I Became a New Magical Girl Priest

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I’m feeling strange.

It feels both awkward and, at the same time, incredibly natural.

The reason it feels awkward is that I’ve been away for so long. Just yesterday, I couldn’t even spread my blanket properly on the floor to sleep.

The five magical girls were bustling about and chatting continuously because, in this surrounding, it was usually so quiet.

There was a road, but compared to highways, it sees very little traffic. Maybe other big roads were built nearby, so this road became unnecessary. The flow of people has nearly come to a standstill, which perhaps led to the village feeling abandoned over time.

But here, the situation was completely the opposite.

There was no need to worry about dust. The teachers and the kids who lived here regularly cleaned up diligently. And any parts that became too old or dirty were promptly replaced with new products and components, and thorough inspections were conducted.

I don’t really know how things are run practically, but at least it’s clear that the donations I brought in were being used magnificently.

Moreover, it wasn’t as quiet as the mountains at midnight.

There are more than thirty children living in the orphanage, including Ji-eun and Ji-hye. Among them, Ji-hye and Ji-eun are the oldest, with five in middle school, and the rest are elementary and preschool children.

Not all thirty of them interact like a family. Thirty is not necessarily too many, but it’s not so few that it’s insignificant either.

Typically, they tend to hang out with kids around their own age, so the range of “friends” varies somewhat according to age group.

“You’re back.”

As I scratched my head and followed Rose, a passing girl said that. She was a middle schooler, still at the level where she wasn’t quite a “boy” yet.

I think when she was in elementary school, she almost clung to me, but as soon as she became a middle schooler, our interactions abruptly stopped.

I get it. Back in elementary school, I played pretty well with girls, but once I entered middle school, I suddenly became self-conscious and shy, and it just severed our connection.

I regretted it a lot later.

“Oh, you’re back.”

Seeing her respond as if she were greeting someone who just stepped out for a moment, I couldn’t think of a reply and just answered like that.

“Sister!”

And some kids came running, shouting like that.

The kids who grabbed onto my pants and looked up at me were elementary schoolers.

I had occasionally taken care of them during my younger days. No matter how much funding the facility had to keep going, the number of teachers is always insufficient, and they can’t just hire anyone for the job.

Sometimes, it’s better for a slightly older kid in the same orphanage to help out.

Maybe because of that, these kids liked me. In fact, I bet they were closer to Ji-hye than to me, but since I had been away for a while, they seemed excited to see me again.

Seeing the kids gathering around now, who weren’t around when I came here with the magical girls earlier, it seemed the teachers thought it was okay to just let them be.

“Sister, where did you go?”

“Sister, are you really a magical girl?”

As I patted the heads of the kids who were clinging to me with bright smiles, I understood why the kids were so drawn to Rose.

When I was a child in this world, magical girls were characters that appeared in cartoons, but now they exist in reality. Just because magical girls appeared in reality doesn’t mean the series originally created will vanish.

For these reasons combined, the profession of magical girl is a dream job for many people. No matter how reality is, what they see is merely the created image.

I was a bit worried about how people might be thinking, given the recent events, but seeing the kids’ reactions, it seems the image hasn’t been ruined that much.

As I went to the dining hall, other magical girls were also helping out. They were serving food to the kids and navigating through the ones who clung to them, offering various responses despite being flustered.

Compared to that, I felt like I didn’t have that much popularity.

After all, the duration of activity is different. Strictly speaking, I became a “magical girl” only today. As long as the new character doesn’t cause a backlash, isn’t that enough?

“You’re working hard.”

“Oh, uh, no.”

As I approached Jua holding a food tray, she said with a slightly flustered tone.

Jua must be quite popular too, right?

Honestly, I don’t really know about the objective popularity of magical girls.

The only magical girl I was interested in was Ha-yoon, and it wasn’t that common for Ha-yoon and Jua to hang out together at school.

I’ve never heard any particular reason, but it’s natural that if too many magical girls flock together, the school hallways would be completely packed and chaotic.

However, unlike the kids here, who didn’t know how to navigate such power dynamics, the kids were mostly still young.

“Okay, okay, kids. Let’s eat first. The sisters are tired.”

The teacher gently coaxed the kids and handed them food trays.

Jua’s gaze turned toward my waist. The kids holding onto her already had food trays, so unlike other magical girls, none were clinging to me at the moment.

“I’m originally a person who lived here.”

When I said that, Jua nodded as if she understood.

They probably have their own difficulties as well.

This isn’t just an ordinary house; it’s an orphanage. Even if their sense of justice differs, it’s clear what a bunch of magical girls packed with it would think.

Helping out like this must be something they can’t just sit around and ignore.

Even if I felt it would seem rude to zone out alone while everyone else was working hard, to be honest, I was so drained everywhere in my body.

It seems the fatigue wouldn’t just disappear all at once.

I received some rice onto my tray and sat down randomly anywhere in the dining hall.

Beside me sat Ji-hye and Ha-yoon. Other kids also gathered around, giggling and laughing.

The last time I came here, it was eerily quiet, but now it’s filled with the sounds of children’s laughter. That alone put my mind at ease.

It had been so long since I had a properly cooked meal. To be honest, the food here isn’t bad, but it probably wouldn’t be as delicious as eating out.

“…”

The speed at which my spoon moved quickened. I hadn’t realized how comforting it could be to eat freely like this.

Do I deserve this? Is it okay for me to feel this happy, after having recklessly set my future in stone and sabotaged everything out of jealousy towards my closest friend?

I still don’t even know where my friend is.

Wherever I exist, ultimately, unhappiness comes crashing in. That sense of despair has also struck the people around me.

When will the day come when I can purely rejoice and rest comfortably?

…Why am I thinking about this while eating?

I held back a sigh that was about to escape and finished my meal a bit faster.

*

Being in the room made me restless, fidgeting about.

Perhaps the biggest reason is Ji-hye.

It’s not that Ji-hye annoys me. It’s just that the way she quietly watches me, as if she knows that I’ll disappear the moment she takes her eyes off me, makes me feel all fidgety.

Moreover, whenever I try to do something, Ji-hye keeps wanting to help, which made it even more so.

The first thing I checked after waking up from a deep sleep was this room. Since Ji-hye and I live here, it was full of my things.

I wondered if the clothes in the wardrobe had any issues due to the intruders last time.

If any of them could no longer be used, I’d have nothing to lend to the kids—

“Ji-eun.”

Seeing me check the wardrobe, Ha-yoon seemed to realize something and gently placed a hand on my shoulder.

“Don’t worry. We can get you clothes.”

“…Huh?”

Only after hearing those words did I remember that we were in Seoul.

Right. Since it’s Seoul, if I just have the money, I could easily buy things. Given the situation, it may be a bit hard for me to wander around, but deliveries should still work.

Even though the magical girls aren’t home, I doubt they wouldn’t have any personal funds to spend.

After all, the federation wouldn’t have exploited the kids for free.

“Right. Don’t worry too much. If it’s not your clothes, I have mine too!”

Ji-hye added, and I nodded.

Then, as I was thinking about how to spend the time, I thought of checking the CDs on the desk.

“Ah…”

As I started going through the desk, Ji-hye let out a sound of regret.

“Sorry, Ji-eun. That place…”

“It’s not your fault.”

I said while looking at the scattered and broken CD cases here and there.

Yeah, this room becoming a complete mess wasn’t Ji-hye’s fault. It was those intruders’ fault.

How scared must Ji-hye have been, being alone here. She did her best to tidy up the mess caused by those intruders. While many of the items weren’t in good shape, seeing these things still on my desk means she must have put in quite the effort.

I turned on the CD player.

Fortunately, it didn’t seem to be broken.

Or maybe Ji-hye fixed it too?

I picked up one of the CDs.

It wasn’t exactly music for an upbeat mood, but I didn’t want to listen to something that felt dreary either, so I inserted a moderately cheerful classical CD.

The CD surface had a few scratches, but fortunately, it played properly.

With the music playing, I sat down on the floor.

In the room were Ji-hye, Ha-yoon, and all the magical girls. Finding any empty room within the orphanage was quite difficult.

However, it didn’t seem right to let them sleep anywhere besides in a room, so in the end, we all ended up hanging out in this room for a while.

…Now, there was nothing to worry about. I was only a little concerned that Ji-hye might be uncomfortable with the other kids, but they have all been kids I’ve spent a long time with.

As I lay sprawled on the floor, Ji-hye also lay down beside me.

The other kids, who had been stagnantly watching us, also started to join in one by one, beginning with Ha-yoon.

“Did you usually rest like this?”

“Yeah, something like that.”

While there were times I watched videos or surfed the Internet on my phone, more often than not, there were days I rested like this, enjoying music.

Lying on the floor, soaking up the sunlight streaming in…

I think now I understand why Ji-hye said it felt like a scene from a movie. With so many people in the room, it felt a bit lively.

“When there’s homework or I need to study for exams, I wouldn’t be this relaxed.”

For a moment, we all quietly listened to the music.

…Well, the conversation with the government rep is done. Starting tomorrow… what should I do?

They say realizing that the choices in my life lie in my hands is the scariest part. The feeling I have now is somewhat like that.

What choices should I make?

Or are there even choices to be made?

“…Should we go to school tomorrow?”

At my words, I heard something like kids turning their heads toward me.

“We can’t just do nothing. We’re also curious about our situation at school.”

I… felt a bit reluctant. To be honest, I had studied hard to improve my grades.

I had never beaten Ha-yoon even once, but it was for Ha-yoon that I had gotten into that school, and I maintained my grades as high as possible to prevent others from looking down on me in her presence. To be more specific, I wanted there to be at least one aspect in which I was better than those who dared to look down on Ha-yoon.

I guess I had suffered from an inferiority complex to that extent. That’s who I am.

It was hard to find positive sides about that school, but that didn’t change the fact that it was the result of my efforts.

So, I wanted to finish school at least. Even if I could no longer maintain the grades I had before.

“…Yeah, let’s do that.”

Ha-yoon quietly agreed.

I shut my mouth again. Just saying that must have already made the kids’ heads spin enough. I didn’t want to add more to their burdens.

It wasn’t even nine yet. Since I had taken a long nap earlier, I honestly wasn’t that sleepy.

But there wasn’t really anything to do, so we just kept listening to the music for a while.

“This was a gift from me, huh?”

“…Yeah.”

Ha-yoon suddenly mentioned that, and I answered softly.

Ha-yoon didn’t say much more beyond that.

She simply kept her eyes closed, thoroughly enjoying the music as if she genuinely relished it.

*

Though the room was a bit cramped, there were plenty of blankets. Among the little ones, there were kids who had been abused at home and ended up here, sometimes unable to control their bodily functions at night. If there weren’t enough extra blankets, those kids would have nothing left after making a mess.

Moreover, it’s an orphanage. The number of children is always fluctuating. If a few more kids suddenly came in, they’d need to be accommodated.

…It seems that everyone has parents, but thinking like that, well, it can’t be said that their situations are just that straightforward.

I turned off the light in the room and drew the curtains, but the old, worn-out curtains weren’t blackout ones at all, so quite a bit of light was still shining through from outside.

But I liked this halfway dark room. I might just feel that way because I’ve been here for so long, or perhaps it’s because I couldn’t entirely become the villain I thought I would be.

“….”

When I felt a gaze from beside me and glanced back, I saw Ji-hye lying next to me.

Typically, we rarely faced each other when sleeping.

No, wait, that’s not it.

I think there used to be a time when we would often sleep facing each other when we were very young.

Ji-hye was afraid of the dark. Even though she had come over together with me from the church, she was always scared of the darkness, while I wasn’t.

That thought struck me as a bit strange, but I didn’t feel like digging deeper.

Did she want to be sure I was there beside her?

One stormy night, she was so scared that she couldn’t sleep at all, and eventually, she came and snuggled against me. Of course, that was a long, long time ago.

“Why?”

When I turned to Ji-hye and quietly asked, she looked at me silently and answered.

“I wanted to make sure you were there.”

That I might disappear at any moment.

I couldn’t deny that. If it had to happen, I probably would.

“….”

Ji-hye moved slightly closer to me.

If it were the usual times, that is, back when I was living here, I would have thought she was joking and pushed her away.

But right now, space was limited, since there were kids sleeping tightly right behind me.

As if remembering how she used to cling to me back when we last met, Ji-hye nestled against me and burrowed into my embrace.

Just like that long-ago time when she’d cling to me in fear.

Because of the atmosphere radiating from Ji-hye, I couldn’t bring myself to push her away and gently stroked her hair. It felt a bit awkward after such a long time. It’s probably been about ten years since I’ve done this in this world.

Ji-hye’s body felt cold and was trembling slightly.

I adjusted the position of her head. Ji-hye fully turned toward me, sharing a pillow like me. I could only see the top of Ji-hye’s head in my view, but I could certainly feel that she had burrowed into my embrace.

However, the feeling I had for Ji-hye was not one of sexual arousal.

I simply felt pity for Ji-hye in my arms.

She was a child that went through so much emotional turmoil because of me. I might have a bit of strength, but Ji-hye was just an ordinary child without any of that.

“…Were you scared?”

When I quietly asked, Ji-hye didn’t verbally respond, only subtly nodding her head in my embrace.

“It’s okay.”

I slowly soothed Ji-hye’s back with my hand.

“It’s okay. Now.”

I felt that the trembling of Ji-hye’s body had lessened a bit.

And that my trembling had too.

Ultimately, I received so much from Ji-hye’s presence.

The familiar scent of shampoo wafted through.

Such moments of intimacy weren’t frequent, but when we lay side by side, I could at least catch a whiff of it.

I think I finally understood why my body felt so relaxed when I was in this room.

Perhaps that day, I was just as scared as Ji-hye.

And even now.

The one who was most frightened in this room could be me.

Afraid of losing Ha-yoon. Afraid that Ha-yoon, with her wings, would fly far away, leaving me behind.

What if, following that Ha-yoon, I lost Ji-hye too? What if I had to leave behind my only family in this world forever?

Without properly deciding on either situation, I simply tried to grasp everything.

Maybe I wanted to break Ha-yoon’s wings to keep her by my side.

Maybe I only viewed Ji-hye as a part of my past that needed to be let go.

I felt that this thought was the truest, and the fear of it caused my body to tremble now.

…

What, what should I do?

The reason I could sleep despite these worries was thanks to Ji-hye’s warm body pressed against mine.

 

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