Cohabitation-2

“This is cheaper, though?”

After putting the potatoes in the cart, Seong-ah asked Kang In-ho, who was slowly moving forward.

“Huh?”

“The potatoes. This one is 30 won cheaper.”

“True, but the number of potatoes in the bundle is different.”

Kang In-ho pointed to the price tag, and Kim Sung-ah looked at the price tags of the two products.

“That one has six in a bundle, and this one has four.”

Kang In-ho explained to Kim Sung-ah, who still didn’t realize the difference, like a tutor explaining a wrong problem.

“Since the price difference isn’t that big, it’s better to buy less if possible.”

“Why?”

“We can’t just eat potatoes all week.”

He thought of the ingredients that were rotting away in the refrigerator.

“Ah….”

Was she finally realizing it, or was she just responding appropriately? Kim Sung-ah let out a small exclamation.

“Let’s have curry for dinner today. Do you like curry?”

“I don’t dislike it.”

“Hmm… that’s a very lukewarm reaction. What’s your favorite food, then?”

“…I can’t really think of anything.”

“Sigh, let’s just have curry then.”

Kang In-ho shrugged as he put carrots in the cart.

Kang In-ho skillfully navigated the mart. He didn’t linger in any section for long, picking up only the necessary ingredients and moving on, so the time spent shopping wasn’t very long.

Following behind him, Kim Sung-ah, who had only been looking at his back, turned her gaze to the freezer.

“Ice cream?”

He said, having come to her side unnoticed, after seeing what caught her eye.

Without even asking her, he opened the freezer and grabbed two melon-flavored ice creams.

“Hmm… we’ve got all the curry ingredients, and we have rice, light bulbs, batteries, a mop….”

Looking at a small piece of paper he had made at some point, he checked if he had missed anything.

After finishing the list, he moved the cart to the checkout counter.

The mart cashier skillfully scanned the barcodes.

“That’s 70,920 won in total.”

That’s a bit much. Kim Sung-ah thought, looking at the amount on the screen.

“……..”

Kang In-ho stared at Kim Sung-ah.

Kim Sung-ah tilted her head, not understanding the meaning of his gaze.

After a moment of silence, Kang In-ho spoke first.

“I don’t have any money.”

He said it as if it were obvious, and Kim Sung-ah opened her mouth slightly, looking dazed.

Did I bring my card…? She rummaged through her pockets.

“Ah, damn it….”

Handing the card to the cashier, Kim Sung-ah glared at Kang In-ho.

Kang In-ho whistled, subtly avoiding her gaze.

On the way home, Kang In-ho and Kim Sung-ah were walking along the road, each holding a melon-flavored ice cream.

In Kang In-ho’s remaining hand was a heavy plastic bag. It was a plastic bag containing a whopping 70,920 won worth of goods.

Even though she paid for it.

“You seem used to this kind of thing?”

She looked up at him, who had already eaten half of his ice cream.

“What?”

He replied with an unclear pronunciation, licking the melting surface with his lips.

“No, I mean… you seem used to buying things. You seem to have some know-how.”

“I’ve been living on my own for a long time.”

He had been living alone since getting a job and moving out of his parents’ house. He reminisced for a moment.

“So, you were human before you became one of the Four Heavenly Kings?”

“Let’s just say that.”

“Are you going to be so uncooperative?”

“If you don’t like it, do that Libra thing again.”

“That magic has so many restrictions… it’s not like a candy you can take out and eat whenever you want.”

Kim Sung-ah huffed.

“But why suddenly the Four Heavenly Kings?”

The man put the rest of his ice cream in his mouth.

“Since you said you don’t remember being one of the Four Heavenly Kings… I thought maybe my magic purified you or something… that’s what I thought.”

“I can’t really say anything about that. I just woke up in the park, and some weird cosplay pervert was poking my butt with a stick.”

“That’s kind of right, but all wrong.”

Kim Sung-ah ended the conversation by putting the ice cream in her mouth.

The two men and women walked along the road for a while.

Kang In-ho, who wasn’t familiar with the road, seemed to be following her half a step behind.

“How long have you been living alone?”

It was Kang In-ho who broke the newly found silence.

“Five years.”

“No other relatives?”

“I have an aunt, but she doesn’t come often. She lives far away.”

I see. Kang In-ho looked aimlessly at the sky.

“But why are you asking?”

“You don’t seem to be very good at managing your household for someone who’s been living alone for so long.”

Kim Sung-ah sighed at the sudden fact.

“I know. I need to learn, but it’s not easy. It’s not like they teach it at school… and I’m busy with Magical Girl stuff.”

“So, you go to school in the morning and then you’re a Magical Girl at night?”

Do they only attack at night? Kang In-ho asked.

“It would be nice if it were that predictable. These guys… they don’t discriminate between day and night. Sometimes I have to run out in the middle of class.”

Kim Sung-ah chuckled like a balloon deflating at his naive question.

“If they attack all the time, then how do you….”

He was about to ask how she managed her daily life.

Before he could finish his sentence, goosebumps started to rise on his skin.

“See?”

The Magical Girl looked up at the sky as if she were fed up.

It was still early for the sun to set, but the sky was darkening.

Kim Sung-ah grabbed the wooden stick of the ice cream and pulled it out. She put the whole ice cream in her mouth and swallowed it.

“Look at that.”

Looking at the countless black somethings densely covering the sun, Kim Sung-ah said as if she were fed up.

“I told you, they don’t discriminate between day and night.”

People on the street began to react to the sudden change.

Some tried to share the scene on social media with their phones, and some with good instincts began to flee to what they thought was a safe place.

In the midst of those people, Kim Sung-ah stretched her arms and legs.

“We need to evacuate people.”

Kang In-ho said with a hardened face.

“No, there’s no time for that.”

Kim Sung-ah took a deep breath and held out her hand.

A staff popped out from the paved street.

“Are you going to transform here?”

“It’s okay. They’ll all forget anyway.”

After giving an enigmatic answer, Kim Sung-ah grabbed the center of the staff.

A blue and mysterious light began to settle on her body.

“Oh, brilliant and sacred Star’s Power.”

Her clothes began to shine and transform.

“I, as a rightful contractor of the Star, wish to use its power.”

Her comfortable training clothes transformed into the frilly clothes with star decorations that she had worn in the park at night.

“I will illuminate the light of dreams and hope to annihilate evil here.”

Her hair, which had been tied back, was released and tied into pigtails.

Star decorations were attached to her head.

“Star’s Magical Girl. Lyrical Star. Here I come!”

In the place where Kim Sung-ah had disappeared, a Magical Girl appeared, twirling her staff and looking up at the sky.

The dark clouds in the sky increased. Actually, they weren’t dark clouds.

Kang In-ho squinted and looked at the sky. It was a swarm of bats.

Thousands of bats the size of people were falling from the sky towards them.

People who had been taking pictures of the sky with their phones also began to scream and run away in panic.

“They seem like small fries, but there are too many of them.”

Kang In-ho muttered worriedly.

As if responding to his words, the Magical Girl drew up her power.

“Sagittarius.”

After chanting the spell, she stomped her right foot hard on the ground.

With a thud, a giant constellation began to be engraved on the ground.

Brightly shining dots were embroidered on the street, and blue lines connected the dots.

“Target confirmed.”

Lyrical Star took a step back slightly.

Then she raised her staff diagonally.

“Magic power charging.”

Light began to gather at the end of the staff, and the constellation engraved on the ground also began to shine in the same color.

Kang In-ho felt as if the ground was pulsating.

“Magic power control released.”

The staff began to shake violently. It was a form of barely holding back a huge force.

“Safety device released.”

Lyrical Star did not lose her composure even though the staff was shaking wildly.

“Rate of fire, rapid fire.”

“Ascella.”

“Oh, Chiron’s light, sharply shot, annihilate the enemy.”

“No dodging because it’s magic!!!!”

With her shout, a barrage of light was fired into the sky.

Kim Sung-ah on the way back was completely exhausted.

In conclusion, she succeeded in blocking the enemy’s offensive.

Although the exterior walls of the building were damaged in the process, there were no major accidents or casualties.

Kim Sung-ah thought that was enough.

“Amazing.”

Hearing praise from someone who had been an enemy until recently made her feel strange, but she didn’t bother to express it.

“But are you going to be okay? Everyone saw you. Aren’t you supposed to keep your Magical Girl activities a secret?”

“Don’t worry. They’ll all forget tomorrow.”

“You said that earlier too. What does that mean?”

“The Star’s Power erases all memories and records of Magical Girls and evil forces.”

“But the damage remains.”

“It’s roughly fitted to reality. Like, a gas pipe exploded or something….”

“I can’t argue with that because it’s magic.”

Kim Sung-ah chuckled at his absurd words.

“I protected it again today.”

Kim Sung-ah muttered, looking at the setting sun. The orange sunset was blazing in the sky.

“It must be hard.”

Kang In-ho said, looking at Kim Sung-ah.

“I’m used to it, so it’s okay. There are restrictions on these guys coming over here too. Judging by the number of guys who attacked today… there won’t be an attack until at least the day after tomorrow.”

“No, that’s not what I meant.”

“Yes?”

Kim Sung-ah tilted her head at his words.

“That… never mind.”

Kang In-ho, who was about to say something, closed his mouth. It was because he had changed his mind.

He and she walked and walked and arrived home.

“I need to put this in the fridge quickly.”

Kang In-ho said as he entered the house. The milk in the plastic bag was lukewarm.

“Please organize things. I need to wash up….”

Kim Sung-ah, who was taking off her shoes in the hallway, stopped talking.

Shoes she had never seen before came into her sight.

“…What is this?”

Before that question could end, someone walked out of the kitchen.

“Seong-ah.”

“Oh? Aunt?!”

Kim Sung-ah froze on the spot at the sudden appearance of her relative, and Kang In-ho, who followed behind, did the same.

A woman who looked to be in her late 30s looked back and forth between Inho and Seong-ah.

“Um… who is that person behind you?”

She demanded an explanation from her niece, and Kim Sung-ah rolled her eyes back and forth at the sudden question, rambling.

“Ah, that’s… this mister is, um, who is he… well, I know him, but I don’t know him from a long time ago… I recently, uh, got to know him….”

The aunt’s eyes narrowed at her niece’s behavior, which clearly showed that she was flustered, and Kang In-ho, who was behind her, came forward and said.

“I’m Seong-ah’s tutor.”

Kim Sung-ah’s mouth dropped open at the shamelessness of his blatant lie. Fortunately, her face was hidden from her aunt behind Inho’s back.

“A tutor?”

Kim Sung-ah’s aunt crossed her arms and scanned him up and down.

“Yes.”

Kang In-ho nodded his head greatly.

“But… does the tutor go grocery shopping with you?”

Her finger pointed to the plastic bag he was holding.

At her gesture demanding an explanation, Kang In-ho took a deep breath and opened his mouth.

“It’s a modern MZ-style tutoring.”

Thwack, the sound of Kim Sung-ah hitting her forehead with her palm was heard, and Kang In-ho thought to himself.

‘Wow~ I explained it well. That’s me.’