Chapter 96 : Intimacy (5) Part-1

Following the radio announcement about the chairman being summoned, we immediately began making our own preparations for the upcoming event.

It took us a week to carefully recheck and ensure the stability of the circuit.

Thanks to Cherry’s assistance, the magical girls’ Hope Circuit could now be utilized without the fear of being tracked by any external parties.

During the process of removing that specific component, we took apart the circuit and repurposed its various parts for the creation of other circuits, optimizing our resources effectively.

It was quite embarrassing to admit that my Hope Circuit was functioning solely due to the contribution of Hayoon.

Let it be clear that this situation is not a joke or a result of any misunderstanding.

Honestly, I found myself in a state of denial at first, but whenever Hayoon would come close to me and flash that smile, my internal circuit went into overdrive.

And even with my heart racing, the circuit continued to function to some degree, responding to her presence.

The embarrassment was palpable when I saw the circuit screen glowing a bright white, betraying my true feelings.

Now that the truth is out there, even if I were to try and deactivate this function, Hayoon’s smile would still light up every encounter we had.

It seemed that Hayoon was just happy to have rekindled our connection.

My attitude was also slowly changing, mirroring Hayoon’s expressions.

Regardless of the past, I have always liked Hayoon.

Asking me to change that feeling now would be impossible.

There were still lingering emotions, clinging stubbornly.

The sticky black lump deep inside me remained unidentified, but I was certain it was a mix of jealousy and inferiority, coiled together.

I made a conscious effort to conceal these emotions, knowing that revealing them could lead to unforeseen consequences.

This was particularly challenging as we shared the same bathing tub and slept under the same tent.

Despite this, Hayoon continued to confidently enter the tent, oblivious to the internal turmoil I was experiencing.

The thought of unraveling and addressing these complex emotions was daunting, and I struggled to find the courage to confront them head-on.

I found it unbearable to imagine revealing to the other kids how we slept inside the tent.

If it were Hayoon, she would probably disregard the opinions of others and hold onto me without any hesitation.

During our time in school, such situations never arose.

It’s not as if we hadn’t gone on school trips before.

Hayoon has always regarded me as a close friend, but she had never clung to me in this manner before.

Maybe she experienced a sense of shock similar to mine when she thought she almost lost me.

Maybe she thinks it’s fine to show this behavior to the others.

While she avoided growing too close with our classmates, her feelings toward magical girls might be different.

Moreover—

Recently, there was one more person joining us on our nightly walks.

“Jo-ah.”

Hayoon’s voice called out to Jo-ah, breaking the silence around them.

Positioned on my right side, Hayoon gripped my arm tightly, seeking comfort or reassurance.

The situation, to be completely candid, was deeply unsettling.

With each movement forward, my arm naturally swung at my side, but when Hayoon latched onto it, I made a concerted effort to hold it still.

The slightest shift in position had the potential to be misconstrued or create confusion.

Even if Hayoon chose to remain silent on the matter, the unease of the situation lingered, leaving a sense of discomfort and discord in the shared moment.

“What is it?”

While I was lost in thought, Hayoon and Jo-ah continued their conversation.

“When did you two get so close?”

That question instilled a sense of unease in me for some inexplicable reason.

I couldn’t help but wonder if Hayoon harbored any feelings of jealousy towards me.

Jo-ah and Hayoon had built a strong bond through countless battles fought side by side, making them more like comrades than mere acquaintances.

Although the topic of their discussion could easily be misconstrued, I realized that my assumption was based solely on my own perspective.

Undoubtedly, the situation was not as ominous as my initial fears led me to believe.

At Hayoon’s question, Jo-ah paused for a moment without saying anything.

Unlike Hayoon, Jo-ah didn’t cling to me.

Instead, she held onto the hem of my clothes tightly.

Honestly, I also wanted to ask Hayoon’s question.

The problem was, if I asked it, things would get awkward.

Imagine this: you think you’ve become close with a friend, but while walking together, they suddenly ask, “Were we ever that close?”

It would probably hurt your feelings, and you might never want to talk to them again.

No, more than that, it would be outright mean.

Jo-ah didn’t answer Hayoon’s question directly but instead looked up at me.

It felt like she was asking me to say something.

After a brief moment of hesitation, I spoke.

“You remember that I was a combatant, right?”

Hayoon blinked at my words.

I wasn’t asking because I thought she didn’t know or had forgotten.

I just wanted to emphasize the point.

“Yeah… I do.”

“The one I ran into the most during that time was Jo-ah. We even had moments that felt like banter from time to time.”

“I… I see…”

Hayoon made a very awkward expression at my explanation.

Even Jo-ah, who was watching me, wore a similar expression.

Why? I explained it because they asked.

Ah, right.

I got hurt during those fights.

Of course, Jo-ah wasn’t the only one who injured me as a combatant.

Hayoon, Rose, Dahlia, and Delphinium all hurt me at least once.

It was inevitable, I suppose.

Saying I didn’t harbor any resentment would be a lie.

The lingering sense of inferiority within me is likely because I still hold onto those memories deep down.

But yeah, let me emphasize again—it was unavoidable.

At that time, getting captured alive was the bigger issue for me.

I was desperately trying to keep Hayoon from discovering that I was a combatant, so I once provoked Jo-ah on purpose and got hit by her beam, flying far away.

Besides, didn’t I swing my sword and throw punches on my side as well?

It’s as stupid as pointing a gun at an American cop and thinking you won’t get shot.

In a fight between combatants and magical girls, injuries are inevitable.

Though I never broke anyone’s arm or leg, it’s not like I held back to avoid doing so.

Anyway.

The reason both of them now looked so awkwardly at me is simple.

Both had hurt me before, so it must feel strange to be this close to me now.

Yet, even with those awkward expressions, neither Hayoon nor Jo-ah pulled away.

Truly, magical girls have incredible mental resilience.

“To add to the explanation,”

Jo-ah spoke in a somewhat defensive tone.

“Back then, the only one bold enough to provoke me directly was Jieun.”

“And that became a reason for you two to grow closer?”

“You can’t easily understand human emotions, can you? Sometimes, fighting each other leads to unexpected friendships. I guess that’s what happened with me.”

Is that so?

It kind of makes sense, though.

While I was fighting for my life, thinking back to Jo-ah during those times, she always seemed somewhat carefree.

Hayoon seemed lost in thought as she listened to Jo-ah’s words.

Seeing the two of them fall into silence, I ran out of things to say as well.

But wait—we’re on a walk right now, aren’t we?

It’s supposed to be refreshing… though the spring air isn’t exactly great, what with all the pollen.

Still, we came out for some fresh air, so why is this happening?

This could all be resolved by just deciding we’re all friends.

What’s the point of having such conversations?

“I guess I’m not really in a position to say this. Not long ago, I was still acting like, ‘I’m the queen here, and you all do what I say.’”

I even pushed Hayoon against the wall and said, ‘Anything?’ in such a ridiculous tone.

“Jieun?!”

Startled by my knees giving way, Hayoon shouted.

But I let go of her hand and crouched down on the ground.

At the time, I thought I was expressing my anger, but looking back now, it was incredibly irrational.

No, it wasn’t just irrational—it was downright embarrassing.

What on earth was I doing?

I wanted to tear my hair out.

Even so, strangely enough, my circuit didn’t switch to despair.

I wasn’t sure if it had completely changed, as James said, or if this was just how it worked now.

Maybe I can’t despair over something as simple as embarrassment anymore.

Because Hayoon is here.

That thought embarrassed me even more.

This time, it was an internal embarrassment.

“Jieun, are you okay?”

Hayoon crouched down beside me.

Even crouched, she lightly held onto my arm.

Jo-ah remained standing, watching me carefully.

I wished she wouldn’t.