Weekend Date with Friends? Maybe I'm Popular Now?(8)
“What on earth is going on here? It looks completely normal from the outside.”
“That’s correct. The reason we even realized something was wrong was because we noticed the monsters were unusually fixated on the memorial monument. That’s when we ran a mana scan.”
“And the results?”
“Well… honestly, we’re not sure.”
Somehow we’d ended up trailing the Guardians all the way to the memorial monument, listening to their conversation from the sidelines. Post-subjugation cleanup was something I’d done so many times it felt as natural as breathing, but for the class president and Mijeong—both still freshmen at the Magical Girl Academy—it was like stepping into an entirely new world.
Every move the Guardians made was a preview of what the girls would be doing once they became full-fledged magical girls. In a way, this might have been an unexpected career field trip for them.
“We know there’s a magic circle on the monument, but we have no idea what kind it is—or even if it’s a proper magic circle at all. I’ve never seen characters this strange in all my years as a magical girl.”
“Let me have a look.”
Knight took the sheet of paper where the suspected magic circle had been copied down. He stared at it for a long time, brow furrowed, then glanced toward Jia.
“Have you ever seen writing like this before, Miss Blossom?”
“Let’s see…”
While Jia examined the paper, Knight started grilling the other Guardians.
“When did these patterns first appear on the monument?”
“The monsters kept acting like they were possessed, obsessing over it. Our Team Three worked hard to keep it from getting damaged, but unfortunately one of them slipped past us. The moment it touched the monument, it burst apart on its own in a surge of ominous magical energy.”
“It exploded by itself?”
“Yes. It was as if that had been its sole purpose. After that we were too busy finishing off the rest of the monsters to notice. Only once the fighting was over and we ran a mana scan on the monument did we detect these patterns.”
“I don’t recall ever dealing with monsters like this…”
“Um, Mr. Knight? I’m finished looking.”
“Yes! Miss Blossom. Do you recognize it?”
I watched Jia’s face. The way her lips were pursed told me she was just as lost as the rest of us.
“It’s definitely not a magic circle used by magical girls, so I can’t tell you what it means. But I do have a pretty good idea who uses patterns like this.”
“Oh, that’s plenty. Who exactly are we talking about?”
“…Monsters.”
“What?”
“Huh?”
“Wait, what?”
Jia’s bombshell drew a chorus of confused reactions. The kids in particular looked completely lost.
“Jia unnie, can monsters actually use magic?”
“Haven’t you learned that yet? Now that I think about it, the material on high-intelligence monsters starts in the second year. Anyway, the answer is yes, they can.”
“Oh my god… Monsters using m-magic?”
“I was shocked too when I first found out. I knew it intellectually, of course, but I’d never actually encountered it. That’s why some Guardians still dismiss it as superstition…”
“It’s not superstition. It’s fact. High-intelligence monsters have been extremely rare in Korea since the early days of the Monster Catastrophe, so only a handful of people know this, but yes—monsters can use magic.”
“Magic… wasn’t that supposed to be the exclusive territory of magical girls?”
Sighs rippled through the other Guardians. The kids looked equally stunned.
…So Earth still hasn’t faced large-scale incursions of high-intelligence monsters. That explained why the planet had stayed relatively safe even though the magical girls here were weaker than the ones in Magica.
“Could you copy this pattern for me?”
“Of course, Miss Blossom.”
“And after you file the incident report, make sure to recommend to the district branch chief that this needs to be brought to a higher-level meeting. This might be serious enough to reach the Association headquarters.”
“Is it really that bad?”
“The Association’s Magic Development and Research Team might even get dispatched. Understanding monster magic is that important. ‘Know your enemy and know yourself, and you can fight a hundred battles without disaster,’ right?”
“That makes sense. I’ll keep it in mind.”
Jia took the copied sheet from another Guardian.
“Now that the report’s done, let’s try erasing the magic circle. Jamie, can you remove it?”
“That’s… Team Leader.”
“What? What’s wrong?”
“It won’t erase.”
“Excuse me?”
Knight’s voice jumped with surprise.
“What do you mean it won’t erase? It’s a magic circle—why can’t you erase it?”
“Exactly what I said. Monster magic circles can’t be removed by normal methods.”
“Miss Blossom. Were you aware of this?”
“Yes. Aside from a few weak ones, you can’t erase a monster’s magic circle the same way you’d erase a magical girl’s. I’d hoped that wasn’t the case, but… we should contact the proper authorities immediately. I’ll reach out to the Association’s Magic Development and Research Team. In the meantime, could you station Guardians to secure the area?”
“Absolutely. Can you take responsibility for protecting the site so Jamie, leader of Team Three, can safely hand everything over to the headquarters team?”
“Yes… I’ll put the entire third team on monument guard duty starting today.”
“Then as of right now, the emergency status is fully lifted. Team Three, I know it’s tough, but set up a perimeter so no civilians can approach the monument under any circumstances.”
“Understood.”
While the Guardians wrapped up the scene, Jia stepped aside to make a phone call—probably to the Association’s magic research team she’d mentioned. The conversation went on for quite a while. Eventually her phone chimed at the same moment loudspeakers across the city began broadcasting the all-clear.
People who had been sheltering inside buildings started trickling back onto the streets. The city quickly regained its usual lively atmosphere. Even with magical girls standing watch here and there, the citizens walked around without any visible tension.
“So this is how it ends… It’s strangely fascinating to see it up close.”
“R-right? I had no idea the senior magical girls were doing all this work behind the scenes…”
They eliminated every single monster that appeared from thin air, without missing a single one. Then they disposed of the corpses and repaired the damaged facilities with magic. It was the kind of process ordinary citizens never witnessed. Like firefighters putting out blazes and cleaning up the wreckage, or police officers arresting criminals and hauling them away—every job had a hidden side that outsiders rarely saw.
You could describe it in words, but actually standing in the middle of it, feeling the atmosphere with your own body, was something else entirely.
It seemed the kids were finally getting a real, visceral understanding of what being a magical girl actually meant.
I walked over to them.
“Being a magical girl isn’t just about defeating monsters and calling it a day. You have to handle all the cleanup perfectly afterward. There’s paperwork and reports too. We don’t spend all our time fighting. …Disappointed?”
A lot of new magical girls felt regret and disappointment once they started the job. They’d imagined it would be all monster-slaying glory, only to discover there were endless mundane tasks. Newcomers especially didn’t start out as full Guardians; they usually began with the grunt work. Some became so disillusioned they quit entirely. The magical girl I dreamed of isn’t someone who does corporate busywork. That kind of thing.
I’d wondered if the girls might feel the same. But my worries turned out to be unnecessary.
“It’s less disappointment and more fascination. I realized there are things like this that need to be done for everyone’s sake.”
“It’s n-new. Interesting. K-kind of exciting.”
“…Did Miju see something weird again somewhere?”
“Yeah. I’m glad you feel that way. Huaaam.”
I’d considered quitting the magical girl path, but apparently that wasn’t how they felt at all. Speaking of which, the yawns were coming more frequently now.
What time was it? I checked my phone. No wonder I was sleepy.
“It’s already past five. Hauaaam.”
“Already? Wow, it is. What time was our dorm curfew again?”
“Six…”
“Oh no! The bus takes a little over forty minutes, and that’s without waiting time. We’re cutting it really close.”
“Want a ride?”
“Jia unnie!”
Jia, who had just finished her call, walked over to us.
“Public transport would take a while, but it’s quick by car. If it’s all right with you, I can drive you back.”
“Thank you so much!”
“Th-thank you!”
“Don’t mention it. You girls came all this way to hang out with Jihye and me. Did you have fun today?”
The kids exchanged glances, then looked at me.
“Yes!”
“It was s-super fun!”
“It was great.”
“Hmm…? Even Jihye says she had fun. Sounds like you all really enjoyed yourselves. I’m glad.”
Jia smiled, clearly pleased with our reactions. I wasn’t sure why she seemed even happier than we were, but as long as everyone was happy, that was what mattered.
Today really had been an incredibly fun day. Despite everything that happened, it had all been enjoyable. For the first time in a while, I’d felt like I’d gone back to my student days and just let myself have fun.
I should invite the girls out again next time.
…And make sure we bring the little one too. We’d need her for proper 2v2 fighting games.
Vroom.
It was the drive home after dropping the girls off at the academy.
The sky was still bright even though it was nearly six.
Rustle.
As we drove along carrying the sunset in the trunk, Jia handed me a sheet of paper with one hand.
“…Is this the one from earlier?”
“Yeah. I figured maybe oppa would recognize it.”
“Huuuuung. I’m sleepy.”
Even as I complained, I still looked at the paper. Thanks to the caffeine, I was holding up better than usual. Of course, I was rapidly approaching my limit.
With a foggy mind, I gave it a quick once-over.
“…It looks like some kind of signal beacon.”
“A signal beacon?”
“It marks… fixed coordinates… Huaaam.”
“A signal beacon… What would it be signaling?”
Jia kept both hands on the wheel, her expression growing serious.
I’d had enough of thinking for one day, so I set the paper on the dashboard.
…So tired.
“You know what signal beacons are for. The purpose is pretty obvious…”
“The purpose of the signal beacon.”
“Yeah. Preliminary work… for smooth spatial teleportation.”
“So today’s invasion was just preparation? In that case, things are going to get difficult from here on out.”
With those words from Jia, the car sped down the road, heading in the exact opposite direction of the sun.