READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 226
After sharing the side dishes, Tae Hyun was planning to head back home without any issues. However, due to an unexpected accident caused by Siyeon, that plan went out the window.
“Can we talk for a bit?”
Pinching the space between her eyebrows with her thumb and index finger, Siyeon closed her eyes and casually brought up the topic, as if she had a headache. Under the guise of an explanation, she almost forcibly blocked the way back home.
“Uh, um…”
Perhaps sensing the atmosphere, the cub awkwardly nodded, unable to say, “I’ll just leave.”
Our dining table, usually occupied by just the two of us, now had three people sitting around it for the first time in a long while. Siyeon, the culprit behind this situation, sat with her head bowed deeply, fists clenched on her thighs, as if she had committed a grave sin. Meanwhile, Sea Snake kept glancing around, trying to gauge the mood.
To be honest, there’s no rule like “You mustn’t reveal that you’re a magical girl.” In today’s world, how many jobs even have such extreme penalties for revealing your profession? Maybe Black Agents from the National Intelligence Service? But unless it’s something like that, getting fired for revealing your job would lead to lawsuits and chaos everywhere.
“Sigh.”
My thoughts drifted elsewhere, but where should I even start explaining? I let out a deep sigh, unable to organize my thoughts. It felt wrong to keep sighing while someone was sitting there, so I reluctantly opened my mouth.
“Well, you see…”
“Siyeon…”
Just as I started speaking, Tae Hyun’s words overlapped with mine. We both stopped, creating an awkward silence. Since I had forced myself to speak in this uncomfortable atmosphere, I subtly handed the conversation over to Tae Hyun.
“Go ahead.”
“Siyeon, are you really a magical girl?”
Tae Hyun’s eyes widened as he asked, clearly finding it hard to believe. It was a natural question. Even if he’s a bit dense, he couldn’t possibly miss what was going on. Siyeon didn’t answer immediately, instead glancing at me for a moment before our eyes met. I subtly gestured toward Tae Hyun with my chin, signaling her to speak for herself.
At this point, denying it would be pointless. If he started interrogating that flying snake, there’d be no way to explain it away.
“Yeah…”
Finally, Siyeon nodded. There had been plenty of clues, after all. News about Tiara’s personal account uploading photos with me, or how Siyeon and I would go out whenever monsters appeared. Even the fact that we lived comfortably without financial struggles despite not having parents. If you pieced it all together, it was obvious.
But sometimes, taking things for granted can cloud your judgment. Tae Hyun had never even considered it.
“Wait, since when?”
“Since way before I met you.”
Seeing the flying snake probably convinced him, but after hearing the confirmation, Tae Hyun seemed even more flustered than us. You’d think he was the magical girl. Honestly, it’s not even his business, but he’s more worked up than expected.
“Wait, what do we do? Isn’t it bad if people find out?”
He looked at me with wide eyes, asking what we should do. Both Siyeon and Tae Hyun looked as if they had committed a crime. I quietly got up, filled a cup halfway with water from the dispenser, and sat back down, calmly responding.
“Not really. There’s no such rule.”
I took a sip of water and answered his question. What’s done is done. Still, the reason I stopped Tae Hyun at the front door to talk was simple. I tapped the table lightly with my fingers and asked, just in case.
“Just to be clear, you’re not going to go around telling people, right?”
That was my only concern.
“No, I won’t…”
When I brought it up seriously, Tae Hyun shook his head vigorously, looking bewildered, as if to say, “Why would I?” I finished the rest of the water in one gulp and continued.
“Good. If I hear any rumors around here, I’ll know it’s you, so be prepared.”
“But if there’s no rule, why hide it?”
Now that the atmosphere had lightened, Tae Hyun brought up the question of why we hide our identities if there’s no rule. The reason for hiding that we’re magical girls? Well, just a few lines of news articles would explain that. It’s related to the closed-off environment of magical girls in Korea.
With Siyeon here, I explained the weight of revealing one’s identity as a magical girl.
“In this messed-up country, there’s nothing more exhausting than living with the title of a public figure or celebrity.”
Famous people are held to excessively high moral standards and responsibilities. From celebrities and singers to even popular content creators, any slightly controversial choice they make becomes a scandal. This strict public scrutiny applies not just to adult magical girls but also to student magical girls.
A magical girl’s transformation is like a mask of anonymity, similar to a virtual YouTuber’s avatar. Because the public doesn’t know the person behind the mask, there’s a certain freedom in what they can say. But if, say, Siyeon and I were to reveal our identities tomorrow, even the smallest things—like cursing in real life, dozing off in class, or even getting low grades—would become lifelong scandals.
Imagine if, overnight, all your anonymous SNS posts were exposed to the world, and the public scrutinized them. That’s what it would feel like. Overseas, there are cases where magical girls openly reveal their identities, but even there, they must endure harsh criticism. It’s impressive, really.
Thinking about it, Tiara seemed even more remarkable now. Anyway, that’s why it’s officially “recommended” not to reveal your identity. The jealousy and inferiority complexes of the malicious public are something students shouldn’t have to deal with.
“…I see.”
“That’s how it is.”
After explaining all this seriously, Tae Hyun nodded as if he understood. It’s a tough topic for a high school student to grasp, but at least he seemed to get the part about not revealing our identities.
Just as I thought Tae Hyun would head back home, he stayed seated and looked at us intently before speaking.
“Hey, can you show me how you transform?”
“Why?”
“Just curious…”
“Sun.”
At his request, I uttered the transformation spell, and for a moment, his gaze lowered. It was as if he had grown taller all of a sudden.
“Done?”
Ignoring the height difference, I looked up at him from my seat and gave a curt response. Tae Hyun’s eyes sparkled with curiosity, like a kid who had just seen a fascinating toy.
“Wow… you’re as tall as my cousin now?”
He measured my height with his hand stretched out across the table. Yeah, seeing someone shrink must be a first for him. But his fascination didn’t last long.
“Is your transformation spell just that one word?”
Seizing the moment, Tae Hyun started asking all sorts of questions. He even touched on the sensitive topic of transformation spells. Since we’d already revealed so much, I casually shared the everyday struggles.
“I should’ve made it longer. Now I can’t say words like ‘chip,’ ‘sunglasses,’ or ‘tinting.'”
“Ah, that must be tough…”
He seemed to sympathize a bit. Honestly, how often does the word “sun” come up in daily life? But it’s more frequent than you’d think, which is the problem.
With my part done, it was Siyeon’s turn. Tae Hyun’s question reached her as she sat silently without transforming.
“Siyeon, what’s your transformation spell?”
“Uh, mine is…”
She hesitated, trailing off and looking at me. It must’ve been embarrassing to say her transformation spell in front of a male friend. While we’re used to it, saying it in front of a peer requires a lot of courage. Right now, Siyeon probably wished she could go back in time and strangle her kindergarten self.
“Mu, mu, Moon…”
“Huh?”
“Moon Power, transform…”
With a low, almost inaudible voice, Siyeon’s body shrank. The sight of Magical Girl Moon, her head bowed deeply, came into view. I told her not to make her transformation spell so cringy. Well, it’s a memory from kindergarten, so what can you do?
“……”
“Uh, that’s… uh…”
Tae Hyun, having heard Siyeon’s anime-like transformation spell, awkwardly hummed, unsure of what to say. Even though we had shortened it to make it less embarrassing, it was still pretty bad.
“Cu, cute?”
“Ughhh…”
Tae Hyun’s clumsy attempt at comfort only deepened Siyeon’s shame. There’s no way she’s sleeping peacefully tonight.