Ch.1212. A Little Too Much Attention

Legendary Magical Girl Citrus, after Hye-in sat down and settled in,

Few people have seen eyes burning with such intensity.

That passion, usually only visible when baking her favorite bread, has perhaps been rekindled here.

Could she have just heard news about the release of a new dress-up doll?

Usually, her younger sister would fulfill that role for her, but since her sister grew up and moved to a dormitory, it had become truly difficult to do that.

While Hye-in had always liked cute children, what switch was flipped in her heart when Vine, who seemed particularly adorable to her, became the target of her affection?

Of course, even when she could fight directly, when her body was whole, she had thought, “I should take in that small troublemaker, rehabilitate her, and make her into a wonderful little sister.”

These various factors combined to set Hye-in in motion.

“Yoonseul, wait just a moment. I’ll get ready quickly and come out.”

Whether it was because she had never seen Hye-in so excited before, or because it had been so long that it felt like seeing it for the first time, a confused Yoonseul simply nodded slowly.

Hye-in rushed into her room as if racing indoors in her wheelchair, and by the time Hyewon and Yoonseul had finished their trivial conversation, she emerged fully prepared.

Despite her hasty preparation, her radiant beauty appeared even more brilliant before them.

“I’m ready, everyone! Ah, let’s go now!”

“Unnie, are you sure you won’t be too tired…? The department store is quite far from here.”

“Yes, I’m fine. We’re going to look at clothes for Vine, right? You’ll definitely need this big sister’s help!”

“Unnie, are you really going to be okay?”

“What do you take me for? Let’s go!”

So excited was Hye-in that, with whatever urgency drove her, she struggled to open the front door herself and urged the children to hurry out.

* * *

…Sigh. What is happening?

I had anticipated coming to the department store today.

With Blanc and my precious scarf, I could have comfortably chosen clothes while keeping a low profile.

Well, since Blanc is quite famous, we would have attracted attention, but I could have hidden behind her and that would have solved the problem.

Besides, who would remember a fallen Eden executive from more than three years ago?

Losers are better off forgotten like that.

But how should I describe this?

I had no idea Citrus was such a celebrity.

I had somewhat expected it with Blanc and Crybaby.

But why is Citrus surrounded by so many people?

I found out later that the bakery Citrus runs is famous online.

It’s a bakery established by a retired magical girl, known for its delicious bread and pleasant coffee aroma.

Additionally, it serves as an unofficial gathering place for former and current magical girls, and occasionally magical girls work there as part-timers, saying, “I’m here because big sister Hye-in asked for help~”

Even though her active period as a magical girl was short, her fame seems to be different.

So, this is really disconcerting.

Already feeling like I was dragged out by Crybaby and Blanc, I left my scarf at home and was barely covering my face with a hood.

What if those people recognize me and then, again, again…

What if they ask why I’m here and tell me to get out of this world?

I pulled my hood down further and moved closer to Blanc.

Though crowds were gathering around Blanc too, with her attending to her fans, at least I hadn’t separated from her yet.

In this situation where I’ve already become somewhat separated from Citrus and Crybaby.

“Oh my, who’s that child next to Magical Girl Blanc?”

“Yeah, who is that? I thought Blanc didn’t have a younger sister?”

“She’s so tiny, that child.”

“Looking at those shabby clothes, is she here for some charity work?”

“As expected of the magical girl of salvation. Despite being who she is, she still says she’s not enough, so humble too.”

“But the child seems shy. Sticking so close to Blanc, don’t they look like real sisters?”

“Ohh, they really do~ So cute! Hey! You don’t have to be shy! Can you look over here?”

An enormous volume of voices swirls around my eardrums.

My grip on Blanc’s arm tightens.

The gazes are frightening.

The outpouring of attention is frightening.

Those gazes might just see me as a small child now,

But will they remain the same after seeing my face?

I must not let them discover that I am Vine.

I lower my head further.

I conceal myself more.

The more I do so, the attention that was focused on Blanc shifts to me.

This is why I wanted to be forgotten.

Even if I thought they had forgotten,

Considering what I’ve done, they probably haven’t forgotten at all.

If only a savior would appear.

Please help me again. Anyone will do.

“Customers! Please step aside!”

“It’s dangerous to gather like this! Please disperse!”

“Please move away!! It’s dangerous!!”

Voices of people appearing from somewhere.

The crowd dispersing.

The sound of footsteps turning away.

The tightness in my chest finally eases.

Lifting my head slightly to check, I see the crowd has somewhat dissipated.

It seems the department store sent security personnel due to the congestion.

“Are you Magical Girl Blanc and Ms. Shin Hye-in?”

One of the people protecting us, who appeared to be the leader, asked Blanc.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“We apologize. Our store wasn’t prepared for your visit, Blanc and Ms. Hye-in, so we couldn’t manage the crowd. We’re truly sorry.”

“No, it’s largely our fault for moving without planning. When my sister Hye-in and I move around, we tend to attract more people than other magical girls.”

“Not at all. We apologize for the inconvenience. We’ll ensure your safety.”

“Well, if you do that… we’re grateful.”

Seeing Blanc’s relief, the feeling constricting my chest also somewhat disappeared.

I looked around a bit.

Raising my head, looking around. Looking around.

“Oh, look. Isn’t that ‘Dark Vine, Vine’?”

“Are you talking about Eden’s Vine? Where, where? Oh, it really is!”

“Vine came to the department store too? Really?”

“Kyaah!! Vine is so cute!! What she did wasn’t cute, but if she’s this adorable, those people who said everything is forgiven were right!! Photo! Quick, take a photo! She’s so cute!!”

“Huh? Vine? Where?”

Then, people’s attention started pouring toward me.

Why is this happening?

No, no more…

“Vine! Give me an autograph!”

“Vine!! Take a picture with me!”

Huh? What?

What did I just hear?

Asking me for an autograph, what does that mean?

Humans are supposed to hate me.

I destroyed and ravaged all of your homes, workplaces, and places of rest.

You should naturally hate me, so why are you so fond of me?

“Ugh, uuu…”

“Kyah!! Vine looked at me!! It feels like I’ve been hit by her special attack! I can’t breathe!”

“Idiot, it’s not you but me! My chest hurts so much!!”

Surprised by those people’s reactions, I asked Blanc.

“B-Blanc, why are those people acting like that toward me? Why are they so…”

“Hmm, usually when people gather around magical girls, they’re likely to be fans. Regular people might just think of us as guard dogs and move on, but fans are different.”

“Besides, you’re my only worthy opponent, right? So maybe that’s why they’re cheering for you even more?”

“This is strange, why am I receiving cheers? With all the things I’ve done. Is this all part of your scheme to only show the good side? Huh?”

“Hmm, if it were my scheme, I wouldn’t be this confused…?”

“No, that can’t be. Why is the gaze I’m receiving now so different from what I’ve experienced living alone until now? It’s like the opposite side of a coin. What did you do? Tell me the truth.”

“No, I didn’t do anything. Hmm, maybe the area where you lived had more villain attacks, so there was more resentment?”

“Not just my neighborhood, but other neighborhoods were attacked in the middle of the night too. This is strange. Why…”

“Hmm, right now, shouldn’t we prioritize finishing our shopping and leaving? Let’s continue this conversation when we get back home.”

“Uuu… Alright. I’ve never experienced this kind of attention before. Even when I was with Eden, I never received such gazes from people.”

“Yes, look, Hye-in unnie and Hyewon are free now too. Unnie! Let’s quickly visit the children’s clothing section and then head back. It’ll be hard to browse comfortably.”

Finally freed from the crowd, Citrus came over with her wheelchair and spoke.

“The staff said they’ll help us. We can take our time.”

“Still, we’re causing too much trouble. Why are there so many people today? It’s different from usual.”

“There’s a magical girl movie showing at the theater upstairs. A movie where you’re the protagonist. And there’s some event today too, they say.”

“Ah, if that’s the case…”

“Vine, is something wrong? Your expression changed?”

“Wuh, huh? Me? Ah, no. Nothing’s wrong. Let’s go quickly. I’m a bit tired.”

“Hmm, Vine. If you have concerns, you can share them with this big sister. Come on, call me ‘unnie.'”

“Citrus, let’s just go. Don’t we have a long way to go?”

“Ah, you’re so stiff, really, why are you like this?”

What’s with this person now?

And why is she so excited?

After being surrounded by so many people.

Isn’t she tired?

Truly, am I the only one who doesn’t understand the reason?