Chapter 5 : Is this real ? (1)

The Day After Enjoying a Frenzied Rift Party.

Surprisingly, I had been fluctuating between wins and losses, slipping countless times right before reaching Grandmaster.

In the end, I never made it.

“Sigh.”

Rubbing the dark circles under my eyes, heavy with exhaustion and disappointment, I hopped off my chair.

“If I had known this would happen, I would’ve just gone to sleep.”

Had I stared at the Rift for too long?

Even in my magical girl body, I could feel the fatigue this was serious… Staying awake in a fully focused state for two consecutive days wasn’t easy, even with this body.

“Wow… Can you even go to work in that state?”

A groggy voice came from my stuffed bear, who looked at me in shock.

He must have realized that I had spent the entire night gaming.

Go to work?

“No… I’m not going today.”

I staggered toward the bed and dove onto it, exhausted.

I had honestly planned to go, but I was so unbearably sleepy that I knew I’d pass out the moment I closed my eyes.

“You can’t just skip work without telling them! That’s desertion…!”

“Then I’ll desert. Or you can call in for me.”

My tiny bear, only about the size of a 10 cm ruler, tapped me frantically, but it was useless.

I sank deeper into sleep.

“Hayul is sleeping… Don’t touch me… before I kill you…”I would become the master of sleep…Click.

“Hayul Mom’s home Hm?”

Oh… Mom?

Normally, I would’ve greeted her, but I was too tired to even think about responding.

My whole body was relaxed, ready to drift into slumber.

“Oh my, my little angel is asleep How cute”.

“Oh, long time no see, ma’am.”

“Oh, hello, little teddy bear!”

Ugh, I’m so sleepy.

I need to sleep.

Swoosh.”…?”

Wait.

What?

I wasn’t using any levitation magic, so why was my body.

“Ugh…” “Oh dear… There, there…” “Mom… I’m 29…” “Then you should wake up, my little angel.

Today is a workday.

“Ugh… But I want to sleep more…”

“Did my child become a baby again? That can’t be it. You always woke up fine for work before. Right, Teddy?”

Mom’s signature pressure-filled stare.

I shot a desperate look at the stuffed bear, silently telling him not to answer.

But what kind of intimidation could I manage with half-closed eyes?

“He was up all night gaming.”

Wait.

Did you just say that out loud?

“Hmm… I’m pretty sure I told you to get enough sleep.”

Mom’s gaze sharpened.

She wanted an explanation.

I glared at the bear.

What else could I do?

It’s your mom! I have no power here…!You’re dead later.

“I’ll go to work, Mom… The busy period is over, so I don’t have to go in for now… Just let me sleep a little more…””Alright then.”

Oh… That ended more peacefully than expected.

As Mom gently placed me back onto the bed, I barely had time to wonder before the warmth and softness of the blankets made my body go limp.

I couldn’t fight it.

I immediately passed out…Snore…”So… cute…” “… This is really… the legendary” “What the hell…”Why is it so noisy?”

Ah, oh no…! They’re waking up! What do we do?

“Shh… Shut up! You’ll wake them up.”

“You’re the one being louder, idiot!”The loud chatter around me became unbearable, and I rubbed my eyes as I sat up.

I was sure I had fallen asleep at home… but where the hell was I now?

What’s with this bed?

A cot?

“Ugh… What now…””Ah, um… Hello…?”

Who the hell are these people?

Women in military fatigues stood around me, looking awkward and unsure.

Who the hell are you?

“You awake, ma’am?”

My tiny bear fluttered over, tidying his fur.

“So… your mom brought you here and left. She asked where to drop you off, and I told her your new workplace…””Oh.”

I looked down at myself.

I was still in the same outfit I wore after finishing my shift.

A magical girl uniform with a military field jacket over it.

Since the uniform was comfortable and I had passed out from gaming, I hadn’t even changed clothes.

I had come straight to work like this.

“Goddammit…”Staring blankly at my disheveled outfit, I cast a spell.

Swoosh.

“Whoa…””Was that… magic?”

“What kind of spell was that?”

Ignoring the chattering recruits, I used my magic to clean my clothes and jumped off the cot.

“Um… Sergeant Hayul?”

“This place… is a barracks?”

“Yes, ma’am. They said it was an empty room.”

“Hah.”

Unbelievable.

Who the hell gets dragged to work like this?

I pressed a hand to my forehead.

My mom… Her stubbornness was on another level.

I knew she was extraordinary, but I never thought she’d literally carry me to my workplace while I was sleeping.

I turned to look at the women still staring at me in confusion.

Wait.

“These people… Who are they?”

“The magical girls you’re assigned to train, ma’am.”

Why the hell is that a question?

I grabbed my bear with an iron claw and tossed him out the window.

Then, I gave my supposed trainees another look.

Hmm.

They… seemed a little young?

Like high schoolers trying to look more mature.

I was suspicious for a moment but shook my head.

Newly enlisted 20-year-olds still looked like high schoolers.

These were probably early enlistees.

“So, who are they?”

“The magical girls you’re assigned to train, ma’am.”

Wait.

Something wasn’t right.

“Magical girls? They look like adults. Shouldn’t they be called witches?”

“That’s still a hot debate in Fairyland, ma’am.”

I hadn’t expected an actual answer, but my bear replied like it was no big deal.

“Whatever. Just take me to the commanding officer. What kind of unit is this? A battalion?”

It was embarrassing to have slept through my own first day as an instructor, but what could I do?

These kids did nothing wrong.

“Y-yes! I’ll guide you!””…Yo?”

What did they just say?

“Hey! Don’t use ‘yo’ with a superior…!”

“Ah! S-sorry! I’ll correct it!”

“It’s not that serious. I’m just a private, anyway.”

Well… Technically, I was treated at a general officer level, but still.

“Uh… Can I ask something?”

“What?”

“Are you really Sergeant Min Hayul? Our battalion commander said you’d be coming, and I couldn’t sleep all night…!”Huh.

Most magical girls of this era didn’t know me.

Only the ones who had seen me annihilate monsters firsthand ever reacted like this.

But new recruits…New recruits…?

“Wait a minute.”

Something felt off.

Why was their insignia shaped like a bent line?

“Warrant Officers?”

No.

These were non-commissioned officers?

The people I was assigned to train weren’t privates?

Had I been sent to a special forces unit?

This was getting confusing.

Counter Monster Special Operation Team (CMSOT)A newly established Magical Girl Special Forces Unit created by South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense in response to the declining quality of modern magical girls.

Recently, high-ranking monsters had been appearing more frequently, posing a serious national security threat.

In response, the government formed CMSOT to train magical girls with exceptional talent.

“Whew…”Lieutenant Colonel Han Yujin sighed in frustration.

Even excluding the anomaly that was Sergeant Min Hayul, she was one of the most accomplished magical girls in history so exceptional that she had been rapidly promoted in her early 30s.

“And now Sergeant Min Hayul is coming here as an instructor.”

This unexpected news had thrown the entire unit into chaos.

Han Yujin herself felt like she had been struck by lightning.

Up until now, she had only needed to fight monsters.

Now, she was a commander of an entire battalion.

She had no idea what to do.

But despite the confusion, one overwhelming feeling remained.

“Just what kind of person is she…?”

Excitement.

As a magical girl herself, Han Yujin couldn’t help but be filled with anticipation.

That was what mattered most at least to her.