I Became a New Magical Girl Priest

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My head was too tangled up for me to sort out my thoughts.

The circuit… right. Just because I was able to manipulate the circuit before didn’t mean I couldn’t do it now.

I didn’t need to move my hands or feet or look ahead; I didn’t need any physical part to do it. It wasn’t like I had lost a single body part or anything.

The important thing was thought, just thought.

And the fact that I had briefly lost hope was ironically because my ‘mother’ had shown up.

I… wasn’t exactly a positive person. It wasn’t merely that my way of thinking was positive or negative; it was a matter of being a positive person overall. I often had not-so-great thoughts and felt intense jealousy towards the Magical Girls.

When I first came into this world, and before any aliens appeared on Earth, I had no clue why I was reborn here, so it was all a matter of indifference… but when I learned that my dearest Ha-yoon was actually the main character, I felt an unbearable stress fueled by jealousy.

Even now, the mere existence of that ‘mom’ was a source of stress.

What was her intention for showing up? If it was for the sake of money, that would be a reason for me to despair because she would keep coming at me as long as she was alive.

If it was because of the fact that I was a Magical Girl, then that was the same. She’d be someone who intended to use my name somehow.

If my mom was really just a fraud—whether it was intentional or just a misunderstanding, or if it was some scheme from the Noir Corporation—I couldn’t help but feel negative about it.

…What if, just what if.

If that person truly loved me. If she showed up with the sincere desire to reclaim her daughter.

And now, if she wanted to become my mom through that love.

For me, it would literally be like a stranger suddenly showing up—and more than that, it would interfere with my activities as a Magical Girl.

…At that moment, when I got hurt, that woman screamed. Just that fact was enough to leave me so flustered that my transformation would fall apart.

Yeah.

What if I had a family? And if that family… felt pain watching me fight.

What would I do?

“Ji-eun!”

Someone burst into the hospital room. It was Ji-hye, who had been my family until then.

Yeah. If that person became my mom, I wouldn’t be able to consider Ji-hye family anymore. No matter how much I thought of her as a sister, we would be living in separate families.

No matter what, I couldn’t know if she would adopt Ji-hye under her wing.

“Ji-eun, are you okay?”

Ha-yoon quickly got up from her seat to move aside. Ji-hye didn’t even say thank you and immediately grabbed my hand, asking.

“Are you okay now?”

“Really? For real?”

“Really. Seriously.”

I said that while lifting my arm, probably injured in some newsworthy event.

Did I show off the wound too? Well, that part was probably pixelated. But, who knows, someone might have uploaded an unedited photo online.

“Ah, what a relief…!”

Ji-hye said that and hugged me tightly.

Yeah. Ji-hye is like this.

No matter what I do, she’s always supportive. No matter how hard the path is or what others say, she’s the one cheering me on from behind.

That’s why, even though I had family in Ji-hye, I was able to clash with enemies, fighting with all my might.

Being held by Ji-hye, I felt a little bit at ease.

Still, that ‘mom’ had not shown up.

“Oh, you seem pretty okay now.”

Seo-hee said casually as she walked in, only to get slapped on the arm by Yeon-woo, who was entering beside her.

And then came Chae-yeon. Next to her was Jua, who was bowing her head low in silence. But when Jua met my gaze, she offered a slight smile.

Chae-yeon entered without saying anything, then sat down on my bed’s corner, reading a book with a completely nonchalant expression.

Looking at Chae-yeon, I felt… honestly, a bit indifferent.

…

No, that’s not it.

In the end, I couldn’t completely shake off that thought. It was an unresolved issue.

“…”

Despite walking in with bright expressions, the kids soon fell back into gloom.

Everyone was glancing at each other.

Someone had to ask how things had gone yesterday, but all their faces showed they had no idea how to bring it up.

“It wasn’t on purpose.”

Eventually, I was the one to speak first.

“…The circuit won’t return to hope, right?”

Upon hearing my words, everyone looked at each other and nodded.

What was the reason the circuit had started turning when I first tapped into it? It was because of the ‘hope’ that I could potentially rise to a position like Ha-yoon’s.

The idea that I could also be a main character in a life that I thought would end without even a speaking role, merely as an extra, was igniting a possibility in me.

And after actually going out and rolling around, I discovered that it genuinely worked. I had talent.

Well, I couldn’t create a wand on my own; I carried Jua’s design, and to be honest, I wasn’t really fond of the outfit either but it was all good.

I became friends with the Magical Girls and could fight alongside them fiercely.

I had, without realizing it, become one of the main characters.

“…”

Was this also something orchestrated by the author above? Did they just drop ‘normalcy’ into my life as though I was simply made for this world? Trying to drag me down.

Well, who knows. Maybe such things don’t exist at all. Maybe it’s just me feeling like a victim all alone.

Yeah, I wasn’t particularly positive in that regard either.

“I was overthinking things.”

“…Perhaps?”

Ha-yoon took the lead to ask. She wouldn’t dare bring up that sensitive term.

The results of the genetic test came in, but I hadn’t submitted it anywhere yet. I, and the other kids… we were all acting as if it had no significance.

If we just looked at the test results, it was clear I was that person’s daughter. Yet somehow, all the kids, including me, were subconsciously insisting it was ‘not confirmed.’

Why? It should be something to celebrate.

Yeah, everyone probably knew.

That we couldn’t celebrate it purely. That the adults wanted to intervene in our little group.

Whether it’s that ‘mom’ or some entity using ‘mom.’

“Right.”

I let out a long breath.

“…No matter how I think about it, I just can’t find an answer.”

I looked up at the hospital ceiling.

Yeah. Indeed.

In my lament, everyone was at a loss for words.

Knock, knock.

While we were in silence, we heard someone knock on the door.

We all knew who the cautious knock belonged to right away.

 

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