"Ms. Hye-Rim definitely seemed to have come this way."
I had chased after her as she darted away urgently, but she was so quick that I lost sight of her partway through.
Still, since I caught a glimpse of the direction she landed, I began searching every possible location where she might be.
While doing so, I heard a strange noise.
"Ah?!"
A woman's faint, breathy voice. Somehow, it sounded oddly suggestive, and I couldn't help but head toward it.
That voice—it sounded like Ms. Hye-Rim’s. With that thought in mind, I rushed over, only to stumble upon an unbelievable scene.
Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freewebnσvel.cøm.
Ms. Hye-Rim was lying on the ground. On top of her was a young girl with pink hair, dressed in strange clothing. What was happening here?
"...!!"
The pink-haired girl leaned down and kissed Hye-Rim.
Yes, a kiss. She was kissing Hye-Rim.
"...Hye-Rim?"
Unable to process the shocking sight, I reflexively called out her name.
What is this? Does she know this girl?
Could they possibly be lovers? The uneasy thought crossed my mind because, otherwise, why would they be kissing?
But something about the situation felt off. Even though they were kissing and entangled with one another, Ms. Hye-Rim’s expression clearly displayed disgust.
She was struggling fiercely, resisting as much as she could. Could this... could this be assault?
"What’s this? An annoying little intruder?"
The girl pulled her lips away from Ms. Hye-Rim and turned to look at me.
At that moment, Ms. Hye-Rim’s expression became even more evident.
"...H-Ha-Yeon."
Her face flushed red, her fingers trembling slightly, and her legs kicking in defiance—she desperately tried to fight back.
But the girl’s body clung to her tightly, restraining her from moving.
It was clear. This wasn’t some kind of consensual relationship.
Ms. Hye-Rim has been assaulted by this girl.
"...I’m not sure what’s going on, but get away from Ms. Hye-Rim immediately!" I shouted, conjuring a fireball in my hand. But the girl didn’t listen to me.
Instead, she smirked as if amused and slowly ran her slender fingers along Hye-Rim’s neck.
"Why? Are you someone close to Hye-Rim?"
"Hnn...!"
Every time her wandering hands explored her body, Hye-Rim let out a shaky breath.
I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.
The strong, confident Ms. Hye-Rim, who always carried herself with grace and composure, was lying there, completely at this girl’s mercy.
I clenched my fists. I couldn’t let this continue.
"Oh? Judging by that angry face, you’re more than just an acquaintance. Perhaps you..."
"Mmgh?!"
"...!"
The girl locked eyes with me and, as if to provoke, she kissed Hye-Rim again.
"That reaction. You’re just like me, aren’t you?"
"I told you to get off her!"
I had given enough warnings. Without hesitation, I hurled the fireball at her.
I hoped it would hit and take her down, but she effortlessly deflected it with one hand, as if it were nothing.
"You’re quite cute yourself. I wouldn’t mind playing with someone like you."
The girl finally got off Ms. Hye-Rim and stood up.
"Breaking people like you is my specialty."
"Ha-Yeon, run!"
Hearing Ms. Hye-Rim’s urgent cry, I noticed a dark red aura around the girl’s hand.
If Ms. Hye-Rim was this alarmed, this girl must be incredibly dangerous.
Despite my fear, I couldn’t back down.
If I gave up now, Ms. Hye-Rim would fall victim again.
I refused to let that happen, no matter what.
"Ms. Hye-Rim, I won’t leave you behind!"
I immediately activated my magic.
Over time, I had grown much stronger—far beyond where I used to be. I had practiced and studied the mana control techniques Ms. Hye-Rim taught me, improving by leaps and bounds.
I unleashed hundreds of spells simultaneously, all targeting the girl.
"Haha. Do you really think this will work on me?"
The girl sneered as my spells dissipated before even reaching her.
"No matter how hard you struggle, a mediocre magical girl like you can’t possibly—huh?"
Ignoring her, I sprinted toward Hye-Rim, who was lying on the ground, and scooped her into my arms.
My objective was clear: get Ms. Hye-Rim as far away from this girl as possible.
"...I can't just let you take my Hye-Rim."
The girl quickly began chasing after us.
"Ha-Yeon."
From within my arms, Ms. Hye-Rim called out to me.
"Don’t worry, I’ll get us out of here no matter what."
"You can’t escape her. So instead..."
"Ah?!"
Hye-Rim placed her hand on my back, and I felt something strange flowing into me.
It was a curious sensation, spreading through my body—not unpleasant, but warm and uplifting.
Ms. Hye-Rim’s mana was entering me.
"Take all the mana I’m giving you and fire it at her."
"Y-Yes! Got it!"
Following her instructions, I gathered all the mana and focused it into my hands.
"...Hmm?"
Then, I released it all at once toward the girl.
"Wait... this is... ugh!"
The girl tried to block it by crossing her arms, but she seemed visibly strained for the first time. The attack had an effect, much more than I expected.
After taking the hit, the girl didn’t pursue us further. She simply stood there, watching us.
"Hah... I didn’t expect you to counter like that."
Her voice sounded strained, her composure gone.
"...I’ll retreat for now. But know this, Shin Hye-Rim—I’ll come for you again soon."
And with that, the pink-haired girl vanished in an instant.
***
"......"
"......"
Now that it was over, only Ms. Hye-Rim and I remained in the quiet space.
Ms. Hye-Rim was still in my arms. I didn’t dare let her go, fearing she might collapse again.
She was trembling slightly, her body frail like a kitten drenched in the rain.
It was such a stark contrast to her usual self that it pained me to see her like this. I held her tighter.
"......I must’ve looked so pathetic."
It was Ms. Hye-Rim who broke the long silence.
"Sorry. You had to witness something so disturbing. It must’ve been overwhelming."
"I... It was overwhelming. Who was that girl, anyway?"
I had so many questions.
Who was she? Why did she kiss Ms. Hye-Rim? Why did she seem so obsessed with her?
But I refrained from asking for now, for Ms. Hye-Rim’s sake.
"She’s just... an annoying connection from my past. Let’s leave it at that. But yeah, she’s pretty obsessed with me."
"I see. So that’s why..."
I couldn’t finish the sentence. Thinking about what had happened earlier filled me with anger and frustration.
That was Ms. Hye-Rim, the strongest, most confident person I knew—the person I admired and loved most in the world.
Yet she had been so helpless under that girl, forced to endure against her will.
"I couldn’t win again this time."
Ms. Hye-Rim murmured, burying her face in my chest. Her voice trembled.
Was it from anger? Sadness? Or both? I couldn’t tell.
I simply stroked her hair gently.
In response, Ms. Hye-Rim wrapped her arms around my back, hugging me like a pillow. For the first time, she let her vulnerability show in front of someone else.
"Ha-Yeon."
"Yes?"
"...Can I stay like this for a little while?"
"......Of course."
After softly whispering her thanks, Ms. Hye-Rim clung to me wordlessly.
I embraced her tightly in return, trying to comfort her.
And selfishly, I couldn’t help but feel a little glad.
Glad that she was leaning on me, needing me.
Wrapped in her warmth, I realized just how close we were.
For the first time, I noticed the faint, sweet scent coming from her—something I had never smelled before.
This must’ve been the lingering scent left by that girl.
"......"
I hugged Ms. Hye-Rim tighter.
"Ms. Hye-Rim, hold me as tightly as you want."
"...Okay."
"I don’t care what you’ve been through. If you ever feel like leaning on someone don’t hesitate to lean on me."
Ms. Hye-Rim’s arms tightened around me. Though I couldn’t see her face, I imagined she was holding back tears.
I silently held her close for as long as she needed.
Comforting her.
And hoping to erase every trace of that girl’s touch with my own.
T/N: JUST WTF IS ACTUALLY GOING ON