I Became a New Magical Girl Priest

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I haven’t really liked school all that much.

Even in my previous life, I had few friends. To be fair, I actually had more friends back then than I do now, but it didn’t change the fact that I was still unpopular among the kids at school.

I had to wake up early in the morning and attend classes I didn’t really want to listen to.

Once interpersonal relationships got a little tangled up, there were always some annoying kids I had to face regularly.

The teachers were not particularly enthusiastic. Well, to be honest, I understood. Teaching students or working part-time at a convenience store, ‘work’ is just that and sometimes you just don’t want to do it.

But shouldn’t they at least cut us some slack for having to sit face-to-face with these people who openly don’t want to work for a minimum of 50 minutes?

Tap.

Something flew from behind and hit me on the head.

It wasn’t a hard hit. It was probably just a small piece of an eraser or something.

The kid who threw it wasn’t someone I was close with. Honestly, apart from Ha-yoon, there wasn’t anyone in this class I could call a ‘friend’. I was left wondering how our class placement got so messed up; the kids in my class all lived ‘across the street.’

It’s now the fifth year since the Eun-ha Federation settled this world. While that’s still a short period to call it long, the Eun-ha Federation has changed a significant portion of the Earth in that brief time.

So naturally, there are people trying to get in line.

And most of those people are ‘well-off’ folks. After all, they must have enough patience to queue up there.

As high school students, they’re still not at an age to fully comprehend all of this. However, they are influenced by such parents.

“Make friends with this one. Don’t befriend that one.” Children under parents like that categorize their peers and decide who to socialize with.

Ha-yoon, a well-off kid belonging to the Eun-ha Federation, is one of those ‘must-be-friends’ kids.

I, on the other hand, have nothing behind me, so I’m one of those ‘don’t-have-to-be-friends’ kids.

When I think about it, being close with Ha-yoon isn’t a good idea at all. But those who usually live in their own self-importance often don’t think that far.

Thump.

“……”

Staying silent and still played a part too.

I kept wondering what reason could there be for this, and indeed, I thought it might be the fact that I was too close with Ha-yoon while having nothing in my hands.

Despite wanting to get close to her, they maintain a mysterious distance and treat everyone fairly. Yet Ha-yoon is friendly to me. Whether they see that as jealousy or as a hindrance isn’t certain, but it is undoubtedly a source of ‘negative feelings.’

While they wouldn’t outright bully me, they still give me these subtle disadvantages.

Even if I drifted away from Ha-yoon, that wouldn’t stop the bullying.

I met the teacher’s gaze from the front.

The teacher seemed to have seen the situation but averted their eyes.

Well, of course. They probably think it’s better to turn a blind eye than to take my side, given that I don’t have any parents. Parents of the other kids might come directly to the school. Plus, if those parents think highly of themselves, who knows what they’d say to the teacher?

So, you know.

It is what it is.

Thump.

I didn’t even bother to shake off the eraser dust. I knew that reacting would only make the bullying worse.

I didn’t even tell Ha-yoon about it.

It wasn’t a logical reason, but I didn’t want to rely on something like that for help. Honestly, I couldn’t explain the reason myself.

Maybe this is due to that kid’s jealousy.

…….

But since I was giving no reaction, the flying eraser dust soon stopped as if they got bored.

I concentrated solely on my notes without glancing back.

I met the teacher’s eyes again.

The teacher avoided my gaze. Or was it just my imagination? I couldn’t really tell.

After that, we didn’t make eye contact again until class ended.

*

I had lunch with Ha-yoon.

I hadn’t had many friends in my previous life, but at least there were some familiar faces I didn’t mind hanging out with. But now that I came to this school, apart from Ha-yoon, there was really no one to eat with.

The kids living ‘across the street’ don’t come over to me, while the ones on this side hardly approach Ha-yoon. There’s a strange rivalry between those two groups, and here I was, sticking with Ha-yoon.

And ironically, I seemed to look like one of those kids who was ‘leeching off’ Ha-yoon to both groups.

Ha-yoon usually treats me to this and that, but I never asked her to buy anything for me first.

I’m not completely devoid of generosity either; I buy her some things when she needs them, but of course, in terms of the absolute amount of money, what she gives is definitely larger.

We went to the cafeteria, found a corner table, and sat down.

Usually, it’s just the two of us for lunch. Naturally, we never thought to call anyone else over.

But today was a bit different.

“Hey, Ha-yoon.”

“……”

A stranger’s voice called out to Ha-yoon.

At the start of the school year, these types of kids always come out. They’re the ones who try to get friendly with Ha-yoon just because they happen to be in the same class.

Instead of addressing me, who was facing Ha-yoon, they spoke only to her.

Honestly, it’s impressive every time I see it. Anyone would think poorly of a person who ignores their friend.

Or do these types of kids have some specific set of rules they follow?

“Ah, hey.”

Ha-yoon replied, startled, as the kid casually sat down next to her, placing their tray on the table. Her voice was almost a mumble.

It was a sign that she wasn’t comfortable with it. Ha-yoon hides her feelings when she’s around strangers she’s not particularly close with. The softness in her voice indicated she was trying to hide her discomfort.

I leisurely consumed my meal, ignoring whatever the others around were doing.

The girl who sat next to Ha-yoon glanced at me before returning her attention to Ha-yoon’s other friends who were coming to sit around them. It looked like they wanted her to get up, but I ignored that gaze as well.

“It’s our first time really talking, right?”

“Yeah…….”

Ha-yoon stole a glance at me.

She seemed uneasy.

I didn’t say anything about the kids bothering me, but Ha-yoon at least had some common sense. Even if she couldn’t tell everyone to back off, she knew I was uncomfortable, which was why she felt uneasy.

She must have noticed Ha-yoon looking in my direction because that girl’s gaze shifted toward me.

In those eyes, I could practically see the calculations being made.

She doesn’t like me. In the long run, she likely thinks of me as someone to be gotten rid of. After all, I’m not helpful to her.

But it seems like she realized that ignoring me right now would have the opposite effect.

I mean, wouldn’t she have figured it out that it’s just the two of them having lunch together? Ha-yoon always has girls (and sometimes boys) trying to talk to her, yet here she is having lunch only with me.

“Hey.”

Having presumably finished calculating, she turned to me with a friendly tone.

I stared at her intently.

I know where she sits in class. She’s right behind me.

It’s hard to say if she specifically threw that eraser dust at me. But at the very least, she must have been in a position where she could observe me throwing it in her direction.

I recalled hearing some laughter from behind.

“Hey.”

I just replied with that and went back to my meal.

Seeing me, Ha-yoon cautiously resumed using her chopsticks.

“Um, this might be a bit awkward to say, but I was doing a bit of research. Ha-yoon, we live in the same neighborhood!”

“Ah, really?”

When I heard her words, I nearly snorted. I barely held it together, managing not to choke on my food.

“Actually, I’ve been a fan of yours for a long time.”

That kind of talk would backfire on anyone trying to befriend Ha-yoon.

Ha-yoon seems friendly to everyone, making her appear as if it’d be easy to become her friend. However, in reality, her standards can be quite high and strict.

Of course, she probably doesn’t realize that herself.

For Ha-yoon, a friend is someone who can treat her normally, regardless of whether she’s a Magical Girl or not.

It’s only natural, then, that since becoming a Magical Girl, the number of people who meet those standards has significantly dropped.

Friends don’t ask each other for signatures. After all, since you’re friends, there’s no need to collect autographs. They might be willing to fulfill requests from acquaintances, but for friends, it’s a different story.

And for those who introduce themselves as Magical Girls, they shouldn’t be bragging about it, and Ha-yoon wouldn’t bring up her parents unless she was directly questioned.

From the moment she said “fan,” a thick transparent wall was already erected between them.

“Okay… That’s interesting.”

It felt like the highlighter was slipping away from Ha-yoon’s eyes a little. Since the lighting around remained constant, there was no actual change, but it felt that way.

Could it be? This clueless kid doesn’t seem to realize that her words didn’t sit well with Ha-yoon.

“I thought about what it would be like to be in the same class since I heard we were both in the same school.”

Stepping on a landmine again.

It seems the narratives surrounding her are as impactful as fiction. Is it just the whole webtoon world thing?

“Yes….”

This is bad.

Ha-yoon was visibly uncomfortable.

I stuffed the remaining food in my mouth and chewed hastily, swallowing.

Then, I abruptly stood up.

“Ha-yoon, are you finished eating?”

“Uh?”

Ha-yoon looked surprised as I suddenly jumped up and glanced at me before brightening up and standing as well.

“Yeah!”

Naturally, Ha-yoon had barely touched her food since the conversation started.

“Uh, wait a minute?”

Seeing me and Ha-yoon stand up suddenly, the girl—what was her name again? A name that doesn’t really matter, this rich girl—looked back and forth between us in confusion.

“Hey, I enjoyed our chat. Nice to meet you in class. Let’s get along moving forward.”

I recited that line quickly and turned around to leave.

The three kids still seated looked completely baffled.

They might never understand why Ha-yoon, who’s of this high caliber, followed behind me, nor would they understand why she beamed even though she hadn’t finished her meal.

They probably wouldn’t figure it out for a lifetime.

I returned my tray to the cleaning area and grabbed Ha-yoon’s wrist, pulling her along.

“Let’s go to the snack bar, snack bar.”

Since she hadn’t eaten much, I decided to fill her up with something. Of course, I had stuffed my own meal down out of sheer greed, but that wasn’t the case for Ha-yoon.

“Are you hungry?”

She asked me that after all.

“I guess I’m at the age where I’m hungry.”

I replied simply, then at the snack bar, I bought two sausage buns and forcefully shoved one into Ha-yoon’s mouth.

*

Just like this, kids trying to approach Ha-yoon based on her background have appeared countless times at the start of each school year.

And they all share one thing in common: they are surprisingly persistent.

Moreover, this persistence does not manifest solely in trying to talk to Ha-yoon.

They can’t openly question why she doesn’t directly respond to them. Given their status, they would feel pretty pathetic to say such things outright.

Thus, they usually turn that ire onto me, the relatively easier target interfering with their approach to her.

After lunch ended and throughout the class, I felt sticky feelings lurking behind me. I wondered if it was just my imagination, but the moment I forgot about it, I’d feel the dust from an eraser flying my way, confirming that there were indeed feelings behind it.

Additionally—

Thump.

Feeling pain at the back of my head, I tilted my head forward slightly.

At this point, I had to turn around.

“Ah, sorry.”

The girl sitting diagonally from me, the one who had spoken up earlier during lunch, waved her hand slightly and spoke.

“Could you pass me the eraser?”

Looking down, I saw an eraser lying on the floor. It was a chewed-up piece of eraser. What a waste.

I picked it up and placed it into my pencil case.

It was a new eraser, but it was sad that it was in such a condition. I figured it’d be happier living a decent life as a proper eraser in my pencil case.

“Hey.”

Her voice dropped a bit.

But she didn’t raise her voice too much. I guess she was somewhat concerned about the teacher.

Plus, Ha-yoon was right next to me, after all.

I figured she finally wanted to speak up, but she kept silent until the end of class, likely because Ha-yoon was present.

I thought she might confront me after class before going home, but with Ha-yoon around, that didn’t seem likely either.

Well, that’s convenient for me.

I pondered how to deal with those kids.

*

“Are you going straight home today?”

Ha-yoon asked, sounding a bit regretful that we might part ways at the bus stop right after school.

“Next time.”

I replied.

“I have things to do today.”

“Oh, I see.”

Still, Ha-yoon believed me.

After all, we’d see each other again tomorrow morning, so she wouldn’t be too disappointed.

We waved each other goodbye. As Ha-yoon walked towards her home, I turned around and headed toward mine.

I didn’t head directly home. I walked in a slightly different direction than the way back.

“……”

There were kids following me.

From their demeanor, they didn’t seem like the type who would take the bus, yet here they were, boarding one.

Just in case, I had been keeping an eye out, and sure enough, they were trailing behind me.

Did the eraser annoy them that much?

Honestly, it wasn’t really the eraser but perhaps me that was grating on their nerves.

And it seemed like they were itching to solve that annoyance right away.

Ha-yoon tended to be a bit slow on these things. She didn’t really consider that I might be getting bullied.

She might be perceptive to others’ ill intentions, but because of that, she never imagined they could go further. She didn’t realize there are far more savage forms of bullying than what she experiences.

“Hey.”

As if she noticed she was circling around, I heard a calm voice calling to me.

“What?”

I turned around.

“About the eraser.”

“Since you seem to have a lot of money, just buy a new one.”

As I said that, she let out a mocking laugh.

Hmm, maybe she could fight a bit?

I tilted my head slightly.

Well, it didn’t seem that way.

There are those who are exceptionally thin-legged, right? The type where you think they might break if they bump into something.

That kid standing in front of me was one of those.

Honestly, I couldn’t see the need to fight.

Just dodging and running away would probably exhaust them halfway through. By then, I could just stomp on them casually.

That’s right.

Right now, they probably thought they had the numbers game going, and they couldn’t possibly see themselves losing.

They probably felt that way until now. They believed they’d targeted a lot of kids before. Who did they pick on last year?

But you know,

I wasn’t going to just let it happen.

At school, I planned to act clueless. I didn’t want to rely on Ha-yoon for help regarding this.

Telling the teacher wouldn’t help much, nor was there anyone else who could assist me.

So naturally, the conclusion was to resolve this myself.

As I carefully scrutinized the physical attributes of the three kids, I cemented my course of action.

“Hey.”

“Yeah?”

“Do I look like an easy target to you?”

“Yeah.”

I answered lightly while nodding my head.

I look easy to deal with.

Absolutely.

I looked like a kid who could snap if hit even slightly.

Maybe it was because I answered too boldly? A hint of perplexity flashed across her face.

There probably wasn’t anyone who had spoken to her this frankly until now. After all, it’s a given for ordinary people to avoid confronting such matters directly.

It was an obvious story if you weren’t the one who engages in fights with Magical Girls daily.

“So, what do you want to do? Are you going to attack me first? I could let you hit me once if that’s what it takes to get you started.”

Of course, I had no intentions to get hit.

As I took a step forward, the kids flinched.

“Or should I go first?”

“Are you out of your mind?”

“I’m perfectly fine.”

I was definitely in my right mind.

From middle school up to now.

Just how many kids have I encountered who didn’t like me hanging out with Ha-yoon?

I have never once let it slide each time. They always tried to bully me, and I fought back vigorously.

Kids from the same middle school stopped bothering me.

It’s not very common for someone to interrupt our meals when Ha-yoon and I are eating together because of that.

I had been fighting well ahead of time.

There was no way I’d lose to an average student.

 

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