Joyful Yellow Turns to Muddy Black
Fun yellow.
“Oh my, you already finished it all?”
“Ugh.”
Huh?
Where'd my mala tang go?
I looked down, and there was the empty mala tang bowl right in front of my eyes.
...Did I eat all that?
Only then did the memories from moments ago come flooding back.
The instant I took a bite of the mala tang, packed with the ingredients I'd chosen myself—like tofu puffs and mushrooms—floating in that oily broth.
It was like fireworks exploding in my mouth.
Salty, spicy—what might seem like the simplest flavors—blended into the most addictive taste imaginable.
And the ingredients I'd picked? The moment I tasted them, regret hit me hard for not grabbing more tofu puffs and puffs. That chewy, slightly nutty flavor soaking up the broth... how could it not be addictive?
“It was delicious.”
“Right?”
I looked down a bit further, and there was my slightly protruding belly.
Pat pat.
As I clapped my belly, I heard the satisfying sound of flesh smacking flesh.
Hah.
I want more already.
I turned to check how much Seoyeon had eaten, but she was staring at my belly, spoon forgotten in her hand.
“...?”
Did it bother her a little?
“Sorry.”
“N-no, it's fine...!”
Ever since turning into this body, my movements felt a bit more carefree, almost reckless. Maybe I should get tested for ADHD or something... but nah, it'll be okay.
Zing.
Ah.
Did I drink too much water?
Hit by a sudden urge to pee, I stood up to head to the bathroom.
“Gonna hit the bathroom quick, so eat slowly.”
“Okay~”
Her relaxed reply made me go to wave casually, but...
Zing.
Yeah, my bladder wasn't gonna hold out that long.
I didn't even say bye to her and rushed to ask a nearby staff member where the bathroom was.
“Out the door and to the left~”
I bolted out without calming down at her laid-back tone, heading straight for the bathroom.
Click.
Inside was a single stall toilet, standing alone.
I hurried to pull down my skirt, but since I wasn't used to the clothes yet, it took a moment.
Please, hurry...!
......
Trickle trickle.
“Hoo...”
Thank goodness I got the skirt down before my bladder surrendered.
Just as the relaxing sensation brought a wave of cool relief...
Click.
The bathroom door opened, and a gruff voice echoed in.
“Ugh, gotta pee bad...”
Three seconds of staring.
“Sorry. Looks like I got the wrong bathroom.”
Click.
Hmm.
I stroked my chin thoughtfully for a moment.
Which bathroom had I just walked into?
Racking my brain, the answer came back.
'Men'
The men's room.
Hmm.
For now, I finished emptying my bladder, flushed, and washed my hands at the sink.
Click.
I peeked out, glanced around—no one in sight. Phew, he must've gone to another bathroom.
What just happened? Nothing at all.
I just went to the 'bathroom,' and that guy just happened to enter the 'bathroom' by coincidence. That's it.
Really.
After coming back from the bathroom, Seoyeon and I—who'd finished her mala tang—started strolling the streets to aid digestion.
“Wanna grab some aa ice cream?”
“Sure, whatever.”
The streets were filled with people like us.
Girls in cute outfits clustering with friends.
Boys cracking jokes laced with curses, laughter nonstop.
And here and there, guys and girls holding hands.
“Hey.”
“?”
As we headed to a cafe amid the scenery, someone called out.
The voice came from behind, so I turned— a group of rough-looking guys.
They ignored me completely, eyes on Seoyeon.
“Hey, can we get your number...?”
Ah.
That kind of thing.
I looked up at her face to gauge her reaction.
...?
Her expression was slightly twisted.
The guy didn't notice and kept going.
“If you two sisters are hanging out, why not sing some love songs with us...?”
“Sorry.” She grabbed me. “Sea, let's go.”
“Yeah.”
“Wait up!”
Ignoring the voice behind, she quickened her pace to leave.
“Sorry.”
I apologized to them and jogged after her.
Glancing back, they weren't following. Good.
......
About three minutes of running later.
“Hoo... hoo...”
...Tiring.
Even a light jog left me more winded than expected.
“Sorry, that must've been rough.”
She apologized as I caught my breath quietly.
“Hoo... it's fine.”
I didn't know the details, but it was the kind of situation that could annoy anyone.
“Ah!”
Then she spotted something and shouted at me.
“Wanna hit the claw machines?”
I looked around—a small claw machine shop came into view.
Hmm.
“We were gonna do cafe—”
“They've got magical girl dolls.”
“Let's go.”
I can't resist magical girl dolls.
Sure, I owned most merch at home, but these shops usually had unofficial stuff worth collecting.
Mostly wild magical girl goods, though.
“Ooh! Pronesis doll over there!”
?
“Where?”
“Right there.”
She pointed, and sure enough, Pronesis dolls filled the machine.
Not one or two—piles of them.
...Had I gotten that famous?
It'd been over three months since I started, so merch time, but this much?
“Daddy, I want the Pronesis doll!”
“Haha, sure, hang on~”
Obviously, I hadn't authorized that.
Most magical girl merch here was probably bootleg anyway.
But they could sell openly on streets like this because of magical girls' special status.
Official association girls got protection—wild ones like me? Nada.
Legally gray area for wild girls; protecting your character meant revealing your identity, and the process was a nightmare.
There were companies that handled it, but...
“There! Got it~”
“Yay! Thanks, Daddy!!!”
Ah.
I snapped back—suddenly standing at the machine.
“Want one?”
...Hmm.
One for souvenir couldn't hurt.
“Yeah.”
She fed cash in, operated it like a pro.
Whirr...
...Not her first rodeo.
Her emerald eyes sharpened like a hawk spotting prey.
And when they locked on...
Clack.
Whirr...
“Got 'em!”
She snagged two on the first try.
Bending down, she grabbed them and handed me one.
“Thanks.”
The Pronesis doll was honestly pretty crude.
Threads poking out, rough make.
But that's the charm of bootlegs.
I took it carefully, like handling a baby bird.
Maybe pleased by my reaction, she smiled faintly and browsed other machines.
“Ah! Know who this is?”
“Vampire 17, the chuunibyou debut concept.”
“Cute~”
We spent quite a while in the doll shop like that.
......
“Ah~ That was fun!”
...Kids these days have stamina, huh. Felt it again.
“Yeah.”
We'd had a blast, sure.
After dolls, we hit arcades for fighting games, karaoke for the latest hits.
Stepping out of karaoke, the evening sunset painted the sky.
“Already this late!?”
She yelped, checking her phone.
'7:32'
“Ah! Sorry! Curfew—gotta run! Today was fun! Let's hang again!”
Shoot.
Strict home? I waved as she dashed off, then headed home myself.
Come to think of it, what was up with those guys earlier?
She usually got along fine with boys in class. Something bug her?
For some reason, it nagged at me.
“Don't be late next time.”
“Yes... sorry...”
Magical Girl Association Nowon Branch, third floor—magical girl dorms.
Association girls got free dorms as a perk.
Not mandatory, but popular anyway.
“Hoo... close call.”
Seoyeon used it too.
After begging the dorm mother, she flopped onto her bed. Her desk held various plushies; she added today's new Pronesis doll and her smartphone.
“Fun~”
If her mood were a color right now, it'd be yellow.
“But seriously, can't I hug you just once?”
She thought it every time she looked at Sea, but asking? Probably not for another half year.
Sea would've probably said yes right away, from day one.
Bzzz...
Then her phone on the desk vibrated.
“Hm? Who's texting this late?”
She got up reluctantly to check.
“Ah.”
The joyful yellow began shifting to a muddy black.