Dragged Out and Drained Dry
I'd definitely planned to sprawl out at home today with all my might. But I couldn't hold out against Popo's nagging that it was such nice weather—how could I waste it cooped up inside?—and ended up dragged outside.
"Ugh."
The sunlight was blindingly bright, and the streets buzzed with people out enjoying the weekend. Their carefree vibes, totally unrelated to me, just sapped my energy on sight.
"See? Feels good to be out, right? You gotta air out the mood sometimes!"
Popo poked its head out from my embrace, spinning in circles with gleeful laughter. It seemed to love this warm sunshine. Not me, though.
"Nah, not really..."
For an introverted homebody like me, weekends were sacred bed-marathon time. Ah, now I'm a total shut-in girl. Anyway, just weaving through this crowd was draining my energy in real time. I'm tired. I wanna go home. My legs feel like a thousand pounds each.
"Popo. Can't we just head home?"
"No way! We finally made it out—turning back now would be such a waste. If you're bored, how about we walk and talk about something productive?"
Productive talk, huh. Having to rev up my brain in this exhausted state felt downright cruel.
"Hmm... come to think of it, Popo."
"Yeah?"
"You said before that magical girls instinctively reject me because of the wolf guy's mana."
"Yup."
"So what if I just erase my mana completely?"
"Huh?"
Popo shrugged at my deadpan question, like why ask something so obvious?
"Well, obviously they wouldn't be scared. But it's not that easy. You can hide mana, but erasing it entirely? Impossible..."
"It worked, though. Tried it last time."
Popo stared at me blankly after my casual reply.
"It did?"
"Yeah."
It zoned out for a second, then let out a resigned sigh.
"How do you just... ugh, whatever. Not the first time you've pulled something like this. But seriously, that's an amazing skill, you know?"
"Is it?"
"Of course!"
So that's how it is. Popo, whose overreactions are daily routine, made it hard to feel the hype, but apparently it was a big deal.
"Hm?"
Thud. As I half-heartedly chatted productively with Popo, something pink tumbled from the bag of the girl walking right in front of me onto the ground.
Up close, it was a cute wallet with a bespectacled penguin character. The owner, oblivious to her loss, had already ducked into a nearby shop.
Tsk tsk. Kids these days are so scatterbrained.
I clicked my tongue, picked up the penguin wallet, and followed her inside, since I was out walking anyway. The faint aroma of coffee beans wafted out—it was a café, as expected.
Sure enough, there was a panicked back-turned figure rummaging desperately at the counter.
"Wha...? Huh?"
She'd checked every corner of her bag and was on the verge of tears, finally realizing her wallet was gone.
I sidled up behind her and tapped her shoulder.
"This your wallet?"
She whipped around in surprise...
Huh?
A strange sense of déjà vu hit me. I know that face from somewhere.
Oh. A magical girl.
"Gasp!"
Popo must've caught on too—it dove deep into my clothes. I instantly cut off all mana flow in my body. Popo alone would've kept me hidden, but better safe than sorry.
"Wh-where was it?!"
"By the door."
I replied as flatly as possible, pointing vaguely toward the entrance. With my expression blanked and mana nulled, I was the picture-perfect normal kid. No way she'd suspect.
...Or so I thought.
"Thank you so much! Hey, let me repay you... Can I buy you something? Juice? Cake?"
For some reason, this girl was staring at me weirdly. The teary lost-wallet face was gone; now she was gawking right at me, lips twitching.
What's with this friendly gaze?
No hostility was good, but this felt suspiciously dangerous somehow. Uneasy, I decided to bail without chit-chatting.
"See you next time then, Mir! Had a blast today!"
"Uh, yeah..."
And that's how I failed, ending up like this.
In the end, after being hounded forever by that magical girl—Harang, was it?—I swapped contacts and barely escaped the café.
Haa, so exhausting...
Are all kids like this? Approaching without a care, force-feeding food. What's the deal? Is that normal girl-on-girl distance?
Strangers, yet her energy was boundless. I struggle just tossing out a convo topic, but where does she pull all those questions from? Mind-blowing.
Haa, and those moody Shorts vibes about being "failures"—kids' worlds are a mystery.
"Pfft! Mir-Mir, you look wiped!"
I trudged along, slumping...
Popo popped out from my hem, cackling at my misery.
"Shut it."
Squish. I immediately shoved the cheeky thing's head back inside.
Whew.
"..."
Slurp. Come to think of it, that coffee smelled great but tasted awful. Rotten beans? Nah.
Only one answer.
"Urgh..."
Should've ordered barley tea. With my one joy in life—iced Americano—lost, I dragged my even droopier shoulders homeward.
Truly. A weekend walk where nothing went right.
"Popo, subway today."
I headed to the nearest station. No way could I walk home on these lead legs.
Beep.
[Youth fare.]
The gate opened, but prickly stares followed. Probably the adult card on my kid body. Gotta switch it later.
[Doors opening.]
Boarding the subway, I instinctively reached for the strap.
"...Ah."
My fingertips sliced empty air awkwardly. My brain remembered the grab, but these short arms couldn't reach.
Murmurs...
Feeling eyes on me, I casually shifted to the door area, leaning my back against the strap like it was no big deal. Best spot ever.
*
"Haaah~"
Home at last, I kicked off my shoes and dove bed-first. Face in the fluffy blanket—finally alive. Whew.
"Mir! No, get up! Wash first!"
Eek.
"Urgh... just five minutes..."
"Nope! All that street dust'll ruin the sheets! Up!"
Are you my mom? Ultimately, Popo's relentless assault forced me awake.
Flop. Zombie-shuffling to the bathroom.
Whoosh—
Splashing a cat-lick wash on my face, I caught my reflection. Specifically, the idiot ahoge sprouting ridiculously long from my crown. Long enough for fishing, maybe.
I tilted my head; it boinged wildly. Chuckling dryly, I toweled off and headed out.
"Popo, no monsters today?"
In the living room, Popo had claimed sofa center—throne position—watching TV.
How'd it figure out the remote?
Tsking, I plopped beside it. Popo replied without glancing away.
"Quiet so far!"
Figures. None all weekend. Monsters take days off too?
Tension eased; drowsiness hit.
"Yawwwn—"
Stretching hugely, I eyed Popo. So round and cream-puff-like, reminding me of the one I'd scarfed earlier.
"Popo, want a snack?"
Mouth waters when idle. Harang had sucked my energy dry all day; even three cream buns left me hungry.
Grabbed my phone, thumbed the delivery app to a high-rated spot's sweet-and-spicy chicken. Crispy batter, tangy sauce... just imagining washed away that coffee's foul taste.
[Order received!]
Payment confirmed, owner accepted—the very instant...
"Mir! Monster alert! Close this time!"
Huh?
"But I just ordered..."
"Hurry! Can't waste this chance!"
"Ah."
In the end, swallowing tears, I threw on outerwear again.
"..."
"Mir, this tastes bad..."
"It's cold now."
Hours later, homebound, I clutched a box of frigid chicken. Stale batter and congealed sauce wrinkled my nose. Zero loot from the hunt made it worse.
Some luck. Why spawn where magical girls swarmed a café chat-fest?
Rushed there, but game over. Unlucky beast popped in a busy spot amid their gossip; post-transform, it shattered in under a second.
I just lurked afar, mana hidden, spectating before turning tail.
Chicken cold.
No power stolen.
Legs ache.
Total catastrophe trifecta.
"Life..."
I munched soggy chicken, sinking deep into the sofa. Bored, tuned into Popo's recent magical girl show. Kid stuff, yet weirdly fun. Why?