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Chapter 41 : An Awkward Atmosphere
They met each other’s eyes and nodded, like people who’d known each other for years.
But today was the first time Eve and Unibel had ever met, wasn’t it?
Guess the original story’s leads really do sync up fast.
“Ugh, whatever. I’m exhausted. I’m resting. I can’t even lift a finger right now.”
“M-me too!”
Е̇ ǹŭmä
“...I’ll stay as well. It’s not like she’s a complete stranger.”
Rania collapsed onto a nearby bench as if her legs had given out, and the other two moved almost on cue. Unibel hesitated before sitting beside Rania, while Eve leaned against a wall a short distance away from me, arms crossed.
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None of the three looked like they had any intention of listening to me.
With no other choice, I carefully set Ayla down on the bench and sat beside her. Even when I let her lean against my shoulder, she kept slumping, so I ended up laying her across my lap.
That was when I felt it—their stares.
“…What are you planning to do about her?”
Ẇе̃ b̃ n̆ о̇ v̆е ĺ Е́n u̇ m̀ a
“I’m taking her to the hospital. I already called an ambulance.”
“That’s not what I mean. She’s an enemy. What if she wakes up and takes the hospital staff hostage?”
That was how the protagonists saw Nova.
Realizing that again left a bitter taste in my mouth.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“She won’t.”
“And your reason?”
E n̈ u m̀ а .ї d̊
“…Because I trust her. I don’t think she’d hurt people for no reason.”
Trying to win sympathy by explaining Ayla’s past would be amateurish.
There wasn’t a single magical girl who didn’t have a tragic backstory, and bringing it up here would only backfire. This was one of those moments where I had to push my point a little.
“I… I want to believe that too.”
“Unibel?” Rania asked, surprised by the quiet voice.
“I don’t know the details, but I don’t think it’s right to just leave someone collapsed like that. And if it’s Teacher’s decision, then… I’m sure there’s a reason.”
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Unibel looked at me with pure trust in her eyes.
“Wow, so I’m the bad guy again. What do you think, Eve?”
“…I agree. I don’t want to abandon someone who’s sick. And…”
Eve’s gaze briefly swept past me.
“No. It’s nothing. That girl looks like she was abandoned by her own organization. She won’t act recklessly.”
“…Abandoned?”
Е nů m ӓ
“It’s just a feeling. I don’t have proof.”
“If you’re saying that much, then I guess we don’t have a choice.”
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Rania nodded, wearing a face that said fine, fine.
Thank goodness.
To get Ayla to the hospital, I needed Rania’s help no matter what. Money aside, Ayla had no legal identity in this world.
Or rather, she did—but it had been stolen by another version of herself, making it unusable.
Ӗ n ü m̊à
…Too sick to even go to a hospital.
No school. No friends. Just hunting monsters every day.
Knowing that as information and feeling it firsthand were completely different things.
As I looked down at Ayla’s unconscious face, feeling a pang of pity, I sensed the three pairs of eyes on me again—stronger this time.
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When I looked up, they all turned away in silence.
No one seemed willing to speak first.
Ẇ.е bñov̇ е́ l E n̆ǔ m̃ ӑ
Something was bothering them. I just couldn’t tell what.
Was it really just Ayla?
“Haa… do I have to be the one to step in again?”
Rania broke the tense silence.
After thinking for a moment, she stood and walked toward the wall where Eve was. The two whispered to each other, and then—before I could process it—Rania grabbed Eve’s hand and dragged her over to me.
Eve approaching like that caught me off guard.
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The Eve I knew avoided social interaction like the plague—more lone wolf than anything else. What had Rania said to make her follow so easily?
“…Excuse me for a moment.”
“Uh, yeah.”
Our shoulders brushed.
I’d instinctively shifted when I saw Eve trying to sit right next to me.
The benches in the department store were long and wide, made for customers to rest. With everyone else cleared out thanks to Rania, there were plenty of empty seats.
Е ṅùm̊ ã . i d̊
Rania winked at me when she saw my reaction—an annoyingly cute wink, befitting a professional idol.
What is she trying to pull now?
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Then Eve spoke calmly.
“…Thank you for today. You saved my life.”
She was still expressionless, but there was hesitation written all over her face.
For reasons I didn’t understand, she was the one approaching me first.
W̃ ébnovе̊l. Ё ṅuṁ а̀
That wasn’t a bad thing.
Eve was one of the original story’s leads too. This was a good chance to close the distance.
“I should be the one thanking you.”
“More importantly…”
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“Hm?”
“Please don’t do that again. You almost got seriously hurt today.”
Е̄ núm̄ а
I met Eve’s serious gaze and thought for a moment.
Should I lie to earn her favor?
Say something noble and polished—about not being able to stand by while people were in danger. That would probably leave a good impression.
“No. I can’t promise that. I’m a teacher. An adult. Before being magical girls, you’re children—and adults have a duty to protect children. Even when they’re about to walk down the wrong path, like this one.”
I looked down at Ayla in my lap.
She didn’t have any visible injuries, and her breathing was steady, but even I didn’t know when she’d wake up.
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After all, in the original story, no magical girl ever returned after becoming a monster.
“You’re…”
Eve started to speak, then swallowed her words.
I wouldn’t blame her if she resented me.
From her perspective, this probably sounded like an ignorant adult talking big about things he didn’t understand. Even so, I didn’t want to lie in front of the kids.
“…If that’s your conviction, then I understand.”
Ѐ n um ã.і̀d̊
After hesitating for a long time, that was the answer Eve chose.
Surprisingly, there was no pushback.
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“Hey, what is this, some kind of secret meeting?” Rania grumbled, turning toward us and thumping her chest in frustration. “You weren’t like this when you first met me.”
“Well… that’s because you’re—”
I trailed off, words failing me.
I couldn’t exactly say it was because she showed up nonstop in the original story.
E n u m а̌
“And you too, unni. You’re not usually this shy, are you?”
“I-it’s not like that. We just met for the first time, so I thought basic courtesy was important, that’s all.”
Was it my imagination?
Her tone sounded… oddly emphasized.
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“This guy pretends to be perceptive, but he’s actually clueless, so if you talk around it like that, he won’t get it.”
“…What are you talking about?”
Ёnum̀а̂
“She means you should talk to us first next time before doing something dangerous. That’s what Eve unni wanted to say. And I agree.”
Rania looked at me seriously.
Unibel, now somehow sitting right beside her, nodded vigorously.
“Fine. I’ll let it slide this time.”
“That’s not ‘letting it slide.’ Answer properly. If you don’t, I won’t help you next time.”
“…Okay.”
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Under Rania’s intense stare, I nodded reluctantly.
Only then did her expression soften, and she flashed a meaningful smile.
“You’re gonna need Eve unni’s help too, right? Just like with me.”
“…Just be the protagonist already.”
“What kind of nonsense is that?”
“No, nothing.”
W èb n о̊v̊еl̄ E ňu m̀ а̇
Watching Rania instantly take control of the situation, I muttered without thinking. I knew she had strong presence in the original story—second only to Unibel—but I hadn’t realized it was this bad. It honestly felt like she was playing me in the palm of her hand.
“I’ll help you.”
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“I have nothing but a bad feeling about this.”
There are a few truths you learn after years of working with kids.
One of them is this: when a child suddenly becomes overly confident, things rarely go smoothly.
And when that child is Rania—who thinks she’s an expert at relationships—it’s even worse.
Enu m̌ ã
I was debating whether to stop her while I still could when—
“You don’t like things staying awkward like this either, right?”
“Huh? No, I don’t really mind—”
“Really? Then can you lend me your ear for a second?”
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“…My ear?”
After glancing at me, Eve cautiously leaned toward Rania.
Е n û m̌ a . і d́
My bad feeling doubled.
“Eek!”
Sure enough, a high-pitched scream rang out.
It came from Eve.
Even including the original story, this was my first time ever seeing her startled.
That was how composed she usually was.
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When I looked over, Eve had her head buried against her knees, both hands clutching her head. I couldn’t see her expression, but her panic was obvious.
There’s something that can fluster Eve like that?
The lone wolf. The girl who hadn’t shown a hint of emotion until now.
Confused, I carefully approached her.
“W-wait! If you come any closer—”
Pop.
W̌е b̃ ň o v̊е́ l Ӗ ṅu m̈ а̂
“…Pop?”
Startled by my approach, Eve lost her balance—and then—
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Two ears popped up from her glossy black hair.
…Ears?
Black fur. Soft pink on the inside.
Perky.
W̆_ě b̊ n о̂v́ е l̆ Е n ŭm̂ а
They were, unmistakably, cat ears.
Silence fell between us.
Eve looked up at me, her pale face flushed bright red.
Twitch. Twitch.
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The ears made their presence very clear.
At least there was no tail. Not sure if that was a good thing or not.
Wе́b ǹ оvе̌l Е̌ ṅǔmа
***
“I-I had no choice! It was the fastest way to close the distance!”
Rania protested tearfully.
There was a fresh, swollen bump on her head.
No need to ask whose doing that was.
Eve’s.
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The fact that she’d left such a mark on a magical girl—whose body rarely bruised—said a lot. If that had hit a normal person, their skull might’ve cracked.
“…I apologize for startling you.”
After glaring at the unapologetic Rania, Eve turned to me and bowed slightly.
The strange ears from earlier were already gone.
Unless I’d hallucinated, she could make them appear and disappear at will.
Eve’s trait was Hyper-Sense, right?
Е n̊ u m̈а
Senses and reflexes dozens—no, hundreds—of times sharper than normal, even compared to other magical girls. That was how she fought.
Maybe the ears were an outward manifestation of that ability.
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I’d heard somewhere that cats were related to wolves, too.
“…Um.”
“…Yeah?”
“W-would it be rude if I… touched them? Just once?”
Ѐ num̄ а̄ . іd̂.
The one who spoke up was Unibel, who had been quietly watching the whole time.
Her eyes sparkled.
It was rare for normally passive Unibel to step forward like this.
Come to think of it…
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The original Magical Girl Happy Life might have been dark underneath, but on the surface, it was still a magical girl series.
Its main audience was young elementary school girls. To appeal to them, Unibel had to share traits they liked.
W̃ e.b́ n̈о̂ v́ еl̆ Еn ǔ m̈ а̀
In short, if an average little girl liked something, Unibel probably did too.
Seeing her get this excited over Eve’s cat ears made perfect sense.
“…No. That might be a bit much.”
“…I see. I’m sorry for asking something so unreasonable.”
Unibel’s bright expression dimmed instantly.
Seeing that, conflict crossed Eve’s face.
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“Well, who cares? They already found out anyway. And if we’re going to keep running into each other, hiding it every time would be a pain.”
Rania jumped in with backup.
“…Fine.”
Pop.
With a cute sound, the cat ears reappeared.
Eve covered her face with both hands, peeking at me through her fingers.
Ẅ ѐ b n̂ о̌v́ el Е n u ḿ а̃
“Wow…”
Standing on her toes, Unibel gently touched the ears, letting out a soft gasp.
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Between strands of hair, I could see Eve’s normal human ears, which made them seem decorative—but then the cat ears twitched, and I wasn’t so sure anymore.
Rania tried to get me to touch them too, but I refused.
A fellow magical girl touching them was one thing. A grown man she’d just met was another.
I was sure Eve wouldn’t allow that either.
Ѐ n̄umа
“Th-thank you. For indulging my rude request.”
After about thirty seconds of blissful ear-petting, Unibel snapped back to her senses and apologized in a panic.
“Can I touch them too?”
“No way.”
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“Tch.”
Just as Rania pouted—
Е n̄úma . і̌d̆
A siren wailed in the distance.
The ambulance.
It meant returning to the normal world.
And it meant my chance to talk with Eve was slipping away.
Rania’s methods were extreme, but she wasn’t wrong.
If we stayed polite forever, there was a limit to how close we could get.
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If there was a chance, it was now—while her antics had lowered everyone’s guard.
“I’m Woo-jin.”
“…What?”
“I’m the teacher at the school those two attend. If you don’t mind, could you tell me your name too?”
“…Now that you mention it, we never introduced ourselves. I’m Eve, sir.”
“You can speak casually. Maybe it’s because I’ve been a teacher so long, but being called sir by someone younger feels weird.”
Е̇_n̊ ū mа̇.ї d̊
Rania stared at me like what are you even saying, but I ignored her.
“Then… Woo-jin?”
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“That feels kind of embarrassing too.”
“…Oppa?”
That was… new.
Aside from Hye-jin, I’d never expected to hear that from anyone else.
Е n úṁ.а . і̇d̆
Being called oppa by a younger girl made my chest feel strangely ticklish.
Eve was a high schooler, and she looked almost like an adult, too.
Yeah. This felt vaguely immoral.
“Let’s just use names. That’ll be more comfortable.”
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“R-right?”
Eve smiled awkwardly.
E n ů ma
As I watched her, a forgotten detail suddenly surfaced.
What about him?
The man whose presence had vanished after Ayla’s intrusion.
Eve’s brother—or someone who looked like he was.
If I’m going to be working with Eve, it wouldn’t hurt to get along with him too.
As I glanced around—
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A figure cautiously approached from the distance.
It was Lee Min-jae.
“…Magical girls?”
Spotting us gathered in a corner of the third floor, his eyes widened.
Rania made an oh crap face and started toward him to cover his mouth, but I raised a hand to stop her.
“…Why?”
Ӗ ṅüm̈а.і̊d
“He’s a little… special.”
As the four of us looked at him, his expression shifted from confusion to realization, and he raised his voice.
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Had he realized the transformed Eve was his sister?
That was what I thought—
“Are you Ga-yeon?”
An entirely unexpected name came out of his mouth.
Е̊ n̊úm̌ а
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