The Job Hunt and the Penguin's Tantrum

"That floor-mat bitch really doesn't know her place!"

I took a bath in warm water. As expected, the fatigue melting away from my entire body felt incredible.

After the bath, I had dinner with my family. My father brought up my outfit from earlier again.

"Don't go around wearing clothes like that from now on."

"Ah, yes. I definitely won't do it again next time..."

"Anyway, what are you going to do about work?"

"Pardon? Work?"

"You didn't go to college, so you need to do something. How long do you plan on just lazing around at home?"

"......."

I had hit a rather realistic problem. For a split second, I wondered if I should reveal the fact that I had become a Magical Girl. But I decided against it for now. There might be a rule that Magical Girls aren't allowed to reveal their identities. It would be best to ask Adel and decide later.

No... perhaps it was better not to reveal it at all. Seeing how Sera and Yerin acted earlier, it didn't seem like the perception of Magical Girls here was very good.

"As for a job..." I fumbled for an excuse. "I'm looking for one."

"I see. Don't be too impatient about it. If you ever need money, just tell me."

"Thank you..."

Even though he sounded blunt, I could feel the sincerity in his concern for me.

"Oh my, Lua will figure it out on her own. She's so sensible. And pretty, too." My mother smiled brightly and placed a side dish into my rice bowl. "You're twenty now, so if you ever get a boyfriend, don't hide it and bring him over anytime. Mom ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠will make you plenty of delicious food."

At those words, my father's expression stiffened instantly.

"What's this talk about a boyfriend already? She's still so young! Absolutely not. Don't even think about boyfriends. It's all a waste of time."

"Oh my, dear. Are you jealous?"

"It's not that, it's just that there are so many weirdos out there these days, and the world is a dangerous place..."

My father and mother continued their conversation. I sat there holding my spoon, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠watching them blankly. What a harmonious family. In my past life, I was always alone, and I was lonely. Perhaps that's why this ordinary daily life with my family felt so precious. I even felt a strange sense of duty to fight against the monsters, if only to protect them.

After the meal, I did the dishes. My mother said she would do them, but I quickly put on rubber gloves and started scrubbing the bowls. Lu-mi helped me from the side, too. Such a good kid.

After finishing the dishes, I grabbed a can of tuna from the shelf for Adel and went into my room. Adel was sleeping in the middle of the bed, sprawled out like a starfish. Snoring and everything. So, plushies can sleep too...

I lay down next to him and covered him with the blanket. I stroked Adel's round, white belly. It was soft and warm.

I stared blankly at the ceiling. The life of a Magical Girl... is it going to be okay? I didn't really want to run into the other Magical Girls I saw earlier. They were too scary. But eventually, I'd have no choice but to face them. I wouldn't be able to defeat the monsters on my own.

No, let's stop overthinking and just sleep. I was too tired today.

"Good night~"

I said goodbye to Adel and slowly closed my eyes.

"Hng... it's strange..."

My body felt strangely heated. A racy sensation was emanating from my chest. I snapped my eyes open. Looking down, I saw Adel had burrowed inside my pajamas. His beak was sucking on my nipple.

"Wh-what are you doing!"

"As a sacred mascot, I was merely performing a physical examination."

"What kind of nonsense is that!"

I pulled Adel out of my pajamas. Looking at the side of the bed, the tuna can I had brought last night was already licked clean to the bottom.

"Anyway, what do you plan on doing today?" Adel asked. "The monster was sliced up yesterday, so it won't appear for a while."

"Hmm, I'm not sure. Oh, come to think of it, can I tell my family that I'm a Magical Girl?"

"Absolutely not. If your identity is leaked, you'll be dragged off to a national secret laboratory."

"A national secret laboratory...? What happens ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠if I get dragged there?"

"What do you think? They'll dissect your pussy."

"......."

I didn't think that would happen. It was such nonsense that I just brushed it off.

"Doesn't the government provide any support funds? I mean, I'm a Magical Girl risking my life to catch monsters."

"Being a Magical Girl is a sacred duty. To try and squeeze money out of it... your mindset is rotten. Sera-nim or Yerin-nim were born with silver spoons in their mouths, so it doesn't matter for them, but you're a dirt spoon, aren't you? Go find work and earn your keep immediately. If you have nothing to do, sell your body and present me with my premium tuna cans!"

I would work, but I had no intention of selling my body. Well, anyway, it meant I had to find a part-time job. That was fine. I'd done every part-time job imaginable in my past life. I was confident I could do most things well.

I turned on my smartphone and scrolled through a part-time job app. I skipped the physically demanding jobs like moving boxes or manual labor. I might have done it in my past life, but now I had the body of a delicate woman.

Suddenly, a suitable posting caught my eye. A cafe part-time job. The hourly wage was a whopping three times the minimum wage. It included holiday pay, and meals and transportation expenses were provided separately. The conditions were extraordinary.

The job description read...

This is perfect! I decided on this one. I hurriedly filled out the application. First, the ID photo. I turned on my phone camera and took a quick shot. *Click.* As expected, since my looks were on point, it came out very cute even with a quick snap. Next, I wrote down my name and date of birth. For the special skills or work experience section, I hesitated for a moment before leaving it blank. It felt a bit weird to list the jobs from my past life. Instead, I wrote my motivation and resolve earnestly.

Perfect. I finished the application and pressed the 'Apply' button. *Phew.* Would I get in? The benefits were so good that the competition ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠would probably be fierce...

Just then, my phone rang. I looked at the screen. An unknown number. I carefully pressed the call button.

"Hello?"

"Is this Han Lua?!"

A middle-aged man's voice. "Yes, it is... who is this?"

"You applied for the part-time job, right?!"

What the. They're calling already? I just applied!

"Yes, that's right."

"Could you possibly come in for an interview right now?!"

Right now? It was a bit sudden, but I readily agreed. "Understood!"

I hung up and prepared to leave immediately. As I opened the closet, Adel flew over, flapping his wings.

"Today's look is this!"

What Adel pointed at with his wing was a palm-sized tank top and hot pants that weren't even a span long. Even for Adel, why did I even own these clothes?

"The foundation of an interview is appeal! Wear these lewd clothes and spread your legs wide in front of the interviewer! As for underwear, a thong where your pussy is slightly visible would be best!"

"No! I promised my dad I'd dress modestly."

"Does your dad feed you? Promises are unimportant! A Magical Girl's duty is lewdness!"

"I really want this job. The conditions are amazing." I said, trying to soothe Adel. "If you let me dress modestly, I'll let you stay at our house forever."

"Ha!" Adel scoffed. "Proposing a deal to a mascot, how pathetic! Expose your pussy immediately!"

In the end, I pulled out my trump card. "Is that so? Then I have no choice. I'll have to tell everything to Sera and Yerin."

"Ha?!" Adel's eyes widened. "Sera and Yerin? Are they friends of yours? You floor-mat bitch, you don't know your place! And what are you going to tell them?"

"That you called those two..." I enunciated clearly, "...monster bitches."

"....!!"

Adel's pupils shook as if they were having an earthquake. "Y-y-you damn whore! Where did you learn such shitty blackmail! I should tie you up on the street and rape you like a dog to make you come to your senses..."

Adel spewed all sorts of foul language, but I had developed some immunity, so I let it slide easily.

"I'm going to head to Sera's house right now~"

"Eek!"

Adel clung tightly to my thigh. "Are you insane! If you go there, you won't come out in one piece! You'll be pinned to the floor, crying and getting fucked!"

"Yeah, it's fine." I shrugged. "At least it'll be better than you."

"......."

Adel glared at me as if he wanted to kill me, then let his wings droop. "Understood. This is the only time. I'm letting it slide just this once. In exchange, you must present me with tons of premium tuna!"

"Got it. I'll get you some later."

I swallowed my laughter. Everything I'd given him so far was just ordinary canned tuna, not premium or anything. Adel didn't seem to notice, though.

Anyway, having finished negotiations with Adel, I chose a modest outfit. A white shirt and a beige skirt that covered my knees. I wore plain cotton panties, too. I couldn't help that they had rabbits on them, but it didn't matter since I wasn't going to show them to anyone anyway.

I smoothed out my clothes in front of the mirror. Dressed modestly, I looked very innocent. I had the appearance of a decent person who would work diligently. It was the perfect look that even my father would be satisfied with.

"It's a shitty fashion style that's perfect for letting cobwebs grow on your pussy, ptooey."

Adel grumbled, but I ignored him and left the house. A pleasant breeze blew. I hummed a tune and headed toward the interview location.