Programmed Tragedy
The next day.
Harin had gone out to deal with the Demon King's Army, and only came home very late that night after the fight.
She had gone, and come back. And no matter how many times I asked why the battle had lasted so long or if there were any injuries, she gave no answer. She remained silent for hours.
In the end she fell asleep without a proper conversation, and the sun rose over the new morning before we could speak again.
And today she was even more unpredictable.
"Haneul?"
I called out early in the morning, but she did not appear no matter how loudly I shouted. She seemed to have vanished somewhere.
I searched the entire apartment from top to bottom, thinking she might be hiding, but there was no sign of her.
It could only have been that she had gone out early this morning too, as usual, to handle something related to the Demon King's Army.
"Hm."
Living alone now felt strangely alien.
Whenever I woke up, Harin had always been sitting in the living room.
-Click.
With that thought I stepped my left foot forward and pressed down on the floor.
Luckily, just as the doctor had warned, the pain was not yet at the level where walking became impossible after only a few days.
Inside there was a very faint... what to call it, a slight stinging in the bone?
That was what she had said, but compared to the sharp pain of a broken bone it was far better.
Thanks to that, today I could walk with just a slight limp, as long as I put a little more weight on the opposite foot.
While Harin was not here, I thought I might step outside for a breath of fresh air.
Just as I was thinking that.
-Ding!
The phone vibrated.
[SIUWUUUUUUUUUUU!]
Through the screen came a lively, boisterous tone.
It was Kim Min-ah.
[I got discharged!]
[This body is reborn!]
[Tonight we're eating meat~!]
-Ding, ding, ding.
The barrage of messages slammed into my eyes and ears one after another.
The cheerful face visible on the screen.
Yes, this was Kim Min-ah.
[Your body is okay, right?]
[Of course! Always remember this! My strong will never fails!]
[...?]
What on earth was that? After thinking about it three times, nothing clear came to mind.
It was probably one of those lines from the tokusatsu series she loved so much.
[Anyway!]
With another clear alert sound a new message bubble appeared.
[I'm going to a meat restaurant to celebrate my discharge. Want to come too, Siwoo?]
[By the way, Seoyeon said she's coming too!]
"Hm..."
I stared at Min-ah's message and fell into thought for a moment.
If I wanted to I could have accepted right away, but Harin was not home.
Ever since last time she had scolded me not to go out, I had to be careful.
Especially since it would drag me back into the world of the magical girls again.
Of course, hanging out with the class rep and Min-ah had led to quite a few incidents.
Among them there had been some rather fatal accidents, but I had never come close to losing my life.
...I had probably come close, but I could count every finger and toe I had twisted.
Anyway.
[Sure, where and what time?]
Meat could not be refused.
Besides, I was still a patient, and I needed protein to recover.
Plus I had been eating nothing but instant food lately.
I needed to take care of my body.
[Here it is!]
Immediately another bubble appeared with a link, a small map, and the restaurant name all at once.
[Come before noon!]
[Okay.]
I sent the reply and was about to put the phone away when I started typing again.
I wondered if I should ask if Harin could come too... but I canceled it.
I could not ask someone who was not even here whether she could join, and asking permission without my own will felt strange anyway.
So I unfolded a notebook and wrote a note to leave behind in case Harin returned early.
[I have a promise, so I'll be back in a little while.]
There was still an hour or two until the appointment, so she probably would not be back by then. Or maybe she would not.
Well, if she stayed out that long there must be something on her mind.
Or perhaps it had been a long time since she had had a little private time or wanted to take a walk in the wind.
As long as she did not cause trouble.
While thinking that I entered the room, turned on the phone, and lay down on the bed.
There was a moment when I had no idea what to do for the remaining time.
*****
By the time the appointment came and I had changed clothes and reached the front door, Harin still had not returned.
I opened the door and thought maybe the timing had been off and she would not come home after I closed it, so I closed it as slowly as possible...
In the end I did not know where Harin had been from morning until now.
I had been worried and sent a message, but when she did not answer I realized she must have left her phone on the sofa in the living room.
"Hm..."
Well, the notebook was open on the table so she could see it clearly.
She would be fine, right...?
If Harin saw the note and got angry all the way to the top, would she storm out and come find me...?
At that point I might have to prepare to die.
No way she would actually kill me.
...Now that I thought about it, I had come close to dying before, but that had been when Harin's brainwashing was still strong.
Basically I should have been considered a stranger to her.
"Huu..."
Even as I rode the elevator down to the lobby my heart was uneasy.
The more I became close to the magical girls, the deeper I felt I was sinking into their world.
If I could use mana I would not know, but as a boy I could not even create a small spark of it.
The more I was bound, the more dangerous it became.
But once bound, I could not untangle the knot.
Originally not just the magical girls but even the Demon King's Army had started taking interest in me.
If Harin had been brainwashed, then she was no longer a Demon King's Army member, but Nightmare was...!
Just thinking about it now made the back of my neck tingle.
I still did not know why she wanted me in the Demon King's Army.
I would have to ask Harin later.
Of course, first I would have to check whether she would even answer.
Anyway.
As I walked thinking that, I found myself near the location Min-ah had messaged earlier.
The restaurant was just around the corner...
With the thought that it was good I had followed the map I turned the corner.
"O!"
"Ah, Siwoo!"
The two magical girls and friends waved and welcomed me.
It was my first time out in a while, and perhaps because it was a discharge celebration.
Both of them were dressed up.
Min-ah wore a bolero t-shirt with a light skirt.
The class rep had on a loose t-shirt and baggy pants.
They always used to wear school uniforms or magical girl outfits, but this felt strangely exotic.
If I had known I would have dressed up a little too.
But I had no idea they would come out like that.
Just wearing plain clothes...
"Let's go! Siwoo!"
While I was thinking that, Kim Min-ah came up beside me and gently pushed me from behind, starting to walk toward the restaurant.
"Meat party starts now~!"
Min-ah shouted so loudly the street seemed to echo.
*****
The meat I ate after a long time was incredibly delicious.
Of course it was not especially expensive or high quality, but it was all-you-can-eat ribs.
Still, the fact that the well-seasoned meat filled my stomach until it was completely full was very satisfying.
"Wow! It was delicious, right!?"
Kim Min-ah's sparkling eyes asked, and I nodded.
"Kku... but..."
My voice suddenly died, and I felt a slight sigh escaping as Min-ah continued.
"Tell my parents... what excuse should I give..."
"Say I got hurt playing around."
"Even though I've been in the hospital for more than a week... ugh...!"
Min-ah scratched her head with both hands and ruffled her hair.
The class rep came over and gently brushed her disheveled hair.
I saw a faint pink glow between her fingers, so it must have been magic.
"Ever since the hospital they've been texting me constantly... what kind of girl plays around and ends up hospitalized..."
"Ahaha..."
If it was kept secret, it would be difficult to say I was fighting as a magical girl and got hurt.
Besides, the full-body color change and the shockwave that made the whole city ring had traveled up my legs.
"Anyway, I should head back. Harin might be waiting."
While eating I had checked my phone several times to see if Harin had read any messages, but she remained silent.
When I got home and checked my phone I would have seen my message, but since she did not, it meant she had not returned yet.
"Ah, wait!"
As I was about to stand up the class rep approached briskly and stood beside me.
"Right, Siwoo! If you go alone it's dangerous! We'll walk you!"
Min-ah stood on the other side, taking light steps with a bright smile.
Yeah, last time I had gone alone or with just one person and trouble had followed...
If it was the two of them together, I would not get hurt even if I ran into the Demon King's Army on the way.
With that thought I nodded in agreement and stepped my left foot forward gently.
-Whoosh!
"Ow...!?"
Even though I was getting better, perhaps I had overdone it and a sharp pain suddenly shot up from my left ankle.
"Siwoo, are you okay?"
"Uh, I'm fine..."
The sudden pain made me twist, and both magical girls immediately moved to support me.
The class rep extended both hands to my left ankle, scanned the surroundings, and carefully flowed mana into the area.
"Healing."
As the pink magic flowed into my ankle, the pain gradually faded.
"Now it's okay, Siwoo. Let me move your ankle."
I carefully moved my leg and ankle as she instructed.
Luckily the faint pain and any remaining injury inside my ankle seemed completely gone.
"T-Thank you, Class Rep..."
I expressed my gratitude, and she nodded with a bright smile.
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**END OF CHAPTER**