Chapter 48: Where on Earth Did You Learn to Say Things Like That?

Welcome! Would you like to place your order?

Alice will have plain yogurt with three pumps of chocolate syrup.

I'll have a blueberry smoothie.

Mango smoothie.

Aia will order separately. Her order is a little long.

Ah, you're Miss Aia. An iced vanilla latte, with the shots switched to decaf, half the usual syrup, light ice, whipped cream increased by 20%, vanilla cream and cinnamon powder sprinkled on top, and finally a caramel drizzle drawn in the shape of a heart, correct?

That's right. You remember.

Some magical girls who visit often even have their usual orders written down separately. I've memorized yours, Miss Aia.

...What did she order?

Was that some kind of magic incantation? Could you really order a drink in that much detail?

We'll prepare Miss Aia's drink separately and have the others out shortly. Please wait a moment.

Yes... All right.

...Did you just recite a magic spell?

Amazingly, it was an ordinary drink order.

Aia has a discerning palate. It would take about a week of cooking practice to satisfy Aia's tastes.

...If it only takes a week, I don't think she's that picky.

With that much time, even I could... No, there I go thinking pointless thoughts again.

...Have I been having pointless thoughts a lot lately?

Despite being desperate to hide my identity, I keep trying to relax.

The moment I get careless and my identity is exposed, my life will end right then and there.

...It would mean everything I've endured to get this far would end without me accomplishing what I set out to do.

-Crack

'Get a grip, Han Sejin. Don't let your guard down.'

I admit that with magical girls constantly increasing around me these days, I'm less sharp than I used to be.

I always say I hate women, younger people, and magical girls, but I'm biologically male in the end. When magical girls with nothing to criticize about their looks keep hovering around me, my guard can loosen before I realize it.

But...

'...After going through all that, how can I possibly...'

I hate myself.

I hate magical girls too, but I hate myself even more for lowering my guard at the warmth that keeps seeping in despite knowing I dislike magical girls.

Here are three drinks.

Wow! Thank you.

Thank you.

I'll enjoy it.

-Slurp

Plain yogurt with a slightly bland but sweet taste, plus a few pumps of chocolate syrup added for Alice's concept.

It was still quite sweet, but much less intense than drinking chocolate milk from a tumbler, and perfectly drinkable.

Mmm, that's a drink that suits Alice.

You must really like chocolate. You even put chocolate syrup in your yogurt.

Chocolate is the snack that suits Alice best.

Are you all right drinking that much chocolate? When I eat things that are too sweet, they start tasting bitter instead.

-Sip

That's actually true. I don't dislike sweet things, but excessive sweetness tends to feel unpleasant to most people, not just me.

...But why is Mia drinking with the cup held against her chest?

...Alice likes chocolate. Don't worry.

Hmm... Since you're an S-rank magical girl, I suppose you don't have to worry about things like diabetes? Come to think of it... One of the advantages of being a magical girl is that you can eat whatever you want without worrying about dieting or your health. I suppose it doesn't really matter.

That's quite a nice advantage. I haven't exactly neglected my physical health since becoming a magical girl... But the increased immunity to all sorts of diseases is certainly wonderful. It even keeps you from catching something as common as a cold most of the time.

'Must be nice...'

Ironically, the biggest problem with my body is in my mind, and that is where the unique resistance of magical girls has the least effect.

Being able to eat whatever you want is not something I want her bragging about in front of me, when I'm over here eating food I don't even want just to maintain my concept, or settling for instant food to save money.

You're having a pleasant conversation without Aia. Aia was clearly the one who received the invitation first, so enjoying a 3P before Aia is rude.

...That was rude of us, Miss Aia. Alice will apologize for this.

But it's all right. Aia likes it when Aia crashes the party too.

At this point, wouldn't it be faster to ask what she dislikes?

I even wondered whether she actually understood the sexual jokes she was making.

Well, considering her age based on when Aia began her activities, she wasn't too young to know, so she probably did understand what they meant...

...Um, Miss Sapphire. What does it mean when you put a number and a P together? You did it earlier too.

...It indicates the number of people.

Aha.

Mia... Right. She was at an age where it wouldn't be strange not to know.

I'd heard kids these days learned things early, but if she'd grown up innocently, it was still understandable enough that she might not know.

Mia didn't seem like the type to go looking up things like that on her own, either.

Aia enjoys chatting with Miss Alice, but the timing is not ideal. Aia doesn't have much time to spare either, and must return within 21 minutes and 13 seconds.

How specific. Then Alice will get straight to the point as well. Miss Sapphire, could you stay here with Miss Mia for a moment?

Understood. Come along, Miss Mia.

Uh... I-I suppose I can't object if it's something personal.

She had looked so pitiful that I brought her this far, but I couldn't let her join this conversation too.

-Beep

The machine is on. What is it you wanted to discuss? If it's a proposal, I would prefer somewhere more romantic.

I'll be direct. Alice doesn't want Miss Aia going around saying, 'Miss Alice is stronger than me.'

Understood.

The reason... What?

I said I understood. You don't want Aia going around telling people elsewhere that Miss Alice is stronger than Aia, do you?

...Right?

I accept. If that's what Miss Alice wants. Aia likes Miss Alice, so if it's a request from Miss Alice, Aia is willing to grant most reasonable requests.

.........

I'd just steeled my resolve, yet she accepted far too easily.

I had even been prepared to use some harsh words if necessary.

I can lend you money or act as a guarantor for a debt up to 500 million won. For anything beyond that, even Miss Alice would have to give Aia a deep embrace.

Miss Aia... You really like Alice quite a lot, don't you?

Yes. I believe I've said it several times, but Aia likes Miss Alice. Ah, of course, not in that sort of way—not yet. For now, Aia only feels reproductive urges toward men. You may take it as friendship, affection, camaraderie, or admiration. Something along those lines.

......Honestly, I couldn't even tell whether she was being sincere.

For one thing, there was her concept, and the manner of speaking that came from it made it difficult to read sincerity in her words.

Although Aia's unusual manner of speaking makes people reluctant to believe her, Aia generally does not lie. Aia always tends to convey only her honest feelings, exactly as they are.

It... does seem that way.

...Now that I think about it, maybe it does seem that way?

When I watched all those jokes flow out as naturally as water, without passing through any filter in her brain, her words became strangely convincing.

How many sexual jokes had already passed between us in just that brief exchange?

And if Aia's prediction is correct, Aia may become close with Miss Alice. So Aia has no reason to refuse Miss Alice's request. Aia must work on raising Miss Alice's affection for her in advance.

...This was probably about... Han Sejin.

If my plan had worked, Aia would have mistaken Alice for 'Han Sejin's younger sister'... No, that was technically true, but regardless, she would have understood Alice that way, so falling out of Alice's favor would put her in a very difficult position.

...For a moment, I considered taking advantage of Aia's misunderstanding, but dismissed the thought immediately.

The risk was too great. To begin with, Han Sejin had never been exposed to the world this much during the past eight years, and Alice had never formed such a close connection with anyone either.

It had been created by coincidence piled on coincidence, but for now I was only barely keeping it balanced somehow. The moment I slipped, the water bottle I had been precariously holding would shatter to pieces in an instant.

Then, from now on, I will say in interviews elsewhere that Miss Alice isn't even worth one punch to Aia.

...No, that's going too far. Just answer that we're colleagues who don't compete with each other.

You don't want rumors spreading that you're weaker than Aia?

...Alice simply doesn't want to attract pointless attention. Too much attention is embarrassing.

Then why did you film this program?

Because Miss Emerald begged Alice to. And since it was a class to improve the skills of our juniors... Alice was interested too.

As expected, Miss Alice is kind.

Hmph, Alice has always been perfect.

That's right. Miss Alice has always been perfect. Though I think she was even more perfect in the past.

...This woman. As I thought...

-Rattle

Oh dear, time is running short. Aia will be going now. It was a pleasant time.

Take care... on your way home.

Then please comfort your companions properly. A woman's jealousy is a frightening thing, after all.

-Whoosh

Saying that, Aia went outside in an instant and soon disappeared from sight.

...Did she really need to tell me to comfort my companions? We were just talking about work. What was all this about jealousy?

Senpai Alice. Is it over?

Yes, it's over, Mi...a?

Now, let's hurry to the break room. Today is the last day of treatment, remember? I've put my heart and soul into preparing for it.

...There was a noticeably denser scent of magical power than usual.

Miss Mia... Did something happen?

Nothing happened. We just had an ordinary drink, that's all.

...Miss Sapphire?

I won't get in the way like last time. Please have a safe and successful treatment.

Miss Sapphire?! Where are you going?!

Come on! We need to cast it before all the magic power we painstakingly condensed dissipates! Hurry! This Mental Cure will feel better than usual! I put my heart and soul into preparing it!

Wouldn't the one you normally use be fine?!

The final treatment needs powerful magic to clean all the way down to the roots!

That's a sound argument, but this time Alice doesn't want to go along with it!

There was a bit of bickering, but in the end, Alice had no choice but to lose.

I had decided to leave everything concerning the treatment to Mia, and no matter how much of an S-rank magical girl Alice was, my knowledge of healing magic was less than half of Mia's, so I couldn't argue back.