A Long-Awaited Cherry Blossom Picnic! (With a Side of Chaos) (3)
It was a refreshing spring. The air still carried a chill, but the bright sunlight and the cherry blossoms in full, glorious bloom made the last traces of cold weather melt away like they had never existed.
“Wow…”
“It’s so beautiful.”
Forsythias bloomed as if greeting us with bright eyes, and cherry petals drifted down over our heads. Everyone in the car couldn’t help but let out sounds of wonder. The view through the window alone was moving; how much more wonderful would it be to walk slowly and savor it? The only shame was how quickly the spring petals rushed past at the speed of the car.
“Today must be the peak.”
“Y-yeah… it’s too pretty…”
“Maybe it was smart not to train today.”
Watching the delighted little chicks made me smile without meaning to. It seemed I’d done well to listen to Jia. When I glanced sideways, I saw she was watching the kids through the rearview mirror too. Our eyes met as she smiled behind the wheel.
“Everything’s great, but…”
“Hm?”
“…Traffic’s starting to build up.”
It was the very heart of spring. Everyone seemed to have the same idea we did; more and more cars were merging onto the road leading to the cherry blossom spots, creating a growing snarl.
“Mm… Seoul traffic really never changes.”
“Huuuaaaam. I expected some congestion, but I didn’t think it’d be this bad.”
As time passed, our speed grew slower and slower until the car gave up on moving altogether.
“Uh… this is way too much, isn’t it?”
“There are… a lot of people who had the s-same thought as us.”
It didn’t matter much to me whether we arrived early or late, but the two kids in the back seat were different. They lived in the dorms and had a curfew, so they needed to make the most of every minute. Besides, for children in the middle of a growth spurt, missing mealtime was practically torture. At this rate we’d reach the site at two or three in the afternoon.
I came up with a plan right away and told Jia.
“Jia… unnie. Let’s just turn off here.”
“…Jihye, where to?”
Ugh. I really can’t get used to that way of addressing me.
“Anywhere’s fine. We’re all magical girls anyway. We can just park the car somewhere and fly the rest of the way.”
That was when an unexpected objection rose from the back seat.
“…Jihye. You shouldn’t use flight magic recklessly.”
“Why not?”
The class president carefully explained the reasons flight magic was restricted.
“Using flight magic carries a high risk of aviation accidents, so it’s only permitted in true emergencies.”
“To expand on what my friend Seyul said, you can use it, but you have to submit a detailed report to the Association afterward. They review whether the use was truly justified.”
What the hell. That’s annoying. In the other world I came from, airplanes didn’t exist, so none of these restrictions applied. Different world, different rules and laws, I suppose. Nothing to be done about it. I was just about to think up another idea when Jia suddenly turned the wheel. The car slipped through the interchange and smoothly exited the highway.
“But who do you think I am?”
Jia stepped on the accelerator with a determined grin.
“Well… Association member, magical girl Bl-Blossom… gasp!”
It seemed Mijeong had caught on to something while answering Jia’s question.
“Exactly. I’m confident I know the Association’s internal affairs better than anyone. In other words, I also know exactly how they crack down on unauthorized flight magic by magical girls.”
“Really, unnie?”
This is insane. Just what is this girl? While the little chicks stared in wonder, I was left speechless. No matter that I’d suggested it first, was it really okay to go this far?
“You two are still freshmen, right? Never used flight magic before?”
“Nope!”
“N-not even once…”
“Then today will be a great experience.”
Without the slightest hesitation, she headed for a nearby empty lot. Is this really okay…? Jia had always been the type to charge forward once she locked onto an idea. I thought she’d grown out of it, but this was exactly like when she was little. I didn’t even have time to stop her. Before I knew it, she had already parked.
“All right, everyone out. Ready to transform?”
“Got it, unnie. Transform!”
“Y-yes! Transform!”
At the word “transform,” the flow of mana in the air surged. A mysterious light enveloped us all, then slowly faded. In place of ordinary clothes stood girls in dazzling outfits, adorned with ornate accessories and weapons.
I’d already seen the class president’s and Mijeong’s magical girl forms, so they weren’t new to me, but this was my first time seeing Jia’s. The most striking feature was the flower-shaped accessory draped elegantly over her shoulder. Next was the floral crown resting on her head, woven from vivid clusters of small white flowers whose name I didn’t know. True to her name—Blossom, or Flowering—everything about her was connected to flowers.
Jia—no, magical girl Blossom—let her pure white hair dance in the breeze. Though the change from her usual appearance wasn’t drastic, her slender legs and the long, flowing hair gave her an even more mature aura.
“Hm…? Jihye looks the same before and after transforming? Your clothes didn’t even change. Did you actually transform?”
When Jia marveled at my form, the class president answered for me.
“It’s true. During our spar before, only her unique weapon appeared. Everything else stayed the same.”
“That’s actually pretty interesting.”
“…It can happen.”
The post-transformation appearances of magical girls varied wildly. There was no single standard; each person was unique. Even identical twins wouldn’t look the same. So it made sense that someone like me could exist—someone whose outward change was minimal.
“…Well, if oppa says so, I guess that’s how it is.”
She whispered so only I could hear, then turned to the girls and explained the plan.
“Okay. From here, we’ll fly to the cherry blossom festival using magic. I’ll cast the spell and handle the flight assistance, so just follow me and don’t worry. Understand?”
“Yes, unnie. I’ll focus and stay right on your tail.”
“I always thought it looked so amazing on TV and wanted to try it… I can’t believe I’m actually going to use flight magic… It feels like a dream.”
“Huuuaaaam…”
We each reacted in our own way as we finished preparing for flight. Blossom’s slender, graceful fingers began to wrap around us.
Fluid Fly
And so we flew freely through the sky…
“By the way, since Jihye has basically no mana it’ll be hard for her, so she should ride on unnie’s back. Okay?”
With only me being carried piggyback-style on Jia.
In the middle of one of Seoul’s most famous cherry blossom viewing spots, we landed in a quiet area a short distance away where there were few people.
“Whoa. That was seriously amazing! Can magical girls at your level do magic like that, unnie?”
“Of course. It’s not that difficult, Seyul.”
“I want to learn magic like that soon.”
The class president was still visibly excited by the flight magic.
“Then you’ll have to study even harder. You can only use it freely after graduating from the Academy, after all.”
“Wow… So in just three years I’ll be able to use flight magic…”
Mijeong was equally enchanted by the idea. This kid is such a good liar. Since I was still on Jia’s back, I gave her side a light kick with my foot.
“Ah… What! Oppa.”
Don’t you feel any guilt at all?
“Stop lying. Flight magic isn’t some simple spell you unlock just by graduating from the Academy.”
“You’re supposed to give kids hope.”
“Even so…!”
“What are you two whispering about?”
We stopped our hushed conversation and answered with awkward laughs.
“Ahaha… Jihye was asking how she could learn to use flight magic. She’s good at other spells, but this kid can’t manage flight magic.”
“It’s not that I can’t, it’s that I don’t, okay? Can you phrase it properly, Jia… unnie?”
With my current mana reserves, trying flight magic recklessly could end badly. That was why I’d been riding on Jia’s back until now. I wriggled free from the piggyback ride.
“Stay a little longer, Jihye. It felt nice.”
“Your… unnie’s back isn’t all that great, you know?”
“Jia unnie and Jihye really seem close.”
“Y-yeah… You look so harmonious…”
Where exactly are these two looking? I wanted to ask if their eyes were broken, but getting angry at chicks who didn’t know the full story would only hurt me.
“Haa… Maybe it’s the dizziness, but I suddenly feel sleepy.”
“Already? …Now that you mention it, the time has come. You sure you don’t want to stay on my back?”
I’ll pass. Of course it would be a sweet sleep, but the pride still left inside me refused to allow it.
“No thanks. I’m going to drink some coffee.”
“Tsk. Too bad.”
I didn’t know what exactly was too bad, but Jia looked rather deflated. I ignored her and opened my tumbler, taking a swig of coffee. The bitter taste wrapped around my tongue first, followed by the fragrant aroma of roasted beans drifting through my nose, and finally a hint of acidity at the finish. After fully savoring every aspect of the coffee, I cried out.
“Ugh, it’s bitter!”
Cough, cough. What the… I used to love coffee. Why is my body suddenly rejecting it? It felt like my very physiology was refusing it. Strange. I had definitely drunk it every day with this same body before coming to Earth.
“O…ppa, I mean Jihye. Are you okay?”
“Yeah… I’m fine. It’s nothing, just a bit surprising.”
I wiped my coffee-stained mouth and spoke.
“I’m okay, so stop worrying. Let’s go enjoy the cherry blossoms. Look, the trees along that road over there are blooming beautifully.”
To divert the worried gazes of the class president, Mijeong, and Jia, I pointed at the cherry blossom path that ran through the park. It really was spectacular—beautiful cherry trees lined the road in a way that fully deserved to be called a famous viewing spot.
“…Since Jihye says she’s fine, let’s release our transformations and enjoy the festival.”
We quickly dispelled our magical forms and walked toward the bustling cherry blossom path crowded with people. The moment we stepped onto it—
“…It’s too beautiful.”
“Y-yeah.”
“…”
“Haaam…”
We forgot how to speak for a while. Because spring itself had come out to greet us. The wind blew, and cherry petals danced. They were the same color as my hair. When I looked to the side, Jia was there. On the other side were the class president and Mijeong. We kept walking with our heads tilted up toward the trees, forgetting even our hunger.
While we were all basking in spring, it began—very faintly, but unmistakably. The mana density in the atmosphere started to rise. Just a little at a time, too small for mana detectors to notice. So subtle it would escape the eye.
It is always quiet before a typhoon. And that typhoon was slowly beginning to blow. Toward Earth. Toward Seoul.