An Exorcist Magical Girl!

Seo Jun’s purple eyes came alive.

 

“How do we get out?”

I asked excitedly.

 “I think you had the same idea as I did. After all, we’re in a mirror, right?”

Seo Jun said, picking up an orange blossom that had fallen to the bottom of the flower bed.

 

“Mmm, yeah.” “So, what if this place isn’t in a mirror?” “It’s not in the mirror…”

I pondered her words.

 

Seo Jun looked at me and continued.

“…I think this is an artificially created space that someone created using the properties of a mirror.” “Not a naturally occurring space?” “No. It’s too small and simple, and I get the feeling that someone just created a temporary space based on the premise of the mirror.”

 

The only attribute of this place is that it reflects the real world as it is, starting with the transparent walls of the Rose Tunnel.

 

But what if this

“mirroring”

property is broken?

 

In other words, what if this mirrored space is different from the real world in any way?

 

The very premise of this space, the mirror, would be broken.

 “Does that mean that this space itself collapses?”

 

Seo Jun gave me a satisfied look at my conclusion.

 

“Well, I don’t know if the entirety of this space will collapse, just enough to warp slightly to create a gap through which we can exit. Or maybe just that transparent wall that acts as a mirror surface. Either way, as long as there’s a way out, we can get out, right?”

 “Dude, that was really smart. But there’s just one problem.” “What problem?”

 

I grabbed a flower in the flowerbed with the tip of my tongs and yanked hard.

 

“Look. It’s strong. How are you supposed to make it different from the real thing? There’s nothing you can touch.”

 

Seo Jun tilted her head sharply.

 “It doesn’t say you have to break something to make it different.” “Uh-huh. Well, it’s not like—”

 

Before I could finish my sentence, Seo Jun raised her pincers and slashed her left arm with the sharp point.

 

The skin ripped open, and a trickle of blood gushed out.

 

“Hey!”

 

It was too sudden to stop her.

 

Seo Jun held the wound to the tip of the cherub’s trumpet.

 

The blood that had pooled inside the trumpet began to drip out.

 

A fountain that spewed blood instead of water.

 

It was a clever idea I thought.

 

“Hey, you asshole, you’re going to get tetanus!”

I smack Seo Jun in the back of the head.

 

Seo Jun wiped the blood off with her shirt and said nonchalantly.

“It’s an apology.” “Apology for what?” “I lied to you, so it’s the least I can do now so you can trust me, right?”

 

Her tone was so calm and nonchalant, like she was doing the obvious.

 

“This is why the other kids are screaming about being scared of you.” “Oh, and…” “And what?” “I don’t want to see anyone turn into a dick in front of me again.”

Seo Jun added.

 

Her voice was still grave, but I could read the weight in her words.

 

She meant it, that she didn’t want to hurt or endanger me.

 

In the distance, there was a grunt and the thud of something breaking.

 “Looks like there’s a way out. Let’s go.”

 

It came from the transparent wall of the Rose Tunnel. 

 

I followed Seo Jun through the tunnel at a brisk pace.

 

When I got closer, the center of the transparent wall was swirling, like a swirling water surface.

 

“Didn’t that just sound like the whole thing collapsing? I thought it was going to be a spectacular shattering, but it’s more subdued than I thought.” “Yeah. It’s like a portal.”

Seo Jun shrugged off my comment and stepped through the invisible wall first.

 

Seo Jun’s body slipped through the other side of the transparency as effortlessly as if she were passing through an empty space, and before I knew it, she was out of sight.

 

It meant that she had safely exited to a place that was invisible from inside this space, a reality outside this space.

 

I followed her and stepped toward the outside of the invisible wall.

 

***

 

But…

 Thunk!

 

I couldn’t get out.

 

The invisible wall stopped swirling and stood in my way, preventing me from passing.

 “Holy shit…”

 

Apparently, the exit was only open to those who broke the mirror’s rules. 

 

Seo Jun must have been embarrassed.

 

I stood still and looked down at the tongs in my right hand.

 

It’s the only way to change the space in this damned mirror.

 

Oh, it’s not the only thing.

 

I crouched down in front of the invisible wall and fidgeted.

 

Then I placed my right hand on the sidewalk block that formed the floor of the Rose Tunnel.

 

❰Skill: “A CraftsmanWears No Tools” is active❱

 

A black energy trickled down my fingertips and soaked into one of the sidewalk blocks.

 

It doesn’t stop there, but spreads out in all directions.

 

The black energy permeates the rose leaves, the iron support for the rose stem, the soil of the garden, the flower beds, and the fountain.

 

The space surrounding me is slowly being consumed by my color.

 

And finally, the air that fills this place.

 

Every element that makes up this space is imbued with the favor of my skill.

 

I’ve fully embodied the skill “A Craftsman Wears No Tools”.

 

To make a skill completely your own is a powerful thing.

 

You can apply your skill to more than just objects, you can apply it to flames, and you can even take it a step further, bringing even the space you’re in under your skill’s influence.

 

The sheer scale of the skill’s use also comes with a hefty health cost.

 

My right hand, which spreads black energy, trembles and shakes, and my breath is slowly becoming short as if I’ve been running without stopping.

 

But a smile tugged at the corners of my mouth.

 

The air is now blackened with not a single ray of light.

 

Could this really be the same space as the real world out there?

 

*Kkkuuurrr*

 

Ah, there it is.

 

I heard the sound of an exit opening in front of me.

 

I couldn’t see it through the pitch-blackness, but I didn’t have to grope in the dark to find it.

 

The invisible wall was right in front of me.

 

I staggered to my feet and threw myself toward the exit.

 

As I slid across the cold surface, bright streetlights blinded me.

 

“Eeekkk!”

 

I squeezed my eyes shut, and when I opened them, I saw the familiar sights and faces of the real world.

 

My body went limp and I fell hard to the floor.

 “Aaahhhh! Don’t die!”

The voice I just heard was Yeo Seon-yeo’s.

 

“I know you’re alive.”

This is Seo Jun’s voice.

 “If you know, why don’t you let go of me?”

I replied.

 “Seo Jun, you let go first.”

Seon-yeo butted.

 

And now they’re both holding each other’s throats.

 

“Guys…”

 

Hearing my tired voice, Seo Jun loosens her grip first, followed by Seon-yeo, who shrugs.

 

I knew it when I saw it.

 

When she saw that Seo Jun was alone, she turned around and grabbed her by the throat.

 

To her, who firmly believes that Seo Jun is a

“madman who doesn’t care about her partner’s life,”

it must have looked like she abandoned me and came back alive on her own.

 

“Baek Iri! What happened? Are you hurt?”

Seon-yeo looked at me anxiously and asked.

 

Oh, she must have thought the blood on Seo Jun was mine.

 

“I’m fine. It’s Seo Jun who’s hurt.” “What?”

 

Seon-yeo had an indescribable look on her face as she realized that the blood soaking Seo Jun’s one arm and clothes was from her own wound.

 

“I-I thought she sacrificed you and ran away, thinking she had escaped!” “No, it’s the other way around. She did it to bring me out.”

 

After hearing my explanation, she chewed her lower lip and apologized meekly.

 

“…I’m sorry for the misunderstanding. This wasn’t your fault, and I’m sorry for grabbing you by the throat.” “It’s okay.”

Seo Jun accepted the apology in her uncharacteristically bland voice.

 

There’s no way in hell they’re going to get along. Their relationship is already toast.

 

I don’t want them to get along, but I do want them to clear up the misunderstanding.

 

The problem is that Seo Jun, the misunderstood party, has no intention of making amends.

 

I mean, look at her, she still looks like she had nothing to do with it.

 

But it’s also ridiculous that I’m going to talk about Seo Jun’s story.

 

It’s not a story that anyone should be spreading.

 

If Seo Jun chooses to put up with all the prejudice, she has no right to talk to me.

 

But I do have the right to say.

 

“Hey, Seo Jun.” “Huh?” “Don’t do this shit on your own terms, and don’t talk about apologies and trust. An apology is an apology, and your way of thinking is very wrong.”

I took a deep breath and continued.

“Trust is not making decisions like this on your own. Do you understand?”

 

Seo Jun’s eyes narrowed, and her mouth opened slowly.

 “…Okay, sorry.” “Next time, let’s start with the conversation. Talk. Okay?”

 

While I was still trying to convince Seo Jun, the people from the association and the teachers arrived.

 

The adults listened to the whole story, and then asked the lady to escort me and Seo Jun to the front door.

 

They said they would stay and investigate.

 

“But where’s Yin Charang? Weren’t you together earlier?”

 

Seo-yeo frowned at my question.

 

“They’re gone,”

Seon-yeo said,

“and that asshole is moody. I don’t know what happened, but something must have really pissed him off. If something happens, I will tell you. Oh, and…”

 

Seon-yeo turned to us, her brow still furrowed.

“That’s right. Speaking of gourdwood, no one ever found it.”

 

Seon-yeo rushed ahead and explained what had happened.

 

“We were all tricked, because the informant came in with real gourds and said they were everywhere, and the association went crazy thinking they were real, but it turned out it was all for show, so now they’re tracking him down. But I don’t know if they’re going to catch him.” “Yeah, I thought it was weird, I thought he was the one who actually called in the tip, or something.” “I don’t know. He just listened to my story and didn’t believe me.” “No, I expected it all.”

 

I decided to play the clown, because it was funny to let her talk to herself, and because the atmosphere was so subtle and awkward right now.

 

“You don’t believe me?” “Then guess where the informant is now.” “I don’t know, that’s…” “It sounds like a hunch.” “Huh? Watch what you’re saying.”

 

Seo Jun didn’t join the conversation, but I could tell she was chuckling at my clowning around.

 

I poked her in the side.

 

“Ouch.”

Seo Jun looked at me with a question mark on her face.

 “I’m guessing that whoever created the mirror anomaly and the informant are in cahoots?” “… Probably. Or the same person. The gourdwood report was a decoy, and the real goal was to get someone caught in the anomaly.” “Why would they do that? Is this a new kidnapping tactic?”

 

As I grumbled, Seon-yeo, who was listening earlier, interrupted.

 

“Oh, the teachers and the association staff have been talking about it. I think we should find out if the perpetrator of me and Hanju’s case and the perpetrator of today’s case belong to the same group. Their methods are different, but they seem to have similar goals. But what’s the point? We didn’t catch the most important criminal, didn’t we?” *** 

 

As we talked, we arrived at the main gate.

 

Senior Shin Wook was waiting for us at the gate with a worried expression.

 

As soon as he saw our faces, he burst out.

 

“Guys! Do you know how worried I was?! Thank God you’re okay-”

 

Senior Shin’s mouth dropped open when he saw Seo Jun’s bloody arm.

 “Uh, it’s not really, you know—”

 

Faced with a speechless Senior, Seo Jun glanced down at the wound on her arm as if it didn’t matter.

 

“By the way, the rest of the kids are gone.” “Yeah.” “Uh, they’re all home.”

 

Yeo Seon-yeo explained that she had sent all the students home shortly after she realized that me and Seo Jun were gone.

 

“If we stayed here and anyone else got involved, it would be a big problem, so I sent everyone home except for me and a few others.” “Hey, thank you so much. For staying.”

 

Our escape was only possible because Seon-yeo had gotten my magic circle’s call in time.

 

“Well, I wasn’t that worried about you.” “Uh, I never thanked you for your concern.” “Hey!”

Seon-yeo screamed again, rushing to the subway station to catch the last train.

 

“We should go too.”

Seo Jun beckoned to me, and we headed toward the bus stop.

 

Senior Shin caught up to her.

“Hey! Where are you going? You need to go to the hospital.” “Yes, Seo Jun, you crazy— I’ll get a taxi.”

 

Seo Jun was pulled by the two of us into the cab.

 

“I was going to call an ambulance for real. Driver, please take us to the nearest emergency room.” 

In the passenger seat, Senior Shin told the taxi driver where we were going, and we arrived at the hospital, where Seo Jun was immediately treated.

 

Senior Shin paid the hospital bill with his senior’s card. 

 

He told Seo Jun not to worry about the money, saying that he could bill the association later.

 

He went to the convenience store to get something to drink, and I stayed by Seo Jun’s side.

 

Seo Jun asked bluntly.

“Baek Iri, why did you come all the way here?” “I thought you might be bored.”

I said

. “I’m not bored.”

she replied.

 “Well, then maybe you’re sad?”  “Heh…” “You don’t say you’re lonely.”

I explained.

 “I’m not sad.” 

I shook my head.

“Yes, you are.”

 

 

Sooner or later, I’d have to face Exorcist Ji Wook.

 

Who knows what I’ll hear there.

 

If it has anything to do with what happened last time, he’s going to summon Seon-yeo and Hwang Hanju again. Oh, and Yin Charang.

 

I’ve only been practicing exorcism for a month, how did I get involved in something so serious?

 

My head hurts.

 

My eyes rolled back in my head as I thought about all of this.

 

As I drifted into a drowsy sleep, I heard Seo Jun muttering faintly in my ear.

 

“I’m glad you made it out alive, thank God.”