The instinct of women to take food photos.
I had the fleeting thought that this might still be the case centuries from now.
After a few minutes of photo time, it was finally time to eat.
The savory and rich flavor of the soggy cream pasta.
While the carbonation helped balance things out, I took a spoonful of the cream soup that seemed to be missing bread and gulped it down.
Broccoli and bacon pieces that were almost melting away.
Even the thick pizza, modified in a Korean style, made it to a small side plate, and regardless of everything, I ended up putting quite a lot into my stomach for lunch.
“Phew, I’m full.”
Siyeon, gasping and complaining about her fullness.
The gathering ended satisfactorily, except for a few local matters, and we got back on the bus heading toward the terminal in Seoul.
Just before the meetup ended, New Jupiter, the youngest magical girl, stubbornly kept asking for my contact information…
Despite thinking of it as a nuisance until now, I ultimately didn’t share it, even though it could prove useful in various ways; surely, she was a troublesome older sister by just a year.
Well, it can’t be helped if she’s a fan who grew up similarly while hearing about my life since childhood…
“Still, it feels burdensome.”
If it were odd adults looking down at me like some weird kid, it would be one thing, but pure gazes of much younger kids aren’t familiar to me.
Although she’s a year older, I have my own internal age built up in my heart.
Being gazed at with admiration by an elementary and middle schooler brings a weird pressure.
Not that I’m someone worth admiring that much.
I’m just trying to make money, with a sense of responsibility for my income.
Not to mention, I’m not an idol; what’s that about being a fan?
“Ugh!”
As those thoughts continued, Siyeon threw her body into the seat, opting for one by the window.
And naturally, I took the seat right next to hers.
“There was more pizza than I expected.”
“Yeah…”
We smoothly transitioned into discussing lunch from just moments ago.
I finished the pasta sooner than I thought, but pizza was the real challenge.
Thank goodness I ordered several kinds; I cringed at the thought of the relatively heavy cheese pizza being the last one left.
“Let’s see, what time is it…”
I pushed aside the overly full memories from the restaurant and checked my smartphone, which was currently at 22 percent battery.
It was 3:03 PM, and considering the bus had just left, it would take at least two hours.
With two subway transfers waiting at the terminal, no matter how early I returned, it felt like I wouldn’t get back until around 7 PM.
Ah, I really hope another new magical girl shows up soon.
It would be nice if I could just get to my destination in one mode of transportation, no matter how far.
Having to take the subway with transfers and spend seven to eight hours round trip on a bus with no reservations is a bit much, isn’t it?
At that moment of inward grumbling, Siyeon’s head, eyes closed, plopped onto my shoulder.
There was hardly any tension, but she looked exhausted from the long stretch on public transport.
To think I rarely spend this long on a bus.
I slipped my arm between my back and the seat and laid it down, adjusting the black strap of my seatbelt.
“Make sure to wear your seatbelt.”
“Uhh…”
I pulled it snugly after stretching out a bit, securing Siyeon’s seatbelt so it clicked into place.
After what seemed like only moments of her eyes being closed, Siyeon rubbed them and started to fuss.
Since there was no one behind us, I could recline this seat as much as possible, even if not quite to the level of a business class seat on a plane.
This time it was my turn; I similarly adjusted my seatbelt to make it click safely in.
Then, I, too, stretched my seatback.
Full, with a comfortable temperature, and the seat was sufficiently reclined.
It was a lovely feeling, almost as if I could drift to sleep the moment I closed my eyes.
“Yawn…”
Eventually, my body couldn’t hold back a long yawn.
Though I closed my eyes and leaned back in the seat, for some reason, I couldn’t easily fall asleep while here.
With my eyes closed, I tossed and turned.
Not knowing if I was asleep or awake, I remained in that state for about two hours.
I certainly didn’t recall actually falling asleep, yet somehow, just having my eyes closed made my mind feel quite clear.
I unbuckled my seatbelt and pulled the seat forward, playfully slapping Siyeon’s thigh.
“Siyeon, wake up.”
“Ughhh…!”
Siyeon jolted awake, trembling as she stretched, letting out a mumble along with the sound.
It was 5 PM, the time when even the fullest bellies feel a craving for snacks.
The enticing smell wafted through the air.
Our little sparrow couldn’t resist passing by that mill.
Even though I knew it wasn’t overwhelmingly delicious, I was lured by the smell to buy a lot of those deli X manju sticks and held them precious in my hands.
This time, they weren’t just laid out and ready; I had filled my bag with fresh-from-the-oven goodies.
Carefully tearing off the extremely hot ones one by one, I blew on them to let them cool.
Ultimately, they were too hot for me to finish eating them on the spot, so I hopped on the subway directly.
In the enclosed subway space, the warm aroma of just-baked deli X manju wafted…
An excruciating twenty stations until it cooled down enough that the scent dissipated felt like a near act of terrorism.
Finally finished with the tense subway ride, I returned home at last.
“Arrived!”
Siyeon jumped over the threshold of the open front door.
So cute.
I checked my smartphone, which now had only 3 percent battery left.
Including walking time, I got back at 7:32 PM.
I didn’t feel like I had walked that much, but the weight of it bore down.
No matter what, home is the best.
And there, sprawled out on the mat, I noticed…
“Oh right… the laundry.”
The clothes piled in the laundry basket.
It was the weekend, so I needed to do the recycling and clean…
This wasn’t the time to be lying down.
“Ugh.”
A short groan that anyone could recognize as reluctance to work escaped my lips as I got up.
I headed straight for the boiler room’s recycling bin.
Cans and plastic trash separated from paper boxes.
I didn’t need to pre-sort things at home, but doing this much would make it easier when throwing things away all at once.
The paper trash and other recyclable rubbish.
It would take two trips to dispose of this much, and the annoyance was palpable.
But if I didn’t dispose of it, it would only pile up excessively…
“I have to do it…”
Realizing reality while being sprawled out, I reluctantly sprang into action.
I placed a container with recyclables in front of the door and started to dump the contents of the towel-filled laundry basket into the washing machine.
I cradled the lightweight yet outrageously large paper boxes and went down to dispose of them.
Then I took the bin filled with plastic, cans, and bottles and sorted everything out for recycling.
As I got into it, even my earlier lethargy and all-consuming annoyance disappeared before I knew it.
I hung the towels on the drying rack, and while vacuuming, I quickly finished the chores.
Once my nerves relaxed, my body began to soften and lie down like a liquid on the floor.
Even so, it wouldn’t be right to fall asleep on the living room mat without a wash.
I forced myself to get up, opened the slightly ajar door to Siyeon’s room, and spoke in a languid voice.
“I’m going to bed first.”
“Ah, okay!”
Siyeon answered with an energetic voice, despite sounding completely dead.
I hadn’t cooked dinner yet; I worried whether Siyeon would be hungry.
Mumbling those thoughts to myself.
“If you’re hungry, just put something in the air fryer…”
Lastly saying those words, I blinked sleepily, showered, and then sunk into the comfort of my bed.
Let’s take it easy on Sunday; that’s all that matters.
Completely forgetting that I hadn’t plugged in the charger for my smartphone, I sprawled out.
Drowning in the sense of relief brought on by my scent, I let my eyes drift closed.
When I finally came to, strangely, there was a smell of food wafting through the house.
‘…?’
With my mind slowly returning, the smell of food wafted around.
Feeling something was off, I blinked.
What time is it? Did Siyeon wake up first?
It’s rare for her to wake up before my alarm goes off.
Fiddling with my smartphone, I tapped the screen multiple times, but it wouldn’t light up.
…Oh, the battery’s dead.
Thank goodness it’s Sunday; if it were a weekday, I’d be in big trouble.
“Yawn…”
I connected my smartphone to the charger near my pillow and walked out, letting out a long yawn.
Despite having set my alarm at 10 AM to keep my biological clock in check, it was useless today.
Coming out of my room, which was almost connected to the kitchen, I checked the time; it was about 10:29 AM.
By now, without needing an alarm, Siyeon should be getting up on her own.
“Did you wake up? Let’s eat!”
As I came out into the kitchen, Siyeon immediately moved the chair for us to eat.
“Ah, did you finish mine too?”
Even though my eyes weren’t fully open, the idea of food just popped out, and I rubbed my eyes sleepily with the tips of my fingers.
A mixture of admiration and a proud sigh escaped me.
Sitting atop a deep bowl of rice was a single fried egg, completely exploded during cooking.
The side dish was a can of ham, grilled to near-burnt and cut unevenly, with varying thickness.
Thinking of my pathetic cooking skills back when I couldn’t even crack an egg or regulate the fire reminded me of my younger self.
Wondering if it concerned her that I was once like that, Siyeon kept her head down, glancing cautiously.
“I made a mistake…”
“It’s okay; you just need to avoid making the same mistake next time.”
I comforted the self-reproaching Siyeon with words.
After all, there’s a saying that failure is the mother of success.
“And, an egg is basically just an egg, and ham is just ham…”
No one starts off perfectly at anything.
Trying my best to minimize her embarrassment, I plunged a nearly burnt ham piece into some ketchup and took a bite.
For now, securing the egg and the ham, regulating the fire for each had its share of challenges.
The difference in taste might be large, but all things considered, what came out was eatable.
Personally, the crispy texture of the burnt can ham is my preference too.
At that moment, between breakfast and lunch, a brunch meal, Siyeon suddenly said.
“But, you know…”
“Yeah?”
Siyeon seemed curious about something and trailed off, waiting for my response.
When I looked at her with wide eyes, she seemed to gather her thoughts and finally posed her question.
“There are other magical girls like Venus and New Jupiter who have had predecessors, right?”
“Yeah, that’s true.”
“So, what about us?”
“Huh? Ah… I guess you don’t remember, huh?”
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