My First Friend is the Class President, Shin Seyeol (4)
Shin Seyeol saw it clearly. The change in Jihye’s eyes the moment the spar began. Unlike her usual sleepy, lazy gaze, they had sharpened into something keener than a butcher’s blade. She had never truly understood the saying that killing intent alone could murder a person—until she looked at Jihye. It felt as if a dagger had flown straight into her heart with a single glance, leaving her breathless.
Even when she sparred with the teacher, she didn’t seem this serious.
Serious. Was this cold, cruel look in her eyes Jihye’s true self? She didn’t know. That was exactly why she had to find out.
She shouted her transformation phrase. What filled her right hand was a heavy lance—the unique weapon only Aerumna Breaker could wield. Normally she would have grumbled about its weight, but in this moment, it felt more reliable than anything else in the world.
“Hoo…”
Seyeol examined the whirlwind of emotions swirling inside her as she stepped onto the sparring ground. The competitive spirit that made her want to face Jihye with everything she had. The pride that came from being the first opponent Jihye would truly fight. The longing to remain her friend no matter what. And the anxiety born from desperation.
She realized for the first time just how many different emotions she possessed. They weren’t separate—they crashed over her all at once in a chaotic storm. It was like a typhoon, and her fragile self could only be swept away.
But right before the match began, Seyeol felt something else rise powerfully within her: a fierce competitive urge. How far could she go? A powerful enemy she couldn’t overcome had come to test her. This place was an arena that would reveal how much effort she had poured into herself until now. It was also a proving ground that would determine how much further she could grow.
Little by little, her competitive spirit was devouring her thoughts. I can do this. I have to do this. Her pride had already crossed into excessive self-confidence. As an adolescent still unskilled at controlling her emotions, Seyeol didn’t realize her thinking had become distorted. Yet in a way, it might have been the right choice. Because the aura radiating from Kim Jihye was that overwhelming. Her level was still too low to face that pressure head-on without being swallowed by it. So her instincts had found a way to protect herself.
“Ouch!”
Her first thrust, made with full intent, failed. The follow-up swing only pulled Jihye closer into her range—an amateur mistake. She tried to block with her armor and counterattack, but even that was easily read. The shield she frantically activated in a moment of crisis felt crude and unsatisfying even to herself. She thought she had finally found an opening, only to lose the lance that was practically her other self to Jihye’s counter. Then she made an even worse blunder by trying to retrieve it and losing it completely.
Now, there was nothing left she could do to fight back.
I didn’t think she’d be this overwhelming.
Beyond frustration came emptiness. The word “overwhelming” wasn’t even enough. The entire spar had felt like she was being toyed with. It was as if she had thrown a tantrum on the palm of an omnipotent god, only to end up like this. Perhaps because the defeat had been so one-sided, instead of falling into despair like anyone else would, Seyeol experienced the complete opposite.
Her mind grew strangely clear. The fog of competitive spirit and pressure began to vanish completely. Once she forgot about herself, only one thing remained in her sight—Kim Jihye.
“Jihye, you really are amazing.”
“…What?”
No petty feelings like jealousy arose.
“You’re so strong.”
Because her opponent stood on a level so distant that jealousy couldn’t even reach it. Come to think of it, Seyeol had been far too impatient. Miju’s words and the heavy responsibility of being class president had pushed her emotions too hard. Without any room to breathe, every feeling had twisted into something negative. Protection had become possessiveness. Admiration had become obsession. She had unconsciously begun seeing Jihye not as an equal friend, but as a child who needed to be looked after.
That wasn’t the relationship Seyeol wanted. She didn’t want to get closer to Jihye because of her duties as class president—she wanted to become closer as Shin Seyeol, the person. Only now did she feel like she had finally shed some of that burdensome weight.
Why do you hang out with Jihye?
She could now answer that question without the slightest hesitation.
Her fingers moved naturally. Every thought advanced with purpose. The skills and knowledge she had honed until now shone brightly, moving exactly as she willed without hesitation.
Multi-casting. She successfully launched five Magic Missiles—something she had only managed three of during practice. At some point, the two of them were smiling. No words were needed. Just meeting each other’s eyes, moving their bodies, and casting spells—that was their conversation.
It’s coming.
She could feel mana gathering inside Jihye’s body. She didn’t know what it was, but it was clearly something Jihye would use with full power. Seyeol poured everything she had into preparing to face her friend with complete sincerity.
That was when it happened.
A sudden sense of dissonance. It felt like the air itself had changed. Like an unforecasted rain shower falling from a clear sky, it arrived without warning, like a thief in the night.
“Uhek?”
The mana inside Jihye vanished in an instant, and the atmosphere of the sparring ground completely shifted. The taut tension snapped like a broken string. The sharp, piercing presence that had felt like it could stab through her lungs was gone. In its place stood the usual relaxed, lazy Jihye.
“Uh… huh? That’s weird… this is……”
“Jihye, are you okay?”
What now? Did something happen to Jihye? Was the spar over? Could she no longer convey her true feelings?
Contrary to Seyeol’s worries, Jihye answered in a languid voice.
“Ah… Class prez. I’m fine. So keep going. Hwaaaaauaaauaaam.”
She let out a massive yawn and began settling into position. To Seyeol, Jihye’s lowered stance looked like she was preparing to dodge the Magic Missiles that were about to come flying.
She’s lowering her body to avoid the attack? Then I have a way!
She calmly yet swiftly calculated the coordinates for where to fire her spells. All she had to do was shoot…
Then something incomprehensible happened in front of everyone in the sparring ground.
Voices of jeering students drifted in from outside the arena. But Seyeol couldn’t hear any of them. Because at that moment, the most confused person there was her.
Why… is she suddenly lying down on the sparring ground?
It was an absurd situation. Her once-clear mind fell back into chaos.
“Haaaaauuam… Aren’t you gonna shoot? Class prez, this is your chance.”
Right. If it was Jihye, she must have some kind of plan. She wasn’t the kind of friend who would do something like this without thinking. After half-brainwashing herself into believing that, Seyeol fired the fully charged Magic Missiles one after another.
The target was lying there without even taking a defensive stance. There couldn’t be an easier mark.
—Boom. Kwaaang.
Three shots flew at once. She planned to fire the remaining two after seeing the result.
“That should’ve hit, right?”
Honestly, she no longer had any idea what was going on, but she was curious about the outcome. She hadn’t slowed them down on purpose; those were spells fired with her full power. Their strength and accuracy had been decent. No matter how good Jihye was, there was no way she could dodge all of them without getting hurt.
Once the dust settled, she checked the impact point. But Jihye was nowhere to be seen.
“Huh? Where did she go?”
No matter where she looked, Kim Jihye was gone. The thought no way… crossed her mind, but that couldn’t be it.
“Down here, class prez.”
“Uhyak!”
“Your surprised face is pretty cute. Your magic was good too. You pass.”
Kim Jihye was lying right beside Seyeol’s feet, looking up at her with incredibly drowsy, sleepy eyes.
“You should try learning curved trajectories instead of straight lines from now on.”
“You scared me! Wait, how did you dodge that?”
“How did I dodge…? Ah. It’ll be faster to show you than explain. Want to try firing the last two again?”
Seyeol poured even more mana into the remaining two shots, filling the magic circles with stronger power than before. The Magic Missiles flew toward Jihye at a speed she had never experienced.
“Class prez… watch carefully. I’m sleepy, so I won’t be able to show you slowly a second time. Puuuuhuuuuhuuuam.”
With those words, Kim Jihye quickly rolled her body to the right. She rolled so fast it looked like a person was moving twice as quickly as a basketball. Roll, roll.
After rolling like that, Kim Jihye had dodged every single attack without a scratch.
“What the hell is this…”
At first her brain couldn’t keep up with reality and she had been flustered, but now that she understood the situation, it was different. The respect she had felt for Jihye just moments ago had completely vanished. All that remained was irritation at the sight of her rolling around like that. And at herself for being unable to hit her.
Shin Seyeol swung her fingers through the air multiple times. Magic circles instantly formed and fired toward Kim Jihye. Then she shouted in a voice burning with anger.
“Hey! Kim Jihye! Stand still! Even you have to admit that dodging by rolling is crossing the line!”
“Uweh? The class prez is mad!”
Even under Seyeol’s furious attacks, Kim Jihye continued to lazily roll across the ground to dodge. For a while, the sparring ground was filled with nothing but the sound of Magic Missiles slamming uselessly into the floor.
…It seemed like it would still take more time before Seyeol could fully accept Jihye.
After Seyeol’s final attack, Kim Jihye let out a massive yawn that looked like it could tear the sky apart. At some point she had put on a sleep mask over her eyes and a neck pillow around her neck. Her transformation had already been released long ago. The spar ended with the teacher’s command.
“I never imagined a spar could be this much of a mess…”
Seyeol had won against Jihye. But at the same time, she had lost. How could she confidently say she won when she hadn’t landed a single hit?
“…Sigh. She really is impossible. In all my years as a teacher—no, as a magical girl—I’ve never seen anyone like her.”
The teacher, who had been acting as referee outside the arena, walked in and hoisted Jihye onto her shoulder. Kim Jihye, properly equipped with her sleep gear, had already long since departed to dreamland.
Still, she had caught a small glimpse of Jihye’s true feelings. Maybe that was enough?
Seyeol released her own transformation. Unlike before, the sudden wave of exhaustion nearly made her lose her balance, but she endured it.
“How was it?”
“Pardon?”
“I’m asking how the spar with this kid was.”
At the teacher’s sudden question, Seyeol was momentarily dazed. Right. How was it?
She asked herself. Was she satisfied with this spar? There were things she didn’t like. She had been irritated and angry too. There were many things she wanted to say, but in the end, only one sentence felt right.
With the most refreshed expression imaginable, Seyeol smiled at the teacher and answered.
“It was great!”
“…I see.”
That answer must have reached the ears of Jihye, who was currently dangling asleep from the teacher’s shoulder, because the corners of her mouth lifted ever so slightly, but unmistakably.