The first few days of being a first-year middle school student.
There are some kids acting with a sense similar to elementary school.
However, that doesn’t last long.
Watching some mature classmates of the same grade gradually reduces such behavior.
Especially when seeing students who openly rebel and choose to do things that adults say “shouldn’t be done” every break, that behavior solidifies even more.
In reality, they are just kids mimicking adults rather than being mature.
Finding conversations without swearing becomes more challenging, and there are those who act like they are the center of the universe.
As long as they only play among themselves, it doesn’t matter, but these kids target those who still look like elementary school students.
Fresh first-year middle schoolers start learning from this point.
The “ways not to attract the crazy ones’ attention” that are laid out in the world as if they were natural.
However, those who cannot adapt and whose minds still dwell in elementary school naturally become targets for attacks.
In my case of constantly sneaking out to the bathroom during class, I wasn’t completely free from those kids.
“Haah.”
Sneaking out during class, I let out a sigh while flying through the sky.
The first thought that came to mind while soaring in the clear sky was…
“The place I return to after defeating the monster is not home, but school…”
I don’t even care what kind of monster it is, as I’m already thinking about what comes after the defeat.
I haven’t even started the defeat yet, but my energy has already drained away.
While thinking I almost arrived, guided by Gomtaengi.
“Uh?”
A bewildered grunt from the Gomtaengi.
Immediately after, I heard a significant mumble that stopped me mid-flight.
“The monster reaction has disappeared?”
“What nonsense are you talking about?”
Along with hovering in place, a silence followed.
Asking what nonsense it was, Gomtaengi’s brain, which always first thinks of excuses when things happen, spit out the most plausible answer.
“Uh, didn’t Shiyeon take care of it?”
“Really? Is that so?”
It sounded quite plausible, so I scratched my head and calmly returned to the original bathroom to release my transformation.
It took about 8 minutes to go and come back; was the monster closer to Shiyeon’s school?
In that short time, the class had already advanced 3 pages.
If the monster keeps targeting us only during class like this, it’s going to be hard to study, even if I want to.
In the first place, I didn’t even plan to study honestly.
“Looks like the poop kid is back.”
“I’ll kill you.”
My nickname that emerged from the group I hang out with is “poop kid.”
I often flee to the bathroom suddenly, so among my close friends, it was a fitting nickname.
If they were ordinary girls, they would just say they’d kill me verbally, but…
“Ah, ah! That hurts! Aah!”
Executed by the iron claw, diligently trained since elementary school.
Immediately, Seonhyuk screams.
Even if it’s just a little exercise, I consistently lift things like grip strengtheners and dumbbells, and for those who rely on their physicality due to gender, my strength is superior.
Unless it’s boys who are too big and have small hands that can’t grip me, I can handle them just fine for now.
As I released my grip, Seonhyuk gently rubbed his forehead where my thumb and index finger had touched.
Then, chuckles erupted from a few boys around us.
“Wow, you lost to a girl.”
“No, I’m telling you, Mary is really strong. Hey, you should try arm wrestling with her.”
The seat borrowed from another student for arm wrestling.
As Seonhyuk stood up from the opposite side, Dongha, who has a decent build, took his place.
He might not have anything at stake, but, out of interest, Dongha casually asked Seonhyuk.
“What do I get if I win?”
“A hot dog with X ribs flavor at lunch.”
At the sudden end of the conversation, a match was about to begin that offered me no advantage.
So, if I win, I get nothing?
Just then, I grasped Dongha’s hand, taking the stance typical for arm wrestling.
The feeling comes the moment you make contact.
Ah… this feels like a loss, ah… this feels like a win, ah… this feels a bit even.
At first, the sensation on my side suggested I was going to win…
“Okay, Mary.”
“Huh?”
“Half-up, deal?”
Just like one of the three sensations snapped into place for me, it seemed Dongha had got one of those feelings too.
As soon as our hands clasped, Dongha suddenly proposed a rigged match.
The reward would be a half of a hot dog filled with X flavor.
“Deal.”
“Oh, you crazy kids.”
As soon as the match started, I released all strength in my arm and fell over.
Victory without reward, or defeat with reward.
Thinking of the strength going in, it was an obvious result.
Watching the proposal and establishment of the rigged match unfold right in front of him, Seonhyuk couldn’t hold back and finally cursed out loud.
“Don’t mess around, put in some real strength this time.”
“Yeah.”
“What about the hot dog?”
“I’ll buy it for you, you bastard.”
As Dongha confirmed even the finishing blow, Seonhyuk hurled insults at him.
After hearing that I would buy a hot dog, the rematch for arm wrestling began.
Though there was no reward, it was a struggle of pride.
No twisting the wrist; a neutral third party would call the start.
“One, two… three!”
With Taehyun’s starting signal, the moment grip and strength combined.
The game of arm wrestling ended unexpectedly swiftly.
In almost 3 seconds, the win or loss became apparent.
It either tipped over emphatically or got tipped over.
This match was just like that.
Of course, resulting in me being the one doing the tipping over.
“Wow, you’re really strong.”
“Do you exercise separately?”
“Of course, if you don’t want to crash, start exercising early.”
Lifting an arm that looked insignificant compared to the boys, I rested my other hand on the bulging muscles.
It’s uncommon for an average girl to pick sports as a hobby starting in middle school.
At most, it’s concerned with diet or students who originally venture into that field.
Since that’s the case for most, Taehyun leaned against the wall and asked me.
“Then, Mary, are you joining a sports club?”
“No? Why would I do such a thing?”
I denied it as if it were a matter of course.
For a club, I was thinking of choosing something that seemed less demanding, something indoors.
Broadcasting club, band club, English debate club, peer counseling, all those are unnecessary.
If it must be done, the best is to sit indoors and roll crayons or colored pencils.
I decline any club activities that seem bothersome or look like too much work.
Is there any need to die of heat in summer or freeze in winter?
“Aren’t you fond of sports?”
“There’s a huge difference between liking something and having to do it.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You’ll realize it when you reach your 30s.”
Watching the naive kids who underestimate the flow of time with a compassionate gaze, after several classes, lunch break came.
This time could very well be described as the longest break during school hours.
Not liking the lunch menu, we, who usually gather in groups every break, immediately headed to the store.
Realizing today’s meal was unappetizing, we quickly opted for the store.
Chewing on a successfully acquired half hot dog, I headed toward the register.
I was the first to chew on half.
After paying for the store bread that was in the fridge and approaching the microwave, Dongha, holding the remaining half-bread, muttered.
“Isn’t this an indirect kiss?”
“What the hell are you talking like a 90s Japanese anime female character?”
Setting the microwave for 40 seconds, I scolded Dongha for using such outdated language.
Everyone seemed to know I wasn’t someone who would care about such things, as Seonhyuk chimed in after me.
“Just eat it.”
“Then how many kisses have I had with those munchers?”
After a mundane lunch hour filled up with bread, I returned home after finishing my cleaning duty, which entrusted students with many responsibilities compared to elementary school.
Perhaps because today was my turn to clean, Shiyeon had already returned home before me.
Now that Shiyeon seems to be doing well with monster hunting, it’s time to treat her like the proper magical girl she is.
Thus, acknowledging Shiyeon as a magical girl… we set a rule between us.
“If the last digit of the date is even, I go, and if it’s odd, Shiyeon goes.”
“Okay.”
If the day’s date ends in a 0 or even number, it’s my day to go.
We can’t both just escape to the bathroom just minutes before the monster alert goes off, then come back after defeating it.
Like today, when one of us arrives and handles everything beforehand, the other gets left out.
To avoid that happening, we set specific days of each type to go out, so there’s no overlap, and one can rest comfortably.
Anyway, it seemed like Shiyeon understood, as she gave a short, straightforward reply.
Not wanting to end the conversation just like that, I decided to compliment her on her accomplishments from today as I turned back to my room.
“You did well with the monster hunt today, finishing before I even arrived.”
“Huh? Wasn’t that you, Mary?”
“What?”
What on earth is this? Who else but the two of us?
