Chapter 71

Jiun had long passed time tearing apart Gomtaengi’s neck.

Thinking that the remaining Saturday would pass peacefully without any reason to be angry, my mind became as comfortable as a submarine sinking to the ocean floor.

The lunch had quieted down due to a missing doll.

The calm time of the holiday arrived after emptying the hollow disposable containers.

Just when I thought half of this precious holiday was going to slip by unnoticed…

“By the way, don’t Shiyeon and Mari use their abilities in normal times?”

Jiun, who had escaped from the delivery food, returned to the first floor and briefly posed that question.

It was a question about whether magical girls use their abilities in everyday life.

“Normally?”

“Yeah, Shiyeon’s ability is cold and Mari’s ability is hot, right? Wouldn’t it be good to use them in winter or summer if they can handle it well?”

I scratched my back head, tilting it in confusion at that absurd question.

Was she suggesting to use that power instead of the air conditioner or boiler at home?

The thought that immediately came to mind upon hearing the question was…

‘Why is someone who should know better saying something like this?’

It seemed to stem from the fact that everyone’s abilities are slightly different, leading to slight differences in understanding.

The abilities of magical girls are like a stream of water gushing out from a hose.

It’s distinctly different from turning the faucet wide open and carelessly spraying it and carefully watering plants with meticulous control.

When it comes to monster hunting, it doesn’t matter if the street is demolished or broken as there’s no concern from the start.

But, to say to use it ‘practically’ at home?

That’s a different story.

What if a slight miscalculation in force causes the house to catch fire, or if I cool the house too much with Shiyeon’s ability and it ends up freezing?

That would no longer be a laughing matter.

“This is kind of like telling me to hold my pee and then go, you know…”

“Oh… is that so?”

When I related the sensation to reality, Jiun seemed to understand a bit.

Scratching her back head, seeing that she still wasn’t fully convinced, I continued.

“Uh, what you’re saying is… it’s similar to asking me to fire the monster-hunting beam weakly enough that it wouldn’t hurt anyone.”

I used the shared powers of magical girls as an example, providing certainty to that vague expression she wore.

At that point, her expression finally showed genuine understanding.

This explanation was a reference I could make because Jiun had experienced being a magical girl.

“Ah… then it wouldn’t work?”

“Exactly.”

I nodded in affirmation to Jiun, who exhaled in realization.

Sometimes, I come across posts in communities.

Simply stating that one’s ability leans towards ice, so it would be better in the summer.

And sun’s ability leans towards being hot, so it would be better in the winter.

It’s a silly notion; magical girls also live with air conditioners and boilers.

Do they light a fire at home because it’s cold or dump liquid nitrogen on themselves because it’s hot?

Could there possibly be such extreme measures for temperature control?

Using their abilities without transformation also requires an incredible degree of fine-tuning…

Suggesting they use their powers instead of a boiler or air conditioner is truly reckless.

Even if it were possible, one would have to hold onto the cane all day.

In that case, it’s better just to buy an air conditioner or boiler and turn it on.

The holiday passed in a flash, and soon enough the weekdays returned.

The first period of Monday right after the weekend is probably the worst time one could imagine.

Moreover, this first period on a cold January winter day was physical education.

“Looks like we’re doing gym class outside!”

‘Damn it.’

It would have been nice if it were an indoor class, but the class president, who ran in from outside, extinguished my last flicker of hope.

Swearing inwardly, I grumbled and put on my winter gym uniform over my roughly removed coat.

Then, after putting my coat back on, I trudged outside.

Sitting cross-legged on the stairs that doubled as seats in the playground, I stuffed my hands into my pockets, pressing my hat down low to shield against the cold weather.

Korea’s weather is cursed; it’s painfully cold when it’s cold and unbearably hot when it’s hot.

As the familiar sound of the bell rang throughout the school, one by one, my classmates came out to the playground.

It appears our grade wasn’t the only one with gym class, as other grades were also out on the playground.

The younger students scampered out to the playground following their teacher.

As for the older grades, without the announcement of indoor gym class, it was expected they would come out on their own.

‘I just want to sit and do nothing.’

A heaviness draped over me.

I grimaced while keeping my hands in my pockets.

During gym class, the boys play soccer, and the girls play dodgeball.

I hoped they would just be left to play freely, while I huddled further into my coat.

After all, I was already sick of running around the neighborhood in dodgeball…

“We’re playing dodgeball!”

‘What the hell.’

A class president who came out ahead of the teacher announced today’s gym schedule in the distance.

Swearing made a loop inside me.

If it were dodgeball during free time, at least there would be the option to skip it, but if it’s organized dodgeball, there’s no choice.

“Even-numbered students over here, odd-numbered students over there!”

Class 1 divided into groups of even and odd numbers in accordance with the planned dodgeball.

A green cart rattled out of the gym storage on the playground.

White powder was sprinkled on the ground to create a sufficiently sized dodgeball court, resulting in a rather neat playing area.

For reference, dodgeball is a position where the last student standing tends to get a lot of attention, whether good or bad.

I had no intention of giving it my all.

I aimed to stay close to the boundary line with the opposing team and quickly made my way to the outfield.

“No hitting anyone in the face!”

With the teacher’s appropriate control, the dodgeball game commenced.

A fight for the first turn decided by rock-paper-scissors.

Since our team won rock-paper-scissors, unfortunately, I couldn’t be the first one eliminated.

When the ball came flying, avoiding or catching was all that mattered.

Added to that was the bizarre rule that catching a flying ball would revive one student.

Either way, the game started, and amidst the struggle to avoid the ball, I naturally got hit and exited to the outfield.

The fun part of the dodgeball game is when about one to three players are left.

After a bunch of kids drop out, it’s the moment when the truly passionate ones about dodgeball remain.

“Whoa!”

From this point onward, even without any reward, if you’re on the same team, admiration naturally arises around you, even if you’re not the one dodging.

If luck strikes and you manage to catch a ball, cheers erupt from the same team.

“Who are you going to save?”

“Hey, Kim Mari, come out!”

‘Why me?’

I had just been eliminated early, and yet the boy who caught the ball revived me from the outfield.

I could neither refuse nor avoid the bizarre cheer, and ultimately returned to the inside.

When there were so few people, I couldn’t just get hit and leave.

“You throw.”

“……”

The boy, who brazenly brought me back into the court and passed me the ball.

I didn’t even know his name or why he revived me, but anyway, I tossed the softer dodgeball towards the opposing court.

With that, I eliminated the only opponent remaining on the other team, leading to an outburst of cheers.

Whether winning or losing meant nothing, I still wondered why everyone was so fixated on outcomes.

No, then maybe having those types of players around allowed someone like me to play fewer rounds?

My undesired showcasing didn’t end even in the outfield.

In the second and third games, even after getting eliminated, I merely aimed to throw the ball at the students clustered in the outfield when the ball was passed to me, knocking out two or three.

Innocent elementary students who fall out easily even with a slight deception of throwing it in the opposite direction.

“Really good job!”

Praise from girls nearby.

Because dodgeball is a sport that’s popular among girls when it comes to exercising, I received a lot of compliments in that manner.

Even as I heard those compliments, a sense of discomfort lingered somewhere.

‘This isn’t because I’m good at it…’

It felt incorrect to say they were innocent or simple.

Ultimately, the remarks that came to mind only remained as thoughts, and I shook my head as I prepared to throw the next ball.

I was probably the one here who wanted to move the least among all the students.

However, in the outfield, kids were eagerly passing the ball to me every time they got an attacking chance…

“Who are you going to save?”

“Kim Mari!”

As soon as someone from our team in the infield caught the ball, I was pulled back into the game from the outfield.

“Stop it, you little bastards full of pure malice.”

I shouldn’t have to play hero even for praise.

In the end, gym class times which usually allowed me to play three games and then relax for the remaining time turned into five continuous games in which I ended up playing the ace, leaving me tired beyond compare during the first-period break.

“Mari, you’re really good at dodgeball!”

“Um, yeah…”

‘Isn’t this just bullying?’

Even after returning to the classroom, the classmates who were on the same team kept praising me endlessly…

But at this moment, all I wanted was for them to just shut up.

Right now, I felt like I could spit if I had to keep smiling.