Chapter: 121
During Physical Education class, after a simple stretching session and some fun in the water, the customary unlimited free time was granted. Students, clad in swimsuits, frolicked about, swimming, splashing, and enjoying the water.
Among them was the swimming pool’s nightmare, simultaneously engaging in swimming and splashing. Kim Lulu was deliberately dousing water everywhere, long since declared a hero amongst her classmates.
“Capture her! That girl will pay the price for my suncream!”
“Throw water! Drench her!”
“────Too slow.”
Kim Lulu darted through the water like a dolphin, unleashing merciless water bombs at the students pursuing her.
Splash-!!
This offensive floor show struck Choi, who hadn’t partaken in swimming class recently due to just getting her hair done, releasing the seal of the pool’s ruler and leading to the entrapment of the chaos manifested in the form of Kim Lulu.
Thus, the celestial net designed to capture the pool’s mischief was finally completed.
“Bwahahaha!! Sorry! I’m sorry!!”
“I won’t stop tickling you until you cry!!”
Ultimately, Kim Lulu, ensnared in the celestial net, plunged into tickle hell, marking the end of her rampage.
And, as if turning its back on all the commotion, a lone sea otter drifted around the pool, known as Roderus.
“…………Haaah.”
Oh Dae-su let out a heavy sigh as if the sky were collapsing. He ultimately failed to confess to Kim Lulu that he was actually a guy.
How could he tell someone struggling so much?
He’d no longer be able to sip doenjang soup at Oh Hye-in’s place. Living with a total stranger was not an option. He had to leave.
However, he was prepared for independence. As long as he could find part-time work while crashing in a jjimjilbang, he could manage just fine.
Yeah, that’s how life works. He just needed to disappear in front of Kim Lulu and Oh Hye-in as if Oh Dae-su had never existed.
While he wouldn’t be able to share crepes or play ranked games, he could always work part-time at a convenience store and watch from a distance…
That would suffice. Just that.
Drifting along with the rippling waters, Dae-su—as a sea otter—was swept to the edge of the pool. A shadow of a person loomed over her.
Looking up, it was Oh Hye-in.
“…What’s going on today? Dae-su, you love the water, don’t you? Last time you seemed like you had motors on your feet when swimming.”
“…Don’t ask anything. Just stuff happened.”
“Geez, are you going to stew in your thoughts until you get a mental illness?”
“……”
He already had a problem. Last night, he ended up sleeping only about three hours.
He would suddenly wake up in the middle of the night thinking, “Wait, Oh Dae-su is a guy? Ew, disgusting. Why was he pretending to be a girl?!” resulting in wide-eyed awakenings.
The wounds of the heart weren’t healing, and there was nothing he could do, so he just had to suffer. He’d rather endure a whipping. No, no matter what, that wouldn’t be right.
And so, Roderus slipped into sea otter mode, hoping to stabilize her mind while catching up on some z’s.
Harmony and tranquility. She surrendered herself to the calm waves and tried to maintain a peaceful demeanor, conjuring sounds of nature often featured in documentaries…
Oh Hye-in smiled lazily as she suddenly tossed a remark.
“Dae-su Oppa.”
“…”
“Why are you so reluctant to go back? Is it because you won’t get to change clothes together in the locker room, or see the girl’s swimsuits without a care? Or maybe… because you like living as a girl?”
“…Shut up!!”
His calmness was depleted, and Oh Dae-su splashed into the water.
===============================================================
Roderus had grown accustomed to living as a girl; she didn’t desire to be one. So whenever she would register on the internet, she would always select ‘male’ in the gender section.
Sitting with her legs elegantly crossed was less about ‘I’m a girl, I should be demure’ and more about ‘It’s annoying when those guys stare at my thighs.’
Wearing a skirt didn’t bother her either; after all, in Scotland, it’s traditional for men.
According to Mungae, “In Scotland, it’s common for men to wear skirts.” Not wearing one was the odd thing. Of course, this was largely because Kim Lulu kept pestering her about, “Why are you wearing pants?”
Thus, it wasn’t that she liked being in a girl’s body—no, not at all—
“Yeah, if you’re embarrassed, you don’t have to admit it.”
“If someone hits me at night, think of it as me, Oh Hye-in!”
While Roderus was scheming for her late-night revenge, Oh Hye-in laughed with a “Hehe,” waving her hand apologetically. Then, speaking softly, she said,
“You can keep living at my place.”
“…What?”
“It’s fine; just say I’m your cousin, right? You can still keep the name Oh Dae-su and all…”
“…I’m a guy.”
“I know. But before that, I know you’re Dae-su and not the type to do anything weird… And if you were going to, you’d have done it long ago, like entering the girls’ bath or something?”
Of course, Oh Hye-in continued.
“I think I should tell Lulu though. If a friend suddenly disappears, Lulu would be sad too. And, I don’t think Lulu would mind that Dae-su is a guy. Find a chance to tell her.”
“…I heard that.”
“Oh, so that’s why you were sulking?”
“………”
Roderus lowered her gaze. That shouldn’t be the case… Oh Hye-in nodded, looking bemused, and shifted to the next topic.
“Outer appearances aren’t everything, Dae-su.”
“Outer appearances?”
“Yeah. Just because someone’s a student doesn’t mean they’re shallow-minded, and just because someone’s a magical girl doesn’t mean they love fighting. In the end, it’s about who one is… what they hold in their heart.”
Roderus hunched over, gazing at the water’s surface. Oh Dae-su’s somber face was mirrored in the placid water.
“…I carry something disgraceful in my heart. You would surely hate it too.”
“Didn’t you end up carrying it?”
“It makes no difference. I’ve committed many wrongs.”
“I think this is different, but well… even so, isn’t it great to be allowed to cohabitate?”
Splash.
Oh Hye-in settled into the seat beside Oh Dae-su, prompting the latter to nod a little, not too much.
Thinking that such a daily routine could continue made her heart ease somewhat. Of course, it would differ slightly.
Sharing conversations, eating together, sleeping under the same roof.
Friendship.
Yeah, if I could be with a friend…
“And, while we’re on the subject, there’s something important I need to say.”
“…What is it?”
“I analyzed the reason the transformation device broke. You kept saying ‘pure energy’ as if it was the same as ‘mana,’ right? I thought they were the same, but it looks like there’s a difference.”
Oh Hye-in clenched her fists.
“It’s a clash between the powers of this world and the other world. The mana and pure energy colliding caused the transformation device to crack, just like that.”
“…I expected that.”
“The critical part is from now, Dae-su. You’ve been transforming into a magical girl and fighting hard, haven’t you? So, your body is now nearly harmonized with this world. You’ve adapted to pure energy, not mana.”
“That means…?”
Roderus asked back while already grasping what Oh Hye-in was saying. It meant she was unable to use ‘wonders’ in this place. Furthermore…
“Using that ‘other world’s power’ is dangerous.”
Oh Hye-in crashed her two fists together, making a thump sound.
“Now, it won’t just be the transformation device that gets affected, but your body as well. During the final showdown, if things get dicey, I’m going to jump in, you know?”
“…No. I’ve never thought that.”
“Yeah, you’re lying; it’s obvious. Because it’s dangerous… you should leave the mission of being a ‘magical girl’ to me and just go back to being an audience member. Just cheer for us, alright?”
“……”
Good job, Magical Girl “Pure Night.”
With Oh Hye-in’s words, the bell rang. Swimming class was over, and Roderus desperately clutched her bursting head and managed to change her clothes.
But one more shock awaited her.
“Oh Dae-su! I heard we’re going to the East Sea for our school trip!”
“…What about it?”
“Let’s go buy swimsuits!!”
“…What?!!”
It was the unforeseen time for swimsuit shopping.
===============================================================
“Yay—!!”
Watching Kim Lulu sprint ahead with her arms raised, Roderus let out a deep sigh as if the ground was falling beneath her. Oh Hye-in, who walked alongside her, elbowed her side.
“Dae-su Oppa, why do you look so gloomy again?”
“…Would you be cheerful if you were me?!”
“There isn’t much time left, right? When else can you just enjoy seeing the girls in swimsuits? Enjoy it!”
“That’s not a valid argument…!!”
Before Roderus could explode, Oh Hye-in had run off at the perfect timing. Roderus pressed his throbbing temples as he quickly chased after them.
He began to navigate through the anticipated minefield, especially directing his fire toward Kim Lulu.
“Listen here, I’m not buying, not trying on, not checking anything, and not choosing anything!”
“Me~? I wasn’t going to ask you to choose!! I already picked what to get at home!”
“What are you getting, Lulu?”
“Don’t be shocked! I’m──this!!”
Kim Lulu lifted up a hanger high. Roderus gasped, inhaling sharply, while Oh Hye-in couldn’t bear to look and turned away.
Because it wasn’t a swimsuit but something close to a bright red thong.
Roderus realized that this was not the time to be caught in such nonsense. What came upon her was a sort of…sense of duty.
She was the only one in a position to stop Kim Lulu from what she was going to do.
She had to subdue that insane filly and get her to wear a proper swimsuit.
“Put that down.”
“?”
“Put down that ridiculous swimsuit, Kim Lulu!!”
“Geez, I said I’m going to wear it! Why do you care?!”
Could she explain to a child lacking in common sense the dangers of a slingshot? Roderus didn’t have that ability. So she put her body into action. If her body was good, she could save her mind.
Thus began a tug-of-war between wanting her to put it back and stubborn refusals where ultimately the swimsuit was torn in half and tragically destroyed.
As a price for Oh Hye-in covering the cost of the swimsuit, Oh Dae-su was ordered to wear a properly styled bikini, ultimately left with no choice but to yield.
Kim Lulu had once thrust a spotted swimsuit at Oh Dae-su, sparking another major spat.
Such incidents had indeed occurred.
===============================================================
Beep beep beep beep. Beep beep beep beep.
The alarm rang, and Roderus awoke once again with a ruffled head to greet another morning.
Much had transpired. She defended her swimsuit, defeated a mad tentacle girl, thwarted a punk trying to hit on her with a golden tan, and tried to convince Kim Lulu not to tan her skin.
As they navigated through various mishaps, she glance at the calendar and realized… today was the last day as Oh Dae-su.
She hadn’t solidified any plans yet.
Of course, Oh Hye-in granted permission to live together, but how to explain it to Kim Lulu, and whether or not to return to school remained uncertain.
How to approach her, what to do on the day of the final showdown were a mountain of decisions piling up.
Above all, her heart wasn’t ready.
Time was passing too quickly. Too fast.
“……”
Still, there should be time to sort things out. Roderus had one day left. Today, she could either clear up explanations for Kim Lulu or clarify her identity…
And perhaps this time, correct Kim Lulu’s habit of letting her right fist and right foot fly at the same time when swinging.
With all her might, if she could crush two of the Four Heavenly Kings today, Oh Hye-in might easily win the final battle. Enduring the shame, she could charm citizens to harvest Pure Energy…
Yeah, let’s do that. Let’s finish this for sure today.
With that resolve, Roderus stood and approached the mirror at the sink.
Szzzzzzzzz──!!
With a noise, the reflection of Oh Dae-su in the mirror began to slowly fade away.
What emerged was Roderus’s figure. A man with sharp features. He felt a surge of anxiety, worried he might be waking up from a dream and returning to prison.
This wasn’t a jail cell. No damp bricks or wandering cockroaches.
Then what was happening?
“Mungae, Oh Hye-in! What’s happening…?”
Roderus roughly swung the door open, calling out the two names. She could then spot Oh Hye-in preparing to take off, just by the front door, along with Mungae.
And beyond them, a massive swirling dark vortex loomed ominously overhead.
They spoke in a rather flustered manner.
“We originally intended to give you some time… but it’s an all-out attack. We were fools to believe in the declaration of war.”
“Oppa… Dae-su. You look cool, though it’s been a while! But it seems I’ll have to fly away now. Remember what I told you?”
“……”
“Cheer for us. When I come back, we’ll order sushi for dinner.”
Oh Hye-in, Magical Girl “Pure Light,” flew away with her mascot by her side.
Thus, on one fateful morning, as Oh Dae-su blankly chased after the disappearing figure of the magical girl, he finally realized that he had transformed into Roderus.
