I Became a New Magical Girl Priest

---

Despite all the ups and downs, the sound of the sea really calms my soul.

Of course, it’s fun to go in and play, but just listening to the sound soothes my heart.

These past few months have been filled with so many events.

From life-or-death battles to being caught up in some cosmic conspiracy, not to mention all the organizations involved, it’s turned into an incredibly complicated mess—

…Even now, I can’t say it’s all completely behind us.

“…Starting next semester, I really need to get back to studying.”

In the end, my first semester grades were a disaster.

I did study hard for the finals and managed to pull my grades up a bit, but not to the level I had before.

Ji-hye’s grades weren’t great either, so we both ended up in trouble.

Especially since my grades meant I was paying less in tuition, which made the situation even worse. Thankfully, the school showed some leniency considering the circumstances.

But what really stings is that all the other magical girls’ grades have bounced back to normal. Talent is something you can’t underestimate.

Ha-yoon returned to her top grades, and so did Jua.

It seems the third years won’t be affected much by being held back, even though they said they would. Well, usually, the college entrance exam is more influenced by prior studies than just the previous year’s studying.

On the other hand, I had to run around just like always.

Because I wanted to go to the same university as Ha-yoon.

“Ji-eun?”

I heard a voice calling from behind and turned around to see Ha-yoon rubbing her eyes and coming out of the pension.

The swimsuit she wore had a bit more exposure, but her sleepwear was the exact opposite. Even here, Ha-yoon had properly put on her pajamas, top and bottom.

Having her be so right in many ways makes me a little worried that she might influence me in the opposite direction.

Good thing I’ve still drawn the line as a minor; I wonder what it’ll be like when we’re both adults.

“Are you cold?”

As I felt a strange chill run through me, Ha-yoon asked.

She had a blanket draped over her shoulder. Even in the middle of summer, she brought that thin blanket because she knew we’d be playing outside at night.

I hadn’t had a sip of alcohol, but it was still a bit chilly around midnight or dawn.

Ha-yoon came over and casually wrapped her blanket around me.

Of course, she kept half of it for herself.

“…”

Since we kissed, it seems she no longer recognizes any boundaries, or maybe she just considers us as lovers, but Ha-yoon treated this behavior too casually.

And, as always, I felt competitive toward Ha-yoon.

Pretending it was nothing, I reached out and tugged at her waist. Ha-yoon blushed but leaned closer to me.

Yeah. I know this is me leading her on. I also realize I’m moving as if I’m caught in a trap.

But what can I do? Even if bees and butterflies know they lure in flowers to spread pollen, they can’t instinctively refuse that.

Otherwise, they’d starve.

…I guess I’m the same way.

Ever since we were little, I’ve harbored jealousy just as much as I’ve held those contrasting feelings.

“Shall we go inside?”

I asked.

Inside the building, the snack bags we had carelessly torn open last night would probably still be scattered around. We even spilled some on the floor.

Really, even without a drop of alcohol, how did the scene here mirror a university MT so closely?

“No…”

But in response to my question, Ha-yoon answered.

“Just a little longer, let’s stay like this.”

If someone gets time alone with a person they like, what would ordinary people do?

For someone like me, who has never dated, it was a bit of an unknown territory.

If we weren’t dating, I might try to start a conversation to become closer. Or perhaps I’d just end up saying nothing, assuming nothing would happen anyway.

We stayed silent, but that didn’t mean we thought nothing would happen.

Rather, it was that.

Because in this moment, as we stood close without saying anything, just feeling each other’s warmth, we said nothing.

With no competition. No jealousy.

A peaceful time where we could fully feel each other’s presence.

The two of us gazed at the sea in silence for about ten minutes like that.

*

When this dreamy trip ended, I just studied hard during the remaining vacation.

Well, it wasn’t like I only studied and didn’t enjoy my break at all.

Between studying, we’d gather to watch movies, chat briefly in the local park, or go to a café for delicious treats.

I became a true student.

Yeah. All this time, strangely, I hadn’t felt it at all, but I was not necessarily a “student-like student” even without being a magical girl.

Though I put in some effort into studying, the problem was that I was a combatant.

I was associated with a large corporation but in a strange position, doing violent work and fighting magical girls.

I often came home beaten up after being out at night.

But now, that sort of thing had completely vanished.

It felt refreshing and a bit strange.

Then one day.

It was so hot outside that I didn’t want to go out, and strangely, I couldn’t concentrate on studying either.

On one of those sweltering summer days when I didn’t really want to do anything besides study, I surveyed my desk.

I had gotten rid of a lot of the equipment already, and my desk was almost restored to what it was like before the room got messy.

The broken CD case was still there, but next to it, new cases were situated.

They’d piled up during the vacation.

The other magical girls who had shared the room had returned to their homes one by one. But no one had distanced themselves from me as much as Ha-yoon.

Pang-pang had returned as well. It seemed work at the company had come up and she needed to make various preparations to reach her goals.

In the end, the last girl remaining in the room was Ha-yoon.

Ji-hye didn’t seem to have any intention of forcing Ha-yoon out. After all, she had heard about Ha-yoon’s relationship with her parents.

It didn’t seem like there was any will to kick her out from the orphanage either.

Ha-yoon’s parents hadn’t come looking for her, whether it was a matter of pride or not wanting to explain the situation to others.

…If things go well, I might end up living with just the three of us later.

I scratched my head and picked up the album that I had yet to unwrap.

It was an album I had never seen before. Why did I buy this?

Did Ha-yoon somehow pick it for me?

Hmm.

Well, it probably doesn’t matter.

Ha-yoon has a good sense for picking albums. Her taste is quite classy, so it might really be an excellent piece I don’t know about.

I tore open the album’s plastic and took out the CD.

After a long time, I inserted it into the device and pressed play.

A soft sound of the CD starting to spin played inside, and soon music began to flow.

Ji-hye, who was sprawled on the floor, giggled.

“What an expensive OST.”

“Do you know this song?”

“Uh? It’s famous, right?”

I shrugged. Ji-hye looked a bit shocked.

Well, since the lyrics are in English, it might be famous enough. It’s probably sung by a well-known band.

“OST?”

Ha-yoon, who was also lounging on the floor, asked.

Maybe she caught Ji-hye’s aura, but there were times when she sprawled out like this too. Well, it probably wasn’t only Ji-hye’s influence that caused that.

“Doesn’t this look like a scene from a movie? A scene from a youth film.”

“Ah.”

At my response, Ha-yoon nodded, seemingly understanding.

Right.

If this scene were in a movie, the music playing in the background would be the OST.

That’s how it is.

I sat down in a chair and listened to the music.

The smooth blues and soft voices made it pleasant to listen to. Yeah, it felt somewhat familiar.

After a while of listening to the music, the door opened cautiously.

The child who poked their head inside was Jua.

“Perfect timing. Came to hang out?”

At my words, Ji-hye laughed again.

“Typically, that character brings in a conflict, but here’s a character showing up at exactly this moment.”

“Conflict?”

As soon as she entered the room, Jua tilted her head at those words.

“So basically, if this place were in a movie…”

Ha-yoon supplemented the explanation, but it was too concise, leaving Jua even more confused.

Well, that’s fine. We can gradually explain it.

A movie.

That sounds nice.

The theme might have slightly shifted, the action might feel slower, the thrill might have decreased, and there might no longer be any twists.

But I liked how this slightly altered content felt.

I prayed that our daily lives would continue to have this different flavor.

 

---