Chapter 9

Inha looked at my face, remained silent, and then slowly shook her head. What? What? A question mark floated in my mind. She was definitely lost in thought, looking at me, but...

“Yeah. As expected, the braided hairstyle really suits you, Eunha.”

Her sudden words from my mother left me flabbergasted. ...What? Huh? Why did she say that all of a sudden?

Time passed quickly. It became afternoon, then night, and I fell asleep and woke up. Well, it’s already been three days since Inha started staying at our house.

Today, as usual, I prepared to go to kindergarten while Inha slept soundly. Mom was already gone, but she had prepared breakfast even in her busy schedule. I happily ate the breakfast she had prepared.

I got ready as usual, went outside, and got on the kindergarten bus. The teacher greeted me with a smile.

“Hi, Eunha.”

“Hello, teacher.”

I quietly sat at the very back. The kindergarten bus picked up a few more kids and headed to the kindergarten. On the moving bus, the teacher sat next to me.

“By the way, Eunha, about that girl yesterday...”

“...Who?”

I hesitated but then asked with innocent eyes. The teacher pondered for a moment and said, “Well, the pretty girl who came to pick you up yesterday.” I felt uncomfortable but tried not to show it and just nodded.

“Why isn’t that girl attending kindergarten today? If she’s your friend, it would be nice if she came with you.”

I maintained a calm expression and thought about it. So...what should I say?

Because she doesn’t want to come? But that might lead to more questions about why she doesn’t want to come. Then I might end up asking why she’s questioning me about it, but I’ll set that aside for now...

I thought for a moment and then smiled brightly.

“I’m not sure.”

“...Really?”

To be honest, I don’t really like this year’s teacher. I preferred the previous one. This teacher, while not overly harsh, tends to treat kids differently based on their talent and appearance.

It made me feel bad when it was so obvious. Even if Inha is pretty, she’s just a little kid, and to show such interest after just one meeting... Still, this teacher is relatively nice to me because she senses my magical power, so I usually gave her a fair evaluation.

My opinion of the teacher plummeted. And her eyes seemed to say, “Well, Eunha doesn’t make friends easily anyway,” which made me even more uncomfortable. It’s true, but still. I sighed inwardly and rested my chin.

Because of this, today’s kindergarten experience felt a bit lackluster. I went through the day normally, but I felt a bit irritable. The teacher also seemed to treat me less favorably than usual, as if deliberately discriminating against me.

Today, we did paper folding. The paper was special; if you made something, it would move in that shape. But the paper I was given was just ordinary. It felt like it was on purpose. Well, I know she’s not that bad, but that’s how I felt. Besides, I heard it was mixed in with the other classes, so it was definitely a coincidence. I guess mood is important.

“See you, Eunha.”

“See you.”

I smiled briefly and got off the bus. Ah, I feel like I could live. With that feeling, I turned around and was startled.

“...”

Inha stood there silently, expressionless, in a white summer dress that revealed her fair skin. Her pale face, highlighted by the summer sun, gave off a mysterious aura, almost like a mixed-race child. She looked like a painting. The teacher, who was behind me, smiled in admiration.

“Oh, you...”

“Goodbye, teacher!”

I interrupted the teacher and shouted. Inha doesn’t like this teacher. She frowned as soon as she saw her.

So I grabbed Inha’s hand and ran. If the teacher asks me tomorrow why I did that, I can just make up an excuse. I could say I had to go to the bathroom urgently.

I don’t really care if I don’t get special treatment from the teacher. I’m past that age. And if I have to be honest, I’d rather not be disliked by Inha.

I stopped abruptly at a place and caught my breath. Inha looked at me with a puzzled expression. I was startled and let go of her hand.

“Uh, um, sorry...”

But I really didn’t have a prepared excuse for Inha. So...what should I say? I thought for a moment and smiled sheepishly.

“I just...wanted to run.”

In the next moment, I was startled and opened my eyes wide.

“You have a really unique personality.”

Inha, looking at me, narrowed her eyes and smiled. She smiled so beautifully, like a painting, like an angel.

“Eh...eh...?”

“You’re unique...”

Inha’s smile, so gentle and beautiful, captivated my entire field of vision. Everything around me blurred, and only her radiant smile remained. I was seized by a miraculous feeling I couldn’t describe.

“...Oh, what do I do? She’s really pretty and cute.”

Her smile was so kind and beautiful that I couldn’t help but think this.

Looking at Inha, who was leading me by the hand, and seeing her radiant back, I really, truly wanted to be friends with this child.

I’ve thought this before, but Inha is incredibly pretty and has a mysterious aura, and she’s cool too. Even though she’s a child, she has a presence that makes you want to be friends with her. Her aura is so charming that it can attract not just boys but girls as well.

So I wanted to be friends with her. And today, that feeling became stronger, more desperate. It became desperate because she was so beautiful.

As I walked with Inha, I thought to myself.

I want to see that beautiful smile often.

☆

“Hey, I’ve been thinking, can you move magical power?”

“Uh, yeah?”

“You’ve been sensing magical power since last year, right? There’s no way you wouldn’t practice moving it, and if you’ve been practicing, there’s no way you still can’t move it. I can feel a strange magical power around you when I get close.”

“...”

“I saw it before. You putting magical power into a light orb.”

“...!”

I was stunned by Inha’s forceful words, and then I was startled by what followed. Huh, she was awake? Ugh, I should have been more careful... I made a pained expression inwardly. But I thought she would forget by morning.

However, the shock was brief. I glanced at Inha cautiously and thought,

Actually, it might be okay if this kid knows. Even though she’s a child, Inha seems to be quite reserved.

“Well, I get it. My mom always tells me not to show my magical abilities to others. It’s the same for you, right?”

Well, that’s not wrong. I nodded.

I looked at Inha with a slightly flustered face. Somehow, Inha’s aura seemed completely different from before.

“By the way, um...”

“Hmm?”

“Um...can you tell me your magical affinity?”

Inha asked this very cautiously. I suddenly remembered when Aunt Seon-a asked if she could check my affinity, and I refused, saying it was scary. Could it be because of that?

I thought for a moment. Inha isn’t the type to tell others about such things. Plus, her mom has suffered a lot because of her talent, so she must have heard a lot.

And...I really want to be friends. If I want to be friends with someone, I should open up too. I soon agreed and spoke.

“Sure. But don’t tell anyone else...”

“Why?”

“It’s...embarrassing.”

“Is it that strange?”

I nodded. Inha was silent for a moment and then asked.

“...Not even to my mom and dad?”

“No...since I’m telling you, it’s okay for them. But still, not to others...”

“Okay. Got it.”

I smiled briefly at Inha and thanked her. With that decision, I led Inha to the living room. I rummaged through drawers to find the gemstone plate I used last time. I wanted to show her rather than explain it verbally.

I felt Inha’s gaze as I infused magical power into the plate. At the same time, all the gems embedded in the plate lit up, displaying the same numbers I had seen before.

“Eh...? My mom said it’s rare for someone to have all affinities? Plus, it’s usually hard for one person to have more than three high affinities...”

Inha’s eyes widened as she looked at the plate I had infused with magical power. My mom was quite surprised when she saw this too.

Light: 9, Darkness: 10, Water: 9, Fire: 6, Wind: 8, Earth: 5, Metal: 9, Plant: 4, Special: 10, Spirit: 10, Lightning: 8.

Three of the highest at 10, and three more at 9. Two at 8. Even the lowest, Plant and Earth, are average. In other words, out of the 11 magical attributes, 8 show very high affinity.

“This...is why you didn’t tell anyone. If you told my mom, she’d probably rush over in shock. Maybe it’s better to keep it hidden for now...”

Inha’s eyes wavered in confusion. She closed her eyes tightly and then opened them, her expression calm as she handed the glowing gemstone plate back to me. Then she smiled.

“Amazing.”

I felt a strange feeling.

It was a very ordinary compliment, so maybe that’s why. That simple statement made me incredibly happy. So...

“...Thank you.”

I followed a shy expression with a bright, happy smile.

That day, we talked and laughed for the first time. We ordered udon for lunch. When I chose udon, Inha hesitated but followed my choice.

After a bit of chatter and lunch, Inha became quiet again as usual. However, I felt that Inha was treating me more warmly than usual. The fact that she smiled at me today and initiated conversation was something that had never happened before.

Moreover, it’s not just that. How should I put it? She seemed a bit less reserved than usual. When we sat on the sofa, she usually sat a bit away, but now she sat right next to me. When I had trouble reaching a high shelf, Inha, who is taller than me, would immediately help me.

I was somehow happy about these small changes.

Aunt Seon-a returned around sunset. She entered the house with a wide smile after I opened the door through the intercom. Uncle Jung-min almost tripped at the entrance. Well, he’s always clumsy.

“Hey, Inha. Did you have a good time?”

Aunt Seon-a hugged Inha tightly, looking overly relieved. Inha smiled faintly and nodded.

“Yeah, it was fine.”

“That’s good. I’m relieved.”

“Was Dad and Mom okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, it was a bit tough, but no problem! Hi, Eunha.”

“Hi.”

A warm family. A kind and strong mom, a dad who is gruff but kind and a bit clumsy, and a daughter who is a bit gruff but cute, beautiful, and takes good care of her parents.

Wow, what a lovely family. I smiled quietly, feeling the warmth in my heart.

“So, Inha, what did you do while you were here?”

“...Aunt Mirae helped me with magic training.”

“Well, Mirae is good at sensing. You can come over to learn sometimes.”

“...Okay.”

Inha didn’t bring anything from home. She could just come as she was.

However, Inha hesitated and looked at me for a moment. Why? She should be very happy to see her parents and eager to go home with them. Almost simultaneously, Aunt Seon-a looked at me with a worried expression and asked.

“Will Eunha be okay alone? Mirae won’t be back until tomorrow, and Mr. Jinhan won’t be back for a few hours.”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine.”

To be honest, I’m quite used to being alone. I answered with a calm expression.

Seeing my calm response, Aunt Seon-a hesitated for a moment and then said,

“If you feel scared or lonely, you can come over to our house. We’re right next door, you know? Come to think of it, I’ve been going to Mirae’s house so often that Eunha hasn’t been to our house much. Good, I’ll tell that girl Mirae to come over to our house tomorrow.”

She smiled widely as she said this.

“Eunha, you have to come over tomorrow, okay?”

I nodded and smiled at Aunt Seon-a’s words. Come to think of it, I don’t remember ever going to their house.

Suddenly, I started to look forward to it. Aunt Seon-a is as capable as she is busy, but also very wealthy. As a top-ranked magician in the world, she must have a lot of interesting magical tools. Of course, I can’t touch them freely, but just looking at them would be fun.

“...See you tomorrow.”

Inha hesitated for a while and then said goodbye and went back to her house. Her short farewell made me very happy. I hummed and went to my room, then suddenly remembered.

“Oh, right. Then I can have a lot of magic training for the first time in a while?”

I smiled widely. Great! Should I start with illusions?

In the end, I collapsed from magical exhaustion that day, the first time in a month. ...Well, it still happens occasionally, this kind of thing.

The next day, Mom was still sleeping when I came back from kindergarten. Mom has forgotten to pick me up a few times before due to work or other reasons. But since I’m not just a little kid, I always came home on my own, and now Mom is used to me coming home alone. The teacher just thinks, “Oh, it happens sometimes,” and moves on. Sometimes Mom even tells me in advance that she won’t be able to pick me up.

However, it was a bit annoying today because the teacher asked about Inha again.

But since Aunt Seon-a invited me to play today, and Mom is so tired, should I tell Aunt Seon-a I can’t come? Just as I was thinking about this, Mom’s phone rang.

Beep—

“...?”

I was about to hang up, thinking it was an unknown number, but then I saw “Seon-a” on the screen. I took the phone out of the room and answered it. A video call appeared on the screen.

“Mom is really tired and sleeping...”

When I said this, Aunt Seon-a’s eyes widened. It was a very casual expression, like she was talking to a close friend.

Click.

I stared at the disconnected call in vain. The video had already disappeared. I frowned for a moment and then went to wake Mom up.

“Mom.”

“Mm...Eunha...Mom is really tired today...”

“No, Mom. Aunt Seon-a said to wait and hung up. She might come to wake you up.”

It was that kind of atmosphere. Yeah, right... My mom, who was answering with a sleepy, tired voice, suddenly stopped mid-sentence. A moment later, she jumped out of bed.

“What?!”

“...!”

I was startled by Mom’s reaction. Mom sighed in relief and looked at me.

“Thank goodness. I almost got into a lot of trouble...”

“Mom...?”

“Thank you for waking me up, Eunha. You’re my savior!”

Mom, who was overly grateful to me, ran to the bathroom, washed her face, and neatly combed her messy hair. After tying her hair up, she quickly changed her clothes and came out. The whole process took only two minutes.

“Mirae, you!”

Aunt Seon-a, who I thought might come through the front door, suddenly teleported into the house. Since she’s not blocked by our security system, she can come and go freely without using the front door.

Aunt Seon-a, who appeared with an angry expression, was surprised to see Mom, who was already fully prepared, and covered her mouth.

“...Oh, you’re awake?”

“Hehe. Eunha is my savior.”

“Tch, I’m lucky to have a perceptive daughter.”

Aunt Seon-a approached us with a slightly disappointed expression and immediately grabbed my and Mom’s hands. I looked up at her.

“Eunha, is it okay to go like this?”

“Huh? Yeah...”

I knew she was about to teleport as soon as she grabbed my hand. Her magical power was so active. My hair was neatly styled, and my clothes were ordinary, so there