episode_0006

There are two reasons why I became friends with that Earthling.

First, he approached me directly.

I hardly ever initiate conversations before others do. Whether connections are beneficial or not, I rarely see the need to expand them. Managing connections is a hassle, and the more people you know, the more bothersome it becomes.

Originally, I had no intention of befriending an extraterrestrial, but that Earthling persistently struck up conversations with me.

“You, have you seen the sprout of an idol?”

I don’t know what confidence led him to say such a thing. To be honest, there’s a good chance he said it without any real thought. Aren’t there people like that? Those who say things like, “Making a foreign friend is my dream.”

Maybe he just found it easy to talk to someone from our school or something.

The second reason is that we lived in nearly the same neighborhood.

I say “nearly” because it’s not exactly the same neighborhood. It’s more like the adjacent neighborhood. It seems I ended up around here while searching for a place with low rent.

Since our commute paths often intersect, we end up having various conversations. While I’ve often been told that I come off as sharp, I’m not good at rejecting these kinds of interactions. It’s not something I can easily do, especially when it involves cutting off someone I see regularly.

Well, it’s not like I dislike it…

But it’s not like I want to show this side to my friends either. For one, it’s related to work, and above all, due to his personality—

“Anyway.”

With a scrutinizing look, Hwayoon’s friend, who seemed to be searching for my weaknesses, glanced at the Earthling almost hanging onto my shoulder.

“It looks like you had a drink and are in a good mood today.”

Surprisingly, that was a correct statement. I did have ‘a drink.’ Without any dessert, too.

“Oh~ well, since I had something good happen!”

“….”

Seeing the corners of his mouth lift slightly, it seemed like he thought he’d hit the mark.

“Oh my, then, did you drink during the day?”

As if that would ever happen. We’re both high school students.

Oh, right, strictly speaking, the Earthling did engage in illegal behavior. But since it’s unknown on his planet, it’s not a problem.

I glanced briefly at Hwayoon.

She still had her eyes wide open, looking at me.

I declined the Christmas invitation, yet I didn’t have any other plans today. Or could it be that she was surprised that I have a friend she doesn’t know about?

“What… I’ve heard that people from other planets can start drinking at a young age, but wouldn’t it be awkward for us to follow suit?”

“I didn’t drink.”

I turned my gaze back and spoke to the kid next to Hayoon, who was buzzing around like a mosquito.

“If it’s not alcohol, then how do you get so drunk?”

“Coffee.”

“Coffee?”

“Yeah, coffee. This one gets high on coffee.”

If there’s a problem with this answer, it’s that there are plenty of people on Earth who make excuses in a similar manner. Although the races haven’t mixed to the extent of being indistinguishable, on a galactic scale, the number of sentient beings is said to exceed 150 trillion. The “150 trillion” is a figure calculated by the Galactic Federation. It’s said that only a small portion of them have the technological capability to travel to outer space.

Naturally, Earth hasn’t fully embraced the Galactic Federation, and since the Federation has its own considerations, the number of extraterrestrials allowed to visit Earth is limited. However, it’s quite common to see extraterrestrial tourists on the streets at a frequency similar to foreign tourists.

Foreign visitors to Seoul usually gather in places like Jongno or Myeongdong, where they can experience a Korean atmosphere and go shopping, but not extraterrestrials. After all, no matter where they go on Earth, it’s not their home planet. Wherever they go, they can enjoy a completely different atmosphere from their home planet, so there are extraterrestrial tourists in most famous cities of most well-known countries.

Of course, the excuses vary, and Earthlings also attach themselves to these excuses to engage in illegal activities. To those who don’t know, it might seem that way.

“Wanna smell it?”

When I said that, the kid made a disgusted expression.

“Don’t make excuses—”

“Just a moment.”

But before the kid could retort, Hayoon stepped forward.

As she took a step towards us, a crisp, crunching sound came from beneath her foot.

“Jieun, sorry.”

“….”

If possible, I wondered if I should curse without swearing, so that I could receive some praise later for doing well. But before I could think further, Hayoon apologized to me.

“You’re from Kipyuren Planet, right?”

“Huh?”

As Hayoon slightly bent her waist and looked at the Earthling’s face, the Earthling responded to the name of the planet and raised its head.

Blink.

And then, its eyes blinked.

For a moment, as the Earthling stared blankly at Hayoon, its eyes slowly widened.

“B-b-b-b-blosum!?”

And as if suddenly sobered by caffeine—no, not alcohol, it straightened up.

…Yeah, I didn’t really want to deal with this because of this.

It’s not an Earthling, after all. Of course, magical girls like it too.

And Blosum was the most popular among those magical girls.

I didn’t say it myself, but even if someone were to say that the reason I chose this inexpensive neighborhood is because “it’s close to where Blossom lives,” I wouldn’t be surprised at all.

“Hello. Are you a friend of Jieun? She… hasn’t talked about her friends from outside of school.”

I don’t often share personal stories. It’s because if I talk too much, it might reveal that I live in an orphanage and that I’m a member of an evil force.

“Huh? Oh, yes, yes!”

To grasp the situation, Nawa and Hayoon looked back and forth at me. Is it because of my mood? I’ve never seen Nawa’s head move so quickly like this before.

“Jieun’s school friend, Hayoon.”

“Oh, yes, yes.”

It seemed like Nawa vigorously nodded his head as if the only words he knew were “oh” and “yes.”

“Jieun and I, um, work part-time together.”

Upon hearing those words, my heart rate increased sharply. Since he usually acts as if he has no sense, I was nervous that he might make a slip of the tongue.

“Oh, really?”

Briefly.

Hayoon’s gaze briefly turned towards me.

I have never said that I work part-time.

… No, I really haven’t. I consciously avoided it, but thinking back, for almost a year since entering high school, I have hardly shared any personal stories with Hayoon.

Well, it’s not just my fault; we’ve just been busy with each other.

As we approach the “main story” point, the speed of the circuit’s development has increased, and Noir Corporation is also moving busier. Naturally, magical girls are busy too.

But Hayoon had to prepare for the college entrance exam. It may not be too early for her to decide whether to go up to the second year, but it seems that she needs to prepare steadily from now on to get into the art college she aims for. Club activities have also become busier.

“….”

But even though it’s not my fault, there’s a place that somehow pricks at me, so I slightly turned my gaze.

“Of course, in our country, there has never been a prohibition on caffeine consumption.”

Hayoon spoke hesitantly.

“But still, wouldn’t it be difficult to use it too much? You might meet a detective on the street.”

Even though the possibility of being a person from a different country on the same planet is high, well, even if that’s the case, there’s still a possibility. The fact that the Earthlings could come here means that travel by people from that planet is allowed.

“Oh, yes!”

After hearing that response, Hayoon slowly nodded her head and smiled.

“Oh, um!”

As Hayoon’s face was about to turn towards me, Nawa shouted and rummaged through his outerwear.

I took out a notebook and a pen.

……

Oh, wait a moment.

My expression almost crumbled when I saw what he was handing me. I barely held back from shouting, but by then, he had already handed the notebook and pen to Hayoon.

…That’s a combat log. It’s filled with duty schedules, even checklists and “letters torn apart” section. Fortunately, there was nothing written on the cover, and flipping through the front revealed pages of empty lines for notes. Still, just having it visible to others could be risky.

Well, it’s not like it contains any significant secrets, but having it would clearly mark you as someone working in that field.

Fortunately, Hayoon seemed unaware of the notebook’s true nature and simply accepted it naturally.

[Happy Cherry Blossom]

It’s not her real name, but her magical girl name.

“What should I write?”

Hayoon asked kindly with a smile.

“Oh, then, ‘Pang Pang.’”

…That’s why I didn’t call her by that name. If others heard it, they’d all think it’s a nickname.

But true to her affiliation with the Galactic Federation, Hayoon didn’t seem to mind at all. After signing as “Pang Pang!” without hesitation, she returned the pen and notebook to the Earthling boy.

The Earthling boy blinked his eyes and looked at it,

“Thank you! I’ll cherish it!”

he exclaimed.

“Oh no, you don’t have to do that…”

Hayoon said with a slightly awkward expression, then bowed deeply to the Earthling boy.

“Eek!?”

At Hayoon’s sudden action, the Earthling boy turned even redder than usual.

“Please take care of Jieuni.”

“Huh? Huh?”

The Earthling boy’s language ability regressed.

“….”

And I felt a bit strange watching this. Hayoon… she’s a good kid. All magical girls are inherently good. Iris’s personality may have been twisted, but she still didn’t kill using her powers. Her nature is inherently “good.”

And among them, Hayoon’s kind nature is something I’ve known well since we were childhood friends in this world.

However…

“Oh, yes….”

Either feeling something odd or perhaps due to waking up from caffeine, the Earthling boy’s response became subtly different.

Yes, Hayoon is kind.

So kind that she firmly believes she must take care of those who are even slightly… less capable than herself.

She doesn’t overtly discriminate. Hayoon doesn’t even entertain such thoughts. It’s a kind of compulsion, maybe influenced by her family.

The lacking part, be it money, intelligence, or physical ability, Ha Yoon takes care of the children with a sense of duty. And that’s why she’s popular. She used to have a somewhat twisted personality that made her a target for bullying, but well, it’s not a wise choice to bully someone who might just turn out to be a magical girl.

Our school also has Iris attending, you see.

Anyway.

Such thoughts of Ha Yoon… honestly, they can be a bit annoying at times.

Especially when I become the object of her care.

That was the biggest reason I still kept my past about the orphanage hidden.

“Well then… Happy New Year.”

Ha Yoon said.

The Earthling’s face once again lit up. It seems like the weirdness he felt a while ago has flown off into the sky.

“Yes, Happy New Year!”

I don’t know why, but when the Earthling said that, the kid next to Ha Yoon also seemed to perk up.

This must be some kind of national pride thing. Ever since the Milky Way Federation made contact with Earth, Earthlings’ pride has been quite affected.

There are actual aliens who discriminate against Earthlings.

“And, Jieun, you too.”

“…Yeah.”

“I’ll contact you.”

“Yeah, please do.”

At my words, Ha Yoon smiled at me and waved her hand.

We turned back in our respective directions.

As Ha Yoon walked down the street, she looked back at me several times.

Since I saw that sight, naturally, I did the same.

“…Were you friends with Blossom?”

After walking for a while, the Earthling suddenly asked.

“Did I not mention it?”

“Not at all.”

“Yeah. We’re friends.”

“Why didn’t you tell me earlier!”

“…I was afraid to.”

“That’s not fair!”

But if I had said it, he would have asked me to introduce him.

It’s more annoying than I thought. Despite everything, I wanted to maintain my relationship with Ha Yoon. I had no intention of taking advantage of it.

Later, when I start working after graduation, I plan to reveal that I come from an orphanage.

By then, I’ll probably have stopped being a combatant, so there won’t be any need to specifically disclose that.

It may not be a completely equal relationship, but well, it will certainly be a much more “friendly” one.

“Hey, I have a favor to ask…”

“No.”

“You didn’t even listen!?”

When I cut him off without listening, the Earthling shouted.

He probably wanted to ask for help in gathering magical girl signs.

That’s one of the biggest reasons he’s here on Earth.

And the fact that his “obsession” doesn’t fade is also because of that. He mistakenly believes that Earthlings navigate the universe without magic, love peace, and everyone enjoys culture and refinement, and most of the beings coming to Earth are mentally ill and need to be taken back.

Perhaps it’s better to have an interest in a specific idol or magical girl.

“And now, can you walk alone? You know your way home.”

“Uh.”

My words seemed to have quite an impact, and the Earthling staggered.

*

“……”

Hayoon and her friend walked in silence for a while.

Hayoon always seemed to live with an expression that suggested she didn’t understand the concept of ‘feeling bad.’

She rarely thought someone was unpleasant, and even if she did, she wouldn’t express it openly.

While others thought of Hayoon as an outgoing but quiet and kind child, in reality, that was just their own misconception.

For some reason, people around her twisted, and those twisted people wanted something from Hayoon.

Recently, she was beginning to realize that one of the reasons for this was the occupation of being a “magical girl.”

It was the same a little while ago.

That alien named “Pang Pang,” who seemed as if he were drunk on caffeine, acted that way. Until he recognized Hayoon, he was just standing there without greeting anyone, but as soon as he saw Hayoon’s face, his behavior changed immediately.

How did the two of them end up together like this?

There are quite a few aliens on Earth, but becoming such close friends with an alien is not an easy thing. It’s much deeper than simply saying “their culture is different.”

Just look at that blue-faced alien. Isn’t he acting like he’s intoxicated?

If an Earthling were to meet such a person for the first time, they would probably be terrified after going to a café. People from the planet Kipyuren become much louder when they’re intoxicated. In other words, that person surely must have made whale sounds at the café.

“……”

“Hey, Hayoon?”

“Yeah?”

Only after her friend called her did Hayoon blink. She realized her eyes were a bit blurry.

“By any chance, was it because of those guys earlier?”

“Yeah?”

What is she talking about?

Receiving Hayoon’s gaze, her friend laughed and said, “I guess so, right? Because she doesn’t seem to know how amazing the person she’s friends with is.”

“……”

Hayoon couldn’t respond for a moment.

“She’s walking around with some strange alien.”

Ah, I see.

Hayoon thought to herself.

She still doesn’t know how close Hayoon and Jieun are. She couldn’t even imagine it.

It was particularly like that since entering high school. In middle school, it was okay because it was near elementary school, so many friends went to the same place, but the high school that Hayoon and Jieun entered together was far away, requiring a bus ride.

As their relationship reset, there were kids who appeared, thinking they were closer and better suited to Hayoon than Jieun.

“……”

What should I say in response?

Hayoon was a little confused.

The author is good. From a young age, Ha Yoon was the kind of child who would calmly listen to whatever anyone said.

That’s not all. Without realizing it herself and seemingly oblivious, Ji Eun is considerate.

It’s easy to imagine the commotion an alien caused at the café. I don’t know what they talked about, but in the Galactic Federation’s educational materials, I saw that a “Chihan Kipyuran” committed some kind of crime. Getting excessively drunk and committing crimes wasn’t much different from what humans do.

If it had really escalated to a crime, they would have been expelled for sure, but it seems Ji Eun listened attentively to the alien named Pang Pang until the end. She even lent him her shoulder.

That’s something Ha Yoon would never do. How could she behave like that toward a close friend?

…..

Ah, but then again.

“To be honest, there are some things about her that I don’t quite like.”

What will you do if you don’t like it? People can’t change just because you don’t like them.

“The uniform she wears seems somehow fussy, and she doesn’t seem to have many friends. Don’t you think so?”

“……”

Ha Yoon couldn’t bring herself to answer.

I see. When this child made such remarks earlier, Ha Yoon couldn’t intervene. Arguing face to face with someone was too difficult for her.

So, in the end, there was no difference in causing trouble.

At least the alien didn’t say anything to Ji Eun about what this child was doing.

“……”

Somehow, I ended up walking with this child.

I just came out briefly in front of the neighborhood, and by chance… I should have just stayed home.

Regretfully, Ha Yoon listened absentmindedly to the chatter of the self-important child beside her, while walking, and regretted it.