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“I don’t want that.”

I immediately rejected what the seniors first proposed to me.

“Why?”

Seo-hee asked, looking incredulous.

“Isn’t the magical girl outfit you usually wear skimpier than this?”

“Are you serious right now?”

I said, looking at Seo-hee.

“See? The fabric area is way less here. No matter how much you call it a swimsuit, there’s no way I’m wearing something like this.”

I was staring at the swimsuit Seo-hee was holding onto.

That’s right.

Seo-hee was offering me a bikini. Summer and all, you know.

Last time we went to the pension, we just grilled some meat without even going into the water, but this time, the magical girl seniors wanted to hit the beach.

I understand their feelings. Even with exams and all, it’s their last summer as high school students.

Graduating doesn’t completely mark the end of being a teenager, but with only a few months left, I get why they want to ignite those final summer days.

“I guess I’d be okay with a one-piece.”

Still, accepting it easily was tough.

I was already used to wearing a skirt since I wore a school uniform, and I also wore women’s underwear comfortably.

But putting on a bikini with less fabric than what I’m comfortable with in front of others is something I wanted to avoid.

“But you’re the star of our party.”

In response to me, Seo-hee made that claim.

“Your figure is the most defined among us, right? Since you were born with that body, why not flaunt it a bit?”

“…….”

Is she for real?

No, it’s not that I lacked pride in my body. Everyone around me admired it. So, Ha-yoon, Ji-hye, Jua, and Pang-pang. Lately, they hugged me for real.

“Come on, don’t be like that. I’ll buy it for you.”

Seo-hee kept pushing the bikini onto me.

“Ha-yoon will probably like it too?”

Surprisingly, I was a little tempted by that.

I know there are plenty of girls who like me. But I still had no clue how to approach them at all.

I was aware I had to choose one. No matter how much it was a same-sex relationship and one that society wouldn’t recognize as a marriage, isn’t it still a social consensus?

However, as someone who’s always been indecisive, I found myself attracted to all of them. I knew it was a bit different from the utopian fantasies I dreamed about in my childhood, but I had definitely imagined such things.

“…….”

“Wow, you’re really thinking hard about it.”

Yeon-woo said, sounding incredulous.

“……Looks like you really have feelings for them.”

Chae-yeon chimed in.

“……Are you saying that just to test my feelings?”

“No, it’s also true.”

Seo-hee said, handing me the bikini while smiling.

“So, junior, we’ll overlook it this time, so pick one. It would be rude to keep rejecting what the seniors are offering.”

What kind of old-fashioned reasoning is that?

“You guys have never played around with juniors, have you?”

Seeing everyone avoid my gaze made it seem true.

Anyway.

I shrugged.

Well, I guess there’s no helping it.

It’s my first time hanging out with seniors too, but ultimately, we were both lacking in experience.

While Ha-yoon was close with all the magical girls, she wasn’t really the type to be overly active and run around everywhere.

She probably just went home and rested after her magical girl duties.

“……Fine. I do owe something to some people, so I’ll let the third-year seniors have their fun with us juniors.”

They all made somewhat ridiculous expressions at my words, but, well.

I guess it’s absurd for me too.

*

Hanging out together turned out to be more fun than expected.

Looking back, I realized I’d already walked around with Ji-hye and Ha-yoon flanking me before. Although we didn’t do anything special then, it was extremely fun.

I guess it’s because I’ve accepted the other magical girls in my own way.

All of this is an emotion I can have since the revenge is completely done. If I still had things to settle, I wouldn’t be this carefree about going around.

“…….”

Wait.

Recalling the past dragged up some not-so-good memories too.

That day, while I was hanging out with Ji-hye and Ha-yoon, I encountered an alien.

Well, they called it an alien, but it wasn’t a runaway type. It was an alien with a modified camera attached to its body. An alien in the most literal sense.

That day, Ha-yoon had called all the other magical girls—and that day was probably when I met other magical girls for the first time.

I wondered how today would go.

For now, I noticed people glancing at us. We must have stood out, considering we were beings that had been featured in the news more than a few times.

Unlike Ha-yoon, who was trying to keep our identities hidden, these senior magical girls seemed to be quite accustomed to it after a year, as they weren’t too concerned about it.

There were people pointing phone cameras at us, but since the seniors didn’t mind at all, I decided not to either.

“The beach should be fun to see. Especially if you’re wearing such swimsuits.”

“Huh? Is our junior worried about that?”

Yeon-woo said cheerfully.

“Well, nothing to worry about. Even though it’s a beach, it’s private property. It’s not a huge beach, but there’s some sand too.”

A private beach in this small country? I’m completely at a loss about how rich you have to be to have that.

“That’s why you’re so relaxed…”

I muttered as I looked around—

I locked eyes with someone.

Among those pointing smartphone cameras at us, someone was moving around awkwardly.

They looked like a person, but their vibe was a bit different. They didn’t seem to be from Earth. At least their outer appearance looked like a human, but there was an odd sense of disharmony.

“What’s wrong?”

Seo-hee asked, noticing my apprehensive look.

“Nothing, just felt like I saw someone strange for a moment.”

I answered Seo-hee quietly.

Seo-hee looked in that direction following my gaze.

Receiving two pairs of eyes, the one who looked like a human but probably wasn’t quickly turned to leave us.

“…….”

And I saw it.

That man hastily stuffing what looked like a wallet into his pocket.

“Looks like a pickpocket.”

No matter how good a reputation a country has for safety, crime still exists. There’s probably no place in the world where absolutely no crime happens.

Especially in a scene like this where attention is drawn.

“What do you want to do?”

Seo-hee asked.

“……Should we call the police?”

I answered back logically.

If it’s a real alien, then it’s important for us to intervene, but if it’s not, that’s something the police can handle. Especially when it’s a crime as blatant as that.

Hmm.

Or maybe I’m being too biased.

It could be someone else’s wallet. It’s entirely possible they just accidentally took their wallet out and put it back.

I could just ignore it and walk away, but—

For some reason, the senior magical girls were all looking at me.

As if they were waiting to see how I would decide.

“……Why is everyone looking at me like that?”

I asked, slightly bewildered.

“Am I supposed to be the leader or something?”

“For a while, you did act like a leader.”

Yeon-woo nodded as she said that.

“……That was when we were with Noir Corporation.”

Chae-yeon chimed in.

……Well, that was true, but come on.

Right now, I’m just a magical girl, right? If anything, the leader would be Ha-yoon.

Though Ha-yoon isn’t here.

And thinking about it, it didn’t seem like they were seeing me as just the ‘leader’ either.

More like, they were eager to watch how a junior would react.

“Hey, you guys have gotten too accustomed to being vigilantes.”

I said with a slight protest, but the three just shrugged.

Well, in the end, we are magical girls.

Fighting for love and justice.

“……Sigh.”

I sighed softly.

“Let’s just follow him. We’ll know once we find out.”

The three of them nodded with slight smiles on their faces, clearly amused.

 

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