The Magical Girl Prodigy from the Next Class Boldly Came to Befriend Me (5)
“It just so happens that today’s class will be combined with Class 1,” the teacher began. “The purpose of this joint lesson is mutual information sharing. Each of you will exchange your own know-how with one another. Those who faced Class 1 during the sparring exam can use this time to review the match together and gain new insights. Everyone else is free to chat as they please. Ah, and one more thing—refrain from turning review into another fight. If you’re that desperate for a match, I’ll be your opponent.”
To me, it sounded like a lighthearted joke. The other students, however, didn’t seem to take it that way. Quite a few faces stiffened under the teacher’s pressure. Maybe they were all afraid of her? With that blunt tone and stern expression, it wasn’t hard to see why. Her words and manner were more than enough to paint her as a terrifying teacher in the eyes of these young teenagers. Being from the martial arts side of things only made her seem stricter than the other instructors. Training under the martial arts faction had always been known for its harsh atmosphere, after all.
Still, after spending several months with her, our class knew she wasn’t nearly as scary as she looked. Lately, opinions had started circulating that she was actually quite kind-hearted and quietly looked out for everyone. The Class 1 students, seeing her for the first time, appeared completely cowed by the aura she gave off.
The Class 1 homeroom teacher quickly sensed the mood and tried to lighten the atmosphere. “Just like Seoyeon said, this isn’t some setup to settle grudges from the exam scores. It’s meant for building friendships and exchange. Up until now, classes have been run separately within each homeroom, but it’s time to broaden your horizons a little. Even within the same martial or magic faction, preferred fighting styles and spells can differ, so share your thoughts and try sparring with each other to expand what you know. Magical girls each have such distinct personalities that there isn’t always one right answer.”
“In short, use this chance to get to know one another. Today it’s a joint class with Class 1, but we’ll be doing the same with Classes 3 and 4 soon. Don’t stay holed up in your own group—reach out to other classes and widen your perspective.”
“Professional magical girls rarely work alone anyway. You’ll always be operating in teams, so the connections you make here will become valuable assets later on.”
The Class 1 homeroom teacher smoothly took over from our teacher, handling the transition with the ease of someone who had been teaching for years. Our teacher seemed to yield the floor to her, and from the looks of it, she had less teaching experience than the other woman—skill aside.
“So feel free to review with whoever you get along with, or come to the center of the training hall and watch recordings with Seoyeon and me. Do whatever feels comfortable.”
“Do as you like. If you run into questions or anything unclear while reviewing, you can come over here.”
It felt like a college group project. The scent of those old PBL classes I’d taken before wafted up, making my head spin a little. Of course, I had no intention of reviewing anything, so I planned to just sleep in the corner of the training room as usual. But two students—and now one more person and one bird—refused to leave me alone. Four in total. Looks like a peaceful nap was off the table today.
“So… can I call you big sis? Let’s be friends!”
The little kid from the group approached me with the most enthusiastic expression, wagging her tail like an overly sociable junior. Behind her stood her two satisfied friends and one very pleased bird.
“She’s definitely more polite than before.”
“Th-that’s right… Jihye must’ve really liked her.”
“Hehehe… Yuri’s heart isn’t so easily swayed, yoyo!”
Everyone looked thoroughly pleased with themselves. It was the same proud feeling parents get when their troublemaking child finally shows growth. With the mood like this, I had no choice but to accept. It felt like being proposed to on a busy street—completely unintentional on their part, yet the atmosphere they’d created was putting pressure on me to respond. If I were the timid, weak-willed type, I wouldn’t have been able to refuse. But this wasn’t my first rodeo. I’d held my ground in far more intense situations, so something this mild was easy to brush off. Whatever I said next would be my own honest opinion, nothing else.
“…Sure, why not.”
“Huh?”
“We can be friends. *Yawn*.”
At my answer, the kid’s face bloomed like a flower. “Really? No take-backs! You’re really going to be friends with me? For real?”
“…Yeah. So stop… jumping around? My head hurts.”
“Got it! So from now on, we’re friends, big sis?”
She looked like a squirrel dancing with joy. …What kind of comparison was that? I didn’t know either. That was just how she looked, all excited and bouncing around. Already exhausted and now dealing with this energetic kid, my head was spinning. Unlike my deadpan expression, the kid’s face stayed lit up with happiness—she really was that thrilled about making a friend.
“You should’ve just accepted earlier, Jihye.”
“Th-that’s right…”
This time, I couldn’t argue with the class president and Mi-jeong. If I’d known she’d be this happy, I would’ve agreed from the start. I’d brushed her off because she came across as haughty and it was annoying, but I’d forgotten that kids this age often acted that way out of embarrassment about their own feelings. As an adult, I had no excuse.
“Um… I came here to be friends with big sis, but what about you guys… I mean, what are you here for?”
“Us? We want to learn from Jihye.”
“Learn what?”
“Magic.”
The kid tilted her head, confused by the class president’s answer. “But I already know magic pretty well too?”
“Just try learning from Jihye once. She knows an incredible amount about magic. After listening to her, your whole perspective will change.”
“Th-that’s right. Jihye’s like a professor… I’m sure there’s a lot you can learn!”
Technically, I *had* once held an honorary professorship in the past, so Mi-jeong wasn’t entirely wrong. After the class president and Mi-jeong’s persistent persuasion, the kid finally gave in.
“Okay, I’ll learn! I did think you were amazing during our match before. Even though I won in the end!”
She put extra emphasis on the fact that she’d won, but I didn’t feel annoyed. It was just cute. Before I knew it, three people had gathered around me. It felt like some kind of seminar. Honestly, I still wanted to ditch everything and sleep, but for the sake of their growth, I could spare a little rest. I glanced up at the ceiling and saw Salbyeol looking down at me with a proud expression.
“Cosmo-nim, you really are the best, yoyo!”
I shouldn’t have looked. It was probably meant as praise and gratitude, but to me it just felt like mockery. Yeah. No helping it. This was the fate of someone who’d walked ahead as a “teacher.” I let out a big sigh and switched into educator mode.
“First thing we’re going to look at today is magic multicasting. Everyone remembers the finals match between me and the kid, right?”
“Yeah. Yuri multicast five Magic Missiles back then.”
“It was… really fast.”
“Hmph. For someone of my level, it’s child’s play!”
“Good that you all remember. Then you must be wondering—why is the kid’s multicasting so fast? Class president, stand up for a second.”
“Huh…? Me?”
She looked startled, clearly not expecting to be called out.
“Well, unless there’s another class president here.”
“I’m a class president too, you know?”
The kid raised her hand with a bright grin. So she was a class president as well… Class 1 must have it rough.
“Anyway, try casting multicasting. Same as the kid—five missiles.”
“It’s a little embarrassing, but I’ll give it a shot.”
“Seyul, f-fighting!”
“I’ll see how fast you are! Seyul… unnie.”
“Now that even Yuri’s saying it, it feels kinda pressuring.”
Even as she said that, Seyul transformed and loaded five Magic Missiles toward the target. Magic circles formed simultaneously, and five missiles materialized around her hands.
“This good enough?”
“Yeah, that’s plenty, Class President. You can dispel them now.”
The firing process wasn’t important. Seyul broke all the prepared Magic Missiles back down into mana. …I never taught her how to revert a completed spell into mana. Had she studied more while I was out? I felt a brief surge of pride at her growth before continuing.
“Next, the kid’s turn.”
“I’ll show you the difference in skill right now. Transform!”
“I didn’t think Jihye would do this to me…”
The class president looked upset at being used as a comparison, but it was necessary. I tried to console her so she wouldn’t feel too bad.
“Even if it stings, bear with it, Class President. It might be embarrassing for a moment, but you’ll grow from this.”
“R-really?”
Probably. I hoped so.