A working environment for Magical Girls typically includes senior Magical Girls.
However, we have no so-called seniors; there’s no previous Sun or Moon.
Perhaps there was an overload of information, but it was certainly something that happened during our kindergarten years.
Siyeon doesn’t completely remember it either.
It wouldn’t be strange if her memories are all fragmented since she’s just a child.
As I chewed on a pitch-black, crispy fried egg, I spoke the truth.
“That’s because we are the first generation.”
“Really?”
Upon hearing the explanation, Siyeon’s eyes widened in surprise.
Indeed, the previous generation’s Suns and Moons do not exist. We are the first and foremost.
Typically, the life of a Magical Girl involves the discovery of their aptitude, the government providing housing, mascot selection, regional assignments, handovers, and media introductions.
But for us… that process was somewhat jumbled.
Normally, there should have been an existing Magical Girl or a senior Magical Girl in the area, but we just popped up one day.
If the typical sequence is 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, we skipped right to 2, 4, 3, 6 without anyone discovering us or managing the handover.
As a result, the department in charge of Magical Girls was in sheer chaos…
The injustices we faced back then are gradually coming to light now.
A few years ago, there was news about two Magical Girls that suddenly appeared in one area, looking unfamiliar.
They had been photographed while flying low under the clouds.
“Search for ‘Two Magical Girls who look unfamiliar’ on X, just once.”
While holding a spoon in her mouth, Siyeon started tapping her smartphone with both hands.
It wasn’t long before she confirming the news article from that day.
Removing the spoon from her mouth and placing it next to her bowl, she widened her eyes and said.
“Oh, it’s real… Is that us?”
“After that news, we decided to fly up above the clouds.”
In any case, that was when we received the most support from the government.
The code of conduct guide given to manage various Magical Girls by the government.
Given in bundles of A4 paper, most of the content felt like unnecessary military security protocols…
But thanks to that, we became aware of the reality of living in a world with Magical Girls to some extent.
It’s also true that it helped significantly in deciding our future actions.
When I was newly holding the Magical Girl staff, I recklessly flew around to hunt monsters in other regions, ranking high in the notifications I received from the Minister.
Who keeps track of such statistics?
It’s none other than the Minister himself, who compiles it with flesh and bones.
Thinking back on those days, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Minister harbored negative feelings toward me.
“How’s your drawing these days?”
Let’s put aside the stories from the past for now and ask Siyeon how her drawing endeavors are going.
She has only been drawing for about 2 or 3 weeks.
I didn’t ask her to show me her work directly, but rather seemed to inquire about the overall flow.
The reason for my roundabout questioning was…
“That’s how kids who draw behave.”
A consideration that naturally flowed from past experiences.
After all, it’s likely embarrassing for her to present something she is still practicing.
In middle school… Ah, I mean, during my past life in middle school as a boy.
I recall a friend aiming for a career in drawing who didn’t often show off his work either.
“Hmm, it’s hard to get the proportions right.”
“Can you show me?”
“…Maybe later when I draw better.”
I asked out of hope, but of course, she declined.
She seemed to hesitate for a moment before subtly implying her refusal.
Those who are good at drawing earn tens of thousands for a single piece later on; would Siyeon be like that too?
However, it might be more comfortable to just stay home, fiddling with her phone, occasionally going out to monster hunt and earning around 500 to 600…
No, wait, this isn’t a lifelong job either.
“What matters is that you’re doing it because you want to.”
Unlike Siyeon, who has found what she wants to do, I live with the mindset that as long as I earn good money, that’s all that matters.
So far, gaming has sufficed as my hobby.
As May approaches.
A Family Month that comes harshly for middle schoolers without parents.
Regardless, the greatness of the coming Red Day shines, irrespective of names.
On May 5th, Children’s Day brings comfort to everyone.
A perfect day for lying around the house.
Yet, for some reason, here we are sitting in the backseat of Ji-eun’s car.
“Today is Children’s Day, le~t’s go to their world.”
“Leuh?”
“Don’t change the words oddly.”
While humming a nursery rhyme I often heard around May, Ji-eun, sitting in the front seat, scolded me sharply.
She seemed concerned about the chance that Juwon might imitate me.
Dae-han was driving, and Ji-eun was in the passenger seat.
I sat on the left in the back, with Juwon in the middle and Siyeon on the right, the three of us.
Ji-eun’s family had planned a day trip to the amusement park, and naturally, we managed to hitch a ride.
Still, with the symbolic nature of Children’s Day, a holiday sandwiched between weekdays.
Naturally accompanying worries, I glanced toward the passenger seat and briefly said.
“Um, unni, won’t it be super crowded?”
“Actually, that’s what I’m worried about.”
Ji-eun, upon receiving the question, also seemed concerned about the inevitable wave of people.
No sooner had we stepped out of the car than that worry materialized just a step away from our eyes.
They say ominous predictions always turn out to be true?
More accurately, it was a result that one could hardly not anticipate.
But what can we do about it?
It’s a crowd formed by workplace individuals who can only go out with their families on public holidays and students buried in rote learning.
An amusement park—when you think about it, it’s a place Siyeon never managed to go when she was younger.
The calmness we enjoy now stems from the secret agreement made with monsters who show up at designated times; other Magical Girls wouldn’t even have made it out.
I wonder if Siyeon seems excited seeing the amusement park; is it just my imagination?
“Now that I think about it, have you even asked to go anywhere before…?”
Thinking about it, being in elementary school is the age when one begs for things and asks for toys.
Even though we’re together, I realized that we spent most of our time in a loop between home and school, thinking she’s quite a well-mannered kid as I stared at her face.
Suddenly, our eyes met.
Seemingly bothered by the fact that I was staring, Siyeon tilted her head and asked.
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing, uh…”
Not able to release the seatbelt by myself and struggling to walk for long distances, I picked up Juwon.
When Ji-eun, who was preparing a carrier, opened the back seat door, she looked up at the car, noticing Juwon was already gone.
Realizing I had beat her to it, she closed the back door again.
“Give Juwon to me; Siyeon should play with me.”
“I’m not really into rides, so how about you two go on a date for once?”
While swaying Juwon gently in my arms… for some reason, he appeared to really enjoy it.
His squeaky shoes flailing in the air as he unconsciously poked me in the side.
Hearing my proposal, Ji-eun seemed to hesitate for a moment while holding onto the carrier.
It didn’t seem to be an entirely unwelcome suggestion; she alternated her gaze between Dae-han and Juwon, displaying a subtle sense of expectation, awkwardly smiling as she said.
“Well, is that okay?”
“Anyway, we’ll all meet up by mealtime… Just tie up the carrier and go have fun.”
I don’t know how helpful this would be, but it’s a suitable weight for exercising.
Carrying the relatively heavy Juwon, I headed toward the ticket booth.
These days, this area is almost fully automated, with kiosks standing in place of people.
Of course, it’s a different matter to have staff at the entrance to exchange tickets for wristbands.
“Seriously, you’re buying a 5-time pass?”
“Yes, I probably won’t use them all anyway.”
Dae-han and Ji-eun quickly purchased free passes for three people without hesitation.
Juwon, being under 36 months, got in for free, while I received a pass with usage restrictions.
The entrance fee easily reached a cheerful sum of 100,000 won.
After exchanging the entrance ticket for a pass, I received an old-fashioned paper wristband that still seems to be in use.
“So, I can go without worry now?”
“Yes, don’t worry.”
After that, I followed Siyeon closely, watching her ride the attractions….
Or rather, I found myself merely staring at the long lines we had to wait in.
Still, it seemed we were enjoying the wait, as Siyeon waved her hands energetically while waiting for over 30 minutes, clearly trying to express her feelings.
The first ride Siyeon chose was the bumper cars.
Unlike the tumultuous bumper cars of the olden days, the facility seemed to have improved; the cars weren’t wired to spark but rather sat there like wireless cars.
Maybe because safety was prioritized, they didn’t drive as fast, and even colliding didn’t seem to cause much of a jolt.
“Mama, mama!”
“Mom will come later; let’s play with unni.”
As Juwon searched for his mother inside the carrier, I rocked him up and down again.
With his little face moving side to side, trying to take in as much information as possible, each little gesture was just too cute.
Unexpectedly, taking care of Juwon didn’t go as smoothly as anticipated in some odd ways.
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