LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 334
From that point on, we just continued on like that.
After confirming our feelings for each other and talking about how we liked one another, not much changed in our relationship.
Well, we were already doing things like linking arms, hugging, and sleeping side by side, so it felt just like with close friends; we kept going on like that.
But that doesn’t mean I ignored my feelings.
I was quite aware that those kids liked me.
Not out of arrogance, but with gratitude, I all along.
During the summer break, we all went to the pool together. Not just once, but we also took a trip to the sea the very next week.
In the few days between, we hung out at the Magical Girl headquarters.
This story is about the things that happened during those few days.
*
I sparred with Seo-hee. Both of our skills were improving. Now, we sometimes faced off quite seriously in the ring without using magic.
In my previous life, I couldn’t quite find a reason to exercise, but here, after going up against Seo-hee, I somehow felt refreshed. Seo-hee seemed to feel the same.
“Wanna try a real match in the ring later?”
“Uh?”
“Sparring is sparring. Sure, it’s important to win and lose here, but I want to do it officially, with proper rules. Like, with a referee and everything.”
“…You want me to be an athlete?”
“What’s stopping you? We’re still young. And just because you become an athlete doesn’t mean you have to be a champion, right?”
That was true.
I looked up at the ceiling while lying flat on the ring and chuckled.
“Well, okay. But I’m definitely gonna retire before you.”
“I don’t mind. Just being in the same ring is good enough for me.”
Seo-hee hadn’t given up on her dream yet.
Or maybe…
That dream had changed a little.
“Athlete.”
What’s my dream, I wonder?
I hadn’t really thought about it yet. I just kind of drifted along until I ended up a university student in my previous life.
“That sounds nice.”
“Isn’t it?”
We lay side by side in the ring prepared for training and laughed together.
*
When there was time, I went up to the rooftop. Yeon-woo was there taking care of some flowers. Even though it was the height of summer and must’ve been hot.
“Since it’s hot, I need to take extra care. Some of the flowers I’m growing don’t grow naturally in our country.”
“I see.”
I naturally helped her while replying.
To be honest, I didn’t know much about flowers. I knew a few famous ones that others did, but that was about it.
After that big fight, Yeon-woo hadn’t given up but planted a whole lot more flowers. No, rather, the variety had exploded, and now there were even vegetables growing.
“I’m going to build a research institute here someday.”
“A research institute?”
“Yeah. A place to study flowers and plants like these. We’ve got plenty of space anyway, right?”
That’s true. And I felt like Cherry would probably allow it too.
“I want to see not just the flowers on Earth but also plants from other planets. It would be nice if there’s a place close by that I could fully control.”
Yeon-woo also hadn’t given up on her dream, like Seo-hee.
Now, I was starting to understand a little about what the kids were hoping for.
At a glance, it might seem like they had given up on their dreams, but they just set them aside temporarily because of what adults said. Someday, they will surely rise up again when the time and opportunity come; that spark of hope remained.
“And one day, I’ll grow a flower that I’ll name myself.”
“Like a new variety?”
“Yeah. I haven’t thought about what kind of flower to create, but one day, for sure. A flower so beautiful that anyone who passes by will have to stop and take another look.”
“I see. I’ll cheer you on.”
I said with a smile.
But it seemed Yeon-woo’s words weren’t finished yet.
“And I’ll name that flower after you.”
“…Huh?”
At her words, I looked up from delicately shifting dirt with a plant shovel, stunned.
But as always, Yeon-woo’s expression was firm. Ah, of course, she had a playful demeanor, but simultaneously, this was heartfelt.
“How about Ji-eun? Or something like the world’s most beautiful and noble Ji-eun? Oh, yes! Let’s make it a lily!”
“…No…”
I was about to say something but just shook my head.
Right.
If that’s her dream, it’s not something I should object to. And having my name on a flower won’t really change anything for me.
If I thought of it as her gift, it was kind of romantic too.
“Happy Lily Ji-eun…”
“Come on, that name is a stretch…”
But merging my name with my name as a Magical Girl is a bit much.
*
Unlike the other kids who were busy with various activities, Chae-yeon was on the quieter side. She usually read books. When she did change, it was just a little different in posture.
She mostly sat quietly in the lounge chair reading, but sometimes she’d roll around on her bed or the floor while reading.
“But, don’t you like e-books much?”
Having seen her read paper books every time, I once asked her like that.
“I like the feeling of turning the pages.”
I get that.
I preferred e-books because my place was small, to minimize luggage, and because it was easy to read and toss aside before bed, but I couldn’t dislike the sound, touch, and smell of flipping through a paper book.
“When I turn pages one by one, I can feel how much I’ve read.”
“I see.”
“…”
“…”
The conversation had stalled.
I already knew Chae-yeon wasn’t quiet because she disliked me; I realized that years ago.
Chae-yeon just found it a bit difficult to keep the conversation flowing. I don’t see that as a flaw. Silence isn’t necessarily uncomfortable.
“Someday.”
As I rummaged through my phone to see if I should read a book, Chae-yeon suddenly spoke.
“Someday, I want to write a book like this.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Someday. Much later.”
Does that mean we’re talking about long after we become adults?
Well, to write a book, it’s nice to read and experience a lot of things.
“…You.”
“…Me?”
“I want to write a story about you and me.”
“…”
Chae-yeon hid her face behind the book. A blush peeked through her bangs.
I had no idea what to say at that moment.
In just a few days between trips, I had been hearing this kind of story from each of the kids.
I mean, I’m glad that they like me, but…
“I see.”
“…Do you hate it?”
“No, not at all.”
Chae-yeon lowered her book slightly, peeking at me with her eyes.
I chuckled and said.
“Then, make sure to show me your first draft. First of all.”
“Okay.”
Chae-yeon answered, and finally, she put the book down completely.
A smile had appeared on her lips.
It was a beautiful smile. It would be nice if she smiled like that all the time.
*
If Seo-hee and Yeon-woo were the outdoor types, Chae-yeon and Jua were more the indoor types.
Of course, if you ask which of those two was more introverted, it would be Chae-yeon, but surprisingly, Jua was also quite introverted.
The first time we met, she was so excited to talk to me just because she met someone she admired.
“I’m so, so happy these days.”
Jua sometimes abruptly shared her feelings.
Especially when she was alone with me.
It was a bit of a strange thing to say while we were dismantling the hammer together and peeking inside. It made her sound like a car enthusiast who was thrilled to be looking into an engine.
However, it seemed Jua’s concept of ‘happiness’ was much broader than that.
“I’ve loved Magical Girls since I was a kid.”
“From the cartoons?”
“Yeah. Right from the comics and everything. Of course, I knew they weren’t real…”
But one day, a real Magical Girl showed up.
“…”
I remember that shock.
At one point, not even knowing what kind of world this was, when I found out that Ha-yoon, who I’d been with since childhood, was actually the protagonist of this world, a Magical Girl, there’s no way to describe how I felt.
I was envious. I wanted to be someone who could change the world too.
“We changed the world, didn’t we?”
Jua said with a big smile. It felt like she was reading my mind, but in reality, it was just that our thoughts aligned. But I was glad for that.
“Right.”
If one were to say nothing changed, then that person would be the real bundle of inferiority complex.
“Exactly. We changed the world. As Magical Girls.”
“Honestly, by the moment I stepped foot here, my dream came true. Being a Magical Girl has been my dream since I was a kid.”
That’s why Jua’s hope always shone bright. Just being with us was Jua’s hope.
…This feels familiar.
I gently patted Jua’s head, who had bent down to check the hammer once more.
“Eek!?”
Seeing Jua jump in surprise made me jump back too.
It seemed she realized she overreacted, and her face turned red.
“Ah, um, I…”
“Ah, it’s okay, just calm down. It’s my fault for suddenly touching you.”
We both said that while looking at each other.
And then, suddenly, I felt once more that our actions were more similar than I’d thought.
Without anyone being first, we laughed.
I see.
Dreams are all different. But we are all Magical Girls fighting with the same hope.
So, even if I haven’t found my dream yet, it’s alright, I thought.
Being with these dream-filled kids, I felt that someday my dream would naturally paint itself in front of me.
As I felt our laughter, Jua’s and mine intertwining, I thought that.