The freezing cold snow锥s—a sensation I didn’t even endure during my active years in the previous life.
—
“Let there be light!” After experiencing that, I prepared a corresponding punishment for the bearcub.
—
Do you, by any chance, know what an insect collection box is?
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It has a small breathing space at the top, and the bottom is made of transparent plastic.
—
After filling it with enough water to slosh around, you lay the bearcub flat in the narrower part.
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Just hold it steady and resist until it’s over.
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“If you’re wet anywhere when I get back, you’re dead—got it?”
—
To ensure it wouldn’t pretend to escape and then endure inside, I sealed the lid tightly with tape.
—
“GAAAAAH—!”
—
“That’s enough. Let’s go.”
—
With a satisfying scream, I brushed off my hands and grabbed my mask and cane.
—
Out of the apartment, we headed to a secluded spot away from prying eyes, where Shiyeon and I chanted our transformation spells.
—
“Moon Power! Transform!”
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“Sun.”
—
While Shiyeon still had a semblance of a proper setup, my spell was not only simple but also lacking sincerity.
—
Since I didn’t want to endure a headache-inducing transformation spell, this was an unavoidable choice.
—
As the bearcub, who doubled as a monster radar, had been left behind for punishment, relying on Shiyeon’s mascot was necessary for detection.
—
Following a snake that led the way, we arrived atop a certain apartment building.
—
A shadow about 170cm tall came into view.
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“By the name of love and justice, I will not forgive you!”
—
Before the lines could be stolen, Shiyeon spoke first, addressing the monster.
—
At the sound of her voice, the creature turned its head, but not its body, and stared at us.
—
The eyes, glowing yellow in the darkness, looked like something I’d seen before in videos—it was a bird of prey.
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“Hoo-hoo.”
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“What?!”
—
The sight of the monster’s neck swiveling completely petrified Shiyeon.
—
Considering how the head of a bird, as big as a human, could rotate 180 degrees, yes, it was pretty terrifying.
—
“Hoo-hoo. Are you afraid merely because my neck twists? It pains me to see such disappointment…”
—
The monster, unaware of the mischief it had caused, made me seethe with anger.
—
Ever tried getting dragged out in the middle of the night without any warning?
—
Some people may feel a sense of duty, but honestly, all I feel is sheer anger.
—
Transforming my anger into words, I spoke:
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“Looks like you’re causing a ruckus on land, sea, and air.”
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“Hoo?”
—
Last time, it was a land beast.
—
Last time before that, it was a sea beast.
—
And now, a sky beast.
—
“Is this some sort of triple combination special fried rice?”
—
“Hoo-hoo?!”
—
If I were to cut you all up into pieces, I’d probably have enough for a few servings of triple combination fried rice.
—
“Hoo-hoo-Hell! Oh, this pisses me off.”
—
The monster’s peculiar tone of voice only added fuel to my annoyance.
—
Now that I’ve prepared a stress-reliever, which involves some… shall we say, torture techniques, let’s proceed. Since my cane’s light would be too noticeable at night, I turned to Shiyeon:
—
“Moon, could you use your ‘Shining Beam’ or ‘Flashlight’ thing?”
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“Eh? Sure…”
—
Shiyeon obediently raised her wand toward the owl monster.
—
“Hooo! Do you think I’d just sit here and let this happen?”
—
The monster wasn’t one to sit still. It quickly took flight, diving down like a hunting bird.
—
Monsters are simple-minded and never think to flee.
—
Predictable patterns ensure these battles lack any tension whatsoever.
—
“Alright, come as close as you can.”
—
“Moonlight!”
—
“Huuuuu?!”
—
While we had our eyes half-closed, the owl monster stared wide-eyed, directly into the moonlight.
—
It wasn’t any kind of shining light or flashlight—it bore no relation at all to the name.
—
As a result of the bright light, the monster—unable to see properly—nearly fell over the railing of the apartment rooftop, but I caught it.
—
“Ugh.”
—
With a short yell, I gently laid the owl monster, who still had its eyes tightly shut and flapped its wings, on the ground.
—
Though Shiyeon—no, Moon—looked reluctant, a necessary word still had to be spoken.
—
“Sun, do we really have to do this?”
—
“Trauma is important, Moon… we need to make sure it doesn’t come back.”
—
“Hoo-hoo? What exactly do you intend to do?”
—
I gently rubbed the monster’s belly, feeling the texture.
—
The smoothness of bird feathers provides a distinct tactile experience, unlike any other creature.
—
“Mmm, so soft…”
—
My hand brushing against the feathers stopped at one spot, and I grabbed a fistful of fluffy feathers from the creature’s torso.
—
Realizing the gravity of the situation, the owl monster’s pupils shrank to the size of peas.
—
“Hoo… surely not?”
—
“Time for a feather tune-up.”
—
A sharp tug. A bundle of feathers came out in my hand.
—
“HUUUUUUUU?!!”
—
One hand held the feathers, and then I cast them away.
—
Pulled, then discarded.
—
This repeated until the monster’s body was as bare as a plucked chicken.
—
“What? What’s going on?”
—
At some point, the monster’s screams ceased, and it began to disperse like magical dust.
—
Shiyeon looked on with a sympathetic expression, which eventually turned toward the monster’s face, now contorted with regret.
—
“It seems like it’s already gone…”
—
“I haven’t even left my mark yet.”
—
Before it completely disappeared, I slightly turned the column of my magical wand to imbue it with the power of the sun.
—
Chirp.
—
Regrettably, the wand wasn’t heated enough, but I managed to leave a faint mark where I had removed the most feathers.
—
The smell of grilled chicken wafted through the night air, making fried chicken seem irresistible.
—
After returning near our apartments—we landed on the rooftop of a nearby building.
—
“Transformation cancel.”
—
“Cancel.”
—
The lingering scent of the owl monster clung to us, making fried chicken ever more tempting.
—
I turned my thumb toward the convenience store behind the building, asking Shiyeon if she wanted to join.
—
“We’re stopping by the convenience store to grab some frozen chicken. How about it, Shiyeon?”
—
“I’m good…”
—
With a tired voice, she moved ahead to descend from the rooftop, indicating her exhaustion.
—
How could she not be hungry? The scent of chicken was so enticing.
—
Shiyeon headed home, while I turned toward the convenience store.
—
Just 200g of frozen chicken at 5,800 won—it was worth the splurge, even though it wasn’t particularly budget-friendly. Yet, nothing could compare to microwaving a spicy, peppery fried chicken at midnight for maximum enjoyment.
—
Adding a can of soda for 1,100 won, for that extra bubbly kick.
—
This was world peace.
—
“Good meal.”
—
Despite the small portion, my stomach quickly filled, and I returned home, patting my slightly bloated belly.
—
Shiyeon appeared to be already lying down in her bed, exhausted.
—
When I was about to climb to my second-tier bed, a groan-like sound reached my ears.
—
“Ggggggh…!”
—
That’s right, I forgot about the bear cub still trapped in the insect collection box.
—
Struggling inside the box, its face certainly didn’t resemble one typically found in a magical girl anime.
—
“C-can I be released now?”
—
“Sorry, I forgot about you.”
—
“Cough!”
—
To a life-threatening question, I gave a laughably inadequate answer.
—
With a gentle splash, the stuffed bear was submerged in the water-filled collection box—its limbs completely devoid of strength.
—
A splash of cold chicken and soda had long dissolved the anger I once felt over being awoken.
—
I removed the tape that held the lid in place, listened to the tearing sound, opened it, and pulled out the soaked bear.
—
I squeezed out the excess water from it, careful not to splash.
—
“Gggggh…”
—
It groaned every time I squeezed the water from it—like a squeaky toy.
—
Carelessly tossing the damp bear to the side, I returned to my second-tier bed to sleep.
—
After a restless night filled with catching and pulling apart monsters, along with a hearty meal of fried chicken and soda, sleep didn’t come easily.
—
“Didn’t get enough sleep.”
—
Eventually, switching from lying on my back to lying face down, I turned on my smartphone.
—
Somewhere amidst this, faint rustling sounds reached my ears.
—
It was none other than the bear cub, lightly stepping on the blanket.
—
Without needing to confirm, while staring at my bright smartphone screen, I said:
—
“You better not wake me up like that again.”
—
“Well, then how should I wake you?”
—
“Shake me a few times and talk in my ear—it’s enough. Shining light in my eyes is a crazy move.”
—
“Ah, I see…”
—
After hearing the bear cub acquiesce, I continued scrolling on my phone, but a curiosity arose.
—
How do other magical girls wake up when monsters appear at night?
—
“Hey.”
—
“Yes?”
—
“How do other magical girls handle this? Nights when the monster appears.”
—
Looking genuinely baffled as if I’d asked something strange, it responded.
—
“Typically, an alarm goes off.”
—
“Damn, what a high-stress job.”
—
Realizing the harsh working conditions of magical girls, I cursed under my breath.
—
These kids endure so much.
