I Became a New Magical Girl Priest

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“Hey, can’t you do something about that glowing white thing?”

I said that to Cherry two days before our operation.

Until then, I thought Ha-yoon didn’t really care about my circuits when she clung to my side, so I kept tolerating the shimmering. I had already realized that Ha-yoon’s presence impacted my hope, so I judged it was too late to worry about the glowing part now.

But a problem arose a few days ago.

Until then, it was just Ha-yoon following me around, but now another girl, Jua, started to stick to my side too.

I had no idea how this mess happened, but the issue was that every time Jua clung to me, the light in my circuit changed.

Hope sounds like a good word.

Usually, when people hear the word hope, they envision something positive. That’s natural. People probably think of pure whiteness, right?

A single beam of white light shining far away in the darkness. It sounds wonderful when explained in words.

But isn’t it true that everyone’s thoughts and situations are different?

Since thoughts differ, the object known as hope can change too.

I still have a part of my mind that thinks of my gender as male. Even though more than ten years have passed since I came to this world, the thought engraved in my head for over twenty years from my previous life hasn’t faded in such a short time.

And that masculine aspect of me is very positively inclined towards Ha-yoon and Jua coming to me. Of course, my conscience and rationality are holding up a pretty solid wall, but as is always the case with people’s thoughts, it’s nearly impossible to perfectly block or sever them.

As a result, I’m not quite sure what my male persona would decide, but anyway, my hope circuit shone brighter with Ha-yoon and Jua together.

Ha-yoon seemed to be paying a lot of attention to the light of that hope circuit. Maybe she thinks it’s a matter of friendship?

Jua, in her own way, also seemed to be concerned about the light when she was by my side.

So I wanted to turn that function off. I did try various methods. I tried touching the screen with my finger to change the mode, and even thought about turning it off entirely.

And the conclusion I reached was that it was impossible with just my power.

“Is it possible to use the energy as is, but not let the light come out?”

“Hmm…”

But Cherry looked quite flustered.

In fact, I had already asked James about it before, and after fiddling with it a bit, he said, “I don’t really know,” which was a problem since I had absurdly tampered with the circuit structure myself.

Well, I didn’t have any knowledge in that area to begin with. I’ve never learned about circuits, so how could I change the contents with my power?

“Sorry. Actually, that’s something that happens often in everyday life.”

“In everyday life?”

“Yeah. To move something like a spaceship, you inevitably need a lot of energy. So there are places where they pile up energy sources, and sometimes simpler structures get affected and their internal structures change.”

“…”

“When you look at the contents, it shouldn’t be operating structurally, yet it does, so we can only assume that some law we don’t know about is at play. There are ways to prevent this to some extent, and that technology applies to circuits…”

That meant I had disregarded that technology and changed the contents.

“Although it works in the short term, long-term effects can be unpredictable, so such parts are usually replaced with others.”

“Then can’t I just make new ones?”

“Hmm…”

But Cherry tilted her head again at my words.

“Why?”

“Do you know that Ha-yoon’s circuit structure is different from other kids’?”

“No, this is the first I’ve heard of it.”

“Right. Well, if you don’t say it, you can’t know.”

Cherry nodded and said, “Ha-yoon’s circuit output is outstanding compared to others. It’s likely the same worldwide. We don’t know the reason, but that’s why her circuit can withstand that kind of output, and if too much energy comes out, it’s designed to dissipate it.”

So maybe the circuits of the other kids react to that energy.

James’s words about simple resonance devices being easier to make than circuits came to mind.

“And such technology can’t just be created from scratch on the floor. The more functions added to the circuit, the harder it is to make.”

“So you’re saying circuits like mine can’t be made here?”

“Yep.”

At Cherry’s words, my arms dropped in disappointment.

“Moreover, since your circuit was originally used for different purposes, we need to analyze the changed parts as much as possible. We don’t have that kind of equipment here.”

“I see. Got it.”

In the end, I had no choice but to give up. What could I do when both technicians said it was impossible?

*

“Oh, it’s been a while since I’ve been alone.”

That afternoon, when I was called from behind and turned around, I found Rose.

Her smiling face was bright, a look I often saw on TV.

Magical girls each have their own fan base. Of course, since they were all pretty girls.

Did I somehow gain fans too? I felt like I was being treated as just one of the magical girls now, but there might at least be someone cheering for me.

Actually, there’s more than “someone.”

Ji-hye.

Though I had no way to contact her right now, Ji-hye always smiled brightly whenever she saw me. How on earth could someone trust a person so much?

“Yeah, what’s up?”

Jua was once again inspecting the circuits here. Originally, the devices that used my despair now operated with the opposite energy, so we had completely replaced all the contents, resulting in some parts malfunctioning occasionally.

That’s why we had the idea to check and manage those parts that were prone to malfunction periodically.

With Cherry and James checking the equipment alongside Jua, there was naturally no time for them to stick by my side.

Ha-yoon was cleaning the kitchen.

Though, to call it a kitchen, it was almost more like a bathroom by now.

We had been here long enough to count in months, so if we didn’t tidy up here and there, dust would accumulate. Since this was a place for bathing, the cleaner it was, the better. To be honest, it wasn’t in a state that required excessive scrubbing, but since Ha-yoon wanted to do it, I had no reason to stop her.

Usually, during such times, I’d help out, but sometimes I wanted to sit alone and think about various things. Honestly, the current environment was rather inconvenient for such alone time.

Did Ha-yoon read that thought of mine? Or was it just a kind consideration towards me?

Ha-yoon told me to rest, and I nodded and obediently went outside.

Thanks to that, I had some rare alone time.

“Seems like what I’m going to say isn’t welcome.”

Rose said playfully, and I shook my head with a sour expression. It wasn’t that I was particularly thrilled, nor was I uninterested.

I have a rather complicated personality in many ways. I find myself hoping to be left alone, yet I also crave others’ attention. To be honest, it’s not a simple personality.

So I think it’s better to engage in friendly conversation rather than being ignored.

But at the same time, I’m also thinking that I want to be alone, so I realize I have a troubling personality.

“Hmm.”

Seeing my expression, Rose tilted her head, still smiling.

“Why?”

“Um, it’s not like I have to have a reason to talk to someone. Just happened to have some free time. Like you.”

Rose lowered her hand that had been resting on her chin as she spoke.

“Now that I think about it, I don’t think we’ve had a one-on-one conversation before. Ah, but don’t worry too much. I have no intention of bringing up sensitive topics at all.”

“…”

I looked at Rose.

She fell into a brief thought before slowly starting the conversation.

“Recently, it seems like Ha-yoon and Jua have been spending a lot of time with you.”

Once she said that, I couldn’t help but feel defensive. Honestly, it’s not like I asked them to stay with me; they just came over themselves.

I wasn’t sure if it was unfortunate or not, but in the end, I ended up sleeping outside the tent.

It felt a bit off to have three people squeezed into a tent meant for two.

But thanks to that, the way the three of us were huddled together in sleep was clearly exposed to the other kids.

Neither of them seemed to have any sense of shame; Ha-yoon wanted to occupy the space in front of me while Jua tried to settle on my back. I couldn’t help but wonder when they had become so intimate.

It wasn’t until about a day or two later that I realized with that much space, I didn’t really need to pull Ha-yoon into my embrace.

Laying flat on my back was simply better. After all, Ha-yoon was holding my right arm while Jua held my left.

“So?”

Being aware of that made me even more defensive.

When I shot Rose a forceful glare, she raised both hands in surrender.

“No, I’m not trying to interfere with that lifestyle. I was just surprised. Ha-yoon had a certain boundary when hanging out with us. But you two were so natural about it, it made me think that there was no reason to have that boundary from the start.”

“…”

“You’ve often talked about your stories as well.”

“Really?”

I could see that being plausible. After all, among all the people at school, Ha-yoon was the one I was closest to.

“Yeah, well. So I don’t think it’s strange that you’ve developed this kind of relationship.”

While she spoke without any biases, her statements also contained many points that could easily be challenged from my perspective.

“Isn’t it strange to become friends?”

“Um, well, if you think so, then I guess—”

As Rose responded, her expression grew complicated.

Then she fell silent for a moment, likely gathering her thoughts, before continuing.

“Alright, let’s say you’ve become extremely close friends.”

Rose sat down beside me and said that.

“But then, what about Jua? You’ve only known her for a short time.”

“Um, we’ve known each other long as combatants.”

“True, that’s the case. Jua has talked often about you. Well, she didn’t think of you at all, and mostly vented complaints, but it seemed like she regarded you somewhat favorably. Like those kids who complain a lot in front of other kids while bickering with their close friends. You know that vibe?”

“And?”

“Hmm.”

Rose looked at me.

Her expression seemed to indicate she was pondering how to articulate what she wanted to say.

“Do you know that Jua has a certain competitive spirit towards Ha-yoon?”

“…”

I was aware of it, but it was something I couldn’t grasp about here. I knew because I had read about it in a webtoon.

At least Jua didn’t show her inherent inferiority complex in front of me. After coming here, she was busy with various activities, and they had to work together, so those feelings probably didn’t surface much.

“So if you two become ‘particularly close friends,’ it’s possible that Jua might have similar thoughts. You know, the term ‘best’ implies one, right? It’s said that you can’t rank friends, but if it’s a ‘particularly close relationship’… that makes sense, right?”

With her words circling around, Rose gave me a meaningful glance.

“If you two are trying to establish such a relationship, who am I to say anything? It’s your choice. But the person at the center of that relationship is you.”

I didn’t know how to respond to that and just remained silent.

“If, hypothetically, Jua’s feelings towards you are merely competitive emotions, then it’s something you should definitely set boundaries around. It would be concerning if you end up deceiving your own feelings. If you get too entangled, it could become too difficult to untangle it, and you might end up hurting each other more.”

And Rose shrugged her shoulders.

“Well, to repeat, I have no right to meddle. However, there’s a difference between stepping on a landmine while being completely oblivious and having a warning sign. I’m just letting you know that there might be parts of it you are unaware of.”

That was true.

Relationships among magical girls are, in fact, supposed to be relationships I wouldn’t know about.

The relationships among magical girls portrayed in the media seemed to be gently packaged, and such conflicts didn’t seem to feel that impactful during battles.

Especially the relationship between Ha-yoon and Jua didn’t exhibit much external friction. Jua’s feelings for Ha-yoon seemed more like admiration from afar.

In other words, it resembled the feelings I held for Ha-yoon.

And this was something I could only know because I was familiar with the original work.

“…”

“That’s all I have to say. Well… Jua looks pretty happy when she’s around you, so I won’t say more. Just know that we originally used to fight a lot.”

“… I’ll think about it.”

I nodded in response to Rose’s words.

She seemed to have pondered this over the past while while observing the three of us. Although I couldn’t suppress my laughter when looking at her, maybe she had something in mind as a good friend.

“Ha-yoon has been the one holding the center of us. Honestly, if it weren’t for her, I don’t know how awkward our relationship would have been. Like with you. Maybe… I wouldn’t have been able to help you. In that case, things would be very different now.”

Rose stood up from her seat.

“So, let’s continue to do our best in the future. Considering how far we’ve come, we can’t separate now, can we?”

That was probably why she came to tell me that.

Though Ha-yoon was the one keeping the balance among the magical girls, being involved with me prevents objective perspectives. If Jua hadn’t come close to me, there might have been no big issue, but I felt that the dynamics between the two were changing subtly since Ha-yoon came into the mix.

In just two days, we’d be risking our lives again, and I’d worry if anything happened due to their relationship.

And if we were to continue being magical girls from now on…

“… It feels a bit weird to be saying this when I couldn’t even control it at first. But it’s fine if you just think I’m worried for no reason.”

Rose left only those words before turning back.

I stared at her back for a while.

“Inferiority complex. Jealousy.”

Those decisive feelings that brought my situation this far. The feelings that had left me spiraling into despair for a long time.

Jua is a magical girl. She fights with the power of hope.

In case Jua encounters some kind of despair, would she be able to fight properly?

I let out a light sigh and stood up.

 

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