Tears
As it stands right now, the requests for Lee Harin were coming one after another, each one sounding like a desperate plea from the class president.
When I first walked into the café, the complete change in Harin made me startle.
Of course it would.
A model student who had gone missing suddenly showing up with dyed hair, a trashed attitude, and eyes dyed hot pink.
Even if the color lenses made her look like ordinary brown eyes, anyone would lose their mind seeing a level of transformation that was nothing short of a total overhaul.
The way she hesitated over what to say to the proper, upright class president...
Anyway.
In the end, the conversation still felt like it was running parallel tracks.
“Eh? Harin... please...”
She nodded her head at the single request.
“…Okay. I’ll think about it.”
The response to the class president’s suggestion to go to school after all.
The president’s eyes sparkled with delight as she nodded gratefully.
And then she bowed her head to me as well.
…It somehow felt weird to be deceiving a good person, and it wasn’t a great feeling.
But what could I do.
If we didn’t deceive them, we would all die.
“Huu… Well… It worked out somehow.”
“…Yeah.”
After we said goodbye to the president and walked away.
The moment Harin turned the corner and vanished into the distance, she shot back sharply.
They were just trying to lengthen the time they spent together and find a safe sleeping spot.
It still stung that she had faced a magical girl.
“Are you not thinking weird thoughts?”
“Well… Since the person herself changed, that’s already weird. It won’t lead anywhere from there.”
“…You’re mad at me?”
“Half of it, yeah.”
-Pwook!
Suddenly a tentacle shot out from between Harin’s sleeves and slammed hard into my side.
Of course it wasn’t a lethal attack, just a quick, blunt strike meant to sting, but to me, an ordinary person, it was enough pain.
“Gah, damn…”
“Looks like it hurts.”
That day I went home and lay in bed for almost the whole day.
*****
“…”
The next day.
Harin sat at her desk without even wearing proper school uniform, staring blankly out the window.
Precisely, she was wearing only the red school uniform skirt.
If it had been normal, she probably would have worn just a hoodie and jacket over her pajamas, but she must have been in one of her moods.
Anyway.
She had come to school early together with me that morning, and we exchanged a light glance with the class president who had arrived at the same time.
Thankfully, thanks to the color lenses, she looked like an ordinary delinquent.
If glaring at me a little and then looking away counted as eye contact, I guess, but Harin immediately flicked her fingers toward me.
I pulled the blanket out of my backpack and handed it to her.
Harin wrapped the blanket around her like a pillow, flopped it over the desk, and fell asleep right there.
The class president, sitting in front, kept glancing at Harin while she tidied her things.
…Probably no problem. Maybe.
Before coming to school we had promised each other several things.
One: don’t start any fights for no reason.
Two: don’t fight anyone.
Three: don’t do anything out of the ordinary.
While we kept those promises, Harin was staying with me at home.
…Somehow the things we promised felt a lot like desperate vows to not kill a single person, but there was no way that was true.
Compared to having nothing, it was clearly much better.
So after first period and then second, it was almost lunchtime.
As promised with Harin, I took advantage of the other students all heading to the cafeteria and poked her shoulder.
“Hey, Harin.”
“…”
“Lunchtime. Let’s go eat.”
“…Not hungry.”
“You said you weren’t hungry last time, then stole my cup ramen when I was eating it.”
I still remembered it clearly.
After we left the café, my stomach had been rumbling so much that I dragged my aching body out and boiled some cup ramen.
Harin was sitting on the sofa watching TV, so I asked if she wanted to join.
She had clearly said no.
So I boiled only mine.
When it was all done, she came over and snatched one bite.
It was a tiny cup ramen to begin with!
“…Damn. Fine, I’m going.”
Harin lifted her head from the blanket, rubbed her sleepy eyes, and stood up.
Half-unzipped jacket’s zipper, half-done in a daze, she pulled it all the way up to her neck.
“What’s the lunch today?”
“I don’t know. Maybe early-fried something or fish gas, I don’t know, but I’ll pray it’s not that.”
“Haaah…”
As I was walking slowly toward the cafeteria with her.
Suddenly the Harin who had been walking quietly beside me stopped and looked around.
Then…
“Hey, come with me.”
“Why all of a sudden!?”
I threw my arm around her neck and forcefully dragged her away.
Not even toward the cafeteria, but up the stairs to the rooftop entrance.
-Clack.
Harin fiddled with the locked door handle with her free hand.
Then—
-Kwazik!
She smashed the handle and forcibly forced the door open.
“…You’re committing public property damage.”
“You’ve already done enough. No big deal.”
She shoved me onto the rooftop and closed the door behind us.
The railing around us and the tight green wire mesh fence outside were visible.
For a moment I watched the scenery of the school rooftop I had never seen before.
“Why are you doing this all of a sudden?”
“…”
Harin avoided eye contact with a rigid expression.
It looked like something she wanted to say was crossing her face.
What on earth had happened…
“Hey.”
Then Harin spoke.
“It’s coming.”
What was coming?
…Hold on. Is this for real.
-Weiing!
“…No way, how do you even know?”
“Sense.”
“Wow, that was spot on.”
As I replied and opened the rooftop door, calculating the escape route in my head while Harin stood beside me and raised her right arm to shoulder height, clenching her fist tightly.
As if condensing the swirling energy around her into one point.
And…
“Break up…”
“Hold on! Stop!!!!”
I clamped my hand over Harin’s mouth.
With both hands, no less.
“…Mmm.”
Harin mumbled through my hand.
“Hey! Are you crazy!? Why are you transforming here!”
“…It’s not transformation. It’s Break Up.”
“It’s the same thing.”
To be honest, I had no clue what the difference was between the president shouting transformation and Harin shouting Break Up.
The only thing that showed on the surface was Korean or English characters, and there was no way I could understand the detailed effects.
Anyway.
“Transforming here and causing chaos is a terrible situation. First of all, it’s school, and if I transform and fight, the president is bound to run into me?”
“That—”
Harin started to reply, then immediately swallowed her words, probably realizing it was a bad idea even to her.
No matter how much of an executive’s mindset she still had, she clearly didn’t want to create any more damage.
“…Okay.”
Harin scratched her head and nodded.
Seeing that, I gently grabbed Harin’s wrist, opened the rooftop door, and headed downstairs…
“Hey.”
“Mm?”
“My wrist hurts. If you’re grabbing, grab my hand.”
“…”
One word from Harin, and I carefully released my grip.
Then…
“…Let’s go.”
I led the way.
Harin’s face, as she peeked down after jumping down lightly, was full of questions.
*****
“Innocent Heart, transform!”
Familiar mana enveloped my whole body, and the sensation of transforming into a magical girl followed.
I had felt that energy many times before, so I wrapped it around me, shaped it into a wand form.
Then, after mentally chanting the spell name, I flung the door open and stepped outside.
Good thing—there was no one nearby at the moment!
“I’m going!”
I had already used magic to memorize the positions of all the people around me.
Most students were gathered in the cafeteria, and the Demon King Army aura I was sensing now was coming from a somewhat distant place.
Plus, unlike before, I wasn’t in a situation where I couldn’t transform.
I wouldn’t make that mistake again!
-Paat!
I leaped into the air and landed right in front of the portal opened by the Demon King Army.
Horrible-looking monsters slowly oozing out from the portal.
Some of them turned their heads toward us, sniffing.
…Unforgivable.
“Not a single step from here!”
I divided the mana behind me and scattered it through the air.
Then I carefully manipulated, touched, and visualized it.
To raise the imagination resolution, I pictured the image in my mind and shouted the technique name.
“Magic Missile!”
-Kwakuakuakwang!
A mass of light shot simultaneously toward the enemies, causing pink explosions and dust.
Then—
-Paching!
One of the Magic Missiles I thought had hit properly bounced off.
-Kwaoong!
It slammed into the school wall and created a huge explosion.
“Ugh…!”
A monster with a surface that sparkled like a mirror crawled out.
“Reflector!”
A troublesome Demon King Army that reflected magic and bounced it back.
But…!
“It won’t work in front of me!”
I extended the magic wand forward and placed my palm in front of the jewel at the tip.
I gathered mana in front, pictured a ray of light exploding forward, and—
“Heart Shining Buster!”
-Kwaoaaaaang!
If it reflects magic, then just hit it with enough power to shatter the surface before it reflects!
“Huu…”
I scattered mana around and checked if any more Demon King Army were left.
Fortunately, nothing reacted.
But I could sense a gaze directed at me from somewhere, so I still couldn’t undo the transformation.
For now, I had to deal with the spot where the previous attack had bounced.
I had sensed two people nearby earlier.
Of course, because of the Purification Attribute, it wouldn’t hurt most people or even the terrain, but as a magical girl, this was my duty!
Thinking that, I floated in the air and lightly landed where the attack had bounced.
“You there, students! It’s okay…”
As I said that and stepped forward, my body—
“U-uguuu…!”
Was on the ground, retching and crying with tears streaming down, and Jeong Siwoo.
And…
The moment I saw Harin standing beside him, trying to calm him down.
I froze in place.
Siwoo is in danger — Harin must not interfere!