“Yah!”
I was reenacting a famous scene from the little magician Lumi on my bed. Haru, impressed by my intense and dramatic battle with the air, clapped as she watched me.
“Maybe you should join a taekwondo competition?”
I wanted to say it wasn’t taekwondo but some other martial art, but honestly, I couldn’t tell the difference, so I didn’t argue.
While we were messing around, Bora came in carrying a big box.
“Hana, did you order something online? I don’t remember giving my name for anything.”
Bora looked at the box and said, “It came under my name, but I don’t remember ordering anything…?”
I tilted my head and replied, “I didn’t order anything either.”
I racked my brain but couldn’t recall shopping online. I hadn’t even made an account, so there’s no way I could’ve bought anything.
But then, a memory flashed through my mind. As soon as I remembered, I rushed over to Bora like a madwoman.
“Bora! The event! The event from last time!”
“Event…? Oh, right! We entered that contest, didn’t we?”
I had a feeling I knew what was in the box. It had to be my precious weapon.
I circled around Bora, bouncing on my toes. I wanted the box so badly, but Bora was tall, and I couldn’t reach it.
“Bora, give me the box…!”
Bora laughed at my antics, her eyes curving into crescents as she said, “Here you go.”
She placed the box in front of me. I immediately started fumbling with it, but the tape was so meticulously applied that it wouldn’t open.
“Ugh… It won’t open.”
I felt defeated by the unyielding box. Frustrated, I smacked it with my hand, but all I got was a sore palm.
“Maybe the person who’s supposed to open it should do it?”
After saying that, Bora disappeared and reappeared with a small utility cutter. I reached out eagerly. With that, I could easily open the box.
I laughed as I looked at the box on the floor. Just staring at it made me inexplicably happy.
“La la la, boom boom, la la la~”
I hummed a catchy tune I’d heard somewhere while picking up the cutter. Then, I aimed it at the center of the box, which was covered in devilish tape.
Carefully, I skillfully cut through the tape. Inside, I expected a dazzling light to shine out.
The box was filled with various goods. I was sure I’d only applied for the magic wand, but apparently not.
There was a book with character stats, CDs, and even an SD figure of the protagonist, Lumi…
I carefully placed the figure on my desk where it would be visible. I decided it would be my second treasure.
The most important item, the magic wand, was at the very bottom.
“Ooh…”
I held the wand up to the sky. It sparkled in the sunlight, more dazzling than anything else.
Bora and Haru applauded as they watched me. I felt oddly proud. This was the real me. Today was truly a happy day.
But it wasn’t over yet. There was another small box inside.
Curious, I carefully placed the wand on my bed and opened the box. Thankfully, it wasn’t sealed with tape but with a simple sticker, so it opened easily.
“What’s this…?”
It looked like some kind of ticket.
—
Kim Bora looked at the ticket Hana was holding and wondered if she’d gone overboard.
Hana seemed to love this animation way too much. The popularity of *Little Magician Lumi* was beyond imagination. It was an idol for kids. So, winning a contest where tens of thousands applied but only a few dozen were chosen seemed nearly impossible.
So, Bora decided to use a bit of the Starlight Guild’s influence. Even though the Starlight Guild and I were in different leagues, leveraging the power of the top domestic company made pressuring the production studio of a children’s anime as easy as eating porridge.
In the face of the Starlight Guild’s overwhelming power, the production studio was like a reed field collapsing helplessly in the wind.
And with the added influence of the Starlight Guild’s direct family, winning the event became easier than twisting a child’s wrist. Bora had only intended for the magic wand to be the prize, but the studio must’ve felt the pressure more than expected.
I thought the best I could get was maybe a magic wand, but I ended up winning the grand prize. Like in that movie about a kid and a chocolate factory, the ticket Hana was holding had incredible benefits.
Not only could I enter the theme park run by the company that created the Little Magician Lumi for free, but I could also use all the facilities first, no matter how long the lines were.
On top of that, I could take photos with professional voice actors and enjoy various perks. Hana seemed to love it, running around the room with the ticket in hand. She looked so happy.
“But this came under my name…”
Unfortunately, the ticket was under Bora’s name. Up to four people could go together, but sadly, Hana didn’t have an ID. Meaning, she couldn’t enter places that required personal verification.
“Bora, can I not go?”
Just moments ago, she was shouting with joy, but when she saw Bora’s serious expression, she looked like she was about to cry.
Bora was weak to that kind of expression. In the end, she had no choice.
“I’ll do my best.”
“Okay!”
Bora had to do everything she could to keep Hana from crying.
——————————————
Lately, life had no joy. I was slumped over, staring at the magic wand on my desk. Haru was trying to distract me with a bubble gun next to me, but it only made me more depressed.
“Ugh… still no news?”
I said while looking at Haru. Haru awkwardly avoided my gaze and just let out a forced laugh.
“Well… Hana, just wait a little longer.”
“But…”
With each passing day, I felt like I was drying up. The event for Lumi’s theme park was approaching, and there was still no good news.
At this rate, even with the ticket, I might just end up watching it all slip away. I stared blankly at Haru’s bubble gun. Sensing my gaze, Haru blew even more bubbles at me.
I absentmindedly snatched Haru’s bubble gun. It was light enough to hold with one hand, probably because it had already blown so many bubbles.
But since it was a gun, it had a certain weight to it. And the part Haru wasn’t holding felt cold, like metal.
I slowly looked at it while holding it in my hand.
*Click-*
Then I brought the barrel to the side of my head. Seeing this, Haru freaked out and snatched the bubble gun away from me.
“Hana! Who taught you such a bad thing!”
Being scolded made me even more depressed. I was about to burst into tears when someone suddenly burst through the door.
“Hana!”
Bora rushed in, holding something in her hand. She was panting, as if she had run all the way here.
“Now you can go to the theme park too!”
What Bora was holding was an envelope. Inside was my ID.
As soon as I heard Bora’s words, I ran to her with joy. The earlier gloom had already flown away.
“Wow! Bora!!!”
I clung to Bora’s leg. The ID I had been dreaming of was finally mine. Judging by Bora’s expression, it seemed like there had been a lot of twists and turns.
“It’s not completely done yet… but this is enough for now.”
Bora patted my head and then took the ID out of the envelope to show me.
When I received the small, business card-sized ID with my photo on it, I almost let out a scream of joy.
Holding it high, I said, “I can go to the theme park!”
How fun would it be? My heart was racing with excitement. But the two girls were chatting about something else on this happy day.
“Hana, you’ll be starting elementary school soon, right?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
Elementary school…? I’m a guy who’s been to the military…?
