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Sometimes when I exercise, I feel oddly refreshed.

My body is aching, my breath is ragged, and sweat is sticking to me, making it feel miserable—everything should contradict the idea of feeling good, but deep down, I sometimes get the sense that I’ve accomplished something today.

The feeling of really pushing through, persevering until I finally reach the end, is almost like gasping for air.

Right now, I was feeling just that.

As I faced off against Ha-yoon, I couldn’t quite decide if the sensation of our weapons clashing was something I hated or loved.

I want to win, I want to push through. And it would be great if I could stand beside her at the same time—

But even as those thoughts spiraled in my head, facing her sword felt a bit… unsettling.

However, such worries slowly washed away as I swung my hammer.

The head of the hammer was made of magic. It wasn’t as sharp or long as Ha-yoon’s sword, but it was clumsy; still, it was my magic.

A light that embodied my hope.

I can fight. I can be with Ha-yoon. I don’t have to fall behind alone.

That thought grew stronger every time my hammer clashed with Ha-yoon’s sword.

Ha-yoon seemed to feel something similar.

At first, she was taken aback by my fierce attacks, surprised that I could deflect her strikes so well, but at some point, she came charging at me, her face drenched in sweat.

It still didn’t seem like she was giving her all. Unlike me, who was throwing everything I had into this, Ha-yoon still had a relaxed demeanor on her face.

That frustrated me a bit. But at the same time, it made me happy.

It meant I could still do more.

Ah, what is this feeling?

I felt a slight vibration in my wrist. My circuit was running powerfully. It was a bit strange, but the more forcefully I swung my hammer, the more intense my hope felt.

My heart was pounding like it might explode, and I could hardly breathe. Just keeping the pace was exhausting.

But still, my heart was racing, and my lungs were struggling to take in air. I managed to keep up with Ha-yoon’s increasing rhythm.

Boom!

It was hard to imagine it was just metal hitting metal; it sounded like an explosion. The clash of our hammers created a pulse of magic that echoed through the air.

I almost fell backward—

Squeak!

But I held my ground. My shoes felt like they tore a bit, but I didn’t care.

I wanted to win. Even knowing I couldn’t right now, I wanted to send Ha-yoon’s wand flying far away.

“Haah—!”

Exhaling, I raised my hammer high above my head and jumped.

The magic that had flared at the end of my hammer reignited. That magic, nearly shapeless once again, collided with Ha-yoon’s sword.

It was the first time I saw Ha-yoon glare at me like that.

Not in a mean way. She had her eyes wide and her teeth slightly showing. Her expression was a smile. I wondered what was so amusing that she was laughing.

Ah, I think I’m starting to understand a bit.

In a way, this was a form of conversation. A conversation conducted thoroughly through sheer physicality. No words were exchanged, just the clash of our true feelings.

Had Ha-yoon built up a lot of things inside too—

Boom!

Once more, our magic exploded.

The sensation of being enveloped by that magic felt oddly unfamiliar. The magic protecting us burned hot as it swept between my body and Ha-yoon’s; it didn’t just skim past but blended into the very barrier guarding me.

That feeling was nice.

…….

Uh oh, is this a bit weird?

But what can I do about how it feels?

At some point, my mind stopped working properly. I just moved forcefully as it came to me—without thinking, I was going full throttle.

Slowly, I saw Ha-yoon change before my eyes.

Like gazing at an illusion, her body was wrapped in pink magic. The scattered magic in the air turned into a peculiar fog, and Ha-yoon darted through it, chasing me.

I was the same. That magic surrounded me too.

By the time I realized the change in my body, the shoulders of my outfit had already transformed quite a bit.

It was a dress adorned with white lace. It wasn’t too complicated.

I wore white gloves that hadn’t even been on my hands before.

Since not every part of my outfit had changed, I felt a bit awkward in it.

Transformation, maybe?

I thought magical girls had much more graceful transformation scenes—

But even as those thoughts crossed my mind, Ha-yoon was charging toward me with all her might.

Boom!

I barely blocked her sword with the tip of my hammer just in time.

Our faces were so close.

We almost bumped heads.

I could see myself reflected in Ha-yoon’s eyes. And probably, she could see herself in mine too.

“Let’s wrap this up.”

I said that without thinking.

Was it just my naturally combative nature? Or am I just a show-off? Probably both.

Maybe I wanted to intentionally rile up Ha-yoon’s temper.

“Okay.”

Ha-yoon nodded and simply replied, then stepped back.

Ha-yoon had also changed a little.

She wore a pink outfit that matched her pink hair. But it was still only partially transformed, almost like watching a poorly made AI video—it seemed a bit odd.

Well, at least the cloth was merely like that—

I closed my eyes for a moment and opened them again.

Right. Those kinds of thoughts are pointless right now.

I should just do what I want, and charge straight ahead—

It wasn’t windy, but I could hear the sound of wind rushing.

It was the sound of me running.

It was the sound of Ha-yoon running.

Once again, a loud explosion echoed.

*

At first, the magical girls who were curious about how long Ji-eun could hold out started to open their mouths slowly as the fight between the two intensified.

Ji-eun had never fought like that before.

It wasn’t just because she was holding a wand. The wand enabled efficient magic projection but didn’t boost human magic per se.

Magic depends on how vigorously the circuits are running.

You have to experience strong emotions to wield stronger magic.

Ji-eun, facing off against Ha-yoon, seemed to be experiencing those strong feelings now.

Seo-hee and Yeon-woo had both faced Ji-eun. They had enough talent, but it wasn’t like this back then.

Could it be that Ha-yoon is such a strong presence for Ji-eun? Did their shared childhood create such a strong bond?

The magic of both girls grew stronger.

The explosions intensified.

They had to watch from a distance to avoid getting hurt, but something about the excitement made them entranced as they observed.

Jua’s eyes sparkled. The wand Ji-eun was wielding was something she had created herself, and it displayed its power remarkably well.

From the moment Ji-eun arrived here, she had always been dedicated, striving to become a magical girl, aiming for the top.

She seemed unaffected by what the result would be.

Seeing her like this now made Jua feel that Ji-eun could become an incredible magical girl—the ideal one she wished for—

Once again, the magic exploded.

This time, it was a bit different.

Before the two of them, each created a shape that appeared. One was white, and the other was pink.

Like egg shells, they blocked the way of both girls.

Crack.

But it didn’t last long.

Moments later, right after that, in the next instant, the egg shell cracked.

The crack formed in an instant.

With the sound of shattering glass, the shell broke into pieces, and the two girls sprang out from it.

Ha-yoon was leaping. Looking up at the sky, she appeared as if she had jumped out of a cartoon, embodying the ideal of any magical girl.

However, she wasn’t holding a wand, but a sword. Therefore, she resembled a beautiful warrior from a medieval fantasy rather than a magical girl.

Ji-eun, using all her strength, jumped high up.

Above her head, she was gripping a hammer larger than ever before.

It was a slightly unbalanced sight. The white hammer held high above her head didn’t quite match with the slightly revealing white dress.

But even that was Ji-eun’s essence, or so those watching the duel thought.

The white trajectory struck down on the pink one.

Boom, with an explosion, a gust of wind surged.

No one could witness the outcome of the duel between the two. Right afterward, both girls collapsed. Yeon-woo cautiously predicted it wouldn’t be a draw—

But regardless of the result, everyone knew that neither of them would care.

In that last moment, both girls faced off with bright, refreshing smiles.

 

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