I Became a New Magical Girl Priest

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Jua lay in her room, pondering for a moment.

As Ji-eun said, Jua’s reaction was different from usual.

She hadn’t shown a similar response to the other teammates either.

Oddly enough, Rose often thought Jua’s personality was fun to tease, so she frequently poked at Jua to annoy her. That had gradually lessened over time, and eventually, they managed to get along fine.

However, it felt different when listening to Ji-eun’s words.

Ji-eun’s comments weren’t just about picking at Jua’s weaknesses. They were a bit more direct, tossed out casually in ignorance.

And strangely, there was no malice in those words.

Looking back, Ji-eun’s comments during combat were just to create an opening for the opponent.

In terms of combat ability, the ones who were overwhelmingly weaker were the regular combatants, and to win, or rather to land a hit, they needed to create an opening somehow.

That was also a useful method in a pursuit.

So it was hard to say there was ill will involved. Especially since Iris was wearing proper pants at that time, unlike earlier with Ji-eun.

So what about now?

If she was just teasing, what would that mean? Judging by her expression, it seemed like it wasn’t literal. Perhaps it was a sign of some sort of intimacy. How Ji-eun began to see Jua as “close” was unclear.

“Jua.”

With not much to do and too early to start on her own, Hae-yoon called out to Jua while lying on the tarp.

When Jua turned to see Hae-yoon, she found Hae-yoon looking at her very seriously.

That expression made Jua a bit tense. Hae-yoon only made that face when the situation was really serious.

There was no one else nearby. To be technical, not entirely absent. But here, the only personal space was Ji-eun’s tent, so if someone wanted to spend time alone, they just kept their distance.

Still, luckily, the area was quite spacious. The house itself was structured like “one big room,” so perhaps someone had lived here alone once.

Rose was stretching in one corner of the room.

Dalia was deep in thought in front of the cultivated results, and Delphinium was writing something in tiny letters in her book.

James and Cherry seemed to be in the tent. It wasn’t confirmed, but Ji-eun had quite a few things in her bag. They might be searching for parts in there.

Ji-eun… she had just come back with them, but she hadn’t gone straight home. She’d said she would get some more fresh air. It seemed she had only come this far because she was worried about Hae-yoon.

Magic girls naturally had better physical abilities than regular folks, and their hearing was also pretty good. Talking here would eventually be overheard, but… it was probably a conversation they didn’t mind having.

“Go ahead, I’m listening.”

Jua straightened up and spoke seriously, and Hae-yoon nodded.

“Earlier, you were with Ji-eun, right?”

Jua was relieved that Ji-eun wasn’t here.

If she were present, it might have been a topic that Hae-yoon couldn’t bring up.

It could be a discussion about restructuring the concept of magic girls. The future was still uncertain, but for now, there wasn’t a better plan than what they had prepared.

If Hae-yoon, who was effectively the leader, said something, it would be worth listening to.

However, the question that followed caught Jua off guard, leaving her quite confused amidst her concentration.

“Didn’t you talk about me?”

“Excuse me?”

“I mean, was there a reason Ji-eun was there because of me?”

“……”

Jua tried to guess the meaning behind those words.

Surprisingly, the conclusion came quickly.

They had definitely fought.

She deduced that Jiu-eun ran away to this place after their argument, and Hae-yoon’s inquiry was presumably related to that.

“There was nothing said specifically.”

What should she do in this situation?

Jua didn’t know how to mediate between the other two. From the beginning, she had always been one to fight, not to mediate in the magic girl group.

It wasn’t good for Hae-yoon and Ji-eun to argue, but if the only mediator was part of the conflict, what could she possibly say to resolve it?

Jua didn’t really know Ji-eun well.

And concerning Hae-yoon—

“……”

“So, it’s not because of me, right?”

No, it probably was Hae-yoon’s fault. No matter how uninterested Jua was in interpersonal relationships, she could understand at least that much.

But… she didn’t recall ever witnessing such a significant fight. People don’t always need to raise their voices to argue, and since the two often found themselves alone when other girls couldn’t see, they might have bickered quietly.

“……Yes, that’s probably it.”

That’s what Jua said.

She didn’t know how to mediate, but at least, she had to avoid provoking their fight.

Plus, since neither Ji-eun nor Hae-yoon seemed to plan on revealing their conflict for now, Jua decided to just play dumb.

Seeing Hae-yoon breathe a sigh of relief made Ji-eun feel a bit odd.

“Hae-yoon.”

“Yeah?”

When Jua called her name, Hae-yoon looked over at Jua with a slightly more relaxed expression than before.

But just after that, Jua’s next question made Hae-yoon lose her composure again.

“Do you… like Ji-eun?”

“Like? W-Wait, like…!?”

Cutting the pronunciation so short wasn’t exactly a good idea.

Of course, Hae-yoon’s reaction to Jua’s words was truly one of panic, so Jua decided not to dwell on it and make things even more awkward.

“Why are you so flustered? Is it a problem if people find out you like her?”

“Is it a problem if people know I like her? Well, of course—ah.”

Hae-yoon froze mid-sentence, realizing something and suddenly solidifying.

While Jua tilted her head in confusion,

“Right. What’s so wrong with liking someone, anyway?”

Rose, who had come over at some point, asked with a mischievous grin.

“It’s just something friends say they like each other, isn’t it?”

“Uh, n-no, that’s… yes, it’s accurate, but? The nuance is a bit… weird, right?”

There were just way too many unnecessary question marks peppered throughout her sentence.

Jua’s head tilted in another direction.

“W-What about you, Jua?”

Hae-yoon turned the question back on her.

Jua thought that was a strange way to dodge the question.

“What do you mean, what about me?”

“You’re friends, right? As a friend, how do you see Ji-eun? Like her, or not?”

“……”

Jua felt a bit taken aback by that question.

“Are we really that close to call ourselves friends?”

“Aren’t you two… friends?”

Jua felt somewhat confused by that second question.

Well, she wasn’t so sure.

What does being friends even mean exactly? Is it the kind of friend that a parent nudges on you saying, “You should be with that kid?” Or is it the type who subtly interrogates you about your family while you chat?

Is being friends about knowing each other well?

“……”

That seemed right but also slightly off.

What about magic girls then?

If Hae-yoon says they’re friends, then they are. Even if they don’t meet up with scheduled plans, they still chat casually when in the same place.

It’s the same with other magic girls. While not as close as Hae-yoon might assert, as part of the same group, they take on risks together. Plus, since it’s not structured out of obligation like money-related matters, they could be considered friends.

Then, what about Ji-eun?

Jua thought she’d gotten to know Ji-eun quite well. Not completely accurate nor knowing all about her personal life, but at least, she understood her identity and fighting style.

They’ve even put their lives on the line working together.

It wasn’t a clearly defined contract like “Let’s be friends,” but Jua felt she could possibly call Ji-eun a friend.

“……”

“Definitely, if we’re talking about friends, that might be the case.”

“Right? Isn’t that so? Then, what about emotions? Do you like her? Or not?”

“Of course I like… like…”

Huh?

If they were friends, then looking at it through the binary lens of ‘like or dislike,’ the word ‘like’ should come out.

She couldn’t be friends with someone she didn’t like, right?

Yet, when asked outright if she liked Ji-eun, Jua couldn’t bring herself to say it.

For some reason, that phrase felt heavy and not something to throw around casually.

It was strange.

Normally, Jua would’ve taken that word at its dictionary meaning and stated it. After all, she was the type who hated to lose, so she would want to win in this discussion too. Therefore, saying something like “I like her, you know?” with an indifferent expression would’ve been the right choice.

But oddly enough, finishing that sentence had become somewhat challenging now.

Maybe it was because Hae-yoon was scrutinizing her from right across the way?

Seeing Hae-yoon take the word ‘like’ too seriously, Jua thought it might get misinterpreted, which made it uncomfortable.

“……”

Seeing Hae-yoon grow more serious as Jua couldn’t properly respond made Jua feel that her reaction must have meant something serious.

Friends.

Right. In a way, Ji-eun really fit that role very well.

With no barriers between them, casually sharing dangerous words was something Jua had never encountered with anyone else so far.

She didn’t understand how they were able to speak so freely, and one thing was for sure, she kind of liked Ji-eun’s attitude.

So… yeah. She liked her.

For some reason, it felt as though if lost, she’d never find another relationship like that.

The one person who could chatter with her without caring about her background and didn’t mind her being a magic girl, all the while deriding something completely inappropriate, was none other than Jeong Ji-eun.

Jua took a small breath.

So perhaps the reason she couldn’t spit out that phrase so easily was due to that ‘discomfort’ she felt from Ji-eun.

She was a little reckless and paid no attention to Jua’s status, moving how she wanted. Seeing those traits made Jua think she didn’t like her.

But after calculating all those aspects together, if she averaged them out—

Jua voiced her sorted thoughts.

“Yeah, I like her.”

That was Jua’s answer.

*

Hae-yoon froze for a moment after hearing Jua’s words.

She knew that Jua didn’t mean “like” in that way. Of course, right? That would be… odd.

But still, after such a serious contemplation, the weight of that response was certainly not light.

It didn’t seem like simple affection.

No, more so—

The fact that Jua could so openly say “I like her” felt a bit magical.

Having walked and played together for so long, literally as “the closest friends” none of the other girls could dare say “I like her.”

Of course, she didn’t dislike Ji-eun. It wasn’t merely shyness holding her back either.

Rather, it might be the weight that Hae-yoon thought of when she said “liking” that felt a bit different.

She suddenly wished she could ask the others for their thoughts.

If they all said they “liked,” then Hae-yoon could feel relieved.

But—

“Hae-yoon isn’t answering.”

Jua asked with a straight face.

That made her a bit anxious.

“I—am, j—”

Rose shot Hae-yoon a teasing look.

Before they knew it, the two girls who had been at a distance were now staring at Hae-yoon too. Fortunately, Cherry and James didn’t come out of the tent.

“Like…”

To like.

If she didn’t like her, there’d be no way she thought about happily going into that cramped tent together. No, she’d rather have liked being in such a crammed space together. Being inside there meant they could enjoy that time uninterrupted by anyone else.

When she wrapped her arms around Ji-eun’s waist and embraced her, the warmth settled her heart.

It felt scary thinking Ji-eun might leave far away. Out of nowhere, what if she vanished like before, just when Hae-yoon least expected it?

So, she intended to remain by Ji-eun’s side.

Ji-eun allowed that. So she felt glad. Would Ji-eun say she liked Hae-yoon if she were asked?

She knew that phrase wouldn’t signify anything more than what friends would say. That was obvious. They had been friends since childhood.

Until just recently, Hae-yoon had thought that way too. Until that very point where she could be together with Ji-eun.

When did it start?

Realizing it or thinking back, when had she started to believe that way?

It must’ve been odd to even try to separate a “when.”

So long ago.

Whenever Hae-yoon felt exhausted, wanted to give up on everything, and felt drained—

Ji-eun had been there by her side at some point. Without needing to be called, without expressions of words, Ji-eun was there.

How could she think of anything other than love towards such a presence?

That little time gradually piled up. Shimmering memories delicately embedded in her life reflected Ji-eun. So how could Hae-yoon possibly separate Ji-eun from her life?

If someone were to hear this—surely, Hae-yoon’s parents would declare it a hasty conclusion. They’d surely say things like that.

Life is long, and Hae-yoon hasn’t lived enough to know what’s in store ahead.

If she were to live longer, good days would surely come.

All the studying that needs to be done, the competitions to participate in, and the awards to be won, joining the ranks of magic girls.

All of those were for the future. So, surely, there could be someone else she liked even more, and that person could even be a guy.

…When?

When could that be?

Hae-yoon had yet to experience that “future.”

From the beginning, she didn’t even know what the “better” would be.

All she could do was distinguish the “most precious” existence from what lay before her.

That uncertainty made her feel more afraid.

What if she couldn’t find something more valuable amid that uncertain future?

What if that lost existence was, in fact, the most precious one she could ever gain among what remains? There was no need for Hae-yoon to let it go.

Hae-yoon was a magic girl, and she had a future.

And the very reason Hae-yoon could continue without giving up was Ji-eun.

After all the little memories tightly embedded in the corners of Hae-yoon’s life faded, the space left would be nothing but a barren, dark sky without stars.

The magic girl’s wand was said to be the most important thing to her. There was a slightly unique wand-wielder like Jua before her, but still, Hae-yoon believed that.

Because, in her hand, when she saw hope, the ‘wand’ she held was given by Ji-eun.

How it would be in different possibilities remained unknown.

But the “hope” Hae-yoon currently possessed was all tied to Ji-eun.

To tear Ji-eun away from Hae-yoon’s life would be equivalent to tearing hope away from her.

So yes, she liked her.

It wasn’t just a feeling of fondness, it was true liking, in the genuine sense.

And she liked her enough that she could cry if she thought she might never see her again.

The weight of that feeling was so heavy that she couldn’t carelessly voice it.

“I—like…”

“…What?”

Just when Hae-yoon was trying to find the words to put it into the world.

Ji-eun’s voice cut in.

Creeeeak.

Turning her head like a rusty doll, Hae-yoon saw Ji-eun coming in through the flap.

Right then, Ji-eun looked completely taken aback after glancing at Hae-yoon.

“…….”

Pfffft.

Though no genuine sound was made, anyone would envision that sort of sound occurring. Hae-yoon sunk deeper into the floor.

“What? What were you all talking about?”

As Ji-eun spoke, Hae-yoon remained curled up on the floor.

“Pfft, hahahaha!”

As if she had discerned the absurdity of the situation, Rose erupted in laughter.

For some reason, Jua had been blushing red for a while now.

Dalia and Delphinium kept their distance, not approaching.

“……What the heck is going on here?”

It seemed to be only Ji-eun, who had entered a bit too late, mumbling in exasperation.

 

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