Chapter 68

“Lately, there’s been a decent variety show to watch.”

“True.”

“I wanna watch a drama though…”

“What drama? If you wanna watch something like that, use the TV in your room.”

“There’s a charm to watching it in the living room!”

“Stop talking nonsense…”

On a Saturday evening, we’re watching a somewhat decent variety show while munching on chicken.

…Wait, it’s boneless, so I guess we’re not really “tearing” into it.

100% boneless chicken is definitely the best.

“By the way, Max is being so quiet.”

“Ah, you’re right… Usually, he’d be reaching out and begging when he smells something tasty.”

Max, this guy, is just quietly toasting bread.

Is it because he just ate?

But seriously, the way he’s toasting bread is so cute.

“Rampage~!”

“What now?”

“Magical Gravity said she’s coming to Korea for a visit and wants you to guide her!”

“…Gravity?”

“Did you forget? You promised to treat her to something delicious!”

“……Ah~ that one? She actually remembered and came all this way… But what kind of guide? She’s already been here 12 times.”

“Who knows?”

Magical Gravity… that airheaded girl…

Come to think of it, why was she carrying that rabbit doll back then…?

I’ve never seen anyone actually carry around such a huge doll.

Don’t tell me… she’s still carrying it around even when she visits?

“So, when’s she coming?”

“Tomorrow!”

“…Tomorrow?”

“She said she’ll stay for about 3 days!”

“Really?”

If it’s 3 days, it won’t clash with my Germany schedule, so no problem.

Judging by how she’s only interested in food, she probably doesn’t care about sightseeing. Just feed her good stuff, and she’ll be fine.

But if Gravity does want to do some sightseeing… I’ll have to think about it.

“Unnie. Who’s Gravity?”

“She’s just… someone I met by chance. She always looks sleepy and carries a doll around.”

“Just hearing that sounds cute~. But if she’s openly carrying a doll around, she must be really carefree, huh?”

“True.”

“Aren’t dolls something you grow out of by elementary school…?”

“Who knows? Surprisingly, there are quite a few adults who decorate their rooms with dolls and cushions.”

“…Really?”

It’s not like dolls are just for kids, so it’s not that weird.

Though carrying one around outside is a different story.

“Unnie, you’d look really good holding a big doll.”

“Shut up.”

“No, seriously, it’d suit you so well…”

“I said shut up.”

“Then I’ll hold you instead.”

“…Why does it always come to that?”

Tsk… Fine, do whatever you want.

I should probably just give up resisting this kind of treatment…

It’s always like this, so why waste my energy fighting it every time?

“Meow.”

Max suddenly plopped down.

Well, guess I’ll scratch his belly then.

“I’m gonna shower first~.”

“Sure.”

“Ah, I’ll go after you…”

“Alright.”

As soon as the variety show ended, Yura went to shower.

It’s funny how thorough she is about this despite being lazy.

Well, not that I have room to talk… Guess siblings are alike, even when rotten.

“Phew~…”

“Done?”

“…Why are you staring, unnie?”

“Because a giant mackerel just walked out with only a towel on.”

“What?!”

“Uh, I’ll go in now.”

By the way, will she ever break the habit of walking out naked…?

I’d understand if it’s just family, but Diamond Dust is here too, and she just walks out like that…

“Ah~ Are you jealous of my chest? Now that you’re a girl, you’re envious of big boobs, huh? You’ve really become a woman~.”

“Stop deluding yourself. Those fat lumps would just get in the way during fights, so I’m not interested.”

“Tch~ You’re no fun.”

“Whatever, just put some clothes on.”

Guess I’ll shower and sleep too.

Since Gravity’s coming tomorrow, I should figure out where to take her.

“Unnie.”

“What?”

“Don’t you have pajamas?”

“I just sleep in my underwear, why bother with pajamas…”

“You don’t have pajamas?! That’s crazy!”

“…I don’t need them.”

“Let’s go buy some next time!”

“No thanks.”

“Come on~.”

“……”

Seriously, what a pain.

Why bother with something as pointless and unnecessary as pajamas…

Ugh, why do people around me keep bothering me with this stuff?

“I’m done.”

“Alright.”

By the way, I do have a bathroom in my room too… but maybe I’ll try showering over there today.

That one looks just as good as the one in my room.

“……”

…Come to think of it, it’s already been a few months since I became a girl.

Since it’s the same body I always transformed into, moving around wasn’t particularly hard… but everything else was a problem.

Being this short and girly is such a hassle.

Even if I can use magic without transforming, using it outside would just cause more trouble, and being this pretty occasionally attracts weirdos, which is disgusting…

Ah, speaking of which, I didn’t know there were shady agencies in Korea too trying to scout me.

I thought that was only in Japan.

Anyway, they were so persistent that it was a pain to shake them off.

Luckily, people around me got suspicious and were about to report them, so they left.

If I tried to subdue them myself, the strength from this body would give away that I’m a magical girl, so there’s nothing I can do.

But for the sake of my quiet and peaceful life, it’s unavoidable.

“Hmm…”

By the way… my chest, though just a little, is still slightly protruding, which feels weird.

I usually don’t notice it, but when I shower, it’s there, and it’s kind of annoying.

Plus, my hips feel oddly floaty when I touch them.

I guess it’ll take more time to get used to these subtle changes…

Well, I did live over 20 years in a male body, so it’s understandable.

I’ll just have to get used to it slowly.

“Phew~…”

…Seriously, looking in the mirror like this, I’m really pretty.

Enough to develop narcissism at this rate.

No matter how I look at it, my appearance is ridiculously powerful.

But all I do with it is train in martial arts, train in the pseudo-hell created by the Fairy Queen, and kill monsters…

…If a peaceful era ever comes… I wonder how I’ll live.

Will I keep living alone?

Will I ever get married?

Hmm… Honestly, I don’t think I’ll ever get married.

It’s not like I’ll ever fall for a guy.

…Ah, speaking of which, there’s Pretty Heart.

That girl who weirdly likes me.

She probably doesn’t just admire me but genuinely has a crush on me…

I’m not so dense that I wouldn’t notice that by now.

“…Sigh, whatever.”

Anyway, these thoughts are only possible if I survive and win.

To do that, I have to grit my teeth and train hard to surpass Pandora someday.

But is it really possible just by doing simple things like increasing my magical power?

The limitless growth that’s a hallmark of magical girls is something Pandora can do too.

It’s highly likely that Pandora is still growing stronger.

So what should I do?

Do I need to awaken a new power?

Then where and how do I discover and figure out this new power?

Does such a new power even exist?

“……Child of Heo.”

Right… come to think of it, the monsters and witches called me the “Child of Heo.”

Heo (虛)… I have no idea what that means or how it affects me.

The Fairy Queen seems to know something, but she’s oddly evasive about it…

Sigh… I feel like I need to figure this out…

“Rampage! Want some beer?”

“Huh? …No, it’s fine. I’m not living alone anymore, and with two of you here, I should be more careful.”

“Is that so?”

But maybe I’ll have some snacks.

It feels a bit awkward to sleep right now.

Ah, let’s have chocolate.

Come to think of it, I bought a ton of chocolate.

“Give me some chocolate.”

“Sure!”

Hmm… Just the look of it screams premium chocolate.

Let’s try one… Oh, this is… really good.

It’s on a whole different level from cheap chocolates…

I might finish the whole box right here.

It’s really delicious, seriously…

“…Hey, Chubby.”

“Yes?”

“Do you know… about the ‘Child of Heo’?”

“……”

“You do, don’t you? Tell me what it is.”

“…I’m sorry. The Fairy Queen told me it’s not the right time yet and sealed my lips.”

“Is that so? Still, tell me.”

“Ah, I can’t! I can’t disobey the Fairy Queen’s orders!”

“…Then I guess there’s no choice.”

Even Chubby’s lips are sealed tight, huh, that guy.

Guess I’ll have to figure it out on my own…

But I have no idea how to even start.

Maybe it means “emptiness”… like a vessel overflowing with power?

Ugh, ugh… It’s so confusing…

“…Ayun. What’s that on your horn?”

“This? It kept poking everywhere… so a friend made this for me.”

“I see…”

Come to think of it, Diamond Dust has something knitted specifically for her horn, huh.

Now that I think about it, it does look like it’d be easy to poke things with.

There’s a risk of poking friends at school, and when she bows, it’s practically a weapon.

Horns are more troublesome than I thought…

“By the way, when’s your exam?”

“Huh? I already took the midterms…”

“…Really? How’d you do?”

“Well… so-so.”

“What’s your score? Just tell me math and Korean.”

“89 and 97.”

“Wow… not bad.”

With that, I guess I don’t need to worry about science?

If you’re good at math, science usually follows.

…Though not always.

I was good at math too, but my science scores didn’t quite match.

Ah~ I wonder how things would’ve turned out if I hadn’t become a magical girl and just focused on studying.

…Even if I forced myself, I probably wouldn’t have gotten amazing grades.

I’m not a genius who can memorize everything at a glance.

I’m definitely more comfortable fighting than studying.

“……”

“…What?”

“Um, well…”

“…Ah~ You want praise because you did well?”

“…Yes.”

“Sigh… Fine, good job, well done.”

I get that feeling.

Even if you didn’t get what you really wanted, just a hug and a simple “It’s okay,” or a smile and a “Good job” when you did well… that’s all it takes.

But no matter how high your scores are, you never get praised, and when you do poorly, instead of comfort or encouragement, you just get scolded… It’s so unfair.

Most parents don’t understand their kids at all.

If they just paid attention to these small things, it’d make such a difference, but they don’t, and that’s why kids go astray.

Do they think it’s normal for kids to feel stressed and walk on eggshells even in their own homes?

This isn’t some survival in the wild…

In my opinion, what kids need isn’t just discipline, but warmth with a touch of firmness.

Melt their hearts, but also point out their mistakes.

…Though there are some brutes who only behave when beaten.

“Happy?”

“Yes.”

“Good… Then that’s that.”

By the way, she’s really… How much praise did she miss out on to crave it this much?

I should pay more attention to her.

“…Chubby.”

“Yes!”

“When I’m not around, make sure Diamond Dust eats well.”

“Got it!”

I’ve had enough chocolate, so I should sleep now.

I need to guide Gravity tomorrow, so I should sleep early.