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No matter how honest I am, the gazes directed at us have become somewhat stranger.

It did get strange, but oddly enough, I didn’t feel as bothered by those gazes as I did before.

I pondered why that was, and it seemed those jealous eyes I used to face were entirely mine to bear alone. However, now it felt like I had someone by my side to share the burden.

Above all, that person didn’t care about the gazes at all. Perhaps that’s why I felt indifferent about it.

So what if they think I’m dating a girl over there? It’s mistaken, but in the end, the ones by my side are Ha-yoon and Jua.

If I needed to look good, I had to look good for myself too. So there wasn’t anyone who would think of openly bothering me.

“Ji-eun, Ji-eun.”

Ha-yoon seemed unaware of it all.

To be precise, she seemed completely oblivious to others’ gazes, casually talking to me and sticking close by.

It was time after class. Even our homeroom teacher looked somewhat taken aback while glancing at us.

It seemed like the teachers had seen the article.

Was there even a school rule against undesirable inter-gender relationships? Even if there was, no one would follow it, that’s for sure. I’m not even sure how many kids in this class have a boyfriend or girlfriend, but there would definitely be no one to care about such rules when it comes to dating.

As for prohibitions on relationships between girls… perhaps it never existed from the start. Who’d even care?

Besides, unless excessive sexual conduct occurs, they can’t restrict every little mischievous act by kids of that age, who are just as curious about sex as boys.

If anyone were to get caught doing such things in today’s world, the parents who don’t know shame would show up and say something to the teacher. The fact that the homeroom teacher couldn’t quite restrain me despite knowing how I was treated in this class stems from such reasons.

“Ji-eun?”

Anyway.

Ha-yoon chatted with me naturally, seemingly unaware of the article or the gazes of others.

Oh, wait. This seems to be how it’s always been. Of course, back then, she would talk a bit softer when chatting in class.

It’s like a brake has been released in her, and it made me a little scared.

“Yeah?”

“Do you want to grab something to eat before heading back?”

“Eat? What?”

“Uh… it could be a meal or a snack.”

I looked at the clock.

We hadn’t normally done any late-night study sessions, so we still had plenty of time after class. School ended at four-thirty PM. That’s incredibly early by working standards.

Unless the chairman went on a rampage again, I wouldn’t be summoned to the company, and the government was still watching us, while the federation seemed to be fighting among themselves in a quiet manner.

So, we had plenty of time.

“Just the two of us?”

“Uh, no, not just us. Do you want to eat alone?”

For some reason, Ha-yoon said that in a very subtle voice while tossing her hair back.

Her eyes twinkled, her cheeks reddened slightly, and her voice felt oddly moist. Maybe the first two were true, but the latter one must just be my imagination.

…It must be. If it isn’t, it might just be Ha-yoon’s playful side.

Right? Surely that’s the case. Considering that article was out, maybe she just wanted to match the narrative.

Ha-yoon could completely disregard the gazes around us, but honestly, I was a bit concerned.

Being embarrassed could refer to social shame, but taken literally, it could also just mean ‘shame’ itself.

Even if we were a romantic couple and not just good friends, I would still feel a bit embarrassed. I’m a pretty shy person, no matter how I look.

“…Let’s call the others and go together.”

Ha-yoon looked quite disappointed by my words, but—

“Let’s bring Ji-hye along too.”

After I added that, she made a face that said she had no choice.

Though it seemed like there’s still a slight wall between us and the magical girls, what could I do?

I had already distanced myself from Ji-hye for way too long.

Now that we were near each other, I had no intention of stretching out the time on purpose.

“Yeah, let’s do that. Ji-hye should come along.”

I nodded in agreement to Ha-yoon’s suggestion.

*

So, the place we ended up meeting was surprisingly in the middle of a busy area.

The school I attended and the one Ji-hye went to were further apart than I thought.

I managed to get into that private school by working my butt off to follow Ha-yoon, but Ji-hye, who didn’t care much for school, just went into a local school that seemed manageable to get into.

So you could say she was a “rubble”—an easy acceptance.

The reason Ji-hye didn’t care about going to the same school was probably because, since we lived in the same place anyway, there was no need to worry too much about not being in the same school.

She had been quite adorable, whining about having forgotten that while on a school trip in the first year.

“Here we are!”

Since it was a place between our schools, it just so happened to be in the middle of a bustling street.

Though the headquarters of the company I attended wasn’t too far from there, I decided not to think about it much.

After all, that building had been shut down, and the police were investigating, plus the chairman was on the run.

…As for how the company is doing, I wouldn’t know. I hadn’t asked James about it either. Given James didn’t seem overly worried about it, it seemed like the former chairman would manage to restore things when he returned.

I waved my hand cheerfully as I approached, and Ji-hye smiled awkwardly at the kids following behind me.

Ji-hye must have seen the article, right?

Since she tends to keep a close eye on such matters. It’s just the kind of interest typical for kids her age.

It wasn’t like her gaze would be focused on that alone when she was by herself.

Ji-hye was a pretty girl, but compared to the magical girls, she appeared a bit ordinary. It’s not that Ji-hye’s beauty fell short of any other kid.

Magical girls tend to have outrageously colorful hair.

Even Ha-yoon has hair that looks like strawberry bubblegum, and Jua wears purple, while Rose is sporting red.

At least, Delphinium and Dalia’s hair seemed somewhat tame. Delphinium had blue hair that was almost black and cut neatly into a bob, so it wasn’t particularly eye-catching, while Dalia had dark brown hair.

Though such psychedelic colors can naturally exist, it doesn’t imply that this pairing won’t catch anyone’s attention.

Thank goodness my hair isn’t ‘white’ or ‘a mix of white and black.’ If I ran around a little, the two would have blended into a grayish mess.

I suppose I was overwhelmed by that kaleidoscopic display of colors. Or maybe it was that I felt the glances following us were also sticking to me.

Ji-hye shuddered slightly, pausing her hands for a moment.

But soon after, she made a serious expression and dashed toward me with all her might.

And nearly collided with me.

Well, I wasn’t so frail that I couldn’t handle Ji-hye’s weight. I had been conditioned to an extent since being a combatant, so I could manage to sway a bit even without magic.

Feeling mischievous, I gathered Ji-hye in my arms and spun her around.

“What was that about?”

As I stopped and looked down at Ji-hye, I asked.

“Did you miss me that badly?”

In the past, if I pulled such a stunt, Ji-hye would have been shuddering while falling. Conversely, even if Ji-hye pulled such tricks, I would have reciprocated similarly.

But now…

“Yeah.”

Ji-hye looked straight up at me and said.

“What?”

I found myself somewhat flustered by her words.

“I missed you so much that I regretted going to a different school.”

“….”

Uh…

That’s a bit… honestly speaking, it was incredibly ticklish.

But I didn’t feel bad about it.

I’ve thought this since childhood, but if you look at it objectively, Ji-hye is pretty too. Though she doesn’t have that dazzling charm of the magical girls, she probably is quite popular in school.

I think I’ve heard comments about how she’s quite popular before. Just a casual conversation from time to time.

Of course, having lived so long in the same room, the feelings I feel now are almost akin to those of a sister.

However, still, whether I liked it or hated it, I felt good. There was no way I could feel bad knowing that my most cherished family member missed me. The way she looked up at me while nosing in was exhilarating.

“Want to transfer?”

“Isn’t that too late? If I tried to enroll now, I would have to study like crazy, right? Then I wouldn’t want to do it that much.”

Ji-hye said that, then buried her face in my chest before falling back.

After running over, her face was slightly red.

…Right.

Missing someone doesn’t require any additional reason. After all, we were barely on the verge of losing each other.

Having nearly fallen apart, now that we could meet properly and get along just like before, it wasn’t weird at all to act a little strangely.

As I withdrew the hand that had been resting on Ji-hye’s waist, she also took her hands off me and smiled at me. Watching that bright smile felt like sunshine brightening my heart.

Yeah. No matter how tangled things get, there are so many people thinking of me right here.

If I just make some effort, I might be able to resolve everything.

That smile was so charming, I thought.

In a normal world, I would have had the assurance that at least my parents would stand by me in any situation, but in this world, it feels like Ji-hye is the only one who does.

Ji-hye nodded slightly, glancing back at the magical girls behind me.

When I turned around, Ha-yoon and Jua were displaying slightly dazed expressions.

In a few steps behind them, Rose was standing, barely holding back laughter, while Dalia and Delphinium were slightly blushing.

“What are you doing?”

I said, feeling a bit awkward.

“Let’s start moving. People are gathering.”

No one directly spoke to us, but people were moving closer, almost as if there was an invisible wall keeping distance. I thought we should hurry and move before more people gathered, and I shifted my feet.

The magical girls followed closely behind me, each lost in their thoughts.

*

“Ji-hye, Ji-hye.”

At school, there was a kid who had been calling out like that since the morning.

Recently, Ji-hye had been in a good mood. Of course, there still are quite a few parts that are worrying.

Whether Ji-eun’s friend can recover or not. How long could the magical girls stay together like that? How much time would it take for the room to once again become one for Ji-eun and Ji-hye?

Even though it was a sticky feeling that made one think, “Was I that selfish and bad of a person?” it completely overshadowed by the fact that Ji-eun was right next to me.

Ji-eun was someone I had spent my whole life with. And as long as possible, I wanted to keep being that close.

Someone might say that I think that way because we are still too young, but at least until now, Ji-hye never got close to anyone like Ji-eun.

“Yeah?”

And since Ji-hye was in such a good mood, she could happily respond to her friend’s call. Right before, she had called Ji-eun a villain in front of Ji-hye, but now, she could easily brush that off without thinking much about it.

“Did you see this?”

“What?”

As she asked back, her friend passed her the smartphone. Ji-hye took a look, then froze in place.

The article’s photo showed Ji-eun kissing Ha-yoon.

Since Ji-eun happened to be wearing a white dress, it made the scene reminiscent of a wedding. Compared to when Ji-eun dressed in black, the white attire seemed more elaborately adorned.

“……”

Ji-eun’s eyes went wide in surprise, while Ha-yoon’s eyes were tightly shut as if she had braced herself for this moment.

This meant that Ha-yoon had kissed Ji-eun.

The dynamics of their relationship flashed through Ji-hye’s mind.

Was it a relationship that warranted it? Honestly, I can’t say. Having never been in a romantic relationship, it was a bit difficult to gauge their connection.

“The article says they’re dating.”

“That can’t be true.”

Ji-hye replied, and she was surprised by her own answer.

“Really? After a kiss like that?”

That girl probably doesn’t understand what Ji-hye is thinking, thus asking such questions.

Or maybe she wouldn’t have asked if she had understood? It was hard to say. Given her oblivious nature, it feels possible.

“Perhaps there’s something related to magic involved in this. The aliens still don’t fully grasp that principle, right?”

“Is that so? Ah, that could be.”

Hearing Ji-hye’s almost rationalizing remarks, she scrolled down the article.

Then she showed Ji-hye a different photo beneath it.

That photo showed Ji-hye kissing Jua.

“……”

“If they’re not dating, are they sharing power with their mouths? That sounds likely. You know, like those scenes in movies.”

Though that was a scene added just to create a romantic moment.

But alongside that thought, it also felt that it might actually be plausible. The latter thought came from Ji-hye’s process of rationalization.

“Just as I can’t have a romantic relationship with the magical girls.”

“……”

Ji-hye thought for a moment.

The circuit of a magical girl runs on the hope circuit. In other words, it becomes stronger the more hope it encompasses. This idea has spread around almost like common knowledge.

While I’m unsure with Ji-eun in black, at least when she’s in white, it seems the energy represents hope.

…Then could a kiss transmit hope? Even if someone liked Ji-eun, I don’t think they would just kiss due to emotions during a fight. Above all, if they did, Ji-eun would have gotten mad.

But it could have been snatched at the right moment.

If the chance arose, swoop in to latch on tight.

“If that’s the case, that’s a bit sad.”

That girl said.

“Sad?”

“Yeah. Since she has to kiss just because she’s fighting. But wouldn’t you prefer to kiss someone you like? I mean, if it were a good-looking guy, I might get it, but if it’s a girl, that’s a little…”

Ji-hye blinked.

Strangely enough, imagining Ji-hye kissing Ji-eun didn’t provoke a strong feeling of rejection in her.

If the partner were genuinely like blood-related siblings, people might feel a strong aversion. One wouldn’t even want to scrunch up close, regardless of whether it’s a kiss or not.

With Ji-eun, Ji-hye never felt anything like that. Sure, they had bickered when they were younger because their thoughts differed, but by the time they reached the higher grades in elementary school, they became very close.

“……”

Ji-hye blinked again.

Could it be?

If the time frame falls to when that part of herself was being established…

Who said that? The feelings of liking someone don’t emerge just because you want them to, nor do they fade away just because you dislike them.

Maybe this is how Ji-hye feels.

“Is that so.”

“Eh?”

Ji-hye’s friend tilted her head as Ji-hye mumbled to herself.

“Oh, it’s nothing. Yeah. I think it could definitely be that way since we live in the same space.”

“Oh, you mentioned that magical girls all live together, right? So envious.”

Envious indeed.

Not too long ago, she was terrified of them.

Ji-hye casually responded, not expressing that thought out loud.

“Yeah. It’s fun. A lot.”

And also a source of joy.

Until now, Ji-eun was the only family Ji-hye had.

Even if they had kissed.

*

Looking up at Ji-eun, who had tightly embraced her, Ji-hye smiled.

Ji-eun wrapped her arms around Ji-hye as if it were a matter of course, even spinning her around.

There was no hint of embarrassment visible on Ji-eun’s face.

Ji-eun’s heart rang out loudly as it thudded intensely. Her cheeks flared red upon seeing Ji-hye and holding her, yet her expression remained calm.

Unlike that picture of the kiss.

That emotion may not be romantic.

However, when the two pulled away from each other, a stream of light poured out from Ji-eun’s wrist circuit that had been holding Ji-hye’s waist.

How bright could this light be? Depending on the camera settings, its intensity might appear different.

However, Ji-hye thought that the brightness seemed almost identical to the moment Ji-eun was kissed.

For Ji-eun, it meant that just having Ji-hye around brought her hope. They didn’t need to align their lips, as even a simple embrace could invoke those feelings.

At least, in this moment, the closest person was undoubtedly Ji-hye. The time they shared together speaks for itself.

That’s why Ji-hye could smile brightly.

If Ji-hye had a circuit, it would definitely be shining radiantly.

Even when Ji-eun slung her arm around Ji-hye, she accepted it naturally as if it were the most ordinary thing.

That smile, so radiant and pretty while looking at Ji-hye, made her feel that the presence of others evaporated.

In their little world, they gazed at one another, enjoying laughter and cheerful giggles.

 

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