Happiness Bites
Siwoo and Harin left home early that morning together.
There was only one reason.
Because instead of the jacket he had borrowed, he needed to get a new one.
If he kept wearing that same jacket and ran into the magical girls again, the atmosphere would definitely turn ugly once more.
Handing the new jacket to Harin and showing up at school would let him get away with a quick excuse that he had left the old one behind.
Maybe.
The principal had already announced that school was canceled due to repeated Demon King Army raids on the school grounds, the main building’s outer walls reduced to rubble, and the athletic field turned into a mess.
When else would he have a chance to go out on a weekday and shop freely?
“You got the contact?”
“Yeah.”
He had prepared just in case they ran into the class president or Kim Min-ah on the way. The odds of avoiding them were higher, but better safe than sorry.
After confirming, he opened the front door.
A fresh breeze slipped through the open windows and filled the hallway with a crisp chill.
“Want to take the elevator?”
“No. I’ll walk.”
Down the familiar staircase and through the familiar lobby, they moved at a leisurely pace.
That day, the memory of Harin slaughtering people stood crystal clear before him.
But now she stood obediently behind him, walking the street together like this.
How was the world supposed to turn out…
Sometimes her eyes flickered with bloodlust, or she treated jokes about holding hostages as real threats. The only way to keep her calm was to pull her into a tight embrace every time.
“Is there anything else you want besides the jacket?”
“Choco pie.”
“Yeah, that’s fine.”
Quietly staying put and matching his words was worth the price of one jacket and a box of choco pies.
As they walked in silence for a few minutes, the familiar shopping complex came into view.
The neighborhood convenience store that sold a little bit of everything.
He said it was unnecessary to buy anything sturdy because it would just sit quietly in his jacket.
Inside the complex, a short detour led to the general clothing boutique.
Harin stopped there and began glancing around the surroundings.
“…There are too many people.”
He nodded in agreement and looked around himself.
The school closure had hit the students hard, and thanks to that, the shopping area was suddenly full of classmates around the same age.
A lot of them walked arm in arm, like they were on dates.
But…
“Annoying…”
Harin beside him lowered her head and began gnawing at her lower lip with her front teeth.
Her right hand gripped her left wrist tightly, squeezing hard enough that it was clearly felt.
“Hey, why are you doing this…”
“It’s… too many people… They look… happy… I want to… smash them all…”
—Crack…
Her voice came out eerie as she gripped even harder.
He carefully stepped closer and slowly reached out with his trembling hand to clasp hers.
It was less holding and more gripping.
“Harin, calm down.”
“I… want to smash them all…”
He tightened his grip in response.
“Take a deep breath. I’m here. It’s okay.”
“Huu… huuu…”
After Harin bowed her head and took several deep breaths…
“…I’m okay now.”
“Glad to hear it. Then now…”
Just as he started to loosen the grip he had been holding.
Harin reached out first and grabbed his hand.
The sudden contact sent a shiver down his spine and stiffened his body.
“…Still, just in case. Can I keep holding you like this?”
“…Yeah, sure.”
She was a childhood friend, after all—not some ordinary friend who wouldn’t do something like this.
Holding hands while walking was normal between childhood friends. No one would question it.
…Or would they?
Anyway.
They walked a little farther inside and stopped in front of the jacket display.
He wondered which one she would choose when…
“I’ll take this.”
Harin immediately chose the deep purple jacket hanging on the hanger, as if she had made up her mind the moment she saw it.
It was similar to the one he had borrowed, but a little longer, with a hood at the neck.
“…You’re not supposed to wear that when you’re in Executive form, right?”
“I know.”
Harin shot him a sharp glare before heading straight to the register.
At some point the hand he had been gripping was released.
*****
That evening.
“Hey, Siwoo. Go call the pink-head girl.”
“The class president? Why her?”
“She needs to know I’m safe, so she won’t chase me.”
“That’s… oh.”
He had completely forgotten.
To erase the misunderstanding that Harin had died at the hands of an Executive, he had to inform the two of them that she was safe.
No, wait, he should have done this earlier.
When he asked why he hadn’t contacted them right away…
“I don’t have a phone, idiot.”
“Oh.”
Right. She didn’t have one. No number, either.
If the Demon King Army had already sunk so deep into human society, it was a problem in its own right.
…Thinking about it now, he realized the current situation of taking care of Harin might be an enormous threat to humanity’s safety, but he decided not to dwell on it anymore.
“Then… what should we do? Meet up and talk?”
“I don’t want that.”
“You said to call her.”
He had to verify she was safe, but he didn’t want to meet her.
Yet he asked her to call anyway. This was a tricky request.
“Ah, then should I send a photo by text? A photo of the two of us together?”
“Photo?”
Harin asked.
“Yeah. That way the class president will feel more at ease. Clear evidence like a photo.”
“It’s not exactly clear evidence, but whatever. Sure.”
Harin immediately put on the new jacket, pulled her body slightly away from the couch corner, and got closer.
He picked up his phone, switched to selfie mode, and stretched his arm toward the ceiling.
But…
“Hey, come a little closer.”
“This distance is enough.”
“Because of the distance and your expression, you look like you’re full of complaints about life.”
It might have been because he was staring blankly at something in the living room from a distance.
Just looking at the photo on the camera made him feel completely fine—no, it didn’t even seem healthy.
It looked like he was broken in some way, and if anyone saw it without context, they might think the two of them had fought and he had taken a forced shot.
“Tsk. Fine.”
Harin glanced at the camera briefly before bouncing closer and pressing herself against his side.
“Smile a little. Make a V-sign with your hand.”
“I’ll die, seriously?”
While threatening him, Harin reluctantly raised one hand to make a V-sign and forced a crooked smile.
—Click.
The photo was taken, and he immediately sent it to the class president.
[Class President, Harin’s safe.]
Along with the photo, sent instantly.
A moment later.
—Wiieeeing! Wiieeeing!
A call came from the class president.
“H-hello?”
“Siwoo! Harin’s okay, right?!”
The class president’s excited voice pierced through the speaker and filled the living room.
Startled for a split second, he nearly dropped his phone.
“Y-yeah! It’s fine! I met her and confirmed. I saw the photo.”
“T-thank goodness… I-if she’s still nearby, can you tell me her voice?”
“J-just a sec…”
He glanced at Harin.
She made a reluctant, dissatisfied face for a moment, then nodded her head.
“…Yeah. …It’s me. Harin. …Yeah. I left it at school. …Yeah. …I can’t promise anything. …Yeah.”
The class president’s rapid questions from the distant phone, and Harin’s emotionless replies in comparison.
Finally Harin set the phone down and simultaneously pressed the end call button.
“What did the class president say?”
“She asked if I’m Harin. Whether I left the jacket at school. So I answered. For the part about going to school tomorrow… ah, damn. I don’t know.”
If you’re going to get angry, you should have refused to answer from the start.
Why did you swallow the words in the middle of speaking?
There were two ways to annoy people. He was executing the first one flawlessly.
Still, he knew she kept at least some of the promise she had made to him.
“Tsk. Want to watch TV?”
Harin muttered and grabbed the remote, pressing the red power button.
[Amid growing Demon King Army raids as the days pass, the recent clash between a Demon King Army Executive and a magical girl in a school in Gyeonggi Province…]
“Tch.”
—Thud.
Before the anchor finished speaking, the TV screen went dark.
“Why does every channel I turn on only have magical girl stories? I’m not happy with it.”
“You were a magical girl, weren’t you.”
“…Tsk. You’re not happy with me either.”
Whether it was sibling hatred or a side effect of brainwashing, Harin’s words ended.
The moment she finished, she pulled out a box of choco pies from somewhere and began nibbling on them.
She seemed to keep pulling them out from inside her pocket, as if the food had no limits.
It was a little suspicious that everything was choco pie, but watching her enjoy it made Siwoo feel happy.
—Tap.
“Eat some too.”
A bag of choco pies dropped beside his leg.
“…Even when I was somewhat sane, I only managed to say this. Thank you. Always.”
Harin gave a light smile.
“It seems you’re healing… just a little bit at a time.”
“Yeah, it looks that way.”
“Well, even if it is, just a little… h.”
Whether that sigh was a lament or a sigh of relief, Harin let it out.
“…Hey. Forget it.”
And just like that, her face returned to its earlier, poisoned state as she glared at him.
“Fine. I’ll forget it.”
“If you don’t forget…”
“What if I don’t forget?”
“…I’ll punch you in the face.”
Hmph.
He had better not forget.