I Became a New Magical Girl Priest

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This year, the days I haven’t gone to school have far outnumbered those I have, but we still chose to take another day off.

Didn’t we fight for our lives up in space? Thinking back, those who go up and down to space must receive such orders, yet we hurriedly went up and down without any training. If that wasn’t strange, I don’t know what is.

If I weren’t a Magical Girl, it could have really turned into a big deal.

When I was a child, visiting a place like a Space Station was my dream, but now that I think about it, I can’t help but feel grateful for just being able to keep my feet on the ground. I’d rather refuse to fly to the sky unless it’s for an overseas trip. If I’m going to travel abroad, I’d prefer to go on a proper airplane rather than flying myself.

No, rather than that, if I crossed the border alone, that would be a huge problem in itself.

I thought about going straight home, but decided to just call the teacher and let her know that I wouldn’t be able to make it today. It seemed that the teacher was quite relieved to know I was safe.

From what I’ve heard, there are a bunch of hyena-like reporters swarming around the orphanage already.

So rather than going out and getting harassed, it might not be a bad idea to just rest at the hospital.

What’s more, I’m actually in a single room. It’s much nicer to take some time like this than to be crowded in a small room with others.

I looked around my single room and scratched my head.

Hmm.

But somehow, it doesn’t feel like a ‘single room.’

Usually, a single room doesn’t get covered by insurance and hospitals often charge a lot more than a regular hotel room for a single. The reason is simple: you can stay there without being disturbed by other patients’ noises.

But here…

“…Didn’t they serve congee for meals in the hospital?”

“Oh, you don’t want to eat?”

“No, that’s not it.”

It’s just that I’m a bit concerned about you coming up on the same bed and setting a cake on the bedside table like it’s the most natural thing in the world.

Of course, if it comes down to whether I want to eat or not, I definitely want to eat. I’m not the type to enjoy food just because it’s finely blended by a mixer.

Food is eaten not just for survival but also for enjoyment.

Well, it’s unavoidable in a situation where I can’t enjoy it.

In the end, I couldn’t resist the temptation of the sweet cake in front of me and picked up the fork.

Thank goodness, Ha-yoon didn’t end up taking a forkful of cake and saying, “Ahhh~” to me.

…It would be a lie to say I wasn’t expecting it, but still, that would be embarrassing. Ha-yoon seems to have thought so too.

There wasn’t just one piece of cake; it was enough for all the kids to have a slice. I wonder where they got it from.

“There’s a café on the first floor.”

Rose seemed to have read my expression and said while taking a bite of cake.

“Wasn’t there a lot of people there?”

“That’s right. When I went down, there were people trying to cling to me.”

But it seems Rose didn’t want to just eat porridge. I think that’s a bit impressive. It means she took risks to achieve what she wanted.

That’s just like Rose.

And for me, since I have something to enjoy here, I see no reason to complain.

The cake was delicious. The cake I was eating was a pretty ordinary whipped cream cake, but I liked it even more because it tasted just like I expected.

Once I relaxed, various thoughts began to pop into my head again.

There’s still no clarity on the relationship between us and the Federation. I doubt anyone wants to go back to the Federation, but most of the circuits used by the other kids were made by the Federation.

Those circuits aren’t worth just a penny, so if they decide to raise a fuss, it could definitely become a problem.

Even if we didn’t return to the Federation, we were still Magical Girls, and people would surely be curious about our movements. The government would obviously have that much interest too.

With so many unresolved issues piled up—

“Huh?”

Something suddenly entered my mouth while I was lost in thought.

Noticing what had just come in, a strong sweetness spread in my mouth. It was chocolate mixed with a thick cream that felt like chocolate itself, along with a slightly milder cream that was closer to whipped cream, and it was truly delicious.

When I turned to the side, I saw Ji-hye pulling the fork out of my mouth.

“I was thinking seriously again, weren’t you?”

“……”

I couldn’t exactly deny that. It was the truth.

“When you’re resting, just relax. You don’t need to think about anything. Eventually, those things will come up when the time comes, so why are you already so wrapped up in worry?”

While blankly watching Ji-hye enjoy her own cake with the fork, I nodded.

Well, that’s true.

It’s something I have to do anyway. But just worrying about it now doesn’t bring any solutions.

In the end, the problem will still be thrown at me, so why should I worry about it now?

Thinking that, I turned my gaze back to my cake, and once again, something unexpectedly came into my mouth.

It was much thicker than the chocolate cake I just had. It felt more like a solid cheese piece than bread.

This flavor was cheesecake.

And cheesecake is—

“That’s right. You don’t need to worry too much.”

Ha-yoon said while pulling the fork out of my mouth to eat her own cake.

“And from now on, things are going to change again. We’ll probably try to step up and solve things ourselves even if we don’t intend to, right?”

“Right.”

I listened to Ha-yoon’s words as the kid sitting across from me piped in.

No matter how luxurious this single room might be, there’s really no reason for a hospital bed to be that wide. Of course, it is a bit wider than a double room bed, making it somewhat okay for two people to lay down, but it’s still quite cramped for four people.

But to my left and right, Ji-hye and Ha-yoon were crammed in beside me, and facing me across the table was Jua.

No matter how nicely I sit cross-legged, the space was clearly never designed for such an arrangement, so it’s only natural that our legs would brush against each other.

…

No, more than that, why does it seem like I’m the only one who’s unwell here?

We all fought together, and we all got hurt together, didn’t we? We all fainted together too, right?

Well, now that I think about it, the hospital room has already been totally taken over by these guys.

“Technically, Ji-eun is just a victim. Even if there’s some trouble, they’ll likely try to resolve it amicably on their side. It would be foolish to completely trust the other side, but for now, we’re at a huge advantage. In terms of public opinion or something.”

As Jua was saying this, she inexplicably thrust a fork towards me.

At the end of it was a piece of carrot cake. Well, I can’t say I dislike it. There’s really nothing you can’t eat when it comes to cakes.

But, um, what is it?

Why does she have to hold the fork with a face that looks like she’s angry at me?

“……”

I hesitated a bit and then Jua glared at me with a sharp gaze, shaking the fork.

In the end, I had no choice but to take a bite of that cake too.

The carrot cake was, well, tasty.

It’s just that my brain wasn’t able to keep up with the situation.

*

Anyway, we rested like that for the day.

Sleeping was a bit uncomfortable.

For some reason, the three people who got onto my bed were all snuggled up against me.

Even Jua chose to occupy the same bed even if it meant giving up her own bed beside me, so we ended up cramped together on that single bed meant for one person.

It was already getting a bit warm, so with four people squeezed in like this, it was inevitable that I woke up drenched in sweat the next morning.

And the next morning.

“Well then, I’ll be off.”

While the other kids all went back to their respective rooms, I said goodbye to the three people who were still gathered in my hospital room, and I left alone.

I wasn’t wearing the hospital gown, but rather the outfit sent from the orphanage. I didn’t want to look sick when I went to meet Pang-pang.

The other kids didn’t insist on following me, maybe understanding how I felt.

On the way, I took my time to sort through my thoughts.

Above all, what I was thinking about most was what I should say first.

What should I talk about?

After receiving such great help, I ended up causing more trouble than expressing my gratitude.

Most importantly, I… haven’t even told Pang-pang how thankful I am.

Thinking back, my fortunes came merely through her goodwill.

It didn’t take long to get to where Pang-pang was.

Although it was a bit far, since we were on the same floor, it wasn’t much of a hike.

Especially since I hadn’t been badly injured thanks to the magic, I could walk around just fine after waking up. However, Pang-pang seemed to still be recovering her condition.

Even if their devices don’t inflict significant harm on a human body, they weren’t built to keep someone there for such a long time.

Apparently, she was having a bit of trouble with her muscles, strength, and some slightly impaired functions. But fortunately, it seems there was no other damage.

Taking a deep breath in front of her hospital room, I raised my hand and knocked on the door.

“Come in.”

I heard a voice from inside.

Nervously, I opened the door and stepped in. I tried to wear a smiling expression, but it ended up looking a bit awkward.

“Um… hi.”

The first thing I said was that awkward greeting.

Thinking back, I don’t have many memories of greeting Pang-pang casually. I had thought of her as ‘Earth Buddy’ inside while calling her ‘hey’ or ‘you’ on the outside because I didn’t want to call her by name.

“Oh, hi!”

But Pang-pang welcomed my awkward greeting just fine.

As I approached Pang-pang, who was putting down her smartphone, I wondered if she had lost weight. I can’t say for sure. At least she looked the same as when I last saw her. In other words, before she was placed in that device.

“I’m not sure if you’ve been well during this time.”

“…I’ve been fine.”

I haven’t been home, but I managed to get through okay. At the very least, I wasn’t in a state of despair.

Most importantly, I had friends close by.

I unfolded the folding chair beside the bed and sat down near Pang-pang’s bed.

“I came to check on how you’re doing.”

I thought it’d be better to act a bit more like usual rather than speaking soft words. That’s not to say I was rude like I had been back then.

“I’m okay.”

Pang-pang staged a show of opening and closing her hands.

“They say something about rehabilitation, but honestly, I feel like I shouldn’t have to go that far.”

“Maybe it would be better to follow the doctor’s advice.”

I had heard that healing magic can mend wounds, but it can’t reverse any weakness within the patient. Of course, it could be of help.

If that were possible, magic would also be able to treat obesity without exercise.

“Well… that’s true.”

Pang-pang nodded.

“……”

We fell silent for a moment.

A lot of things to ask Pang-pang came to my mind. Most were about her family ties. I wanted to know if she was really the chairman’s granddaughter or if there was something hidden about her.

But still, bringing that up here would feel too much like an interrogation.

“Why did you help me that much?”

So I asked that instead.

“Hmm? Didn’t I mention it before?”

Pang-pang smiled as she said that.

“We’re friends, right? Friends help each other when they’re in trouble.”

I couldn’t find any words to respond to her, so I opened my mouth again.

“What if that friend turned out to be a wanted criminal hunted by a government agency?”

“I didn’t think you’d do something that wrong… Besides, you’re a Magical Girl, right? A Magical Girl wouldn’t do something that bad!”

How does she know that?

Of course, you need at least a bit of hope to transform even in despair.

But that explanation is something I could imagine Pang-pang saying.

She has that nature of believing in the goodness of people without a doubt.

For some reason, it didn’t feel like a lie. In fact, Pang-pang had never told anyone about the fact that she had been protecting me during that time.

Since I had been silent, it was now Pang-pang’s turn to speak.

“Did I ever tell you the reason I came to Earth?”

“Hmm… I kind of feel like I asked first.”

“Yeah, I think that happened too.”

Nodding in response to my answer, Pang-pang continued.

“Voyager.”

It was a probe sent by humans, who couldn’t inherently use magic, just because they were curious about what was out there.

To an alien being that thinks magic is essential for space exploration, it must be a fascinating object.

“Others often say that it wasn’t discovered first, but that they found Earth first and then added that tale, but… I still believe that story. It’s a prettier story.”

“……”

“I know that Earth isn’t as beautiful as people think. Well, if it’s a place where people live, it can’t be otherwise, right? People always end up fighting, after all. Sometimes that fighting becomes too intense.”

Pang-pang gazed quietly at me.

“But still, honestly, isn’t it amazing? Even if they’re a minority, even if there were many political reasons behind it, there were still people who thought that way.”

Pang-pang turned her head up to look at the sky.

Outside the window, the sun was still shining. It wasn’t even sunset yet. It would be a while before the stars appeared.

Yet, Pang-pang had an expression as if she was gazing towards those distant stars.

“So, that’s why I wanted to come and see. I was curious about how many people would actually think that way.”

“…Were you satisfied?”

“Yes.”

I was a bit surprised by that answer.

Most of the Earthlings Pang-pang must have seen were people tightly bound to reality.

On top of that, her workplace was Noir Corporation. While it wasn’t entirely devoid of Earthlings, those working there probably did so just for the sake of making money on a day-to-day basis.

“I can’t pinpoint who, but even in that kind of environment, there are people who become Magical Girls.”

At those words from Pang-pang, I fell silent.

Looking toward me, Pang-pang smiled.

“Not due to political reasons or anything, but just fighting based on what they know and believe. And in the end, they seem to have overcome it.”

“……”

“Among the people I know, there’s one who had everything but wasn’t satisfied at all and ended up running away. And after living alone, they ended up not enjoying life properly and lost their freedom. They’re stuck working in a place that hurt their pride. That person exists.”

That must be Pang-pang’s own story.

“Still, it’s fortunate. To have met such a unique character. There was someone who dreamed while gazing into the distant stars, even in that situation. So, coming here wasn’t a complete failure.”

“Really, huh.”

I felt so embarrassed that I decided to pretend I didn’t know what she was talking about.

Whether she knew my thoughts or not, Pang-pang continued to look up at the sky while talking.

“So, I believe that story about Voyager. It’s much more romantic. The first people to meet that treasure called Voyager, which had been traveling away for decades, far from Earth. They interpret the golden record that was inside, get moved by the songs and languages within, and eventually, those explorers who followed those sounds come to Earth. People who couldn’t even use the very power we take for granted, leaving footprints on the moon and sailing toward faraway places.”

Pang-pang turned her head back to me.

“Isn’t it too much if that story was fabricated by someone?”

And she smiled at me.

That smile was the bright smile I always faced whenever I looked at Pang-pang.

“……That’s true.”

In the end, I could only nod in agreement with Pang-pang’s words.

 

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