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Even so, it’s a good thing that Ji-hye and Ha-yoon collaborated in their own way.

I’m not thinking of saying it yet, but someday when I become a Magical Girl and am next to Ha-yoon, whether I say it or not, it won’t matter.

“A signature, huh.”

Watching me relax a bit, Ji-hye fell into thought for a moment before speaking.

“Well then, wouldn’t it be a good idea to create a signature now?”

“Huh?”

I blinked in surprise.

“I mean, I thought it might be too late once you become a Magical Girl. A signature is something you should get used to, right?”

Is that so?

I looked at Ha-yoon, but she was just tilting her head in confusion as well.

“Here, look.”

Ji-hye rummaged through her handbag and pulled out a notepad and a pen. She then smoothly scribbled something and passed it over to me.

I looked at the note, which read: Ji-hye♡…

Well, she did write it quite stylishly. It had a line that seemed to float, and the heart was beautifully connected to the tail at the end of ‘혜’.

“…Do you practice this kind of stuff usually?”

As I asked, Ji-hye’s face instantly turned red.

“N-no, not particularly!”

Saying that, Ji-hye snatched the notepad and pen back from my hand.

“It’s pretty, why?”

Ha-yoon poked my arm from the side as she spoke. From her sideways glance, it seemed she thought I had gone too far.

But we usually tease each other like this.

Seeing Ji-hye’s blushing face made me feel a bit sorry, so I scratched my cheek and said, “Later on, when you become famous, you’ll definitely be able to use it.”

I said this thinking of a signature that certainly wouldn’t be usable at any official signing, and Ji-hye glanced up at me.

“R-really?”

“Yeah, Ha-yoon said the same thing. She wrote it beautifully.”

“Heh.”

Even though her face was still slightly red from my compliment, Ji-hye seemed to be in a good mood. The way she scratched the back of her head while smiling was kind of cute.

I see. If Ji-hye becomes famous…

What kind of fame would suit her? It seemed like she would do fine in the entertainment industry. Of course, I was just making that assumption based on how she looked, not a serious assessment.

Ji-hye’s pretty, right?

I know just being pretty isn’t everything, but still, it’s nice to imagine.

Or, Ji-hye could also become a Magical Girl.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Just.”

Did I stare too intensely? Ji-hye shot me a wary look again. I shrugged my shoulders in response.

A Magical Girl.

If Ji-hye became a Magical Girl, I thought that wouldn’t be so bad. It would be nice if we could fight together, right?

With those thoughts in mind, I took another sip from my straw, finishing my drink.

Some might say that with Iris about to join, there would be too many Magical Girls, but originally, as a Magical Girl series progresses, more members are supposed to join. Even if a few new characters appear in the original work, it wouldn’t be a problem.

*

A few days later.

Finally, the last member, Iris, arrived.

Actually, saying she was the last member felt a bit odd. If we’re being precise, shouldn’t I, who wasn’t in the original work, be considered the last member? Well, according to this world’s standards, since I came first, the order isn’t technically incorrect.

Iris didn’t start off being called ‘Iris’ right away.

Like me and Ha-yoon, who were still not called by our Magical Girl names, Iris didn’t start with the name Iris. None of us was an official Magical Girl yet.

Iris’s name was Jua.

Like the other Magical Girls, Jua was also pretty. Though she seemed a bit on the serious side.

“From today, please take good care of me.”

Jua said this very formally.

Ah, right. In the original work, Jua was a character who used honorifics. In fact, it was rare in Korea for someone of the same age to use honorifics towards another student.

“Since I’ve come here, I won’t slack off.”

Jua said that with a fiery determination in her eyes.

Ha-yoon didn’t come here wanting to be a Magical Girl from the start. She caught Cherry’s eye by accident and was selected because of it.

The other girls had different things they wanted to do, but ended up having to become Magical Girls.

But Jua was different.

Jua was serious about being a Magical Girl. In the original manga, Jua admired Ha-yoon and treated her as a rival to the extent of copying her hairstyle.

“I will do my best to become a proper Magical Girl. Once again, thank you for having me.”

Watching Jua bow at a right angle as if she was ready for some unusual challenge, Seo-hee and Yeon-woo had blank expressions on their faces. Delphinium hardly showed any expression at all anyway.

I was honestly a bit anxious.

What if Yeon-woo openly ignored her or if Seo-hee laughed?

Neither of them were bad people, but in the manga, they were the characters who mercilessly teased the serious Iris. Just like Yeon-woo couldn’t understand Seo-hee’s way of doing things, and Seo-hee couldn’t grasp Yeon-woo’s methods, Iris didn’t really like the two who weren’t completely serious either.

And that was one of the reasons Iris had trouble blending in with the other Magical Girls and fought from a distance.

However.

For some reason, Seo-hee glanced over at me. Then she nodded alone and reached out her hand toward Jua.

“Alright, since we’re on the same team now, let’s try our best.”

Jua looked up a bit, her eyes sparkling as she took Seo-hee’s hand.

“Yes, I’ll do my best, senpai!”

“Senpai?….”

Seo-hee had a strangely sentimental expression as she looked at me. What. Why. Is it possible she wants me to call her senpai?

“Yeah, well, the others are working hard as well.”

For some reason, Yeon-woo glanced at me and then said that, patting Jua’s back. Jua beamed with a bright smile once again.

A girl who admires Magical Girls.

In the original story, she might have been ignored in this position. Both Seo-hee and Yeon-woo didn’t really enjoy the fact that they had to be Magical Girls to that extent.

I don’t really want to think this way, but if this atmosphere is due to me, then I’m relieved. I still don’t want to walk on thin ice.

At least Delphinium still kept a somewhat cool demeanor, but it was better than openly mocking.

They say it’s better to show negative feelings than indifference, but I disagree.

Either way, if you’re indifferent towards people you don’t get along with, it doesn’t hurt much. It just makes the good people around you stand out more clearly.

…

Ah, but I definitely won’t just leave Delphinium like this. Sooner or later, I plan to pull her in for sure.

After all, we need to cooperate and fight together.

*

The training for the Magical Girls is almost entirely autonomous, except for the classes we receive from Cherry. Since the senior members are all capable in real combat, they’ve been teaching us in their own way, so Cherry didn’t have a reason to meddle too much.

In the original work, it seemed I worked hard to mediate when conflicts arose with Ha-yoon, but nowadays, whenever I’m with Seo-hee, or Yeon-woo, or even with Ha-yoon, Cherry just sits there watching with a satisfied expression and doesn’t say anything.

She probably didn’t want to meddle unnecessarily and disrupt our relationships since we were all doing well.

And for some reason, Jua kept following me around.

At first, I thought she was following Ha-yoon. Ha-yoon had a typical Magical Girl look after all. With her pink hair and even though she wasn’t a Magical Girl yet, she was already learning magic faster than the seniors while handling a wand.

So I thought she’d become a complete role model.

“Hah.”

“Here you go.”

As I sat down on the floor and let out a sigh, Jua handed me a water bottle.

Her eyes sparkled. Jua hadn’t even put her hair in a ponytail yet.

…What’s going on?

Isn’t it time for her to start following Ha-yoon’s example? She should be going for the ponytail and the best Magical Girl image, thinking that Ha-yoon is the most excellent in that regard.

It can’t be that she’s just following me because I have straight hair.

“Thanks.”

I accepted the water bottle from Ha-yoon and chugged it down.

“You both did great today.”

Seo-hee reached out her hand to me, and I grabbed it, rising to my feet.

“You were amazing too, Ji-eun!”

Jua said, her eyes sparkling.

“R-really? I thought it was just as usual.”

Why was Seo-hee blushing as she laughed, “Haha”? I thought to myself how someone could express such an expression to a junior like this. Back when she was beating me up in the beginning, she was far harsher. It’s a bit unfair.

“Your magic was excellent, but—Ji-eun too!”

“Uh?”

“Your courage to keep getting back up after falling over and fighting again! I think that’s admirable for a Magical Girl!”

“R-really?”

“Yup, yup, that’s right. As our junior, you’re amazing, yes.”

Seo-hee kept teasing me, so I gave her a playful shove.

But Jua’s eyes remained sparkling.

…

Hmm, what’s this?

Is there something a bit different from the original?

 

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