Ch.101101. Amethyst and Garnet (1)

“…Vine, are you awake?”

The first sight I saw upon opening my eyes was her face looking at me.

…What’s going on?

“…What time is it?”

“Hmm? It’s only 10 o’clock. You should have slept more.”

“I had plenty of sleep yesterday, though…”

Looking around, it seemed Arin was also observing me.

“…Arin?”

“Oh, unnie. Hehe…”

“W-wait…?! W-where am I?!”

This is embarrassing.

Incredibly embarrassing.

Of all people, to be seen like this by Arin, not just any magical girl…

…

Ah.

How.

Ah…

“Ah, hello, Arin…? Did you sleep well?”

“Yes. It was a really nice time.”

“A nice time…?”

“Unnie, haah… it’s nothing. Hehe…”

Arin laughing with that strange sound…

I wonder if she’s trying to tease me.

If it’s a child’s innocent thinking, sometimes they tease older people for looking childish when they see them sleeping with their head on someone else’s lap.

“Ugh… C-could you let me go now, Seohyun…”

“Hmm? I wasn’t holding you at all.”

Seohyun’s words struck me hard.

That means… I was lying with my head on this magical girl’s lap because it felt good…

Of course, it was warm and at just the right height, and the way she stroked my head was so soothing that it made me drowsy…

“Ugh… Anyway…!”

I quickly got up after hearing that, but now even Arin was looking at me with eyes that said I was cute.

If she wasn’t trying to tease me… but genuinely thought I was cute…

“A-Arin… please don’t look at me like that…”

“Hehehe… I can’t help it. It’s just that Vine unnie is too cute…”

“I mean, that’s, uh… ugh.”

“That’s right. The problem is that you’re too cute.”

“That’s… ugh.”

If this continues, they’ll keep going on about how cute I am…

Sigh. Just thinking about it makes my head hurt.

“…Arin, actually, there was someone even cuter than me. Before you joined us.”

“…What?”

I had no choice.

Rather than dying of embarrassment, I thought it would be better to throw Seohyun under the bus.

“Vine…? You’re not…”

Since Seohyun had released me, I could confidently change the subject.

“Arin. Aren’t you curious about Seohyun’s past? Pfft. She was probably about your age.”

Arin seemed interested in my words.

“Seohyun unnie’s past…?”

“Yes. Haah. It’s really a shame there are no photos from that time, but imagine Seohyun looking like this but a bit more… arrogant?”

“Hey, hey…!”

Seohyun tried to stop me, but.

She can’t ignore Arin’s curiosity, can she?

“Seohyun, would you please be quiet? You’re interrupting Arin.”

“No…! Why are you talking about me…!”

“…? Well, since you were talking about cute things, I’m talking about a magical girl who was cute. Well, she’s not cute now, but she was the cutest I can remember. Despite being the youngest.”

“Seohyun unnie as the youngest… I’m so curious…! I’ve heard many stories, but to hear that Seohyun unnie was cute from Vine unnie’s perspective…! Why did you think so?”

“Well… because she was cute? Charging recklessly into fierce battlefields. I don’t dislike passion. Being enthusiastic about things is important.”

“Vine, stop, stooop…!”

“Tsk. Arin wants to hear it. Please don’t interfere.”

Her gaze toward me changed from anger to pleading.

Honestly, her reactions are amusing.

But today is Seohyun’s day. Maybe I should hold back a bit.

“Vine, please… okay?”

“…Sigh. That was an important part. But since today is Seohyun’s day, I’ll stop here. Arin, were you after Ellie and Blanc?”

“Yes… that’s too bad… Then can I hear the rest of it on the day I spend with unnie?”

“Yes. I’ll tell you everything if it’s you, Arin. Well… everyone has their firsts. I’ll tell you all the stories of when we first met. Since you’re a novice magical girl, that might be helpful.”

“Yes…! Then I’ll wait until then. Hehe…”

“Yes. So… hmm. What would you like to do, Seohyun? Today is your day, after all.”

“Hmm, the timing is a bit awkward…”

“Well… it’s fine if there’s nothing you want to do with me. I’m… used to wasting time doing nothing anyway.”

Both of them look at me with pitying eyes.

What’s this? Where did the cheerful people from just a moment ago go?

Weren’t we just having some small talk…?

Did I do something wrong…?

“…Well, let’s do something else instead. How about going for a run?”

“Running, you say? Seohyun, did you run too…?”

“Well, occasionally when I have time…? But, Vine, do you have clothes…”

“…Wouldn’t I? I don’t remember well either.”

“Right. Let’s find them first.”

Clothes again…

Do they think I’m some mannequin?

Don’t tell me I’ll have to try on dozens of outfits again under the pretext of seeing what fits, trying this and that…

Lost in thought, I couldn’t help but speak up.

“…Am I a dress-up doll again? Don’t you ever get tired of it?”

“Hmm…? What are you talking about? Dress-up doll? Let’s quickly find something and go for a run. The lake in front is nice.”

“…Phew, that’s a relief. I thought you might be like that crybaby or that unemployed one…”

“Huh…? What did the unnies do to you?”

“Treating me like some mannequin… Well, the crybaby was fine, but Citrus…”

“Ah… Hyein unnie and Hyewon unnie… Well, they went to the department store together, so it couldn’t be helped. But why Yuri unnie…?”

“Don’t even mention it… I don’t want to recall that memory…”

“I see… Well, if you don’t want to remember it. No need to force you to talk. Oh, that magical girl video…”

“You saw it?! How did you see that?!?!”

“Hmm…? Yuri unnie sent it to me yesterday via chat…”

“…Let’s pretend yesterday never happened. I’ll definitely torment that crybaby when I get the chance.”

“Hmm… Well, do as you please… Let’s go upstairs for now.”

“…I will punish you, crybaby.”

“Okay, I get it…”

How could she share the video she took yesterday so quickly…?

Don’t tell me she showed it to Arin too…?

I need to ask about this after I get dressed and go downstairs…

Finding clothes with her wasn’t difficult.

I didn’t realize I had sportswear.

Well… I guess I never checked that section since I was focused on choosing comfortable clothes or ones that cover me well.

“…Would it be okay if I wear a hoodie?”

“Come on. We’ll run where there aren’t many people. If necessary, you can disguise yourself.”

“Still…”

“Don’t worry. People generally don’t notice who you are unless they look closely. Especially if you’re running, if someone recognizes you just from passing by, I’ll personally ask the Association Chairman to hire them immediately.”

“Haah… Alright…”

“Besides, doesn’t a hoodie make it hard for sweat to evaporate?”

“Well, I… I’m used to my uniform, so I’ve never found it uncomfortable.”

“That’s when you can use magic. Today, let’s just run lightly without overdoing it. We don’t want you collapsing again, so it’s better to build up your physical stamina too.”

“Who ever…”

“Well… it’s common knowledge. Running regularly improves your condition. That’s all…”

“Running… Well, it’s been a while since I fought with you or other magical girls, so I’m not sure how well I’ll run. As for stamina… well, as you can see, I’m in good shape.”

“Well, it’s fine to take it easy. Go change now.”

I decided to wear the clothes I was given.

But first, I need to change.

“…Would you please leave?”

“Hmm…?”

“I need to change clothes.”

“Yes. Change, we need to go.”

“That’s what I’m saying. Please leave.”

What is it this time…

“I need to see if the clothes fit properly. Hurry up and change.”

“…Do magical girls have something wrong with their heads?”

“Why?”

“I mean, why are you sitting there when someone is trying to change clothes…! Get out now!”

After chasing away the voyeuristic magical girl who wanted to watch me change, I finally changed my clothes.

“Alright. Let’s go.”

“Vine, what about your underwear?”

“I’m wearing it. Let’s go.”

“No, the top one.”

“…? Do I need to wear it?”

“Of course! Put it on quickly!”

“…It’s bothersome.”

“It really hurts when things rub. …Even if they’re small, you still need to wear it.”

For some reason, Seohyun looked at her own chest and then at me.

Just in case, I glance at Seohyun.

…Small.

“…Speaking from experience?”

“Hey.”

Seohyun shows mild irritation.

Well, there’s no point in continuing this conversation. She seems like she might get angry.

I’ve heard that you shouldn’t tease women with small chests.

“Well… fine. I wouldn’t know since I’ve never worn clothes like these before.”

“Hmm…? You’ve never worn these? But you must have exercised regularly.”

“Yes…? Well, there was no need to wear clothes during physical training in Eden.”

“Hmm…?”

“Eh…?”

“You didn’t wear clothes…?”

“No, that’s not what I meant. I didn’t wear these, um, regular clothes. W-what are you imagining…!”

“Y-you’re the one who said it like that…!”

“Y-you’re the one with the strange interpretation…!”

Seohyun and I, both red-faced, accuse each other.

“Pervert magical girl…! What were you thinking…!”

“Y-you…!! You’re the one who, really…!”

“Enough! I-I’ll go change…!”

Seriously, me.

While putting on the underwear, I thought about it.

She wanted to watch me change clothes, and then she has these strange thoughts.

…

I decided to think of her as someone who hasn’t outgrown her childishness.

She hasn’t been away from being the youngest for long.

…And since she’s a student going through puberty, I’ll assume she’s interested in such things.

“…Are you done?”

“Yes, pervert magical girl.”

“…Hey. I’m not.”

“Well… I didn’t know you were so passionate about that sort of thing…”

“I’m not…!”

“It’s better to channel that kind of energy into healthy exercise. Ah, peaceful exercise is better than combat.”

“Hey!”

Right. Come to think of it, Seohyun was always fun to tease.

Her reactions are amusing.

It’s thrilling.