Explosive Welcome to the Magical Girl Academy
Magical Girl Academy. An educational institution dedicated to nurturing magical girls. In the world where I had lived for nine years—not Earth—it was a fairly common establishment. That made sense, of course. That world had possessed the supernatural power called "magic" and the strange energy known as "mana" since ancient times.
Though it happened by chance, I could say with confidence after experiencing student life there that even by that world's standards, this academy was quite high-level.
"Never imagined I'd see a high-level magical girl academy here on Earth... and in South Korea, of all places."
After all, Earth had never even had the concept of magical girls to begin with. I never dreamed I'd hear such an absurd name as "Magical Girl Academy." To me, it was nothing more than a bizarre organization that shouldn't exist on Earth.
From what my little sister told me, during the nine years I was gone, the energy called "mana" had appeared on Earth, and naturally, the art of handling it—"magic"—had been developed as well. Magical girls who wielded magic began appearing one by one around the world.
But it wasn't all good news. Where there is light, there must also be darkness. With the emergence of magical girls came the appearance of magical beasts in response. As if orchestrated by someone, these beasts proved resistant to conventional attacks; only magic could truly harm them. As a result, the demand for magical girls skyrocketed beyond measure.
"Even if they need above-average magical girls... this is way too serious."
Just as soldiers aren't thrown straight into battle after enlisting, becoming a magical girl means nothing if you can't properly wield magic—you're no different from an ordinary person. That's why education is necessary. And for proper education, you need a proper institution.
Only nine years had passed, yet such a decent academy already existed...
"Of course, it could just be an empty cart making the most noise."
No matter how spacious the grounds or how efficiently the buildings and state-of-the-art training facilities were arranged, if the curriculum was ineffective and the teachers incompetent, it was the worst kind of academy. The academy's purpose was solely to educate students to become stronger. Forget that, and everything falls apart.
"Yeah, it's all well and good... but did you really have to send me to the academy, little sister?"
It was embarrassing to say out loud again, but I had reached the pinnacle of magical girls in a world far more advanced in magic than Earth. I'd absorbed the knowledge of the best, survived countless battles where death was a real possibility, and after dealing with the magical beasts plaguing the world, I'd even served as president of the Magical Girl Association. During that time, I'd attended meetings on academy curricula and even written textbooks myself.
In other words, I possessed considerable expertise in magical girl education. The thought of stepping through the academy gates as a student—rather than an educator—had never crossed my mind. Even now, it felt surreal.
No, let's think positively. Since I'd enrolled as a student, I had the perfect opportunity to experience Korea's magical girl education firsthand. Knowledge gained by throwing yourself into the field was far more valuable than reports from above.
But wait a second. Wasn't something off here? Why was I naturally thinking like the president of the Magical Girl Association? I'd sworn I'd never get involved with magical girl stuff again. Occupational habits were terrifying. It had been over half a year since I stepped down, yet my mind still worked that way without me realizing it.
While I was feeling that bitter emotion no one else would understand, a student bumped into me from the side.
"Ah... sorry! I didn't mean to run into you. Are you a new student enrolling this year too?"
"Haam... yeah. I looked away for a second and somehow ended up as a new student."
"Same here. I opened my eyes and it was the entrance ceremony. Nice to meet you."
The girl who extended her hand looked genuinely happy, as if she'd been waiting for this academy entrance ceremony all along.
"So we're friends now? Let's get along from now on."
Before I knew it, I'd become friends with this girl and was shaking her hand in a daze. How old was I again, making friends with a girl like this? Let's see... wasn't I thirty-four? Wasn't this basically a crime? If anyone found out, I'd probably get arrested.
Still, even if my insides were those of a scruffy old man, my appearance was the complete opposite, so I doubted anyone would criticize me for being friends with her. My current shell was unmistakably that of a delicate fifteen-year-old girl. So... it should be fine, right?
Thinking about it made me feel wronged. It wasn't like I'd wanted this. One moment I was in a strange world with magic, the next my body had turned into a girl's. Ah, suddenly I'm sleepy. I'd only been awake for a little over an hour, yet fatigue was crashing over me like a wave.
"Yeah... let's get along. Haaam."
"Huh? Didn't get much sleep last night? Were you too nervous about the entrance ceremony like me?"
"Not really... I slept about twelve hours yesterday too...... Ah, that's the problem. I slept six hours less than usual."
"Uh... huh? Twelve hours?"
"Sorry. I just need a lot of sleep."
"Ah... haha. I see. That's pretty unique."
"Tell me about it. I think it's weird too...."
At my cautious confession, she looked more shocked than anyone. Hey, friend, I get that it's surprising and confusing, but I'm the one actually suffering here.
The surroundings grew noisy. Looking around, I saw people gradually gathering. Judging by how excited they looked—like my newly made friend—they were all new students. They were heading toward what appeared to be an auditorium, so that must be where the entrance ceremony was being held.
My new friend also radiated the fresh, lively energy typical of a new student.
"Shall we head over too? Oh right, I haven't introduced myself yet. My name's Shin Seyeol."
"My name's Kim Jiho... I mean, Kim Jihye. My steps are slow, so bear with me."
"Got it. Let's hurry, Jihye!"
My real name had slipped out unconsciously, but thankfully Seyeol didn't seem suspicious. It had only been a little over two months since I'd received this name, so the feminine new name still didn't feel natural on my tongue.
Following behind Seyeol as she walked quickly, I moved my feet. But the distance between us didn't close easily. Seyeol's pace wasn't particularly fast, but mine was extremely slow. Still, because she kept glancing back and encouraging me, we arrived at the auditorium safely without being late.
"Let's see, number 25... number 25...... Ah! There it is. What number are you, Jihye?"
"42."
"42 means we're in the same line. But I'm in the front row and you're at the very back?"
"Then let's meet after the ceremony."
"Okay!"
With that, Seyeol headed toward the front of the auditorium. The way they'd divided us by numbers... was this class assignment? If so, Seyeol and I would end up in the same class.
Staring blankly ahead, I saw Seyeol greeting other students. We hadn't talked much yet—only about twenty minutes since we'd met. But I had a feeling we'd become good friends.
"Alright, from now on, we will begin the 9th entrance ceremony of the Republic of Korea Magical Girl Academy."
The ceremony began with the principal's announcement. As expected of a magical girl academy, the faculty—including the principal and vice-principal—were all magical girls. There were a few men, but... this was basically an all-female institution.
The principal droned on about the academy's founding history and the virtues students should learn. Naturally, my reaction—as someone who'd once stood in a similar position—was...
"Ah... this is so damn boring."
It was tedious. I was already in a constant state of sleepy passivity, and now I had to sit through a boring entrance ceremony? I wasn't exaggerating when I said I was twice as sleepy. Before I knew it, my eyes were closed and I was dozing off.
My head nodded forward on its own. I wanted nothing more than to lie down, but since lying on the floor would be rude, I tried my best to stay standing.
Thud—
"Hey, student. No matter how sleepy you are, sleeping isn't exactly appropriate, is it?"
"Uhe...?"
Someone had poked me awake. More importantly, had I just made a weird noise? Turning around, I saw what looked like a teacher. She had a name tag, and her presence was imposing. And above all... she was tall. She seemed about as tall as I used to be—well over 170cm, with a figure like a perfect model.
"Ah... sigh. I'm sorry."
I apologized while wiping drool from my mouth, but the teacher didn't seem particularly bothered by my attitude.
"If you're awake now, focus on the front again. Something interesting is about to happen that'll wake you right up."
"Something interesting...?"
What kind of interesting thing could possibly happen at an entrance ceremony? It didn't make sense. But when the teacher smiled seductively, I got the feeling there really was something.
Wondering what it could be, I looked forward just as the principal's speech was wrapping up.
"From now on, you will live as official magical girl candidates. Throughout your time here, your qualifications as magical girls will be tested multiple times... and this might just be the first one. You still have that terminal you received before entering the auditorium, right?"
What were they planning to do? I pulled out the terminal from my skirt pocket. Wait a second. I hadn't noticed earlier because I'd just shoved it in, but wasn't there a shield magic enchantment on it? ...No way?
I wanted to say something to the teacher who'd woken me, but she'd already moved to the back of the auditorium.
"Huh...?"
"What is it?"
The auditorium began to grow noisy.
"Now then, everyone. Are you familiar with shield magic?"
As the principal's lips curled upward, I sensed countless magical presences from the ceiling.
"Damn... are these crazy bastards for real?"
The words left my mouth before I even realized it.
A few seconds later, dozens of spells shot down from the ceiling, and the auditorium was instantly filled with explosions.