Ch. 16 - Magical Girl@Master (3)

Suddenly, upon seeing Ms. Hye-Rim, panic surged within Jung Ha-Yeon.

Shin Hye-Rim appeared just as Jung Ha-Yeon was contemplating the questions she had for her. Without realizing it, Jung Ha-Yeon hastened toward Shin Hye-Rim, driven by the urge to engage in conversation.

Shin Hye-Rim smiled at Jung Ha-Yeon as she approached.

As expected, someone who radiates such warmth through their smile couldn't possibly be intimidating. It's just that the other heroes have yet to see her true nature.

"Yes, i-it's been a while. Have you been well?"

Jung Ha-Yeon stammered out, standing before Ms. Hye-Rim. It's unlike her to be at a loss for words. What was causing this feeling within her?

A nervous flutter stirred in her chest as she considered bringing up the topic with Shin Hye-Rim.

She considered asking about Ms. Hye-Rim's gift preferences and whether she could obtain her contact information.

'Well, we've met once before, so maybe I can ask for her contact information'

It seemed like a coincidence that they met in this way, so perhaps it was alright. Upon reflection, Jung Ha-Yeon felt that it was not strange at all.

So let's ask later. Firstly, she is curious as to why Ms. Hye-Rim came to the Hero Association.

When Ha-Yeon asked the question, Shin Hye-Rim's response caught her off guard.

"I'm here to see Ms. Alice."

"Ms. Alice? ...Why?"

For a member of the Awakened Crime Division to come see her, she wondered if Alice had gotten into some kind of trouble.

Hye-Rim swiftly answered her concerns.

"Just so you know, I'm not here to arrest Ms. Alice. She hasn't caused any trouble. I'm here for, um..."

Jung Ha-Yeon breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that her fellow hero wasn't in trouble. However, Shin Hye-Rim's next words left her uncomfortable.

"Well, it's nothing significant. I'm here for Alice's tutoring."

"Private Tutoring?"

"Yes, Alice is a magical girl, isn't she? As a fellow magical girl, I see potential in her, the ability to make her even better than she already is, and I'm here to help her with that."

"...I see."

Ms. Hye-Rim saw Alice as a magical girl like herself and came to help her alone.....for private tutoring?

Despite her duties within the Awakened Crime Division, Ms. Hye-Rim recognized someone else's abilities and extended a helping hand. Just as Jung Ha-Yeon anticipated, she truly is a good person.

But that's that, and this is this.

"What about me?"

"...Huh?"

"You won't do that for me?"

Why doesn't she give her tutoring?

Sure, Ms. Hye-Rim had helped her before, and Jung Ha-Yeon had grown stronger because of it. But, that was when Jung Ha-Yeon went to Shin Hye-Rim directly and asked her for advice out of the blue. She didn't come to her directly like this.

Why was it Alice and not her?

Ms. Hye-Rim said that, as a fellow magical girl, she was here to assist another magical girl. But she is also a magical girl.

Alice was an idol and a non-combatant, but she wields magic in direct combat, like Ms. Hye-Rim.

Wouldn't it be easier to teach her instead?

As Jung Ha-Yeon pondered her lack of selection, a tightness gripped her chest. She couldn't understand what was wrong with her.

Why does she feel this way?

"Uh... Ms. Ha-Yeon, what does that mean?"

"Can't you sense that potential in me? I'm a magical girl too."

"Of course I can, Ms. Ha-Yeon. You'll become much stronger than you are now."

Hearing Ms. Hye-Rim's resolute words eased some of the tension within her. Jung Ha-Yeon felt bolstered by her encouragement.

"Then, can you do that tutoring thing for me too?"

"...What?"

"Just like Alice, I was wondering if Ms. Hye-Rim could tutor me herself."

"......"

Ms. Hye-Rim fell silent for a moment, seemingly contemplating the proposal.

Perhaps it was too much to ask of her. After all, she had already allocated time to assist Alice, and her request likely caught her off guard.

"Okay. I may not be able to do it frequently, but I'll assist you from time to time."

But Ms. Hye-Rim nodded in agreement. She mentioned she couldn't do it often, but Ha-Yeon was prepared for that. Even if it wasn't frequent, it was still tutoring.

"Thank you for agreeing to help me. Oh, and I was just about to ask for your contact information, if you don't mind."

"Yes, of course."

On the spot, Jung Ha-Yeon and Shin Hye-Rim exchanged contact information, bringing a smile back to Jung Ha-Yeon's face.

"Jung Ha-Yeon, you're crazy."

She muttered to herself, kicking the futon at home that evening.

“Why did I do that? Why did I act like that? Am I really crazy? Have I finally lost my mind?”

Her face burned as she recalled the events of the day.

'What about me?'

'You won't do that for me?'

'Then can you do that tutoring thing for me too?'

What did she hate so much about that she was acting like a child? She was 23 years old. An adult. But the way she acted was... Even children would call her childish.

"Sigh... I didn't mean to make her feel so troubled."

Reflecting on the incident with Shin Hye-Rim, she realized that when she asked for tutoring, Hye-Rim seemed troubled. Perhaps she found it difficult to refuse her request, so she reluctantly agreed.

"I can't believe I was troubling my benefactor like that... I'm seriously crazy."

She couldn't understand why she had impulsively made such a request, perhaps fueled by the notion that Alice had been acknowledged by Hye-Rim before her.

Regardless, it weighed heavily on her heart.

"...Let's have a beer."

Jung Ha-Yeon opened the refrigerator and grabbed a can. Though she wasn't typically fond of drinking, on a day like today, she felt she needed it to cope.

She started drinking to numb the events of the day, and before she knew it, she had downed four cans. With her low alcohol tolerance, she began to feel somewhat intoxicated.

"At least I got Ms. Hye-Rim's number."

Despite the turbulent process, she had achieved her goal and secured a tutoring appointment with Hye-Rim.

"Maybe I'll text her."

Jung Ha-Yeon tapped in Shin Hye-Rim's number, intending to apologize for the day's events and ask about her well-being. As she pondered over the text, her phone rang—it was Lee Mi-Na calling.

"...What? Hiccup."

[What? Have you been drinking?]

"Yeah. So what?"

[Ugh, I can smell the alcohol over the phone, geez.]

"......So why did you call me?"

Lee Mi-Na often called without much reason, just seeking some casual conversation out of boredom.

[I called because I wanted to see if our stalker fan was kicking the futon or something.]

"What do you mean, stalker fan?"

Of course, she was kicking the futon. It's not like Jung Ha-Yeon didn't regret her behavior.

[Think about what you did. What? Were you jealous that Alice was spending time alone with Ms. Hye-Rim?]

"Shut up."

Jung Ha-Yeon didn't know if she was jealous—maybe just a little bit. She just found it a little upsetting.

"If you don't have anything to say, I'm hanging up."

[How cold. The other heroes were surprised, too, because you suddenly went over to Ms. Hye-Rim and started talking to her, and Baek Shin-Hwa next to me was about to pass out.]

"Everyone's exaggerating so much."

Even though Shin Hye-Rim is in the business of catching Awakeners, they're too terrified.

Jung Ha-Yeon was sure Shin Hye-Rim knew that the heroes found her difficult. She must feel bad, so if Jung Ha-Yeon doesn't reach out to her...

[Anyway, since you have that tutoring appointment or something, let me know if you see Ms. Hye-Rim again, because I'm curious about what magical girls do together.]

"Sure."

Jung Ha-Yeon answered icily and hung up the phone. She was tired now. She glanced at the time—it was a little after ten o'clock. It's not too late, but it would be rude to text Ms. Hye-Rim at this hour. She'll say hello again another time.

"Mmm..."

Jung Ha-Yeon's eyes slowly closed, probably from the alcohol. Her body leaned forward as she sat at the table, and she passed out.

I don't know why she asked me to tutor her. She probably wanted to get stronger, so she asked me to help her.

I don't think it's my place to interfere; surely, Ha-Yeon would naturally grow stronger by being with Shin Chul-Min.

However, Ha-Yeon's insistence left me unable to refuse. Yes, it should be fine as long as I don't meddle too much.

My heroine, you want to get stronger so badly, huh?

"More importantly, I should pay attention to Alice now."

Today, we are back at the Hero Association, and inside is Alice's private practice room. It was built just for her due to her worldwide fame.

That's where I'm going to start Alice's magic lessons. The other heroes may be surprised by my frequent visits to the Association, but it doesn't concern me.

After all, it's not like I'm a tiger that escaped from the wild; I don't resort to violence unless provoked.

"Ah, Ms. Hye-Rim. You've arrived?"

I entered Alice's practice room, and she smiled at me, having waited earlier. We had talked for a while yesterday, so I assumed she realized I was harmless. However, I didn't return the greeting immediately.

"......"

"...Hello, Ms. Producer?"

"Yes, Ms. Alice. Hello."

Alice changed what she called me when I didn't reply. Finally, I was satisfied and accepted the greeting.

As a true magical girl geek who had watched all kinds of magical girl movies since childhood, I believed that the combination of magical girls and idols was the best.

A beautiful girl, a magical girl, and an idol—three things that men liked, all in one. While I didn't aspire to be an idol myself, I could produce a magical girl idol. This was an opportunity that might never come again.

"So, shall we begin the magic lesson?"

I feel like a weirdo, but I'm doing it for the people, a little bit for personal satisfaction, but mostly to protect the citizens.

"Let's start by practicing imprinting mana into your voice."

So there's only one thing I need to do from now on.

"You are going to keep repeating it until you succeed, so don't think about resting before then."

"...What?"

I am going to train Alice really hard.

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