Chapter 25

It’s Christmas at 5 o’clock in the morning. I tossed and turned in bed. The aftermath of using the magic circle must have been more significant than I thought. Even though I had intended to stay awake all night to greet Christmas as a middle schooler, I ended up sleeping through the morning after laying down for just a moment. That’s quite a definitive side effect.

Does the Schrödinger-style magic circle induce fatigue in the user? While conducting an experiment would be the surest way to verify this, the preparation is too much trouble, so it’s probably best to assume it does. After all, if I’d experienced no side effects myself, it’s unlikely I would have fallen asleep after briefly lying down.

I stayed in bed for a while, enjoying the warmth of the blankets before getting up and tidying it. After a quick shower, I left my room.

Stepping into the living room, I saw gift boxes and a small Christmas tree. I was sure there had been a star on top, but now it’s missing. After checking around the tree, I found the star stuck to the side. It looked like it had been placed there intentionally.

I wonder what my parents were up to last night while I was asleep? Did they drink? Probably. Still, since everything around is intact, it seems they tidied up before going to bed. But why would they leave the star stuck like this?

I used my magic power to remove the star and reattached it to the top of the tree. Then I went to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator.

The cake I had confirmed existed yesterday with the help of my magic was now gone, replaced by a single slice of prepackaged cake. It wasn’t even a leftover slice of the original cake.

Mom really…

She must have been convinced I wouldn’t wake up and gobbled up the entire cake with Dad. Sure, it went as expected, but still, Mom, you’re the worst.

I took the prepackaged cake slice and made a cappuccino using a capsule coffee. I sat on the sofa in the living room and enjoyed my breakfast. Holidays really are relaxing, both mentally and physically.

Still, I won’t forget that Mom ate the entire cake. Hmm. The more I think about it, the more it bothers me. Why did she eat it all when she left some every year until last year?

With adolescence approaching, I might feel isolated from my family. It’s strange how sensitive to these sorts of things one becomes as a middle schooler.

Mom probably didn’t intentionally do something hurtful, but maybe this was part of some master plan? Some… something of that sort. She wouldn’t pull a prank like this, would she?

Ah, a plausible idea just came to me. Since I’m now a middle schooler and adolescence is approaching, she might have been testing me to see what I was thinking inside.

I’ve never hidden my true feelings from my parents, but whether they took them as intended is another matter. Since the realization of my previous life, I’ve behaved somewhat differently from ordinary kids, so their curiosity is understandable.

That’s a good way to look at it. This should be it.

After finishing the cake, I took a sip of cappuccino. Around that time, my parents’ bedroom door opened, and Dad came out.

He looked like he had showered but still appeared tousled.

“Dad, are you hungover?”

“Can it look like that? I barely drank.”

Dad went to the kitchen for a glass of water and sat beside me on the sofa.

“Not hungover, maybe just from not getting enough sleep. I stayed up late last night.”

“Doing what?”

“…Various things? By the way, you said you weren’t sleeping, right? Mom was laughing because you didn’t come out of your room by midnight.”

“Dad. There was a reason I couldn’t. I tried to use a magic circle, but it turned out to have side effects, making me unusually tired. If it wasn’t for that, I would have stayed awake and welcomed Christmas.”

“Side effects? Maybe you should go to the hospital?”

Though he seemed half-asleep, Dad suddenly looked at me with wide eyes.

It wasn’t that serious of a comment…

“Just talking out loud. I think it was more due to my usual circadian rhythm that I ended up sleeping. Living a regular life makes it hard to resist.”

I added this explanation, but Dad still looked concerned.

“If our daughter says so, it must be true, but let me know if anything hurts.”

“Okay.”

“Seriously, though.”

“Okay.”

“But how did you use that magic circle?”

I briefly explained about the Schrödinger-style magic circle to Dad, mentioning that the ingredient was blood and that I tried it out during my spare time. When I mentioned this, Dad gave me a peculiar look but moved on without comment.

After finishing the story and clearing away the cake and my cup, my parents’ bedroom door opened, and Mom entered the living room. She glanced at me and Dad, then turned her gaze to the Christmas tree.

“The star’s back on top.”

It seemed she noticed the star I had just reattached.

Dad leaned back on the sofa with a smile.

“You’re spot on.”

“What’s going on?”

Mom replied jovially.

“It means Mom won the bet.”

Are you saying you two made a bet about whether I’d put the star back on the tree?

“What kind of bet did you make about me?”

“That’s a conversation our daughter isn’t ready for.”

Mom headed toward the tree and rummaged through the gift boxes.

“Now that everyone’s awake, let’s open gifts. Hmm… let’s start with this one?”

A small gift box was placed in front of me.

“Is this mine?”

“Yes. Open it.”

Judging by her response, this was likely from Mom.

Unwrapping the present, I opened the box to find a bracelet. It wasn’t modern in design but had an older, somewhat classic style.

[C-Rank/Emergency Bracelet of the Great Mage Cleione]

Ah…

I struggled momentarily with a cultural shock. It was quite sudden. Though it had been six months since fantasy phenomena began in this world, this still felt oddly foreign.

Am I strange, or is the world strange?

“Is it not to your liking?”

Mom asked. I must have been lost in thought for a moment.

“No. It’s just the content was unexpected.”

“Oh, good. Mum thought it might feel strange, though it seemed familiar. Maybe I should’ve picked something else?”

“No, it’s fine.”

I put the bracelet on my right wrist. Since it’s a C-Rank item, it surely wouldn’t just be a bracelet. What effect does it have? An emergency function is mentioned, so perhaps it’ll launch fireballs?

“What does it do?”

“Try channeling magic into it right here.”

It must be safe. I stood in the center of the living room and directed my magic into the bracelet. It took more magic than I expected compared to the B-Rank magic wand I once experienced, but finally, the magic circle appeared and activated.

My body slightly levitated before glowing. The clothes I was wearing vanished momentarily and transformed into another outfit.

What is this? Checking quickly, it turned out to be a modern mage’s costume. Surprise! I thought it might turn into a magical girl outfit.

“Perfect! It suits our daughter.”

Mom hugged me. Dad, who had somehow retrieved a camera, was taking pictures. The mage costume wasn’t poorly designed, but it felt strangely embarrassing to be photographed.

I used magic to lift the mage’s hat to block the camera.

“Mom, does this do anything else?”

“Yes, that’s it.”

So, the magic just changes clothing? While this is beyond the boundaries of modern science and impressive, touching the clothes and inspecting the magic within confirmed it was just regular clothing with no magical functions.

I shook my wrist with the bracelet. If this were a C-Rank item, it should be quite valuable. Imagine spending 10 billion won on gacha and getting this bracelet—what a joy.

“Sky.”

Mom grabbed my shoulder in a serious tone.

“Yes?”

“Mom has something she really wants to ask.”

“What is it?”

“Would you grant Mom’s wish?”

“Yes, but what is it?”

In such a serious context, what kind of request could it be?

“Take the bracelet off and return to your original clothes.”

I took off the bracelet, and my clothes reverted.

“And?”

“Let me show you.”

Mom carried the bracelet and began speaking.

“Once the magic circle is activated, raise your hand like this.”

Why?

Mom struck a pose.

“Magical Girl Appearance! In the name of justice, I shall not forgive you!”

Erm…

Hmm…

Aah…

“No.”

“It’s for our daughter.”

“Really no.”

I avoided Mom, waving my arms in protest. Watching this made me so embarrassed. Sneaking a glance at Dad, he was happily snapping photos with his camera. I wished he would intervene instead of just recording the moment.

Mom embraced me.

“Sky, don’t do that.”

“I’m serious, I don’t want to.”

“It’s Mom’s lifelong dream.”

“Mom, aren’t you embarrassed? I feel embarrassed just thinking about it.”

“Romance doesn’t have to be embarrassing. Our daughter, once only.”

A short period of persuasion and refusal followed. Then Mom promised to tell Dad’s love life black history if I would participate. That is quite intriguing.

Watching idly, Dad suddenly looked startled.

“That’s something I can’t do.”

Hmm…

“Maybe I’ll try once…”

“Mom will be happy with just one try.”

“I said no.”

“If we don’t take pictures, would you consider it?”

Mom snatched Dad’s camera and tossed it aside.

Dad looked extremely flustered.

“Dear, just wait a moment. Everyone has embarrassing pasts, right? Let’s not make it a scandal. Right?”

“I’m upfront with my past.”

Wow, Mom is shameless.

I took the bracelet. Although I might regret this, I’m a middle schooler experiencing adolescence. Plus, since it’s Christmas, perhaps this isn’t too bizarre. While embarrassing, it might be fun.

Thinking about it, it seemed worth trying at least once.

“Alright. Since it’s Mom’s wish, I’ll try it once.”

I infused the bracelet with magic. Shortly after, the magic circle appeared. Alright, good.

I lifted my arm.

“Transform!”

Despite the spirited declaration, the voice that came out was small and timid. The magic activated, and I sparkled as my outfit transformed into the mage costume.

Therefore, the next line is…

“Magical…”

My face heated up, and I could feel the fine hairs on my skin reacting to the air. Attempting to say more a few times, I eventually covered my face with my hands and collapsed to the ground.

Ugh…

Ummh…

This isn’t right…

Mom hugged me, calling me cute. For a while, I hid in Mom’s embrace to calm down.

It was fun, so it’s alright. The process and result were both anticipated. Knowing what would happen made it less embarrassing. Definitely.

Still embarrassing though…

Since I remained flustered in Mom’s arms, she finally picked me up and sat me on the sofa before making me a cup of cappuccino.

I took a sip. Ah, it’s good. I’m calming down a little.

“Mom, how do I become as shameless as you?”

“Our daughter, as Mom’s child, can do it.”

That’s… Is this a dig at me? Though I initiated the conversation, it doesn’t sound like praise.

We continued opening gifts after I calmed down completely. Dad gave me a mage robe item. It had no grand functions, only focusing on defensive capability. Very practical. Still, since it’s also C-Rank, showing it off in front of Doyugeon would be hard.

After gift opening, we ate cake. Mom had suggested having cake for breakfast, and I thought she must have ordered it. But no, she returned to her room and retrieved the cake from a separate fridge. Surprisingly, it was untouched.

Why leave the perfectly fine kitchen fridge and store the cake in there? Though several thoughts crossed my mind, the cake was delicious.

Time passed, and my parents went out on a date.

Shall I head over to Doyugeon’s place to deliver his gift?

In case he’s not home, I sent him a message.

“What are you doing now?”

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