I Became a New Magical Girl Priest

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I had a dream that was nothing special.

No, it was truly a dream without any significance. It was just me and Ha-yoon, and Seo-hee, Yeon-woo, Jua, Chae-yeon, Ji-hye, and Pang-pang.

We were just chatting about nothing in particular, laughing away as if it were the most interesting thing in the world.

In my memory, the room we were in didn’t even exist; it was just a cozy, cabin-like place. Some were in pajamas, others in hoodies and shorts, and some even wore everyday clothes…

It must have been a dream. In reality, we would all have been in pajamas.

I don’t really remember the details of our conversation. It probably wasn’t anything memorable.

But I was just so happy.

As if that was the future I longed for.

That cozy, warm feeling was simply delightful.

“……”

No, that warm feeling was also something I felt in reality.

It wasn’t just cozy; it was actually a bit hot. Hot and slightly sticky. Especially on my back.

Something warm was pressed snugly against me.

I knew exactly what it was.

As my dream slowly faded away, I returned to reality. As I opened my eyes, I saw a wall.

The wall of my room in the headquarters.

Somehow, it seemed I had fallen asleep pressed against that wall.

And, sticking to my back was Ha-yoon.

It wasn’t like we were cuddling. She had her hand lightly touching my back, her forehead resting against me, as if it had been really cold last night. Even though it was a day that could be called summer.

I could hear Ha-yoon’s soft breathing, and it made me feel a bit embarrassed.

But maybe it was actually hot, as I had kicked off all the blankets. Considering we both had different blankets, I guess we both did that.

It was too hot, so we kicked the blankets off, then it got a bit chilly, so we stuck close together, and then it got hot again, which meant we didn’t need the blankets anymore… and the result of this endless cycle is the situation I find myself in now.

And that must be the essence of the dream I had yesterday.

An oddly warm and cozy sensation. That essence was Ha-yoon’s body warmth.

“Ah.”

Realizing this a little late made me feel flustered.

No, well, from the moment Ha-yoon entered, I thought it might be a bit much. Even if the bed is spacious for one, it wouldn’t be enough when two people lay down.

Still, I thought one of us would probably just roll over to the other side before we got this close.

After all, it is summer. It must be hot and humid.

It was one of those awkward days to turn on the air conditioner, so I left the window open, but it wasn’t exactly cool or cold either.

But instead, I had fallen into a deep sleep thanks to Ha-yoon’s warmth. Oh boy.

A sense of moral confusion washed over me.

What should I do?

Is there a way to get out without waking Ha-yoon? Whatever I do here, Ha-yoon’s body would move along with mine.

Moreover, I wasn’t even facing Ha-yoon, so if I wasn’t careful, I could step on or squish her. Naturally, I didn’t want to do that.

As I squirmed to try and move my body,

Knock, knock.

I heard someone knock on the door.

I felt a chill run down my spine, and the heat from Ha-yoon’s body seemed to drop my temperature in an instant.

[Ji-eun?]

It was a good thing it wasn’t a staff member— or was it? The person on the other side was Seo-hee?

No matter how close I am with my friends, predicting their reactions perfectly is a difficult task. Besides, aren’t all of them magical girls?

They have a sense of justice, but at the same time, they possess a heart “pure enough to become magical girls.”

They all have their quirky sides, and obviously, I can’t predict how they might react. I already know that well from everything we’ve been through.

What kind of reaction would Seo-hee have? Would she tease me all day? Or…

But I couldn’t make any loud sounds either.

Strangely enough, I tend to get softer around Ha-yoon. Not that it means I see her as fragile, but definitely doesn’t mean she can’t get hurt.

I’ve seen Ha-yoon get hurt for various reasons throughout our time together, so I’ve resolved not to be a source of pain for her.

“Hmm…”

Thus, I didn’t want to wake Ha-yoon, who was sleeping so close to me.

That was my line of thought.

[Am I coming in?]

Just when I felt stuck in between, Seo-hee said that and barged in.

I hadn’t locked the door. So the sound I heard was the door opening.

I braced myself for Seo-hee to tease me right away.

…But, on second thought, I wasn’t sure why she’d tease me.

“……Hey.”

Instead, the sound that reached my ears was that, a voice tinged with annoyance.

“What time do you think it is, lounging around like this?”

Seo-hee said.

“Eh?”

I found myself responding reflexively as I slightly lifted my head and turned back as much as I could.

Ha-yoon’s pink hair entered my view— but turning enough to see Seo-hee was still a bit difficult.

I heard footsteps as Seo-hee approached and shook Ha-yoon awake.

“Huuh?”

Ha-yoon let out a strange sound as she stirred.

“Wake up. Today isn’t a holiday.”

Seo-hee continued in her stiff voice.

…..

Ah, right.

Today wasn’t a weekend. We needed to go to school.

That coziness made me feel relaxed to the point of complete delusion…!

As I hurriedly got up, Ha-yoon groggily sat up too.

And then she rubbed her eyes.

“Hurry and wash up. We need to eat breakfast.”

Was Seo-hee a bit late because she was waiting for us? She said this with a clearly annoyed expression. Then she turned and left.

She walked out in a way that reminded me of an angry character from a comedy manga, as if saying, ‘I’m mad!’

“……”

Looking at Ha-yoon, her face was beet red.

Yeah, that makes sense. We had been so close. She must be recalling what kind of position we were in.

It would be pointless to say anything to Ha-yoon in that state.

We have no choice but to let this slide.

“…Let’s wash up.”

“I-I’ll wash up in my room…!”

“Hmm?”

Before I could say anything, Ha-yoon jumped up and banged the door open, running out.

By the time I called after her, her footsteps were already far away.

I scratched my head.

No, I was just thinking of telling her to go back to her room.

…There’s no way she thought I was going to shower with her, right? We’ve never done that before, not even once. We’ve never gone to a bathhouse together.

That’s, well, a bit awkward, right? Yeah.

As I got up from my seat, I noticed the two blankets and two pillows left behind on the bed.

The sheets were damp with sweat.

“…What should I even say?”

Let’s just not say anything at all.

That was what I thought as I headed towards the shower.

*

After washing up, I checked the time and found I hadn’t slept as long as I thought.

So, there was plenty of time to head to school.

Well, all things considered, all the magical girls, including Seo-hee, were model students, so maybe I was stressed just because there was a chance of being late.

If it really came down to it, I could just use the circuit and fly away.

…..

Now that I think about it, I never considered going to school in the morning.

Isn’t it fine if I just wear shorts under my skirt?

Thinking that, I made my way to where the others were gathered— yet everyone was staring at me with blank expressions, which was a bit scary.

…What’s up?

Is it because I came out last? Considering Ha-yoon was sitting among them, I guess I did come out the latest.

Did I come out too late?

With a red face, I glanced down, and all my friends seemed to be looking at me as if I’d committed some kind of crime together with Ha-yoon.

“Why?”

As I asked, the others turned their heads away.

“Let’s eat.”

Jua spoke stiffly.

“……”

It made me feel a bit intimidated, so I nodded and sat down stiffly.

A large tray was placed in the middle of the table, surrounded by chairs.

On the tray lay countless sandwiches.

It seems they had all gotten up early to make breakfast.

…..

Well, I can’t blame them too much.

If so, they could have woken me up a bit. I would have helped.

Feeling a bit wronged, I reached for a sandwich.

Beside me, Ha-yoon and Jua sneakily sat close to me.

If it’s Ha-yoon, that’s understandable, but if Jua is doing it too, maybe they aren’t angry?

But their faces are still a bit stiff.

…If only one of them could lighten up.

 

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