An Exorcist Magical Girl! Chapter 163

As soon as we got a break, Yin Charang came running to our table.

 

I thought he was going to go to Seo Jun and grovel, but I was surprised.

 

 “Hey, what are you guys talking about in class that’s so interesting? Let me hear it.”

 

 He didn’t realize that the “story” he was talking about was about Seo Jun, so he answered lightly.

 

 “Oh, that’s just Baek Iri’s nonsense. She made us play some kind of weird balancing game. Was it about living in a new apartment versus living in an abandoned house?”

 

 …What?

 

Damn it, Seon-yeo, you bastard. You never heard me right.

 

A retort about when I made her play the balance game rose in my throat, but I kept my mouth shut because the last thing I wanted was to have to explain myself to Yin Charang.

 

I’d already thought of someone else to discuss this with.

 

 “And you gave some kind of proverb quiz, like, “A needle thief makes a cow thief,” dude. How did that come up?”

 

“Ouch. You were listening without your brain.”

 

“Can you tell? I thought I got the gist.”

 

“You sound like a punchline. You’re wrong, all of you!”

 

 I finally burst out, unable to contain my ridiculousness.

 

“Oh, sorry.”

 

 I calmed down as I recited the name of my new “right person” to myself.

 

At this point, Yin Charang, who had been listening, interrupted me.

 

 “Hey, wait a minute. Did you really curse me? Is that why you’re trying to change the subject?”

 

“No, Charang, Iri may have cursed you mentally, but she didn’t say it out loud. We were just playing a balance game and a proverb quiz-“

 

“Oh, I said neither!”

 

 I grabbed Yeo Seon-yeo by the neck and gave Yin Charang a non-explanatory explanation.

 

 “I’m sorry, Charang, but I didn’t even take out the ‘a’ in your name.”

 

“That’s just as bad as it is.”

 

“Eh. Which one do you want me to dance to, eh?”

 

 Oh, my head hurts.

 

For the first time, I wished the class would just start.

 

 “Haha, guys, I don’t care if you swear at me. Really.”

 

“I didn’t. Do you want us to do it now?”

 

“That’s another story.”

 

“What do you want me to dance to, Seon-yeo? Don’t put the beatbox on. It’s awesome, man.”

 

 Yeo Seon-yeo jumped out of her seat when Hwang Hanju told her to go to the grocery store.

 

 “Okay, okay. I’ll leave you two alone, have fun.”

 

“What? Hey, you can’t talk like that! Hey! Seon-yeo!”

 

 Yin Charang, who had lost all semblance of a friendly smile, shouted.

 

 “You don’t like it, I don’t like it either.”

 

“Ha… No, what’s Seo Jun doing alone?”

 

 Tired of talking in circles, Charang finally got to the point.

 

 “Why don’t you just ask her?”

 

“I did ask her, but she told me not to interrupt…”

 

“Fuhak!”

 

 And so, it is. There’s no way he would have left Seo Jun and come to us first. For some reason he had already been kicked out by Seo Jun.

 

 He was obviously unhappy that he had to ask me about Seo Jun, but he managed to pull up the corners of his mouth with a smile.

 

I guess he still has that much mental space left.

 

On the other hand, it also meant that I only had that much left.

 

Yin Charang was a sincere friend whose emotions were expressed through his facial muscles, and this time, his expression showed through.

 

 Unlike Charang, I, who was an adult, calmly explained.

 

I won’t go into details, but let’s just say that Seo Jun was pissed off about some incident at school and was preparing a personal retaliation, and that the target of this retaliation was quite a prankster.

 

 I didn’t have to tell him that ghosts like to play around, because the only reason I’m going into more detail than Seon-yeo was because he was like a puppy that was neglected by its master.

 

 It’s a little annoying that he’s so competitive with me over something so insignificant, but it’s mitigating. Besides being a rough guide to non-consensual rivalry rituals, the least I can do is return the favor and tell a moderately detailed story.

 

 In fact, I should have been happy to have her feelings for me revealed in a competitive way.

 

 To Yin Charang, I would have been an eyesore who had suddenly appeared and taken his place, especially considering the importance he attached to that “place”.

 

And yet, I don’t know if he’s naive to the bone or has 99% childishness in his blood, and the only hostility he shows me is, “I’ll beat you fair and square!”

 

Oh, come to think of it, naive or childish, that’s what he is.

 

 Anyway, I’d have a tough road ahead of me if I harbored the slightest ill will toward him.

 

 I thought about telling him a little more about it… but I didn’t act on it. I thought that if I said more, it would just be taken as a contribution from someone with information. I don’t want to be misinterpreted as the current partner scratching the ex-partner’s back when I’m trying to be gentle.

 

“Seo Jun’s pissed? Seo Jun’s pissed? She’s pissed? She’s skipping class? She’s getting even?” mumbles Yin Charang in disbelief.

 

 “If this is your school, what about you, Baek Iri?”

 

 He asked nervously.

 

 “Oh, we have our own division of labor.”

 

 This was my attempt to understand the intent of the question and give an appropriate answer.

 

I told him that I had nothing to do with it, so he shouldn’t feel bad about losing his partner position.

 

Okay, when I said “division of labor,” I obviously didn’t mean two people sharing one job, but two separate jobs happening at the same time.

 

 Yin Charang’s face tightened as he understood the former meaning of the word.

 

“Oh, this is annoying.”

 

 “I apologize for the misunderstanding, but I’m busy working on another case. I told you, Seo Jun has a personal vendetta. If it’s personal, it’s personal. Isn’t that right?”

 

 I rambled on as best I could.

 

 “And if you saw it, you’d know. She’s making an amulet. There’s not much I can do about it. I don’t even know how to draw an amulet.”

 

 Yikes.

 

Yin Charang’s complexion brightens as he hears my ramblings.

 

‘Ha, you transparent bastard. I swear, that last line, “I don’t even know how to draw an amulet,” made him feel better.’

 

‘Oh, man. How can you feel so triumphant over something like that, Charang!’

 

 I once again vowed that I would never discuss the ghost with Yin Charang in the study hall.

 

How happy my childhood friend would be.

 

I suddenly felt embarrassed that I usually got along well with him.

 

“Charang, I really don’t want to be friends with you.”

 

“Nonsense. You and I were never friends to begin with. We’re lifelong rivals-“

 

“Uh, that’s why I don’t like you. Now get lost. There’s nothing more to talk about.”

 

 Apparently satisfied with the conversation, Yin Charang walked away without further vomiting.

 

 In fact, I had been trying to convince Seo Jun that it would be a good idea to keep him in the loop. I know she’s afraid she’ll draw him deeper into her life, but it’s no good trying to hide it.

 

 Well, I guess that’s what I’m supposed to say when I’m the one who’s keeping the secret of my talent.

 

 Think of it as a little respect for her ex-partner, better than having him freak out about feeling betrayed later.

 

I tried to tell Seo Jun that a couple of times…!

 

 I guess it was unnecessary meddling.

 

‘Live in ignorance, dickhead.’

 

I sent a reminder to the right person and prepared for the next lesson.

 

 

***

 

 

I seem to recall that the burnt roof and other repairs to the building were done by magicians from the appropriate organizations.

 

For some reason, the acrid, charred odor stung my nose every time I came home.

 

 “Kek.”

 

 Ah, that’s the smell of a cigarette they just lit.

 

 I entered the building and passed a man puffing on a cigarette in a flower bed on the ground floor.

 

Normally, I would be angry that cigarette smoke was being blown into the nostrils of innocent students, but today I didn’t have the energy to be angry.

 

For almost a week, I’d been angry at the school for being the cause of my isolation on the fourth floor, and at the training center for being harassed by Yeo Seon-yeo and Yin Charang.

 

 I’m sure you’ve had your share of tantrums, so you smoke, I understand, I get it, I get it.

 

 Needless to say, Charang wasn’t really upset that his friends at the training center were being mean. They tease each other, they get high, they’re intentionally annoying and irritating, it’s just a normal part of life. I do it all the time.

 

It’s like fireworks. It’s loud, but it’s fun, and you think you’re going to blow it up, but in retrospect it’s a memory.

 

 But today it was like setting off a firecracker while lava was erupting from the top of a mountain and I was standing next to it.

 

 Well, it’s like all the fatigue I’ve been feeling for the last few days just exploded all at once. My forehead burned like a real volcano erupting.

 

 I swallowed a fever-reducing pill and made up my mind.

 

If Seo Jun gets this spirit, I’ll ask her to give me one. Just one, really.

 

 I put on three hours of soothing classical music, but I wasn’t ready for bed yet.

 

I still had work to do.

 

 I pushed the four-letter word “assholes” to the back of my mind and dialed the right person.

 

After a few rings, a clear voice answered.

 

─ “Iri-ya, are you done with class?”

 

It was Kwon Yuri.

 

 “Yeah, I’m sorry for asking you so suddenly.”

 

─”No, it’s okay!”

 

“It’s about the ghost in the study hall that I texted you earlier…”

 

I started to explain the situation again.

 

 “…The items this ghost has stolen have been all over the place, and today it tried and failed to steal something a little…, a lot bigger than usual. There’s no pattern, so I don’t know what to use to lure it out.”

 

 I didn’t elaborate, except to say that the entire classroom had changed. I didn’t want to scare her.

 

 “I’ve been racking my brain all day,” I said, ”and I can’t come up with anything.”

 

 That’s why I asked Yuri for help.

 

I thought that Yuri, who has mastered the art of understanding and performing the roles she is given, would be able to interpret the mysterious psychology of this thief.

 

 ─ “Hmph… Difficult…”

 

 After pondering for a while, Yuri finally spoke again.

 

 ─ “I have a rough idea of what the ghost might be upset about.”

 

“Really?!”

 

─ “Well, I was just making a guess… I wonder if a thief would be bitter about what it didn’t steal? Something it tried to steal and failed.”

 

 After hearing the answer, I sighed inwardly.

 

‘What the ghost can’t steal.’

 

I don’t think I can bait the entire study hall. Damn, I should get a miniature of the study hall.

 

 I stammered, and a surprisingly clear answer came out of the speaker.

 

─ “Maybe there are “small” things it can’t steal.”