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Do people usually go out wearing sleep pants? I’ve heard of cases where that might happen, but I don’t think I’ve ever done it.

Well, the only time I go out at night is usually when I’m off as a combatant. Since we don’t have a simple transformation method like magical girls, I have no choice but to dress properly before heading out.

I went out in casual clothes, changed into my combat suit that I had put in my locker, and then went off to battle.

After putting on that combat suit, of course I fought against magical girls. The companies trying to gain even a little profit in this country and the magical girls trying to stop them at all costs.

It was like a justification for the Federation to have a purpose in stopping companies from profiting, but still, it felt justified in some way. The magical girls believed it.

“…….”

Hmm.

In a way, this situation is a bit perplexing.

Among the girls who cling to me, Ji-hye is someone who absolutely has no conflict with me. The only time we clashed was a personal reason from childhood, and at least regarding work, we never ended up fighting with punches or kicks. There was no reason for that.

As for Ha-yoon… she was someone I unilaterally admired. The reason I became a combatant was because I wanted to win against Ha-yoon, even just once, so I had no reason to dislike her in the first place.

But as for Jua, well…

I don’t even understand how I ended up being liked by her, so it’s a bit uncomfortable to be alone together like this.

I would rather have it out in the open and fight. It’d be easier to know exactly what each of us is thinking.

I was trying to win against the magical girls, including Jua—no, at least to give them a hit, while Jua saw me as a thorn in her side.

Now it’s all just vague.

As for Jua, right now she was just sitting next to me, her hand intertwined with mine as she was fidgeting in silence after our conversation had ended.

“…….”

No one was walking around us. It could be said that this park in the heart of Seoul was a bit deserted. Still, I thought that was a good thing. If there were people around, it would have been hard to have a proper conversation.

I scratched my head while looking around, then spotted a public restroom in the distance.

In front of the restroom was a vending machine.

…….

Oh, wait, I don’t have any money right now.

“Sh-should I buy it for you!?”

“Huh?”

Just when I thought there was no way out, Jua suddenly responded like that, making me jump slightly.

“I’ll go get it!”

“Wait, hey, hold on.”

Before I could stop her, Jua was already running toward the vending machine.

What’s going on?

This feels incredibly weird.

For a moment, it’s like I’ve turned into a delinquent. Well, considering my looks, it might be strange if I weren’t a delinquent.

Maybe Jua herself thought this situation was awkward in her own way.

Just a moment later, Jua returned with a can of coffee in her hand. She handed one over to me, and it turned out to be a warm drink. Well, it wasn’t extremely cold, but it was a bit chilly, so it wasn’t a bad choice.

“Thanks for that.”

“Are, are you sure?”

At my words, Jua’s face turned a little red as she sat next to me.

Then she seemed to hesitate for a moment before scooting a bit closer to me.

We both sat there for a while, drinking coffee in silence.

There was a bit of space between Jua and me, but my right arm brushed against Jua’s left, making it somewhat uncomfortable to move.

No, when I’m with the others, they get all up close, but why is it different now?

I don’t think it’s bad, but…

“Hey, Jua.”

“Yes, yes!?”

When I spoke up, Jua’s shoulders jolted. A little coffee spilled from the can through the tiny hole.

“About what we were talking earlier.”

At my words, Jua sunk her head down.

“I’m not saying you shouldn’t like me or anything. If you like me, then there’s nothing you can do about it, right?”

It’s not something I should be saying, but, well, it is what it is. I can’t restrict her feelings. Even if I wanted to, feelings don’t just change like that.

But even so, there’s something clearly I want to clarify.

I’m pretty serious when it comes to emotions, so I don’t plan on letting it slide casually.

Right now, Ha-yoon’s and Ji-hye’s words and actions are serious. It wouldn’t be fair to respond lightly to girls who hit me with such sincerity.

So, if Jua’s feelings are merely a passing fancy, then I can’t choose her.

…… On the surface, it doesn’t seem that way, and yet somehow, I can’t find a definite reason for it, which is a problem.

“So, I want to make sure of this. If your feelings for me are real, then how did it come to be? If I can’t understand your feelings, I can’t accept you, can I?”

“A-Accept you? You’re saying you’d think about it!?”

Why is she just picking out the parts that sound nice to hear?

…… But that doesn’t mean I plan to reject her immediately, so what she said isn’t entirely wrong.

I just want a bit more reason to think seriously about this.

“……”

Jua appeared lost in thought for a moment before she sighed lightly.

Then she slowly began to share her story.

“You know I recognized you while you were in your combat suit, right?”

“Right. How did you recognize me?”

“Because it was so obvious that it was you, how could I not recognize you?”

“What? So you’re saying you fell for me at first sight? Even though my face was covered?”

“I’m trying to explain this! Who looks at someone’s butt so lightly!?”

Jua got mad at my teasing but quickly composed herself, clearing her throat and speaking again.

“Anyways, that’s how it was. You were the only cocky combatant. If you couldn’t win in a fight, you could just run away or retreat, but you kept charging right in. If someone’s left standing until the end of a fight, it’s obviously you, right?”

That’s true.

Pang-pang fought hard until the end too, but sadly, she wasn’t the type to use circuits.

“I didn’t fall in love with you in an instant or anything.”

Jua glanced away and looked into the distance as she continued.

“Somehow, just from fighting over and over, I wanted to beat Ji-eun at least. You always showed up whenever we went out to fight. Even when I would win several times and send her flying elsewhere, Ji-eun just wouldn’t give up.”

“……”

“But you felt the same way, right, Ji-eun?”

“…… Yeah.”

She really got on my nerves. Other magical girls didn’t annoy me, but I really wanted to hit back at Jua, who openly acted like she was ignoring me.

So I even teased her on purpose and such.

…… Ah, seeing it like this, it’s no wonder I was recognizable.

“But then, as I kept fighting, those kinds of thoughts came up.”

Jua’s fingers fidgeted.

“I’ve never been this honest with someone before. And I wonder if anyone has been this honest with me?”

After fiddling with the can of coffee for a while, Jua stammered as she began to speak again.

I didn’t know how to respond to that.

“So, I wanted to see your face. I know you’re a girl, but I have no idea what the person inside is like.”

“……”

“After I found out what your face looks like, well.”

Jua bit her lip, choosing her words then finally spoke up again.

“Well, you might still be fighting battles you can’t win. Just honestly doing what you want. Maybe I found that admirable. Over time, I’ve just started to think like that.”

“Is that right.”

I still don’t completely understand. They say that you get attached to someone when fighting together, but even then, it’s too soon to say I completely grasp Jua.

But that doesn’t mean I’m completely clueless about her feelings like before.

It’s just that, I get it, it could be like that—such thoughts crossed my mind.

“So, you wanted to be together?”

“If Ji-eun ended up dating someone else, then I’d lose even the chance to talk to you, right?”

Seeing Jua pout like that, I could agree to that without a doubt.

That’s true. That’s how it was.

I was scared that Ha-yoon would leave… just like that.

If I were a guy, maybe I wouldn’t have reached this point in our relationship. Perhaps, I wouldn’t have been able to hold back and confessed, and things would have fallen apart.

But even so, I would have confessed. I wouldn’t want to see Ha-yoon date another guy.

If I sensed that Ha-yoon was getting close to liking someone, yeah, I might have interfered. I’m just that selfish and greedy.

Now that I think about it, Jua seems a little pitiful.

“So I’ll keep sticking around. Whether you understand me or not. Because there’s no other way.”

A completely different relationship from the others, one that I realized later on.

Whether Jua always liked girls or not, whether her feelings for me are something she could fall for deeply or not.

Whether it’s just that my looks matched Jua’s preference or not.

In the end, Jua fell for me. For that reason.

Whether it’s a deep or shallow story, her feelings for me are real. It may not weigh more than the feelings other girls have for me, but I can’t treat it as ‘fake.’

Let alone that I’m a human being who is capable of being loved.

“……”

What on earth was I thinking.

As someone who got pushed around and misunderstood by others, I was now doing the same thing to someone else.

Is it even about the reasons?

“…… I see.”

I muttered like that.

Jua still couldn’t look me in the eye and was just playing with the can, but her face seemed to brighten up a bit.

As if saying that she wouldn’t mind getting hurt here.

I felt a bit uneasy about that.

Because Jua is Happy Iris.

Someone who would fight me and try to win against me until the end.

And that somehow frustrated me—

I kissed Jua on the cheek.

No, was it really just because I was annoyed?

I’m not sure. I’m just as confused about my feelings.

But for some reason, I didn’t like seeing Jua looking like that.

“Whoa!?”

Before Jua could react, I quickly stood up and ran away.

“Are you running away!? Are you seriously running away now!?”

Leaving behind Jua’s surprised question, I quickly transformed and took off into the sky.

“Did you just run away!? You really ran away!? After kissing me and just running!? Why aren’t you standing still!?”

I heard Jua’s voice chasing after me from behind.

The summons rang again.

I couldn’t help but chuckle at the sound.

Yeah, this feels better. It’s better than being awkwardly subdued. It’s better to be ‘Iris.’

Maybe I am starting to like that straightforward Iris—Jua, just a little.

The peaceful night sky was cut by my white light as I flew, and behind it, a purple light was chasing.

Probably, tomorrow morning, we would both be in the news.

I don’t know if it will be reported as a love quarrel again, but somehow I thought it would feel more comfortable that way.

 

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