episode_0014

“Please sit on the sofa for now, as I’ll apply medicine for you.”

“……”

In the end, I brought Freyf home.

This was the first time I brought a woman home, but she turned out to be the Magic Girl I’m in charge of.

If I had told my past self this, he would have scolded me, telling me not to lie.

‘First, let’s find the medicine.’

Currently, Freyf is injured.

Although quite a bit of blood was stained from the battle, the wounds didn’t seem very deep when looked at from the outside.

Moreover, since she said she was fine herself, I decided to at least give her first aid.

‘Aside from this kind of disinfectant, I should have something I received from another Magic Girl before.’

Each Magic Girl has her own characteristics, so there are also those who specialize in preparing medicine.

I’m sure I remember receiving something that could be called a potion or elixir.

To find the medicine I had left to use in an emergency, I rummaged through the shelf.

And finally, a blue bottle visible at the end of the shelf.

I brought the bottle and gauze and approached Freyf.

“I’m going to start with first aid, so please bear with the pain a little.”

“…”

Nod.

Freyf answering by nodding her head.

After confirming that she allowed physical contact, I took her arm, opened the potion bottle, and started applying it to the gauze.

For external wounds, like wiping lightly…

-Hiss.

“Ugh… Mm!”

“Does it hurt? Just bear with it a little longer.”

As soon as it was applied, smoke rose and it seemed like pain was surging in.

I finished the first aid as quickly as possible to reduce the pain, but her face was crumpled as if it was no ordinary pain.

‘Is it already all healed?’

Perhaps the effect of the potion.

Or perhaps thanks to the Magic Girl’s overwhelming physical ability.

New skin was growing on the wound that had been bleeding just a moment ago.

Surprised by the mysterious body of the Magic Girl, I looked at Freyf.

Freyf, who hadn’t said anything after saying she wanted to go home and was staring blankly into space.

Seeing her look like she was pushed to her limit, I decided to just leave her be.

I didn’t want to pry or make her open up.

“……”

‘She’s trembling… Is she cold?’

Perhaps because she had lost some blood, her body was slightly shivering.

I brought a blanket and covered her with it, then went to make a warm drink to give her.

I received hot water for the cocoa powder I sometimes drink and handed it to Freyf.

This time too, she received the cocoa without a word.

As I couldn’t think of anything else to take care of, I sat next to Freyf and looked into the air together.

…

‘It’s awkward.’

Atmosphere is something that people create.

However, if there are no words, the atmosphere isn’t created; instead, it only creates awkwardness.

It felt like a waste to just let time pass by, so I picked up the remote control that was next to the sofa.

Since there was a lot happening today, the TV would probably be showing news about it right now.

-Beep.

-The commotion caused by the Grade 1 demon beast and the fallen Magic Girl that appeared in B City has currently been quelled.

-The corpse of the demon beast is being handled by the government, and the fallen Magic Girl has been confirmed to be currently on the run.

-Magic Girl Ai, who made the greatest contribution to this incident, is receiving nothing but praise.

‘Ai finished it all.’

As expected, the title ‘Magic Girl of Victory’ wasn’t given to her for no reason.

A Grade 1 demon beast and a fallen Magic Girl.

The fact that she finished those two in consecutive battles made the saying ‘the strongest of this generation’ resonate deeply.

‘I wonder if she wasn’t badly hurt.’

Although I was concerned about Freyf, I was also worried about Ai, who is another one I’m in charge of.

Her opponents weren’t ordinary demon beasts either.

Grade 1 and Esther.

I was worried whether she might have gotten hurt fighting those two.

And then it moved on to the next news segment.

-Yes, here’s another piece of news. It’s the news that criticism of Magic Girls by some citizens has recently increased.

-The Magic Girls’ unreasonable deployments and the resulting expansion of damage. Citizens’ complaints due to this…

-Beep.

I turned off the TV just like that.

Ungrateful bastards.

They didn’t care that Magic Girls put their lives on the line to fight all this time, but they only complain about the damage they suffered, right?

I checked Freyf who was sitting next to me.

The main content of that news was the Magic Girls’ unreasonable participation.

It was content criticizing them for going out against opponents like demon beasts stronger than themselves.

Naturally, Freyf was also included in that news.

‘I should have just looked it up on my phone.’

Carefully, I watched her out of the corner of my eye, wondering if Freyf might have been hurt by this news.

It felt like her face had become a little darker than before.

“Um…”

A single word from Freyf that broke the silence.

Her dark pupils, into which light did not enter, gazed at me.

I couldn’t tell what emotions she was feeling in her eyes, and the thought that they were empty came first.

“Why are you helping me like this?”

“What do you mean, why am I helping?”

“No… haven’t I been very rude? Threatening with my hands and getting annoyed. But why don’t you get angry even once? Are you just enduring it because I’m the Magic Girl you’re in charge of?”

It was a word from Freyf filled with sincerity.

Why are you helping me?

And why are you being nice to me?

Honestly, it was difficult to answer easily.

Should I call it pity? Or a sense of duty?

Originally, humans are not creatures that can precisely define their own feelings.

Just because I feel like I should do it.

To put it simply, it would be this kind of feeling.

“If I say ‘just because’, you wouldn’t believe me, right?”

“Naturally… right?”

“Hmm, honestly, I don’t have any particular thoughts.”

“Huh?”

I really just help without any particular thought.

Like when I approach and help a child crying in front of me without any thought.

I’m just doing my best with the feeling that I want Magic Girls to be happy.

“…Strange.”

“I’m originally a strange person. That’s why I work as a counselor specifically for Magic Girls.”

“Favor without any thought…”

Freyf muttered the words I had spoken and looked up at me again.

And then, thinking about something for a moment and taking a deep breath, she started to move as if she had made a decision.

Her rough hand with calluses took my hand.

And she brought it to her rough cheek and rubbed it for a moment.

It was an incomprehensible action.

“It’s warm. This kind of favor… this warmth… it’s all my first time… So. I just… don’t know.”

-Plop.

Moisture was felt at my fingertips.

“Something feels strange. Like you said, Counselor, something I can’t express in words, but here. The inside of my chest is starting to ache.”

The moisture gradually intensifying.

I just conveyed warmth to her cheek without saying anything.

I felt that the emotion of sadness was coming through my palm.

Therefore, I couldn’t say anything.

To empathize with the feeling of sadness, I did nothing.

I just waited until her emotions dulled and waited for her to gradually calm down.

“It might be boring… but would you listen to my story? You said that’s a counselor’s job.”

As she said, I nodded my head.

The person in front of me right now is not Magic Girl Freyf.

Seolhwa.

It was the moment she showed her true self to me as Seolhwa, just an ordinary girl.

The wounds in her heart that she couldn’t confide in anyone.

The story of Freyf… no, Seolhwa, who hated showing her weak side to anyone.

‘My guess was right after all.’

It was the story of a poor girl who had suffered domestic violence and lived.

A wretched life where she lost her mother before her ego was established in her childhood, and was abused by the one called father.

She said that even in such a life, she grew up as an ordinary girl who was enthusiastic about reading and Magic Girls.

A girl who admired the brightly shining Magic Girls, but whose reality was very dark.

Such a girl was given an opportunity.

An opportunity to stand beside the women she admired.

‘Still, she couldn’t escape the chains of her home, I guess.’

Magic Girls who fight through the power of pure emotions.

In contrast to that, a girl who grew up in a negative environment.

She became a Magic Girl with just fighting spirit and admiration, but despite that, her limits were clear.

A weak girl who still couldn’t escape from that damned household.

That is Freyf. The life of the ordinary girl, Seolhwa.

Because she had few happy memories, she kept a distance from others, and because what she saw at home was violence and hatred, she was awkward in dealing with others.

Just the girl Freyf, who longed for recognition and someone’s warmth.

I affirmed her and slowly hugged her.

And patting her back, I satisfied the things she had longed for so much.

“Thank you always, Freyf. Your efforts weren’t in vain, so please have self-esteem. And truly… you’ve worked hard.”

I affirmed her, fulfilling the things she longed for, even if only slightly.

That because she existed, we could live.

Saying that Freyf is everyone’s hope.

And then.

“Ah, aha… Wahhhh!!”

Embraced in my arms, she started to sob.

She was just a girl who needed such small praise and recognition.

Emitting sadness mixed with the emotion of joy, she hugged me even tighter.

Hoping that her tears would carry all the negative emotions and depart, I patted her back.

Before I knew it, the one embraced in my arms was not the orange-haired Freyf, but only the black-haired Seolhwa.

***

“You can sleep on my bed tonight. I have a sofa in the living room, so…”

-Clutch.

Just as I was about to lay Seolhwa down on the bed and turn back.

She grabbed my fingertips, stopping my footsteps.

Narrowing her eyes full of tear traces, she slowly opened her mouth as if shy.

“Just for tonight… can we hold hands and sleep together?”

The small girl Seolhwa, more fragile and desiring warmth than ever before.

Who would believe that the formidable Freyf was this girl if told?

Smiling, I held her hand tightly as she said and went under the same blanket.

“It seems the saying about men and women not sitting together after the age of seven has disappeared from the world now.”

“…I’m sorry about that.”

“No, rather than apologizing, please focus on sleeping comfortably for today, Freyf.”

Holding her soft hand tightly, I showed her the warmth that she hadn’t been able to obtain at home until now.

Until she quietly closed her eyes and fell asleep, I praised her, stroked her head, and stayed by her side so she could sleep more comfortably than ever before.

And so, Freyf soon fell sound asleep.

Perhaps because she had been injured today and had expressed so much emotion, she must have been tired.

Seeing the girl sleeping soundly beside me, it felt like sleep was coming over me too, and it was the moment I was about to close my eyes.

-Ding!

The phone vibration that rang out in an instant.

Surprised by the sudden text message late at night, I quickly checked it.

[Ai-yang: I’m in front of the door. Please come out.]

‘What?’

Startled by Ai’s sudden message, I quickly opened the front door and came out.

As expected, it was exactly as the message said.

Ai, who was quietly staring at the entrance in the darkness.

Perhaps she hadn’t gone home after fighting Esther, as her body was covered in dirt and mud.

However, there was a more noticeable change than that.

Ai, who was darker than ever before.

The emotion of anxiety was strongly felt from her.

And she naturally nestled into my arms and whispered.

“Oppa, it’s just… I’m really having a hard time right now.”

Even in the darkness, Ai’s eyes emitted an amethyst light and gazed at mine.

“Just once. Even just once would be fine… Could you whisper words of love and kiss me?”

Surprised by the sudden request, I almost pushed her away.

However, Ai’s eyes seemed serious.

Rather, her anxiety grew even stronger, and she just hugged me tightly and whispered again.

“I won’t ask for anything more than this. So… even just once would be fine, I want to feel Oppa’s love.”