An Exorcist Magical Girl!

High school student Lee Hyun-ah left home five minutes before school started today and went for a leisurely walk.

 

This is the kind of leisure that only those who live near the school can enjoy.

 

It’s a seven- to eight-minute walk from her house to the school, and she’d be late.

 

But even after checking the time on her phone, she wasn’t in a hurry.

 

She hated sweating in the morning.

 

Since last year, Hyun-ah had adopted the attitude that she would rather be late and listen to her teacher’s remarks than be late and barely make it on time.

 

When she turned the corner of the alley and stepped out onto the side of the road where cars passed, the first thing she saw was a sign that read “Fatal Accident Spot.

 

She had heard that there had been a hit and run here a few years ago. It was before she moved to the area, so she doesn’t know the details, but she picked up a few things.

 

For example, this ghost always sits on the fence like this and watches people.

 

The first time she saw it, it scared her, but now that she sees it every day on her way to and from work, she’s gotten used to it.

 

“Oh, we made eye contact.”

 

No matter how much she’s gotten used to it, she still gets goosebumps every time she sees his bloodied face.

 

At least he’s not moving.

 

Thud—

 

Just as she thought that, the bloody ghost jumped down the fence,

 

“Kaaaaaah!”

 

It started running furiously towards Hyun-ah.

 

***

 

Narea, the genius magical girl, wants me to do her a favor. What a waste of a lunch break.

 

No, how did she get my number?

 

I was about to text her when my phone vibrated again.

 

—Ah, just in case, this is your number, right? I sent it to the number on the business card you gave me.

 

Come to think of it, the day Narea appeared on the field of Mukgyeong Girls’ High School was the day I started my case, right?

 

I remembered that she took my business card that day.

 

I wrote back,

“You’re absolutely right,”

and the next thing I knew, I received the following message.

 

—Lucky you! There seems to be an evil spirit in front of our school, so I contacted you to ask if you could do an exorcism.

 

Should I tell them that it’s only for Mukgyeong Girls’ High School?

 

—You don’t have to accept the request, so if you’re free after school today, would you like to have dinner with me …?

 

It’s just a meal, so why not?

 

“Where is your school?”

 

—Qingxian High School.

 

Qingxian High School…

 

I looked it up on the map, and it’s only 30 minutes from here, and it’s about 30 minutes to the training center.

 

That should be plenty of time to eat.

 

I have to go to a training center, so we’ll have to eat real food and leave right away, is that okay?

 

I sent it, and she immediately replied,

“That’s great!”

 

“Hey, Seo Jun.” “Why?” “I have a sudden appointment today and I think I’ll have to skip the training.” “Okay. Will you be late?” “No. Of course I’ll be there before class. I’m meeting our sophomore teacher for the first time today, and I can’t be late.”

 

Seo Jun nodded and picked up her cutlery again.

 

***

 

“Hi, it’s been a while.” 

Narea was waiting at the gate of Qingxian High School. It was a little after dismissal time, so the school gates were empty.

 

“It’s been a while. Almost a month?” “Uh, since I saw you at your school.”

 

Unsure how to continue the awkward greeting, I cut to the chase.

 

“I heard you were being followed.”

 

I wanted to say,

“Well, can we go eat now?”

but I blurted it out. Damn.

 

“Oh, right. We can talk about it on the way to the restaurant?”

 

Narea looked confused,

“Do you accept requests…?”

she asked.

 

“Well, it happened this morning, a kid on her way to school ran out into the driveway and almost had an accident, but I blocked her right away so she didn’t get hurt. Ah, here.”

 

Narea pauses and points to the driveway off to the side.

 “I asked her later and she was running like crazy because a ghost was chasing her. She almost got in trouble.” “Really? Here? Where did she get chased from?” “There’s a ghost sitting on the fence over there, and as soon as she made eye contact with it, it jumped off and just ran.” “Hmm, really?” 

 

【

Talent: Exorcist (Aspiring)

】【

Status: Utilized

】【

Link Open: ■■■■■■■□□□ …70%

】 

 

I opened the link, but there were no ghosts in the immediate area.

 

Wasn’t it a Jibak ghost?

 

“That spirit is quite famous. He always sits up there and watches people. But I’ve never seen him chase someone like he did today.” 

It was an order.

 

“He’s not here right now.” “Oh, really? Did he go somewhere else…” “Narea, have you ever seen a ghost yourself?” “No…? I’ve never seen a ghost in my life.” “Maybe that’s because you’re so strong.” “Is that so?”

 

Being strong means that your sense connections are stronger than others.

 

Only a very strong spirit would be able to easily enter a person’s sense field.

 

“Hmm. You’ve never held a pair of scissors before, have you?” “Oh, yes, that’s interesting. You must be quite the exorcist.” “Of course I am.” “Ah, here we go. Let’s go inside.”

 

Narea led me to a ramen shop not far from her school.

 

We made small talk and got there quickly.

 

“What do you want to eat? I’ll buy the food since you came all this way.” “No, you don’t have to. I can’t do exorcisms anymore.” “No, it’s okay. You can choose from the menu.” “Okay, I’ll be grateful.”

 

I picked up a tonkotsu ramen from the kiosk and took the first seat at a table for two in the corner.

 

“Narea, are you sure you like this table?” “Yeah, it’s fine.” “Give me the bag. I’ll take it.” “Thanks.”

 

It felt like a million years while I waited for Narea to finish paying at the kiosk and set up her cutlery.

 

I might as well have caught a ghost. What would I talk about while we’re eating?

 

Fortunately, Narea dominated the conversation.

 

“I was wondering how your exorcist studies were going, how you were doing. Actually, the ghost was an excuse.” 

Somehow the conversation quickly turned to food.

 

“You know, Narea, you’re much more likable than I thought.” “Is that so?” “Yes. I didn’t know you still had that business card.”

 

I also didn’t know you were so curious about my whereabouts.

 

I swallowed this sentence.

 

“I actually wanted to come here and meet you. But then you suddenly stopped being a magical girl, and I didn’t want to…” “Me? You wanted to be friends with me? Since when?”

 

I panicked and almost lost my water cup in my hand.

 

It’s a good thing I didn’t take a sip of water or I would have choked.

 

“You shouldn’t be so surprised.”

 

Narea grumbled slightly and pulled a beet from the side dish container.

 

“Surprised, yes. We never really talked back then. If you wanted to get acquainted, you should have said something.” “Whatever. Let’s face it, you would have ducked if I made a pass at you back then.”

 

How did I know?

 

“Oh, no, that’s not possible. Why would you want to be friends with me?” “Oh, yeah.” “What?” “I don’t really know why you want to be friends with me. But I guess I just really like how hard you work, because you’re the only one who always starts practice at the same time as me and finishes at the same time, and sometimes you start earlier and stay later. Is this what you call inner intimacy?” “Oh, I’m flattered.” “Maybe that’s why I wanted to be close to you. I wanted to work in the same department someday, and if I could choose a partner to go out with, I wanted to be with you. I mean, if you don’t want to, that’s fine, but I did…”

 

That’s nice, but I don’t know what to make of it.

 

“I’m not a magical girl anymore, I can’t work in the same department as you, I can’t be your partner and go on missions with you.” “…I was actually pretty upset about that.” “Ugh.” “But then I thought about it, and I realized that what you do has changed, but the fact that you’re a hard worker hasn’t, and that’s why I want to stay in touch, even if it’s not necessarily the same magical girl… I just think it would make me feel less lonely to know that you’re out there somewhere, trying.” “Hey…”

 

I thought it was a wasted effort.

 

Just knowing that someone recognized it made me happy, as if I had won a prize.

 “Narea, why are you so good at speaking? You really impress people. Come to my school next time. I’ll buy you something tasty.”

 

It was a great feeling to have someone I once looked up to recognize me for who I was.

 

It wasn’t until a long time later that we became friends.

 

We only became friends because I stopped being a magical girl.

 

A relationship where one person is unilaterally jealous of the other is not a friendship.

 

Narea must have known this subconsciously.

 

That’s why she only approached me now.

 

Anyway, hearing that she really wanted to be friends made me feel much better than before.

 

Of course, Narea still did most of the talking.

 

“Oh, so ghosts have the same core, that’s interesting. What happens if the core breaks?” “The ghost’s body is destroyed.” “Destroyed? Does that mean they die twice?” “Well, kind of, but… I wasn’t sure at first, but it turns out that annihilation doesn’t mean becoming completely “nothing,” it means completely disappearing from this world. It sends the spirit to the other side where it belongs.” “You may look like a magical girl, but you’re not quite the same.”

 

The conversation continued after the ramen was served, with Narea asking questions and me answering.

 

It was a natural flow, since she was the one who wanted to know the latest news.

 

We left the ramen shop with plenty of time to get to the training center.

 

“You’re going to the subway station, right?” “Yep. I think I’ll go the same way I came. What about you?” “I’ll take the bus. Call me if you don’t know the way.” “Oh, I’ll find it myself. See you later!” “Yeah, next time. Oh, right. Come here.”

 

I started to leave, but Narea stopped me.

 

“What?” “I was really wondering if I should ask you about… or something.” 

I knew it was coming.

 

The one thing Narea hadn’t asked me today, despite her almost probing questions.

 “Baek Iri, why did you quit?”

 

Normally I would have brushed it off, but I wasn’t sure why she was so eager to talk today.

 

“Because of the… town hall system.”

 

Narea’s eyes widened.

 

Ah, maybe I shouldn’t have said that. I shouldn’t have told her, not when I couldn’t even explain it properly, and not to a girl I had just become friends with today.

 

No, no.

 

I shouldn’t have said it to you, right in front of me.

 

“Don’t get me wrong. This isn’t about you. It’s just… my personal problem.” 

Damn, I blew it at the end.

 

“Well, you know how I said I’d see you next time and I’d buy you dinner, and I meant it, I really did.”

 

I somehow managed to spit it out and Narea grinned.

 

“Okay. We’ll save that for another time. Maybe when you buy me dinner, maybe the next time we meet, maybe in ten years, maybe in twenty.” “…are you an angel?” “I’m sorry.” “I’m sorry.” “No, I’m not sorry. I asked the wrong thing. I’m actually grateful. I could have just kept it a secret, but you told me something.”

 

What an angel.

 

I was about to give him a hard time for being such a good kid.

 “Anyway, I had a great time today, and I look forward to our next date.”

 

Narea waved brightly and disappeared toward the bus stop.

 

I waved back until she was out of sight.

 

Vowing to take her to a cafe for dinner the next time I saw her, I started walking toward the subway station.

 

An eerie sound echoed.

 

It was coming from the alley at the side of the street that was said to be haunted in the morning.