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I don’t like losing, to put it simply.

Even towards my friend Ha-yoon, I felt this way. Ever since I found out that it was her destiny to become a Magical Girl.

There was a time I thought about becoming a Combatant.

No matter how talented I might be, I knew I couldn’t compete with a Magical Girl, but I still wanted to beat Ha-yoon somehow.

Yet, I ended up becoming a Magical Girl myself.

… Well, if I had to nitpick, I wasn’t one just yet.

“Hmm.”

I took a rough breath and glared at the red Magical Girl in front of me.

She was a year older than me and had already begun her activities as a Magical Girl.

“It seems your fighting skills are a bit lacking.”

Of course. I was only starting my preparations to become a Magical Girl.

To be honest, I was a bit annoyed by Rose saying that to me. Wasn’t Rose the first Magical Girl in this country? Surely, she wouldn’t have had any seniors to compete with.

I didn’t mean to belittle the training I had received before becoming a Magical Girl, but somehow I felt like Rose had never directly heard such remarks from anyone.

If there was one more reason I was upset, it was that Ha-yoon had never fallen behind in her fights against Rose.

So… Ha-yoon was a genius. The kind of genius that could star in a comic.

“Still, I like that glare you’re giving.”

Rose smirked.

“Are you reaching your limit? And yet you still want to fight?”

“… Bring it on.”

I clenched my fists in response, and I could hear cracking sounds from my fingers.

Even if I got hurt, I’d recover quickly. That’s the magic of being a Magical Girl, right? If I just laid down moaning over a broken bone, I wouldn’t be able to stop the aliens when they run amok next.

The reason I wanted to fight was much more personal than that.

In this world, I wanted to prove my worth.

For some reason, this world I had flown into felt like it had no value for me at all. I had come here just because some artist said I wasn’t as good as I used to be.

… If there was someone responsible for sending me here, I wanted to tell them that doing such a thing was completely pointless.

At least, there was hope.

“That’s impressive.”

Rose said that.

It was clear from her expression that she didn’t mean it sincerely. But aside from that, she seemed a little interested.

Rose raised her fists. Unlike usual, she didn’t have any gauntlets on her hands. Maybe she was worried I’d get hurt…

No, if that was the case, we wouldn’t be able to fight for long.

That thought bothered me. I still didn’t even have a proper Wand.

“What if you came at me instead?”

Rose asked with a smile.

I gritted my teeth and charged at her.

*

“Ouch, ouch…”

“Ji-eun, you don’t have to push yourself so much.”

Ha-yoon looked down at me as she spoke.

The bruises on my body healed quickly. It was enough that I wouldn’t hear any scolding from Ji-hye.

I hadn’t broken anything either.

Magic is truly a mysterious power that provides some kind of protection to the body. But still, I didn’t think the size of my hope would be enough to survive Rose’s attacks.

“Sigh, thinking you’re all that just because you’re a senior.”

“Ji-eun…”

I want to win.

Heartfelt.

Ha-yoon seemed to be holding back words she wanted to say to me.

Yeah. Somehow, I had a feeling I knew what she wanted to say. There was one phrase that fit me perfectly in this situation.

I didn’t need to be the absolute best.

The number of Magical Girls should be as high as possible anyway. Whether it’s dealing with rampaging aliens or magical alien gangs, having beings that can respond at any time is a good thing for my country.

Even someone with my level of skill would surely be helpful.

But in the first place, I didn’t become a Magical Girl for such noble reasons.

“Ji-eun.”

Ha-yoon lightly placed her hand over mine.

The person I wanted to beat the most was still Ha-yoon.

Yet I had come this far thanks to her recommendation. Looking back, that felt a bit frustrating.

Despite feeling frustrated,

The circuit on my wrist spun vigorously.

Does this mean my hope is directed towards Ha-yoon?

I slightly closed my eyes.

“…”

Yeah, I guess that’s unavoidable.

After all, the reason I became friends with Ha-yoon wasn’t solely because she was the protagonist.

Let’s do our best.

So I wouldn’t regret what Ha-yoon had suggested to me.

*

“… Impressive.”

Rose often expressed that kind of admiration towards me.

At first, her tone lacked any real emotion. It was just polite praise to encourage me as I learned and grew.

But this time, there seemed to be a hint of sincerity in what Rose said.

“You’re growing quickly, huh?”

Well, I wonder.

I’m still not up to Rose’s level. I can barely transform, create a magical barrier to block attacks, and counterattack, but I still didn’t have a Wand.

Ha-yoon, who joined around the same time as me, already had her Wand. Just like in the original story, Ha-yoon’s Wand was a bouquet.

Something precious to me.

If I had to count them, I have quite a few. What about the things Ha-yoon had gifted me? Well, honestly, those items have their issues when it comes to fighting. A CD, for instance, how would I fight with that? I couldn’t even throw it to hit someone.

Maybe it would be okay to create my own weapon later on, like Jua, who would join us. But of course, I wouldn’t have the skill to make such things myself, so I’d need someone’s help.

… Well, those things didn’t matter much for now.

After all, the sparring with Rose would be done without weapons, just our magic-wrapped fists. I understood the reason for this training. This way of fighting made it easier to learn how to control magic.

“There’s no hidden technique to turning on the Hope Circuit, right?”

“… What hidden technique could there be?”

“Well, that’s true.”

I still didn’t have a Wand.

But then, what should I get my hope from?

… Well, the answer was simple.

It was Ha-yoon.

Ironically, Ha-yoon was my hope. Isn’t that obvious? Outside of Ji-hye, whom I had known from the start, Ha-yoon was the first person I made friends with when I came to this side of the world. Just as I had influenced Ha-yoon, she also had an impact on my early years.

I want to beat Ha-yoon. So, I can’t lose to anyone else.

Ha-yoon was the best Magical Girl after all.

I resolved my heart that way.

“…”

I can’t say this openly to anyone.

“Well, still, it’s admirable that you’re not giving up.”

Rose said, smiling refreshingly for some reason.

Before I could even respond to that expression I saw for the first time—

This time, Rose rushed towards me first.

“So then,”

Bam!

A sharp pain shot through my arm. I had raised my hands to guard my face, but my body was pushed back.

Managing to not fall, I opened my guard slightly and glared at Rose.

Good grief, I didn’t even charge in to attack her.

Rose looked down at her fist and then back at me.

And once again, she smiled.

“So, let’s have a little more fun.”

“… Come at me as many times as you want.”

In response to my provocation, Rose complied.

*

I managed to endure until Rose said we could wrap up for the day.

Though I had become a mess, I didn’t have any major injuries.

Yeah. I didn’t have a mindset that I absolutely must win today. After all, I wouldn’t end my Magical Girl journey in just a day or two, would I?

Rather, little by little. Step by step, I would improve.

Rose had chosen this training method to increase my magical power. Therefore, let’s continue to fight and secure those abilities.

There was still time. I had a little more until I become a Magical Girl.

Thud.

Huff.

I fell backward and exhaled deeply.

“…”

Rose watched me as I lay down and then approached me.

She crouched down and started messing with my hair.

“What the heck?!”

I shouted with an annoyed voice. Given that I’m already soaked in sweat. Well, I was going to shower before going home anyway, but still, it’s a little annoying that she’s building a new nest in my hair.

“Nah, just…”

Rose stopped messing with my hair and looked down at me with a smile. This expression wasn’t a beast-like smile, but rather a somewhat satisfied face.

“I just thought it would be great if our junior continued to grow this well.”

As I frowned, Rose shrugged.

“Why? I need someone to play with, too.”

Was that really true?

Did it still feel like I was just playing to her?

“Then, see you tomorrow.”

Rose smiled at me once more before standing up.

With soft steps, the sound of her footsteps faded away.

When the training ground door opened, and Rose stepped outside,

“… Don’t give up like the others.”

I heard her mumble softly.

Suddenly, I realized I had never seen Rose fighting with other kids, just like she did with me, using bare hands.

 

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