Chapter 15: Barracks and Bigotry

The police car pulled into the base. Despite the seemingly short drive, the sky was already filled with stars by the time Si-yool stepped out.

“Welcome,” a pale-skinned magical girl said, approaching him with a gentle smile. A single hibiscus flower adorned her armband, marking her as a field-grade officer. She was probably here to process his arrival.

“You must be Kim Si-yool,” she said. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Magical Girl Pale Crow.”

Something felt… off. He reacted instinctively to her revealing costume and the slippers she wore, but her face didn’t elicit the usual response. She was clearly a woman, so why…? Had his… appreciation malfunctioned already?

“Uh… I wasn’t told the battalion commander would be here in person,” one of the policewomen said, sounding surprised.

“It’s the weekend, and it was difficult to find someone available. Besides, I’m retired, so you don’t have to call me ‘commander’,” Pale Crow explained.

So, she was a commander. That explained it. He couldn’t very well be attracted to his commanding officer. His… appreciation was functioning perfectly.

The policewoman removed his handcuffs. “Here he is,” she said, presenting Si-yool to Pale Crow.

“What’s your assessment?” Pale Crow asked.

“He’s… sturdy,” the policewoman replied.

Their exchange resembled a transaction at a fish market, only the product being traded was a human being.

“Don’t treat me like a fish, you bastards,” Si-yool muttered.

“See?” the policewoman said.

“Oh, he is sturdy,” Pale Crow agreed.

It was practically human trafficking. Si-yool felt a surge of disgust. His otherworldly experiences were repeating themselves.

“Alright, you’re all dismissed,” Pale Crow said to the officers.

“Thank you for your service,” the policewoman replied.

The officers left, leaving Si-yool alone with Pale Crow.

“Here you go, Mr. Kim,” she said, handing him a bag labeled “Supplies.” It probably contained standard issue items for new magical girls.

“There are clothes and shoes inside. Please change. Your current attire is… inappropriate,” she said, gesturing to his worn-out tracksuit and tattered slippers. He looked like the epitome of a loser.

“It’s late, and you can’t go around like that,” she added.

Pale Crow was right. Si-yool opened the bag and began to change.

“Not here!” Pale Crow exclaimed, flustered.

Si-yool paused. What was her problem? He was just doing what she’d told him to do. All magical girls were insane.

“Then where?” he asked.

“Behind that wall!” she pointed.

“You could have told me,” Si-yool muttered. These people lacked basic common sense. He sighed. He had to be the understanding one. He was a warrior, after all.

“Just hurry up and change!” Pale Crow said, exasperated.

Si-yool changed behind the wall and returned.

“How do I look?” he asked.

“Much better,” Pale Crow replied.

The outfit was decent. Not the frilly, revealing costumes most magical girls wore. Black pants, black shoes. Simple and practical.

The shirt, however, was a bit odd. It was a black t-shirt with a white stripe on the left sleeve. The white stripe probably signified his rank. But the letters on the chest and back were confusing.

“What do these letters mean?” Si-yool asked, pointing to the ROKMS printed on the shirt. ROK probably stood for Republic of Korea, but he didn’t know what MS meant.

“MS stands for Maho Shojo, the official English term for Magical Girl,” Pale Crow explained.

“Really?” Si-yool asked, raising an eyebrow. The standards seemed arbitrary. They used “magical” for everything else, but not for magical girls themselves?

“Magical girls were first officially registered in Japan, so Maho Shojo became the international standard,” Pale Crow explained, as if reading his mind.

“I see,” Si-yool said. So, Japan had done it again, striking first and claiming the name for themselves, just like with Pearl Harbor.

“Let’s go to the magical barracks,” Pale Crow said, leading the way into a building. Si-yool followed.

“What do you think?” she asked, turning to him.

She was probably asking about the building. It felt familiar, like the military barracks he’d once lived in, but also strange, with its gaudy magical girl decorations. It looked like a mental hospital. The atmosphere felt… oppressive.

“It’s… very magical girl-like,” Si-yool replied.

“Right?” Pale Crow said with a smile, taking his comment as a compliment. “We put a lot of effort into decorating it. It fits in with the city, don’t you think?”

Si-yool nodded, thinking, It looks like Gotham City.

“Let’s go,” Pale Crow said, resuming their walk.

As they walked through the long corridors, Pale Crow turned to him again. “How do you feel about living with other magical girls?”

“Terrible,” Si-yool thought. He hadn’t done anything wrong. But there was something else…

“It’s strange,” he said.

“What is?” Pale Crow asked.

It was too quiet. In a place filled with only women, the sudden appearance of a man should have elicited some reaction, even if it was just curiosity or confusion. But the only emotion he sensed from the magical girls they passed was… hostility.

“Why are they looking at me like that?” Si-yool asked. It wasn’t a large number of magical girls, due to the late hour, but they all glared at him with open disdain.

“I don’t know what I did,” he added. He’d never met these people before. Was this just how they treated outsiders?

“Word travels fast. They’ve already heard about you,” Pale Crow explained. “Who you are, how you got here, what happened during the evaluation…”

So, they all knew he was a deserter, and they knew about the… slipper incident. His first impression was ruined.

“Magical Girl Purple Snake also told them not to bother you,” Pale Crow added.

Purple Snake must be the purple-haired magical girl from the evaluation.

Of course they wouldn’t be happy. A high-ranking magical girl was protecting a disgusting pervert.

“That’s why they’re giving you the cold shoulder,” Pale Crow explained with a wry smile. She didn’t seem to disapprove of their behavior. She felt the same way.

“I see,” Si-yool replied, unfazed. He wasn’t planning on staying here long. He’d be gone in two years, and he’d never have to interact with magical girls again. Besides, he was used to being treated like this. It was nothing compared to what he’d endured in the other world.

“Shouldn’t you be trying to change their minds?” Pale Crow asked.

“Why would I?” Si-yool retorted. He was grateful for their hostility. He wanted nothing to do with these crazy magical girls. They were nothing but trouble.

He didn’t like magical girls. That was his honest opinion. They didn’t belong in his world.

“Tell them to curse me all they want,” he added.

“Hmm, I see. As expected, you’re not bothered by this,” Pale Crow said, her tone implying she’d heard about his… unconventional reactions.

“Of course not,” Si-yool replied.

Their conversation ended there.

“Here we are,” Pale Crow announced, stopping in front of a door. The barracks.

This was where his magical girl life would begin. F*ck.

“This is your dorm. You’ll be sharing it with other recruits, so you don’t have to worry about rank. They’re all Magical Privates,” Pale Crow explained.

“Got it.”

“There are supposed to be five of you, but one is on assignment, and another is on vacation. So, there are only two others right now.”

Si-yool didn’t care. They were probably all crazy anyway.

“That’s all. I’ll leave you to it,” Pale Crow said, turning to leave.

Si-yool was alone.

“Damn it,” he muttered. He wanted to run, to cripple every magical girl in sight. But he couldn’t. He wasn’t strong enough to fight them, or to escape. He had no choice but to accept his fate.

He opened the door, bracing himself for the usual hazing rituals, the awkward introductions, the forced camaraderie…

“What’s with the darkie?” a voice sneered.

“Shut up, whitey,” Si-yool retorted.

So much for camaraderie. It seemed his magical girl life was starting with a dose of racism.