Ch.7373. Oversleeping

It’s warm.

Warmth is a good thing.

It’s comfortable.

I wish time would stop, just like this, comfortably.

I don’t want this moment to pass; I want to savor this happiness.

This floating, drifting joy.

This loveliness without pain or suffering.

Everything.

There’s no fatigue…

Even that exhaustion that always followed me when wearing this damn collar…

Haa… it feels nice.

Like a dream.

Floating, floating. As if surrendering my body to cotton clouds.

The feeling of flying freely across the dark sky.

Not that cold sky, but warmth embracing me.

Just like this, if I could sink my consciousness a little deeper…

Gently…

* * *

“Unnie, wake up. Unnie?”

Arin tries to shake Bine awake, but she doesn’t stir.

Normally, Bine would have woken up before her, prepared breakfast, and watched over her until she left for school.

The sight of Bine sleeping so peacefully stirred something in Arin’s heart.

Her not waking up despite being shaken was too similar to when Bine had collapsed before.

The fear of her never waking up again, of never seeing her unnie again, had overwhelmed her then.

The thought of that happening again erased all reason from her mind, replaced by a single, dominating anxiety.

Her mind stopped working, and only panic took control.

“Unnie, unnie…? Unnie? Unnie? Unnie? Unnie? Unnie…!”

Before her calls could transform from desperate repetition into screams, she was pulled from the abyss by someone with whom she didn’t have the best relationship.

“What are you doing here?”

“Ah, uh, um… uah…”

“Hey, Seon Arin. Aren’t you going to school?”

“N-no, I, uh, um, unnie… unnie won’t wake up again…”

“Calm down. You rushed in here with those worried eyes and tried to wake someone who’s just sleeping.”

“N-no, she’s not waking up again…”

“What are you talking about? It’s not like she’s depleted her magic. She’s just sleeping deeply because she’s tired. Instead of waking her up when she’s finally getting some good rest, hurry up and go to school.”

“B-but… th-that’s…”

“I’ve known her for over ten years. My guess is more accurate than your amateur speculation, don’t you think?”

Arin’s panicked mind was somewhat calmed through her conversation with Ellie.

She was still worried about Bine, but if anyone could be trusted with her…

At least when it came to Bine, this person could be trusted.

Of course, the two of them clashed in many ways, but their feelings for one person were the same.

Arin entrusted Bine to Ellie, believing that she would take care of someone precious to her.

Leaving Bine’s room and checking the clock, Arin couldn’t help but sigh.

“Ah… I’m going to be late.”

Though it wasn’t something she should use in a place like this, the thought of avoiding being late filled her mind.

A brief flash of light enveloped her, and that day, people observed a single beam of light heading toward a school.

* * *

Do you know the feeling of being forcibly pulled from the depths of consciousness?

If it were your mother waking you for school, you’d reluctantly get up and listen.

As if to signal that consciousness had briefly shut down, with a hazy feeling.

Still, this warmth feels nice, so I want to stay a little longer.

The feeling of floating across a dark sky.

Like soaking in a warm hot spring, feeling completely relaxed…

What pulls me from this feeling is a single voice.

My old friend, my best friend.

Ellie…

“Bine, wake up. Do you know what time it is?”

Time? Surely it wouldn’t matter if I’m a little late.

“Bine~ Aren’t you going to eat?”

Food…? Ah, breakfast.

Right, since coming here… I’ve been responsible for meals.

Back at Eden, I used to just tell Ellie to go to the cafeteria because it was too much trouble…

So, I should get up soon…

But I don’t want to.

I don’t want to leave this warmth.

I want to stay wrapped in this coziness just a little longer…

“Bine~ The kids are starving~ It’s past 2 o’clock! Get up!”

Huh…?

What time did she say…?

I must have heard wrong.

2 o’clock? Not even 12.

Even 12 would be quite late…

It can’t be 2 o’clock, right?

Oh, I see. She must mean 2 hours before the kids wake up…?

…

No matter how much I deny it, the truth is…

Right, Ellie isn’t the type to be up early.

It’s 2 o’clock.

Oh, I’m doomed.

“Ellie…”

“Yes, Bine. Hurry and get up.”

“Could you tell them I died…? Or that I can never wake up again… please?”

“Why is our Bine suddenly acting like this…? Didn’t you give up throwing tantrums years ago?”

“Pleeeease… do it for me? If I go out now, I’ll die of embarrassment… seriously… uuugh…”

“What’s there to be embarrassed about? People oversleep sometimes. Right?”

“Ah, ugh… how… did I oversleep? It’s 2 o’clock now…? 2 PM, right? Not 2 AM?”

“Can’t you tell from the sun? It’s 2 o’clock. Now get up. I’ve been keeping the kids from waking you for a while. Come out and eat what we ordered.”

“Ordered…?”

“You expect us to wait until you cook? Want to get killed by hungry magical girls? I ordered in advance. Now get up.”

“Alright…”

In the end, the fact that I overslept remains, so I can’t act too proud as the guilty party…

I stretch… I should change clothes quickly and head out.

“Ah, Bine. There’s no time to change. The food’s getting cold. Cold food tastes bad. Hurry!”

“But still, my clothes…”

All I’m wearing is a white negligee…

“Is this really okay?”

“Come on, hurry up!”

“But my hair… it’s a mess…”

“It’s fine. It’s not like anyone else will see you.”

“But technically, this is my workplace…”

“It’s home, so what does it matter? Come out quickly. Everyone’s waiting.”

“…It’s embarrassing.”

“Really now. Just come out. I’ll wait for you downstairs.”

…How am I supposed to deal with this embarrassment?

Perhaps unsatisfied with my response, Ellie closed my door with a slightly annoyed expression.

Hmm… if I make her more annoyed, something bad will surely happen…?

At her insistence to come down immediately, I left my room without even fixing my hair.

People staring at me as I descended the stairs…

…Their gazes feel prickly.

They didn’t seem to be looking at me with reproach…

It was more like human instinct—the sharp gazes of people who hadn’t eaten…

…the irritation of hungry people.

“I’m sorry…”

Blanc was the one who responded to my words.

“Hurry up. I’m hungry.”

“Ah, yes…”

At that stiff, cold, emotionless reply, I quickly went to sit down.

On the table, pizza had already been prepared.

As if they had been waiting like this until I woke up.

And the gazes of the magical girls…

“I’m sorry…”

“Sit down. Let’s eat.”

With those words, everyone grabbed the pizza in front of them.

The pizza was a bit cold, but everyone was so hungry that no one said anything and just chewed their pizza.

In that quiet silence, it was Blanc who spoke first.

“By the way, Bine. Why did you oversleep so much today?”

“…I must have been tired. I’ll be careful not to let this happen again. I’m really sorry…”

“No, I… I wasn’t trying to scold you… Have you not slept this deeply before?”

“Umm… isn’t sleeping deeply always the same…?”

“No, I mean sleeping so well that your body feels lighter.”

“Isn’t it normal to feel a bit stiff when you wake up, and then gradually feel refreshed as you become more alert?”

“No… but… sigh… Anyway, when was the last time you slept this long?”

“…I overslept a few times at Eden, and occasionally when I was in that neighborhood. In prison, they woke us up every morning even if we had nothing to do.”

“Prison…? Ah, right… Anyway, when was the most recent time?”

“…You just saw it.”

“No, besides today… Tell me the most recent day before today.”

“Hmm… In that neighborhood… There was a day when I couldn’t find work and went to bed late after worrying all day. It was probably about 6 months ago. I don’t remember clearly, but it was around that time…?”

“Ah… 6 months ago…? So from then until now…?”

“Oh. The day I met you, I slept quite a while at that hotel… Except for the discomfort of you hugging me, if we’re just counting sleep time… that was the most recent.”

At my answer, people started looking at Blanc.

Hmm. Is it because I mentioned sleeping at a hotel?

“Ah, nothing happened at the hotel. Please put aside those lewd imaginations of yours.”

Even with my additional explanation, they still seemed to have questions.

Ellie was the first to speak, questioning Blanc.

“You hugged our Bine while sleeping…? You…?”

Next to question Blanc was Crybaby.

“Yoonseul…? What does that mean? You hugged her while sleeping…? At a hotel…?”

Following Crybaby was Unemployed.

“Yoonseul… Is what unnie just heard true…? To such a small child…?”

Everyone in the dormitory, except for me, unanimously demanded the truth from Blanc.

Blanc, with a flustered face, put down the pizza she was eating and denied all the speculations.

“No, that, no… that, ugh…”

At times like this, I should help out.

“Nothing particularly happened with Blanc. Compared to what I thought might happen with Blanc that day, it was much less.”

“Bine… we’re going to need a more detailed explanation…”

“Whatever you’re thinking, it was less than that. I woke up, felt a bit stiff, and had trouble getting up because Blanc was hugging me, that’s all.”

“…Yoonseul?”

“Unnie, listen to me. Okay? It’s all a misunderstanding. Really, nothing happened. Yuri unnie. Right? You know I never lie.”

Well, I’ve explained everything, so Blanc can handle the rest.

This pizza is delicious. Maybe because it’s been a while since I’ve had it.

Nom.