Congratulations on Your Magical Girl Duties

14 – First Day as a Magical Girl

Hyeon-jae, finally arriving at the base in a police car.

It hadn’t seemed like a long journey, but when he stepped out, the stars were already out, each peeking from the sky and winking its light.

“You’ve arrived?”

In that instant, a magical girl, pale white as bone, approached with a quiet grace.

“You must be the one called Kim Si-yul.”

A single rose of Sharon adorned her epaulette.

A field-grade officer, even among magical girls.

She was likely the magical girl assigned to receive me.

“Pleased to meet you. I’m Magical Girl Pale Crow.”

However, something felt…off.

Of course, like other magical girls, her uniform was rather revealing, immediately causing a reaction in his lower regions. The same applied to the slippers he was wearing.

But when he looked at her face, no response came.

She was definitely a woman, so why?

No, could it already be broken, when he hadn’t even used it yet?

In that moment, one of the policewomen beside him seemed genuinely flustered.

“Uh… I hadn’t heard that the Magical Battalion Commander was coming out to greet him personally.”

“It’s the weekend, so it’s hard to ask someone else to do it. Besides, I’ve retired as a magical girl, so there’s really no need to call me Battalion Commander.”

Ah, she was a Battalion Commander.

No wonder he wasn’t turned on.

At the same time, a wave of relief washed over him. His little friend wasn’t broken, it was perfectly normal.

Of course, he couldn’t be aroused by a Battalion Commander.

Soon after, the police removed his handcuffs and began to hand him over to the Battalion Commander magical girl.

“Here he is.”

“What’s your impression, from a police perspective?”

“He’s a sturdy one.”

Yet, watching them negotiate, it felt less like an official handover and more like a transaction at the fish market.

Only, the commodity wasn’t fish; it was people.

“Don’t treat people like fish, you sons of b*tches.”

“See that?”

“Oh, as you said, quite the specimen.”

A human trafficking scene, plain and simple.

It felt utterly fucked up. As if the experiences I’d had in that other world were repeating themselves in this reality.

“Then, everyone, goodbye.”

“Yes, take care.”

Regardless of my feelings, the police, their task complete, got back in their car and left the base.

Leaving me alone with the magical girl.

“Mr. Kim Si-yul, please take this.”

In that instant, she abruptly handed me a bag.

Labeled ‘Supplies’, it was probably equipment given to new magical girls.

“There are clothes and shoes to change into inside. I know it’s not the nicest thing to say, but your clothes are… well…”

Even I had to admit they were pretty bad.

Ragged, stretched-out sweatsuit.

Slippers on the verge of falling apart.

The quintessential image of a struggling writer.

“Even if it’s late, it’s a bit much to go like that.”

The magical girl was right; going like this wouldn’t be ideal. On a whim, I immediately pulled out the clothes from the bag and started changing.

“Ah, no! Not here!”

But the one who had ordered me to change in the first place suddenly panicked, raising her voice.

No, what was the problem?

I was doing as I was told, so why the hell was she flipping out?

All magical girls are insane, after all.

“Then where am I supposed to change?”

“You could change behind that wall over there!”

“You have to tell me.”

How was I supposed to know when she hadn’t said anything? These people seriously lack common sense.

Well, what else could I do?

A perfectly sane person has to be patient.

Because I am a hero, after all.

“Alright, hurry up and change already!”

After a bit of back-and-forth, I eventually went behind a wall for a moment, changed my clothes, and returned.

“Does the outfit look alright?”

“Yes, it’s fine.”

Actually, the outfit itself wasn’t too bad.

At least it wasn’t the stiff, overly-decorated kind of thing that magical girls are always wearing.

Black pants and black shoes.

A fairly standard outfit.

It was just the top that was a little strange.

I could somewhat accept the black t-shirt with a single white stripe on the left arm. It didn’t look bad, and the white stripe probably signified my rank or something.

However, the meaning of the lettering on the left chest area and back was hard to fathom.

“So, what does the lettering on the top mean?”

The letters printed there were ROKMS.

ROK was probably an abbreviation for Republic Of Korea, but I had no idea what the MS that followed it stood for.

“Specifically, this MS part here.”

“Ah, those letters are short for ‘Maho Shojo,’ the English name for Magical Girl.”

“Really?”

The standards felt entirely arbitrary to me.

They stick the word ‘Magical’ on everything, but the English name for Magical Girl isn’t ‘Magical Girl,’ it’s ‘Maho Shojo.’

Perhaps she read my mind.

The magical girl quickly added a follow-up.

“The registration for Magical Girls happened first in Japan, so that’s how it became the international standard.”

“Ah, I see.”

Well, if they claimed it first, there was nothing to be done.

That’s Japan for you. Their skill in preemptive strikes is still going strong. They even snatched up the name for Magical Girls like this.

“Anyway, let’s go to the Magical Living Quarters now.”

The magical girl took the lead and went into the building, and I quietly followed behind her.

Then, abruptly, she speaks to me.

“Now that you’ve seen it in person, what’s your impression?”

She must be asking about my impression of the building we’re in.

Two feelings war within me. A sense of familiarity, like a military base. But also an awkwardness, brought on by the cheap decorations tacked on to feign ‘magical girl’ aesthetics.

No matter how you slice it, it just looks like a mental asylum.

Even the air feels rotten, somehow.

How can anyone live in a place like this?

But.

“It feels like a place where magical girls might actually be.”

A suitable place for the mentally unsound to reside.

“Right?”

Whether she genuinely took my assessment positively, the lead magical girl offered a slight smile.

“Since it’s a unit within the city, everyone worked hard to decorate, so it feels like it fits in with the city, right?”

I nodded mutely in agreement.

Well, Gotham City is a city, after all.

“Then, let’s continue.”

And so, I followed the magical girl up the stairs, down a long, meandering hallway.

The magical girl, leading the way, glances back at me.

“From now on, you’ll be living amongst the magical girls. How does that make you feel?”

Naturally, it feels like utter shit.

In the first place, I haven’t done anything wrong.

However, separate from that, there is one other feeling.

“Strange.”

“In what way?”

It’s just too strange.

If a lone man were to suddenly appear in a place filled only with women, one would expect a variety of reactions.

Not necessarily goodwill, but at least curiosity as to who I am, or questions as to why I’m here.

But.

The only emotion that the magical girls passing me by display is of a single kind.

Loathing and contempt.

“Why are you all looking at me like that?”

Perhaps it was because it was a Sunday night, and thus there weren’t many magical girls present. Still, every single one of them was openly displaying animosity.

“I don’t even know what I did.”

Why, though?

I’m pretty sure this is the first time I’m meeting these b*tches.

Is it because this is a society where normal people get ostracized?

“It’s probably because stories about Kim Si-yul have already spread to everyone.”

“Stories about me?”

“Who Kim Si-yul is, how they got here, what happened today, things like that.”

“Ah.”

So, that means everyone knows me.

On record, I’m a deserter, right?

Or maybe it’s about what was said during today’s therapy session.

Either way, it can’t be good. Of course, no one’s going to view me favorably.

I’ve basically ruined my first impression from the get-go.

“And Purple Snake, one of the magical girls, told everyone beforehand not to mess with Kim Si-yul unless absolutely necessary.”

That Purple Snake magical girl is probably the one with the purple snake mascot I met during the therapy session.

Since she was the one who branded me as a magical girl, it seems like she’s trying to look out for me in her own way, but this is only backfiring.

Who’s going to welcome some loathsome b*stard getting outright protection from a higher-up?

“That’s why everyone’s giving you the stink eye.”

The battalion commander magical girl gave a wry smile, but she didn’t particularly reprimand the other magical girls for their behavior.

In the end, this b*tch is thinking the same thing as them.

“Oh, is that so.”

Well, it’s not like I cared much either way.

I just responded with a lackadaisical tone.

After all, I’m just someone who’ll be here temporarily before leaving. After that, I’ll be living a life completely unrelated to magical girls.

Besides, I’m already more than used to this kind of reaction. Compared to what I experienced in the other world, this doesn’t even reach the level of hatred.

And, to be honest.

“Uh… aren’t you supposed to say you’ll work hard to change everyone’s perception in situations like this?”

“Why would I?”

Rather, I’m almost grateful, truth be told.

I have no desire to be involved with magical girls. A lunatic isn’t a lunatic for no reason. Dealing with them will only exhaust me more.

To put it simply:

I dislike magical girls.

That’s the truth I’ve chosen.

This kind of crazy isn’t welcome in my world.

“Tell her to curse me all she wants.”

“Hmm, is that so? I expected as much, but ‘indeed,’ you don’t seem to feel much from something like this.”

Judging by the emphasis on ‘indeed,’ she must have heard quite a few anecdotes about me.

“Of course.”

It wasn’t wrong, so I acknowledged it appropriately and moved on.

And so, our brief exchange came to an end.

In truth, there wasn’t much else to say.

“We’re here.”

Because we’d just arrived at our destination.

Where we stopped, there was a door. Probably the entrance to the dormitory she mentioned earlier.

Is this where my magical girl life will begin?

It sucks. Seriously.

“From now on, you’ll be staying here. It’s a shared dormitory for trainees, so you don’t need to worry about rank. The highest you’ll find is a Magical Private First Class.”

“Understood.”

“And originally, there are five of you including Kim Siyul, but one is on assignment and another is on leave, so there will only be two here right now.”

Honestly, it was irrelevant information.

Whoever they are, however many there are, they’ll all be lunatics anyway.

“I’ve finished the introduction, so I’ll be going now.”

“Okay.”

As soon as I gave a perfunctory reply, the battalion commander magical girl abandoned me and went her own way.

Leaving me standing alone in front of the door.

“Shit.”

I wanted to escape from here right this very moment.

Even if it meant turning the magical girls into half-wits.

But either path, impossible.

In this state, I couldn’t outrun a magical girl, nor could I hope to defeat one.

In the end, meek acceptance was the only choice left.

“Hah.”

Finally, half resigned, I opened the door.

With the thought that I only had to endure this for two years.

Immediately after, what I experienced wasn’t the usual hazing of a newbie, a small congratulatory party, or introductions all around—

“What’s with the blackie?”

“Shut your trap, you white trash.”

—but racial discrimination.