“Oh right.”
As I was eating the sweet and savory stir-fried pork rice bowl, it came to my mind.
The precious tablet PC that I had retrieved with great effort, calling the police and checking the CCTV, from the lady on the 7th floor.
The moment I remembered, I jumped up from my chair, grabbed the neat box I had left on the bed, and returned to the dining table.
I placed the box on the wide, empty table and gently pushed it towards Shiyeon.
It felt like a gift being presented by a father who was clumsy at talking to his daughter.
“Uh? This….”
“I told you it’s fun, so draw at home too.”
While sliding a spoonful of rice into my mouth, I casually said those words.
Watching Shiyeon tear the plastic off the thin box without finishing her meal, I couldn’t help but feel excited too.
Her mouth agape, she looked genuinely delighted.
“Think of it as an early birthday present for this year; it’s better than pondering what to give later… enough, right?”
“Yeah! Mary is the best!”
Even though it was a selfish early birthday gift given six months in advance, Shiyeon looked thoroughly satisfied.
After finishing the simple dishes consisting of only two large bowls and one pan, I went to Shiyeon’s room to set up the tablet PC.
I figured out how to connect the tablet PC to the computer through some rough internet searches.
After downloading an app that allows drawing on the tablet, I began to sketch on the blank screen with the pen.
“Ah, done.”
Lines followed wherever the pen’s tip touched.
I had set everything up, so the rest was up to Shiyeon.
She would know how to handle something she liked.
From that day on, the number of parcels arriving under Shiyeon’s name increased.
“Everything seems to be items used together with the tablet.”
There were tablet PC stands and bags that seemed convenient for storing the tablet.
In addition to that, there were extra pens, wrist guards, and books about body proportions and muscle expression.
Items that serious artists would likely use kept accumulating.
I hadn’t seen any of Shiyeon’s drawings yet, but I hoped they were coming along well.
Time passed, and soon it was the regular magical girl meetup day on April 18th.
The hellish commute involved switching subways twice before boarding an intercity bus.
At least high-speed trains drop you at your destination if you just sit still, but this one…
“This stop is Sindorim, Sindorim Station. The exit doors for this stop are on your left.”
“I have to transfer here.”
Before the door opened, I signaled Shiyeon to get ready and stood up.
As soon as the doors opened, the people standing near the door rushed out first.
It was Saturday, so it was less crowded than on weekdays, but still not an insignificant number of transfers.
Amidst the bustling crowd, I carefully navigated through and passed the ticket gate, boarding the second subway.
I pushed Shiyeon into a seat in a corner and leaned against the wall near the door, checking which station we needed to get off at while fiddling with my phone.
Current time: 9:01.
I needed to catch the 10 o’clock bus at the latest to reach Cheorwon around lunchtime…
“Is it going to be a bit tight…?”
After arriving at the station, which took about 40 minutes, I hurried my steps.
At that moment, just when it felt tight to make it on time, someone pulled at my sleeve from behind.
At this point, the only one who could pull on my sleeve was Shiyeon.
Turning around, I found Shiyeon staring at something.
Following her gaze, I saw a deli-style store right in the middle of the subway.
Proving the saying that sparrows can’t pass by a grain mill without stopping, I was enveloped by that alluring smell and found my footsteps halting.
“I’ll take 10,000 won worth.”
Naturally, food and drinks are banned on the bus.
Quietly slipping the deli bag into the backpack Shiyeon brought, I pretended nothing was out of the ordinary while boarding the intercity bus and finding a seat.
As always, there weren’t many people on the intercity bus, unlike regular city buses.
Moreover, who would ride this from Incheon to Cheorwon unless it was soldiers returning to their base or someone on a business trip?
The bus was mostly empty, with only a few passengers riding.
I took a seat at the back, out of sight.
With gentle motions, I moved the bag carefully to minimize the crinkling sound.
After carefully nibbling on the deli while enjoying a leisurely two hours, the taste, still lacking about 2%, felt a little more satisfactorily filled with the thrill of sneaking it.
“Thank you for your service-”
“Yes-”
Hearing the driver’s thick response, I got off the bus, arriving at the military’s hot spot, Gangwon Province, Cheorwon.
Before hopping into a taxi, I thought to check for any locally produced goods worth buying before heading home, so I took out my smart phone and searched for local specialties.
[Chunwon’s representative specialties include Chunwon clean kimchi, eggs, cheonggukjang (fermented soybeans), gochujang (red chili paste), apples, tomatoes, paprika, cucumbers, and wasabi.]
Most of the items were things you could just buy near a grocery store.
“Hmm…?”
At first, I doubted my eyes.
This is a place where people live, so how can this be all that qualifies as specialties? Seriously?
Eventually, I gave up the idea of bringing something back and got into the taxi, heading towards the meeting place.
In the downtown area, few tall buildings were visible.
There were some unheard-of franchises rather than famous ones, and it felt distinctly like, “Ah, here is Gangwon Province.”
Between those old-smelling and unfamiliar buildings stood a proudly positioned Star Café.
I felt a kind of comfort as if I had discovered a Korean signboard in the middle of a street abroad.
As I knocked on the closed café door, it opened slightly.
Inside were around ten people gathered, a significantly smaller number compared to previous meetups.
“Sun.”
“Mun Power, Transform.”
After entering the store, we each recited our transformation phrases with lowered gazes.
“Welcome!”
“Sun, Mun Hi-”
“Hello, you didn’t manage to come much this time.”
With the usual greeting as I stepped into the café, I noted that the turnout was relatively low this time, considering the 30 or so who usually came.
“It’s probably because of the location; you can’t just transform and fly over.”
“The transportation is really hellish.”
I casually expressed my sympathy and sat down closer.
The magical girl in charge of Gangwon Province, known as Jupiter.
If I remember correctly, she retired last year?
Since regular meetups usually happen in areas with younger members, that means…
A successor has finally been decided, and someone has taken her place.
Since not all magical girls come to every meetup, I couldn’t distinguish between familiar and unfamiliar faces.
“Both of you, say hi; this is Jupiter’s successor. She’s in middle school.”
One magical girl who had arrived first introduced her, extending her palm towards her.
In middle school, she’s another older sister.
Bowing my head slightly, I said the greeting.
“Hello.”
“Hello!”
After a while, the greeting returned, but something felt off, so I lifted my head that I had bowed.
Instead of greeting, the new Jupiter was nervously covering her lips with her fingertips.
What’s up with that? Is there something urgent?
“Wow, wow…! It’s really Sun!”
“By the way, she was a fan of Sun even before becoming a magical girl.”
“Ugh.”
Thus, the chaotic meetup began in the café with just about ten people.
As the years passed, and we who had only received up until now began to feel a need to contribute.
After being informed of the account for payment, we all settled up and decided to divide it evenly, arranging ourselves at tables to converse with those we wanted to talk to.
While Shiyeon was chatting warmly with other senior magical girls, I found myself trapped by a fan of the magical girl Sun, experiencing an agonizing meetup like never before.
“So you’ve liked her since you were in first grade?! Wow, that’s so cool!”
“Well, that’s true, but you’re older, so using honorifics is a bit…”
“You’re my forever older sister in my heart!”
What a bright and engaging personality! Even though we just met, she hugged me.
I’m used to negative views like “you’re more like a monster,” but this unconditionally positive demeanor is quite unfamiliar to me.
I let out a painful groan that surfaced due to the overwhelming burden.
“Ugh…”
“Hehe, you’ve met your match today, Sun.”
The others at the table with Shiyeon and the other magical girl looked over with amusement, pausing mid-conversation.
After escaping the uncomfortable hug, I fixed my seat for the New Jupiter.
Looking over at the mascot tables in the distance, they seemed to be equally loud as if their hosts were having fun.
“New recruit, welcome!”
“Grr.”
“Why is this one acting like this? Has it lost its mind?”
It seemed like they were having fun amid some kind of trouble brewing.
“Uh, is this not how we do it?”
“Oh, wow? This has really gone downhill, come out here, you upperclassman.”
…Though their kind of loud was different from ours, I decided to let it pass.
Whether they played around or not was none of my business.
