Academy Midterm Test: Facing Class 1's Magical Girl Prodigy?! (4)
“It’s your turn, Jihye!”
When I first heard those words, it took me a moment to even process what they meant. After arriving at the academy, I’d been drifting toward the first-year classroom building in a haze when I noticed the outdoor duel arena was unusually loud. Curious, I changed course and headed there instead.
My body felt refreshingly light after waking up—nothing like before—but my head was a different story. Everything was foggy, like I was still trapped in a dream. Nothing felt real. All my senses were dulled, and proper thinking seemed impossible. I couldn’t tell if the mental fog came from the physical exhaustion or the other way around.
I simply moved however my body wanted, the way you do in dreams. That was all. I wasn’t even sure whether I was controlling my body or if it was controlling me. A butterfly’s dream. Maybe this wasn’t reality at all. I was half-convinced the whole thing was a dream.
On the way to the outdoor arena, signs reading Academy Midterm Test Duel Arena were posted everywhere, complete with helpful arrows. Students would already know where it was, so maybe these were for visitors. Not that it mattered. I didn’t know the exact location anyway.
I followed the signs until I reached the entrance. The moment my hand touched the door, I felt a faint vibration. Without hesitation, I pushed it open. The sheer density of people inside nearly made me recoil, but I kept moving anyway. This place packed with girls felt both awkward and strangely natural at the same time. I pushed that confusing mix of feelings aside.
I didn’t know exactly where I was going. My feet simply carried me forward—up stairs, through corridors—until I reached a section filled with familiar faces. Yet even after I’d somehow arrived at my destination, the kids didn’t give me a chance to get my bearings. They just shouted and shoved me forward in a panic.
My turn? What the hell was going on?
That was when two people approached me through the confusion.
“Jihye… You made it.”
“I-I knew Jihye would come…”
The one on the left was definitely our class president, Seyeol, and the one on the right was Miju’s friend. The moment they saw me, their faces flooded with emotion. Their overly enthusiastic welcome left me feeling dazed.
“Yeah… uh.”
“There’s so much I want to say, but it’s your duel turn now, Jihye. We don’t have time to waste.”
“…Duel?”
“So hurry up!”
A duel. So I was supposed to fight someone? Who?
I didn’t have much say in the matter. Seyeol had already grabbed my arm and dragged me toward what looked like a boxing ring.
“Jihye… do your best!”
“…”
With those words, Seyeol vanished back into the crowd.
The moment I stepped into position, the audience erupted. My ears felt submerged in water, though, so I could barely make out what they were saying.
“Yes! She has finally arrived! First-year Class 2, student number 42, Kim Jihye!”
“Waaaaah!”
“You got this, Jihye! Don’t lose!”
The crowd roared and cheered wildly for me. I still had no idea what was happening.
“Student Jihye, please enter the arena.”
“Ah… yes.”
I knew the name being called was mine, but it still felt awkward, so my reaction was delayed. I stepped forward as instructed by the woman standing in the ring.
“As you already know, we’re using training rules. The defense artifact… Student Jihye, you aren’t wearing one. Put this on quickly, please.”
I fumbled to accept the brooch suddenly thrust at me and pinned it to my uniform chest. Despite my foggy mind, my hands moved with surprising speed, and the artifact was equipped in seconds.
“Attacks are only permitted up to the level the defense artifact can withstand. In other words, magic with an output of one megacircle or higher is forbidden. Everyone, prepare for the duel!”
“Transform!”
Magical Girl Festival Cupcake
Ready!
The opponent shouted the command, and her appearance changed dramatically. Her hair shifted from black to cream, and she wore a layered dress that looked like a human cake. She completed the look with slightly ridiculous but cute boots, a headband featuring a tiny cupcake-shaped hat, and—to top it all off—an umbrella bursting with bright, candy-store colors.
It was absurd. Yet my instincts screamed at me not to underestimate her just because of the ridiculous outfit. For a freshman, her transformation had a clear identity and impressive polish. She wasn’t someone to take lightly.
“Aren’t you going to transform, student Jihye?”
“Hurry up. You’re going to lose anyway.”
Two pairs of eyes bored into me as I stood there doing nothing. The cake girl in particular seemed determined to get under my skin, taunting me with overflowing confidence.
Well, what now? If I transformed like her, would I end up changing that flashily too? I was just an ordinary military veteran in my past life—could I even do that?
…Or could I?
Dream and reality were tangled together. I had no idea what the right answer was. But since it felt like a dream, I figured I should just play along. It was incredibly embarrassing, but… no helping it.
I muttered quietly.
“…Transform.”
Energy surged through my entire body, like something clogged had finally been cleared. It was an unfamiliar yet familiar sensation. When I closed and opened my eyes again, I found something that looked like an old aluminum pipe gripped in my hand.
Was that it? No change to my clothes? I looked down. My uniform and cardigan were exactly the same. Plain everyday clothes. Unlike my opponent’s flashy transformation, I only had a weapon in hand, but the judges seemed to accept it as a completed transformation.
“Both sides have completed their transformations… Then let the duel begin!”
At the judge’s command, the cake girl rushed toward me, brimming with confidence.
“To face me with such a dazed expression. Hmph, I’ll take you down quickly! Macaron Swing!”
Macaron Swing? She was just channeling a bit of mana into her signature weapon and swinging it. There was no need to name every single motion. She must be young and full of energy.
A ridiculously comical weapon flew toward me, but I remained strangely calm, unconsciously analyzing her attack. The evaluation happened without any input from my conscious mind. Even in this dreamy haze, the instinct functioned perfectly.
Whoosh.
The girl’s umbrella sliced through empty air. I hadn’t calculated anything. I simply moved to where I needed to be. The result was a clean, effortless dodge.
The cake girl didn’t seem to like that. She huffed in frustration, face scrunched up.
“Ugh! Then how about this? Muffin Tornado!”
She spun the umbrella and charged, twirling her whole body like a playground spinner. It would have been funny if not for the increasing mana gathering in the umbrella with every rotation. Getting hit by that would probably mean instant disqualification.
I thought about dodging, but my body moved in the opposite direction instead. It was as if instinct already knew exactly how to handle this.
My left foot kicked off the ground, launching me into the air. Strangely, I felt no sense of danger or even the sensation of floating. Not even the wind brushing against me. This really must be a dream.
In that case, I might as well do as I pleased.
Before I could fall back down, I slammed my other foot into the cake girl’s head.
“Uhek!”
The kick landed perfectly. The cake girl’s spinning attack stopped dead as she collapsed to the floor. All that rotation must have scrambled her inner ear, and my kick to the head was the finishing blow.
“Uheeeek… so dizzy…”
A little pathetic. Had she really not predicted something like this might happen?
The judge checked on the cake girl, who was still passionately embracing the floor, then turned to me.
Student Kim Jihye wins.
“Waaaah!”
Did I really deserve this much cheering? I was a little flustered, but the atmosphere swept me along. I gave a half-hearted wave in return.
“…Waaaah.”
It was a bit… no, incredibly embarrassing.
After the duel ended, I returned to the audience seats. The section full of blue chairs was apparently reserved exclusively for Class 2. I’d probably forget that soon, but I made a mental note to at least try to remember.
“Good work, Jihye. This should be the end of your schedule for today.”
It was all thanks to Seyeol and Miju that I’d made it back safely. They’d practically carried me after I’d just stood there blankly once the duel was over.
“Really…?”
Sensing something in my response, Seyeol asked, “Are you okay? You look like you pushed yourself too hard.”
Pushed myself? Had I? I wasn’t sure. I wanted to say I was fine, but what came out was—
“…Uhe?”
“Huh? What was that?”
“…Ehe?”
I didn’t understand why I felt sleepy if this was supposed to be a dream. Maybe because I’d actually moved my body… The last traces of reality were fading fast now. It felt like my brain had finally powered down completely.
“Miju… I think we should…”
“Y-yeah. We’d better call a teacher.”
“I’ll go get one. Stay with Jihye.”
“O-okay. Hurry.”
If I fell asleep now, would I finally wake up from this dream? I lay down on the audience seat and closed my eyes.
A few minutes later, a familiar voice reached me.
“Oppa… are you okay?”
The person who had come wasn’t a teacher. It was my little sister, Jiah.