Weekend Date with Friends? Maybe I'm Popular Now?(1)
A woman leaned back against a leather chair. The black leather that touched her entire body was clearly a high-end piece. Its seamless surface with a subtle sheen made anyone want to sit in it. The woman flipped through documents one by one, and when she reached the last page, she turned her chair toward the window. The city's nightscape blazed brilliantly beneath her feet.
"So both of them went there?" she murmured softly, but no one answered.
"The target coordinates of the anomalous gate still need more investigation, but since there's a little over a 30 percent chance they overlapped, we can assume it's the same place."
The woman gazed at her reflection in the glass. She could clearly see her two friends reflected there. Yet when she turned around, only pitch-black darkness filled the space behind her.
"...Even though I begged them not to go."
Her blonde hair gleamed under the warm glow of the lamps, looking terribly forlorn. She rose from her seat and ran her hand over the dust-covered objects around her—one by one. Picture frames and books. A fountain pen and drawers, plants and plaques. All of them had belonged to her predecessor.
"Were they really that precious to you? Is that why you never warmed up to me in the end?"
Her roughened hand brushed over the objects until it finally reached the nameplate. Unlike everything else, this nameplate was hers alone. Freshly made, it still shone with a smooth, new luster. Engraved upon it in bold letters were her name and title.
Magical Girl Association President.
That was the name of the position she now held.
"You never gave your heart to people or the world, and I always thought that was strange. But in the end, it was all so you could return to your hometown."
She had known, of course.
"I tried to give you warmth so you could overcome your homesickness, but I guess it wasn't enough."
The woman picked up the documents she had left on the desk. From the beginning again. She began to read.
"But my heart is bigger than you thought. You didn't know that, did you, Uncle?"
Pages rustled softly, filling the room with the sound of turning paper.
"So someday, I'll come find you."
She slipped on her glasses as she spoke.
"And while I'm at it, that light-beaked little bird who abandoned me and ran away too."
The weather was clear. The sky was so pristine it could be called refreshing. The clouds were spotless white, and the sky radiated a warm blue that lifted the spirits.
"Perfect weather for going out," Seyeol thought. It had been a long time since she'd left the academy. The last time she'd gone outside was early April for the cherry blossom festival—about a month ago. If the weather had been gloomy on her first outing in a month, her mood would've soured and ruined the whole day. In that sense, today's clear skies were incredibly lucky.
"R-Right! It... it feels like summer now!"
"Maybe I should bring summer clothes soon. I'll only wear long sleeves this week, then switch to short sleeves. Miju, do you handle heat well?"
"I think I'm... more sensitive to c-cold than heat..."
"Really? Lucky. I'm terrible with heat. And I sweat a lot, so summers are rough for me."
Chatting away, Seyeol and Miju showed their day passes to the dorm supervisor. The guard glanced at them and waved them through. After bowing politely, the two continued talking as they walked to the bus stop.
"That guard unnie earlier was so cool."
"Y-Yeah. That huge shield... it was impressive."
"She's probably strong too, right?"
"At least F-class, don't you think?"
"F-class is really strong. Our teacher is F-class too."
"Seoyeon-seonsaengnim... she even reached A-class before!"
"Seriously? She was that strong?"
"Yeah. Just like her name Iron Fist, she took down most of the beasts with her bare hands."
"Seoyeon-seonsaengnim is really amazing..."
The Magical Girl Academy, located on the quiet outskirts of the city, had long bus intervals due to its remote location. So the two had no choice but to keep chatting while waiting. Fortunately, just as Seyeol had hoped, their luck held—after only about ten minutes, a bus arrived.
The inside of the bus was cool, unlike the outside. Without direct sunlight, it felt even more pleasant. As soon as she sat down, Seyeol opened the window wide and basked in the cool breeze, savoring the happiness.
"Seyeol-ah. You must've been... really hot."
"Yeah. I thought I could manage with long sleeves a bit longer."
"Are you going home next week?"
"Yeah. To pick up my summer clothes. I wanted to wear short sleeves today, but all I have are long ones, so it's annoying. You should go home soon too, before you regret it like me."
"Then... I guess I'll go next week too."
The announcement for the next stop played, but since they still had a ways to go, they ignored it and kept talking.
"Miju, your house is... in Seoul, right?"
"Yeah."
"Where in Seoul again? Gangnam?"
Miju's voice grew quieter than usual, as if embarrassed.
"Cheong... Cheongdam-dong..."
"Sorry. I'm from the countryside, so I don't know Seoul's geography well. Where's Cheongdam-dong?"
"It's... near Gangnam..."
"Really? Gangnam's where the Magical Girl Association building is, right?"
"Y-Yeah. It's about fifteen minutes by bus from home..."
"That's nice. Have you seen the association building?"
"I see it... all the time. You can see it from home."
"Wow, that must be amazing...?"
The bus jolted over a speed bump. Little by little, the scenery changed from empty lots to streets lined with apartments and shops. They were getting close to their destination. Seyeol reminded herself of the stop near their stop so she wouldn't miss it—two stops left. And those two stops passed in an instant.
"Good thing we have academy student bus cards. Makes it less of a burden."
"Since it's only half the adult fare... it really is convenient."
"I don't feel it much inside the academy, but once we're outside, it really hits that we're academy students. Bus fares and all those other perks."
The downtown area where Seyeol and Miju arrived was bustling with families out for the weekend. There were quite a few couples on dates and groups of friends who looked close. They walked and walked along the busy streets until they finally reached a café. It must have opened recently—the place was stylish and atmospheric, with interior design, lighting, and signage that perfectly captured the trendy café vibe.
Unlike the hesitant Miju, Seyeol strode confidently inside and quickly spotted the person they were meeting.
"There you are."
"...Hwaaaam. So sleepy."
"Y-You must be tired... It's still only ten o'clock."
Her cherry-blossom pink hair was impossible to miss. Half-lidded eyes and an aura that made anyone watching feel drowsy. Their classmate—and perhaps someone they could call a teacher—Kim Jihye.
"Thanks for coming out even though you're exhausted."
"Puhwaam. It's nothing... If anything, you two worked harder, waking up early and taking the bus all the way here. Hwaa..."
"It didn't take long. Thirty minutes at most?"
"Still, you crossed into the city. It must've been more than thirty minutes, plus waiting for the bus. Order whatever you want. My treat. It's the least I can do."
The card Jihye pulled out was black. It actually belonged to her younger sister Jiah, but fortunately the girls didn't notice. Seyeol and Miju studied the menu carefully. After agonizing over the overwhelming options, Miju decided to order the same drink as Jihye.
"J-Jihye-ya. What are you d-drinking?"
"Ah... this?"
Jihye held up her cup in response to Miju's question.
"Americano. Four shots, I think."
"That many?"
"Otherwise I won't make it through today. Even this probably won't be enough. I doubt it'll last an hour. I'll need another one later. Hwaaum."
Somehow, the three of them had ended up sacrificing their weekend for this meeting. The whole thing had started with a single suggestion from Seyeol.
'Wanna hang out this weekend? We'll come near Jihye's place.'
Knowing how seriously the two trained and how much they'd grown, Kim Jihye had thought they needed time to unwind. People aren't machines—they need a break. Without it, training and work efficiency drop, and eventually their health suffers too. She'd been wondering when the right time would be when Seyeol made the suggestion first. Jihye had no reason to refuse. Even though it meant giving up her precious weekend sleep, she could do it for the kids. Though when she first woke up that morning, she'd thought, 'Ah... maybe I should've just said no.'
If Jiah hadn't woken her up so diligently, Seyeol and Miju might've had to come all the way to Jihye's house. Incidentally, Yun Yuri was not part of this weekend plan. She had no idea the outing was happening. And Seyeol and Miju had no idea they had never invited her in the first place.