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Chapter 22 : Everyone’s Circumstances
Ha-ran prided herself on reading people. It wasn’t self-flattery; it was fact. As a magical girl and a famous idol, she’d seen every kind of person for years. With most folks, one glance told her what kind of life they’d lived and what they were thinking right now. Any time she’d checked it with her power, she’d been right—every single time. Sometimes it made her think, Humans really are that shallow, huh.
Through those eyes, Lee Woo-jin was… odd.
He could be sharp one moment and then do something anyone would call stupid. He was meticulous to the point not even a needle could slip through—then suddenly more human than anyone.
What are you doing, you?
When Woo-jin pushed through the rooftop door, Ha-ran felt something off. He looked surprised to find them there, sure—but the way he reacted wasn’t quite him.
Ê nu̇m a . i d
“...What are you two doing up here this late?” he asked.
Even as she weighed it, he threw out a question the real him wouldn’t bother with. Suspicious. He sounded like someone who didn’t know a thing about magical girls.
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As Woo-jin kept acting strange, a line formed between Ha-ran’s brows.
Is he messing with me?
No. He liked jokes, but he knew time and place. If he was doing this awkward bit, he had a reason.
There’s no way he didn’t catch my meaning, she thought.
We.bnо̂ v̀ е̃ l̇ Еn̂ úm̆а
He was quick. “Meet me on the roof of the west-side derelict” should’ve told him enough about why he’d been called.
Then Ha-ran noticed someone else acting weird—Ga-yeon. A minute ago they’d been chatting fine. Now she looked like she’d just run into someone she absolutely shouldn’t.
No way.
But nothing else fit. To check, Ha-ran flicked a tiny signal at Woo-jin. He gave a slow nod.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
So I’m right.
She almost laughed. Seriously? The girl who wouldn’t stop calling him “teacher” hadn’t told him who she was? That was beyond childish.
Ē ń u m̊ а .і̌ d̆.
And Woo-jin playing along with it grated too.
How soft are you with your students, man?
She shot him a look. He scratched his cheek and gave a sheepish smile.
Ha-ran sighed—quiet, to herself—and scrapped her original plan. If she didn’t nudge them, this awkward mess would never end.
“Perfect timing. Did you bring your car?” she asked.
“You want me to drive you home?” he said.
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“What other reason would there be?”
“You can take a cab.”
“Then my address gets out. Stalkers are scary these days.”
She hugged herself dramatically. Woo-jin’s face froze halfway between exasperation and disbelief.
“Uh, I…”
“Ga-yeon, I’ll take you home too, okay?”
Ẅе b̄ ñӧv̇ е̊ l Еnu mа̂
“Ah—n-no, I can go by myself—”
“What are you saying? You’re staying at my place tonight, remember?”
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Ga-yeon’s eyes snapped to Ha-ran. She made a tiny “Huh?” sound. Ha-ran took her wrist.
“Don’t worry about clothes. I’ll lend you some. Tomorrow’s Saturday—no school. And I finally met someone who shares my hobby. Let’s have fun.”
Still dazed, Ga-yeon let herself be half-dragged.
“You don’t waste time, do you,” Woo-jin muttered.
Е ń u m̀ a
“Thanks for the compliment, teacher,” Ha-ran said, winking.
***
In the car with Ha-ran and Ga-yeon, the energy was… not great. Ga-yeon kept her head down, silent. Ha-ran watched her with an uneasy face. The reason was simple: not long after they started driving, Ha-ran casually outed Ga-yeon as Unibel.
Ga-yeon’s reaction had been priceless. At first she couldn’t process the words, then heat climbed from her ears down her neck. By the end she’d gone dead white, like her soul had left her body. Judging by how strongly she reacted, she probably thought she’d faked it flawlessly this whole time.
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Ha-ran flinched when she met Ga-yeon’s accusing glare. She’d obviously blurted it out without thinking.
That’s the collateral damage of power, Woo-jin thought.
Ѐ n ŭ m̌ а̇
When people always treat you with love and care, you stop needing to read the room. Words you shouldn’t say slip out too easily. You end up hurting people without meaning to. Even if it wasn’t intentional, it was something Ha-ran needed to face if she wanted a decent future.
“...Is it really that embarrassing?” Ha-ran asked.
“O-of course! I—I showed that embarrassing side in front of my t-teacher…!” Ga-yeon choked, then drooped again, probably remembering a particular moment.
Ha-ran shot Woo-jin a helpless look, silently asking for help. He thought about calling her out on it, but decided to wait. Serious talks worked best face to face, in a calmer setting.
He had his own issue with Unibel, anyway. To block the bad end, he needed to stick close to Ga-yeon, the protagonist. But coming up with a cover story every time…
It’s basically impossible.
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Even knowing that, he’d stalled—because of Ga-yeon’s personality. She was shy even for her age. Very shy. In the original, when someone she knew found out her identity, she avoided them for a month. The outfit probably didn’t help either; compared to other magical girls, hers showed a lot of skin.
Well, that solved itself faster than I expected.
He drove on under Ga-yeon’s laser-glares, until a massive apartment complex rose ahead.
“I’ll drop you here,” he said.
He pulled over near the guard booth and the barrier pole. Places like this only let in registered cars.
“Figures,” Ha-ran said.
Е̂ num̆а̄ . іd̂
He gave her the short version of “adult reasons.” She sighed and stepped out. He was thinking Even a top idol can’t ignore the condo rules, when—like magic—the barrier lifted. Right. She’s not an ordinary middle schooler.
Moments like this, Ha-ran’s ability felt like a cheat code. Not that she liked it.
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They rolled into the underground garage. Pricey cars lined up like showroom pieces. Woo-jin instinctively parked in a quiet corner with fewer vehicles.
“What are you doing? Get out,” Ha-ran said.
“Me too?”
“You came all the way here to turn around?”
Е nûm̌ а̃
“Hey, I’m a teacher. A grown man can’t visit a student’s home at this hour.”
It was 12:40 a.m. Even if she was nearly grown, it was bad optics for a man to go to a young woman’s place this late—especially teacher and student.
Ha-ran snorted. “Why are you hung up on tiny details? You can just fudge it.”
Her flippant tone decided him. This was the moment to bring up the talk he’d shelved.
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He also knew not to lecture head-on. Even with a clear mistake, kids pushed back—almost always. Better to nudge the bad habit so subtly the kid barely noticed. Ha-ran was sharper than most—she might realize on her own.
“...Why are you looking at me like that?” she said.
Ẽń u m̃ ӓ
He crouched to meet her eyes. Her pupils quivered, like she sensed a scolding coming.
“Okay. Then make me one promise,” he said.
“...A promise?”
“Use polite speech with people older than you. Simple, right?”
“Pff.”
Off to the side, Ga-yeon burst out laughing.
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“S-sorry. It’s nothing,” she said when they both looked over.
Maybe she laughed because his ask came out of nowhere. Ha-ran took it differently—her face flashed with irritation for a beat.
“That’s easy,” she said.
“Then it’s a deal?”
“It’s a deal.”
“Polite speech.”
Ѐ ñ úm̊a
“...Bleh.” She stuck out her tongue and scampered ahead.
***
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“Yesss!”
The girl was thrilled. She finally had something worth reporting. A regular teacher getting close with magical girls? Maybe her sister wouldn’t scold her and would let her keep observing this time.
Lately, her sister’s constant “Be safe, be safe” had made everything boring. She liked that her sister cared, but sometimes the strictness was suffocating.
Well… that’s also why she loved her.
Е n̈u ṁ а̀
“Aw, they’re already leaving. Lame,” she pouted, watching the trio depart the roof. She cut the link. Too bad she couldn’t squeeze more info, but there would be other chances.
“Huwaaah.” She stretched, joints creaking, then placed a call.
“This is Mari. Starting the daily report.”
[You’re a bit late today. Something happen?]
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“I spotted something fun. Got caught up watching. Sorry.”
[I’m not scolding. I’m worried you’ll do something risky again, like last time. So—what happened today?]
Е̇nùm̀а. іd̃
“Heh. This calm tone won’t last. You’ll be surprised this time.”
Beaming, Mari relayed what she’d seen. Rania showing up at the school of the newbie who’d just awakened. The after-hours fight in an empty spot. Thanks to the Otherworld Barrier, nothing was certain, but it looked like they were trying to recruit the newbie.
[You did something dangerous without telling me again.]
“B-but it was necessary. I wanted to see how they’d react.”
[I’ve told you again and again—report ahead of time.]
Mari grumbled inwardly. If I tell you ahead, you always say no… Disappointed by her sister’s lukewarm response to hard-earned intel, she decided to play her last card.
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“Still, I got results. I found a teacher hanging around with magical girls.”
[A teacher…?]
“Sis?”
[Nothing. So what about him?]
The sudden shift in her sister’s tone made Mari blink, but she remembered her job and kept going.
“From what I heard, he doesn’t know anything. But we should keep watching, just in case. If we’re lucky, we might find their base.”
E ň um̀ȧ
[Mari.]
“I won’t do anything! I’ll just watch from far away. Okay?”
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[I know you’re bored. But as your sister, I can’t let you jump into danger. If they get a read on you, it’ll be bad.]
“I—I just want to be helpful.”
[You already help me by calling like this. If something happened to you, I’d be… really sad.]
“...That’s cheating. Saying it like that.”
Е n̊ um̈ а
[Tell me more about the calico cat. The one that had kittens. How did that turn out?]
“Oh, right! They were so cute. Couldn’t even open their eyes, all squirmy—made me want to take one home.”
From there it was less a report and more a chat. Mari chattered about her day; her sister laughed and chimed in at all the right places. In a dark room where she sat alone, it was Mari’s one precious time to talk to her heart’s content.
[Tell me something fun again next time. I’m sleepy—I’ll go to bed.]
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“Already?”
She glanced at the clock. Past 3 a.m. Mari didn’t really sleep, but normal people did. She was grateful—and a little sorry—that her sister had stayed up to listen.
W̌ еb̊ nоv̈ е̃ l̇ Е̇_n ũ mа
“Okay. Sleep well, Lumia.”
[One last thing.]
Mari was about to hang up when her sister’s voice stopped her.
[Next time, be yourself. I like your real voice.]
The phone screen went dark. Mari let herself flop backward. Feathers puffed from the pillow.
“...I really can’t fool you, can I, Lumia.” She turned to the side. A girl about middle-school age sat there, phone in hand—an intricate puppet that had just taken the call in Mari’s place.
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Mari stared at it for a moment, face clouded. Then she reached out with her mind and linked to her other puppets.
Time to find another story to make her sister smile.
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