Chapter 93

8:30 PM on Saturday evening.

Yumina dragged her exhausted body into the elevator. Her soles prickled, and her ankles ached. She felt weak in the lower back, and the back of her head throbbed with pain. Still, she kept her posture straight, which was solely due to the education she had received since childhood.

“Ah… I’m tired.”

Although the muttering was meaningless, it gave her a sense of diluting the complaints within.

The elevator stopped and opened. In the distance, the front door came into view. One of the good things about living here was that Cha Haneul occupied an entire floor, so there were no neighbors next door. Though the concept of “neighborhood” had long lost its meaning, communities often formed around living spaces, and rumors tended to spread quickly in such places. Stories about young girls coming home late at night would spread even faster.

In a world where media ridiculed magical girls and treated them as nascent criminals, spreading such rumors would not be beneficial. Listening to life lectures from neighbors who barely recognized her face was enough to drain one’s motivation for living.

Although she boasted of having no fundamental fault, it seemed that such things didn’t matter to people. In fact, she was also doubtful about whether she truly had no fault. As she consoled other dejected magical girls, she often wondered what justified basis she had to say she was not at fault. If one thought the world’s sense of justice was strange, it might be necessary to reflect on whether it was oneself who was strange. Even if it seemed anti-constitutional, if the majority said so, it might be true. Shouldn’t running away from home be labeled as a sin if it is a sin?

Yumina wished all these confusion and worries would disappear. However, she was well aware that this wouldn’t happen. All sorts of logic and concepts were merely consoling thoughts. Unless the world collapsed one day, they wouldn’t be resolved, and unless the building collapsed, nothing would change.

Meanwhile, a part of her mind was presenting various alternatives. That was the wide perspective cultivated by her educated knowledge and comfortable environment. Which group to ask for help, which institution to be wary of, which argument to accept, what kind of concept to adopt – and how to recognize all these things. Viable alternatives and methods to improve her situation occasionally surfaced but were quickly discarded. She was well aware of their limitations. If there were no limits, she wouldn’t have run away in the first place.

Upon entering the house, she heard faint conversation. Yumina took a deep breath and exclaimed loudly.

“I’m home!”

It was a shout meant for shouting. Conveying meaning was secondary, it was simply an attempt to dispel her inner restlessness. It was effective.

She heard a response from inside. The fact that only Doyugeon replied made it seem that the person talking earlier was Cha Haneul and not Laplace.

While tidying up her shoes, Yumina suddenly sniffed her palm. The smell of blood was still there, even though she had taken a shower. Or maybe it was just in her mind.

She took another shower and retrieved a bottle of white wine from the refrigerator. She gathered some biscuits and cheese and headed to the living room. Cha Haneul was explaining something about international organizations to Doyugeon. Although she didn’t know how the topic started, it was probably initiated for no particular reason.

Once the explanation was over, Cha Haneul looked satisfied and pleased with her display of knowledge.

Yumina was cutting the cream cheese onto a biscuit with a knife when she voiced her curious observation,

“Isn’t it strange how talkative you’ve become lately?”

“…Me?”

Cha Haneul, who seemed to have never heard such a thing, frowned her eyebrows. Then, she drifted into thought with a gradually surprised expression.

Yumina was flustered. It was just a meaningless comment, yet she didn’t understand what kind of thoughts led to this reaction. She hurriedly ate the biscuit she had just placed in her mouth and considered ways to rectify the situation.

“It’s not a bad thing! Let’s call it becoming more sociable. You’re less intimidating, and it’s a good change. Positive and very good.”

It felt like the compliments became vague because Yumina had found it hard to call it “better personality.”

Haneul blinked.

“That’s an unpleasant comment.”

On hearing that, Yumina smiled faintly. She looked at Doyugeon, asking silently if he knew how such a response could come out, but he merely shook his head. She hadn’t expected a plausible answer anyway.

“I’m going to bed.”

Haneul stood up abruptly and returned to her room.

“Did I say something wrong just now?”

“Probably not.”

“Right?”

Yumina thought for a moment but decided that Haneul didn’t seem angry or anything, so she continued making snacks with cream cheese on the biscuits. The current food she was eating was paid for from Haneul’s wallet, a minor guilt she didn’t consider a major issue. To be honest, it tasted better knowing it wasn’t her own money.

“How’s work going?”

“Nothing’s going well. I don’t know why they can’t just leave me alone when I want peace.”

Yumina fully understood the reason, though this was merely a lament. As the rift development business scale grew, conflicts between new enterprises and magical girl organizations intensified. Though Seoul-area organizations had been integrated early to increase size and internal organization, indirect conflicts with city power remained difficult to handle.

Yumina tapped the wine bottle with her finger.

“Want a drink?”

“No.”

“Leaving me to drink alone takes all the mood away.”

Yumina leaned back on the sofa. She had wanted to ask Cha Haneul when she would tour the organization, but the timing had passed.

—

Her mind was restless. The sun was blazing on the way to school, and the sand-like particles in the air sparkled as if it were a perfect day, yet she didn’t feel comforted. This was just another mundane walk to school.

Realizing one is a high school student doesn’t bring psychological changes—what amazing hormones. If I recall correctly, I skipped puberty in my previous life, a regretful memory. Actually, it’s quite possible that I didn’t notice until someone told me. Hard to know for sure.

Since I reincarnated at this age, I don’t know much about it, but this feels like a midlife crisis for teens. What a tragedy, and a real one at that. And to make it worse, I have no idea why it’s happening exactly. It’s just one of those things.

However, looking at this positively, isn’t this the perfect situation for a high school girl? It’s a classic case of the eternal high school student syndrome. Anxiety and restlessness during adolescence—oh, what a tough problem for a girl at just 17. It’s quite a heavy burden for someone who isn’t an adult yet, and the help from surrounding adults might be necessary, perhaps a domestic caretaker to care for daily needs like food and cleanliness. Not a bad idea.

Still, going through puberty is a bit disappointing. It makes me feel like Do Yu-geon and Yu Mi-na and I are at the same level, quite regrettable. Honestly, I’m different from them. Despite appearances, I have prior-life experience, so how can I be at the same stage? My life is essentially a second round.

Of course, I don’t always show the ‘second round.’ Who wants to flaunt the fact of getting older? Doing so makes me only want to slack off and do nothing.

They say our value equals that of the average of our friends. What’s the average value of Do Yu-geon and Yu Mi-na? I hope Do Yu-geon can step it up a little. Let’s try to raise the standard. At this rate, I might end up with negative mental growth. A record-breaking moment in a bad way—where would I even go to brag about something like that?

Some strategy is needed, definitely.

Walking down the relatively empty path to school, she pondered deeply. It was a time when both school and working hours were past, and this narrow alley usually didn’t have much foot traffic anyway.

Instead, a black cat lounging in the shade was what she most often saw. This area seemed to be its territory. It stared at her arrogantly, with a look that treated her like any other passerby—a dog or chicken. After a few serious attempts at conversation with the cat, all were ignored, so it probably couldn’t speak. There’s no way I’d get ignored by a talking cat, right?

As she squatted and stared, the black tail waved slightly before yawning, showing an attitude completely devoid of any concerns. Here she was, facing the life’s most critical moments and trying to think of strategies, while this wild creature lounged carelessly around.

Umm…

When she cautiously took a half-step closer, the cat glanced at her with a disdainful look. Quite rude. Then, the cat yawned again.

Wow, it seems like the caution distance has shortened. Probably because we meet often and it finds me harmless. What a stupid cat. That’s why it’s a cat. When she turned to glance back, her security chief gave her a quiet, small clap. The security chief is good at responding positively. Competent.

Good. Enjoyable. Indeed, students find joy when they don’t have to attend school. Spending time like this and entering school at an appropriate time to enjoy lunch feels good. What was today’s lunch again?

Ah. A great strategy just came to my mind.

Not about how to get close to the cat, but a strategy to overcome puberty. Of course, the latter is more important.

If someone becomes talkative during puberty, the easiest solution is just not to speak.

I should try a short vow of silence for some time.

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