Chapter 41 : Adventure Level 30 (3)

Yu Mina leaned against the library’s main entrance, squatting down and burying her head.
Cha Haneul is too much.
If a friend calls and suddenly starts pouring out words, shouldn’t she kindly ask for the reason?
How can every single word be so cold? It’s too much.
Of course, it might be perplexing if someone suddenly calls and says things like “annoying,” “unlucky,” or “rude,” but still, how can she speak without a single kind word? It’s really too much.
She wondered if Cha Haneul even considered her a friend.
She was always the one who suggested hanging out, and she always proposed any contact or plans.
Cha Haneul never initiated anything.
Come to think of it, she was always the one starting conversations in the classroom too.
Thinking about it more deeply, it wasn’t just that—it seemed like Cha Haneul had never approached her first in their entire relationship.
If she had to pick something, there were times Haneul subtly came over to copy homework, but that was no comfort at all.
But it probably wasn’t true that Cha Haneul didn’t consider her a friend at all.
Usually, when classmates asked Cha Haneul to go somewhere, she’d refuse flatly with an “I don’t want to,” whereas she often accepted Mina’s suggestions, so they must be friends.
But she doubted whether she should feel happy about something like this.
Why was Haneul nice to Do Yugeon but acted this way toward her?
She felt like Haneul might answer if asked, but she was afraid Haneul would just give some trivial reason.
“Maybe just because…”

As she muttered gloomily, a stray cat approached and rubbed against her.
“Aww, kitty, are you trying to comfort me?”
She picked up the cat and held it in her arms.
When she buried her face in the cat’s fur, she noticed a fresh scent.
“You’re such a clean cat. I wish Cha Haneul had a clean personality too.”
She inhaled—it really was a refreshing scent.
Not the kind of smell you’d expect from a stray.
Its white fur was soft, just like a house cat’s.
Realizing this, she lifted her head and looked around.
There was no one who looked like the cat’s owner.

She looked down at the cat in her arms, and it looked back up at her.
It was a familiar white cat.
“Kitty, don’t tell me you can talk?”
The cat tilted its head.
“Cats aren’t normally supposed to talk, you know?”
It spoke just fine.
A chilling sensation washed over her, and as she relaxed her arms, the cat landed smoothly on the ground.
“It was an emergency last time, so I couldn’t convey things properly. That’s why I came back.”
“…What?”
“Magical girls.”

She rubbed her face with dry hands.
After a moment, she felt a bit calmer.
“What did you say?”
“Magical girls.”
A talking cat mentioning magical girls was extremely suspicious.
She shifted her squatting position slightly, moving away from the cat.
“Why are you moving away?”
“Because this is suspicious.”
“Where are you going?”
“When a white cat shows up asking if you want to make a magical girl contract, it sounds exactly like a scam artist.”
“That’s true. But don’t worry. I’m not a scam artist.”
“Hmm…”
I don’t believe you.

Still, she was curious, so she moved to a nearby bench.
“If you become a magical girl, you can even use magic.”
“Like shooting fireballs like a pyromancer?”
“The method is a bit different. Magical girls turn imagination into reality. They aren’t bound by forms like fireballs. Of course, the scope of imagination they can manifest varies between magical girls.”
“Interesting. Like creating cash?”
“It’s possible, but there aren’t any magical girls who can do that yet.”
“Too bad. Is there no price for using magic?”
“Of course not. There’s no such thing as magic without a price.”
“Then what price do magical girls pay?”

The cat grinned.
“Their souls!”
It was a breezy answer.
So breezy it made one wonder if souls weren’t actually that important.
“Hmm… Souls?”
“Yes.”
She smiled at the answer and asked just as breezily.
“Are you perhaps a demon?”
“I’m Schrödinger.”
For a moment, she didn’t understand, but then she realized this was the cat Cha Haneul had talked about.
Haneul had said she couldn’t see Schrödinger anymore because her skill disappeared, so it seemed likely he had tried to coax Haneul, failed because of her personality, and given up.
Understandable.
“Anyway, are you a demon?”
“No. It seems there’s a misunderstanding because I mentioned souls. Becoming a magical girl doesn’t mean your soul is taken as the contract price or anything like that.”
“Then?”
“When you become a magical girl, you’re provided with a magical tool. The magic isn’t used by the magical girl herself, but by the tool. Just like machines need fuel to run, manifesting imagination requires souls.”
“Then it wasn’t a misunderstanding at all.”
“Consuming a little bit of soul doesn’t cause any major problems.”
“What are the minor problems?”

She wasn’t sure if they were truly minor problems like Schrödinger claimed.
After all, even staying up late looking at your phone makes you tired and lethargic.
“…What happens if you consume a lot?”
Schrödinger grinned.
“Your lifespan gets shaved off. If you keep using it, you’ll die, right?”
She could feel her own expression turn sour.
“Don’t worry. Even if you shoot fireballs constantly, it’s hard to shave off even a month of lifespan.”
No matter how I hear it, it sounds like a scam.

As she mulled over everything said so far, Schrödinger stopped talking and licked its fur.
Hearing footsteps, she turned her head.
A girl was approaching, seemingly heading for the library.
The girl looked their way, then walked toward the library’s main entrance.
Coming to the library on a closed day… I feel a strange sense of kinship.
Then, something occurred to her.
“If the price for using magic is the soul, what do you get out of the magical girl contract?”
“There’s no price for the contract itself. You’re not asking about principles like good faith, are you?”
“No, but it doesn’t make sense for you to provide a magical tool without getting something in return.”
This usually feels like the typical scam pattern in magic contracts.
“The magical tool is leased. It’s lent out with a monthly rental fee. It’s not free, you know. If you don’t pay, I take it back.”
“The rental fee is… souls?”
“Money.”

She was speechless, suddenly jolted back to reality.
“When you become a magical girl, you can receive quests. You get paid upon completion. You use that money to pay the rental fee.”
“Ah, okay.”
She sat there blankly for a moment.
When I heard “magical girl,” I imagined something tragic and desperate, but now that money’s involved… it kind of breaks the mood.
“Well, uh, instead of this Q&A, can I just read the contract? Do you have one…?”
“Of course.”

Several sheets of contract paper materialized and fluttered down from the air.
It was a very common-looking contract outlining the relationship between Party A and Party B.
Even looking closely, there was nothing magical about it—it was just a meticulously drafted contract.
“It really is just a contract, huh… Um… Do I have to sign this with a drop of blood or something?”
“What are you imagining? A drop of blood would just smudge it. Shall I give you a ballpoint pen?”
She shook her head.
“If I sign this with a pen, does it become magically binding or something?”
“You expect too much from a contract.”
“Well, yeah, but…”
“If you won’t believe me even if I answer, perhaps you shouldn’t ask.”
“Ah! Is completing quests mandatory?”
“There’s no such clause in the contract.”
“No, that’s not what I’m asking.”
“Really, why are you asking?”

She didn’t know why she was asking either.
She stopped talking and examined the contract.
There must be some kind of poison pill clause.
“I wondered why you were here. It’s because the library’s closed and no one’s around.”
Hearing a voice nearby, she looked up.
The girl who had been heading toward the library entrance earlier was standing there.
She was about Cha Haneul’s height, probably a first-year middle school student.
The girl casually sat down on the bench next to her.
“Don’t ask the cat—ask me. You can tell just by looking at him that he can’t be trusted.”
“I’m a cat.”
“That’s why. How about changing your appearance? Maybe just your fur color.”
“I like how I am now.”
They were conversing so naturally.

“Are you a magical girl?”
“It turned out that way.”
After some small talk, they got to the main point.
“There are various types of quests. System maintenance, tasks related to magical girls, and cracking down on drug trafficking and other things for public safety.”
“Wait, why are magical girls maintaining public safety?”
“Magical girls are supposed to maintain public safety. Haven’t you heard of vigilantes?”
“In our centralized country, especially right here in the middle of Seoul, why would magical girls be handling public safety?”
The girl tilted her head.
“Because it’s necessary?”
“That’s what the police are for.”

The girl’s mouth fell open slightly.
“Wow, you’re smart! I’ve never met a magical girl who talks like that. You’re right. The police do it. But since it’s still necessary, we do it too.”
“Regardless of necessity, if there’s a problem, reporting it to the police is the right thing to do.”
“Right! You’re really smart.”
It felt like subtle sarcasm, but when Mina looked, the girl’s expression was just a smile.
Not knowing her personality, Mina couldn’t figure out her intention.
“If you can’t trust the local police station, you report it to a higher agency. If you can’t trust them either, you go even higher.”
“Right! You’re really, really smart.”
It didn’t feel like genuine praise, but Mina finished her thought anyway.
“If you can’t trust the police, you can report it to the prosecutors.”
“Amazing!”

The girl clapped her hands.
“But despite all that, magical girls still maintain public safety. We don’t know the reason, but maybe there’s a problem somewhere? Manpower, budget, priorities. Perhaps accountability issues, etc. We don’t know why, so we can’t explain it.”
“That can’t be right… Public safety is one of the top priorities.”
“You can say that, but drug deals are happening openly in the middle of Seoul right now, and we’re the ones cracking down on them.”
“…Have you tried reporting it to the media?”
“Wow! You’re really smart! Having our existence denied is a little… fun.”

The magical girl stood up from the bench.
“If you become a magical girl, you’ll be working with me. If that happens, I look forward to working with you.”
She offered her hand, so Mina shook it.
“I’d like to talk more, but I have work to do, so I’ll get going!”
The magical girl left.
It all felt like it happened in an instant.
“Shall I continue the explanation? I don’t think I explained the payment at all.”
“Uh… yeah.”

Cha Haneul finished her cappuccino.
There’s still some cake left.
Should I make another cup?
There was quite a bit of cake left to eat without coffee.
Just as she was getting out a coffee capsule, a call came from Yu Mina.
She just left not long ago—why is she calling?
She answered the phone.
“Why?”
She pressed the button on the coffee machine.
A shot of espresso began brewing.
It’s so convenient—I like it.

“You’re annoying.”
Why is she being like this all of a sudden?
“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“You’re rude, obnoxious, and annoying.”
I don’t know what she wants me to do about it.
“I know.”
“You know and you’re not fixing it? That’s even more annoying.”
“So what.”
“You, you…!”
Wondering if she was about to say something coherent, Haneul stopped what she was doing and listened intently.
After a moment, the call abruptly ended.
What was that?

She poured milk into the finished espresso.
Why did she call?
Is it puberty?
She finished making the cappuccino and went back to her seat.
Did I do something wrong?
Hmm. There are too many possibilities, so paradoxically, nothing specific seems plausible.
As she took a bite of cake, something occurred to her.
Could it be because of Grandfather’s scheming?
I caught him trying it with Do Yugeon before and got an apology, but this time it’s Yu Mina, so who knows.

She made a call.
“Oh, Haneul. Did you miss this old grandpa?”
“No.”
“Hmph…”
She took a sip of coffee.
Ah, hot.
She pulled the cup away and blew on it to cool it down.
“Grandfather, what did you do to Yu Mina?”
“Haha, as expected, Chief Secretary Lim is quick with his work.”
“Quite bold, aren’t you?”
“I merely gave a warning beforehand since your classmate was wandering around at night.”
“Without even asking my opinion?”
“Oh dear, I’m sorry. I didn’t get a chance to ask. This old grandpa is getting forgetful in his age.”
Sure you are.
“Then please be careful next time. Don’t needlessly do the same to Do Yugeon and make me angry.”

“Haneul. Aren’t you being led around too much by that boy?”
“It’s not to the extent of being led around.”
“I’m worried you’ll get hurt, Haneul. One-sided relationships aren’t good.”
“It’s not like that.”
“Constantly being the one led around isn’t good for that boy either.”
It’s a sound argument, so I have nothing to say.
“I’ll handle that myself. Grandfather, don’t worry about it.”
“Of course, of course. Since it’s you, Haneul, I’m sure you’ll handle it well.”

Ugh. She took a bite of strawberry cake.
It’s unnecessarily sweet.
After that, they chatted idly for a bit before hanging up.
That was kind of draining.
I’m tired.
She finished the rest of her coffee, stood up, and stretched.
Kyaa.
She wanted to sleep, but the sun was up, and she had to go out, so she did some stretches.
She lacked flexibility and stretched stiffly, but it couldn’t be helped.

She packed a few kinds of cookies, went upstairs to her home, washed her face, changed clothes, and got ready to go out.
She was worried Do Yugeon might have been mentally shaken after that day, but she had left him alone to spend time with his family, and as a result, there had been no contact at all for the past few days.
It was possible to go a few days without contact, but having no check-in at a time like this felt ominous, so she decided to visit his house.
Actually, I could contact him first, but that feels a bit… off.
She left the house, told the driver, and the car headed toward Do Yugeon’s house.

I should probably contact him before just showing up at his house.
She took out her phone and made the call.
The call went through but then disconnected with a busy signal.
Hmm. Should I call again later?
She put her phone away.
If I knew this would happen, I should have called earlier.
The car continued on.
Spotting Do Yugeon walking down the street was a coincidence.
He wasn’t home? I almost made a wasted trip.

She stopped the car and got out.
She followed Do Yugeon and poked him in the side.
“Hi.”
“Huh? Cha Haneul?”
“Fancy meeting you here. Where were you headed?”
Do Yugeon looked somewhat flustered.
Looks like he’s not exactly happy to see me.
That feels strangely disappointing.
“Ah. A café nearby. Someone asked to meet up.”
“Really? Maybe I’ll grab a coffee too.”
“No, no. You don’t know them, so it’ll be awkward.”
“Well, can’t be helped then.”
If he’s going to a café, I guess I can’t give him the cookies.

She asked how he was doing, and they parted ways.
Do Yugeon turned into an alley and disappeared from view.
But something felt off.
Only a few days had passed since that day, so who could he be meeting?
Of course, he could have friends like that, but…
Hmm.
She decided to follow him.