I Became a New Magical Girl Priest

---

I became friends with this Earth Buddy for two reasons.

First, he spoke to me directly.

I usually never talk first unless someone else does, so it’s rare for me to initiate a conversation.

Whether networking helps or not, I can’t find a reason to bother expanding my connections. Networking requires management, and the more people you know, the more annoying that management becomes.

Originally, I wasn’t planning to befriend an alien, but this Earth Buddy persistently approached me.

“You have the spark of an idol!”

I have no idea what kind of confidence he has to say something like that. Honestly, he probably didn’t think too much about it.

You know the type, right? The ones who say, “My dream is to have foreign friends!”

He probably just blurted that out because I looked like an easygoing human around our age.

The second reason is that we lived in nearly the same neighborhood.

I say “nearly” because it wasn’t exactly the same area.

If I had to get specific, it’s probably the next neighborhood over.

It seems he ended up around here due to his search for low rent.

Since our commutes overlapped sometimes, we inevitably had a lot of casual conversations.

I grew up often hearing that I seem sharp around others, but I’m not good at rejecting interactions. It’s one thing to cut ties with a complete stranger, but it’s another to sever ties with someone you constantly see.

Well, it’s not like I dislike it or anything…

But I don’t want to show this to my friends. For one, it’s connected to work, and more than that, the guy’s personality—

“By the way.”

With a squinty-eyed look as if searching for my weaknesses, Ha-yoon’s friend glanced over at the Earth Buddy who was practically draped on my shoulder.

“It seems like you had a good drink today.”

Strangely enough, that was true. I really only had ‘a drink.’ And that too, without any dessert.

“Obvious! Something good must’ve happened!”

“……”

Seeing the corners of her mouth lift slightly, it seemed she thought she’d hit the jackpot.

“Oh my, then did you have alcohol during the day?”

As if that would happen.

We’re both high school students.

Ah, I mean, strictly speaking, the Earth Buddy did act illegally. But it’s not a problem for them since they wouldn’t know back on their planet.

I glanced over at Ha-yoon.

She was still looking at me wide-eyed.

I declined a Christmas invitation, but today I actually have no plans. Or did it surprise her that I might have friends she doesn’t know about?

“Well… I’ve heard that in some other planets, it’s okay to drink from a young age, but wouldn’t it still be a problem if we did?”

“I didn’t drink.”

I turned my gaze back to the bugging friend next to Ha-yoon.

“How can you be so tipsy if it’s not alcohol?”

“Coffee.”

“Coffee?”

“Yeah, coffee. This one gets drunk on coffee.”

If there’s a problem with this answer, it’s that there are tons of people in this world who have excuses like ‘this way’ for everything.

We’re not mixed to the point of obscuring ethnicity yet, but, on a galactic scale, it’s said there are about 1.5 trillion intelligent life forms. That ‘1.5 trillion’ is the number collected from the Galactic Federation. It means that those with the technology to travel to outer space number around that figure.

Naturally, Earth hasn’t completely accepted the Galactic Federation yet, and even though the Federation has its considerations, the number of aliens that can come to Earth is limited, but it’s not strange at all that we’ve started seeing them relatively frequently like foreign tourists.

Foreign visitors to Seoul typically flock to places with a decent Korean atmosphere like Jongno or Myeongdong, but it’s different for aliens. After all, no matter where they go, it’s still ‘Earth.’

Wherever they go, it’s a completely different atmosphere from their planet, and being able to excellently enjoy it, there are alien tourists in pretty much every major city of famous countries.

Of course, the ‘excuses’ also vary, and Earthlings often get involved in illicit activities next to them and ride on those ‘excuses.’

That’s how it might look to someone not in the loop.

“Do you want to take a whiff?”

When I said that, she made a disgusted face.

“Stop making excuses—”

“Wait a moment.”

But before she could argue, Ha-yoon stepped in.

As Ha-yoon took a step closer to us, I heard a crunch under her feet.

“Ji-eun, I’m sorry.”

“……”

Since I kept thinking about what kind of acerbic remarks I should make without any curses to earn praise later, Ha-yoon apologized first.

“You’re from the Ki-Purean planet, right?”

“Uh?”

Ha-yoon leaned slightly and spoke towards the Earth Buddy’s face, who raised his head in response to the planet’s name.

Blink.

And those eyes blinked.

After staring at Ha-yoon blankly for a moment, his eyes slowly widened.

“B-b-b-b-blossom!?”

And as if the alcohol—or rather, caffeine had hit him, he straightened up.

… Yeah, this was the reason I didn’t particularly want to bump into him.

He isn’t just an ‘Earth Buddy.’ Of course, he’s a fan of Magical Girls too.

And Blossom is one of the most popular among those Magical Girls.

He didn’t say it outright, but if he chose to live here from all the affordable neighborhoods, I wouldn’t be surprised if he said he picked this place because it’s close to where Blossom lives.

“Hello! You must be Ji-eun’s friend? Ji-eun has never mentioned friends outside school before.”

She doesn’t really talk about her personal stuff. If she did, I might end up getting exposed about my time at the orphanage or that I’m a combatant against the evil forces.

“Yes? Yes? Ah, yes!”

The Earth Buddy glanced back and forth at my and Ha-yoon’s faces as he tried to grasp the situation. Is it just me or have I never seen him move his head this fast before?

“Ji-eun’s school friend, Ha-yoon.”

“Ah, yes, yes.”

It was like the only words he could say were ‘ah’ and ‘yes’ as he nodded vigorously.

“Ji-eun and I met while working part-time.”

Hearing that made my heart race. This guy usually behaves like he’s totally clueless, so I was a bit worried he’d mess up.

“Oh, is that right?”

Glance.

Ha-yoon’s gaze briefly turned toward me.

I’ve never mentioned anything about working part-time.

… No, I really haven’t. Consciously avoiding it, but thinking back now, I realized I hadn’t talked about my personal stories at all to Ha-yoon since entering high school.

Then again, it’s not entirely my fault; we’ve both just been busy.

Maybe it’s because we’re getting closer to the ‘main storyline’ timeline that the pace of developments with the circuit has sped up, and Noir Corporation is getting busier too. Naturally, the Magical Girls are busy as well.

However, Ha-yoon needs to prepare for her entrance exams. Given that she’s just about to rise to her second year, isn’t it a bit too early? But it seems Ha-yoon needs to prepare consistently if she’s aiming for art college. And her club activities have gotten busier too.

“……”

But even though it’s not my fault, for some reason, I felt a pang of guilt, so I shifted my gaze slightly.

“Of course, there has never been a law against caffeine consumption in our country.”

Ha-yoon said gently.

“But wouldn’t it be a problem to consume too much? After all, you could run into someone from your neighborhood on the street.”

Even if he’s from the same planet, he’s still likely from a different country. But then again, that doesn’t mean there’s a zero chance of that happening. The fact that Earth Buddy can come here means the people from that planet were granted permission to travel.

“Ah, yes!”

After hearing that, Ha-yoon slowly nodded and smiled.

“Ah, um, excuse me!”

Ha-yoon’s face was turning back towards me when the Earth Buddy shouted.

“Hmm?”

As Ha-yoon responded a bit surprised, the Earth Buddy quickly rummaged through his coat.

Then he pulled out a notebook and a pen.

…

Whoa, hey, wait a sec.

I almost lost my composure when I saw what he was handing over.

By the time I made it to suppress my urge to shout, he was already handing the notebook and pen to Ha-yoon.

… Isn’t that a combatant’s notebook?

It’s filled with work schedules and such, and even has a checklist and sections for ‘tearful letters of the heart’!

Fortunately, the cover was blank, and if you flip through the front, you’ll only find plenty of empty memo pages, but still, it’s a dangerous notebook just to show to others.

I mean, it’s not like there’s anything terribly secretive in it, but carrying it around would obviously label you as someone involved in those kinds of operations.

Luckily, Ha-yoon didn’t seem to recognize the notebook’s nature and received it naturally to jot her signature in it.

[Happy Cherry Blossom]

Not her name but the name of the Magical Girl.

“What should I write?”

Ha-yoon asked kindly with a smile.

“Ah, well, then just ‘Pang-pang’.”

… That’s why I don’t call her by that name. If I say it out loud in front of others, they might think it’s just a nickname.

But Ha-yoon signed it with ‘Pang-pang!’ without any hesitation, then handed it back to the Earth Buddy along with the pen.

With his eyes sparkling and looking it over, the Earth Buddy exclaimed, “Thank you! I’ll treasure this!”

“Oh no, you really don’t have to…”

Ha-yoon said, looking a bit troubled, and then bowed toward the Earth Buddy.

“Ew!?”

Startled by Ha-yoon’s sudden action, the Earth Buddy turned pale.

“Please take good care of Ji-eun.”

“Uh? Uh?”

His language skills seemed to regress.

“……”

And I found that sight a bit weird.

Ha-yoon is… a genuinely kind person. After all, all Magical Girls are kind. Iris’s personality might be a bit twisted, but she still adheres to her moral boundaries by not killing anyone. At the very least, she keeps that line.

And among them, Ha-yoon’s kind nature is something I’ve known well since we grew up together as childhood friends.

But.

“Ah, yes…”

Whether she felt something odd or had been shaken by caffeine, the Earth Buddy’s response became slightly ambiguous.

That’s right. Ha-yoon is kind.

So kind that she thinks she has to take care of those who are a bit… lacking compared to her.

She doesn’t deliberately distinguish between people. Ha-yoon wouldn’t even think about those things.

It’s almost like an obsession. Maybe she’s subconsciously influenced by her family upbringing.

Whatever the lacking part may be—money, intelligence, or athleticism—Ha-yoon feels a sense of duty to care for those children. And because of this, she’s quite popular. Even if some slightly crooked ones may provoke her, well, bullying a Magical Girl is not usually a wise choice.

After all, Iris attends our school too.

Anyway.

I occasionally find Ha-yoon’s way of thinking… honestly a bit annoying.

Especially when I’m on the receiving end of her care.

It’s the biggest reason I’m still hiding my past at the orphanage.

“Then… I wish you a Happy New Year.”

Ha-yoon said.

The Earth Buddy’s face became gaping again. It seemed like whatever previously felt unusual to him soared away into the sky.

“Yes, Happy New Year to you too!”

For some reason, when the Earth Buddy said that, the person next to Ha-yoon seemed to be beaming with pride as well.

Maybe this is some sort of national pride. Ever since the Galactic Federation connected with Earth, the self-esteem of Earthlings has gone up significantly.

There are actually aliens out there who discriminate against Earthlings.

“And you too, Ji-eun.”

“…… Yep.”

“I’ll contact you.”

“Yeah, contact me.”

At my words, Ha-yoon smiled at me and waved her hand.

We turned our bodies back to the directions we were going.

Ha-yoon kept glancing back at me several times while walking.

Since I saw that, of course, I did the same.

“…… Were you close with Blossom?”

After a while of walking, the Earth Buddy suddenly asked.

“Didn’t I mention it?”

“Not at all.”

“Yeah. Just friends.”

“Why didn’t you say it earlier?!”

“…… That’s why I didn’t mention it.”

“Too much!”

But if I did mention it, he’d probably ask me to introduce him.

It’s honestly quite annoying. No matter what, I want to maintain my relationship with Ha-yoon. I never intended to use that against her.

Later on, when I start working after graduating, I’ll probably experience fewer instances of being cared for unilaterally. At that time, I think I’ll reveal that I’m from the orphanage.

After all, by then, I probably wouldn’t be a combatant anymore, and there will be no need to disclose that either.

It won’t be exactly an equal relationship, but whatever. We’ll be much more of ‘friends’ by then.

“Hey~ can I ask you a favor~”

“Nope.”

“You didn’t even listen!?”

As I cut him off without hesitating, the Earth Buddy shouted.

What could he possibly want? Most likely, it’s something like asking for help gathering signatures for his Magical Girl.

After all, that’s one of the biggest reasons he’s on Earth.

And that’s why he hasn’t shed that ‘Buddy’ persona either. Most who come to Earth thinking that Earthlings can navigate space without magic and that they love peace, end up being a bit crazy when they go back.

It’s better to be interested in a specific idol or Magical Girl than to be like that.

“And you can walk alone now, right? You can get home on your own.”

“Ew.”

My words seemed to shock him so much that the Earth Buddy staggered.

*

“……”

Ha-yoon and her friend walked in silence for a while.

Ha-yoon always seemed to live with a look that conveyed she had no concept of ‘feeling uncomfortable.’

She hadn’t really thought anyone was unpleasant before, and even if she did think that, she wouldn’t express it openly.

Others saw Ha-yoon as extroverted but gentle and kind, but that’s actually a gross misinterpretation of her character.

Somehow, people were drawn to her, and somehow, those who were drawn seemed to want something from her.

Recently, Ha-yoon started to realize that one of the reasons for that is her profession as a Magical Girl.

Just a moment ago, it was the same thing.

That alien, who seemed tipsy, was named ‘Pang-pang’ from the Ki-Purean planet. Until recognizing Ha-yoon, he was likely in a daze but changed his behavior immediately upon seeing her face.

How did the two of them end up together like that?

There are quite a few aliens on Earth, but becoming friends with one like that isn’t easy at all.

It’s much deeper than just saying ‘we come from different cultures.’

Just looking at that blue-faced alien is enough to see that. Doesn’t it seem like he’s tipsy?

If a human were to meet someone like that for the first time, they’d probably freak out after going to a café. Ki-Pureans become much louder when drunk. In other words, he probably made a huge ruckus at the café.

“……”

“Hey, Ha-yoon?”

“Yeah?”

Only after her friend called out did Ha-yoon blink. She felt a bit dazed afterward.

“Could it be because of those guys from earlier?”

“Yeah?”

What is she talking about?

Receiving Ha-yoon’s gaze, her friend smiled and continued.

“Just as I thought, right? He probably doesn’t know how big of a deal it is that he’s friends with you.”

“……”

Ha-yoon briefly lost her ability to respond.

“Walking around with some strange alien like that.”

Ah, it’s like that.

Ha-yoon thought.

She realized that her friend doesn’t understand yet how close Ha-yoon and I are. It’s something that this friend couldn’t even begin to imagine.

After entering high school, it has been exceptionally like that. In middle school, a lot of her friends graduated to the same high school nearby. But the high school Ha-yoon and I entered together is far enough that we need to take a bus to get there.

As our relationship got reset, people began to surface who believe they get along with Ha-yoon better than I do.

“……”

What should I even respond to that?

Ha-yoon felt a bit confused.

Ji-eun was nice. Since childhood, she was the kind of person who would calmly listen to whatever Ha-yoon had to say.

Not only that, but she also seemed completely unaware, but Ji-eun showed great thoughtfulness.

She could easily picture the kind of raucous scene that alien would have caused in a café. Whatever they spoke about, she’d seen enough in the Galactic Federation’s educational materials about what ‘drunk Ki-Pureans’ were capable of. Their level of lawlessness is not far off from what humans might commit after having too much to drink.

If it had escalated to actual crime, they would’ve been naturally expelled, so it likely didn’t go that far, but Ji-eun would have patiently listened to everything that ‘Pang-pang’ said. And even offered her shoulder.

Ha-yoon, on the other hand, would never have acted that way.

How could she treat someone like that, especially a close friend?

…….

Ah, but wait.

“Honestly, there are a few things about him that bother me.”

If she’s bothered, what would she even do?

People aren’t things that can be changed just because you don’t like them.

“His uniform looks oddly worn, and he doesn’t seem to have many friends. Don’t you think?”

“……”

Ha-yoon couldn’t bring herself to respond.

I see.

When that girl was saying those things earlier, Ha-yoon couldn’t break in. Arguing face-to-face is too tough for Ha-yoon.

So, in the end, it doesn’t differ much from being a nuisance.

At the very least, that alien probably didn’t say anything like what this girl said to Ji-eun.

“……”

How did she end up walking with this girl?

Just stepped out briefly around the neighborhood and ran into her…

… Maybe it would have been better if I hadn’t stepped out at all.

 

---