broadcast. However, the production team wanted me to spend more time with Alice.
So, I took the opportunity to explain our team’s duties.
"You see that siren over there? When it goes off, it means an incident has occurred."
"That means an Awakened criminal has appeared?"
"Exactly. When that siren sounds, no matter what we’re doing, we drop everything and head out immediately."
"Even if we're eating or… in the restroom?"
"Yep. No exceptions."
"Wow… That’s incredible. I have even more respect for you all now."
"Police officers and firefighters are the same. We all work hard to protect civilians."
Our purpose was the same—to protect people. The original plan was to briefly explain this, then run a simulation to train Alice on what to do during an emergency.
After all, the likelihood of a real incident happening at this moment was low.
Just as I was thinking that—
The siren blared.
A message would soon follow, reporting an Awakened burglar near a residential apartment. This was part of the scripted scenario.
Or so I thought.
[This is a real emergency! A burglary has been reported in Dongdaemun District!]
…Wait, what?
The burglary part matched the script. But we had planned for it to happen in an apartment.
"Uh… Ms. Hye-Rim— I mean, Team Leader? This isn’t…?"
"Shit. Everyone, MOVE OUT NOW!"
Realizing this was a real emergency, I immediately dashed outside.
While running, I barked orders at Park Oh-Jin.
"Keep me updated as the situation unfolds! Yu-Sung and Seo-Eun, block possible escape routes! So-Young and Alice, stay on standby nearby! I’ll assess the situation first!"
"Uh— Team Leader?!"
Alice called out in panic, but I had no time to reassure her.
Lee So-Young took charge of Alice, helping her get ready for deployment.
The camera crew outside scrambled to follow me, but I ignored them.
Without hesitation, I transformed into my magical girl form and flew straight to the scene.
As I soared, Park Oh-Jin’s voice came through my earpiece.
[Team Leader, it appears multiple Awakened criminals have broken into a private residence. We haven't identified their exact abilities yet, but they're likely B to C-rank.]
"Got it. I’ll be there in one minute. If I can handle it myself, I will."
[Understood.]
I increased my speed.
This wasn’t just a burglary in a residential area, it was also an assault and battery.
Desperate burglars might resort to anything. The moment I arrived, I needed to neutralize them immediately.
***
Inside the house:
"Dammit! Why the hell is there a security system in this place?!"
"I dunno! Just shut up and focus on cracking the safe!"
The burglars—a trio—had broken in after learning the homeowner kept valuables in a personal safe.
They had staked out the house for days, waiting for the owner to leave before executing their plan.
"Forget the code! Just take the whole safe!"
"Yeah, you have physical enhancement abilities, right? Carry it and let’s—"
THUD.
A heavy sound echoed from the yard.
The three burglars turned toward the source.
And locked eyes with a golden-haired magical girl.
"Shit."
They knew.
They knew who she was.
And they knew what happened to criminals who crossed her path.
Their well-planned crime collapsed in an instant.
"That’s… Shin Hye-Rim!"
"What do we do?! Are we gonna die?!"
"Screw it, just run! RUN!"
As they turned to flee—
Creak.
"...Huh?"
A door inside the house slowly opened.
A girl, looking barely middle school-aged, stepped out, rubbing her sleepy eyes.
***
I had planned to take them down immediately.
But—
"Wait! Come any closer and this girl dies!"
"Hiiiiii!!"
One of the burglars grabbed the girl, holding her hostage.
Her sleepy face twisted in terror.
"I’m serious! I’ll kill her!"
A flame ignited in his palm, hovering dangerously close to the girl's face.
The heat made her sob uncontrollably.
"P-please! Save me!!"
"Shut up! You wanna die?!"
Seeing the situation shift, the other two burglars flanked the hostage-taker, realizing this was their only way out.
I took a slow breath.
I had to play this right.
If they felt trapped, they might actually kill her.
So first—I had to calm them down.
"Alright. I won’t attack."
"Then back off! Out of our sight!"
"Fine."
I raised my hands and stepped back slowly, keeping them in my sight.
The leader smirked.
"Hey, grab the safe."
Gotcha.
The moment one of them turned away, I dropped my hands—
And summoned my sword.
—Slash!
"Huh?"
The leader's arm—the one holding the girl—was severed clean off.
The girl stumbled free.
Now.
"AAAAAGH!!"
"SHIT—GACK—!!"
"AAARGH!!"
I immediately kicked the thug holding the hostage, sending him flying, and struck down the other two in an instant, knocking them to the ground.
Then, I quickly pulled the young girl into my arms and stepped back.
"Are you okay? You're not hurt, right?"
"Hic... Y-Yes."
"Good. Alright then, can you go over there and close your eyes for a bit? This unnie will take care of everything, okay?"
"......"
The girl silently nodded and obediently followed my words.
Done. The thugs were subdued, and the hostage was safe. Now, there was only one thing left to do.
"My arm! My arm... Gaaahh!!"
I grabbed the head of the thug lying on the ground, bleeding, and slammed it down onto the floor.
"Urrghhh?!!"
"You guys need to get hit a bit."
Taking a kid hostage? These bastards need a serious etiquette lesson.