Chapter 106

“Mmm…”

“Finish what’s in your mouth before you talk.”

Today, Typhoon came over to my house alone. Of course, she didn’t just show up unannounced—she texted ahead to say she was coming over for some magical girl-related advice and to hang out. I’m glad she didn’t just barge in like Hatred or Gravity… but then again, those two are just weirdos. Especially Gravity, that one…

“Now that I think about it, this is my first time at your house outside of parties.”

“…Yeah. Pretty Heart comes over sometimes to drop off bread, and Crazy Heart isn’t the type to visit first…”

Typhoon… now that I think about it, we’ve only really met during training or outside. Parties don’t count since I invited everyone. Anyway, I don’t mind if my juniors come over anytime, but maybe they feel differently… Well, the idea of just casually dropping by someone else’s house whenever you feel like it is kind of strange.

“Actually, I wanted to come over, but there’s this weird fear, you know, about coming to your house alone.”

“Huh? Why are you scared…?”

“Because you’re like a ghost during training…”

“…? I’m going easy on you, though?”

“What?”

I’m holding back so they don’t run away from how tough it is, but they think I’m a ghost… Well, from their perspective, it must be brutal. I deliberately push them to their limits during training.

“At least I’m not training your mental strength, right?”

“…That sounds scary, so I won’t ask!”

“Ask.”

“No!”

She immediately stuffs bread in her mouth to dodge the question. By the way, she really loves nuts. She’s eating a ton of stuff with peanut butter, walnuts, and almonds.

“Ah! It’s Max!”

“…Meow?”

“I haven’t held Max much, so I’m going to hug him as much as I want today!”

“Go ahead…”

Now that I think about it, she didn’t get many chances to hold Max during parties. Typhoon always seemed to get pushed aside. Pretty Heart probably had this intimidating aura… Wait, but… you’re a year older than Pretty Heart. Why are you getting pushed around by her?

“Jelly squishy… so cute…”

“Meow…”

“What about Lavigne?”

“O-of course Lavigne is cute too… but still, cats and dogs are unbeatable…!”

“Is that so…?”

Lavigne… don’t get all gloomy… It’s not your fault—that cat’s just a cheat code.

“Ah~… I should’ve come to your house sooner…”

“Why?”

“Because there’s no place as comfortable and nice as this…!”

“…Meow.”

“Eek.”

…Somehow, my house feels like it’s turning into a hangout for juniors rather than friends. It’s not really becoming a hideout, is it? Well, it’s nice having girls around, but it’s also kind of… something. I’d rather it be a hangout for my friends…

“Ha~am… Unnie… Huh? When did Daeun get here?”

“Didn’t I tell you? She just came over to hang out today.”

“Ayun unnie~…”

“Ah, she’s holding Max.”

Diamond Dust came out to hold Max too. Speaking of which, Typhoon… don’t eat bread while lying down. It’s fine for us, but you’re still human—lying down while eating isn’t good for digestion.

“Daeun. At least sit up while eating. It’s bad for digestion.”

“Okay~.”

…By the way, is Daeun in her third year of middle school now? Her chest has grown quite a bit. As for me… well, I’m a magical girl, so it can’t be helped. Wait, why am I jealous of that?! Damn it, somehow my thoughts have become so girly…

“Ugh… stop poking my chest…”

“……”

“…Unnie, don’t be jealous.”

“I’m not, idiot.”

Sigh~… Why, out of all the magical girl bodies, did I get stuck with this tiny one…? I mean, I’m technically an adult… No, no, I definitely am an adult, but why is my height abnormally short?

“By the way, why did you come over?”

“Me? …For Max!”

“Just for that?”

“Just for that?! I haven’t been able to monopolize him!”

“Ah, right…”

Kids really love cats. Well, our Max is exceptionally cute. Plus, he’s well-behaved and listens well. And Max has gotten used to humans too. Starting with me, Yura and Ayun dote on him a lot, and the mascots even talk to him.

“Ah~…”

“What’s wrong now?”

“…Actually, my friends… got boyfriends.”

“Boyfriends? What about it?”

“I’m the only one without a boyfriend! If I get one too… hehe…”

“You want to have sex with a cool boyfriend?”

“No, no! That’s not it!”

“…Sounds like it to me.”

“…Yeah.”

“I can hear you!”

These days, the age when kids start getting obsessed with sex is getting younger… No, middle schoolers are practically the embodiment of sexual desire. It’s the age when they’re most swept up by it. No wonder boys in middle school are all about watching porn and masturbating.

When you think about it, middle school is really the wildest time. I don’t remember much about my own middle school days, though. Back then, I was too obsessed with killing demons and monsters…

“Meow, meow…”

“Just kidding. But stop choking Max and let him go.”

“…Huh? Oh, right.”

“…Hiss.”

“Now you’re hated.”

“Ah~…”

Well, who told you to hug him so tightly? Sigh, what can I do? I’ll have to cheer Max up with some treats.

“Here, Max’s treat. You feed him.”

“Ooh…”

Hey, you… what if you turn into a cat too…? Why are you sticking your butt up so high…?

“Hey, why are you doing a mating pose while giving a cat a treat?”

“M-mating pose?! No!!”

“Hiss?!”

“If you stick it up that high, your back’s gonna hurt…”

“Why are you even seriously analyzing that…?”

“Ah~! Max~! I’ll give you a treat~…”

“……”

Sigh… I’ll have to hold Max for a bit to calm him down. This could go on forever. Alright, I’ll play with you for a bit, Max. Take a breather.

“Meow.”

“Try again around dinner time. He’s already on guard.”

“Okay…”

Tsk tsk, who told you to hug him so tightly? By the way, didn’t you say you came over for magical girl advice? Why are you just rolling around here? Did you forget about the advice part?

“Hey, didn’t you say you wanted advice?”

“Ah, right.”

“…Don’t forget important stuff.”

So, what’s the advice about? Thinking about it, there’s nothing she really needs advice on. Did she do something wrong? She’s at that early chuunibyou stage, so there’s a chance she messed up.

“What is it?”

“Lately… my techniques aren’t as powerful as I thought they’d be!”

“Really?”

“They should be going *whoosh*! But they feel kinda weak…”

“That’s just a lack of knowledge.”

“Lack of knowledge?”

“Yeah. If you have a natural disaster-level talent and that’s all you can do, it’s a lack of knowledge. Your imagination seems fine, though…”

“Eh…”

“Should I teach you something, then?”

“Yes! Please do!”

Hmm… Since she’s awakened her Second Ability, this should work. Using field magic to create strong winds, massive clouds, and heavy rain, then using wind and water magic for continuous bombardment. With clouds, she can also create lightning, and with lightning, she can unleash powerful attacks. Of course, it won’t be as versatile as specialized abilities, but it’s still pretty good. Speed from wind, mass from water, and powerful energy attacks from lightning… If she uses them well…

“But I don’t have time to teach you right now. I’ll do it next time.”

“Okay~.”

I’m not exactly a scholar, but if I teach her the basics, she can study and improve on her own… Wait, I think I taught her before, but she’s still the same. Maybe I need to drill it into her to study separately.

“And stop with the weird imagination and actually study how to use your abilities properly. You’re not doing that, so that’s why you’re like this.”

“Eh, ehm… I don’t like studying…”

“Then I can’t help you. Go home.”

“Ahh!! I’ll study!!”

Telling her to go home really works wonders. One word, and she immediately backs down. But she really hates studying, huh? No wonder she hasn’t improved.

“…Unnie. By the way, I saw her the other day, and she keeps striking poses every time she uses a technique…”

“…What?”

“…It’s like she wants to look strong rather than actually be strong.”

“…Yeah, seems like it.”

No matter how I look at it, this girl seems to have chuunibyou working against her, like Diamond Dust said. Should I wait for her to grow out of it, or should I force her to fix it…? No, forcing kids to change never ends well. I’ve never seen it turn out good…

“Daeun. Stop making weird faces. People will think you’re crazy.”

“Huh?”

“I get that you’re daydreaming—you’re in middle school—but if it shows on your face, people will think you’re weird.”

“……”

Ah, her face turned bright red. Maybe I should’ve pretended not to notice. But seeing her blush like this is kind of cute. Kids are adorable.

“……”

Typhoon, her face bright red, quietly got up, grabbed a cushion, and buried herself in the corner. She buried her face in the cushion and stayed still, and I started feeling a little sorry for her. This… yeah, food therapy is the way to go.

“Hey, eat this.”

“……”

I opened the freezer and threw her an ice cream, and she silently started eating. Once she’s done eating, she’ll probably come over and look for Max.

“Do all middle schoolers act like that?”

“Dunno? I don’t remember much, but there are definitely kids whose daydreams show on their faces.”

Come to think of it, I knew someone like that. …Not anymore. My precious comrades… they all died back then. Sis… Clock Hands…

“Unnie? What’s wrong?”

“…Huh? Ah, nothing. It’s nothing, so keep eating your bread.”

“…? Okay.”

Sigh… Suddenly feeling down. I’ll have some ice cream to cheer myself up.

“Meow.”

“Ah, you came over~.”

Oh, Max went over to Typhoon first. But instead of letting her hold him, he climbed onto her head… What’s going through his mind? I’ll never understand cats…

“Dust~!”

“…Ah, I’ll be right back.”

“Okay. What’s the rank?”

“Marquis-Class.”

“Hurry back.”

“Okay~.”

She really doesn’t need to tell me every detail. It’s not like I wouldn’t know when the signal goes off.

“……”

…Sigh, I’ll just watch Max play and roll around.