Senior Jiun wiped the drool that was about to drip from the baby’s mouth with a scarf and gently rocked back and forth, patting the baby’s back.
“You’ve completely turned into a mom now.”
Before long, the fingers that had been tightly gripped in her hand relaxed, and at that moment, they playfully brushed against the chubby cheeks.
Like jelly that has melted and drooped, the cheeks jiggled, yet held their elasticity.
The heavenly sensation that lasted only a few seconds faded as the baby began to feel sleepy, and we ended up sitting in the wide living room, chatting about various things.
During our conversation, the uncle mentioned he had to meet a friend and left the house, turning it into a usual gathering of members, except for the presence of the baby.
“So, when are you planning to return to work?”
“I should at least stay home until Juwon starts elementary school.”
She glanced subtly at the room where the baby was and spoke.
Elementary school, huh? By then, I guess you won’t be visiting our house anymore.
Was her tone suggesting a hurry to return to work? Sitting on the floor, Jiun, leaning against the sofa, asked a subtle question, perhaps wishing for her absence to be greatly felt.
“What about the new person who’s come in?”
“…Not great.”
Before Jiun could continue, Shiyeon immediately snatched up her question and bluntly stated that it wasn’t great.
Although she was a total stranger, she was the lady who was taking Jiun’s place.
Unlike Jiun, who understood our circumstances, the lady at home didn’t allow for conversations about mascots or even magical girl stories to emerge.
Even while sitting at home, it didn’t feel like a relaxing atmosphere, so to speak.
Anyway, it seemed I wasn’t the only one feeling that way.
As a result, Shiyeon was the one who first answered Jiun’s question.
“Why?”
With a puzzled head tilt, Jiun asked in response to Shiyeon’s blunt answer.
Like most office workers, the happenings at the workplace during the break were not really her concern.
While I had a general idea about the situation, it was only natural that I was less sensitive compared to those experiencing the changes firsthand.
I began to enumerate the uncomfortable points I had organized in my head about having someone else in Jiun’s place.
“First, we can’t discuss magical girl stuff, and since I have to be mindful of certain things, it just doesn’t feel like a break at home.”
“Right…”
In many ways, it seemed Shiyeon resonated with that sentiment, nodding gloomily next to me.
As I listed out the uncomfortable points, Jiun seemed to remember things that she had forgotten and added an explanation.
“Ah, that’s right… you mentioned they were sending someone from the agency, right?”
“Yes, so these days, we hardly talk at home.”
“Oh really? That’s unexpected.”
As the conversation started, the familiar warmth of comfort wrapped around us.
Even more than the hundreds of times we had entered our own home, this unfamiliar place felt much more like home.
In any case, it was Jiun’s place where only familiar people remained.
Breaking off the conversation, Jiun began fiddling with her smartphone and turned towards us, showing the familiar screen of the delivery app.
Then, she expressed her anticipation for today’s lunch.
“Have you both not had lunch yet? Is there anything you want to eat?”
“I don’t mind anything, but what about you, Shiyeon?”
As always, Jiun asked about our preferences first, and in turn, we asked for Shiyeon’s opinion.
The characteristic of those who live in harmony with the people around them is that living passively is comfortable.
People who are adults at heart and one true adult.
In this daily situation, it was only natural for the youngest person to have the right to choose.
“I want… sushi?”
“Sushi, sushi, huh? Alright! Let’s have some before it gets too hot, Mary is okay with it too, right?”
“Sure.”
And so, the two passive beings relinquished their decision-making power to a single elementary school student and complied.
After finishing the order, it must have been around 30 minutes later?
Without the intercom ringing even once, Jiun got up from her seat saying the food had arrived and headed towards the front door.
Did she read my thoughts or something? She actually opened the door and came in with a large bag.
“It didn’t ring even once, did it?”
“I noted the shared entrance password and requested not to ring the bell.”
‘That method.’
As someone who only utilized request notes for shop review events, hearing the proper use of request notes made me scratch my cheek.
“Come on, let’s eat—”
With Jiun’s permission, the transparent lid of the disposable container was removed, revealing delivery sushi that felt distinctly different in quality from the sushi served at supermarkets or buffets.
Long pieces of fish lay fully atop the rice, making it look so delightful that just seeing it was enjoyable.
With a crack, I carelessly separated the disposable chopsticks, and without any burden, I reached for the sushi.
I had ordered it because Shiyeon had wanted it, but just like at Jiun’s wedding, she still couldn’t handle wasabi well.
Perhaps because she was still in elementary school, she liked sushi but preferred “sushi without wasabi.”
Still, the fact that she could eat raw fish now was a huge improvement.
Just as I was bringing the sturdy wooden chopsticks to the soy sauce dish, I felt something wriggling in my pocket.
“Mary! Mary!”
The thing that was wriggling in my pocket was none other than the well-known Gomtaengi.
“Whoa! You scared me!”
It seemed Shiyeon’s mascot was the same, suddenly letting out an unexpected scream.
It was somewhat displeasing that it crawled out the moment I picked up my chopsticks without saying a word, so I muttered gruffly to it.
“What, you want some? There’s none for you.”
“Of course, I’m tempted, but that’s not it….”
Suddenly, the loud noise brought everything to an abrupt halt, and it was the monster appearance alarm, which we hadn’t had a chance to hear in a while.
My chopsticks froze, and adrenaline rushed through me, my eyes widening.
“A monster has appeared.”
“Oh, damn….”
Clatter; the wooden chopsticks stilled on the plastic desk, which I had yet to place in my mouth.
Jiun, who understood this feeling better than anyone else, leaned back on the sofa, having put her chopsticks down, though she didn’t have to.
The willingness to eat together upon returning.
“Go quickly, the shared entrance password is 5327.”
We felt moved by these little details.
Leaving the living room, outside the front door, taking the elevator down to the shared entrance.
Even unfamiliar with the surrounding geography, as long as you’re wandering around, you’ll find streets without people and CCTV anywhere.
Even though the frequency of our conversations has decreased, we had been steadily working as magical girls since the old days.
Without hesitation, Shiyeon followed as her body urged her on, taking in the surroundings while still feeling shy about the transformation spell she was about to utter.
“Moon Power, Transform!”
“Sun.”
As much as possible, I shot up into the sky from a wall with no windows.
With the mascots’ guidance serving as our compass, Shiyeon and I began to pick up speed.
The first monster to appear after the ceasefire, about which we weren’t sure whether to break it or not.
How should we kill it this time?
Should we set its whole body on fire and see if it smells like roasting meat?
It felt clichéd, but should we slowly roast it from the inside out until it squirms?
Well, I wasn’t using my magic cane that often lately either.
The principle of maximum pain for the maximum number, applicable only to monsters.
“Here it is!”
When Shiyeon shouted, we reached close enough to look down at the monster.
‘Huh?’
It wasn’t the monster that had brought up the treaty, but a different monster holding a strange metallic plate.
Did this one also intend to ask for some sort of negotiation?
“Ice Pierce!”
“Uh.”
I heard Shiyeon’s familiar incantation, which made me let out a short groan.
Maybe it was due to Shiyeon exerting herself after a long time, the chunk that was rather thick and pointy descended uninterrupted.
The large ice chunk, growing smaller in our field of vision, appeared to merge with the monster as it moved further away, almost as if it had a guiding function.
Even a regular ordinary brick falling from such a height wouldn’t stand a chance against a human skull.
Considering it was a frozen chunk of ice approximately the size of a bag of frozen cement, that was an understatement.
The dull impact sound and the sound of breaking glass were heard faintly.
The monster must have been turned into a pulp, but even that couldn’t be seen properly as it was buried in ice.
Should I say it was fortunate not to witness such a grotesque sight before a meal?
Shiyeon, with the sense of hitting a target, clenched her fist tightly to express her sense of achievement.
“Yes! I hit it!”
Was this monster one that once had room for negotiation, similar to the last one?
Although I couldn’t glean the answer to that question, we proudly returned to the apartment near Jiun, pleased that Shiyeon had defeated a monster all on her own.
“Ugh….”
No matter how ruthlessly cruel Magical Girl Sun may be, communication is still possible.
The valuable data obtained from Medic Tentacle’s brave sortie.
The monster recovering in the recovery room, regaining consciousness.
The monster that was instantly killed by the direct hit from the ice chunk at the door, this was the monster from the ‘Black Zone.’
Holding her head as if she still felt the pain of that moment, the monster managed to voice herself amid the tense atmosphere, observed by Medic Tentacle and the other healing room monsters.
“You seem pretty pissed off. If it’s about communicating and whatnot, it’s just going to end up with you killing me….”
Magical Girl Sun’s emotions were a serious matter for them.
Even if it were a misunderstanding caused by Ebl Croaker’s unilateral actions, the fact remains that the ceasefire established by the monsters had been broken by them first.
It was impossible to expect her to understand everything, and if they didn’t even provide a minimal opportunity for dialogue, there was no answer to be had.
“This is bad….”
Looking at the utterly crushed and battered metallic plate, Medic Tentacle held his forehead, letting out a deep sigh that could draw ink.
