Chapter 45: Relationships reversed

I shouldn’t have done that.

I didn’t judge that it would turn out this way, but.

In the first place, I couldn’t overcome my impulse and ended up committing it.

It’s hard to say that I ‘judged’ an action that I carried out without drawing any plans or any future.

Even so, I knew it would turn out that way.

Having been blinded by love, I thought I wouldn’t suffer from guilt no matter what I did.

Having acknowledged the memories of my 132nd life, which had been tormenting me, as memories, I thought I would be happy from now on.

Lastly, I thought that all the miscellaneous problems piled up in my head would be solved if I met Happy.

It’s not a delusion, and it’s not a planned action, so I don’t really know if it will really be like that… but I just thought it would.

…
…

I couldn’t do that for a really simple reason.

I could have done that if I had met Happy, but the magical girl who opened the door of the pawnshop was not Happy.

To explain it more accurately.

It wasn’t the Happy I had seen in my 132nd life.

That’s why.

The body odor that became stronger as she approached felt unfamiliar.

Not only was her subtly different gait awkward, but the way she looked at me was completely different, so I felt unpleasant.

In addition to that, there were many differences from Happy, who I knew.

“Calm down, Happy. I’ve contacted the Magical Girl Management Department, so support will be here soon. Just hold out until then.”

If I were to say the few things that were the same.

I wouldn’t need to mention the name and appearance, would I?

She was called Happy, and the reason why I smiled was because of that face.

First of all, the mascot was the same.

The cat, Runt, who was sitting on the magical girl’s shoulder, glared at me and comforted her.

“I understand.”

The voice was the same too.

It was a tone that was suppressed by something, and it lacked strength compared to Happy’s tone, but the timbre was perfectly the same.

Also, the magic wand, the magical girl outfit, and even the pink hair.

Everything was no different from Happy.

It was a situation that I couldn’t understand at all.

At first, I judged that it was because the reality of having fallen in love with a magical girl, even though I am the queen of the evil organization Dark Moon, was bitter.

If I looked at the situation from an objective point of view, it was the most rational conclusion.

Then, what if I looked at it from a subjective point of view?

The meeting with Happy was so sweet that I had tasted bitterness.

It was an instinctive conclusion that was far from reason, and this was also correct.

However, I couldn’t know which of the two was correct.

If I had known, I wouldn’t be suffering from a terrible cold and lying in bed.

I took a deep breath because my still complicated mind was 답답했다 even after facing Happy.

That didn’t mean I disliked her appearance.

I smiled brightly and sighed.

“…What are you scheming?”

Perhaps it looked bizarre.

No, smiling while sighing was clearly a bizarre expression.

She frowned and aimed her magic wand at me.

“I’m not scheming anything.”

“That can’t be. You deliberately announced that the Queen of the evil organization Dark Moon had come to this place.”

“I just…”

“Just?”

“I just wanted to meet you.”

“What?”

I realized the cause of the bitterness in her obvious hostility.

Not only the objective point of view but also the subjective point of view was not the correct answer.

The information I had obtained through Joy was true.

She only turns into Happy after completing all awakenings.

She, who has not done so, is not Happy.

But I mistakenly thought that I had met Happy, and so I was hurt.

The person in front of me was Park Hyunseo, a magical girl who had not completed all awakenings and was still very weak.

“Happy, it’s dangerous!”

To forget the bitterness that had arisen from the mixture of longing and despair, I picked up the 500mL plastic water bottle.

Then, Runt shouted with a tone full of tension.

Hyunseo also swallowed and gathered light on her magic wand.

It was natural for her to be wary since I, who wield magic originating from water, had a water bottle in my hand.

So I became depressed.

The events that had happened for the past 3 days had all turned into memories that only I was remembering.

The two of them had completely forgotten everything and were looking at me as the queen of the evil organization Dark Moon.

“Don’t do that.”

Frowning, I poured the contents of the 500mL plastic water bottle into my mouth at once.

“Don’t order me around, Queen Yeres. You are an enemy that I must defeat.”

The bitterness didn’t go away even after swallowing a large amount of water.

Rather, it got worse.

I wanted to empty one more water bottle because my heart ached at the sight of the light gathered on the magic wand aimed at me becoming more brilliant.

The reason why I couldn’t do that was because of Hyunseo’s excessive wariness.

I didn’t like the atmosphere that she would unleash magic if I grabbed another bottle.

So, I swallowed the bitterness that I hadn’t completely erased and sank into thought.

What should I talk about in this situation?

I’ve become a situation where I can’t even bring up old memories.

Hyunseo, you don’t know, but I kissed you too, and it was so good.

How about you?

If I kissed you right now, would you like it?

“You must have had a hard time coming all the way here, so why don’t you sit in the chair?”

First, I should have a conversation.

I pointed my chin at the chair placed on the opposite side and opened my mouth.

“I don’t want to.”

It was fortunate that it was Hyunseo just now.

It was such a quick rejection that I might have shed tears if it had been Happy.

“Why?”

That didn’t mean I could accept it nonchalantly.

The tone of the question I blurted out was slightly sharp.

“Is it because I’m the Queen of the evil organization Dark Moon?”

“That’s right.”

Because she’s her too.

My heart ached a little.

“I wish you would forget that kind of relationship for a moment.”

“I can’t do that. Magical girls don’t negotiate with evil organizations.”

“You should.”

“Why do you think so?”

I hadn’t decided that I should do this.

So, I carried out the most efficient thing among the thoughts that suddenly came to mind.

“Otherwise, that person, who has done nothing wrong, will lose their life.”

Immediately, I created a blade and threw it at the pawnshop employee who had fallen to the floor.

I didn’t end it there, and I moved my fingers to move the blade.

“Because of you.”

Lastly, I touched her guilt.

It was an unreasonable demand that a magical girl, especially Hyunseo, had no choice but to follow.

“So I want you to follow my words.”

“…”

“Sit in the chair.”

Finally, Hyunseo sat in the chair.

The height difference was quite severe, so I ended up looking down on her, but I didn’t value it importantly.

“It’s okay if you aim your magic wand at me.”

Rather, I focused on Hyunseo’s eyes.

I couldn’t see them properly when I was far away, but when she came closer and sat down, I could clearly observe her eyes.

“Just sit there.”

I tried to read the emotions contained within them.

“What do you want from me?”

The first emotion I read was negative.

Hyunseo was afraid of me.

“I will never be hit by you.”

Next, I read the strength that was unique to magical girls.

I clicked my tongue and kept looking at her.

It’s not because I’m trying to read such trivial emotions that I’m looking at her eyes.

I was determined not to look away until I read the emotions I wanted.

…
…

“…Stop looking.”

I finally found it.

I smiled slightly at the shyness that was coming from Hyunseo’s eyes, even though she was trying to hide it.

“Do you hate me looking at you?”

“There’s no magical girl who likes being looked at by the Queen of the evil organization Dark Moon.”

“I think there is.”

“Who is it?”

“You.”

“Th… That can’t be!”

I even found the love hidden beyond the shyness.

She’s just hiding her heart.

It’s just that she doesn’t rage like Happy.

She also loved me.

That was enough.

I didn’t care as long as I had that.

“How was your day?”

“Huh?”

The question I blurted out without thinking was not a topic that the queen of the evil organization Dark Moon and the magical girl would share.

However, it was quite an important way of talking in the relationship between me and Happy.

“I was sad in the morning and happy in the afternoon, but now I’m sad and happy at the same time.”

“Wait a minute. Are you making fun of me?”

“That’s not it.”

“Then?”

“I want to have a conversation with you.”

“…You’re making fun of me, aren’t you.”

Not only that, but I also wanted to organize my complicated head.

I wondered if it was okay to love Hyunseo instead of Happy.

“So how was it? A good child should answer an adult’s question.”

“I don’t know why you’re doing this, but I won’t be toyed with.”

The conclusion had already been decided.

My complicated heart had calmed down after continuing the trivial conversation.

I was only depressed at first because she wasn’t Happy, but I’m not now.

I decided to take this relationship seriously.

“What are you talking about? I’m being toyed with by you.”

“Me playing with you? Don’t say ridiculous things.”

Then we should be honest with each other.

Do you know that?

“I know you’re recording with your smartphone.”

Even if I don’t know much about Happy, I know you well.