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Um, what.

If it weren’t for Jua suddenly shouting, I suppose the argument itself had some validity.

In fact, I had already suggested changing the order of bathing with similar logic before, so it wouldn’t be strange for Jua to make such a claim.

Why, she might not be too happy about where she’s sleeping.

It wasn’t a cramped room, but since there were seven people sleeping in that room, I thought it could be a bit uncomfortable.

“What do you think?”

I thought it was fine to swap places, but that didn’t mean the room was entirely mine.

Since it wasn’t even owned by the orphanage, I couldn’t call it ‘mine,’ and above all, this room was shared between Ji-hye and me.

So, it would be right to ask Ji-hye, who originally lived in this room, for her opinion.

“I’m fine if it’s next to Ji-eun.”

Ji-hye answered like that.

That’s also a valid point.

After I left this room, Ji-hye had spent time by herself here.

And before that, it had just been the two of us.

Would it be awkward with more people in this room? Although today was an exception since we had just been fighting outside and hadn’t been cooped up in the room, the longer the daily routine continued, the more that awkwardness could turn into discomfort.

Ji-hye was good at getting along with others, but that didn’t mean we would become like roommates overnight.

It could be a bit uncomfortable when changing into our uniforms in the morning, right?

At least when sleeping, it might be a bit more comforting to be next to someone familiar. Better than being flanked by strangers.

Is that why she always snuggles up to me when we sleep?

“Okay, then. Under the condition that we stick together.”

When I said that, Jua smiled.

Was the seat that uncomfortable? Hmm.

They probably have their reasons, coming from wealthy backgrounds.

Rose, Dalia, and Delphinium weren’t particularly enthusiastic, and Ha-yoon looked a bit perplexed, glancing at Jua, but Jua seemed determined to stand her ground.

Ha-yoon also had a somewhat complicated expression but didn’t refute anything, so in the end, the swap was successful.

“…Ah.”

And Ha-yoon, unfortunately, ended up picking the wrong straw and fell away from my side.

Seeing her with a tremendously disappointed expression made me think maybe I should have insisted a bit more to avoid this switch… But well, Ha-yoon must have her own thoughts on the matter.

When Ha-yoon caught my eye, she gave a pitying look, but it was already decided. Jua, content with the straw she picked, would just find it unfair to draw again at this point.

Besides, to be honest, I had more things on my mind today.

About that kiss Ha-yoon gave me, I had managed to calm down a bit, but I still found it hard to grasp the full meaning behind it.

I wouldn’t think she took it seriously, but conversely—things were getting complicated.

I felt I needed to have a deeper talk, but any face-to-face confrontation was tough. If we locked eyes, my face would heat up without me realizing it.

Even when I was sitting on the swing earlier, I had to really try not to look toward Ha-yoon.

In the end, Ji-hye sat on the far side, I took the seat next to her, and Jua settled by me.

I wasn’t quite sure why Jua was so fixated on sleeping next to me, but to be honest, today, it worked out just fine. I did feel a little sorry for Ha-yoon, who was sulking and huffing beside us, though.

Once again, I lay down on the blanket spread on the floor.

I couldn’t forget this feeling. The comforting sensation that I hadn’t felt in quite a while since I ran away, a comfort only a home could provide.

Ji-hye lay next to me like yesterday, pressing close.

Jua also did the same for reasons I didn’t quite grasp. It might be more convenient this way if we wanted to secure a bit of space.

Still, I couldn’t quite picture Jua snuggling up to the other girls.

“…….”

Let’s just get some sleep.

When my mind gets cluttered, the best solution is a deep, hearty sleep. There are always things that I can’t forget and many things I shouldn’t forget.

But still, isn’t it a much better situation than just a while ago?

Hoping nothing else happens tomorrow, I shut my eyes.

*

Jua, who had been laying with her eyes shut for a long time, gently opened them.

Peeking past Ji-eun, Ji-hye’s face was barely visible. Thankfully, it seemed Ji-hye had also fallen asleep, breathing evenly.

After gazing at Ji-eun for a moment, Jua shifted a bit closer. Even so, pulling Ji-eun into her arms was much easier than what had happened when kissing near her mouth earlier.

Jua couldn’t understand her behavior.

If she thought about it calmly, it was necessary. However, Jua was someone who held rational thoughts while also being too sensitive to be completely unemotional.

If this had been the usual Jua, she definitely wouldn’t have shown such an action. It was far too embarrassing… a side of herself she didn’t want others to see.

Why did she act that way?

Why was she so angry?

In the room where only their breathing could be heard, Jua became lost in deep thought.

The biggest reason was probably because she saw Ha-yoon kissing Ji-eun.

To Jua, Ha-yoon was among her closest friends. No, if we were to define their relationship, Ha-yoon might be Jua’s only friend. At least she was the only one Jua could freely declare as “my friend.”

Jua could think that way because she saw Ha-yoon approaching without a care, despite Jua’s sharp defenses.

Although Jua knew that this was a bad attitude, she was fundamentally a coward pretending to be rational. She could never honestly thank someone like Ha-yoon.

Perhaps it would have been more sensible to like Ha-yoon instead.

No, maybe.

Maybe Ha-yoon was an object of admiration.

Someone Jua couldn’t catch up to, someone who had always been above her.

Since she became a magical girl, she captivated everyone’s hearts in no time, rising to the top as the best magical girl without becoming arrogant and treating everyone kindly, Jua felt that she could never measure up.

Therefore, it was nothing more than an emotional admiration. Just that.

Admiration is a feeling that is close yet distant. An object one wishes to empathize with and follow, but can’t. That was Ha-yoon.

A completed person. Someone who had always been up there, unattainable.

That might be why she felt twitchy. She wanted to be like that yet felt so starkly aware that she couldn’t.

Then, what kind of feelings did Jua possess for Ji-eun?

What was the reason for it?

It was—perhaps because Jua was able to empathize with Ji-eun.

Jua quietly studied Ji-eun’s profile.

At first glance, Ji-eun looked peacefully asleep, but there was a slight shadow below her eyes. Ji-eun’s skin was so fair that even the faintest light from outside made it apparent.

The memory of Ji-eun treating everyone sharply. Like a wounded little animal, showing she wasn’t weak by getting angry.

And the sight of her charging in, regardless of how unbeatable her opponent seemed.

Sure, it couldn’t be said that Ji-eun was completely like Jua. If Jua had found herself in the same situation, she would have crumbled long ago. The wall between Jua and Ha-yoon was much higher than that between Ji-eun and Ha-yoon.

But still, Ji-eun had fought numerous times.

When Ji-eun was a combatant, Jua didn’t understand why. She had merely thought there was a fiercely competitive ordinary combatant. At least Jua had seen how Ji-eun fought many times.

But after Ji-eun became a magical girl and met her again, she finally understood.

Ji-eun must also hold feelings of admiration toward Ha-yoon.

And feelings of jealousy. Friendship too. Jua believed Ji-eun felt every conceivable emotion toward Ha-yoon.

And Ji-eun had despaired.

“…….”

But even so, she didn’t give up.

So, the feelings Jua felt while watching Ji-eun were likely admiration too.

With a little tangle of jealousy and competitiveness. A bit of sympathy.

Those opposing emotions mixed together, weirdly producing another feeling.

Because of this admiration, she wanted to get closer. She realized that this person was staring at something she had already given up on. So could she too, become like this person?

And for her to see the end of all that, she had to be right alongside Ji-eun.

When they first met, the distinctive combatant made her feel a damp superiority. That superiority was derived from seeing someone similar but still convincing herself that she was higher up in some way, yet it converted into annoyance and competitiveness toward someone who wasn’t giving up.

When she finally saw someone she had previously derided, she blended all those emotions once again with admiration, which became this unrecognizable feeling.

Well, so—

In the end, that act of kissing next to Ji-eun’s mouth might have originated from jealousy and competitiveness.

Now, everything had gotten so mixed up that she couldn’t even tell what her jealousy was about or what her competitiveness stemmed from.

The only thing she could determine was that even in this competition, Jua had already begun way behind.

However, at least this time, she didn’t want to lose.

She wasn’t something distant anymore.

She had once overtaken Jua, and that showed it was possible.

So.

Jua moved a bit closer.

Carefully, she brought her face near Ji-eun’s.

Ji-eun’s face was more serene than before.

Jua still couldn’t manage to actually kiss her lips. That felt too cowardly. Maybe next time, when Ji-eun’s eyes were open.

Instead, Jua lightly pressed her lips against Ji-eun’s cheek.

And then quickly turned to look away.

Fortunately, no one was awake and looking this way.

Realizing too late just how embarrassing her action was, Jua hurriedly laid back down and closed her eyes.

But because of her pounding heart, Jua couldn’t fall asleep until late at night.

*

Waking up sandwiched between a bunch of girls was becoming less and less strange, the more it happened.

If I put it like this, I might sound like some harem protagonist, but the reality was simply that a lot of girls were sleeping in a cramped room.

No, it wasn’t even a room for two to live in.

As much as we tried to each secure a little space, we inevitably found ourselves sticking close together, especially since we all knew each other well.

And naturally, when I woke up, Ji-hye and Jua were snuggled in tightly beside me.

At least it was still a bit chilly in the night. If it had been high summer, I wouldn’t have been able to sleep well at all given how much I was already sweating.

Our room didn’t have air conditioning. In the summer, we could manage with the fan. It was a large room, and since it was only the two of us, there was enough space for the air to circulate.

But would there be room for a fan in a room with seven people?

…Before summer arrives, we should probably either move to a slightly larger place or hope that the others can manage to find another spot. Otherwise, everyone would just end up late after waiting in line to shower in the morning.

All of us rubbed our eyes as we got up and headed to the dining hall for a simple breakfast.

Thinking about it, magical girls were all bizarrely diligent, so waking up in the morning wasn’t a big problem for them.

And the magical girls, who seemed to have refined tastes, all ate breakfast without complaining. After all, compared to our meals just a few days ago, these were much better.

“…The gear is probably still sitting there, right?”

When I spoke with a hoarse voice still groggy from sleep, Ha-yoon nodded.

“Yep. Do you want to move it?”

“Probably… that would be best. If possible, it would be nice to get some parts too, but I don’t want to owe the government or federation anything.”

To relocate it, I would need to move myself, but it wasn’t a huge deal.

…Anyhow, I’d learned at least one solid way to exert that power.

I’d bet Ha-yoon would help me out without much protest, and this wasn’t mixed with ulterior motives. It was just that I couldn’t control my feelings.

Looking back, it was probably my fault, but well, what can you do?

I decided to give it a shot and if it didn’t work—

I decided to spoon up some leftover egg soup with a spoon, thinking how cowardly I felt even in that moment.

*

When I arrived at school, the atmosphere felt a bit off.

I mean, it had always been a weird school, but today it was even weirder. What can I say, it was a strange… strangely sticky gaze, perhaps?

If the emotion that had been mixed with that stickiness until now had been jealousy, the feeling now was… what can I say?

A bizarre gaze, as if observing something strange.

No, it was also a sentiment I felt frequently, but this time it wasn’t just directed at me.

“……”

Ha-yoon, who was right next to me, seemed indifferent to the affection, sticking close as if it was natural for her. In fact, she even wore a smile, walking alongside me confidently.

“Hey, Ha-yoon? Do you know something?”

I cautiously asked, but—

“Yep?”

Ha-yoon simply tilted her head and returned a question.

Once we entered our class, that atmosphere intensified.

While people had previously wanted to talk to Ha-yoon, it was the opposite now. Instead, it felt like everyone was deliberately avoiding us.

Even the kids in front and behind us were desperately doing their best to avoid looking our way.

Why?

I frowned and scanned the surroundings.

Several kids were gathered near the front of the classroom, whispering to one another. A few eyed us curiously as well.

Some of them were holding smartphones.

Did something happen that made the news—

“…Ah.”

As I thought about it, something suddenly clicked for me.

There was indeed something that could spark a news article.

I rummaged through my pockets and pulled out my smartphone.

Then, I entered a portal site and tapped the first article that caught my eye.

Truth be told, I didn’t even need to read the title. The thumbnail had an abundance of eye-catching pink.

Upon clicking into the article, the first thing that appeared was a photo of two girls kissing.

A girl with black hair dressed in what was almost a refurbished wedding dress was kissing a pink-haired girl who had her hair neatly tied up.

The black-haired girl looked startled, while the pink-haired one was gently cradling the black-haired girl’s cheek with her hands, eyes closed.

It looked as if they were captured in an artistic kiss. One that would be difficult to fake even with intent.

Scrolling down as if taken from a distance with a telephoto lens, there was a second photo.

It showed the black-haired girl kissing a girl with purple hair.

The setting was undoubtedly atop a truck, but the zoom made it so magnified that only their faces could be seen.

While the girls from the previous photo looked pristine, akin to wedding photos, this time they appeared somewhat tattered, smeared with who knows what.

It was reminiscent of a scene from a war movie.

Both photos were… um, pretty well taken, but…

I see. I guess there would be plenty of reporters around the school.

And since warp points function almost like airports, there are definitely enough reporters around.

To these reporters, the kiss scene of magical girls must have been a prime piece of gossip.

Upon seeing that article, I felt distinctly uncomfortable.

Not that it wasn’t real, of course.

It was a really good article.

But really, isn’t it a bit much for it to be about students?

I glanced over at Ha-yoon.

Looking at me, Ha-yoon wore a playful smile.

The kids seemed to whisper even more upon seeing her.

…Could it be, that Jua’s class was doing the same?

I let out a long sigh and pressed my palm against my forehead.

Yeah, it feels like there’s a reason why I was keeping my distance today.

I’m already dreading the possibility of Rose excitedly teasing me about it come evening.

 

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