Chapter 26: Make up your mind.

Swoosh-

The peaceful sound of waves gently reverberating, calming the heart.

Rustle.

The sound of leaves fluttering in the fresh breeze.

“Wow~ Hey, youngest!”

And the Japanese Angel’s bright smile that appeared as soon as she saw me.

‘Hmm…?’

It was a perfectly ordinary greeting, nothing special at all.
I tilted my head, slightly flustered.

After all, our last meeting hadn’t ended well.
So I naturally expected an awkward atmosphere to follow.

‘…Did she forget everything, perhaps?’

Her calm demeanor, as if nothing had happened, naturally led me to that thought.
Some time had passed, so it seemed plausible for the Japanese Angel.

‘Hmm….’

Because of that, I fell into contemplation.
This was a 고민 about whether or not to return the greeting.

Actually, it wasn’t like I had fought with the Japanese Angel at the folk village either.
However, it was true that she had done something wrong, and letting it just fade away like this didn’t seem good at all.

After all, she was a being in a position where people couldn’t speak harsh words to her.
Because of that, I had heard from Choi Eunju that she was very lacking in common human sense.

In other words, I thought it would be better if I, at least, firmly corrected what was wrong.
And help her live in harmony with people a bit more.

‘For now… since we’re both Angels….’

If you thought about it, it was a relationship that could be called a new family.
It was clear that there was no one else who could or would do this besides me.

Because of that, I instead firmly did not return her greeting.
As I stared expressionlessly, the girl asked, flustered.

“Huh…? W-what’s wrong?”

Judging by her reaction, she apparently expected me to return the greeting.
I withheld my answer for now and pondered what to say first.

Then came the girl’s utterly incomprehensible remark.

“You, you said you missed me!”
“……?”

Huh…? When did I?

My mind was instantly filled with questions.
That was absolutely something I had never said.

“Me…?”

So, as I unconsciously tilted my head and asked again.
The Japanese Angel’s expression, which had been flustered, gradually turned cold this time.

She looked clearly filled with anger.

The girl slowly turned her head and looked at her companions.
That is, the Japanese care staff and the Japanese research institute people.

This time, they looked greatly flustered and immediately looked at Choi Eunju.
However, Choi Eunju, who was the subject of their gazes, was smiling at me as if nothing was wrong.

‘…What is this? What situation is this…?’

It was a sight that brought a strange sense of disconnect.
As I completely failed to grasp what was happening, the incident finally occurred.

“Cough…! Cough… S-save me….”

The Japanese Angel’s care staff….
No, everyone who came from Japan began to cough and gasp, clutching their throats as if in pain.

It looked as if they were being choked.
Seeing their complexions gradually turn pale, I quickly shouted at the Japanese Angel.

“W-what are you doing! Don’t do that!”

Then the Japanese Angel growled with a voice full of annoyance and anger.
She wasn’t talking to me, but to her companions.

“You… you lied to me!?”
“That… cough… that’s a misunderstanding… cough….”

The head of the Japanese research institute tried to say something.
But the girl, already completely enraged, did not wait for it.

Eventually, the feet of those who came from Japan all began to leave the ground.

And so, a bizarre scene unfolded, with five people defying gravity and floating into the air.
The atmosphere was such that it felt like everyone would truly be attending a funeral if I left them like this, so I quickly raised my arm and used my telekinesis.

What I did was to block between the Japanese Angel and the people.
This was using the fact that I could block other forces with telekinesis, which I had learned from the tug-of-war with the American Angel last time.

Thud. Thump.

Anyway, thanks to me, the people fell to the ground powerlessly again like broken puppets.

“Pant… pant.”

The rough sounds of breathing from the people who had fallen weakly to the floor followed.
They couldn’t even control their bodies and remained lying on the ground, unable to move.
However, fortunately, they were all breathing well.

So, as I let out a sigh of relief.
This time, the Japanese Angel glared at me.

“…What, why are you interfering?”

Her expression and voice were still filled with annoyance and anger.
The atmosphere was quite menacing, but I calmly replied.

“No matter how angry you are, you shouldn’t use your powers so recklessly. It’s dangerous.”

Then the Japanese Angel’s expression began to become even more menacing.
The girl trembled, filled with so much rage that her eyes were bloodshot, and she muttered softly.

“…They lied to me first…? But you’re worried about them more than me…? Why…? I was good to you too… why…? Do you like them more than me…? Is that it…?”

‘O-oh…?’

That was a completely unexpected reaction, not even a little bit.
As I stared, speechless at a reaction so different from what I had imagined.
The girl, who had been muttering for a long time, finally spoke clearly towards me.

“Fine, I don’t need you either.”

Snap.

At the same time, the sound of something hard breaking echoed.
Before I could even question what the sound was, a scream immediately followed.

“Aargh!”

Looking at the source of the sound, it was the scream of the Japanese care staff.
Judging by him clutching his leg, it was obvious what had happened.

“…Sigh.”

At that sight, a deep sigh naturally escaped me.
It seemed I would have to harden my heart.

Yano Kenzo, the head of the Japanese Angel Research Institute.
He had been greatly troubled by the incidents that had occurred since returning from the folk village.

This was because, after that visit, the Japanese Angel’s jealousy had become twice as severe as before.
The reason was, needless to say, that she had been told by the Korean Angel that she was breaking off their friendship.

So, for a long time, he had been under severe pressure from both the government and the public due to the problems caused by the Japanese Angel.
Eventually, unable to find a solution, he resorted to asking Choi Eunju for help.

“You’ll be testing your powers on the uninhabited island, so come that day…?”

Kenzo felt both grateful and suspicious at the same time.

It was clearly a situation where he should be very grateful.
Nevertheless, the Choi Eunju he remembered from the past kept coming to mind, making him feel uncomfortable deep down.

However, there was only one option available anyway.
Eventually, he shook hands with Choi Eunju, and they began to coordinate the detailed aspects for improving the relationship between the Angels.

And so, on the day they arrived at the uninhabited island.

The Japanese Angel’s remark, ‘You said you missed me.’
Followed by the Korean Angel’s reply, ‘Me…?’ The Japanese personnel were all utterly surprised.

This was because that conversation had already been coordinated with Choi Eunju.
And she had promised to persuade the Korean Angel to say something positive.

In short, this situation meant that the most crucial part for their reconciliation.
The most essential part of today’s meeting had not been conveyed at all.

‘Just as I thought, that damn woman…!’

Kenzo, momentarily boiling with rage, immediately tried to confront Choi Eunju.
But then, suddenly, a sensation as if someone was choking him.
The pressure and pain made it impossible to breathe, so he couldn’t.

‘Cough….’

As he floated in the air, sensing his imminent death.

Thud.

Suddenly, the choking force disappeared, and he fell back to the ground.
Listening to the voices, it was, quite unexpectedly, the Korean Angel who had saved him.

“Pant… pant.”

He lay on the ground, gasping for breath, clutching his throbbing throat.
At that moment, a very familiar voice was heard nearby.

“Oh, is everyone okay?”

It was Choi Eunju, speaking in Japanese.

“A-are you kidding me!?”

Kenzo, completely enraged, roared in informal speech.
His voice didn’t come out properly as he was not in a good state.

Anyway, this crazy woman had almost killed everyone.
She showed no, not even a trace of remorse.

Kenzo’s face flushed red and green as he continued.

“What on earth happened! Why did the part that was already finished turn out like this!”
“Oh, that? Unfortunately, Our Angel seems to have forgotten. Can’t be helped, I guess. Don’t you think?”

Choi Eunju’s faint smile.
Even including a ridiculous implication that if he wanted to argue, he should argue directly with Our Angel.

“Why… why did you cause such a thing?”

Kenzo, seeing the obvious circumstances that someone had done it on purpose, composed himself and asked calmly.
Even though she was a crazy woman, she wasn’t the type to just recklessly cause trouble.

It was clear that she had done this for some purpose.
The only problem was that her means and methods were too radical.

Anyway, Choi Eunju’s smile grew wider at his question.

“You asked for help, didn’t you? Said jealousy was getting worse lately and it was a problem.”
“…I did. So I asked you to help us reconcile.”
“Oh, don’t you still know? The most fundamental solution.”
“…Fundamental solution?”

Kenzo, who didn’t understand what she was saying at all, tilted his head.
Then Choi Eunju grinned and concluded her explanation.

“Well, just watch how amazing Our Angel is. You’ll know what I mean soon enough.”