Chapter 301
Usually, I would get back to the orphanage even late at night, but today it was way too late for that.
I thought it would be better to just sleep here for the day, so we decided to do that.
“Really? So you’re not coming back today?”
As soon as Ji-hye saw my message, she called me right away to ask that as if she had been waiting for me without sleeping until this hour.
I sent the message just in case she had already fallen asleep.
“Yeah. Sorry, it just turned out this way… making you worry in the middle of the night.”
“Of course I was worried, you fool.”
“….”
Ji-hye wouldn’t usually respond like this.
It didn’t sound like she was genuinely angry, but I still felt a little bad since she had waited anxiously for my message after I hadn’t come back without any contact.
She had received my message only now after endlessly waiting and worrying about me.
And knowing Ji-hye, she probably looked into my situation as well.
Honestly, the fact that she hadn’t contacted me until now just clearly showed her level of patience.
“Sorry.”
I apologized honestly.
“……It’s fine as long as you’re okay.”
Ji-hye accepted my apology without getting angrier. It sounded like she was somewhat relieved to hear from me, which made me feel even guiltier.
“So did it help you feel a bit better?”
“Ah… yeah.”
I nodded. Not that Ji-hye could see it.
Thinking it over, I realized it really wasn’t a situation where I could be smiling right now. My friend was still in enemy hands, and I had no idea where or how to rescue her.
Still, at least it was true that my remarks were trending online. Many people were up late checking the internet. Some must be just scrolling through their phones, unable to sleep while working.
People were probably discussing “Pang-pang.”
No matter how you looked at it, it didn’t seem like a name that made sense.
But I was clearly talking about someone, so people were busy debating whether it was a nickname or not, whether she was a human being or not.
Would people find out about Pang-pang’s existence? I hadn’t thought that deeply before I said it.
Pang-pang probably wasn’t just holed up in a room. She had told us she’d also worked at a factory-like place. Maybe someone might recognize her.
“….”
Suddenly, the face of Pang-pang, whom I met before confronting her, came to mind. She looked really anxious back then.
It wasn’t like she had been caught by us at that time.
I wondered if she was scared of being discovered in the future.
“Ji-eun?”
“Yeah?”
“What are you thinking so deeply about?”
“Ah, nothing….”
I fell silent for a moment, then finally said, “No, it’s not nothing. I was thinking about what happened today. That friend who went missing.”
[…….]
I could hear Ji-hye swallowing hard over the phone.
“You’ll definitely find her again.”
Her words were comforting.
But it was inevitable. Even if she was my friend, there aren’t that many people who can listen to your worries and have the capability to solve them. The best they can do is to cheer you on and hold you up so you don’t fall apart.
I was grateful that I had someone like that.
There was something I hadn’t told Ji-hye, though.
I was debating whether or not to mention it, but still—
“Thanks.”
“Not at all.”
We fell silent for a moment.
This silence wasn’t the uncomfortable kind. It felt warmer, a kind of silence that didn’t have to be cold just because we ran out of things to say.
“Well then, I guess I’ll go to sleep now. Good night.”
“Yeah… next time, just let me know in advance if you’re going to be late, okay?”
Ji-hye pretended to be angry.
“Yeah. I’ll definitely call you.”
I replied with a bitter smile.
Honestly, even after becoming independent, I’d probably have to live with Ji-hye for a while, so keeping in touch like this would be necessary. Ji-hye would surely wait and prepare my dinner just because she was home first.
Ugh, we’re not even married.
I tossed my phone carelessly onto the bed after having such a weird thought.
This was the first time I was writing like this here.
Each magical girl had a personal room at the headquarters, but no one used them that actively. When we were at headquarters, we mostly hung around the lounge, training room, and rooftop. Since there was no real need to be in our rooms, we all used them more like storage to keep our personal belongings or snacks.
Still, even though it was a room, I had organized it reasonably well.
I sat on the bed.
The bed, which I hadn’t been on in a while, was fluffy. I wasn’t really well-versed in such things, but it seemed to me that the mattress wasn’t the cheap kind.
So, should I really try to sleep now?
As I thought about that and tried to lie down on the bed—
Knock knock.
I heard a knock on the door.
“Ah, yeah.”
There’s always someone on duty at the headquarters, anytime. The Noir Corporation, true to its name, was a company that worked people day and night, and even though it was very rare, combatants sometimes showed up late at night or in the early morning.
Maybe this operation was done with some reference to that Noir Corporation.
However, even if that was the case, there wouldn’t be an employee knocking on this door. They were always uncomfortable with us being here, as we were much younger than they were, practically their juniors.
And just as I expected, the one who walked in through the door was none other than Ha-yoon.
“Ha-yoon?”
Without realizing it, I glanced at the clock.
1 AM.
If someone were commuting to work or school in the morning, this would be about the time they were nearing their limit. There might be someone who couldn’t sleep for even six hours if they went to bed now.
But Ha-yoon deliberately came to my room instead of sleeping in hers.
She even had something stuffed in her arms.
A pillow and a blanket. Ha-yoon was hugging them tightly.
And that probably meant she was planning to sleep here.
“……”
For a moment, I was at a loss for words, just staring at Ha-yoon.
Had we ever slept together? Thinking back, I couldn’t remember a time. Ha-yoon came from a rather strict household, and since I lived in an orphanage, it felt a bit off to bring a friend over and let them sleep.
If we weren’t magical girls, this situation probably wouldn’t have happened at all.
Another surprising reason was that the blanket Ha-yoon carried seemed to just be a covering blanket. Well, it couldn’t be helped. In our room, there was no way to spread the blanket on the floor to sleep since we all had beds.
It seemed like the staff handled laundry like a hotel, coming to change the blankets and sheets.
“……Hey, Ha-yoon.”
But just to be sure, I decided to ask.
Maybe, ironically, she came over to swap blankets and pillows with me. They both seemed to be of the same brand, and Ha-yoon wasn’t the type to think that way.
“Do you want to sleep here together?”
“……”
Ha-yoon stood there quietly for a moment without saying anything, then blushed and nodded.
“Um, that is….”
It seemed she was trying to explain her reasons, but now that she thought about it, it looked like she couldn’t come up with anything meaningful to say and let out a small sigh.
“Is that not okay?”
With such a pitiful expression, how could I say no?
“But the bed is only this big. If we both get on it, it might be cramped. Is that okay with you?”
“If you’re okay with it, then I’m okay with it.”
I chuckled softly.
Well, it’s fine by me.
It’s fine, but—
If I were to ask why she wanted to sleep in the same room, wouldn’t that make Ha-yoon seem a bit pitiful?
I knew she was taking the opportunity. Isn’t that what they call a pajama party? We weren’t wearing pajamas, but I knew enough to understand that girls hanging out all night like this would be referred to as such.
“Here.”
I said that and pushed my blanket against the wall.
“Ah, okay!”
At my words, Ha-yoon’s eyes sparkled as she rushed over to the bed. She placed her pillow beside mine and climbed onto the bed, lying down side by side with me.
Thump, thump.
The sound effects visible on Ha-yoon’s face could be described like that.
“You’re quite unusual.”
As I said this, Ha-yoon flushed deeper and couldn’t say anything.
She probably knew how ridiculous her own words sounded.
“I won’t know if you fall off while sleeping, you know?”
When I said that, Ha-yoon nodded cautiously.
“It’s okay. I’m confident I won’t fall.”
Well, fancy that.
I shook my head and lay back down on the bed.
The light in the room could be adjusted with a remote, so Ha-yoon stealthily grabbed the remote from the desk next to the bed and turned it on.
……Under normal circumstances, we would have talked a bit more before sleeping, but we had school tomorrow.
“……Well then, good night.”
I said that.
“Yeah.”
Ha-yoon replied with a careful voice.
“Good night, Ji-eun.”
We lay side by side on the somewhat cramped bed.
It seemed I was much more tired than I thought.
It wasn’t long before I closed my eyes and fell asleep.