I Became a New Magical Girl Priest

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To Ha-yoon, Ji-eun was the “cold-hearted person.”

When Ha-yoon was struggling alone during school life, Ji-eun would suddenly come over and ramble on about this and that.

If not that, she would grab Ha-yoon’s hand and take her to a secluded place, walking around silently, or suddenly drag her to a convenience store to buy something to eat and stuff it into her mouth.

In all that time, she never bragged or sought recognition.

A child who would say, “I helped you when you were in trouble,” was definitely not her.

Her face always wore a blank expression, even when she bought something, she didn’t make a big deal out of it.

But in those actions, there was always a warmth like sunlight.

On dry and chilly days, she was like a single ray of sunshine that slipped through a tiny hole while Ha-yoon shivered in the shadows.

To Ha-yoon, Ji-eun was that kind of person.

The light Ji-eun displayed was warm.

It was a light that made Ha-yoon feel like it seeped right into her heart just by being close.

However.

“……”

Sure, she had patched up many things and made this place barely livable, but objectively speaking, it still resembled a ruin.

As soon as she returned to the place they had lived, the light that had been emanating from Ji-eun’s circuit quickly diminished.

Ji-eun, standing there, was just a tired and somewhat sad girl.

The sight of her from behind, holding two huge plastic bags, looked somehow much darker than usual.

Ha-yoon wanted to say something to her, but she didn’t know what to say.

The other kids probably had a lot they wanted to talk about too. Iris, in particular, looked a little anxious, seemingly wanting to ask about the warp moments ago.

But ultimately, no one could muster the courage to say anything.

Simply from her posture, Ji-eun seemed to be saying not to.

Ji-eun entered the shelter without looking back.

She gently placed the plastic bags she had brought inside and crawled into the tent.

Though she didn’t close the door, she curled up inside her sleeping bag.

Ha-yoon bit her lip.

She wanted to just follow her in and hug Ji-eun. She wanted to tell her that everything would be okay.

But not right now.

The kids started to move a beat slower. Although they weren’t noisily chattering due to the atmosphere, they still busied themselves, trying to lift the suddenly heavy mood.

And rightly so. They had to eat, categorize the food, and fill the tub for a bath.

And they should take Ji-eun along for the bath as much as possible.

But right now, it seemed better to give Ji-eun a little time.

No one among them would be the type to pressure Ji-eun to move after witnessing her like that.

*

While organizing and preparing various things, Ha-yoon kept thinking.

Ji-eun… It wasn’t strange that Ji-eun had another acquaintance.

It was unrealistic to think she would only have Ha-yoon as a friend. After all, Ha-yoon also had friends among the magical girls besides Ji-eun.

But even so—

She felt a little tight in her chest.

It was a strange feeling.

She knew there was a girl named Ji-hye. She had figured out that Ji-hye was a friend who had shared the same room with Ji-eun for a long time.

So it was only natural for them to show that level of familiarity.

When she saw Ji-eun playing around with James, who might as well be a middle-aged man, it was understandable that she felt something. Even if he looked like a cute hamster with fox ears and a tail, inside, he was a villain plotting all kinds of schemes for the Noir Corporation.

Now, it wasn’t that she thought all combatants were evil, but she had no illusions that those above them were simply benevolent.

By that logic, the federation and the government were no different, but at least Ji-eun didn’t show warmth or the intent to cooperate with either.

The way she did it, with such natural physical contact, seemed to flaunt just how friendly she was.

And James was, for now, a being cooperating temporarily for his own purpose. She couldn’t help but wonder… If they got too emotionally close, wouldn’t Ji-eun be the one getting used?

That thought was unavoidable.

But Ji-hye… she couldn’t think that way about Ji-hye.

Because Ji-hye was just a truly kind girl.

She had never put any wrongdoing upon Ji-eun, not even once, and was like a sister that Ji-eun missed dearly.

Thinking of that fact, for some reason, it made Ha-yoon’s heart tighten.

After finishing some organizing and preparation, Ha-yoon went outside.

Today, she was alone, not ‘together’ with Ji-eun, but she felt that she had to do this to calm herself.

She returned to the spot where she and Ji-eun had sat together, staring at the sky, but today, she sat there alone.

What kind of reaction did Ji-eun have every time Ha-yoon rested her shoulder against hers?

She accepted it as if it were the most natural thing in the world, without a care.

Ha-yoon couldn’t tell if that was a good thing or not.

“Why…?”

She muttered alone, her distressed heart directing that question at herself. Because of that, she couldn’t answer; her heart only felt more suffocated.

Ha-yoon vaguely realized what this emotion was.

It was something she had felt before with Ji-hye.

When the three of them had gone out to play together, Ha-yoon had also stuck close after witnessing how naturally Ji-hye did the same.

Perhaps this was the first time Ha-yoon had been the one to cling on first.

Even now, it was the same.

She thought about wanting to be that kind of person for Ji-eun.

Therefore, she rejoiced during the battle that happened today.

Ji-eun looked at Ha-yoon with hope, and with that strength, she was able to create energy of hope in the circuit.

But Ji-hye…

Ji-hye could achieve more than that just by meeting Ji-eun once.

She would casually hug her and cheer for her without a second thought. The actions that Ha-yoon thought were special, Ji-hye did for Ji-eun as if they were completely normal.

“I…”

That was right.

Ha-yoon was jealous of Ji-hye.

She knew that sounded strange.

Ha-yoon was, without a doubt, someone who had more than Ji-hye or Ji-eun when it came to possessions.

Even here, she wasn’t overly concerned about the future because Ha-yoon lived in a situation where she had everything.

For Ha-yoon to be jealous of someone else’s feelings seemed like such a disgraceful act.

After a while of standing there with her hands clasped in front of her chest, Ha-yoon eventually got back up.

She hadn’t overcome her jealousy.

But she knew what she had to do to try to overcome it.

Ha-yoon walked briskly towards where Ji-eun was.

*

I know I look pathetic doing this too.

The situation that led to this happening wasn’t the fault of the magical girls.

It was all because I couldn’t properly control my own energy.

In the end, even though I was able to meet Ji-hye through that incident, and thanks to Ji-hye’s cheering, I was able to use another new magic to return here, the feeling I had just after arriving was the worst.

When you see hope within despair, seeing a bright light in that dark place is truly akin to facing a miracle.

Even while thinking everything was unbearable, somehow, I was caught up in a feeling that I could accomplish anything.

But on the contrary, as soon as you traverse beyond that sparkle of hope and return to reality…

I felt like I got slapped in the face by the fact that I had to rob a sinking friend’s pocket just to get enough to eat, even if it’s just a snack or ramen.

It’s not that I’ve never experienced this in life.

But isn’t the weight of the circumstances I find myself in different?

How do those magical girls keep holding on to that ‘hope’ even in situations like this—

—As I was pondering that, I felt someone burst into the tent.

Thud.

I heard that sound both in front and behind me. It was the sound of someone pushing against the ground with their hands.

It took me about 3 seconds to infer the situation. Normally, I would have reacted much faster, but being lethargically lying on the ground, overwhelmed by extreme sadness, it took me a bit longer to recall that ‘situation.’

And then.

“Ha, Ha-yoon!?”

Three seconds later, I shouted in surprise.

The faint noise I had heard outside the tent instantly ceased.

Thud.

The sleeping bag that had been covering my face slid down.

What I saw was Ha-yoon’s face.

Her face was close. It wasn’t that Ha-yoon had bent her arms to bring her face closer, but her palms were on the ground, making her face closer to mine.

“What are you planning to do lying around like that?”

Ha-yoon said with a slightly stern expression.

“Uh?”

I barely managed to hold my pounding heart at bay when Ha-yoon grabbed my shoulder and lifted me up.

“You haven’t eaten at all.”

Ha-yoon forcibly pulled my arm.

Trying to resist would only lead to an exhausting tug-of-war that was ultimately pointless, so I decided to just follow her.

“You didn’t even wash up. You were just going to sleep?”

“I’m not hungry, and I can wash up tomorrow.”

“You didn’t even change your clothes!”

Ha-yoon said.

“C’mon, come out quickly.”

Following her words, I went outside, and sure enough, the other kids were preparing the meal.

I felt a little pathetic for having insisted on doing nothing and just lying there.

Ha-yoon pressed me down onto a seat and sat beside me.

“Now.”

Then, when she picked up a side dish with her chopsticks to feed me, I flinched and grabbed her hand to stop her.

“Okay, I’ll eat. I’m going to eat.”

Feeling that strange distance and sensing something odd, I said that, and Ha-yoon smiled and asked, “Really?”

I decided to just eat quietly.

The other kids’ eyes were on us, which felt a little embarrassing.

Especially since I was already in such a pitiful state.

…But I was glad I followed Ha-yoon to get up.

If I had stayed like this until bedtime, I’d probably be too ashamed to face the others in the morning.

After finishing the meal, Ha-yoon grabbed my arm again.

“What now?”

“Look at you, you’re covered in dust. Of course, you need to wash up. Come on, let’s go wash.”

Once again, Ha-yoon dragged me towards the kitchen.

“We didn’t even draw straws yet.”

“I’m tired. Isn’t it better to wash up than to do that?”

Ha-yoon was so forceful that I couldn’t respond. It wasn’t that her logic was overpowering; I just found myself at a loss for words.

Somehow, it felt like no matter what I said, Ha-yoon wouldn’t care at all.

Was Ha-yoon always this stubborn?

…It might be so.

In school, she acted like a fragile girl, as if she’d fly away with the wind.

Whether it was something her parents tasked her with, she diligently followed every little instruction, and if she got hurt, she wouldn’t speak out in front of others.

Not even in front of me.

If I tried to guess on my own and make an effort to feel a little better, Ha-yoon would finally crack a smile.

But even so, that didn’t mean she was weak-willed.

If she hadn’t been persistent, she wouldn’t have been able to fight using ‘hope’ as a weapon. She wouldn’t have been able to confront villains and uphold her sense of justice.

…She probably wouldn’t even be here.

Given that Ha-yoon had to take action, I must have been acting pathetically.

With urgency, Ha-yoon pushed me into the kitchen, trying to pull my shirt up from beneath.

“What, what are you doing!?”

When I screeched, Ha-yoon said.

“I thought you wouldn’t wash up unless I helped you—”

“I’ll take it off! I’ll take it off, so let go of me!”

Upon saying that, Ha-yoon obediently let go of my hand.

Ah, should I have just left it as it was?

Thinking of Ha-yoon’s personality, I likely wouldn’t have gotten fully undressed anyway.

In the end, I experienced a strange sense of defeat as I took my clothes off.

Of course, neither of us looked at each other. That just didn’t seem right.

Once I got into the bathtub—it was honestly quite refreshing.

Warm water, after all. Once you immerse yourself, how could you feel anything but good? The effort to get to the tub and clean up afterward was the only hassle.

“……”

Ha-yoon, who had been quite noisy before coming in, became eerily quiet as we both got into the tub.

She probably felt shy after getting in.

Anyway, this was because of me.

Ha-yoon had probably come up with this as a means to cheer me up, pondering how to boost my energy.

I let out a small sigh.

“Sorry.”

As if she had heard that sigh, Ha-yoon apologized. Because she was looking away from me, her voice echoed against the wall.

“…No.”

I responded.

“I’m sorry for worrying you for no reason.”

“…It’s not your fault. You did nothing wrong.”

This time, as I apologized, Ha-yoon answered in a slightly drained tone.

The two of us fell silent again.

Maybe it was because we were in the tub. Or maybe it was because we were quietly sitting in a silent place.

It felt like my thoughts were slowly sorting themselves out.

So it wasn’t me who was to blame.

It was those large groups that created this situation that were the real problems.

Though the three of us couldn’t quite figure out how to handle things yet, it felt like we needed to reciprocate somehow. I wanted revenge on them by all means.

The federation had yet to touch Ji-hye, but… I had touched her, after all.

“Hey, Ji-hye.”

Just as I happened to be thinking about Ji-hye, Ha-yoon surprised me by bringing her up.

“You’re pretty close.”

“…Yeah.”

I nodded as I replied, even though Ha-yoon couldn’t see me.

“…She’s a really nice girl.”

It’s not that we hadn’t fought. With how long we spent together, how could we not have had disagreements? In fact, if Ji-hye hadn’t accepted my personality first, we might have ended up as “filthy bad sisters” just like the tales you hear on the Internet.

I didn’t particularly like people touching my stuff without permission. To put it plainly, I had a deep attachment to my personal space.

But would a child living in the same place as I understand that?

In the beginning, I tried to endure, and I really did endure. For years and years.

But enduring doesn’t mean you won’t get annoyed. And when things stacked up over the years, eventually, the moment came when we would unleash our frustration on each other.

Maybe it was due to having overcome that emotional barrier?

Or that we realized we had overlapping interests?

It might be that we were, in reality, almost forced to become close after just living together for years. Lacking familial ties, we ended up accepting each other as family, which may have led to us treating each other that way.

I don’t care what the reason is.

Ji-hye is someone who cares for me, and I have my reasons to care for her too. So… I just try my best.

While we were in the tub, I shared those kinds of stories with Ha-yoon sporadically.

Ha-yoon listened attentively without interrupting.

And at the end, I felt like she understood why I was so close to Ji-hye.

“I see. So that’s why…”

As she mumbled that, Ha-yoon suddenly stood up from her seat.

Water splashed as she looked down.

I also stood up from my spot, drying myself with a towel I placed near the door.

There were still many things to resolve, and there were a ton of issues that needed to be addressed.

But even so, I felt a little lighter in my heart.

“Did I talk too much about myself?”

“You already know everything about me.”

“……”

Thinking it was shameful on my part, I said that, and Ha-yoon replied as if it were a matter of course, making me lose my words.

Right. Even now, I had a friend next to me who I had known for a long time.

I was worried about Ji-hye.

But just worrying wouldn’t solve anything.

Ultimately, working together with the kids beside me to resolve the situation was also a way to help the people around me.

The kids didn’t seem to be thinking that well just yet.

As usual, the night was dark. To avoid drawing attention during the night, we used minimal lighting.

Rather, that seemed to make the atmosphere appear nicer. It felt like we were on a camping trip.

The children who turned to glance at us appeared a little relieved upon seeing our faces reflected in the dim light.

I… I worried the other kids too much.

Ha-yoon gently grabbed my hand.

“Let’s not sleep straight away tonight; let’s talk for a bit.”

“Talk?”

“Not about strategies, enemy movements, or radio content. Just talk.”

Ha-yoon smiled.

“Any funny stories are fine, and scary stories are fine too. Anything is okay.”

“……”

I see.

I looked at the other kids again.

At first, I didn’t know why these kids had come here.

But even after multiple chances, they all chose to follow me here.

Regardless of our past relationship, one fact was certain about how these kids thought right now.

They were fighting for the justice they believed in.

And I was included in the people that they needed to protect that justice.

I had been overlooking that fact for far too long.

“…I’m not sure how to tell those kinds of stories.”

“Then it’s fine just listening.”

With Ha-yoon’s words, I eventually nodded.

Following Ha-yoon’s advice, I listened to the kids’ stories. I would shudder from time to time and giggle at their tales.

And eventually, I fell asleep just like that.

That night, I slept not in the tent but among the kids for the first time.

…Though when I woke up, Ha-yoon being tightly pressed against me was the same as usual.

 

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