Ch.251IF Side Story: From the Beginning (19)

I sometimes feel refreshed after exercising.

Even though my body is exhausted, I’m out of breath, and the sticky sweat feels unpleasant—the complete opposite of refreshment—there’s something in my heart that makes me feel like I’ve accomplished something today.

That feeling of enduring, persevering, and finally reaching the end where you can exhale deeply.

That’s what I was feeling right now.

I still hadn’t decided whether I should like or dislike the sensation of crossing weapons with Hayun.

I want to win, I want to surpass her. If possible, I’d like to at least stand beside her—

I’ve always thought that way, but when actually facing her in combat, it feels a bit… uncomfortable.

But those concerns gradually washed away as I swung my hammer.

The hammer’s head is made of mana. It’s not as sharp and long as Hayun’s sword, but despite being crude, it was my mana.

The light that embodied my hope.

I can fight. I can be with Hayun. I don’t have to stay behind alone.

These thoughts became clearer each time my hammer clashed with Hayun’s sword.

Hayun seemed to feel something similar.

At first, she was taken aback by my fierce attacks and surprised that I could block and deflect her attacks so well. But at some point, her face drenched in sweat, she began charging at me with all her might.

It still didn’t seem like she was being completely serious. Unlike me using all my strength, her face still showed composure.

That frustrated me a little. But at the same time, I was happy.

I realized I could still do more.

Really, what kind of feeling is this?

I felt a slight vibration in my wrist. My circuit was running powerfully. Strangely enough, my hope felt stronger the harder I swung my hammer.

My heart was pounding like it might burst, and I could barely breathe. Just maintaining my pace was challenging.

But regardless, my heart was beating, and my lungs forcibly drew in air. I could keep up with Hayun’s increasingly rapid pace with all my might.

Bang!

There was a sound like an explosion, difficult to imagine as merely metal striking metal. It was the sound of mana violently erupting as Hayun’s and my weapons collided.

I almost fell backward, but—

Screech!

I held my ground with all my strength. My shoes might have torn a bit, but I didn’t care.

I wanted to win. Even knowing I couldn’t do it right now, I wanted to send Hayun’s staff flying far away.

“Haaah—!”

Exhaling, I jumped high again with my hammer raised above my head.

Mana bloomed again at the end of my hammer that had been sent flying. That mana, still barely taking shape, collided with Hayun’s newly formed sword.

I’d never seen Hayun look at me like that before.

Not glaring, but with wide eyes and teeth slightly bared. Her face was smiling. For whatever reason, Hayun was smiling.

Ah, I think I understand now.

This too, in a way, was a conversation. A sincere dialogue using our entire bodies. Clashing our hearts directly without even using words.

Perhaps Hayun also had a lot built up inside her—

Bang!

Once again, our mana exploded.

The sensation of being enveloped in that mana felt somewhat unfamiliar. The mana of Hayun and myself that swept hotly over the protective mana around my body didn’t just brush past. Somehow it had mixed with the mana protecting my body.

That sensation felt good.

…

Wait, does that sound a bit perverted?

But what can I do if that’s how I feel?

At some point, my head stopped working properly. I was just moving with all my might as I felt inclined—truly following my heart.

Slowly, I could see Hayun’s appearance changing.

As if seeing an illusion, parts of Hayun’s body were enveloped in pink mana. The scattered mana around her formed a mysterious fog, and Hayun pursued me through it.

The same was happening to me. Similar mana surrounded me as well.

By the time I realized the changes to my body, the shoulder part of my clothes had already transformed considerably.

It was a dress with white lace. Nothing too elaborate.

I was wearing white gloves I hadn’t been wearing before.

Since my entire outfit hadn’t transformed yet, it looked a bit awkward.

Is this… transformation?

I thought a magical girl’s transformation scene would be much more sophisticated than this—

But even as I was thinking this, Hayun was approaching me with all her might.

Bang!

I hurriedly blocked her sword with the end of my hammer.

Our faces came very close.

We barely stopped just before headbutting each other.

I could see myself in Hayun’s eyes. And probably, Hayun could see herself in mine.

“Let’s wrap this up soon.”

I blurted that out without thinking.

Was it simply because of my combative nature? Or because I like showing off? Well, probably both.

Maybe I wanted to deliberately provoke Hayun.

“Okay.”

Hayun nodded and answered simply, then stepped back.

Her appearance had changed a bit too.

Pink clothes that matched her pink hair well. But like mine, only parts had transformed, making it look strange, like a poorly made AI video.

At least it was just the clothes—

I closed my eyes briefly, then opened them.

Right. Such trivial thoughts are useless right now.

Just do what I want to do… just charge straight ahead and clash, that’s good enough.

I heard the sound of wind, though we weren’t outside.

It was the sound of me running.

It was the sound of Hayun running.

Once more, a loud explosive sound was heard.

*

The magical girls who had initially wondered how long Jieun could hold out gradually opened their mouths as the fight intensified.

Jieun had never fought like this before.

It wasn’t simply because she was holding a staff. While the staff enabled efficient magic projection, it didn’t increase a person’s mana by itself.

Mana depends on how intensely one’s circuit runs.

That means you need to feel intense emotions to use stronger magic.

Jieun, facing off against Hayun, seemed to be experiencing such intense emotions right now.

Both Seo-hee and Yeon-woo had fought against Jieun before. She certainly had talent, but it wasn’t to this degree back then.

Was Hayun such an intense presence for Jieun? Could the story of growing up together create such a strong bond?

The mana of both of them grew stronger and stronger.

The explosions became more and more intense.

They should have watched from further away to avoid getting hurt, but somehow, with hearts racing, both observers remained transfixed by the sight.

Ju-a’s eyes sparkled. It was her staff that Jieun was holding, and it was displaying its power magnificently.

From the moment she arrived, Jieun had always been diligent. To become a magical girl, to be the best.

As if she didn’t care what the outcome would be.

Looking at her now, it seemed like Jieun could become an excellent magical girl. The ideal magical girl that Ju-a hoped for—

The mana exploded once more.

This time was different.

Sphere-like objects appeared in front of each of them. One was white, and one was pink.

Like eggshells, they seemed to block the path of both fighters.

Crack.

But they didn’t last long.

In the next moment, cracks formed in those shells.

The cracking happened in an instant.

With the sound of breaking glass, the shells shattered into powder, and two figures emerged from within.

Hayun was leaping. Looking up at the sky, she resembled a magical girl straight out of a manga, the kind everyone aspires to be.

But what she held wasn’t a magic wand but a sword. Because of this, her overall appearance was more like a beautiful swordswoman from a medieval fantasy.

Jieun jumped upward with all her might.

Above her head, she held a hammer larger than ever before.

It was a somewhat unbalanced appearance. The white hammer raised above her head and the slightly revealing white dress seemed oddly mismatched.

But even that appearance was quintessentially Jieun, thought those watching the duel.

The white trajectory struck the pink trajectory.

Bang, with the explosion came a gust of wind.

No one could confirm the outcome of their duel. Immediately afterward, both of them collapsed. Yeon-woo cautiously predicted it wasn’t a draw, but—

Regardless of the result, everyone could tell that neither of them would care.

In the final moment, as they clashed, both wore refreshingly smiling faces.