I Became a New Magical Girl Priest

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I wasn’t the top student in school.

Maybe it would have been different if I weren’t a Magical Girl.

Even after becoming a Magical Girl, I worked hard on my studies, and I managed to maintain a level that could be considered upper-tier, but it wasn’t enough to get a scholarship to an expensive private school.

Probably because I had let my guard down.

The reason I aimed for top grades in school was that I didn’t want to be the one who looked worse next to Ha-yoon.

I hated the whispers around me about being friends with Ha-yoon, as if it didn’t suit us.

However, now that reason had completely vanished.

If my grades were a bit lower, who in the world would care that I’m close with Ha-yoon?

I’m a Magical Girl, after all.

Just like Ha-yoon.

It’s a bit of a different story, but it’s similar to how people don’t think it’s weird if an idol group has a mix of members with good and bad grades.

Of course, to get into this school, I needed decent grades, and that’s why I worked hard to maintain my scores.

“……”

Still, I couldn’t help but overhear the mutterings.

But the comments I overheard weren’t the same as what I heard back in middle school.

They weren’t about why I was close with Ha-yoon, but rather excitement about having two Magical Girls in the same class.

That type of gossip wasn’t particularly pleasant either, but it was certainly better than their previous suspicious glances.

“Hey.”

Just before the teacher came in, I was having some trivial chat with Ha-yoon when a girl suddenly spoke up to us.

“Um, are you Lily and Blossom?”

She asked as if she already knew the answer.

The girl looking down at us wore her uniform properly without altering it in any way.

Yet, there were quite a few other kids gathered around her. Maybe she was actually quite the sociable type, despite appearances.

“Uh, it’s true, but…”

I replied, thinking I might as well hear what she had to say.

Ha-yoon glanced between me and the girl. She was always like that—cautious about new acquaintances.

It wasn’t exactly being cautious about everyone new she met.

She was wary of those who seemed to want something from her.

Naturally, that “something” wasn’t lighthearted emotional benefits of friendship or exchanging gifts.

More like kids who seemed to want to connect our families or take advantage of Ha-yoon’s reputation.

It sounds a bit strange, but even if I put the latter aside, isn’t the former something to ponder for someone our age?

No, not just the kids right in front of me, but there were definitely kids like that whether in elementary school or middle school with strange, political ways of thinking.

I couldn’t get quite close to Ha-yoon because she was too guarded.

The girl smiled at my answer, introducing herself.

“Now that we’re in the same class, let’s get along well for a year.”

She reached out to shake my hand.

Maybe I looked a bit ‘easier’ to approach?

“Sure, let’s do that.”

I reached out and shook her hand lightly.

Once I became a Magical Girl, I realized I couldn’t get mad at every kid who approached Ha-yoon.

Plus, some, like this girl, actually were the ones to strike up a conversation with me first.

Honestly, it’s tiring. Moreover, among them, there were even some who were genuinely fans trying to talk to us.

It felt wrong to be too angry or annoyed with them.

So, I chose to get along smoothly. Ha-yoon just blended in. Of course, we were careful to be seen as a set while being mindful of how we interacted with other kids.

Thanks to that, all the kids who acted in front of us until the first semester of seventh grade, I was able to mix in rather well as I advanced to the second year.

Ha-yoon, perhaps feeling more at ease than outright rejecting them, managed to stay right next to me in those situations.

Among the Magical Girls, she was so confident and communicative.

…

To be honest, I liked it. That Ha-yoon relied on me.

“I really enjoyed your performances! Your outfits are pretty, and more than anything, Lily, you really look cool when you fight.”

“Jeong Ji-eun.”

“Hmm?”

“My name. It’s Jeong Ji-eun. Just call me Ji-eun. Right now, I’m not a Magical Girl, after all.”

At my words, the girl’s face brightened up.

It’s funny, but the kids seem to think they’ve become closer just because I told them to use my real name instead of my Magical Girl name.

I merely said it was less embarrassing, though.

While having various conversations, Ha-yoon also got questions tossed her way like fragments.

Watching me chat with the kids, she cautiously joined in on the conversation. To avoid me monopolizing everything and tiring myself out, Ha-yoon chimed in suitably.

This was a kind of strategy we had. We looked like a set while also mixing in with the kids to not clash too much.

As that relatively insipid self-introduction conversation passed, the classroom door opened and the teacher came in.

The kids hurriedly returned to their seats.

I met Ha-yoon’s gaze. After exchanging bitter smiles, we turned back and sat properly at our desks.

The teacher checked on us, and it wasn’t just me being paranoid. I had developed that sense during my training, and more importantly, our homeroom teacher in middle school always paid attention to us.

For some reason, I felt the urge to turn around and share a wry smile with Ha-yoon again.

…If I rearrange my seat, maybe I could try to sit a bit closer to Ha-yoon next time?

*

“……”

When Ji-hye returned to the room, she was deep in thought.

“What’s up?”

“Oh, um.”

Ji-hye looked at me as she spoke.

“I was wondering if it’s okay to tell my friends that we live in the same place.”

“Well, of course—”

I was about to say it’s fine when I suddenly clamped my mouth shut.

Would it really be okay?

What was it like in middle school? Now that I think about it, we didn’t exactly share stories about school.

Ji-hye has a lot of friends and talks about all sorts of things. But at the same time, she’s someone who picks up on things easily.

Ji-hye knew that I hadn’t told Ha-yoon that I lived in an orphanage.

How many of Ji-hye’s elementary and middle school friends knew that she lived in an orphanage?

“Maybe it’s just a bit much?”

“……”

I was at a loss for words at Ji-hye’s comment.

Indeed.

This was practically forcing her into a corner. It meant Ji-hye couldn’t share whatever comfortably in front of her friends.

Ironically, Ji-hye didn’t seem to mind at all.

She looked like it was perfectly natural for her to be asking me about this because of my position.

“Um…”

After a moment of contemplation, I finally spoke.

“I’ll try to find a way to resolve that.”

“Wait, can you really resolve it?”

Well, it’s not like there’s no way.

If I look around, there will probably be something I could do. In various senses.

I scratched my head.

For some reason, I thought Ji-hye’s expression brightened a bit, which made me feel even more troubled.

*

“You say you can live here?”

Cherry said with a look of genuine surprise.

“Uh, yeah.”

Since it wasn’t like I could just move the orphanage,

I thought that living elsewhere entirely might change things.

Cherry blinked for a while, looking up at me before finally speaking.

“Did something happen at the orphanage?”

“No, not really.”

I scratched my head and let out a big sigh.

Cherry obviously knew I lived at the orphanage. She had even visited once since I had to speak with the teachers.

But I hadn’t told any other kids about it. Cherry kept the secret I asked her to keep very well.

After thinking for a moment, I decided to open up a bit.

“Um, yeah…”

Cherry seemed to find it a bit troublesome.

She wasn’t laughing or anything.

As a full-fledged adult, she must’ve understood my feelings. It’s likely there are parentless kids in her own planet as well.

I didn’t care much about dignity regarding other things, but I wondered why I was so concerned about just the orphanage.

Am I ashamed of living there?

I’d like to think no, since it was a good place to live. At least, I wouldn’t know how other places are.

“Sorry. Even so, I think it’s going to be tough to live here before you turn into an adult.”

“Right?”

It’s not a school dorm, and I’m too young to be independent, which brings various issues.

“Hmm… Should we think about it together? But Ha-yoon…”

Cherry looked up at me carefully.

“Other kids won’t laugh or anything just because you live in an orphanage.”

“Yeah, I know.”

I did know that.

I’d just open up if it weren’t for Ha-yoon.

Strangely enough, just thinking about Ha-yoon made me lose my words.

“It’s a tough situation, isn’t it?”

Cherry said, smiling wryly.

“It is indeed.”

I also sighed deeply as I spoke.

 

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