Chapter 21
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: Summer Vacation with Two Magical Girls (1)
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Even just standing still made sweat bead up on your forehead,
and the slightest movement drained your energy in an instant. It was that kind of season.
To fend off the midsummer swelter, clothes kept getting shorter and skimpier,
and everyone started craving the chill of air conditioning and ice-cold drinks.
And the first thing that came to mind when thinking of summer? 'Summer vacation,' of course.
You'd head to a resort, dive into cool waters to forget the heat even for a moment,
or grill meat over roaring charcoal fires to build some memories.
The desire to break free from the daily grind and cut loose was universal...
even for Magical Girls who fought Monsters without a single day off.
The Management Bureau offered special vacations in summer and winter as a welfare perk,
arranging spots or covering costs during the break.
So summer and winter were the seasons Magical Girls dreaded the most,
yet also looked forward to the most.
'Vacation starts tomorrow... I can finally crash hard....'
The Managers qualified for those special vacation perks too.
With Flora and Athena's turns coming up right around the corner,
Jae-hyun genuinely planned to do nothing but rest.
No matter how much the Evil God's power toughened his body and stamina,
he was still human and bound to wear down eventually.
Between the staffing shortages at the Management Bureau keeping his workload insane,
and the constant 'Mana Replenishments' during shifts eating up his time,
he'd been rushed off his feet for days on end.
'No one to meet anyway... Might as well sleep the whole time.'
It had been two years since Jae-hyun started as a Magical Girl Manager.
Back when he graduated college, he'd had plenty of friends he kept in touch with,
but those two years had wiped his social circle clean.
Having been buried in work exhaustion for so long anyway,
he was fully committed to vegging out and recharging.
"Manager-nim!"
"Ah! You're back. Good work out there."
He'd spent the whole afternoon lost in thoughts of vacation,
when Athena returned safely from her Monster dispatch.
"We've got plenty of standby personnel right now, so...
that last mission was probably it for today."
Magical Girls typically handled one to three missions a day,
so a crowded late-afternoon roster meant slim odds of another call-up.
It happened often on low-Monster-activity days like today.
"Still... better safe than sorry, so I'll hang tight!"
Even hearing Jae-hyun say she could relax after her final mission of the day,
Athena just plopped on the sofa and checked her device.
Ever vigilant for an emergency dispatch.
Classic diligent, serious Athena.
'Guess I should wrap up soon too... and get ready to clock out.'
The clock hands crept past five toward six.
With his backlog mostly cleared, Jae-hyun waited for quittin' time.
"...Hey."
Flora's voice cut through as he stretched happily, daydreaming of heading home.
"Yes? What is it?"
He spun his chair around, arms still stretched high,
and Flora hesitated like she had some scheme brewing.
"You... got anyone you're meeting up with during vacation? Or...?"
"Nah, nothing like that. Just holing up at home."
No plans, no people—just solo downtime at home for Jae-hyun.
Flora's face lit up for a split second at his words,
then she whipped her head away, worried he'd catch it.
"Cool. Then tag along with me starting tomorrow."
"Huh? What do you...?"
His beaming pre-quittin'-time grin soured at the idea of playing attendant during vacation.
"What, you hate it?"
Her glare screamed she'd end him if he said yes.
Jae-hyun could do whatever he wanted with her thanks to the Mark of Enslavement,
but something told him honesty here would spell disaster.
"Well... mind telling me where we're going first?"
Buying time to hear the destination before deciding.
If it sounded like a massive hassle or too far,
he'd slap on hypnosis as a last resort and bail.
"Uh... some fancy pension with a pool.
Pool... villa? Something like that."
Athena jumped in helpfully with the details.
"You heading there too, Athena-nim?"
"Yep! Flora suggested we all go together."
Surprisingly, Flora had pitched the group trip to Athena first.
The two planned to spend their summer special vacation at a swanky pool villa,
which meant Jae-hyun was invited along too.
'Damn... she's just gonna make me lug her crap again.'
Flora always dumped her bags on him during trips,
and she'd no doubt boss him around for every little thing.
Imagining himself sweating buckets hauling luggage in the summer heat,
he started scheming ways to weasel out.
'Wait... pool villa.'
Then it hit him—pool villa.
A luxury pension with a private pool,
meaning he could ogle Athena and Flora in swimsuits.
And have them wait on him hand and foot in those outfits...?
'Ugh... no way I could pass that up.'
Any guy would ditch vacation plans in a heartbeat for that.
"It'd be great if you came too, Manager-nim... hehe."
As Jae-hyun wrestled with his pros-and-cons debate,
Athena flashed a shy smile, signaling she wanted him along.
Through Cleanup Service and their chats, she'd grown to rely on him more,
and wanted to get even closer.
"Uh... yeah. Got it."
Not just the free swimsuit show,
but bossing them around in that state? Instinct overrode reason in a flash.
"G... good call. Smart thinking."
"I'm so excited!"
Flora and Athena beamed in unison at his agreement,
then bashfully buried their faces in their phones.
A day later, the joint special vacation day arrived.
"Knew it... stuck as Manager even on vacation."
Flora had fired off a novel-length text the second Jae-hyun clocked out.
A shopping list of foods she craved and essentials she needed.
Miss one item, and she'd make him pay—capped with a chilling warning.
So there he was, lugging heavy bags from morning,
waiting under the blazing sun at the meetup spot for the two girls.
"Manager-nim! Been waiting long?"
"Ah! Athena-nim."
Athena arrived first, right on the dot.
She usually rocked casual sporty vibes like jeans or tank tops,
but today she sported a crisp white summer dress that screamed cool.
The thrill of a group summer getaway.
Athena dressed up differently to capture that vibe.
"Ahaha... this strap keeps slipping...."
The pure, innocent dress got a subtly erotic edge from her massive bust,
and Athena fiddled awkwardly with the shoulder straps, hyper-aware of it.
"Anyway... Flora's late, huh."
"Yeah. She's chronically tardy as is."
Flora still AWOL past the appointed time.
- Tatata-tatata—
"Urgh...!"
As Jae-hyun fished out his phone to call her,
frantic footsteps pounded from behind.
"This much... ain't late at all, right."
Running late for work was her daily routine, so a few minutes barely fazed her anymore.
Spotting Flora sprinting from afar, Jae-hyun popped the trunk
and pre-loaded it with his and Athena's stuff.
"Haa... haa...."
Dragging her suitcase at a run had wiped her out.
She skidded to a halt in front of them, panting hard.
"Whoa... Flora, looking cute today?"
A sheer black see-through blouse over white hot pants.
Unlike her usual sports tank and leggings obsession,
she'd tried a fresh vacation-ready look.
"Athena too... suits you."
She eyed those hefty pecs turning the prim dress lewd,
then nodded with a knowing glint.
Some sights just turned heads, gender be damned.
"Where's the address again."
They'd borrowed a Management Bureau car instead of public transit,
so Jae-hyun pulled double duty as porter and chauffeur.
He'd only learned that gem this morning,
but with his word already given, all he could do was sigh.
'An hour? Way closer than I thought.'
Small mercy: the pool villa was just an hour from the meetup.
"Alright then... let's roll out."
The engine purred to life, cool AC blasting inside,
and with that, the trio's summer vacation kicked off.