Chapter 52

Doyugeon was drawing lines in his room while reading an English passage. Studying was boring and sometimes made him anxious, but if he kept at it, it gave him a sense of accomplishment. Still, the goal felt distant and overwhelming, so his anxiety didn’t subside.

During his studies, his eyes often wandered to his phone, but it wasn’t just because of phone addiction. Although it was rare for Current Sky to contact him first, it did happen sometimes.

The phone rang. It was Laplace.

“When are you going to fulfill the contract? Our rift management schedule is messed up, and it’s causing a lot of trouble.”

“Sorry. I’ll do it soon. It’s just hard to bring it up with Current Sky.”

Doyugeon clicked his pen.

“You’re really diligent! If it’s too hard for you to say, I can contact her directly.”

“Then it’ll just become a bigger mess.”

“Then perhaps not that young lady.”

“What? Who are you talking to?”

Yumina’s voice suddenly cut in.

“An external contractor.”

“An external contractor? Your tone is different from when you’re talking about work. Lie. Hand it over.”

“Hmph!”

After a brief scuffle, it seemed Yumina had taken the phone.

“Who is this?”

“This is Doyugeon.”

“Why are you answering?”

“Because I said I’d handle the rift, didn’t I?”

“What? Wait, what’s going on here? What’s happening?”

There was a commotion over the phone.

“It hurts! It hurts! It’s force majeure! Force majeure. The schedule is delayed, I tell you.”

“Still, you should’ve told me.”

“I’m the overall supervisor here. And I’m in pain, okay?”

“I’ll take care of the aftermath for that young lady! Break the contract immediately.”

“No way.”

Laplace’s whining could be heard.

“I’ll handle the rift.”

“You will?”

“Does our young lady know about this?”

“No.”

“Uh… Then I’ll mention it to her tomorrow and try to arrange the situation. We’ll figure it out then.”

“I need to send a schedule to Schrödinger by the end of today.”

“Why didn’t you say that earlier? This won’t work. Let’s meet now.”

“There’s a bigger picture, so I didn’t say anything until now. This isn’t appropriate work behavior.”

“Now?”

It was just past 9:00 PM.

“Since I’m coming over, let’s meet at the café near your house. Do you know where it is?”

Doyugeon was about to say he’d call Current Sky now since it seemed urgent. Laplace hadn’t mentioned the deadline, but still, his own procrastination was the issue, and meeting to discuss things would likely go past 10:00 PM. That would mean calling Current Sky after she’d already gone to sleep.

Before he could say that, Laplace spoke first.

“There’s no need to schedule a meeting. Just come now.”

“What? Hold on!”

Yumina’s startled cry was heard, and then a magic circle appeared in the middle of the room. Out of the magic circle popped two girls in pajamas. It was an extremely awkward situation.

Laplace landed lightly and struck a pose.

“Arrived!”

“I can’t live like this…”

Yumina muttered as she lay on the floor, then pointed at the living room wall with her hand.

“Are your parents outside?”

“Of course they are.”

Naturally, they would be home this late at night. The thought of explaining how two pajama-clad girls had sneaked in at night made Doyugeon feel uneasy.

Yumina sighed.

“Of course, right? Anyway, now that we’re here, let’s finish quickly and go. Move aside, you’re a nuisance.”

“Who’s causing the disruption, exactly….”

Laplace mumbled as she squatted in the corner of the room.

“There’s no need to talk. You can just call.”

Doyugeon brought out his address book on the screen and showed his phone. Making the call wasn’t the difficult part. Convincing Current Sky to cooperate on the rift assault was the problem, but then again…

“Just calling won’t do! This needs a strategy.”

“A strategy?”

Laplace, pulling out an ice cream bar somehow, muttered as she peeled it open. Yumina glared at her. With the ice cream in her mouth, Laplace made a teasing sound. Irritated by the noise, Yumina frowned.

“You should just go back.”

“Seriously, but I can’t because I’m busy with work.”

“There’s no need for you to leave. You’re directly involved.”

“How inclusive! Amazing!”

Though praised, it was unclear whether it was sincere or sarcastic.

Yumina shrugged.

“If it’s work, I’d like you to do it properly.”

“I tried! But someone grabbed the phone and overstepped their authority. Now, as I stall trying to convince Mad Wizard, things are getting complicated. Rather than that, I’ll support Magical Girl and organize a party to start the assault immediately. What do you think?”

It was a great idea. There was no need to convince Current Sky, and there was no need to put together an adult party of strangers that might incur unnecessary risks. The only downside would be sacrificing the added safety of going with Current Sky, but one could argue it was an advantage.

Yumina seemed surprised.

“Are you going? Aren’t you busy?”

“I’m not going; it would defeat the purpose of outsourcing.”

“Then am I?”

“No, that’s too dangerous. I’ll send in a newcomer.”

“Absolutely not.”

“I believe they’ve been adequately trained.”

“That’s not the issue. What do you think our young lady will say?”

Laplace blinked blankly.

“Out of the blue, what does that mean?”

“Exactly.”

When the subject of Magical Girl duties came up, Doyugeon, who had been quietly listening until now, jumped in.

“Just imagine. If our young lady realizes the situation, she’d think some unheard-of girl is teaming up with her childhood friend to face life and death. Wow!”

Hearing the explanation, Doyugeon realized how problematic it would be to create such a situation.

“It’s serious.”

“Exactly.”

“What’s the problem? Our young lady herself said she has no romantic feelings.”

“The key is how to persuade her.”

Ignoring Laplace’s confusion, Yumina began to speak.

“I agree.”

“To persuade her, we need to seize the initiative first, right?”

“Is that necessary?”

“Absolutely.”

After hearing such a confident reply, it seemed like that was indeed the case. As Yumina declared boldly:

“The ultimate initiative is a confession! Let’s confess!”

Confused, Doyugeon was at a loss for words.

“Wow! That’s a completely appropriate alternative! Amazing!”

Laplace applauded. Yumina winked at Laplace. Though they usually clashed, in this instance, they were strangely synchronized, which made Doyugeon feel somewhat deflated.

“That’s not an appropriate alternative at all.”

“But I expected you to say that. So, let’s try a tamer version.”

“No, I said I don’t want to confess. Are you trying to ruin our relationship?”

Though they were talking lightly, confession was always a sensitive subject. It’s easier to earn money for a new tangled thread than to untangle an existing mess.

“That’s not what I meant. I’m more concerned about obsession. You should tell the truth without lying. Maybe we should do it via video call. That way, we can talk face-to-face.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about if you’re saying no lies but also sincerity.”

“Why are you overcomplicating things? Look at our young lady’s attitude; it’s a universal cheat code.”

“That’s not as simple as you make it sound.”

It wasn’t easy to simply accept Current Sky’s goodwill as goodwill. And it shouldn’t be.

The time was almost 9:30 PM. Doyugeon ran his hands through his hair and picked up the phone. Fairies sleep at 10:00 PM, so he needed to make the call before then regardless of any issues.

*

Leaning back in the bathtub, she tapped her tablet. A webtoon appeared on the screen. Hmm. She swirled her feet while splashing water. The red bubbles from the bath oils rippled.

Going to school, skipping class, lying around, eating, and sleeping—this life was far too enjoyable. What could make it even more wasteful? Should I measure how long I can lie in bed doing nothing? Is that too pointless?

The phone sitting on the bathroom shelf rang. What hour is this? So rude. Hmm? Is it really? If I had finished bathing and gone to sleep, I might have woken up due to this call in my drowsy state. How rude!

She gathered some foam with her tablet, blew it softly, and used her magic to make the foam swirl and fill the bathroom. Wow, this is magic!

She giggled and used her magic to pop the foam. As the foam burst, red droplets splattered on the walls.

The call that had been cut off rang again. Ugh, really…

She used her magic to lift the phone to see who was calling. At this time of night, it must be from someone not in her contacts, but to her surprise, it was from Doyugeon. Huh? The joy from playing with the foam and the irritation from the ringing phone faded, replaced by bewilderment and anxiety. He never calls this late… Did something happen? Concerned, she quickly answered.

“Something to say, uh!”

The call dropped. What? Bewildered, she blinked and checked the phone again. It was cut, alright. Hmm?

After the abrupt disconnection, considering the video she saw and the sound she heard, it didn’t seem like a dangerous situation. As she dipped her feet back into the water, she realized why. Ah, it was a video call. How careless.

So what? She swirled her feet again, and the phone rang once more. Sneaking a glance, it was a voice call this time. That’s right.

She answered.

“Why?”

“I have something to say.”

He probably wanted to act like the earlier incident didn’t happen. That makes sense.

“Why did you make a video call to someone taking a bath?”

Doyugeon couldn’t respond. Over the phone, a faint suppressed laugh could be heard. What’s going on? Is someone else there?

Using spatial magic, she grabbed the earbuds lying on her bed and plugged them into her ears, turning up the volume. The laughter had stopped by the time she checked.

“It’s nice to talk in the bright bathroom.”

The suppressed laughter returned. Whoever it was, it was definitely a girl.

She switched the call mode and sent a text to Yumina: Is there a girl hanging out with Doyugeon today? After a while, she received a reply. According to Yumina, there was no one she knew. He was probably studying at home. Yumina wondered why she was asking but only got “just asking” as a response.

Then what is it? Recalling the brief glimpse from the video call, it definitely seemed like his room.

Since Doyugeon still hadn’t spoken, she messaged Doyugeon’s mother asking if anyone was in Doyugeon’s room. After waiting a bit, the message count didn’t go down. Hmm. Guess it doesn’t matter. Though slightly uneasy, she closed the chat.

“So, what do you want to say?”

After giving him a chance to start, Doyugeon stuttered a few times before beginning. He was going to tackle the rift and wanted her to come along.

“Really? You used to sneak off before, so why are you inviting me now?”

Her teasing question was met with a hesitant reply.

“At first, it was dangerous since it was the first time. But it’d be fun with you, right?”

“Huh?”

Doyugeon stumbled over his words.

“Even though it’s dangerous, I don’t want to give up. I know it may seem pointless, but I won’t waste it. Though I’m not confident, I still need to do something, right? Ah, crap… Anyway, can you come with me?”

After thought had followed emotion, a baffling sensation took over. A charming emotion overwhelmed her empathy, recognition, and consideration. A sticky kind of dependency that targets weaknesses.

Her lips trembled. These are excessive emotions. Biting her lower lip, a drop of blood fell.

“Sorry… I’ll hang up.”

“Wait, it’s not that. Just wait a moment. Waiting is fine.”

She licked her lips. It tastes iron-like…

“Ultimately, you’re asking me to stay with you, right? Okay, sure. I’ll do it if you want. As much as you want. I’ve always done it, so why would I stop now?”

“Really?”

“Of course. Always. Will you be able to handle it?”

“Ah. Thank goodness. I was worried you’d refuse.”

“Unnecessary worry.”

“When would be good? This weekend maybe?”

“Why the rush?”

Through the phone, Doyugeon’s mother’s voice could be heard asking what was going on. A hurried greeting from a girl—Yumina—also followed.

“I’ll hang up. We’ll talk tomorrow. Good night.”

“Hold it?”

The call ended.

Yumina?

Checking her chats with Yumina, she saw the messages she had sent earlier. Yumina had clearly said there was no girl hanging out with Doyugeon today.

She called Yumina, but the phone wasn’t answered.

She sent another message.

“Yumina.”

After waiting a while, the message count didn’t decrease.

“Yumina.”

Sending another message, she played with the water in the tub as bitter feelings of betrayal began to arise. She had said yes willingly despite being asked multiple times, but she hadn’t expected this.

The message count disappeared, and soon after, Yumina’s call came in. She pressed reject, but messages kept coming.

“Hey, Oh!”

“It’s absolutely not like that!”

“It’s complicated for various reasons!”

Too many exclamation marks. The phone rang again. This time, she answered.

“Who’s this ‘Lady Cha’?”

Yumina stammered and explained.

“It turns out Laplace randomly used spatial travel, and things got messy. I didn’t see your calls or messages because I was cleaning up the mess.”

Hmm, a misunderstanding then.

“I see. I was worried. I thought you were excluding me.”

“We’ve excluded you plenty of times, but I’ve never lied about it! And I never will!”

“Plenty? Is that true?”

Regretting her suspicion, she almost got misled.

She wiped the blood trickling from her lips with her finger. It was bitter and tingling. To avoid misunderstandings, she should install a listening device in Doyugeon’s room. That would benefit both Yumina and Doyugeon too.

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