Chapter 25 : Adventure Level 15 (3)

It’s Christmas morning at 5 AM.
I rolled around in bed.
It seems the side effects of using the magic circle were greater than I thought.
Now that I’m in middle school, I was determined to greet Christmas without sleeping, but just lying down in bed for a moment made it morning—the side effect is undeniable.

Does Schrödinger’s method of creating magic circles induce fatigue in the user?
To be sure, experimenting would be best, but the preparation process is too cumbersome, so it’s better to just assume so.
Surely, I wouldn’t have fallen asleep just by lying in bed for a moment if there were no side effects.
It’s quite a plausible assumption.

The inside of the blanket was warm, so I lay there for a while before making the bed and getting up.
I took a quick shower and left the room.

Entering the living room, I saw gift boxes and a small Christmas tree.
As far as I remembered, there was definitely a star on top, but now it’s gone.
Wondering what happened, I walked around the tree and found the star stuck in its side.
The way it was stuck looked artificial, as if someone had deliberately put it there.

I had no idea what Mom and Dad were doing last night, playing around without me.
Did they drink?
Probably.
Still, the surroundings looked tidy, suggesting they cleaned up before going to bed, so why was the star left stuck here?

Using mana, I pulled out the star and placed it back on top.
I left the living room and entered the kitchen.
I opened the refrigerator.

The cake I had confirmed was there with mana yesterday was nowhere to be found, replaced by a single slice of cake.
Not even a leftover slice from the original cake, just a pre-packaged slice.

Mom, really…

Mom must have been so sure I wouldn’t wake up that the two of them gobbled up the entire cake.
It turned out exactly as Mom thought, but honestly, Mom, that was mean.

I took out the slice of cake and made a cappuccino using a coffee capsule.
Sitting on the living room sofa, I ate deliciously.
Holidays are nice because they’re relaxing.
Relaxing both mentally and physically.

Still, I won’t forget that Mom gobbled up the entire cake.
Hmm. Thinking about it again, it bothers me for no reason.
Why did they eat it all?
They always left some until last year.

I’m a middle schooler just starting puberty; what if I felt alienated from the family due to my heightened sensitivity?
It’s unlikely Mom did this without reason.
Was it actually some kind of elaborate scheme?
Something, something—that kind of something.
Surely she wouldn’t do this just to tease me?

Ah. A plausible idea came to mind.
Since I just entered middle school and puberty seemed imminent, maybe she was testing the waters?
Curious about her daughter’s inner thoughts.

I’ve never hidden my inner thoughts from my parents, but I don’t know if they truly perceived it that way.
Since becoming self-aware of my past life, I’ve shown some subtly different behaviors compared to ordinary kids, so it’s understandable they’d be curious.

This is good. I’ll go with this explanation.

I finished the cake and took a sip of cappuccino.
Around that time, my parents’ bedroom door opened, and Dad came out.
He showed signs of having showered but still looked disheveled.

“Dad, are you hungover?”
“Do I look like it? I only drank a little.”

Dad got a glass of water from the kitchen and sat down next to me on the sofa.

“Not hungover, but maybe I didn’t sleep enough. We went to bed late yesterday.”
“Doing what?”
“…Various things? More importantly, Mom said you claimed you wouldn’t sleep. She was laughing so hard when you didn’t come out of your room by midnight.”
“Dad. There was an unavoidable reason I couldn’t help. I tried using a magic circle, but it turned out to have side effects, making me more tired than usual. If it weren’t for that, I would have greeted Christmas wide awake.”
“Side effects? Shouldn’t you get that checked out at a hospital?”

Dad, who had been looking drowsy, stared at me with a surprised expression.
I wasn’t entirely serious when I said that…

“I was just kidding. It’s more likely I fell asleep due to my usual biological rhythm rather than side effects. Living so regularly, I can’t control it.”

I added an explanation, but Dad still looked worried.

“If my daughter says so, then I guess it’s okay, but tell me if you feel sick anywhere.”
“Okay.”
“Promise.”
“Okay.”
“But how did you use the magic circle?”

I took a moment to explain Schrödinger’s style of magic circle to Dad.
When I explained that blood was the material and mentioned I tried it because I had spare time, Dad gave me a subtle look, but I pretended not to notice.

After I finished explaining and Dad had cleared away the cake and cups, my parents’ bedroom door opened again, and Mom entered the living room.
She glanced back and forth between me and Dad, then her gaze shifted to the Christmas tree.

“The star is on top.”
It seemed like a report confirming the star I had placed on top.

Dad smiled and leaned back on the sofa.
“You guessed right.”
“What are you talking about?”

Mom answered cheerfully.
“It means Mom won the bet.”

Are they saying they bet on whether I would put the star on the tree or not?

“What did you bet about me?”
“That’s a topic too mature for my daughter.”

Mom walked toward the tree and rummaged through the gift boxes.
“Since everyone’s awake, let’s open presents. Hmm… Maybe this one first?”

A small gift box was placed in front of me.
“Is this mine?”
“Yes. Open it.”

Judging by Mom’s reply, it seemed like the gift was from her.
I unwrapped the paper and opened the box.
There was a bracelet inside.
Not a modern design, but something older-looking.

[C-Grade/Archmage Clionne’s Emergency Bracelet]

Ah…

I took a moment to recover my mind from the culture shock.
It was too sudden.
No, wait. It’s been half a year since the fantasy phenomenon started, so maybe it’s not sudden.
Still, honestly, it just feels so unfamiliar.
Am I the strange one, or is the world strange?

“You don’t like it?”
Mom asked.
I must have looked spaced out for a moment.

“No, it’s not that. It’s just that the contents were completely unexpected.”
“Really? It felt unfamiliar to me too, but I thought Haneul would be used to it. Maybe I should have chosen something else.”
“No. This is great too.”

I put the bracelet on my right wrist.
Being C-grade, it can’t just be a normal bracelet. What effect does it have?
It’s named ‘Emergency’, so does it shoot fireballs or something?

“What effect does this have?”
“Stand here and pour mana into it.”

It didn’t seem dangerous.
I got off the sofa and stood in the center of the living room.
I poured mana into the bracelet.
It took more mana than expected—though not as much as the B-grade magic staff I had briefly tried—before a magic circle appeared and the magic activated.

My body floated slightly, then glowed.
And in an instant, the clothes I was wearing disappeared and were replaced by different ones.
What is this?
I hastily checked my outfit; it was a modern mage’s attire.
Startled me. I thought it was a magical girl outfit.

“See! It suits my daughter.”

Mom hugged me.
Dad, having retrieved his camera from somewhere, started snapping pictures.
The mage outfit wasn’t badly designed, but being photographed in it felt strangely embarrassing.
I lifted the mage hat with mana to block the camera.

“Mom, is changing clothes all it does?”
“Yes. That’s right.”

Changing clothes with magic is certainly beyond the scope of modern science and impressive, but…
Touching the clothes and examining the mana, they seemed like ordinary clothes with no magical functions.
I shook the wrist wearing the bracelet.
Why is this C-grade?
Spending 10 billion won on gacha only to get a bracelet like this would feel just great.

“Haneul.”
Mom grabbed my shoulders with a serious demeanor.

“Yes?”
“There’s something Mom really wants you to do.”
“Okay?”
“Would you do it?”
“Yes. But what is it?”

What kind of request would it be, given this serious situation?

“First, take off the bracelet and change back.”

Taking off the bracelet returned me to my original clothes.

“And?”
“I’ll show you a demonstration.”

Mom took the bracelet.
What does she mean by demonstration?
Mom struck a pose, raising her arm high, declaring, “Shalalala Transformation.”

“Match the magic circle timing like this, and then—”
Why?
Mom struck another pose.
“Magical Girl appears! In the name of justice, I will not forgive you! Like this.”

Uh…
Ugh…
Ah…

“No.”
“It’s my request, daughter.”
“I really don’t want to.”

Rubbing my arms, I backed away from Mom.
Just watching makes me embarrassed.
Glancing at Dad, he was grinning and taking pictures with his camera.
I wish he’d stop me instead of just filming.

Mom hugged me.
“Haneul, don’t be like that.”
“I’m not kidding, I really hate it.”
“It’s Mom’s lifelong dream.”
“Aren’t you embarrassed, Mom? I feel embarrassed just imagining it.”
“Romance isn’t something to be embarrassed about. Just once, my daughter.”

A brief period of persuasion and refusal followed.
Then Mom offered to tell me Dad’s embarrassing dating history if I did it just once.
What’s that? I’m curious.

Dad, who had just been watching, jumped in surprise.
“I can’t allow that.”

Hmm…

“Maybe just once…?”
“Mom will be satisfied with just once.”
“I said I can’t allow it.”
“If you don’t film it with the camera, I’ll consider it.”

Mom snatched Dad’s camera and tossed it into a corner.
Dad looked extremely flustered.

“Honey, wait a moment. I’m not the only one with an embarrassing past, right? We’re not going to have a mutual exposé, are we? Right?”
“I stand proud before my past.”

Wow. Mom is shameless.

I took the bracelet back.
Should I really do this or not?
It seemed likely to become part of my own embarrassing history, but since I’m a middle schooler anyway, I could probably brush it off as puberty.
It’s also Christmas, so it’s not too outrageous.
It might be embarrassing, but if we have fun together, isn’t that what matters?
Thinking about it, it really seemed worth doing just once.

“Alright. Since it’s Mom’s wish, I’ll try it once.”

I poured mana into the bracelet.
After a moment, the magic circle appeared.
Okay, good.
I raised my arm.
“Transformation.”

I tried to say it powerfully, but it came out as a squeak.
The magic activated, light flashed, and my clothes changed into the mage outfit.
Okay, the next line.
“Magical Gi—”

My face flushed hot, and I could feel the fine hairs on my skin tremble in the air.
I tried to say more, my lips moving a few times, then covered my face and sank to the floor.
Ugh…
Ughh…
This isn’t right…

Mom hugged me, saying I was cute.
I waited for a moment, buried in Mom’s embrace, to calm down.
It was fun, so it’s fine.
Because it was fun, none of it matters.
I expected the result and the process anyway.
Doing something knowingly isn’t embarrassing.
That’s right.
Still embarrassed though…

Since I wasn’t calming down at all, still clinging to Mom, she laughed, lifted me up, and sat me on the sofa.
Then she made me a cup of cappuccino.
I took a sip.
Ah, nice.
I think I’m calming down a bit.

“Mom. How do I live as shamelessly as you?”
“My daughter is Mom’s daughter, so it’s possible.”

What was that?
A diss?
I was the one who asked, but hearing it, it didn’t sound like a compliment.

After completely calming down, we continued opening presents.
Dad gave me a mage robe item.
It didn’t have any major functions, just a robe faithfully dedicated to protection.
Practical.
But since this is also C-grade, wearing it in front of Do Yugeon would be difficult.

After the gift opening was finished, we ate cake.
When Mom suggested eating cake for breakfast, I thought she would have someone buy it, but that wasn’t the case.
Mom went into her room and brought out yesterday’s cake from the room’s mini-fridge.
Not a single slice had been eaten.

Why did she store the cake there, ignoring the perfectly good kitchen fridge?
Various thoughts crossed my mind, but anyway, the cake was delicious.

Time passed, and Mom and Dad went out on their date.
Then, should I go deliver the gift to Do Yugeon soon?
Just in case he wasn’t home, I sent him a KakaoTalk message.

–What are you doing now?