“One hundred thousand views…!”
It felt like I’d just posted an hour ago, yet it already had this many views—I was absolutely flabbergasted.
I mean, one hundred thousand is a number that sounds insane even to someone like me who doesn’t know much about Instus!
As I stared wide-eyed at Seorin, she chuckled and said with an expression that suggested *my* reaction was the weird one.
“Hey Hae-un, you’ve got videos with ten million views. What’s the big deal about this?”
“Whaaaaaat…?”
“Oh, didn’t you know? Perseus’ flower bract video from before hit ten million too.”
“EH?!?!”
Wait… Wasn’t that supposed to be private?!
I trembled uncontrollably as a wave of embarrassment washed over me.
Feeling utterly mortified, I looked around helplessly when Seorin showed me comments on “that video,” saying,
“Look at this. Apparently, you’re the cutest baby in the world.”
“W-WHAT??”
“Check this out. Hundreds of people commented saying they’d love to have a daughter like you.”
I turned to Seorin, my voice panicking, “I-I didn’t say anything bad…!”
“Bad words?”
Instead of being offended, Seorin grinned wider and exclaimed, “Oh, what nonsense! You’re adorable!” Then she hugged me tightly and rubbed her cheek against mine like I was some kind of plush toy.
“…”
Too embarrassed for words, I wanted to pinch her cheeks hard—but deep down, I knew the real culprit wasn’t Seorin but Perseus. So I decided not to punish her and instead glared ahead, still seething with resentment.
“This is ridiculous…”
Uploading such an embarrassing flower bract video to Instus where everyone could see it might as well have been harassment.
While plotting revenge against Perseus later, I crossed my arms and pouted when suddenly Tail started tapping the floor impatiently, expressing its own indignation.
“Even Tail agrees with me…!”
Realizing there was someone (well, maybe not exactly) who shared my thoughts gave me a bit of comfort. Strengthening my resolve, I grabbed my phone and began typing furiously to channel my anger into a message.
“[N..`A PP/;!!!]”
If only I had typed it alone…
But because Tail joined in on the texting spree, the message ended up completely garbled. Normally, I should’ve deleted and rewritten it, but…
“This isn’t just MY anger—it includes Tail’s feelings too!”
Deciding that sending this joint outburst was justified, I hit send without hesitation.
“The message is what matters!”
After hitting send, I felt a little better. However, I couldn’t shake off the lingering resentment toward Seorin for letting this happen without stopping it. Thus, I resolved that today would be all about unleashing my fury…
“Like a darkened spider-human! I will become a shadowy dragon!”
With that decision made, I tried to push Seorin away forcefully—but remembering that might hurt her, I gently shoved her instead and declared:
“I’ll use it alone.”
Seorin looked startled by my prickly demeanor, trembling slightly as she asked,
“Why, why are you acting like this? What did I do wrong?”
Seeing her genuinely shocked face softened my heart a little. Feeling apologetic, I decided to explain the reason behind my anger step by step.
“You didn’t tell me about the flower bract video… It’s embarrassing, so I’m mad.”
“Oh.”
Upon hearing this, Seorin immediately understood the source of my anger and apologized sincerely.
“I’m sorry. I thought you’d like it. Though I didn’t upload it, I’ll apologize anyway…”
Hmm, fair enough. Resolving to let it slide this time, I nodded.
“Anyway, now I get the context.”
Realizing why Jin-a had instantly recognized my identity earlier due to this incident, I nodded again when suddenly my phone buzzed—an incoming reply from Perseus.
[Perseus: Is that so? I’ll come right away.]
“Huh?”
Though he clearly hadn’t understood my cryptic message, I realized he was using my text as an excuse to visit.
“…”
Recognizing this, my anger flared up once more. Determined to vent every ounce of frustration accumulated today, I set my jaw firmly.
As I stood there fuming, Seorin poked my cheek teasingly.
“Hae-un, your cheeks look so puffed up—they’re super cute!”
“Huh?”
I was furious, yet she called me cute? Shouldn’t she be scared?
Confused, I tapped my tail on the ground when Chae-a, Yuna, and Seoa, unlike Seorin, trembled visibly and warned me cautiously.
“H-Haeuni, you’re scary. Don’t be mad…”
“Haeuni has horns out…”
“Koooom… Llel…”
Why can the kids sense my anger while Seorin can’t?
Shaking my head in bewilderment, I glanced up just as someone rang the doorbell.
“He sure came fast.”
Before my anger cooled, I decided to confront Perseus and stormed forward resolutely.
*
“I came because you called.”
Perseus stood confidently in my living room, seemingly oblivious to his wrongdoing. He even reached out to pat my head like nothing happened.
Dodging his hand swiftly, I crossed my arms and unleashed my full fury.
“What audacity…!”
At my outburst, Perseus hesitated briefly before glancing around nervously, seeking help. Seeing this, Seorin stepped in awkwardly to explain the situation.
“Uh… Perseus, remember the video you posted on Instus? Hae-un is upset because you uploaded it without her permission.”
“Ah.”
Whether it was fortunate or not, Perseus seemed to grasp his mistake and offered an uneasy smile alongside a quick apology.
“I’m sorry. I guess I acted without thinking because you were so cute.”
Honestly speaking, his apology calmed me instantly—but forgiving him outright might encourage future mischief. Pretending to remain upset, I turned my head away.
“Look, Haeuni’s tail is moving!”
True to Yuna’s observation, my tail swayed gently side to side, betraying my attempt to act angry.
“It shouldn’t move like that…!”
Glaring daggers at my disobedient tail didn’t stop it from blatantly ignoring me and continuing its playful wagging.
“Seriously, whose traits did it inherit to be so uncooperative?”
Thinking it probably wasn’t mine, I maintained my aloof stance with crossed arms when suddenly Perseus handed me a small gemstone.
“I brought this as an apology.”
Even if I accepted this, my anger wouldn’t fully dissipate—but acknowledging his effort, I peeked curiously at the shimmering blue gem.
“Is it some kind of jewel?”
While I don’t dislike jewels, accepting something so obviously expensive felt improper, so I prepared to decline—until another comment caught me off guard.
“If you use this gem, you can easily perform the most difficult category of Cleaning Magic perfectly.”
“…”
Perseus smirked knowingly and continued,
“Normally, all Dragonkin receive this as a gift. But since Hatchlings haven’t been born in so long, everyone forgot. So I brought it for you.”
This revelation left me conflicted, fingering the gem nervously. If I possessed it, mastering Cleaning Magic would certainly become easier…
Lost in thought, I was interrupted when Yuna snatched the gem and placed it in my hand earnestly.
“Haeuni, you should take it.”
Apparently deciding for me after noticing my hesitation, I smiled gratefully at Yuna and lifted the gem closer for inspection.
“How am I supposed to use it?”
As I squinted at it curiously, Perseus pointed and explained,
“You can either eat it or absorb the mana inside. Personally, I recommend eating it.”
Since following recommendations usually yields better results, I popped the gem into my mouth and began licking it like candy.
“It tastes sweetish?”
Not overly sugary, but subtly sweet, I enjoyed rolling it around my tongue when Perseus pulled out his phone again, saying,
“Let me take a picture…”
Reacting instinctively, I covered my face and tried to retreat—but before I could, Chae-a charged forward with a body slam and shouted,
“Don’t bully Haeuni!”
“No, no, this isn’t bullying…”
“Bullying! Stop it! Haeuni will cry!”
Chae-a roared loudly in an exaggerated threat while Perseus, amused by her antics, apologized again.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize how much you disliked it.”
“Aaasu maseyo.” (That’s fine then.)
My slurred speech worsened further with the gem still in my mouth. Feeling slightly embarrassed, I swallowed it in one gulp.
![[TS] The End of Magical Girls Has Come](https://i3.wp.com/darkmtl.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/1737407792-8993-TS-The-end-of-magical-girls-has-come.png?resize=85,105 "[TS] The End of Magical Girls Has Come")
