Chapter 84
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 84
Chapter Title: Each One's Night
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Magical medical treatment was nothing special.
In fact, it hardly even counted as treatment. They just poked the wounds a few times with something resembling a magic wand, and that was it. The injuries healed right up.
We'd done some basic first aid ourselves, but I never imagined the actual healing would be this straightforward.
Of course, it wasn't without downsides—it hurt like hell. Like all the pain had been compressed and released at once.
"All done. How do you feel?"
"Everything's great, except this shit hurts pretty bad."
"Oh, right. Forgot the Magical anesthetic."
"You bitch."
Well, if it hadn't been for the trash running the Magical medical team, it probably wouldn't have hurt at all.
Anyway.
By the time I got back from the Magical medical station, the stars and moon were just peeking out.
"I'm back."
After all the twists and turns, the dorm greeted me with Sora and Nakji welcoming my return.
"Senior, you're back?"
"Glad to see you're in one piece."
"Eh, not as banged up as you might think."
Meanwhile, Whitey and Ray were already fast asleep.
That struck me as odd.
It was night, sure, but not bedtime yet, was it?
"Something happen? Those two are out cold."
"Nothing special. While you were gone, Magical Girl White Phoenix did a few rounds of the Magical dorms."
"Really nothing to worry about."
"How the hell is that nothing?"
It was pretty serious business, not something to brush off lightly.
The occasional surprise inspection by the brass—that's standard army stuff. And they did it while I was gone.
"So, the dorm checks are all done now?"
"Officially till morning, but practically speaking, they're over."
"Good thing."
They must've been mentally and physically drained.
No wonder they crashed like that.
If anything, I was a little grateful to Sora and Nakji for still being up like it was no big deal.
I gave a wry smile and spoke up.
"Sora, Nakji. You two tired? Go ahead and crash first."
"Senior..."
"Inferior... no, mid-tier..."
Sora and Nakji trailed off, staring at me intently.
I waved it off casually.
"I'm fine. Everyone else go sleep. I'm still wide awake."
I could handle this much, no problem.
"Who the hell said you get to take first watch on guard duty? You crazy, senior?"
"Seriously wanna get your ass beat?"
"You bitches, sharp as hell when it counts."
Damn.
I could've snagged first watch.
Remembered before heading out that it was guard duty night and tossed it out there casually, but no dice. Smart low-grades are such a pain.
Meanwhile, Sora and Nakji transformed and got up from their spots.
"Anyway, we're off to guard duty. No funny business—sleep tight."
"We'll wake you later."
I quickly grabbed them and got to the point.
"If I don't wake up, use whatever extreme measures it takes."
"Got it. I'll make sure you're up."
"Leave it to me."
"Thanks."
The moment Sora and Nakji left, silence settled in. I mulled things over quietly.
First, those Magical Girls.
Whatever happened after they got carted off to Magical Central Hospital wasn't my problem anymore.
I'd dialed it back just enough—they wouldn't die, at least.
Yeah. They wouldn't die.
Pain was another story.
I'd smashed everything but their heads.
Recovery wouldn't be simple. Even my own injuries had taken time.
By the time they barely made it back, they wouldn't dare pick a fight again.
And if they did? No big deal. I just wouldn't go easy next time.
Anyway, back to my original train of thought.
Those Magical Girls had been harassing Ty-si on someone's orders, then targeted me for interfering. This was their chance for payback.
But something felt off.
Using magic on a regular guy?
Way overkill for revenge.
They wouldn't have even known I had the Moonlight Sword until I pulled it out. No need for magic wands—they could've just rushed me physically.
That would've been better.
Perfect setup to toy with me thoroughly.
In other words, Ty-si was just the trigger. I was the real target.
Plus, they pulled that shady two-condition loophole. One was the safety reg the captain warned against picking.
Normally impossible.
They must've had some special authorization.
Even if Magical Girls run the military like idiots, they don't hand out that kind of manipulation power to enlisted girls without—
"Nah, fuck. Not necessarily."
Whatever.
Bottom line: whoever's backing those Magical Girls has the pull to pull shit like that.
So, my new goal.
"Gotta find 'em."
Figure out who's behind it.
Especially after that ponytail Magical Girl's last look—it gave me a nauseating sense of déjà vu.
Not like the knight captain from that other world. Something fundamentally incompatible with me.
Couldn't pinpoint it.
Familiar yet strangely alien.
Probably tied to whoever gave the orders. Her reaction flipped the moment I asked.
So.
I'd track down the one calling the shots and grill them first.
Why pull this crap?
What's the endgame?
If things went south, fighting was on the table.
"Worst case."
Killing them was an option too.
No idea how strong they were, but honestly, I could take 'em now. Felt like half my peak strength was back.
Sucks some magic's still offline, but this was plenty. More variables than before, at least.
Lying in bed must've fully relaxed me—fatigue hit all at once.
Made sense. Busy as hell today.
Yeah, time to actually rest.
With that, I closed my eyes.
Sora was in a foul mood.
'Ugh, damn it.'
Progress between Kim Siyul and Ray was nonexistent.
If things had gone as planned, there should've been some pink sparks flying between them by now. But no.
At best, they were friends trading Magical insults.
That was barely enough to spark a fight.
They could grab each other by the collar any second.
Not that she could help it.
Neither felt more than bare tolerance for the other. No way their Magical relationship changed like that.
'If even one had a crush...'
It'd stay the same forever. Sora sighed in frustration.
That's when Ty-si's voice piped up.
"How about we head out now?"
"Ty-si, what's up? Where to?"
Sora tilted her head at the out-of-nowhere comment.
Ty-si looked puzzled.
"Half-inferior, snap out of it. Time to switch Magical guard duty."
"Huh? Already?"
She checked the time—yep, guard duty switch like Ty-si said.
That soured Sora's mood even more.
Guard shifts were long, and she'd spent the whole time agonizing without a single breakthrough.
Meanwhile, oblivious to Sora's turmoil, Ty-si wore a suspicious frown.
"Lost in Magical angst? Your face looks wrecked, not like usual."
"No, I'm fine. It's nothing."
"I get it. With that Magical ramen smell, it's understandable."
Sure enough, Magical ramen scent hung in the air.
Didn't matter who was slurping it at this hour—not Sora's concern.
Whether her fretting bore fruit or some rando ate ramen, she had a job to do right now.
"Anyway, let's finish the last patrol."
"Sound plan."
Sora and Ty-si wrapped up their rounds casually, then prepped for guard handover.
Next shift: Kim Siyul and one Magical Girl from another dorm.
Ty-si pointed it out.
"Wake the mid-tier and one inferior for handover, and we're done."
"Right."
Sora nodded absently.
That was it, like Ty-si said.
'...Wait a sec?!'
Then a nagging inconsistency hit her.
"Ty-si."
"Yeah?"
Sora quickly voiced the odd feeling.
"You're not calling senior 'inferior' anymore?"
"Uh..."
The shift in how she addressed Kim Siyul.
'She definitely skipped it earlier too...'
Sora shot Ty-si a demanding look.
Ty-si averted her eyes.
"J-just happened that way. After all that Magical action, calling him inferior forever feels off, y'know?"
Ty-si mumbled a half-decent excuse, but Sora narrowed her eyes.
Highly unusual.
She still called Sora "half-inferior."
Yet this hardcore Magical religion discriminator wasn't just dropping "inferior" for Kim Siyul—she was treating him like a fellow believer.
'This feels off...'
A chill ran down her spine.
Not like she liked him or anything, just a bit friendlier than usual.
But she couldn't let her guard down.
Crushes start from goodwill, right?
One slip, and she'd have a Magical rival.
How the hell did this happen? What went down between them?
'No signs of anything before...'
But Sora's worries didn't last.
Ty-si had flung open the door to Kim Siyul's dorm room, all natural-like.
As if it was the obvious thing.
Sora grabbed her in a panic.
"T-Ty-si, hold on."
"What's wrong? Don't wanna do handover?"
"No, it's not that, but why are you..."
Going to wake him? Sora trailed off.
Ty-si replied matter-of-factly, like stating Magical common sense.
"Doesn't matter who wakes him. Problem?"
"No, not really, but..."
No real issue.
If anything, it made sense.
Kim Siyul was next shift.
Wake him up, done. Anyone could do it—no need for Sora specifically.
But she couldn't just let her go.
Avoid alone time with Kim Siyul. Nip any possibilities in the bud.
Finally, Sora decided.
"Then let's wake senior together."
No choice.
'Gotta block her.'
To stop Ty-si's Magical solo run, she had to intervene now.
Couldn't hand Kim Siyul—who hadn't connected with Ray yet—to a Magical trash like Ty-si.
Might be overreacting, but better safe than sorry.
Meanwhile, Ty-si cocked her head at Sora's words.
"Why? Super inefficient. Everything's best handled 'efficiently,' like crushing Monsters."
Ignoring the weird emphasis on that word, she had a point.
More efficient for Sora to wake someone else while Ty-si handled Kim Siyul.
Irrefutable Magical logic.
'Why's her brain firing on all cylinders now?!'
In the end, Sora offered a flimsy excuse even to herself.
"He might not wake easy. Together, we can make sure."
"Hm... Fair point."
Luckily, Ty-si nodded.
Sora sighed inwardly in relief.
Still uneasy, but she'd thrown a wrench in it at least.
Soon, they crept toward Kim Siyul's bed.
A figure lay motionless, buried head-to-toe under the Magical blanket.
Ty-si spoke up.
"Looks like a tough wake-up."
"Yeah."
She'd flipped the Magical blanket meant for lying on completely over her head.
Usually one of two things: doesn't know what a Magical blanket is, or too exhausted to care.
Kim Siyul was definitely the latter.
Made sense.
Busy day.
'Explains why he wanted us to go extreme.'
No waking this with gentle nudges. Regrettable, but per his request—time for drastic measures.
After a brief think, Sora spoke.
"How about waking him with that old-school Magical surprise trend?"
"Which one?"
"You know, 'Good night, miss.'"
Ty-si lit up in recognition.
"That Magical J-POP?"
This bitch.
Sora swallowed her urge to deck the Japanese stereotype bubbling inside and calmly clarified.
"It looks like Magical J-POP, but it's actually Magical K-POP."
"Weird. Mid-tier told me it's J-POP. Spread it to the Magical Buddhists that way."
"Ah, you fuck."
She almost lost it this time. Sora gritted her teeth desperately and glanced at the soundly sleeping Kim Siyul.
'He's dead.'
Planned simple wake-up, but now full Magical resolve surged for a proper one.
Perfect idea struck.
He'd really love this.
Ty-si prompted.
"So, how we doing it?"
"Like this."
Sora explained her plan.
Ty-si frowned slightly.
"Even so, that's too much."
"Oh, senior said last time Magical Buddhism's the religion of losers crushed by Magical Christianity."
"Fuck, gonna kill him."
Well, that didn't last long either.
Soon, Ty-si and Sora put their exchange into action.
"Remember the Magical lyrics?"
"Kinda. But do I gotta do Japanese too?"
"Eh, why not? Go big or go home."
"Fine."
To wake Kim Siyul.
A bit extreme.
Sora started.
"Oji-sama."
"It's time to go to Magical guard duty, desu wa."
"Sleeping in again?"
No stir from Kim Siyul's bed.
Then keep going.
His own fault.
Sora continued.
"If you wake up late, my beautiful Magical skin will all crumble."
"Saigo no keikoku desu wa."
Final Magical warning.
But Kim Siyul didn't budge.
Time for extremes.
Ty-si yanked the Magical blanket off, and Sora shone the Magical lantern right at head level.
The so-called Magical high beam.
"Yare yare."
"Can't control this geezer—"
"...Fuck."
Someone swore.
Questions flooded Ty-si and Sora's minds.
Who swore? Why was Magical Girl White Phoenix in Kim Siyul's bed? Where the hell was he?
But none mattered.
How to handle this.
That was priority one.
"Hey."
If it could even be handled, that is.