Ch.203IF Side Story: Somehow, Everyone Seems to Like Me (4)

Yeon-woo.

Lee Yeon-woo.

That was Dahlia’s name.

“How did you manage to spend months without even knowing my name?”

On the way back, on the bus, Dahlia—no, Yeon-woo—asked me that.

I thought it was a somewhat gender-neutral name, but now that I thought about it, it suited her. As a magical girl, Dahlia had a rather flashy appearance, and I remember she was quite popular among young girls. But without her magical girl outfit, she gave off a somewhat boyish and energetic impression.

Even though her hair wasn’t short, the fact that she gave off such an impression showed just how energetic her personality was. Well, Seo-hee was like that too.

On the way back, many people were eyeing the seat next to me. Well, that was to be expected. Somehow, there were already three people who liked me, and Pang Pang had also slipped in to join the competition.

Yeon-woo ending up sitting next to me was purely luck. Whether that was good luck for her or not, I wasn’t sure. From their conversations, it seemed like Yeon-woo was closest to Seo-hee.

Still, judging by how she wasn’t stiff while sitting next to me, she probably didn’t think it was that bad.

If she had, she would have had a grim expression from the moment she drew the seat next to mine in the lottery.

“…You’re right. I find it a bit strange too.”

I answered like that, then added,

“But wait, we never actually introduced ourselves to each other in the first place.”

That’s right.

My mental state hadn’t been great, and the magical girls had been walking on eggshells around me, so we hadn’t had many conversations.

“I thought you’d at least know our magical girl names. You’re friends with Hayun after all.”

“Even friends don’t tell you the names of all their friends one by one.”

I wasn’t someone who had been a fan of magical girls from the beginning.

So, while this wasn’t a particularly good thing to say, I had only treated the magical girls as “magical girls.” The only one I had treated as a human being was Hayun.

That’s why I never even thought about learning their real names.

Thinking about it now, the past felt somewhat empty. It was as if everything I had been aiming for meant nothing.

…No, that’s not quite right.

Rather, I was just now fully realizing that the beings I had been so hostile toward were actually just the same as me.

“Well, better late than never, right?”

Dahlia said that while rummaging through her bag.

Then she pulled out a chocolate bar.

“Want this?”

Her attitude showed no trace of any past resentment as she handed me the chocolate bar, and she looked so down-to-earth that I couldn’t help but chuckle.

*

Not long after that, summer vacation began.

I like vacations too.

From next year, I’d be entering full-on exam preparation mode, and naturally, my free time would decrease.

So this summer vacation might be my last real vacation. It was the last time I could relax before recovering my ruined first semester grades and dedicating myself to preparing for college entrance exams.

I’d need to start preparing by winter break at the latest.

So I was thinking I should enjoy the summer vacation—

“Yo, junior!”

When I arrived at the meeting place, the now-familiar red-haired girl waved her hand at me.

“…What’s this? I’m pretty sure I made plans with Hayun.”

“Oh? Disappointed it’s not Hayun?”

Seo-hee approached me and put her arm around my shoulders.

Now that I noticed, Seo-hee was slightly taller than me. Just a tiny bit, barely noticeable when we were together.

“Of course I’m disappointed.”

I said bluntly.

If it weren’t for our outing last time, I wouldn’t have been able to speak so frankly. Considering how I had treated these magical girls until now, it wouldn’t have been appropriate.

But during our last outing, we talked, and I realized these girls didn’t harbor any negative feelings toward me at all.

Magical girls are truly magical girls. Beings who can simply shake off negative emotions.

Sensing the playfulness in my response, Seo-hee laughed it off.

In my opinion, even if my response had been genuinely negative, Seo-hee would have just laughed it off. That’s the kind of person she was.

“So, why did you seniors call me when you should be starting to study for exams soon? Not worried about the college entrance exam?”

“We are worried about the exam, but not to that extent, junior. Our first semester grades weren’t completely ruined.”

“…”

That’s… impressive.

I can’t say my grades completely tanked either. But they did take a hit. Enough that I couldn’t be completely carefree.

“Besides, magical girls have their own methods. You’ll find out when you become a third-year. You’ll probably get contacted by several universities.”

Yeon-woo said.

“Really?”

That’s a bit tempting.

“…That’s an interested expression.”

And Delphinium pointed out my expression.

Delphinium. Her name was Jeong Chae-yeon. I only learned this name recently too.

I could have pretended to know it after looking it up later, but I didn’t want to do that. Now that we were friends, I thought it was better to introduce ourselves directly to each other.

“What, what?”

Seeing my expression, Yeon-woo laughed and poked my cheek.

“You acted like you hated becoming a magical girl so much, but now you look interested? Don’t you think it was a good thing after all? Being a magical girl.”

…

The fact that I couldn’t deny it was a bit annoying.

“Ah, whatever.”

I gently pushed her hand away.

“So what are we going to do, seniors? Now that I know you have plenty of free time, I’ll just tag along.”

Even as I said this, I realized how much my guard had lowered.

Well, since Hayun had offered to introduce me to her seniors, everyone around me probably knew how much my attitude had softened.

When I hung out with Hayun, I usually paid for the food.

Hayun didn’t know I lived in an orphanage.

Well, it’s not like I bought expensive things. Hamburgers, cafe drinks, or cheap and simple snacks. Foods that students would typically enjoy.

Hayun, like a typical middle school girl, eagerly ate those foods. Perhaps they weren’t things she could easily eat at home. She said she was trying some of them for the first time.

Hayun repaid me with gifts. Many of the CDs in my room were ones she had bought for me.

But, well.

I didn’t really want to do that here. Not because I disliked the seniors.

It’s just, well.

They’re seniors.

These were the first seniors I’d ever had, after going through life without anyone to treat as a senior.

In gatherings like this, wouldn’t it be okay for me, as the junior, to get treated a bit?

“…Junior’s expression.”

Delphinium, no, Chae-yeon pointed at my face.

“What about my expression?”

I replied, bewildered, and Chae-yeon stared at me intently. Blue hair, white face. She looked almost non-Asian.

Her expressions weren’t particularly abundant. She was also much shorter than me. Someone might mistake her for a first-year.

“…An expression that says you want to mooch off your seniors.”

“Ah.”

I inadvertently gasped at her words that seemed to see right through my thoughts, then quickly closed my mouth.

But my reaction only confirmed what was in my mind.

“Well, well, after all that complaining, you ended up looking forward to this, didn’t you?”

Yeon-woo poked my cheek again.

“No, I came out not even knowing you seniors would be here.”

I felt a bit wronged, having even brought my allowance. Not that I had planned to spend it.

“Haha, don’t worry, junior. We didn’t come out to starve you.”

Seo-hee said that and put her hand on my shoulder again.

Hmm.

I often touched Hayun and Jihye, but it felt a bit awkward when someone else did it to me.

Besides, now that my prejudice against magical girls had disappeared, these three were simply “pretty friends” in my eyes.

I already had several girls approaching me, and if I started thinking like that here too, Hayun, Jihye, Ju-a, and Pang Pang would be shocked.

…

Ah, whatever.

I decided to stop thinking about it.

“So, if you called me out, you must have thought about where to take me, right, seniors?”

“Oh, that’s right. That’s the proper junior attitude, yes.”

For some reason, Seo-hee didn’t take my bait at all.

She even seemed a bit happy about it.

Why?

“Hayun never acted like a junior.”

Yeon-woo said.

“…She acted like an older sister despite being younger.”

Chae-yeon added from the side.

…

Oh.

Did I just step on a landmine?

But by the time I had that thought, Seo-hee, who had her arm around my shoulders, was already dragging me elsewhere.

…

Well, whatever.

Since it’s come to this, I might as well enjoy it.

It’s not like anything bad is going to happen, right?