Ch.237IF Side Story: From the Beginning (5)

I don’t want to get involved in emotional battles between magical girls.

…or at least, that’s what I used to think.

But in reality, that wasn’t so easy.

Hayun tends to get along with everyone and has always been gentle with me, so there wasn’t much of an issue.

I also tried not to rub the senior magical girls the wrong way. The only person I treated somewhat roughly was Rose… I mean Seo-hee, but she didn’t really mind my attitude.

That’s just her personality. She enjoys trading punches, so when I act sharp with her, she actually enjoys it more and deliberately provokes me.

But once I got used to it, her personality wasn’t a big deal. In fact, Seo-hee was somewhat easier to deal with because she was straightforward about her feelings. And my skills definitely improved through our fights.

The problem was that Seo-hee wasn’t particularly close with the other magical girls.

“What?”

“I’m saying I don’t like your training method.”

I’m not sure how I ended up hearing this.

The truth is, unlike Seo-hee, I was barely listening to what Dalia was saying.

Sometimes I quite enjoyed the time spent here. For one thing, there’s no one younger than me. I don’t mind those a year or two younger, but having much younger kids constantly talking to me was, unfortunately, a bit hard to bear for someone like me whose body was actively producing puberty hormones.

No, come to think of it, I don’t think I particularly liked it in my past life either.

The orphanage children were mostly good kids, and I was friendly with them in my own way, but my patience was a bit too limited to always accommodate everything.

The problem was that with the weather getting colder and the heater blasting, I didn’t particularly want to go outside and thought I’d stay cooped up a bit longer.

“The opponent uses magic too, right? If you’re just blasting magic from a distance, how is she supposed to handle that?”

“Once she can withstand my punches, that kind of magic won’t matter anyway. Besides, she’s quite agile.”

“Still, don’t you think it’s too much to only teach close combat to someone who’s just learning? She should also think about how to deal with magic attacks coming from a distance.”

Hmm.

Alright.

Maybe it’s time to escape.

I quickly turned off my smartphone screen by pressing the hold button and slowly got up.

Hayun, who had been letting me use her lap as a pillow, noticed my cue and slowly got up as well.

“I mean, we’re magical girls after all. I don’t think fighting with close combat and such suits us.”

“…”

I’m not sure if she was being sincere or just trying to provoke Seo-hee.

Unfortunately, though, that comment rubbed me the wrong way too as I was trying to leave.

Because Hayun wasn’t “that kind” of magical girl either.

Hayun is the type who pulls pink blades from flower bouquets. She obviously wasn’t the “typical magical girl” that Dalia was advocating for.

“I don’t think that’s right.”

I blurted that out before I could stop myself, then quickly shut my mouth.

“Huh?”

Dalia looked at me and tilted her head.

“What do you mean that’s not right?”

“…”

I pondered for a moment what I should say. Somehow, I didn’t want to bring up Hayun.

Of course, I was irritated because of Hayun. But bringing her up here would only drag her into the fight.

“There are times when close combat is necessary. Most combatants fight in close quarters anyway.”

Seo-hee turned to look at me with surprise.

Did it seem like I was taking her side?

Hayun was staring at me intently, which felt a bit uncomfortable, but I decided to finish what I was saying.

“Who’s going to buy time for the ones chanting spells in the back if there’s no one to hold the attention of the enemies rushing in?”

It was just common sense.

In reality, magical girls in manga formed positions like that. Dalia would protect Delphinium, and Iris would appropriately shoot magic at enemies from a distance to disperse them.

The ones at the very front are Seo-hee and Hayun. When the two of them hold weapons and protect the others, combatants couldn’t easily approach.

…But, the current time is about half a year before that.

Such positions haven’t been established yet. Seo-hee alone can’t draw all the attention.

The enemies don’t understand fighting well yet either. Most combatants are earthlings with no fighting experience, and even those with experience have no idea how to counter magic.

Moreover, “despair” hasn’t accumulated that much yet, and the circuits are still in their very early forms.

As for Kaijin, well, they rarely appear in large numbers at once.

“…”

Seeing Dalia’s eyes narrow, she seems to know this. Even if such tactics haven’t been completely solidified, she can’t be unaware of how useful it is to have someone fighting in between while she’s chanting or thinking about what magic to use next.

However, even at this point, and in the original work, Dalia knows how to fight in close quarters. Her staff is thick and long, so getting hit by it would definitely hurt a lot.

That’s probably why she has such confidence.

“Hmm.”

Dalia made a snorting sound.

“The magic she uses when throwing punches and the magic I send out are both magic. If we’re going to use it, wouldn’t it be better to use it in a more efficient way?”

“…”

Hmm.

Is she looking for a fight?

Come to think of it, her attitude wasn’t entirely gentle when she spoke to me last time either. Maybe she thinks of me as being in a “different faction” since I’m friendly with a colleague she constantly clashes with.

“Or, would you like to prove it?” Dalia said.

“If what you’re saying is true, then approaching with close combat should be much faster than chanting magic. If you’re right, wouldn’t you be able to beat me in a fight?”

That’s obviously nonsense.

I’ve only received a few months of training. When a pro fights an amateur, of course the pro will win.

“Hey.”

Seo-hee, knowing this, naturally spoke up angrily.

Dalia gave Seo-hee a slight smile and looked at me.

“See? Despite what you say, you’re hesitating too. Combatants aren’t much of a threat. They’re not even worth Rose having to hold them back. So you should—”

“Fine.”

But her words were cut off.

I stared at Dalia and said, “Let’s fight.”

“…Huh?”

Hearing me suddenly say that, Dalia looked a bit dumbfounded with her mouth slightly open.

“Jieun.”

Hayun, who had been listening, grabbed my sleeve.

Why did I answer like that?

Actually, it’s nothing special.

I know how organized the combatants will become later. In the end, they’re not as strong as magical girls and always end up losing, but slowly, very slowly, they become a threat to magical girls.

The same goes for the Kaijin that appear.

Right now, it’s possible to win instantly with appropriate magic from a distance, but by next year, that will be impossible.

Hayun and Rose will become very important figures.

…

Well, that’s the theoretical explanation.

My reaction was purely emotional. Part of it was about Hayun. The initial reason I was irritated was because I thought of her.

But—

I glanced at Rose.

The more I listened to Dalia’s words, the worse Rose’s expression became. That’s understandable, but…

While it’s understandable, it’s not a simple matter.

I’ve heard about Seo-hee’s dream. What dream she had, and how she came to give it up.

As someone who had completely given up on dreams and resigned myself, I could somewhat empathize with her story.

And after hearing such a story, I couldn’t just stay silent.

Dalia might have thought it was just a criticism of positions, but those words were essentially dismissing Seo-hee’s dream.

“What? Judging by your inability to answer, are you scared?”

I deliberately spoke provocatively.

Dalia’s expression… well, it wasn’t one of anger.

Rather, her mouth was hanging open as if she was experiencing something incredibly absurd.

“Do you really think you have a chance when you say that?”

Dalia asked.

“Of course I think I have a chance, that’s why I’m saying it.”

I put on a big show of bravado.

“…Without even a staff?”

Hmm.

I can’t really refute that.

“I have fists even without a staff, don’t I?”

I continued with my bravado.

“…”

Dalia stared at me intently. As if trying to read what I was thinking.

It seems she failed, though.

“…Alright.”

Dalia answered. By this point, there was a contemptuous expression on her face. Her pride was probably a bit wounded. After all, someone who had just been introduced to magic was claiming they could beat her.

“Then, shall we set a time and place?”

…She’s quite serious.

Well, it doesn’t matter.

If I brought it up, I should think about how to win.

After all, I’m going to be a magical girl too.