The Magical Girl Prodigy from the Next Class Boldly Came to Befriend Me (1)
“Snore… snore…” A girl let out tiny, rhythmic breaths. With every inhale and exhale, the blanket shifted ever so slightly. It didn’t sound like snoring at all—more like the soft chirping of a small bird. There was something oddly heartwarming about it, the kind of sound that could lull anyone into a sense of peace, like nature’s own white noise.
A woman sat quietly, watching the sleeping girl. Thirty minutes every morning. It had become Kim Jiah’s routine without her even realizing it—sitting at the desk, simply gazing at Jihye as she slept. The time always flew by far too quickly for her liking. Jihye looked so peaceful, like an angel had descended to rest, and Jiah couldn’t tear her eyes away.
Sometimes she wondered if this really was her older brother. The child sleeping before her now seemed like nothing more than a fragile little girl. It felt as if she had gained a younger sister. In the past, Jiah had been grateful for her dependable older brother, but she had also secretly wished for a younger sibling—one who would act spoiled and cling to her. Maybe that wish had finally come true, even if her brother had become the little sister instead.
“Hmm… I should probably wake her soon.” The clock on the wall showed it was just before eight. Since it wasn’t quite on the hour yet, she could afford to watch a little longer. So Kim Jiah spent another ten minutes simply looking at her brother—now Jihye.
“Snore…”
“Oppa, time to get up.”
“Huaa… ugh?”
“It’s already eight.”
“Ugh… already? Tch.”
Jihye stretched lazily, her expression still half-asleep. No matter how much she tossed and turned, the oversized blanket barely moved. It had been sized for her old male body, so her much smaller frame couldn’t even disturb it properly. Jiah found it strangely endearing how Jihye always slept so soundly without complaint.
“I’ll finish up breakfast, so hurry and wash up.”
“Haaam… I’m not a kid, you know. Fine, just go.”
Jihye’s reply was sharp, probably because she’d just woken up. But Jiah was used to this by now.
“Make sure you don’t oversleep again, okay? Don’t forget you almost showed up late last week.”
“I got it already… You worry too much.”
With one last big stretch, Jihye waved her off. Jiah left the room. Most of the side dishes were already on the table. The meal was basically ready—only the soup needed reheating and the rice needed serving. She had prepared everything in advance just so she could spend those extra minutes watching Jihye sleep. Otherwise, she’d be too busy rushing to get ready for work herself.
✮✮✮
After finishing a hot bowl of kimchi jjigae, I headed to the academy. Spending the entire weekend rolling around in bed had done wonders for my stamina. At least the fatigue from the sparring exam felt completely gone. Not that I was back to full strength or anything—my baseline was already steeped in exhaustion. The weekend had only returned me to my usual tired state, nothing more, nothing less.
“Phew, haa. This damn yawning just won’t stop.”
I stifled a yawn as I entered the classroom. This body needed at least eighteen hours of sleep. From last night to this morning, I’d only gotten fourteen. Four hours short. If I tried to make up the difference bit by bit throughout the day, the whole schedule would be over before I knew it. So I’d planned to put on my eye mask and neck pillow and catch up on sleep until the teacher arrived.
But the moment I stepped inside, the excited voices of my classmates made me abandon that plan.
“Guys! Jihye’s here!”
“Jihye, good morning!”
“Are you feeling okay today? Still sleepy?”
The buzz from the sparring exam hadn’t died down yet, and the girls’ energy toward me showed no signs of cooling. Teenage girls had way too much energy—it was nice, but way too loud. I’d been an idiot for thinking they’d lose interest after the weekend.
“Uh, yeah.”
I didn’t really know how to respond. It wasn’t because I was an introvert by nature, but because this sudden shift in atmosphere was still hard to adjust to. Just four weeks ago, before I collapsed, no one had looked at me with such warmth. Even after experiencing the lowest points of human nature, this kind of complete turnaround never got easier to handle.
Of course, maybe no one had truly hated me. Maybe they’d only acted cold because of the mood. Or maybe they’d just been indifferent. Either way, I wished they wouldn’t suddenly act all friendly now. I only had two people I could confidently call friends at the moment.
“Jihye, you’re here?”
“Morning, Class Rep.”
“J-Jihye, good morning.”
“Hey, Mijeong’s friend.”
“It’s Miju, I keep telling you…”
The class representative and Miju—those two were the only ones I could call friends without hesitation. When the three of us stuck together, no one else tried to butt in. Our tight-knit vibe must’ve felt like an impenetrable shield to everyone else. If anyone really wanted to get close to me, they’d have to push through and join us anyway. But no one did. They just glanced over, read the room, and scattered again. Kids these days were way too sharp for their age—only seventeen, yet already so calculating. Then again, in an overwhelmingly female environment, maybe this was normal. An old memory from some drinking party floated up.
“By the way, Jihye, did you go to the hospital?”
“Ah… yeah. They said nothing’s wrong.”
“Even after sleeping for three whole weeks?”
“Exactly. I’m surprised too. I didn’t eat anything and just slept, yet I didn’t even get malnutrition.”
“Somehow… it feels like something you would do.”
“R-Right. That’s so like you, Jihye.”
“You guys really just see me as a total sleepyhead, don’t you?”
We were chatting away when the classroom door burst open.
“Class is starting. Everyone sit down.”
The teacher walked in with her usual blank expression and took her place at the podium. She always struck me as stiff, like a soldier. Maybe it was from too much field experience, or maybe it was just the martial artist in her. Or perhaps her personality had always been like that. While I was lost in useless thoughts, I adjusted my eye mask. The short morning assembly would end soon, and theory class would begin. Then I could finally put the mask on and get some proper sleep.
I was happily imagining my nap when my eyes met the teacher’s. Crap… probably just a coincidence. I looked away, pretending not to notice, but she kept staring straight at me. A chill ran down my spine.
“Kim Jihye. Congratulations. You don’t have to attend theory class today.”
“Um… that sounds ominous, Teach.”
Her tone was completely devoid of any actual congratulations. I knew better than to fall for that kind of tempting offer. I’d seen this kind of thing plenty of times in the military. It almost never meant anything good.
“So what is it?”
“You missed both the written and practical exams last Monday. You’ll have to take them today. Being late isn’t an excuse. Even if you did well on the sparring exam, you’ll be held back if you skip the earlier tests.”
Just as I’d feared. Damn it. Still, it was just the academy’s freshman exams. Piece of cake for me. I could breeze through them, sneak off to the infirmary, and sleep until lunch. That was my naive plan.
“There’ll be a guide waiting outside the classroom. Follow them.”
“Y-Yes…”
I dragged myself out the back door, leaving the class behind. Sure enough, a woman was waiting for me. She looked oddly familiar—early to mid-thirties, calm eyes, ash-brown bob that reached her cheeks, giving off the air of a neat career woman. She wasn’t wearing the usual training clothes either, but a crisp black blouse, slacks, and heels.
Hmm… I’d definitely seen her somewhere before. I narrowed my eyes and stared, even though it was rude. I just couldn’t place her. After a full minute of racking my brain, I gave up and asked directly.
“Who are you?”
“Me?” she replied casually. “Well, for starters… I’m the principal of this academy.”
Ah. I’m screwed.