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I don’t plan on getting caught up in the emotional battles between the Magical Girls.

…There was a time when I thought that too.

But honestly, it wasn’t as easy as I expected.

Ha-yoon tends to get along with everyone, and she’s always gentle with me, so there wasn’t much of an issue there.

I also tried my best not to poke at the personalities of the senior Magical Girls. The only person I was a bit harsh with was Rose… or rather, Seo-hee, but Seo-hee didn’t seem to care much about my attitude.

That’s just her personality, after all. She enjoys throwing punches, and if I act sharp, it only makes her more excited to provoke me.

However, once I got used to it, her personality wasn’t a big deal. In fact, since she speaks her mind openly, Seo-hee was somewhat easier to deal with. It was also a definite boost to my skills during our sparring sessions.

If there was a problem, it was that Seo-hee wasn’t all that close with the other Magical Girls.

“What?”

“I mean, I don’t like your training methods.”

I’m not exactly sure how I ended up hearing this.

Truth is, I was mostly tuning out what Seo-hee and Dalia were saying.

Sometimes I did find my time here quite nice. For one thing, there were no kids younger than me. A year or two younger wouldn’t be a problem, but when a much younger brat comes up to chat with me, it gets a bit hard to bear, given I’m in that awkward hormonal phase of puberty.

Actually, thinking back, I don’t think I was all that fond of it even in my past life.

Most of the kids at the orphanage were nice, and I got along with them to a degree, but I just couldn’t always accommodate everyone.

With the weather getting colder and the heater working well, I found myself thinking I didn’t want to go outside and preferred to stay cooped up.

“Using magic works the same way. If you just blast magic from a distance, how’s she going to handle that?”

“If we’re talking about withstanding my punches, I’m sure that magic wouldn’t matter. Plus, she’s pretty agile.”

“Still, isn’t it too close-quarters for someone who just started learning? You’ve got to think about how to deal with magic coming from afar too.”

Hmm.

Alright.

Maybe it’s time to make an escape.

I pressed the power button on my smartphone, quickly turned off the screen, and stood up slowly.

Ha-yoon, who had been using my lap as a pillow, also picked up on my mood and stood up slowly.

“No, we’re Magical Girls after all. I don’t think it suits us to fight like that.”

“……”

I couldn’t tell if she was serious or just trying to poke at Seo-hee.

But sadly, that remark got on my nerves too.

Because, after all, Ha-yoon wasn’t ‘that kind of’ Magical Girl either.

She’s the one who pulls a pink blade out of a bouquet. So, she certainly wasn’t the ‘typical Magical Girl’ that Dalia was arguing for.

“I don’t think that’s the case.”

I blurted it out before I realized it and quickly bit my lip.

“Hmm?”

Dalia tilted her head and looked at me.

“That’s not it?”

“……”

I paused, unsure how to respond. For some reason, I didn’t want to bring Ha-yoon into this.

Sure, it was true Ha-yoon was part of the problem. But mentioning her now would only drag her into a fight.

“There are times when close combat is necessary, right? Most combatants fight in close quarters anyway.”

Seo-hee looked back at me in surprise.

Did it seem like I was siding with her?

Ha-yoon stared at me, her gaze piercing, but I decided to finish what I was saying.

“If there’s no one to draw the enemy’s attention, who’s going to give the incantation time in the back?”

That was a perfectly reasonable statement.

In reality, in the series, Magical Girls always set up positions like that. Dalia would stay by Delphinium’s side while Iris would appropriately shoot magic at the enemies from a distance.

Seo-hee and Ha-yoon would be upfront. If the two of them took up arms to protect the others, the combatants would have a harder time getting close.

…But right now, that was about six months ago.

The position hadn’t been established yet. Seo-hee alone couldn’t draw all the attention.

The enemies didn’t understand the fight either. Most of the combatants were Earthlings with no battle experience, and even if they had some experience, they didn’t know how to handle magic.

Plus, ‘Despair’ hadn’t built up to that extent yet, and the circuits were still very rudimentary.

As for aliens, well, they usually didn’t show up in large groups at once.

“……”

Seeing Dalia’s eyes narrow, it seemed she was at least somewhat aware of this. Even if that strategy hadn’t become fully established, having someone to intervene in between the incantation or while deliberating about the next spell was clearly useful.

However, at this point, it was also the case that Dalia could manage close combat in her own right, even in the original story. Her wand was thick and long enough that if she swung it right, it would surely hurt a lot.

So that must be where her confidence comes from.

“Hmm.”

Dalia snorted.

“After all, the punches she throws are magic too, and so is what I shoot out. If we’re going to use it, wouldn’t it be better to use it more efficiently?”

“……”

Hmm.

Is she trying to pick a fight?

Then again, she hadn’t been particularly soft when she talked to me the last time either. She might have thought of me as a work colleague with conflicting opinions, so maybe she viewed me as part of another ‘faction.’

“Or, do you want to prove it?”

Dalia said.

“If you’re right, doesn’t that mean the one engaging in close combat can attack faster than the one casting spells? If that’s true, you should be able to fight me and win, right?”

That was obviously nonsense.

I had only barely trained for a few months. If a pro fighter went up against an amateur, of course, the pro would win.

“Hey.”

Seo-hee, knowing that, spoke up in anger.

Dalia shot a smirk at Seo-hee, then looked back at me.

“See? Even if you say that, you’re still considering it. Half-hearted combatants aren’t even a concern for Rose to hold back. So you should—”

“Fine.”

But that statement got cut off midway.

I stared directly at Dalia and said, “Let’s have a match.”

“……Huh?”

Dalia looked a bit dumbfounded hearing my sudden challenge.

“Ji-eun.”

Ha-yoon, who had been listening to the conversation, grabbed my sleeve.

Why did I respond like that?

Honestly, it’s not a big deal.

I know later how organized the combatants will become. In the end, they won’t be as strong as the Magical Girls, and despite constantly losing, they will slowly become a threat to them.

The aliens jumping into the mix would be no different.

Right now, I could still take them down with appropriate magic if I stayed back, but come next year, that would no longer be possible.

That would make Ha-yoon and Rose very important figures.

……

Well, that’s a theoretical discussion.

The reason I reacted this way was pretty much emotional. It had to do with Ha-yoon. The first reason I got provoked was that I thought of Ha-yoon.

But—

I glanced at Rose.

The more I heard Dalia speak, the more Rose’s expression seemed to dim. That was understandable but…

While it was an expected reaction, it wasn’t a simple matter.

I’d heard the story about Seo-hee’s dreams. What kind of dreams she had and how she ended up giving them up.

Having myself been in a position where I wanted to completely abandon my dreams, I could empathize with that story somewhat.

However, having heard such a story, I couldn’t just stay silent and let it slide.

Dalia probably thought it was just a diss about the position, but that comment was practically disregarding Seo-hee’s dreams.

“Why? The fact that you can’t answer means you’re a little scared, huh?”

I deliberately provoked her.

Dalia’s expression was… well, it wasn’t one of anger.

Rather, she looked shocked, as if she couldn’t believe such a ridiculous situation was occurring.

“Do you really think you have a chance of winning?”

Dalia asked.

“Of course, I think I can win.”

I puffed out my chest.

“…Without a wand?”

Hmm.

I can’t really argue against that.

“Even without a wand, I still have my fists, right?”

I boasted again.

“……”

Dalia stared at me, as if trying to read what I was thinking.

I guess it ultimately failed.

“……Fine.”

Dalia replied. By now, a look of incredulity had appeared on her face. Her pride must have taken a little hit, given I was acting like someone who just started in magic, thinking I might stand a chance.

“So, shall we set a time and place?”

…That’s pretty serious.

Well, I don’t mind.

If I’m going to say it, I should be ready to win.

After all, I’m set to become a Magical Girl too.

 

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