Weekend Date with Friends? Maybe I'm Popular Now?(6)
“Honestly. Even if you wanted to beat me, using a hidden character was going too far.”
“I didn’t know Red Star was that strong either, but I’m sorry, Jihye.”
The class president’s confession did make me angry, of course. She’d been hiding a hidden character from me and playing the game that way. It was only natural to feel annoyed. But my heart wasn’t nearly as full of rage as I’d expected. The reason was simple.
I now knew that losing to her wasn’t because of my own pathetic skills, but because she’d picked a broken character. Thanks to that realization, I’d found a strange sense of peace.
For Koreans—especially gamers—nothing stings the pride quite like being told, “You’re terrible at games.” Even in this body, my pride remained intact. I hated the idea of anyone saying I was bad at games, and I refused to admit it. In fact, being called out for my gaming skills bothered me more than any scratch to my pride as a magical girl.
So while the class president’s confession left me slightly irritated, another part of me felt oddly relieved. It was a contradictory feeling.
“While we’re on the subject, I should tell you—Red Star was my role model.”
“…Really?”
“Well, she used to be. When I was little, I thought she was a martial artist because I only ever saw her holding a sword.”
Poor class president. She got tricked by that weirdo.
“That’s why I’ve always wanted to play as Red Star if we ever did Magical Girl Super War. She was my childhood role model, after all.”
“I—I used to look up to Red Star too!”
So she was the kind of figure who could influence children’s dreams.
“Red Star… She must’ve been really famous. I guess that’s how she became Association President. Haaah.”
Of course, fame alone didn’t make someone president, but it certainly helped win support. Come to think of it, had I been popular in Magica? I’d never cared about popularity, so I couldn’t really say. I’d never even interacted with the citizens there. One day I just woke up and found myself president because the other magical girls had pushed me into it. The title had been necessary for my goals, nothing more. I wasn’t the type to care about fame or position.
“…So where is someone that famous now?”
“I-I don’t know. No one seems to know what Red Star is doing these days…”
“Really? Maybe she retired and took up farming somewhere.”
“Could be.”
We chatted as we wandered through the department store. We stopped at the food court for crepes, but my stomach was too small to feel hungry. I just watched the class president and Miju enjoy theirs.
“Want a bite, Jihye?”
“I’m good.”
“You have to try it. It’s my apology for earlier. It’s really good.”
“Yeah? In that case, I won’t refuse.”
Yawn. I took a bite from the best part, not the edge. It was the kind of move you weren’t supposed to make when someone was sharing, but my appetite was tiny to begin with, and she had wronged me, so I felt no guilt.
Chew, chew.
“…Hmm. Not bad.”
“Right? It’s delicious, isn’t it?”
“Yeah. The strawberries are fresh, and the cream is sweet without being overwhelming. The chocolate syrup is nice and mild too.”
“J-Jihye… W-want to try mine too?”
“Sure. What flavor is it?”
“Matcha…chocolate crepe.”
I took a big bite of the one Miju offered. I deliberately ate more of hers. The memory of getting combo’d ten times in a row was still fresh, after all. This was pure self-defense.
Miju must’ve felt guilty—she didn’t get upset even though I took such a large bite.
“It’s bittersweet, but good. You’re more mature than the class president, Miju.”
“…Huh?”
What? Why was she looking at me like that? I hadn’t said anything wrong.
“It’s true. The class president can’t handle bitter food, so she’s got the palate of an elementary schooler.”
The class president had given up on her Americano after one sip, while Mijeong had at least finished most of hers. If I had to pick whose tastes were more grown-up, it was obviously the latter.
“Dessert is supposed to be sweet.”
“Still, you can’t handle anything even slightly bitter.”
“G-Guys…”
“Liking sweet things a little is fine. Calling me an elementary schooler over it is just mean.”
“I said you have an elementary schooler’s palate. I didn’t call you an elementary schooler, Class President.”
“Enough… L-let’s just stop, okay?”
“Seriously…”
Beep—
A sound cut through our bickering. Someone nearby muttered.
“Disaster… alert?”
“M-Monster?”
Beep—
Again. The ominous notification echoed throughout the entire department store. Every phone screamed at once, like sirens. Then people started shouting.
“Oh no. A monster must’ve appeared.”
“Where? Check the message.”
“Here. This city.”
“Really? Are we all going to die?”
“What are you talking about? We have magical girls. Why would we die? Hardly anyone dies from monsters these days.”
The once-calm department store erupted into chaos.
“J-Jihye… W-what do we do?”
“Let’s wait for now.”
A broadcast would come soon. About ten seconds later, the ceiling speakers crackled to life with an announcement. The staff sounded calm and practiced, as if this wasn’t their first time.
—Attention, shoppers. A monster has been confirmed outside the building. Fortunately, our protective barrier magic is active. Please remain calm and follow staff instructions to evacuate to a safe area.
I looked at the girls.
“You heard that?”
“We did, but… we’re magical girls too. Even if we’re just academy students.”
“And?”
“W-we should go help, don’t you think…?”
Just like they’d said back at Yeouido. Their voices were timid, but their expressions were resolute—like soldiers steeling themselves before battle. Their determination was admirable. As magical girls, spirit mattered. But results didn’t always follow spirit.
I thought about their skills again, then compared them to the level of monsters we might face.
…They’d probably be fine. They hadn’t shed their chick status yet, but they’d at least broken out of the egg.
“Then promise me one thing.”
“W-what?”
I grabbed their hands tightly and spoke with more seriousness than usual.
“Don’t leave my side. You have to stay within one meter of me at all times. If you can’t agree to that, I won’t let you go outside. Do you understand?”
After what had nearly happened during the cherry blossom festival, I refused to repeat that mistake. The girls seemed to understand why I was making the condition. They smiled and answered without hesitation.
“Of course.”
“Y-yeah! I’ll stay right next to you, Jihye!”
“Excuse me, you can’t go outside!”
Just as we reached the main entrance, a staff member stopped us. The class president and Mijeong didn’t hesitate—they pulled out their student IDs.
“We’re students at Magical Girl Academy. We’re going out to deal with the monster.”
“Ah, academy students. Still, please be careful. There’ve been loud noises coming from outside.”
“We will. We’ll be careful.”
We transformed inside before leaving. We had no idea what might happen the moment we stepped out.
Once we’d all finished transforming and reached for the door, the class president spoke up.
“It’s still amazing, no matter how many times I see it.”
“What is?”
“Your appearance doesn’t change at all before and after transforming, Jihye. Even people with minimal changes still get a new outfit.”
“I-it’s just the weapon that appears…?”
“Ah…”
I gripped the aluminum-pipe-like staff in my right hand.
“But I can choose not to summon the weapon if I want.”
“So you really don’t change at all, even when transformed?”
“Yeah. I don’t know why either.”
I did know, actually. But it wasn’t for a particularly good reason, so I kept it to myself.
“Everyone ready?”
“Yeah.”
“Y-yeah!”
“The moment we go out, we might get attacked right away. Class President, keep your guard up and move forward. Mijeong, stay in the back, watch ahead, and report anything you see.”
“G-got it.”
“I’ll count down, then we open the door. Three… two… one. Open it, Class President!”
“Okay!”
Crash!
The class president flung the door open and immediately adjusted her lance, holding the guard in front of her as she stepped boldly outside. Thankfully, no attack came right away.
So where was the enemy?
While I calmly assessed the situation, the class president spoke in a deflated tone.
“…We might not need to get involved after all.”
“What do you mean?”
She kept walking with growing confidence. Miju and I exchanged confused glances and followed behind her.
Whoosh—
Boom.
Faint sounds of something being pierced and exploding reached us.
“What is that sound…?”
Curious, I broke formation and moved up beside her. The sight that greeted us was enough to make anyone feel deflated.
Several magical girls were already in the open plaza in front of the department store. Among them were the Guardian and Mirm-whatever-and-Knight we’d run into earlier, plus plenty of others. They were all systematically slaughtering the monsters with excellent teamwork.
“All the wind just got sucked out of our sails.”
“R-right. We got ourselves all worked up for nothing.”
The unexpected situation instantly drained the tension from the girls. Maybe that person had been right—magical girls existed, so casualties were practically nonexistent now.
From what I could see, the monsters were weak and the magical girls were strong. Especially the Mirm-whatever team. Their personalities left much to be desired, but their skills were impressive. Their coordinated fighting style was quite striking, so I told the girls to watch.
“Remember the magical girls we met at the monument earlier?”
“Those seniors over there?”
“Yeah. Watch how those two move. They’re pretty good. You could learn a thing or two about cooperative combat from them.”
“Got it. I hope someday Seyul and I can fight together like that…”
“Yeah. We’ll have to work even harder than we are now.”
The two of them stared intently, clearly inspired by the active magical girls’ teamwork. I didn’t need to watch, so I kept an eye on our surroundings and the rear. Even if the Guardians were handling the monsters, there was always a chance one or two might slip through. It would be bad if something attacked us from behind.
So I stood guard, scanning the area around the girls.
“…What the heck?”
Something felt off. It wasn’t a monster. Even with my dulled senses, I wouldn’t miss one this close. I sharpened my perception to find the source.
Mana was coming from my pocket.
The girls noticed too and looked at me.
“Jihye.”
“M-mana… suddenly?”
What was going on? I reached into my pocket and pulled out what was inside. The only things in there were my wallet and phone. When I took them out, the light was coming from the wallet, not the phone. And the mana was radiating strongly from something within the wallet.
“This is…?”
The black card Jia had given me. Flower petals were scattering into the air from the magic circle engraved on it.
I knew exactly what those petals were.
“Cherry blossom petals.”
Cherry blossoms were blooming from the card.