Chapter 33

“I told you I didn’t want to do it.”

“No, eek, hik, hugging Kabe, sniff, while, gulp, choking, cough cough!”

“Ah, laugh a little, will you!”

The internet news, quick to react, was already flooded with stories about me.

The problem was, after all that posing and interviews at the press conference, those stories disappeared, and instead, there were scenes of me running to Kabe as she fell, cradling her, and even declaring war while holding her…

Ah, seriously.

This is why I said I didn’t want to do broadcasts.

If I had gained something, it might have been worth it, but since it was a war declaration broadcast, I couldn’t even set up a donation account! Unfair!

“Ah, stop laughing!”

“Okay, hee, okay…”

Eve was practically out of breath from laughing.

Her silver hair fluttered like a curtain in the wind as she laughed uncontrollably, holding her stomach.

I really want to smack her like a curtain.

I wonder what’s so funny, but even I have to admit it’s a bit amusing.

Several snapshots from the video were already uploaded online, including the moment I ran to Kabe as she fell.

My pale face is quite a sight…

“Anyway, I think it’s safe to say that no one doesn’t know about this broadcast now.”

I guess so.

It’s already uploaded on several streaming sites, and the views are skyrocketing. Real-time search terms include Mogmog Group, Mother-Body, Kabe, Maman Boss, Boss Maman… and such.

What’s Maman anyway…

“But it really turned out well.”

“Are you going to keep saying weird things?”

“It’s not weird. Thanks to you mentioning Itaewon and the date, it’s going to be a huge Halloween event. If our magical girls do some good PPL there, it’ll be a hit.”

“Hey, Eve.”

“Yeah?”

“Are you a magical girl or a commercial girl? Listening to you, the Magical Girl Association President sounds more like a Small Business Association President.”

“Well, I am a small business owner. We’re getting into advertising now. Why, do you want me to hook you up with an advertiser? I happen to have some connections.”

Eve reached into the air and pulled out a few documents, handing them to me.

“Take a look at these. With your current image, you could probably do these ads.”

Pampers diapers.

Empress baby formula and baby food.

Little Angels children’s clothing.

Asics sneakers, for girls.

Wiawom maternity clothing.

This girl.

“Hey!”

“Why are you yelling, you brat? Ads for children’s and women’s products, especially maternity products, pay a lot.”

“Even so, how can you offer me these?!”

What’s the big deal, really. She’s so picky. Grumbling, Eve gathered the documents and shoved them back into the air.

I’m jealous.

That inventory magic.

I can’t use any magic, so I can’t use that inventory thing either.

“So, there must be a reason you suddenly wanted to talk privately. Spill it.”

After the broadcast, while I was thinking of a suitable place to die of shame, Eve grabbed me.

She said she had something to talk about, so we went up to my room and monitored the broadcast together, and now it’s time to get to the point.

“Well, it seems I’ll have to stay at the hotel a bit longer.”

“Why?”

The original plan was until the end of this month. The renovation of the floor with the Association President’s Office was supposed to be done by then.

“Apparently, the parents of those kids have some political connections. They seem to want to challenge me, and it might take a while. I don’t want to give them any excuses, so I think it’s better to delay moving into the Association building.”

“Hmm, it’s true that if we’re seen coming and going, it could be a problem.”

No matter how much magical processing we do, people’s eyes are everywhere. If we’re caught going in and out of the Magical Girl Association, it won’t be good.

Eve said it wouldn’t matter if we were caught, but it’s better not to give them any excuses.

“Hmm, hotel life.”

It’s comfortable and nice. But since it’s not home, there are some inconveniences.

“Eve, if this PPL goes well, how many companies can we contract with?”

“Well… depending on the effects during the fight in Itaewon, maybe ten to fifteen. Why?”

“Hmm… can we get our share in advance?”

“It’s possible, but why?”

“I’m thinking of getting a building.”

“Uncomfortable at the hotel?”

Not really.

But if the hotel stay drags on, it won’t be good, and it’s a bit of a hassle. I thought it would be more comfortable to get a building and live there.

“Hmm, if you think so, it’s possible. Alright, let’s see…”

Eve reached into the air again and after rummaging for a while, pulled out a piece of paper.

I’m always jealous when I see that.

Soon, Eve unfolded a color catalog in front of me. It was a three-fold catalog, and inside was a decent-looking officetel building.

“This is an officetel in Gwangmyeong. It’s 8 floors, with 10 studio apartments on each floor. The top floor has 3 units, designed for family living with 4 rooms, a kitchen, and a living room. There’s a 2-level underground parking lot and a large basement storage. How about this building?”

How about it?

This is really good.

Plus, it’s new.

“It’s good, but we can’t rent such a nice building. We don’t have the money.”

It’s clearly new. The catalog says it’s available for sale starting December, and the construction and completion dates are recent.

Everything is new. How great would it be to get something like this.

“It’s okay.”

“My bank account, no, the corporate account is not okay, Eve.”

“No, really, it’s okay.”

“We don’t have the money, you brat.”

“I own the building. This building is mine.”

“Sister. Can I serve you as my sister from now on?”

I almost knelt down but stopped just in time.

We decided to go see the building on Sunday.

I wanted to go right away, but it was late, and since we have a mock battle scheduled for tomorrow, Saturday, we decided to go on Sunday.

If Dusik is coming too, Sunday is better than a weekday.

Eve went home, and I sat facing Karin.

Well, Karin was standing, and I was sitting, so our heights were about the same.

“Is Kabe asleep?”

“Yes, sister.”

Dusik was also watching from the side.

When I said I was going to learn magic operation from Karin, he said he might be able to help and stuck around to watch.

He’s sitting a bit too close to me, though…

“Dusik.”

“Yes.”

“Come here.”

As I stood up, Dusik slowly followed.

I opened the built-in cabinet and rummaged through the shelves… ah, there it is.

A pair of sweatpants just like the ones I’m wearing, but in a different color.

I was wearing thick sweatpants, so I was fine, but Dusik was wearing thin school gym clothes, and sitting on the hotel floor would make his butt cold.

“Don’t let your butt get cold. Change into these.”

“Uh… I’m fine…”

“Girls shouldn’t let their butts get cold. Go change. Got it?”

“Yes, yes…”

While Dusik went to the bathroom to change, Karin silently watched me.

For a long time, Karin just stared at me without saying or doing anything.

What’s she doing? I was getting curious.

“Just what are you?”

“Huh?”

“Even if you became a minion, the amount of magic power from your human days doesn’t change. You shouldn’t have this much magic power. What are you?”

Karin’s gaze was fixed on me.

“I was originally human. You verified that, didn’t you?”

“That’s true.”

Are all guardians this clueless?

Meanwhile, Dusik, having changed his pants, sat back down next to me.

“Dusik.”

“Yes, Karin.”

“Your new boss’s magic power is truly beyond imagination. Not having a unique spell is a penalty, but it’s understandable. I wondered how you beat Priqu and Prilly, but it makes sense.”

Karin walked over to me and poked my lower abdomen with her horn.

“Hey, what are you… uh…?”

I was about to get angry, but the faint warmth rising from my lower abdomen stopped me.

While I was speechless, Karin poked a few more spots on my upper body with her horn.

“You should start feeling the warmth. Try to move it in the order I just poked.”

“Even if you say it like that…”

As if that’s easy.

“Magic is, in simple terms, the force that sustains principles,” Karin continued.

Just like eating makes you full, lying down makes you sleepy, and waking up makes you refreshed, magic is the force that sustains these principles.

Following the natural order, you can’t create something from nothing, but magic is the force that makes it possible.

What is she talking about?

“That’s the principle of magic. The term is magic, but the names differ between the Light Realm and the Dark Realm. The characteristics are different too. The Light Realm calls it magic, and the Dark Realm calls it dark magic. Magic leans more towards creation and healing, while dark magic leans more towards death and destruction… but in practice, the operation methods aren’t that different.”

Got it? Karin said, but hearing such a conceptual explanation doesn’t really change anything.

The warmth in my lower abdomen was still swirling, and no matter how I tried to move it, it wouldn’t budge.

“Mother-Body, get up and try transforming.”

Following Karin’s words after she had been observing me for a while, I stood up and pressed my earring.

“Oh…?”

The warmth in my lower abdomen moved.

But it didn’t move in the order Karin had poked. It just kept moving from my abdomen to my left arm.

“Maybe what Keru taught you was the best way after all.”

“Hey, you said you’re different from Keru.”

“Hmm. No, not really. Anyway… the fact that magic is radiating out like this… look at this.”

Karin’s horn started stirring the air, and what came out was a book.

A thick book with a red cover. Karin hooked the book on her horn and pointed it at me.

“Six Harmonies Martial Arts Manual…?”

From the name, it sounds like some martial arts novel.

“The fact that magic is radiating out like this means it can definitely take form. I heard you blocked Prilly’s Aura Cannon with magic, right?”

Aura Cannon, yeah, Prilly shot some beam at me through a magic circle. And I did block it.

“Not just blocking with magic, but you might be able to materialize weapons or armor with magic. If that’s possible, then magic itself could be a sufficient weapon for you.”

Hmm.

Maybe it’s a more advanced version of what Keru taught me.

I gently stroked the energy rising from the glove on my left hand.

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