Today Morning Was Also Extremely Peaceful
68. Today morning was also extremely peaceful. As always, I forced my reluctant body out of the cozy bed and bid farewell to the blankets, then ate a simple breakfast, washed up, got dressed, and headed to the academy. Now accustomed to the academy uniform skirt, I looked at it and spoke to Jiah sitting in the driver's seat.
“Jiah. I want to take off my stockings.”
“No.”
“Why. It’s hot.”
Time always flows quickly. Especially when every day is the same routine with nothing happening. Looking back, there are no memories that stand out, and every day feels like the same day. I wish time had passed this quickly back when I was in the military. It’s already June.
“It can’t be helped because of academy rules.”
“Even so, forcing stockings is too much.”
“It’s something we have to endure to maintain dignity.”
“Jiah… you’re such an old fogey. You’ve gotten worse than me.”
“…What did you say?”
As the temperature rose sharply, the academy uniforms switched to summer versions. But only the tops changed to short-sleeved shirts; the skirts and stockings remained the same, making summer unbearably painful. No matter how well-ventilated the summer skirt and stocking materials were, the stifling heat was impossible to escape. Back when I was a high school student, we wore shorts uniforms or summer gym clothes to and from school, so even after all these years, I couldn’t help but wonder if society had actually regressed.
“Tch. Dignity, my ass. Isn’t that an outdated way of thinking?”
“It’s necessary to some extent. If we loosen the rules too much, people’s perception of magical girls will worsen.”
“Society’s gaze and perceptions… So you’ve reached the age where you worry about things like that, Jiah.”
“If you tease me about my age one more time, dinner will be pineapple pizza.”
“Ah… sorry.”
Even with the windows open, it doesn’t feel cool at all. If the wind is this lukewarm even though we’re not driving that slowly, then from now on, really……
“I know it’s hot and stuffy too, but there’s really nothing I can do. Even the principal probably can’t do anything about it.”
“Ah… that principal?”
The person who noticed Salbyeol using invisibility magic and sticking around me. Besides that, there were others who had somewhat figured out my abilities and tried to probe me for no reason. Thinking back, I remember her impression as someone hard to get close to, like she was wearing a mask. But separate from her outward personality, she seemed like the type to handle things efficiently. Unexpected.
“Even as the principal, she can’t change the school rules?”
“Yeah. The Magical Girl Academy isn’t owned solely by the principal.”
Only after hearing Jiah’s words did I understand the situation.
“It’s the government, then. But since they don’t have the ability to manage it directly… they’re controlling it through the association.”
“Right. There’s an organization called the Academy Education Committee in the association. They supervise the academy through that. That’s why even as principal, it’s hard to change the rules arbitrarily.”
Before long, road signs indicating the direction to the Magical Girl Academy began to appear.
“There are people up top who oppose magical girls wearing even slightly unconventional outfits. You know that, right? Especially since you were the association president in another world.”
“There weren’t such strict rules over there….”
Faced with this lamentable reality, a sigh escaped me.
“Having to wear stockings with the academy uniform all year round is what’s actually abnormal. No matter how useful magical girls are as propaganda, this is too much.”
“I think so too. It’s excessive. Really.”
Now that I understood the adults’ circumstances, the air inside the car heading to the academy felt incredibly stuffy. Combined with the June heat, it was even worse.
“They wouldn’t, like, turn off the indoor air conditioning to save on electricity bills or anything, right?”
“…Who knows.”
“Hey. Now that I think about it, you’re the vice-chairman of the Education Committee. You must have seen the accounting too. Don’t tell me… no way?”
Jiah, dodging my words, focused intently on driving.
“Tell me it’s a lie. Please. Huh? Jiah.”
Even after arriving at the academy, Jiah never answered the question.
✮✮✮
“It’s hot….”
“Yeah. It really is summer.”
“W-we need the a-air conditioner….”
All the students listening to magic theory in the morning class were probably thinking the same thing. They could endure it for now, but come July, they might actually be killed by the heat. Just sitting still at a desk listening to class made me sweat a little, so what if we did intense outdoor practice? I had a feeling. Forget sleeping—I’d probably pass out from the heat first. Maybe I wouldn’t even open my eyes again.
“I’m gonna die… ugh.”
“Kim Jihye over there. If you’re not going to listen to class anyway, why don’t you just sleep instead of making noises that disturb the lesson?”
Apparently my groaning had reached the teacher’s ears.
“Teacher. It’s too hot.”
“It’s only June?”
“June is hot enough… I can’t even sleep because it’s so hot.”
“Hmm. If even Kim Jihye can’t sleep, then it must really be hot.”
It’s not like I’m some kind of heat detector. You can just look at the other students’ faces. The way they’re all dazed and exhausted from the heat. Does the teacher really not see the kids’ expressions? This is why martial arts-type magical girls are…!
“If Kim Jihye says so, then the time when everyone could endure with just willpower has already passed. Is everyone alright?”
“N…o……”
“It’s too hot, Seoyeon-seonsaengnim…. Save us…….”
Two fans weren’t enough to cover the entire classroom. The air conditioner was installed on the ceiling but wasn’t running yet. The teacher seemed to have realized this dire situation. After pondering for a moment with a hum, the teacher made a surprisingly clever suggestion.
“From now on, transformations and magic are allowed during class. Magic is limited to beginner-level spells only. Understood?”
Before anyone could even answer “yes,” students all over the classroom shouted their transformation phrases. The girls, now in their flashy magical girl outfits, immediately began frantically drawing magic circles. Soon, ice-attribute magic started blooming one by one throughout the classroom.
“You’re all doing well for having just learned ice magic recently.”
The stably manifested spells, without any mana overload, quickly lowered the classroom temperature. Peace returned to the classroom as the temperature, which had been over 30 degrees, dropped to 20. Satisfied with the students’ results, the teacher smiled and resumed the lesson.
Tap tap. Now that the heat that had gone beyond discomfort into outright irritation was gone, I could finally fall into a comfortable sleep, using the sound of chalk on the board as ASMR. Since I had no mana to begin with, transformation was a luxury, so I benefited indirectly from the other kids’ magic and tried to sleep.
“……”
It had been a while since I’d had such a good nap. Had I ever been able to nap this comfortably in the classroom before? Not only did I have a neck pillow, but there was also a blanket and an eye mask, all soft and fluffy. Sleeping in a cool room during the sweltering summer was incredibly pleasant. There was nothing more I could ask for in this world….
“Jihye-ya.”
“…Eeh?”
“The teacher is calling you. Wake up.”
The class president shook me awake. Had class already ended and lunchtime arrived? I opened my eyes and looked around, but the teacher was still standing at the podium.
“Kim Jihye. Are you awake?”
“Yeah… what is it, teacher? *yawn*.”
“Sorry for disturbing your sleep, but unfortunately, you’re the only one who can do it.”
The way the teacher opened like that was exactly like a company executive assigning me an important task, and the drowsiness I’d had just moments ago vanished instantly.
“Teacher… what exactly are you trying to make me do?”
“Honestly, it’s nothing big. There’s no need to be so scared. It’s definitely not a bad thing.”
Usually, when things started with this kind of persuasion, what followed was a path more grueling than walking on thorns. No matter what, I had some experience rolling around in society. That kind of trick wouldn’t work on me.
“Even so, I can refuse if I don’t want to, right?”
“…You can. As your homeroom teacher, I’d prefer you didn’t refuse, but if you say no, there’s nothing I can do. Still, won’t you at least hear me out?”
“Well… I can listen.”
I planned to just listen and then refuse. Lately, the kids had been working hard to keep up after school, so my stamina was already running low. I was going to pass on anything that would add more work.
I didn’t know how the teacher took my roundabout refusal. This person seemed sharp at times but could also be incredibly oblivious. The teacher was someone I could never quite figure out.
“Before the upcoming final exams, some outsiders will be visiting the academy.”
“…Outsiders?”
“Current magical girls who graduated from the academy. They’re coming to the academy to give lectures.”
Ah. There were events like this sometimes. A career interview session where you could ask working seniors directly. But it had nothing to do with me. I’d already been through countless experiences as a magical girl. There was nothing I was curious about from them. Surely the teacher wasn’t going to ask me to guide them? The class president would be more suited for that than me.
“That day, there’s going to be a small event. A sparring match with the seniors….”
Ah. I was screwed. Now I understood why the teacher had made this suggestion to me. That’s why it was hard to refuse easily.