Ch.211IF Side Story: Somehow, Everyone Seems to Like Me (12)

In the end, we spent the whole day in our swimsuits.

Well, feeling awkward was only at the beginning, and at some point, I just stopped caring. Anyway, it was better than changing clothes repeatedly, especially when going in and out of the water.

…Hmm.

No, that’s not right. Swimsuits are still a bit uncomfortable.

Because there are people who keep clinging to me.

Hayun has always clung to me often. Yes, honestly, part of this is my fault. I’ve been too indulgent with her.

When we were escaping from the abandoned building, Hayun was constantly sticking close to me, and seeing that, Ju-a started doing the same.

Later, Jihye did too.

But back then, at least we had clothes. We had spare clothes and did laundry regularly—basically, I had some protective barrier to shield my skin from the invasion of other people’s skin.

But now I don’t.

“…”

No matter how confidently I claim that everything is fine, inside I’m still awkward. I don’t know what will happen in the future, but honestly, when they cling to me from both sides, I don’t know what to do.

Every time I move, our skin touches and I feel it too clearly.

This isn’t just about Hayun, Ju-a, Jihye, or Pang Pang. The problem is that my body has protruding parts that keep touching others. In reality, while certain areas are more noticeable, I generally don’t feel much sensation in most places unless it’s a specific area. The heightened sensitivity was purely psychological.

Still, I tried to avoid contact by being mindful. I created reasons to move around, carrying things here and there, or going to grill meat.

Thankfully, after showering at night and changing clothes, it felt a bit better.

“Phew.”

Even in summer, the night air is a bit cool. Actually, we came out a little later to avoid the peak heat. Personally, I think that was a good choice.

Hayun was showering, and Jihye was drying her hair. Ju-a was also showering in another bathroom. Pang Pang was already a bit tipsy after drinking a can of coffee.

It’s a strange feeling. I don’t mind the kids clinging to me, but it somehow makes me feel a little suffocated.

I wonder if I’ll get used to this too.

In my past life, I once lost sleep envying screenshots of popular guys whose phones were constantly blowing up with messages from girls. Now I’m in that position.

“Junior, are you running away?”

As I was standing at the balcony railing, gazing at the night sea, Seo-hee approached me from behind.

“…Isn’t ‘running away’ a bit much? Anyone could find me easily if they looked. What I showed you before—that was running away.”

“Well, by your standards, I guess that’s right.”

Seo-hee laughed and stood next to me.

The sea breeze was cool but had a strangely humid smell. I didn’t dislike it. I’m not sure how I’d feel living with it every day, but when visiting occasionally like this, I enjoyed how authentic it felt.

“So, junior, are you enjoying your youth?”

“You’re young too, you know.”

I chuckled incredulously.

Youth, huh? I’m not sure.

Most people probably consider it up through high school. From your twenties, you’re generally considered an adult.

I spent most of that time feeling jealous. The story about sending donations to the orphanage wasn’t really that important. It was just an excuse.

For that long time, even while being friends with Hayun, I spent all my time feeling jealous.

I wish we had just gone out and had fun together. I wish I had talked more with Jihye during work hours. I’ve had these thoughts several times lately.

Every time I’ve experienced peaceful moments without worries, these thoughts have crossed my mind.

“…”

Could she read my thoughts? Seo-hee stared at me silently for a moment.

“We still have plenty of time left. Both you and me.”

“Do we?”

“Hey, being in your early twenties doesn’t mean you’ve lived your whole life, you know?”

Seo-hee spoke with a slightly annoyed voice—and her comment was so unexpected that I let out a short laugh.

“Despite how it looks, I’m diligently preparing for exams. I just have these breaks in between. Well, I’m thinking about methods as a magical girl and various other things too.”

“Sure, I believe you.”

“No, really!”

We both laughed briefly again.

“…Haah.”

Then we exhaled deeply.

“…Hey, junior.”

After listening to the sound of waves in silence for a while, Seo-hee spoke to me.

“Let’s have a sparring match, just once.”

“Sparring?”

I turned to her with a puzzled expression, but Seo-hee was looking at me with a genuinely serious face.

“Yes. Sparring.”

“…Suddenly?”

“Suddenly, huh.”

Seo-hee thought for a moment before speaking.

“We’ve fought directly before.”

“Many times.”

“No, not like that. I mean when we were consciously fighting each other seriously. Of course, you weren’t a magical girl then.”

Yes, there was a time when I fought while overflowing my circuit.

And just once, I felt like I overwhelmed her. Though at that time, I didn’t really win the fight—I just managed to escape successfully.

James was shocked. It was only about half a year ago, but why does it feel so long ago?

“So, you want to settle the score from back then?”

“It’s not about settling a score, exactly.”

Seo-hee said.

“I just wanted to fight you once more while we’re still at the same school. To be honest… I actually enjoy sparring.”

Seo-hee said with a smile.

Saying such brutal things while smiling like a pretty girl.

“There’s a sparring room in the basement. Want to try?”

“You’re impatient.”

“It’s not like that’s news to you.”

At Seo-hee’s words, I shrugged my shoulders.

It meant I was in.

*

Magical girl versus magical girl.

It would have been nice if we fought by throwing magical spells at each other. But both Seo-hee and I were the type to engage in physical combat.

Seo-hee with gauntlets on both hands, and me with a hammer in my hand.

To be honest, I wasn’t fighting with full seriousness. I didn’t want to ruin this nice place.

Seo-hee seemed to feel the same way. After all, sparring is just sparring, right?

However—

BANG!

—that doesn’t mean we were fighting half-heartedly.

Sparks flew as the gauntlets and hammer collided. Seo-hee threw punches at me several times with a competitive grin on her face, and I swung my hammer at her just as many times.

It hurt all over. Some attacks I dodged or blocked, but others I couldn’t. The same was true for Seo-hee.

Needless to say, we both quickly became covered in bruises.

But, for some reason.

It felt refreshing.

“You’re enjoying this quite a bit, aren’t you? Despite how you look, you’ve actually been enjoying your work as a magical girl, right?”

“…Don’t mistake me for a battle maniac like you.”

But, yes.

It was fun.

What’s happened to my head?

No, that’s not it. Rather—yes. Perhaps because of what Seo-hee said about settling things, this fight felt enjoyable.

I wanted to fight a magical girl and win, just once.

That wish of mine had never been properly fulfilled. I’d never fought fairly. I was always cowardly, and my opponents were always too powerful.

Even after becoming a magical girl, for various reasons, there was no need to fight.

The thumping sounds must have reached upstairs, as the kids rushed down, only to stare blankly at our fight.

We were probably both smiling, even as we bled from various places.

Did Seo-hee say those things because she knew what I was thinking?

Did she want to give me a satisfying fight before graduation—to help me release that lingering frustration?

To be honest, I’m annoyed. It feels like I fell for her plan. In a way, I might have lost the psychological battle.

“—Haha!”

SWOOSH! I heard the sound of air from Seo-hee’s swinging fist. I tilted my head to the side as much as possible to avoid it. The air pressure made my hair flutter slightly.

No one tried to stop us. Everyone watched with anxious expressions, just clenching their fists.

Whatever the reason, they must have understood that we were enjoying the fight.

SMACK!

The final blow ended with both of us striking each other’s faces simultaneously.

It was a blow worthy of magical girls, and we could block it because we were magical girls. Otherwise, our faces would probably have caved in.

We could have fought more, but somehow, I felt like this was enough, so I just flopped down on the floor.

By coincidence, Seo-hee seemed to have the same thought.

As the kids gathered around us, we lay side by side, looking up at the ceiling.

“Feel a bit better now, junior?”

“Well, a little bit.”

I answered with a smile to Seo-hee’s question.