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“That’s nice!”

Jua exclaimed with sparkling eyes at my idea.

Somehow, seeing Jua so excited about the upcoming Christmas party made me throw that out there, and she immediately bit the bait.

What I had brought up was, of course, about the wand.

Shall I be honest?

I feel like I’m a little different from the other magical girls. I’m training passionately in my own way, and I believe my skills are keeping up as well.

According to the magical girls, the transformation itself can be achieved as long as you have enough magical power, so I wasn’t very worried about that part.

But still, I couldn’t come up with a way to create a wand.

The comics don’t elaborate much on transformations, but they do explain a lot about wands. They are objects formed by magic, inspired by things that are related to one’s dreams and things they’ve actually owned.

Since their existence is a manifestation of magical power, they’re that much more helpful in battle. They can be wielded to break down armor and weapons while leaving the person unharmed, so it’s not just about being strong; the applications are limitless.

I wasn’t looking for that kind of application, but I thought it would be good to have at least one device that would let me concentrate and use my magical power properly.

So, I shared that idea with Jua.

“Even if you don’t plan on making a wand right away, you could always create a device to use it later! And you could make various types, too!”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

But isn’t she getting a bit too excited?

Isn’t that just something anyone could think of? After all, aliens do use magical power as weapons. In fact, most of their military equipment runs on materials infused with magical power.

“Since you have extraordinary magical power, just having a weapon that lets you concentrate that power would be way more efficient. You could make a one-time control device in cartridge form and swap them out.”

I still gave her some advice. The quicker Jua creates her weapon, the less guilty I’ll feel asking her for mine.

…Well, I still feel a bit guilty. It feels like I’m using her unilaterally.

So, to ease that pang of conscience a bit, I added casually, “And since you’re making it, could I join you to watch? Actually, I don’t have a wand yet either, so I want to research the making process a bit.”

“Sure!”

Once again, Jua accepted my request way too easily.

Feeling even guiltier, I briefly looked away into the distance before turning back to Jua.

“But, you know, I’m not really good at that sort of thing? Even if I join you to learn, I might just end up being a bother.”

That’s right. Since I’m feeling guilty, I have to add that if you say yes, you might end up doing most of the making.

Somehow, the longer I spoke, the more desperate I felt.

“That’s okay.”

Jua nodded.

“Ji-eun-senpai.”

“…No, we’re the same age, so you don’t have to call me senior.”

It’s not like we’re in the military, and I don’t want to be treated like a senior just because I’m a few months older. In the working world, it should be years that determine skill differences.

Besides, I’m still in training.

At my words, Jua smiled even brighter. I have no clue what I said earlier that resonated with her so much.

“Effort.”

“Uh?”

“The Ji-eun-senpai I’ve seen since coming here is always putting in effort. Even if you have talent, you don’t just let it be.”

“Uh, no…”

It’s more like I’m just trying to stand out because I want to win a bit. But hey, if she’s looking at it positively, I’m all for it.

“You don’t give up just because there are areas you’re lacking in! I really believe that if you try, you’ll be able to make a wand later on.”

“Uh, really?”

Feeling a bit overwhelmed, I responded in a somewhat awkward tone, unlike my earlier lively answers.

“So, I like the fact that you’re saying you want to learn alongside me. It shows determination not to give up. Not everyone can become an expert, but having the mindset to learn is great!”

I decided not to say anything more. It felt like if I did, I would completely expose myself.

Instead, I just pretended to listen intently to Jua’s words.

“Honestly, I still don’t know anything about that, but if we learn together, I’m sure we can make something useful! That’s the starting point!”

Is she holding onto some grudge about effort?

I really think she might be the most fit for this among us. Even though she looks mature, maybe she has this deep love for magical girls.

If she endlessly admired an idol from her childhood, eventually getting picked up by an agency and becoming a trainee, I could understand that.

I was the same way.

I admired magical girls, which is why when Cherry, introduced to me by Ha-yoon, suggested we do this together, I readily nodded.

“Um, yeah.”

I nodded.

“Nice to meet you.”

“Yeah!”

Seeing Jua smile and nod made me take a sip of my grape-flavored soda, and I suddenly looked at her hair.

Still straight. In fact, it seems like it might be getting a bit longer.

When will it turn into a ponytail?

As I thought this, I looked away and suddenly met the gaze of a pair of pink eyes staring at me, making me jump a little.

Ha-yoon was practically right next to me, leaning in to look at me.

“Ji-eun.”

“Uh, yeah?”

Ha-yoon called me with such intensity that I felt a bit intimidated as I replied.

“I know a lot about that too.”

“…Oh, yeah.”

That was definitely true. Ha-yoon was a top student wherever she went. In our classes here, she had the best grades.

Magical girls don’t have a grade division. They’re just all magical girls.

In any case, research in this area is still in its infancy, so unless we dive into it, there’s a far greater unknown.

And it’s worth mentioning again that unless there’s a huge gap of years, coworkers’ skills are usually on the same level. That’s just how it is unless it’s something really specialized.

During that time, it’s easy to only notice someone particularly outstanding.

“I can help too.”

Ha-yoon said as she looked at me with passionate eyes. Her voice was almost a whisper, but since she was so close, I could hear it very well.

“Uh, yeah. So… can you help?”

“Sure!”

When I said that, Ha-yoon beamed and shouted. It felt like a flower blooming on her face, like cherry blossoms blooming a month early.

“Is that really okay?”

“Yes, of course.”

Jua’s eyes sparkled even more. Phew, it seems like my relationship with Ha-yoon is quite similar.

Well, I don’t think of myself as having created a negative relationship here. That’s one thing I’m proud of.

I realized that I could have a positive influence on this world.

That’s something I can keep to myself.

Seeing Ha-yoon in high spirits humming a tune while munching on a cookie, I let out a small sigh of relief.

So, does this mean I have my wand secured now?

From now on, I just need to focus on securing my magical power for transformation.

*

January 1st.

Christmas really is in a perfect spot, no matter how you look at it.

People often think of December 31st and January 1st as the New Year holiday. And technically, it feels more like the day to wait for the start of the New Year rather than the end of the year.

In fact, thanks to Christmas, which is celebrated about a week before the New Year, the period of ‘year-end’ becomes all the more vivid.

Of course, I spent December 31st with Ji-hye. At that moment, I knew it was family time just like in my past life.

“Happy New Year!”

“Uh, you too, Ji-hye.”

Clinking two cans, we exchanged New Year greetings.

Since I couldn’t drink yet, I bought some soda and snacks, enduring to stay up until midnight while watching a broadcast on my phone before falling asleep.

The next morning, the two of us went outside together. And Ha-yoon too.

No, not just Ha-yoon, but Seo-hee, Yeon-woo, and Jua as well.

Somehow, I seem to have gathered so many friends.

Ji-hye looked a little disgruntled, but when Seo-hee and Yeon-woo got their signatures, her expression softened a bit.

We had a great time on the first day of the New Year. We had a meal at a nice place, sang songs at karaoke, and chatted at a café.

At first, Ji-hye seemed a bit awkward, but soon she blended in and was talking and laughing well with the kids.

However, in the midst of it all, Delphinium was absent.

It’s not like I didn’t call her. She just didn’t come.

For some reason, that upset me a bit.

I didn’t know I had such a strong desire for people.

…No, it’s just that it feels uncomfortable as if we’re excluding her.

 

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