Chapter 20 : Sincerity (1)

“Ah… seriously…”

Something feels strange.

My whole body should feel clean, so why does it feel like I’ve gotten dirtier…?

“Ha~ I feel like all my fatigue has been completely washed away~”

Unlike my exhausted self, my younger sister was grinning, clearly in a good mood.

“Hey, dry my hair for me~”

“After everything you just did to me, you’ve got the nerve to ask me for favors…”

“But you’re gonna do it anyway, right~?”

“…”

Without answering, I started drying her hair.

Of course, with magic.

“Ah! Why are you using magic when you could just use a hairdryer?”

“This is faster.”

“You have no sense of romance, none at all.”

My younger sister clicked her tongue in dissatisfaction.

“…It is kind of amazing, though.”

She murmured in wonder as she ran her fingers through her hair, now instantly dry.

“Huh? You’ve seen me going around beating up monsters, and yet you’re amazed just because I dried your hair with magic?”

“Hmm… Maybe it’s because it feels so unrealistic.”

Well, she wasn’t wrong.

After all, the world had gone through a massive upheaval — one that completely transformed modern science.

The appearance of magical girls and the existence of the Fairy Tale Realm were monumental events, often called a turning point in human civilization.

For the past 20 years, humanity had been waging war against creatures known as the Aberrations, and magical girls had become a familiar concept in the public’s mind.

But that was only within the context of the ongoing war.

Seeing a magical girl in everyday life — at least in South Korea — was still pretty rare.

So I could understand what Hayun meant.

Maybe it’s because seeing magic used so casually in everyday life feels more real and surprising than watching someone go around fighting Aberrations.

“For me, it’s no big deal to stay transformed… I’m already permanently fixed in this form, so using magic in daily life isn’t a big deal. But most magical girls don’t really do that.”

“Still, you don’t really use magic that often in your day-to-day life either, do you?”

“Well… that’s because it wouldn’t really feel right for a magical girl to use magic for things you can just do by moving your body.”

Not that it really matters if I do use it.

Back in the day, that bear used to nag me whenever I used magic like this — but these days, even he’s too lazy to care.

And when he does try to interfere, I make sure he regrets it.

“Alright, I’ll dry your hair now.”

“No, thanks. Letting it dry naturally is the best.”

I vaguely remember reading somewhere that air-drying your hair is the healthiest option.

When I said that, Hayun stared at me, completely dumbfounded.

“…You literally just dried mine with magic.”

Well… I didn’t really have a comeback for that.

With a sigh, I sat down.

My younger sister, clearly having fun, came up behind me and started drying my hair.

“You always use the cool air setting.”

“Of course! If you have the time, drying with cool air is the best. Hot air damages your hair, you know.”

Hayun grumbled like she was waiting for me to ask.

“Eh?”

I’d never really been that interested in self-care, so this was news to me.

“Why, though?”

“Do you even know how hot a hairdryer gets? If you hold it in one spot for too long, it could burn you.”

Apparently, protein is sensitive to heat — and since hair is mostly made of protein, the intense heat from a hairdryer can easily damage it.

That’s why, if you have the time, drying your hair with cool air is the best option.

As she explained this, she carefully and patiently dried my hair, treating it with far more care than I ever did.

“Oh, what a heartwarming sight.”

The bear plushie had crept up on us at some point, speaking like it was thoroughly enjoying the show.

For something that’s supposed to be just a stuffed bear, why does it act like this?

“…I seriously want to beat you up.”

“Are you sure you’re not just joking?”

“I’m dead serious.”

“…Oh.”

I’ve always wanted to beat you up.

“Wait — but doesn’t the hairdryer sound kinda quiet?”

Took you long enough to notice.

“That’s magic, too.”

At this point, I’ve mastered magic to the extent that something like this is nothing.

It’s a sound-filtering spell — isolating and silencing noise like the hum of a hairdryer while leaving everything else untouched.

“Wow… what an insanely powerful but completely pointless spell… I’m pretty sure you’re the only magical girl in the world who would use it like this…”

“It’s because the concept I embody is a good one.”

The concept of love is broad and all-encompassing.

When I use magic based on the simple feeling of not wanting my loved ones to hear loud, unpleasant noises — it works.

“Well… I guess love really is invincible…”

The bear muttered, sounding half amazed and half exasperated.

“…”

Is it really that impressive, though?

“By the way, how’s teaching the kids going?”

At Hayun’s question, I hesitated, letting out a thoughtful hum.

How’s it going, huh.

“Honestly, I’m not sure. I mean, teaching them how to be magical girls is one thing, but…”

My mind drifted to the girls I was training.

Blaze, Leaf, Icicle.

Each one of them had such a distinct and strong personality — and that made teaching them anything far from easy.

At least with Leaf, things had gotten a bit easier after we had a counseling session — we got to know each other’s tastes, and that helped us grow closer naturally.

But Blaze and Icicle… they were a different story.

It’s been tough.

“I’ve gained a whole new level of respect for teachers who work with kids every day…”

“Huh? But aren’t magical girls usually adults? Is it really that bad?”

“Yeah… you could say that.”

Honestly, I was starting to question whether some of them were really adults.

Of course, I couldn’t exactly share that thought with my younger sister — so I just kept it to myself.

.

.

.

“It’s been a while.”

“Yes, it has.”

Colonel Han yujin,The current battalion commander of the Special Anti-Aberration Task Force — and my boss.

He was also the one who briefed me when I first got here.

Back then, I didn’t think much of it… but after seeing everything that’s been going on here, I can’t help but feel like if there’s anyone I should suspect first, it’s probably him.

Not that I’m about to confront him head-on, of course.

I’m still at the “suspicion” stage — nowhere near certainty yet.

Accusing him — or anyone, really — of employing underage magical girls without solid proof would just be insane.

Right now, my priority is figuring out what kind of person Han yujin really is.

Is he on the side of good or not?

Is he involved in this mess, or is he just as in the dark as I am?

Before anything else, I need to find out how much he actually knows.

“Have you been well?”

Han yujin smiled at me — a perfectly pleasant, unreadable smile.

Whether it was genuine or just a mask meant to deceive me… I had no idea.

‘If the kindness and warmth he’s shown me so far were all just an act to mislead me… well, I’d almost be impressed by his dedication.’

At that level of dedication, I’d almost have to give him some credit.

As I sat down, I watched Han yujin prepare coffee for me, trying to steady my thoughts.

“Here you go… I’m not sure if it’s to your taste, but…”

“Ah, thank you.”

I took the cup and took a sip.

…

Bitter.

“Do you have any sugar cubes?”

“Ah… I usually don’t use sugar, so… I’m sorry, I can make you a new.”

“Oh, it’s fine. Watch this.”

Magic really is unbeatable.

With a simple spell, I changed the coffee’s taste to something sweeter and took another sip.

Now it had that familiar sweet flavor I liked.

“Mm. That’s more like it.”

“…”

Han yujin looked at me, his eyes trembling slightly.

“…Why?”

“Was that… really something magic could do…?”

“Well… depending on how you use it?”

Most people tend to use magic for combat, but the way you channel your emotions and intent can completely change how it works.

In this case, it was simple.

I didn’t want to give bitter coffee to someone I cared about — I wanted it to be sweet.

Based on that feeling, I infused the coffee with the sweetness I remembered.

The actual ingredients hadn’t changed.

It’s just the magic’s sweet essence creating the flavor.

“…That’s… complicated.”

Han yujin muttered, clearly struggling to wrap his head around it.

Most people wouldn’t get it.

It’s something I only figured out after using magic relentlessly for the past 20 years — a kind of secret technique, you could say.

“Well, enough small talk… I think it’s time we get to the main point, don’t you?”

“…Yes, I suppose so. Though I’d like to start by asking why you called me here in the first place…”

Han yujin looked at me, his face clearly curious — maybe even a little wary.

That’s right.

It wasn’t him who called me — I was the one who reached out, asking for this meeting.

And there was only one reason for that.

I needed to find out whether he was connected to what’s been going on.

Without hesitation, I cast a spell.

“…What is this?”

“I’ve placed a spell over this entire room.

From now on, neither of us can lie.

”Of course, that meant I couldn’t lie either.I could’ve easily set the spell to affect only him — but I didn’t.“

I want you to know that I’ll only speak the truth as well.

”Because more than anything.I wanted to hear Han yujin’s true feelings.”

Whether he really had nothing to do with this situation — and if he was involved, just how much he knew.

I needed to find out everything.

As I watched him swallow nervously, I finally spoke.

“Please… don’t disappoint me.”

I hoped he wouldn’t betray the last bit of trust I had in him.

Because honestly, I didn’t want to turn against a colleague who was trying their best.