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I only realized it after reaching this point, but whenever Ha-yoon and I met separately, she always lightly concealed her face.

Now, she didn’t wear a mask or anything like that, but she would don a hat or a mask. Since Ha-yoon’s face was as famous as a celebrity’s, it was understandable that she was worried about being recognized by people.

Although her hair was pink, it wasn’t an uncommon color that would attract people’s attention excessively, so it was somewhat effective.

Naturally, even with those measures, there were still people who approached her or passed by making snarky comments.

Most of the snarky comments from passersby suggested that she had “celebrity syndrome.” While being a magical girl doesn’t automatically make you a celebrity, honestly, given how famous Ha-yoon was, with more recognition and popularity than most politicians, those comments were simply picking a fight.

“Is it really necessary?”

Rose, who had been listening to the story, said this quite confidently.

Although we were in a bustling area, it still wasn’t a busy time at the café. It was a weekday, and it was obvious that we hadn’t hit the rush hour yet.

Thanks to that, we could occupy a corner of the café. The café, which had been a bit empty, quickly filled up as we entered.

A few people were openly taking pictures of us with their phones.

“Anyway, everyone who would recognize us already knows who we are, right? Trying to hide can actually draw more attention in those cases.”

“Still, if we go out in the open, everyone who wouldn’t normally recognize us might spot us.”

When I asked Rose, she nodded her head.

“That’s the important point. If people can recognize us, those who would provoke us out in the open tend to decrease.”

Seeing me blink in surprise, Rose chuckled.

“Why, being famous means you’re bound to get quite a few nasty stares, right? We often cause chaos while fighting, and after a battle, we end up having to block roads for repairs. Buildings getting destroyed in plain sight doesn’t help either.”

That was… true. In reality, there were often complaints online bashing magical girls using that as an excuse.

“So, if we cover our faces, it just attracts the weirdos. Those wanting to peer underneath our masks or those who want to follow us around because we’re magical girls.”

Really?

I furrowed my brow slightly at Rose’s words, but she seemed unconcerned with my expression and continued speaking.

“If that’s the case, we might as well show our faces openly. You know? Those wanting to pull something weird target us when we’re alone. It’s safer when there are more people around. Celebrities might be different, but for us, there are a lot of ‘people we’ve helped’ around.”

Honestly, even after hearing that, I couldn’t help but tilt my head in confusion.

After all, I had no clue how celebrities lived.

“We’re not celebrities. We don’t hold performances anywhere, right? Rather, we act more like firefighters or police officers, but we just happen to be well-known.”

“Does it… turn out that way?”

Still, if we put it that way, it felt like we were just quitting that job altogether. Wouldn’t that mean we were sort of acting illegally?

Well, it wasn’t strange that the government wasn’t approaching us openly; even if we had gotten half permission, it was a suspicious situation. We had been thanked after preventing an incident at the warp point too.

Even though I didn’t want to be swayed into her reasoning, I strangely began to understand Rose’s words.

And I felt a bit embarrassed for having insisted on wearing a mask and hat when meeting Ha-yoon. It felt like I had acted without knowing anything.

“Well, if I’m going to be alone, it isn’t too bad to cover my face.”

Seeing my expression, Rose offered a bit of justification.

“Jua also covered up because she didn’t want others to recognize her, and you… well, when you were with Ha-yoon, you were just a civilian, so that makes sense. I often go around with these two.”

“You drag them along almost against their will.”

Dalia chimed in, sipping her coffee.

In the webtoon, the three had quite a rough relationship, but judging by that comment, they seemed to be getting along well now.

I wondered if perhaps the timeline in the webtoon and now were just a little different. After all, most episodes in the webtoon flowed in an omniverse style without a main story, so it was hard to gauge the exact timeline.

“So now that you’re a magical girl, if you’re going to hang out with one of us, just do it boldly.”

At those words from Rose, I ended up nodding.

Well, if only one of us wore a mask and pulled a hat low, it might not be too noticeable. But if two or more were wandering around like that, it would definitely attract attention. If there were three or more, it would be downright weird.

Not like we were some sort of robbery gang or anything.

“Being photographed? That’s unavoidable. You saw, right? How they turned a simple kiss into a news article. Once you’ve become well-known, there’s no escaping it completely. You need to accept that much. … Probably not a situation where you would want to be supportive, though.”

“…No, I’m also somewhat prepared.”

In the end, no matter how I sliced it, being in this situation was my fault. I could have avoided it if I hadn’t gotten involved with combatants at all.

Having unwittingly ended up here, I had no choice but to accept it, whether I liked it or not.

With that thought, I took a sip of the peach ade in front of me.

Feeling someone’s gaze, I turned my head to see Ha-yoon sitting next to me, staring at me intently.

She had a smile lingering on her lips, and, like always, it wasn’t a particularly insincere smile.

If I turned my head the other way, Ji-hye was looking at me with the same eyes, and if I looked straight ahead, Jua was sitting facing me. Jua, well, as always, wasn’t exactly looking at me with a smile, but she was glancing at me a bit.

I really couldn’t figure out what I had done wrong.

…This feels strangely uncomfortable. It’s like I’m caught in a love triangle. To be precise, it felt less like being the point of the triangle and more like being stuck awkwardly in the center of it.

It seemed like Rose, Dalia, and Delphinium also picked up on the situation, but no one seemed to be overly concerned about it.

Hmm…

Well, should I just pretend I didn’t notice?

Although I felt the warmth radiating from Ji-hye and Ha-yoon clinging to me was too high, I decided it was just my imagination and fervently sipped my iced tea.

*

Still, after a few days of starting to spend time together, everyone seemed to be getting the hang of how to spend time in the orphanage.

I felt like if we stayed here too long, it would become our permanent hideout, but for now, there wasn’t really any alternative that came to mind, so we just stuck around.

The building the government was offering us seemed far too suspicious, but at the same time, we couldn’t just rent other places with our own funds immediately.

Rose seemed to have quite taken a liking to the kids, and apparently, the kids also liked Rose quite a bit.

Not just the girls, but the boys too.

Rose might appear a bit rough around the edges at first glance, but she wasn’t too boyish either. You could call it a lively demeanor suited for her age.

With a good figure, honestly, some of the boys playing with Rose were likely experiencing their first crushes already. Well, I didn’t really think there was anything I could do about it, so I had no intentions of saying anything.

Dalia and Delphinium were also very popular among the children.

Unlike Rose, who actively engaged with the kids, Dalia wasn’t much for initiating play but didn’t have the heart to refuse when kids asked her questions or came to her with homework.

In particular, she looked quite happy when helping elementary students with their homework.

Delphinium was no different. At a glance, she might give off a very cold impression, so less kids flocked to her like they did with Rose or Dalia, but perhaps because of that quiet aura, kids who were equally quiet would come and sit next to her inside the orphanage.

What they were all silently doing was something only they really understood.

Ha-yoon and Jua were equally popular. The two seemed to prefer being with me, but when kids approached and clung to them, they didn’t have the heart to deny them, so in the end, they were caught up in playing with the children with Rose.

Which meant that Ji-hye and I had finally been left alone peacefully for a long time.

“I guess I’m not popular.”

When I said that, half incredulous, Ji-hye burst into laughter.

“No way, that can’t be it.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Even if your first love is right there, when celebrities show up, people’s interest usually shifts for a while.”

“First love….”

Did I become someone’s first love?

Well, it’s not out of the question. The name ‘Jeong Ji-eun’ is kind of pretty and has a decent figure. Although I’ve never received a confession from kids around my age, looking back, it seems I had quite a bit of popularity among children.

There were definitely boys who blushed when they looked at me.

I feel really bad for those kids, but either way, even if we both reach adulthood, there’s no way I’d date or marry any of them.

“Now, their attention has shifted, but who’s to say someone won’t confess later on?”

That kid from the other day who casually asked if I came back was now playing with Rose, but I had no intention of teasing him like that.

I snorted incredulously.

“Have you ever received a confession yourself?”

As I lay sprawled on the bed and asked, Ji-hye’s eyes widened.

“Me?”

“Yeah.”

“I go to an all-girls school.”

“I get that. But you know those kids, right? The ones who loiter around the all-girls school just to confess.”

“…Were there kids like that?”

Were there not?

I feel like I’ve seen that in dramas or movies.

…Well, in our school, it wasn’t like there were kids like that. We weren’t the type to harbor those feelings in the first place. It’s one thing to loiter in front of the school and ask someone out, but for students seeing each other for the first time, it’s a completely different situation.

Maybe it would have worked twenty or thirty years ago in a romance film, but if the target was not handsome enough to ignore all those risks, that approach wasn’t very likely to succeed nowadays.

…Or is it? Am I just too far removed from dating to be unaware? Well, it doesn’t really matter. Right now, I’m not that desperate for romance.

“Were there?“

But, feeling a bit playful, I answered that way.

Ji-hye’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Really? There were?”

“Uh, something like that.”

I was going to say it was a joke, but her reaction was more interesting than expected, so I answered that way without thinking.

If it were Ha-yoon, I wouldn’t joke around this much, but since it’s Ji-hye, we’ve been playing little tricks on each other since childhood.

That said, it was her who started it all, and I just followed her lead.

“Have you ever received a confession?”

“Yeah, something like that.”

At my words, Ji-hye completely froze.

Suddenly, her face appeared in my view, which startled me a bit.

She didn’t sit on top of me or lie down, but kneeling beside me with her hands propped on my face, she looked down at me quite assertively.

The short hair of Ji-hye brushed against my face, tickling me slightly.

“Why, is that so strange that you’re surprised?”

When I asked incredulously, Ji-hye finally backed away a little, looking somewhat flustered by her actions.

“No, no, it’s just….”

I was more surprised that Ji-hye hadn’t received a confession before.

Ha-yoon might have had no chance because of being a magical girl, but Ji-hye was a pretty average-looking, ordinary girl.

In a co-ed school, it wouldn’t be strange for someone to have a boyfriend, though she could also be introduced to someone by her friends.

“…”

Hmm…

Imagining Ji-hye having a boyfriend feels a little off. Not in a good way.

I could say it’s jealousy, but honestly, I might just be uncomfortable with the thought of the girls around me dating. Am I really looking at them as potential romantic interests even in this situation?

“So, what was he like, the one who confessed?”

Ji-hye asked.

“He was taller than me, broad-shouldered, and had a small face. Unless you’re exceptionally confident, it’s not easy to confess like that, right?”

I’ve heard of some 40-year-old guys confessing to college student part-timers at cafes, but that’s a different situation.

Only teenagers can confess to other teenagers. No matter how capable or handsome a guy is, the moment he confesses to a teenager out in front of the school, he turns into a criminal, doesn’t he?

Even if a university student confessed to a high school senior, that would already create an awkward atmosphere. Unless someone is truly out of their mind, I can’t imagine anyone would do that.

…So, that’s why I can’t think of the kids that way.

In this world, even though I’m technically a teenager, I still feel a bit, well, off.

Because I still have that mindset, I can’t see guys as potential dating candidates.

“…So what did you do?”

Ji-hye asked with a very serious expression, making me seriously ponder how to answer.

Finally, I spoke.

“I rejected him. I’m not looking to date anyone yet. Plus, it’s not like I’m clueless enough to date someone I just met, right?”

In reality, it was more like I was scared to accept it.

“Friends first or something like that, right?”

“Well, I don’t know.”

I think friends can be formed between genders. Regardless, I wouldn’t firmly conclude that such a relationship would be impossible.

But that’s only if one party has no feelings for the other or if the feelings are completely hidden.

If someone confesses and gets rejected, saying “let’s just be friends” wouldn’t hold any credibility.

“Anyway, I’m not interested in dating right now. Not yet.”

“Oh, really….”

Ji-hye responded with a bit of a blank expression.

Hmm.

I contemplated whether to reveal that it was a lie, but this time Ji-hye’s grave expression made me hesitate.

“In fact—”

“Wow, so you’ve had a confession before, huh?”

“Hey, hey.”

It seemed Ji-hye was shocked that she was being overshadowed by my confession, as she kept muttering to herself while I quickly sat up and spoke.

“It’s a joke, a joke. When have I ever had a confession?”

If I left it like that, she might actually believe it, so I said it, and Ji-hye looked at me, somewhat blankly.

“A joke?”

“Yep. Of course, it’s a joke. Who would confess to someone unless they actually know them?”

It wouldn’t be out of the question, but I had never experienced anything like that.

“Really? You’ve never had a confession before?”

“Nope.”

“Not even something like getting confessed to while waiting for the bus…?”

“Could that happen? Ha-yoon was always next to me then, so just ask her. No, besides, we quite often take the bus from the orphanage together anyway.”

“True, but….”

“Are you worried about who I might end up with? Why? Because you’re worried I wouldn’t have time to hang out with you?”

I purposely asked in a playful manner, but Ji-hye’s response was completely outside my expectations.

“Yes.”

So incredibly resolutely, Ji-hye nodded at me.

“Huh?”

“If you get a boyfriend, I’m worried you’ll only hang out with him.”

“…Me?”

“I’ve spent a good while hanging out with school friends.”

“Hey, do you think I wanted to do that?”

But even as I replied, my face was turning slowly red.

To Ji-hye, it probably didn’t carry any significant meaning, but to someone like me, who had lived a life without any experience with the opposite gender, that was a fatal remark.

No matter how many kisses I’ve had, the fact that we are both girls makes it easy to misunderstand that she has feelings for me.

“…”

I glanced at Ji-hye and was a bit surprised to see her sulking, turning her head away.

We’ve lived together long enough to have had our share of fights, but she had never sulked like this over a light joke.

“I’m sorry. Was my joke too much?”

“No, it’s not that it’s too much….”

Ji-hye’s expression changed a bit as she looked at me after I said that.

“I just got a bit surprised.”

“Why are you so surprised by that?”

I asked incredulously.

“Dating isn’t that strange, right?”

“Yeah… it’s not that it’s strange that I’m surprised.”

“That’s how it is?”

“Yeah. You’re pretty, Ji-eun. It wouldn’t be weird for the boys to like you. I mentioned that earlier.”

“Is that so….”

When Ji-hye said that, it only made my face turn even redder.

“Ha, great.”

In the end, all I could do was make some ambiguous sound while lying down on the floor, unable to respond otherwise.

Pretty, huh?

I never knew hearing that from someone else would be so embarrassing.

It’s something I often used to say to comfort Ha-yoon.

…I’ll have to control myself from now on.

 

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