Killing Intent Detected
The morning had passed without a single incident.
That was why I'd kept hoping the peace would hold.
A hopelessly empty wish, as it turned out.
"You...! Are you serious right now? Siwoo! How could you?!"
The class president was so furious her complexion kept shifting by the second. Watching that kind, gentle girl raise her voice and scowl like this, I couldn't tell much else — but one thing I understood with perfect, crystalline certainty.
I was fucked.
Genuinely, thoroughly fucked.
"C-Class President! J-just calm down for a second...! Hear me out!"
"Hah!"
She seemed to snap back to her senses then, catching the stares gathering around us, and carefully drew a deep breath.
"H-huuu..."
That was all, though. I wouldn't say she'd actually calmed down. A strange pink light still lingered in the eyes looking down at me. At this point, I had to wonder if she was using some kind of lie-detecting magic — or maybe a spell that read minds.
The front door of the classroom slid open with a rattle, and the teacher walked in, setting the attendance book down on the podium.
"C-Class President. Let's talk later. I'll tell you everything, I promise..."
I mixed a little lie into my answer, just enough to put her at ease. If I actually told her everything, she'd dig without end, or I'd give her even more reason to be suspicious. I'd suggested talking later partly because the teacher had come in — but also because I needed time to cook up a perfect excuse.
"F-fine. But you have to tell me! You absolutely have to, okay?"
"Don't worry."
The class president didn't need to worry. That was my problem to handle.
I needed to craft two excuses at once: one for her, explaining why Lee Harin was staying at my house — and one for Harin, explaining how the class president had found out we were living together. If I didn't make both of them airtight, I was definitely going to die. Whether at the class president's hands or Harin's... that remained to be seen.
"...So, Siwoo."
After school, we found a different cafe near campus and carefully took a seat in the corner. A pink, translucent barrier of Silence Magic was already spread around us, rippling at the slightest touch.
The class president waited until our drinks were ready, took a sip of her order, and carefully opened her mouth.
"What happened? Why on earth are you living with Harin?"
"Well..."
I took a mental breath, then sipped my coffee to wet my parched throat. I'd already pumped in four shots of syrup. I should've added more.
"Remember when you ran into me outside last time? When I was hiding in that alley?"
"Ah, yeah. I remember. I was first on the scene, but the Demon King's Army had already been taken care of..."
"I ran into Lee Harin while I was walking around. We started talking — it had been so long — and that's how I ended up there."
"Ah, so that's why you were there..."
Fortunately, the class president seemed to have bought the lie. I didn't feel great about it...
Sorry, Class President. But I can't tell you the truth. How am I supposed to just come out and say that my childhood friend is a former Magical Girl and a former Demon King Army Executive?
"Then I ran into her on the street again later, and when we talked, it turned out she was just living outside. So I offered. I told her she could stay at my place."
"Do you know what happened to her?"
"Not really."
I shrugged as I answered.
"She doesn't talk much about the old days. And... honestly, we only just got close again. We were childhood friends, but we drifted apart starting in middle school..."
"Hmm..."
Hearing my answer, the class president took another sip of her drink and fell silent, lost in thought. One second. Ten seconds. Then a full minute. The silence stretched on, thick with deliberation. The longer it went, the drier my mouth became, but I didn't dare so much as twitch. The atmosphere was suffocatingly heavy.
And then, at last.
"Siwoo."
The class president spoke.
"Thanks for telling me. Honestly, I still can't quite believe it. That's why... I shouted this morning when I found out. I was just so surprised."
"Y-yeah, I get that. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, too."
I took a swallow of my drink to wet my throat, then continued.
"Honestly... it was a little awkward to bring up. And it didn't really feel like something I could ask for help with."
"Fair enough. Even childhood friends don't usually end up living in the same house. I understand where you're coming from, Siwoo. You did it out of kindness, right?"
The class president offered a small, bright smile.
"Even so, Siwoo."
But her expression hardened in an instant, her voice dropping as if in warning. Or maybe it was more of a caution.
"Even if you're friends, a boy and a girl living in the same house is a little... I think it leaves room for problems."
"Room for problems?"
"Yeah. You're different genders, and you're still teenagers. Sooo..."
She trailed off, her gaze drifting toward empty air. Her face was faintly flushed, for some reason. Wondering what on earth she was trying to say, I took another sip of coffee.
And then.
"You know... a-accidents between a guy and a girl could... happen, right?"
"Pff—khk!"
At her completely unexpected answer, I spat the coffee right back into the cup and launched into a coughing fit.
"Cough, cough! Khack!"
"S-Siwoo! Are you okay?!"
I hurriedly covered my mouth and tried to catch my breath, but the coffee that had gone down the wrong way kept the coughing going. Trying to hold it in only made the tears come harder. For several minutes I hacked away, watching the class president's blurry, flustered face through watering eyes. I finally managed to stop coughing, carefully steadied my breathing, and opened my mouth.
"C-Class President... what are you even talking about."
"Exactly what I said, Siwoo. Even if you're friends, a boy and a girl living in the same house... y-you're not even dating!"
"W-well, that's true, but..."
"And even if you were dating, considering our age... wouldn't that be, um, inappropriate?!"
Her face flushed red all over again. Apparently she was worried that some unsavory activity unbefitting our age and relationship might take place. I had absolutely no idea how far her imagination had gone, but...
"Uh... Class President. I think you've got the wrong idea about something..."
"The w-wrong idea?!"
"Yeah."
I answered as deadpan as I could.
"I have absolutely no intention of getting into that kind of relationship with Harin... or doing anything inappropriate."
Then I mixed in a little teasing.
"I have no idea... what kind of perverted stuff you were imagining, though."
"Nnh! N-no I wasn't! I wasn't imagining anything like that!"
"Then what were you imagining?"
"..."
The class president started to say something, then promptly dropped her head, her face burning.
Called it. She'd been thinking exactly that. A hundred percent.
"N-no, but still, you know..."
She barely managed to get the words out in a trembling voice.
"W-what if! Even if you don't mean to, an accident could still happen!!!"
Her face as she said it was redder than I had ever seen it. I genuinely had no idea what she'd been picturing. Even if she had gone there, was it really something to blush that hard over...? Maybe that just meant she was that innocent.
I offered a light smile and opened my mouth to put her worries to rest.
"I really have no intention of that, no feelings that would go there, and no accidents are going to happen."
Even if some kind of accident happened — even if Harin's brainwashing flared up and I got caught in it and got hurt — this much I could guarantee a thousand percent. We'd been close since forever, so there were no romantic feelings or anything of the sort. And even if I got into an accident, even if something went wrong with my brain and I lost my mind, Harin would never just sit still if a situation like that arose. And "Harin not sitting still" was more or less synonymous with me getting stabbed to death by tentacles.
I wanted to live as long as possible.
"B-but still..."
The class president still didn't seem entirely convinced, as if she were about to carefully suggest I think it over again. I straightened my back with confidence, looked her square in the eyes, and opened my mouth to answer. I would swear to the heavens that nothing of the sort would ever happen. That if anything even seemed like it might, I'd consult her in advance. That I had zero intention of causing any accidents in the first place. That I didn't harbor so much as a speck of romantic feeling toward Harin. That I didn't even see her as a member of the opposite sex.
"I swear, nothing like that will ever happ—"
The moment I started to speak.
"..."
"Siwoo? What's wrong?"
Goosebumps erupted across my entire body, and my heart began to pound. This wasn't simple cold or nerves. It was the feeling of being watched — my body instinctively screaming a warning. I carefully shifted my gaze, and our eyes met.
"..."
Past the glass, in a far corner deeper inside the shop. Peeking out with just her head, staring at me as if she wanted to kill me. Red eyes flashing, radiating killing intent directed at me and me alone — Lee Harin.
"N-never mind... anyway..."
I forced the words out, putting on an awkward smile. But even as I did, I snuck another glance at Harin's expression. It was still...
"..."
Frozen. Frozen enough to be terrifying.