Autographs Amid the Chaos: That's My Friend for You
Soo-ah's epithet is Jester. In other words, a clown.
True to her name, Soo-ah's battles were the flashiest among all the magical girls in the Special Resource Management Corporation of Korea.
That flashiness had turned me into a lone spectator today, without fail.
"Raaargh!"
Even with one arm severed, the villain's murderous intent didn't wane in the slightest.
The villain extended its remaining left hand's nails into long claws and leaped toward Soo-ah.
The air-splitting sonic boom battered my eardrums, but Soo-ah didn't so much as blink.
Instead, a faint smile played on her lips as she snapped her fingers.
In that instant, Soo-ah's form scattered like smoke, leaving a massive pierrot hat in her place.
-Kwachiiik!
The villain's powerful strike crushed the hat, but the recoil must have felt disappointingly light.
From inside the hat burst not Soo-ah, but dozens of colorful artificial flowers and vibrant ribbons.
"You're too honest, Villain-nim. The charm of a circus lies in deception, after all."
By then, Soo-ah had appeared floating behind the villain, readjusting her grip on her massive scythe.
-Shwaaack!
Soo-ah's scythe arced in a semicircle, deeply slashing across the villain's back.
Its steel-like skin tore like paper, scattering black mana.
"Now, time for audience participation."
She fanned out a deck of cards in midair, the shuffling sound cold and sharp like clashing blades.
"Pick one that catches your eye? It'll decide your fate."
Of course, the villain responded not with words but a roar as it charged at Soo-ah.
No way such a bloodthirsty beast would entertain the offer.
As if she'd anticipated it, Soo-ah shrugged and arbitrarily drew a card.
"A spectator who hates circuses? How disappointing. Guess I'll choose for you."
The card Soo-ah drew was The Tower, etched with a black pattern.
She hurled it at the villain, and in midair, it transformed into a massive gravitational wave.
-Kuuuung!
The villain's knees buckled helplessly, the ground cracking like a spiderweb and caving in.
The explosive speed that had overwhelmed me moments ago was gone; now the thing flailed like it was stuck in quicksand.
"How's that, Villain-nim? Enjoying my circus?"
The reason for her #25 ranking despite this combat prowess? Her peaks and valleys were starkly defined.
The true value of Soo-ah's ability shone in states like this Circus Master.
Just three minutes.
Her mana exploded in amplification, letting her swing villains around with the best—top 10 magical girls had nothing on her in that window.
But once those three minutes passed, her maximum mana plummeted.
Her highs pierced the heavens, but her lows scraped the dirt—that's why her average landed her at #25.
"Amazing..."
It wasn't just the flashiness that drew the words from me.
Soo-ah's movements had no wasted motion.
She never even considered taking attacks head-on.
Deceive, dodge, exploit weaknesses.
And me? What had I been doing?
Always relying on Luck Strike.
Win if it landed, lose if it didn't.
Lately, even when it hit, I still lost—over and over.
It was pure gambling.
They'd given me the epithet Serendipity for "unexpected fortune," but a luck-crazed gambler fit better.
"Everyone, focus! Jester's Grand Circus—finale begins!"
Soo-ah's shout snapped me back.
She summoned massive hoops wreathed in flames midair.
She blew breath through them, unleashing a colossal fire dragon that surged to devour the villain.
At the same time, her scythe hummed with high-frequency vibrations, infused with purple mana.
I clutched my aching arm and stood.
Soo-ah's unpredictable moves, her efficient mana circulation for maximum impact.
I had to make it all mine.
Because luck only smiles on the prepared.
My shattered right hand burned hot.
Behind the pain, each of Soo-ah's flashy maneuvers etched into my mind as data points.
"Raaaangh!"
Even amid the inferno, the villain lashed out with sharp claws, but Soo-ah effortlessly evaded and conjured a massive ball.
The ball descended toward the villain agonizingly slowly, letting it slice it in half with ease.
Then, dozens of smaller balls rained down like a meteor shower, engulfing it.
-Boom! Bwoom! Kwaaaang!
Upon contact, they detonated in unison, leaving a fireworks display of devastation.
The villain, battered by it all, collapsed unconscious on the spot.
"Thank you all for watching Jester's Grand Circus."
Soo-ah landed on the ground, bowed before the fallen villain, signaling the end of the spectacle.
"Serendipity, you okay?"
Releasing Circus Master, she rushed straight to me.
The difference between her in-state and out was like split personalities—total opposites.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Hurts, but I can tough it out."
"Good. The cleanup team's coming soon. Rest till then."
"Got something to do first."
"Huh?"
I dragged my stumbling body into the apartment.
No time for rest—I needed to check on Joo-hee, alone inside.
"Ah, there you are."
"Serendipity..."
"You okay?"
"Se, Serendipity! My friend... she said she was coming back! But she hasn't yet!"
Facing her first villain raid, panic was expected, but Joo-hee worried about me first.
What a friend.
No matter how I thought about it, the deep bond I felt with her made it hard to believe some higher power scripted me into this world just for her.
"Your friend's in the hospital. Pretty bad wounds."
"Oh... I see."
"No life-threatening stuff, so don't worry."
Only then did Joo-hee exhale in relief. I reached out to her.
"Th-thank you. But... you're hurt bad too, Serendipity..."
"Psh, this is nothing for a magical girl. See? I can move like... ugh...!"
Overdoing it to ease her concern triggered a wave of intense pain.
"You okay, Serendipity?!"
"Y-yeah... I'm good. Really."
"You remind me of my friend."
"Wha, your friend...? The one you mentioned?"
"Yeah. She acts tough even when she's not. Never tells me why, though."
I couldn't tell Joo-hee about magical girl stuff.
I'd tried hiding it, but apparently, it all showed on my face anyway.
Guilt hit me for worrying my closest friend.
"A-anyway, you're amazing, Serendipity!"
"Huh...?"
"You took down that insane villain!"
"Nah... I did nothing. Jester handled it all. I just got my ass kicked, so it feels weird hearing that."
"But how'd you know I was here?"
Her question threw me off.
To Joo-hee, Serendipity and I were separate people. Finding a mana-less civilian right away must've seemed suspicious.
I had to bluff.
"Your friend told me the location earlier."
"Ha-young did? I wanna visit... can I?"
"Civilians injured by villains can't have visitors till treatment's done."
No such rule existed, but I had to lie to keep my Serendipity identity secret.
"How long till she's fully recovered?"
"Dunno... maybe a month? Her back wound was deep."
"A month... She's conscious, right?"
"Yeah. We can keep in touch."
"Okay... Whoa?! Serendipity, blood...!"
Joo-hee freaked, pointing to a pale puddle on the floor from the deep gash on my back.
"Oh, this? Must've happened when I fell earlier. It's fine."
"But you're bleeding a ton..."
"Told you, nothing for a magical girl."
I scrambled to deflect her suspicions.
I'd thought avoiding getting railed by a villain in front of my friend was the win condition—but this headache was right up there.
"Let's go. Cleanup team's almost here."
"Okay, Serendipity."
Walking straight was impossible, but I couldn't lean on a civilian. Gritting through the pain, I headed out.
That's when Joo-hee's gaze felt intensely piercing.
"Something you wanna say?"
"Um... if it's not too rude... could I maybe get an autograph?"
An autograph? In this mess?
Classic Serendipity superfan move.
"Heh! Sure, before we part."
"Yay! For real?! Oh, one for my friend too! She loves you!"
"Got it. Hers too."
Today's events sparked another wake-up call.
Prepare for villain attacks anywhere, anytime. Completely overhaul my fighting style.
It meant one more step up my growth ladder.