Ch.301IF Side Story: From the Beginning (69)

Normally, I would return to the orphanage even at late hours, but tonight it was too late even for that.

I thought it would be much better to just sleep here for the night, so that’s what we decided to do.

“Really? So you’re not coming back tonight?”

As if she had been waiting up for me without sleeping, Jihye called me immediately after seeing my text to ask that.

I had sent the message wondering if she might have fallen asleep already.

“Yeah. Things just turned out this way… Sorry for making you worry in the middle of the night.”

“Of course I worried, you idiot.”

“…”

Jihye doesn’t usually respond like this.

Though her voice didn’t sound genuinely angry, I still felt bad that she seemed at least a little upset.

She had been waiting endlessly for me to return without any contact, only to receive my text now.

And knowing Jihye, she must have looked up the news article about me too.

The fact that she hadn’t contacted me until now actually showed just how patient she had been.

“I’m sorry.”

I apologized sincerely.

“…No, it’s fine as long as you’re okay.”

Jihye accepted my apology without getting more upset. Her voice suggested she was just relieved to hear from me at all, which honestly made me feel even more guilty.

“So, do you feel a bit better now?”

“Ah… yeah.”

I nodded. Not that Jihye could see me anyway.

Now that my head had cooled down, I realized this still wasn’t a situation to smile about. My friend was still in enemy hands, and I had no idea where or how to rescue her.

But at least it was true that my statement was becoming a hot topic online. Even at this late hour, many people browse the internet—while working, unable to sleep, or just checking their phones briefly.

People were asking what “Pang Pang” was.

A word that didn’t look like a name no matter how you looked at it.

But since I was clearly addressing someone, people were busy debating whether it was a nickname, and whether they were human or not.

Would people learn about Pang Pang’s existence? That wasn’t what I had intended when I spoke.

Pang Pang wouldn’t have just stayed in the room all the time. She told us she had worked at places like construction sites. Maybe someone who knew her would come forward.

“…”

Suddenly, I remembered Pang Pang’s face when we met her before our confrontation. She looked extremely anxious.

She hadn’t been caught by us then.

Was she afraid of being discovered in the future?

“Jieun?”

“Huh?”

“What are you thinking about so deeply?”

“Oh, nothing…”

I was silent for a moment, then,

“…No, it’s not nothing. I was thinking about what happened today. About that friend who disappeared.”

“…”

I could hear Jihye swallowing through the phone.

“I’m sure you’ll find her again.”

A friend’s comfort.

It can’t be helped. Even friends don’t always have the ability to actually solve your problems. The best they can do is offer support and keep you from falling apart.

And I was grateful to have someone like that.

There were things I hadn’t told Jihye either.

Partly because I was still debating whether I should tell her or not.

“Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it.”

We fell silent for a moment.

This silence wasn’t uncomfortable. It was rather warm. Just because we had nothing more to say didn’t mean our relationship had to be cold.

“Well, I should go to sleep now. Good night.”

“Okay. …Next time, let me know in advance if you’re going to be late. Got it?”

Jihye said, pretending to be angry.

“Yes. I’ll definitely call you.”

I answered with a bitter smile.

After all, even after I become independent, I’ll be living with Jihye for a while, so this kind of communication will be essential. Jihye would surely prepare dinner for me and wait, just because she got home first.

Really, we’re not even a married couple.

I tossed my phone onto the bed after having that strange thought.

This is the first time I’ve used a room like this.

At headquarters, each magical girl had her own personal room, but none of us used them actively. When we were at headquarters, we mainly spent time in the lounge, training room, and on the rooftop. Since there was no real reason to sleep there, everyone used their rooms more like storage for personal items and snacks.

Still, I had kept my room somewhat organized.

I sat down on the bed.

The bed I hadn’t used in a long time felt very soft. I don’t know much about these things, but I thought the mattress probably wasn’t a cheap one.

Well, I should go to sleep now.

Just as I was thinking that and about to lie down on the bed—

Knock knock.

I heard someone knocking on the door.

“Oh, yes?”

There are people working at headquarters at all hours. Noir Corporation, true to its name, is a company that works people around the clock, so occasionally combatants would show up at night or dawn.

This operation might have taken some cues from Noir Corporation.

But even so, none of those employees would be knocking on my door. Since we were essentially their superiors despite being much younger, those civil servants tended to feel uncomfortable around us.

And as I expected, the person entering through the door was none other than Hayun.

“Hayun?”

I unconsciously looked at the clock.

1 AM.

For someone who has to go to work or school in the morning, this is approaching the point of no return. Even if they fell asleep now, they wouldn’t get eight hours of sleep, not even six.

But Hayun had come to my room instead of sleeping in her own.

Moreover, she was carrying something in her arms.

A pillow and a blanket. Hayun was holding both of them.

And that meant she intended to sleep here.

“…”

I stared at Hayun for a moment, at a loss for words.

Had we ever slept together before? Come to think of it, we hadn’t. Hayun’s family was strict in many ways, and I lived in an orphanage so it was a bit awkward to bring friends over to stay.

If we weren’t magical girls, this probably wouldn’t be happening at all.

Another astonishing thing was that the blanket in Hayun’s arms was clearly just a cover, not a bedding set. Well, that made sense. All our rooms had beds; they weren’t set up for sleeping on the floor.

It seemed like the bedding and sheets were handled by staff, like in a hotel.

“Um, Hayun.”

Just to be sure, I decided to ask.

Who knows, maybe she came to exchange blankets and pillows with me in some incredibly ironic twist. They all seemed to be the same brand anyway, and Hayun wasn’t strange enough to think that way.

“Did you want to sleep here together?”

“…”

Hayun stood there blankly without saying anything for a moment, then her face turned bright red as she nodded.

“Well…”

She opened her mouth as if trying to explain, but apparently realizing she didn’t really have a reason, she let out a small sigh.

“Is that not okay?”

With such a pitiful expression, how could I possibly say no?

“But the bed is only this size. It might be too narrow for both of us. Is that still okay?”

“I-I’m fine with it if you are, Jieun.”

I smiled wryly.

Well, I’m fine with it.

I’m fine, but…

If I asked why she wanted to sleep together here, would that make Hayun feel pathetic?

I know she’s just trying to seize an opportunity. They call it a pajama party, don’t they? We weren’t wearing pajamas, but I knew that’s what they called it when girls stayed up all night together.

“Here.”

I said, moving to the wall side of the bed with my blanket.

“Oh, okay!”

At my words, Hayun’s eyes lit up as she rushed to the bed. She placed her pillow next to mine and climbed up with her blanket to lie down beside me.

Thump-thump, ba-dump ba-dump.

That would be the sound effect visible on Hayun’s face right now.

“You’re really something else.”

When I said this with an incredulous tone, Hayun’s face turned even redder and she couldn’t say anything.

She probably knew how ridiculous she was being.

“If you fall off, I’m not responsible, okay?”

When I said that, Hayun carefully nodded.

“It’s fine. I’m confident I won’t fall off.”

How impressive.

I shook my head and lay back down on the bed.

The room lights could be controlled with a remote, so Hayun thoughtfully grabbed the remote from the desk next to the bed and turned off the lights.

…Normally we might have talked more before sleeping, but we had school tomorrow.

“…Well, good night.”

I said.

“Yeah.”

Hayun answered in a careful voice.

“Good night, Jieun.”

We lay side by side on the slightly narrow bed.

I must have been more tired than I thought.

I fell asleep almost immediately after closing my eyes.