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At first, Ha-yoon’s face looked a bit tense, but soon that subtle wariness melted away.

I mean, Ji-hye had always been like that.

“Wow, you’re really beautiful!”

That was Ji-hye’s very first comment as she faced Ha-yoon.

And yeah, she is pretty. She’s been that way since she was really young. I don’t know, maybe you could say she looks like a child actress?

As time passes, some people’s facial features change in ways you wouldn’t expect from their childhood, but not her at all.

Maybe that’s why she’s so popular? It’s not just her family background; if she hangs out with her group, she gets that much more attention.

Hearing Ji-hye’s admiration for Ha-yoon inexplicably made me feel a little good. It’s not like I made Ha-yoon pretty or anything, but I felt oddly proud.

“Uh, um?”

That was Ha-yoon’s very first reaction.

With a lifetime of friendship built with her, I can confidently say that no one has ever had such a difficult time talking to Ha-yoon on their first meeting, even if she was the shy type at the start.

Actually, there are kids who say similar things. However, they never outright express their admiration. They just end up talking about what makeup they use, which shampoo makes their hair silky, all that jazz.

As far as I know, Ha-yoon doesn’t really use that stuff. I’ve never seen her wear makeup, especially.

Maybe because their world is based on a comic and it’s a universe where magical girls exist? Anyway, every time Ha-yoon hears those kinds of stories, she makes a rather uncomfortable expression. It’s funny, but her eyebrows droop a bit.

But right now, her face was bright red.

“Uh, um, th-thank you…”

After a few seconds of being speechless, she finally managed to respond like that.

“You’re beautiful too.”

And she added that little comment shyly.

“Me? Nah, I’m just average.”

No, you’re pretty.

Now that I think about it, most of the kids I’ve hung out with are pretty. And I’m pretty too. I have no idea how that happened.

It’s one thing for magical girls to be pretty, but me and Ji-hye being pretty seems just like pure luck.

“I think I get why Ji-eun talked about you like that.”

“M-me? She talked about me?”

Ha-yoon’s eyes sparkled immediately.

“Hey.”

I frowned and looked at Ji-hye, who shrugged her shoulders.

“Why? It’s true that I complimented you. She probably said you’d be the face of a magical girl.”

“Hey, hey.”

Ha-yoon’s face was about to burst.

It was indeed something I had said. Not long after I got invited to become a magical girl, I bragged about it to Ji-hye.

Usually, I wouldn’t share such stories with others, but for some reason, I just wanted to brag about that to someone.

Ah, maybe that’s why Ji-hye suggested going out together today, perhaps feeling a bit distant since then. I haven’t really changed my feelings about Ji-hye, but it’s true that our face-to-face conversations have diminished.

I gave Ji-hye a light tap on the arm.

“Why? Are you embarrassed?”

Do you know what I mean?

But there was really no need for me to say such things.

After all, my face was, well, not that it could compare to Ha-yoon, but I was pretty flushed too.

*

“…But.”

So, with the atmosphere slightly loosened, we made our way to the café and started chatting when suddenly Ha-yoon spoke up, recalling something.

“Ji-eun often talked about me in front of Ji-hye…”

For some reason, Ha-yoon looked a bit down saying that. Why?

Just a second ago, her expression was so bright.

“She never talked about Ji-hye in front of me.”

“…”

Ah, now that was true.

Because we weren’t blood-related sisters.

Jeong Ji-eun, Jeong Ji-hye. Our names might sound like sisters, but in the end, they were given to us by the person who picked us up. We don’t share a drop of blood.

Since we had spent time together since childhood, we were practically like sisters, and now we can’t deny that we’ve formed a relationship beyond that.

More than anything, if I started talking about Ji-hye, I’d probably end up bringing up the orphanage too.

By its nature, when a person talks, the more information there is, the more mistakes there can be.

“That’s…”

After a moment of deliberation, I slowly opened my mouth.

“You had a lot on your mind, so I didn’t want to stir anything up by talking about myself.”

“My story is disturbing?”

Ji-hye immediately contradicted my statement.

“Not to put too fine a point on it, but it’s not like it’s disturbing. But talking about myself seems a bit off.”

Right. Since we were on this subject, I decided to stick with the fact that I hadn’t mentioned my story.

By the way, Ji-hye knows at least I haven’t shared the orphanage story with Ha-yoon. She clearly understands that it’s a sensitive topic. She’s been perceptive enough to adjust to me since childhood.

Even now, it seems like she was doing it on purpose to provoke me. Her hands were cupping her face, sipping her pink drink through a straw.

“That’s true.”

But for some reason, Ha-yoon tilted her head at me.

“I feel like I never got to hear Ji-eun’s story deeply.”

No, Ha-yoon.

Why do you keep fixating in that weird direction?

She seems unusually assertive lately. Maybe she feels good about the idea of me becoming a magical girl, just like I do.

“Oh, really? Should I tell you?”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“Why are you two suddenly so collaborative?”

I rolled my eyes in disbelief.

While I was doing that, I was also pondering whether I had any embarrassing memories.

“One day, I went out, came back, and flopped down on the blanket crying buckets.”

“Hey.”

“Ji-eun? Why?”

“Ah, it was because my test scores dropped—”

“Hey. Jeong Ji-hye.”

When I shot her a fierce look, Ji-hye laughed, realizing it.

Ha-yoon’s eyes widened in surprise as she looked at me.

“That really happened?”

“Just once, just once.”

I waved my hand dismissively.

It happened when I was in elementary school.

Of course, at that time, it wasn’t anything monumental. Elementary students don’t have midterms or finals.

But even so, the fact that I was outdone by Ha-yoon in grades infuriated me for some reason.

In front of her, I pretended to be fine and congratulated her, but once I got home, I sobbed uncontrollably.

The fact that I could remember my past life must mean something, and perhaps during that time, my mind couldn’t catch up with my body.

Or maybe it was simply that I was upset about losing to an elementary school kid. Ultimately, it was something quite trivial, but it felt like everything I had built up was crumbling down.

“So, that happened…”

Seeing Ha-yoon mutter that in disbelief made me feel a little strange.

In the past, I would have probably fretted over it a lot. Maybe I wouldn’t have been too pleased about Ji-hye meeting Ha-yoon either.

Ji-hye probably knows that too—how much my attitude has softened lately.

So, I guess that’s how I could make such jokes now.

But even so.

When I shot a glare at Ji-hye, she slightly raised her eyebrows in an apologetic manner.

It was probably just the atmosphere affecting her. What I had said and what Ha-yoon had said, the words were my fault first.

The way Ha-yoon looked at me was a bit strange too. Up until now, Ha-yoon often gazed at me with an air of admiration. Maybe it was because I’d taken such good care of her.

It’s surprising that I had ever cried over test scores.

“…”

Thinking about it again, it’s a bit infuriating.

When I glared at Ji-hye lightly, this time she turned her head away with a somewhat cheeky look.

“I… didn’t know.”

“I never talked about it in front of you. Would I really bring up crying over something like that with everyone?”

But Ha-yoon maintained a serious expression at my words.

“If I had known, I would have told you it was okay.”

“…”

It’s not that I cried just because my score dropped; I was crying because I lost to you.

But I can’t say that directly to Ha-yoon. That’s just my inner feelings that even Ji-hye is unaware of.

“Well, the next time I do cry, you can comfort me then.”

I said that with a smile and took a cooling sip of the fruit juice in front of me.

The mix of orange and mango flavors slid down my throat refreshingly.

…Hmm.

Somehow, it feels refreshing.

No, not the drink.

*

Of course, having fun is always delightful.

Ha-yoon and Ji-hye seem to be pretty chummy now. I guess it must have been my story that brought them together?

After that, Ji-hye brought up a few more of my tales, but luckily none of them were about times when I cried.

Ha-yoon blushed when she heard that I cherished the CD she had gifted me.

“When you become a magical girl someday, make sure to give me a signature.”

When Ji-hye said that, Ha-yoon nodded eagerly, a big smile on her face.

“Make sure to give me one too.”

“I’ll consider it if you keep it together.”

“…While living together!?”

Seeing Ji-hye’s slightly shocked expression made both Ha-yoon and me burst into laughter.

 

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