Chapter 6
Chapter 6
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: Lewd Scent
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'This can't be right.'
The moment I got off the bus, I checked the chat, and my mind went blank.
That damn mascot had registered an ID number and sneakily laundered my identity in the process.
Sending it in the exact same format as the message giving me the ID number. Did it think I'd just go, "Oh, I see," and accept it?
"......Haa."
For an ancient beast that's lived 80 years, the weight of an ID number and a human family registry must feel the same. My head spun at the thought.
What kind of mess had I stepped into?
But is South Korea's administrative system that easy to game? Creating a brand-new person out of thin air in just four hours?
'No way...'
Just to be sure, I logged into the court website and pulled up the family registry certificate.
So who the hell is this, popping up on someone else's family registry?
'Even if it's fake, the appearance is way too different.'
True to form for a rabbit, the mascot's work was lightning-fast but sloppy as hell. At this rate, it'd enroll me in elementary school next.
I swallowed my complaints and kept walking until Seowon University's main gate came into view.
Standing in front of the gate and looking up at the school, good points and bad points popped into my head, one by one.
First, the good: I now had a solid alibi to feed the teaching assistant.
I'd been inwardly stressing over what excuse to use, but now I had a nationally certified little sister. No issues there.
The bad point was...
"Ah, the hill."
Our school was the only university in Seoul with its main gate at the bottom of a hill.
"Huff, huff..."
Climbing this hill was way harder than I'd imagined.
A distance that would've taken five minutes on my old legs felt twice as long on these bird-like ones.
"Kyaa! What's this? She's so cute!"
"Did she get lost? Hey, kid, where are your parents?"
"Let's take a picture with big sis!"
And the stares pouring in were just icing on the cake.
Groups of female college students thrust their phones at me like they were about to plow a field.
Instead of snapping pics, they could've just given me a piggyback ride to the admin office.
Dodging the attention, I finally reached the office ten minutes before lunch. Thank goodness.
Ding-a-ling!
"Eep!"
The moment I opened the door, the stale cigarette stench permeating the entire admin office hit me like a wall.
It hadn't been this bad yesterday, but sniffing it through an eight-year-old's nose made it overwhelmingly pungent.
Followed by a woman's deflated voice.
"Haa......"
There she was, slumped over a mountain of papers like a corpse—the teaching assistant.
Her name was Lee Ha-neul.
Known in the department as the zombie TA.
Even if it was right before lunch, sighing at the sight of a visitor was a bit much.
'Just drop it off and go.'
I cleared my throat and stood in front of her desk.
The problem: I was so short I had to stand on tiptoes just to let her see the top of my head.
I strained on my tiptoes.
"Um, excuse me."
"It's lunchtime."
No, it wasn't.
"I-I'm here to submit a leave of absence form."
"Yeah, yeah, just drop it in the bin ove—huh?"
Finally sensing something off, she looked up.
Her unfocused eyes lingered on the top of my head before slowly drifting downward.
And then.
"......What the fuck."
She cursed out loud.
A sigh followed by swearing? Was this for real?
"I-I'm here to submit this."
"Uh, y-yeah... sure?"
Her gaze stayed glued to my face.
Instead, drool started pooling at the corner of her mouth.
"Um... d-don't you need to check it?"
"Oh, ri-right? Yeah, of course."
Snapping back to reality, she hurriedly pulled the documents from the envelope and scanned them.
"Leave of absence? Seol Ha-yoon? Who's that?"
Who? The guy who came by yesterday for his employee ID and made you spill your coffee.
She didn't even remember my situation. My heart sank a little.
"So you're Seol Ha-yoon's little sister?"
"Yes! O-Oppa’s not feeling well, so I came instead."
I fired off the rehearsed answer I'd prepared while climbing the hill.
The word "oppa" nearly made me bite my tongue, but I endured for the greater good.
"I see. Ha-yoon's little sister... That's a relief."
?
Not a relief at all.
What was relieving? Me being sick? Or the leave?
Anyway, business done.
I turned to leave the office.
But...
"Hey, what's your name?"
Even after processing the form, she showed no sign of letting me go.
Instead, her bleary eyes scanned me up and down, which felt unsettling.
'Why ask for my name?'
A proxy submission just needed ID verification, right? Was I suspicious enough for a background check?
I answered in the meekest, most guarded voice possible.
"S-Seol... Ha-rin."
"Ha-rin... Ha-rin... Heung."
?
She mumbled my name about four more times, and chills ran down my spine for some reason.
"Yeah. Cute name. Ha-rin."
"......Th-thank you. Then I'll be..."
About to bolt before things got weirder.
"Ah! Wait!"
She slammed her hands on the desk and shot up.
Papers avalanched off the desk, but she ignored it.
No, you can't just ignore that.
"Have you eaten? If not, wanna grab lunch with big sis? I'll treat you to something yummy!"
Sorry, but hell no.
I knew her reputation all too well.
Lee Ha-neul, the TA in front of me, was surprisingly a top-tier beauty in the department if you looked closely. Striking features, killer figure.
But that was only when she was just eye candy.
One day, she invited one of my classmates who'd dropped by the office to lunch.
The total loner was over the moon at the first flirt from a hot TA since college started and happily tagged along.
'Listen to me. Yesterday, what happened was...'
She apparently spent 55 minutes ranting about professors, the department, the admin office, and some mystery boss.
Yeah. It wasn't a date—it was a call for an emotional punching bag.
He nodded along the whole hour, barely eating, and after that, he hasn't set foot near the office—not even to pee.
'I don't wanna be a punching bag.'
I shook my head with the most pitiful, forlorn expression.
"I h-have to take care of O-Oppa... Sorry..."
I bowed 90 degrees in refusal, and a fake cough came from ahead.
I dreaded looking up to her staring.
But then.
Flop.
"......Huh?"
The already loose hoodie hood finally gave in to gravity.
Swish.
Hidden hair cascaded down like a waterfall.
The TA gasped audibly from across the room.
'She's totally weird!'
I frantically pulled the hood back and cinched it tight.
Only my face peeking out like a rolled-up pupa.
"G-goodbye!"
I fled the office without looking back.
I think she shouted something, but I ignored it.
I'm invincible now.
What does it mean to give off a lewd scent?
No need to wonder. Neph-chan just demonstrated it raw and left.
"Snuuup... haa..."
The admin office, thick with nicotine, was now filled solely with the newbie's pheromone allure.
Of course, only Ha-neul could sense it.
She clocked it the instant she saw the face.
That adorable creature barging in was a fresh newbie to the scene: Neph.
She'd half-suspected Prima was senile and fishing, but Neph was the real deal.
A total greenhorn clueless about the industry's ways.
The first thing that stands out in a magical girl transformation is the physical change.
Magical girls embody dreams and hope, so even edgy concepts don't mean ugly ones exist.
Mana turns A-cups into overflowing D's, 30-something nobodies into nine-year-old starlets.
Thus, the classic newbie mistake post-contract: wandering around transformed.
Can't blame 'em—they're thrilled.
Overnight beauty? Gotta flaunt it neighborhood-wide.
But there's a line you don't cross: leaking red pills everywhere.
In this day and age, outing yourself as "I'm Lee Ha-neul as Bella" gets your dox dropped online in 15 minutes flat.
Yet look at that innocent display.
Blithely spilling her real identity—family ties included.
"What a relief. I found her first."
What she'd called a relief to Ha-rin wasn't the sick brother.
It was snagging the prime red pill: Seowon University student Seol Ha-yoon's little sister, "Seol Ha-rin."
Beating out the hyena seniors to be the only one in the know.
This gave her overwhelming intel advantage over the vets.
Shed already lost her morning noodle dunk chance to Sword thanks to oversleeping, souring her mood.
She couldn't lag further, but the group chat had psychos like Aurora glaring—no safe way to speak up.
Now things were different.
Hide her own identity, approach naturally as "bro's school senior."
Whittle down distance: buy tasty meals, cute clothes, counseling for troubles...
Cultivate her like a greenhouse flower, keep as an attachment plushie...
"Ehehe."
This is YAS.
"Time to stamp my presence on Ha-rin-chan?"
Personal agenda ends here.
Now for official duty.
Noodle dunks were one thing, but braking Ha-rin was legit business.
'Leave her be, and she'll keep leaking info cluelessly.'
If the newbie got sanctioned by Magic Castle for blabbing, the first fresh meat in five years vanishes.
Ha-neul wasn't ready to face senior wrath if that happened.
As a reliable magical girl senior, time to educate step by step.
"Where's a monster when you need one?"
Right then.
Ha-neul's lips curled to her ears.
God pitied her and answered the prayer. Lunchtime now—she'd still be near the gate.
Perfect. Ha-neul deployed mana to block perceptions and began transforming.
"Ignite, Blazing Heart!"
⟨ Magical Girl Bella ⟩
Her body enveloped in red flames, drab black hair turned orange.
Baggy tee and sweats morphed into a frilly orange dress.
"Flames of justice and fairness! Magical Girl Bella!"
Justice and fairness had fallen behind in this industry long ago, but whatever.
The newbie lived.
I was descending the hill from the admin office, feeling light-hearted and free.
Beeeep!
Beeeep!
My pocket smartphone screamed as campus speakers blared sirens.
"......Why this timing?"
A curse nearly slipped out.
I'd just tasted freedom, heading home. God clearly wasn't on my side.
"Where is it?"
As if answering, space rippled ahead. Quick response.
Ziiing.
Air cracked like shattered glass, ominous energy spilling from the black rift.
A Backside World gate had opened.
"Grrrrowl...!"
Out burst a massive mantis-shaped monster.
News and YouTube mocked them as punching bags lately.
"Eek!"
"M-monster! Run!"
"Magical girl! Call a magical girl quick!"
But up close, it was too ferocious and grotesque for "punching bag."
Nearby students screamed and fled like an ebbing tide.
'Should I run too? But I'm a magical girl now?'
So fight?
"I'll rip you limb from limb and hang your guts on the traffic light instead of the red..."
Oof. Fight that?
It's seriously pissed.
OK, analysis done.
'No way I win.'
Sure, I had a weapon and mana manifestation, but real combat was different.
Watching on a screen vs. facing a killing intent monster—worlds apart in terror.
My feet glued to the ground, breath jammed in my throat.
'Ah...'
Finally got it.
Why I'd idolized magical girls so much.
Even mocked as relics, they faced this terror every time without fleeing.
Drawing weapons against this overwhelming pressure.
'Still...'
Ramu's words echoed.
Grow as a magical girl to return to my original body.
Run now, and I'd live forever like this, under protection.
'No thanks.'
I clenched my fists, nails digging into skin.
The pain anchored me.
'Let's do this.'
I'm not the one waiting for rescue anymore.
I'm the rescuer now.
Imagine it. My sewing machine smashing the monster's skull to pieces.
"Trans—!"
That instant.
KABOOOM!!
A sky-shattering roar, massive fire pillar crashing before me.
"...?!"
Blinding heat and shockwave made me squeeze eyes shut, then open.
Through dust and haze, a familiar back appeared.
Orange dress like sculpted flames, confident pose with hand on hip.
She turned slowly, looking at me.
Orange hair flickering like fire in the wind.
"Pretty startled, huh?"
She grinned, extending a hand.
"Don't worry. Everyone's like that at first. I was too."
My heart plummeted.
Before me stood one of my ultimate heroes.
The Bella from my memories, in her most radiant era.
"Just trust this senior from now on, got it?"