Ch.149Chapter 25. A Slightly Changed Daily Life (1)

I gained several advantages by kissing Hayun in front of others.

First, people stopped approaching me.

Well, I mean, not that they did much before, but now it’s different.

Before, it was more like “avoiding me because I’m disgusting,” but now it’s closer to “avoiding me because I’m scary.”

How should I put it? They act like I might pounce on them at any moment. Even if not pouncing, they seem worried I might suddenly kiss them or confess my feelings.

Despite my… current situation, I obviously don’t hit on just any girl. Besides, if we’re being honest about the circumstances, it’s less that I made the first move and more that I somehow got entangled with other girls, and things just ended up this way.

Moreover, I really don’t appreciate how they seem to think I don’t have any preferences.

I don’t like it, but… seeing how they avoid approaching me altogether might actually be better.

And this situation doesn’t just apply to me.

I’m not sure if this is fortunate or not, but apparently none of the kids who approached Hayun so far saw her as a sexual object.

The same safety radius that applies to me applies equally to Hayun, so now no one casually talks to her.

Are these kids blind?

Hayun is absolutely not the type to kiss just anyone. It’s fortunate that no one seems to know that.

Hayun actually seems comfortable with the situation. She was never particularly sociable to begin with, so yes, maybe this is better.

Besides, it’s not like we don’t have friends.

*

Lunchtime.

We went outside together.

The school grounds were so spacious that whoever built this school didn’t seem to know what to do with all the extra land, so they created something like a park.

Normally, there would be groups of students lurking around, watching our conversations and waiting for the right moment to join in, or hovering nearby with expressions that showed they wanted to talk to Hayun. But not anymore.

As if they were afraid we might eat them, they scattered like mice before a cat as soon as we entered the park. Their movements were so artistic that both of us couldn’t help but laugh.

I sat on the bench first.

Hayun followed. As if she had been waiting for me to sit down first, she sat right next to me, pressed close.

Hmm.

I probably would have sat with a little distance between us. Not that Hayun makes me uncomfortable, but you know, there should be some space between two people to sit comfortably.

Unfortunately, I never dated anyone in my past life, so I don’t really understand these dynamics. Hayun didn’t have any ex-boyfriends either, so she probably doesn’t know much about it either. For now… I just let Hayun do as she pleased.

It makes sense, doesn’t it?

There’s no reason to stop someone like Hayun from approaching me. Though of course, no matter what, she wouldn’t cross certain lines.

It’s strange. Sometimes I impulsively bring my lips to Hayun’s face without hesitation, but I find sitting next to her oddly embarrassing.

…Maybe we each have different areas where we’re vulnerable. Just like now.

Feeling each other’s body heat is quite embarrassing in many ways. I’m not just talking about facing each other and embracing. It’s like now, sitting side by side with our thighs pressed together.

Besides, we’re wearing our school uniforms. It’s not winter, so I just had bare legs under my skirt. Same for Hayun.

Hayun wrapped her arms around her waist and pressed her body close to mine. Her cheek was already resting on my chest.

I carefully placed my hand on Hayun’s shoulder and rested my cheek against her head. Though it looked dyed at first glance, her naturally pink hair—something that occasionally happens in this world—wasn’t dry at all. Its softness made me want to keep pressing my cheek and nose against it.

Hayun smelled just like me. Of course, we use the same shampoo and body wash every morning.

“…”

Is this okay?

If two people who like each other live in the same place, wouldn’t that just be living together? That’s a bit different from same-sex friends sharing a place to save on rent.

No, I decided not to think of it that way. If I did, I’d be a shameless person who brought a partner into a room I share with a friend at the orphanage.

Moreover, that “friend”—someone I’ve been with as a sister since I was too young to remember, someone I’m now hesitant to even call a “friend” because our relationship has changed—is in the same room.

My goodness, bringing in another partner when you already have someone you’re living with—that goes beyond shameless.

So I forcibly changed my thinking and decided to just consider it “sharing a place.”

As I was enjoying the faint floral scent, Hayun’s head twitched slightly.

When I pulled my face back a bit, Hayun’s cheek, which had been pressed against my chest, detached. That spot was already slightly damp with sweat. Not enough to see through, but that area was a bit moist.

They say the human heart is on the left side, don’t they? Well, anatomically speaking, it’s more like “slightly off-center to the left,” but that’s how it’s often described in literature.

I wasn’t sure if the sound could be heard through the fat covering my chest, but thinking about that symbolism made the wet spot on my clothes seem strange.

Quickly regaining my composure, I looked at Hayun, who was smiling with a slight blush on her cheeks.

Somehow, it felt like she was teasing me. Her expression was that of someone who knew I shrink back a bit from these ticklish actions.

My face moved suddenly.

I grabbed the arm that was embracing Hayun’s shoulder and pulled sharply, causing Hayun’s already close body to be drawn even closer to me. Her waist twisted slightly, and her upper body turned toward me. My upper body did the same.

I felt parts of my body being pressed slightly. This time, the same was true for Hayun.

And our lips met.

“Mmph!?”

Hayun’s body trembled at the sudden attack. If she were a cat, her tail would have stood straight up.

Feeling somewhat satisfied with that reaction, I wrapped my other arm around Hayun’s back and pulled her even closer to me.

I enjoyed that warmth. Both her lips and her body.

Why can I initiate something this stimulating when I can’t handle being tickled?

Well, my personality was always like that. While I couldn’t bring myself to approach Hayun more directly, I would get angry at kids who approached her with other intentions. I also wouldn’t let anyone who tried to mess with me get away with it.

So this time, it was probably just the same.

Our lips parted, and I could feel Hayun’s breath escaping.

As my arms relaxed, Hayun quickly pulled back.

Then she covered both her cheeks with her hands. But she couldn’t hide her completely red face with just two hands. It wasn’t just her cheeks that were red.

When I lowered my head slightly to look at her face more closely, Hayun bowed her head even more deeply, as if embarrassed. She looked like a rabbit hiding in its burrow, which was somehow cute.

An animal that switches between cat and rabbit behaviors—how could that not be adorable?

Just as we were about to enjoy our own little world—

Thud.

I felt something being placed next to me.

My startled reaction was probably similar to Hayun’s earlier surprise.

Looking to the side, I saw a cat sitting there.

The cat that had approached silently was purple. It had no tail, and its hair was tied in a ponytail. The reason I use the term “ponytail” for a cat is because the style truly resembled a “ponytail.”

A hairstyle similar to Hayun’s.

It was Iris, the purple magical girl who had admired Hayun in the original story.

That face with its pouting lips could also be compared to a cat’s. It looked thoroughly disgruntled.

As if she didn’t want to just watch our private time.

“How did you approach without making any sound?”

There was no answer.

She probably flew here. There was a circuit on her wrist. Unlike Rose, Dalia, and Delphinium who still used the Hope Circuit, Ju-a had received the same circuit that Hayun, Jihye, and I use.

A power that serves as evidence that Ju-a’s feelings for me, at least, aren’t false.

Was she in such a hurry that she flew to find us without even transforming?

Yes. The reason girls are afraid of me isn’t just because I only act that way with Hayun, as I mentioned earlier. Ju-a and I aren’t often alone together at school, and I’ve never pounced on her to kiss her first, but the kids already knew everything through the news.

After the “magical girls” became independent and formed a new organization, the newspapers talked about it enthusiastically for a while. About our relationships.

I know there are many who view it negatively. In fact, I don’t think it’s entirely justified either. In modern society, monogamy is the norm in many countries including Korea, and even if the partner is of the same sex, that “basic principle” doesn’t change much.

The news didn’t say it outright, and some kids who see us seem to lump Rose, Delphinium, Dalia, and even Jihye all together in their gossip, but at least I can proudly say it hasn’t gone that far.

…

Anyway.

“…”

Ju-a, who had been sitting without answering my question, moved slightly toward me. Almost to the point where our thighs would touch.

But my body also moved outward, so we ended up with about 3 centimeters of distance between our shoulders.

It wasn’t my own will that moved me. It was because Hayun had grabbed my waist tightly with both arms and pulled me to the side.

Of course, Ju-a doesn’t give up either. Even as a magical girl, her persistence was second to none.

Inch.

Ju-a moves toward me again,

Inch.

I move to the side again, following Hayun. After repeating this a few times, Hayun finally stopped at the edge of the bench.

Naturally, Ju-a didn’t stop, so I ended up tightly squeezed between the two of them.

“…”

“…”

I wish they would at least say something.

Hayun had already placed her chin on my left chest, that damp spot, and was glaring at Ju-a.

Ju-a’s eyes, which had been staring at me, turned to the other side. It seemed that having a staring contest with Hayun was a bit too much for her.

Well, if Ju-a put her chin on my chest too, the two of them would be too close.

But that doesn’t mean she’s given up.

Ju-a linked her arm with mine, creating a lock, and placed her face on my right shoulder.

Her naturally purple hair, not dyed, smelled nice. This floral scent was also the same as mine.

In the end, I was stuck in a state where I couldn’t do anything. I might be able to make Ju-a back off momentarily by kissing her like I did with Hayun, but I couldn’t bring myself to do that yet.

Despite having already kissed, Ju-a and I felt a strange embarrassment toward each other afterward, which prevented us from going any further.

Ju-a was doing her best, but…

“Impressive.”

Stuck between the two and unable to do anything, I heard that voice.

In the distance, I could see red hair.

With a sandwich containing ham and egg salad in one hand, she sauntered over.

Then she plopped down on the bench facing us and took a bite of her sandwich with an expression like she was appreciating a view.

“Isn’t lunch time for eating lunch? It’s not for this kind of impure… same-sex dating? Hmm, that sort of thing, is it?”

“Since when did you care about school rules?”

When I retorted with disbelief, Rose burst into laughter.

And throughout all this, neither Hayun nor Ju-a moved away from me.

“Where are Dalia and Delphinium?”

“They’re at the library, looking something up. But you know, despite appearances, I’m a social butterfly with good connections, and I didn’t want to eat my sandwich alone. So I went looking for my juniors.”

Aren’t you a senior? Shouldn’t you be preparing for college entrance exams?

Well, most of the reason she can’t do that is my fault, so I can’t really say anything.

“Jihye would be disappointed, you know.”

“…”

At those words, I glared at Rose. She shrugged and took another bite of her sandwich.

Jihye… is already making stronger advances at home than Hayun or Ju-a.

Just try saying that.

I’d have to think about what I could actually do if she did say it.