Suit Up for the Summit
A week after the guild conference trip.
The memories of that day were still vividly etched in my mind.
And to top it off, I'd even dreamed about nuzzling up to Kim Doa.
The moment I woke up, I clutched the blanket and let out a scream.
"I'm seriously losing it..."
I had no idea I was that weak to alcohol. Not even a full can—just one sip and I was wasted.
No matter what, I swear I'll never touch the stuff again.
"Milady, it's about time to get ready."
As I made that vow to myself, Keter's voice drifted in from the kitchen. The delicious aroma of breakfast followed right after.
"Yeah."
I stretched lightly and started getting ready to head out.
Today was the guild masters' meeting.
To be honest, with all the big-shot guild masters gathering at the Management Bureau, someone like me—who doesn't even have a guild or awakening powers—didn't have much to do there.
But since I was at the center of the incident, I couldn't exactly skip out.
I wolfed down breakfast and took a quick shower.
Now I just had to pick out my outfit.
"Ar."
"What is it, Yuri?"
I grabbed Ar, who was bobbing through the air after finishing the dishes.
"Wouldn't I look even more grown-up in a suit?"
I'd been planning to go with my usual white tee and shorts, but I changed my mind.
Scanning the closet, my eyes landed on the suit Keter had tailored for me just in case.
Everyone's been treating me like a kid because I keep dressing like the neighborhood brat.
Time for an image overhaul with a new look.
"Hmm... That does sound plausible."
Ar nodded.
"Perfect."
I pulled the suit from the closet and slipped it on. Then I tied my hair back into a ponytail with a hair tie.
A total transformation into an adult.
"Phew... How do I look?"
I struck a poised, elegant pose toward Ar.
"Whoa! You look incredibly mature."
Ar clapped enthusiastically. No sound came out, being a doll and all.
"Right?"
Satisfied.
Heh heh heh.
The old me is dead.
No more kid-like vibes—the newly reborn me has arrived.
Time for the mature magical girl to deploy.
And at that very moment, at the Management Bureau.
The guild masters were already gathered around the round table.
The Director sipped his coffee with a hearty laugh, as if this was just another day.
Kim Doa sat beside him, firing off an urgent text to Baek Yuri on her phone.
"Why aren't we starting yet? I'm a busy person!"
Amid the silent wait, Irumi from Hongwol Guild—attending her first guild meeting—broke the ice, looking baffled.
Her twin tails swished back and forth, mirroring her irritation.
They were already 20 minutes past the scheduled time.
"Lady Zanyeong hasn't arrived yet, has she? It's been a while since her last appearance—let's wait patiently."
Kim Siu from Heukryeon Guild flashed a good-natured grin at Irumi.
"That damn magical girl hype... She's just someone who awakened early and fought, that's all."
"Hmm... Miss Lumi, you might want to learn to watch your words first."
A sharp gaze pierced toward Irumi from Kim Siu's narrowed eyes.
A bit intimidated by the look, Irumi whipped her head away.
"...Tch, annoying."
Irumi was pissed.
At Kim Siu, who casually scolded her like it was nothing.
At Baek Yuri, who was crashing the guild masters' meeting just because she was a magical girl, despite not even being a guild master.
And at her for being late, no less.
Of course, Irumi knew the magical girl was a hero from the Great Subjugation.
But looking back now, wasn't she just someone who'd awakened first and fought?
Irumi couldn't fathom why everyone was deifying her like this.
"That's 'cause you're still a kid."
Eom Taewoong from Geomhwa Guild burst into loud laughter.
"The magical girls from the Great Subjugation were on a whole different level from us mere awakeners. Right?"
"Kids won't get it no matter how you explain."
Han Seoyeon, who'd been quietly watching, wagged her hand dismissively.
Anyone else might've taken the hint, but to Han Seoyeon, Irumi was just adorably amusing, so she gazed on fondly.
"Cut the commotion. The Director's right here."
Kim Doa finally spoke up after replying to Baek Yuri.
"And she'll be here any minute."
Right as Kim Doa finished, the door swung open.
All eyes turned to it.
"Sorry. Traffic was a nightmare."
And there stood Baek Yuri, transformed into a completely new look.
Everyone was stunned into silence—mostly holding back laughter.
"Pfft."
But Han Seoyeon couldn't hold it in and snorted.
"Why are you laughing?"
I strode in all majestic-like, but being greeted with laughter soured my mood right away.
"Did you seriously suit up just for a meeting?"
Seoyeon said, hand clamped over her mouth.
"I just felt like it. What, does it not suit me?"
"No, it suits you perfectly. Let's take pics later. You're super cu—er, impressive."
"Whatever, that's fine..."
What was this?
Not the reaction I'd expected.
Why were their gazes even warmer now?
"Baek Yuri, sit down already."
"Got it."
With me as the last arrival, the meeting finally kicked off.
......
"First up: the recent spate of new doll summons. Baek Yuri's assistant helped with the investigation."
Kim Doa pointed to a map marking erosion zones and the new doll types.
"As expected of Lady Zanyeong—even her assistant is top-notch."
Kim Siu marveled.
The guy's always so over-the-top.
He's been like that since we met.
Insists on the Zanyeong title to show respect, never skips it. Turns out he's been a huge magical girl fan for years.
"So, what's the cause?"
Eom Taewoong peered intently at the map.
"The Queen of the Otherworld has started making moves."
"Queen of the Otherworld?"
Eom Taewoong crossed his arms, narrowing his eyes.
"The queen of all mascots."
"What's that got to do with anything?"
"That queen is the source of the erosion."
"What?"
"It's true. I met her."
I rubbed my neck as I said it.
She'd borrowed my senior's form.
The memory was still crystal clear.
She spoke like she was a god or something—total creep who rubbed me the wrong way.
"So, where is this queen right now?"
Kim Siu asked calmly.
"No clue. She's in another dimension."
"Then how did you...?"
"Got dragged there while resolving the impersonator case."
"Oh... I see."
In other words, she'd invited me to her "nest."
The impersonator had served as the medium that pulled me in.
Seems like they need certain conditions to reach this side too.
"To add: the queen still can't set foot in this world yet. Even with Baek Yuri, she used a human fully eroded by corruption as a conduit, but they couldn't directly interfere with each other."
Kim Doa covered for me.
"However, there are testimonies of strange voices after initial erosion from the other side. We're assessing that the Queen of the Otherworld can partially interfere within erosion zones."
"Who said that?"
The twin-tailed kid up front piped up.
Who was she, anyway?
I knew Yuseolhwa had retired from Dawn Guild, so someone new would fill in.
But seeing a total stranger threw me off a bit.
"I'm the former Dawn Guild Master, Yuseolhwa."
"Ah, that relic."
"Miss Lumi."
"Wh-what? It's true!"
"...Miss Lumi."
"Fine, sorry."
Her antics screamed kid.
Guild masters these days are actual brats.
"Who's the kid?"
I whispered to Seoyeon beside me.
"Huh? Kid?"
She glanced at me, then at the kid.
Eom Taewoong, watching from afar, caught on and clutched his stomach laughing.
"Hey, Lumi, looks like Zanyeong doesn't know who you are."
"Wh-what?!"
The kid shot me an incredulous look.
Lumi, huh.
"Hongwol Guild Master Irumi. You do know her, right?"
"...Oh, yeah? Sorry, I haven't paid any attention to guilds lately."
Irumi went speechless, shocked.
Can't be helped—I'd never cared about guilds to begin with.
At most, I'd heard bits from Seoyeon about which ones were decent or trash.
Or from the magical girl gallery.
Oh yeah, Hongwol was that one from the hate threads.
The post saying it was full of pedos.
Her, probably.
"Anyway, continuing."
Kim Doa rapped the table.
"The cause is the Queen of the Otherworld, but as mentioned, we can't deal with her now. So first, we'll track down all the elder mascots."
"Those dolls the magical girls carry around?"
Eom Taewoong asked.
"Exactly. The impersonator case likely used an elder mascot to amp a civilian to awakener level."
"That's bad news."
Kim Siu's perpetual smile twisted slightly.
"And that was probably a test. If they can turn awakeners like that, things could get ugly."
"Like witches?"
"Yes. Like witches."
Kim Doa nodded at my words.
Witches were slaves who'd lost their minds, blindly following the erosion. Thinking of my senior, if someone with strong powers got hit by an elder mascot's influence and snapped...
It'd be a hopeless mess. We knew that better than anyone.
"So how do we find them?"
Irumi muttered timidly. Guess my earlier comment hit hard.
"The Bureau will investigate too, but Baek Yuri, you're in charge of tracking them down."
"Me?"
"Who else is more suited?"
"...Fair point."
I know mascots best.
And I can hunt without causing any force losses.
No one else fits. The rest are busy with guilds and all.
"What about us? I don't know much about mascots, honestly."
Kim Siu looked troubled.
"Other guilds focus on subjugation. Report any unusual changes in erosion zones to the Bureau immediately."
Kim Siu nodded slightly.
Speaking of mascots, it reminded me of Ar. What was her deal, anyway?
"Seoyeon."
I whispered to her this time, low enough not to be overheard.
"Yeah?"
"During that new doll subjugation last time, no mascot-like thing came out of the bodies, right?"
"Nope."
"Hmm... Got it."
"Why?"
"Just curious."
"What, tell me!"
As I pushed away the persistent Seoyeon, I felt a weird stare and turned.
Kim Doa was glaring at me.
"Baek Yuri, focus."
"Sorry."
After that, Kim Doa gave a quick briefing on the new doll types and how the Bureau would support the guilds going forward.
Finally, the Director—who'd been silently listening—spoke up.
"Don't get hurt, and survive to the end, everyone."
With that, the guild meeting wrapped up.
After the meeting.
I left the Bureau and hopped into Keter's car.
"Straight home?"
"Nah, let's head to Yujina's place."
"Is something the matter?"
"Just wanna see how she's doing. Been a while."
"Understood."
The now-retired magical girl.
The final hero of the Great Subjugation.
'White Night'Yujina.
She's gotta be doing fine.