An Exorcist Magical Girl!

Mirrors create functionality based on the experience of being in space.

 

Actually, the word

“creates”

might be a better word.

 

It’s like creating a crazy watering can with a single pass through a transparent wall.

 

There’s also a function I don’t recognize, but I’m sure it did something useful with my magic circle, too.

 

“Hey, mirror, let’s explore some features.”

 

Luckily, I didn’t have to say it out loud for the mirror to understand, and it immediately displayed a status message.

 

❰Please describe in detail what feature you’re looking for.❱

 “I need the same functionality as the temporary contact wizard at the gate.” 

❰Searching keyword:

“contact”. ❱

❰Search results: 1❱

❰Master of the mirror: a mirror that reflects sound for three seconds❱

 ‘What’s with the name?’

 

❰Should I search by the keyword

“name”

❱

 ‘Never mind, just tell me how much you can write.’

 

❰Should I search for the keyword

“how much”

❱

 

‘No, I don’t want to know how many times I can use the world’s first sound-reflecting mirror. I want to know how many times I can use it, and how long it lasts for at most a few minutes at a time.’

 

❰Should I do a search with the keyword

“while”

❱

❰Should we search for the keyword

“up to”

❱

❰Search for the keyword

“I wonder”

❱

‘Times. Number.’

 

❰Search for the keyword

“number of times”

❱

 ‘Yes. Please.’

 

❰Search results: 0 hits❱

 ‘Ha.. Don’t search. Bring up that world first again.’ 

❰Master of Mirrors: Mirror that reflects sound for three seconds ❱

 ‘Load feature description.’ 

 

❰Should I search for the keyword ‘description’? ❱

 

 

‘Ehhh, fuck off.’

 

I have to be careful what I wish for.

 

At least I know that the contact function exists.

 

─Hey guys, I think I can contact Yuri and Ji-won. I’ll try, but don’t hold your breath.

 

I immediately shared the news on our group chat. It might calm their fears to some extent, but I’m careful not to be a wish torturer.

 

─I will disappear again just like before, so please take care of yourself.

 

Deciding that it would be best to activate an additional skill from the Faculty Room in the dream space if I wanted to make contact, I stepped back into the rift.

 

“I just saw—!”

 “She’s a ghost, she does that a lot.”

 

I ignored the chatter behind me.

 

But what followed made me stop.

 

“I’ll be a ghost from now on!”

 

Why is Hanbyul coming out?

 

Hanbyul followed me into the rift while holding Seo Jun’s hand.

 “That’s right, I took a test here! I fell asleep here in Korean class!”

Hanbyul exclaimed. 

 

“She said that hearing her best friend’s voice would help her wake up and asked if I could take her back.”

Seo Jun explained to the excited Hanbyul.

 

It’s good for me to have Hanbyul with me.

 

Yuri and I are in the same class and the same club, so we’re pretty close, but Ji-won and I haven’t spoken to each other since the last haunting in the parking lot. 

 

There was a good chance that Ji-won wouldn’t recognize my voice.

 

“Hey, did I do a good job?” “Yeah, you’re really good.”

 

I welcomed her with open arms, but the problem was the rest of the class.

 

There are now three ghosts.

 

Go, Jiyoon Min! I’m sure you’ll be able to organize it yourself!

 

“Can you contact them right away?” “Uh, yeah, I’ll try right away, but you have to stay away for a while. It might not go well…”

 

I placed Hanbyul and Seo Jun far away from each other and activated the Master of Mirrors skill.

 

❰Master of Mirrors: Mirror that reflects sound for three seconds has been activated. ❱

 

Shatter─

 

A piece of glass shattered on the mirror surface.

 

❰ You have 0 Mirror of Sound activations left! ❱

 

The only good news is that it floats on the debris for 60 minutes.

 

It took me a while to realize that I only had one chance, but it was reassuring to know that I had plenty of time to use it.

 

The shard lit itself and began counting down.

 

❰00:59:59❱

 

Is this the right time to call them?

 

I called out nervously.

 

“Kwon Yuri, Yang Ji-won!”

 

Hanbyul ran over to me at the sound.

 

“Can you hear me?” “Do you know who we are?” 

The wait was not long.

 

─Uh, how.

 

Soon, Yuri’s voice came back from the other side.

***

 

─So can we finish this play?

─Yes?

─How do we end it?

─Look, pretend this is the audience. One, two, three! Say hello!

─…….

─Oh, I don’t think this is it.

─It’s not until the story of the play is completely wrapped up that it’s considered finished, right?

 

The sounds of Yang Ji Won and Kwon Yuri trying to figure things out could be heard through the debris.

 

“How should we end it? Should we just have them reconcile or something?” “Let’s try this first, girls, apologize to each other.” “Yang Ji-won, you go first. Repeat after me. I’m sorry for being first.”

 

Seo Jun, who had been watching Cha Hanbyul and I fumble around, furrowed her eyebrow and muttered.

 

“It says it never started.” “What?” “It says that a… case never started…?” “Who?” “The dreamspace beyond this. There’s a pathway for sound, and information is leaking through.”

 

Seo Jun pointed to the shard and added briefly.

 

“That spatial weakness skill you were talking about earlier.” “Oh, you’ve been using that skill all along.” “Yeah, just in case.”

 

Overhearing our conversation, Yuri from beyond the shard exclaimed,

“Eureka!”

.

 

─Ah, I see! Since this never started in the first place, it can’t end. We weren’t even fighting, I was just jealous of being second best.

 

─Yes. I know. All we’ve been doing here is studying. Vacation, study, school, study, school, study.

 

They said that Yuri came to her senses at the moment when the main event of the original story,

“Pushing the first in the class,”

was about to happen.

 

─Then let’s go with a story where they fight moderately and reconcile moderately. Good.

 

It’ll be nice to have a happy ending where they go from bitter rivals to good friends.

 

─Someone yell ready action.

 

Yuri’s request was answered by Hanbyul.

“We’re shooting. Ready, action!”

 

─Wait a minute, we’re starting right away?

─Ji-won, just go ahead and yell at me. I’ll take it.

─Assault me? Don’t go over the top.

 

“Hahahahaha!”

Hanbyul can’t hold back her laughter anymore.

 

─Was that Cha Hanbyul who just laughed? I’m embarrassed if you laugh!

 

“Sorry, I’m so sorry. I’ll go again. Ready, action!”

 

─The top spot in the whole school is not for you. So give it up!

─…What? B, say it again.

 

Yuri’s voice turned sharp in an instant.

 

─Forget it, give it up.

─Ya. If you’re pissed, say you’re pissed. Don’t go around in circles and say it like that.

─I’m stuck in Second place A. Why would I do that to you?

─B do you know what kind of mind I need to study with? If you don’t, then you don’t have the right to talk to me like that. I really want to kill you.

 

The murderous atmosphere from beyond the shards was still there. 

 

Every syllable Yuri uttered was alive. Yuri’s acting made even Yang Ji Won’s awkward stuttering of sentences from a textbook seem lively.

 

─I want to kill you, you talk too much. I only gave you advice because I felt sorry for you. What will you do if you lose to me in the next test? It’ll be really embarrassing. Unless I transfer or something, you’ll never be number one in this school

.

 

“Wow, it’s like a real fight, isn’t it.” “Yeah.”

 

Cha Hanbyul and I lowered our voices and shared a brief sentiment.

 

─Ah, yeah, so if you disappear, I’ll be number one?

 

But why is it that the conversation is getting more and more…

 

─That’s why you feel sorry for me, because I’m studying my ass off when there’s such a simple way to do it.

─Are you crazy?

─I’m just trying to do what you said, B.

 

“Stop! Stop!” “Wake up!” 

Seo Jun and I let out screams at the same time.

 

The mood was definitely different from when we started acting out the fight.

 

Now they’ve not only gotten into their roles, they’ve completely assimilated them.

 

Kwon Yuri and Yang Ji-won were again manipulated by the script of the original ghost story.

 “Guys!”

 

─…! You must be crazy. Ji-won, are you okay?! What did I do… Crazy, crazy, I almost got myself in trouble.

 

Fortunately, Yuri regained control first and prevented it from going any further, so it didn’t turn into a bloodbath.

 

─Ji-Won? What are you talking about? Who is that?

─It’s your name! You’re Yang Ji-won, not B!

─…Hmm? Huh?

 

“Yang Ji-won, what’s wrong with you again!”

 

Only after Cha Hanbyul screamed did Yang Ji-won regain her composure.

 

─…Ah!

─I think we both got carried away again. Are you okay?

─I’m fine, but can you put the knife away first?

─I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I didn’t even realize I was holding it!

 

“Are any of you hurt? You’re both okay, right?”

Cha Hanbyul asked anxiously.

 

─I’m fine, really.

 

Yang Ji Won reassured her, and Seo Jun stepped in to clear up the situation.

 

“We need to eliminate all the elements that could lead to a ghost story. First of all, you two should never fight or compete.”

 

The problem is, that kind of peacefulness doesn’t move the story forward.

 

“Hmm, but it’s not possible in the setting for them to get along, so should I send one of them to school?”

 

Of course, that doesn’t advance the story either.

 

How do we move the story forward while still maintaining the setting that the first and second students don’t get along, and not leading to the death of the first student?

 

“Can’t we add a setting? Like they were actually best friends.”

Hanbyul chimed in.

 

“Then how are you going to end the story?” “Well, a cliffhanger ending…”  “Rejected.” “Or the ending where they go to karaoke and then high-five each other with hope for a brighter tomorrow.” “Oh, that’s not bad.”

Seo Jun interjected into the silly conversation.

 

“We don’t have time, just tell them to sing in the study hall.” 

Seo Jun was an idiot.

 

─Okay, I’ll give it a try. Hanbyul, please do “Ready Action” one more time.

 

“Readyyyyy! Action!”

 

─We were always close, weren’t we?

─That’s right, we were only pretending to compete.

─Hahaha, how about we sing a song after all these years?

─Okay, Ji-won, what do you want to sing?

 

“Wait, wait! Cut!”

This time I interrupted the flow.

“I’m sorry to interrupt, but you should call her by her theater role name, not her real name.”

 

But what I got back was a voice full of embarrassment.

 

─I called you by your real name…?

─Are you sure you didn’t mishear me? She said it was B.

 

I looked back at Seo Jun and Cha Hanbyul.

“Did I hear them wrong?”

 

They shook their heads.

 

“I heard “Ji-won” too.” “Me too.”

 

Yuri said Ji-won’s character’s name over there, but here it sounded like her real name.

 

“I guess they’re not treating this as a theater story?”

 

Seo Jun focused on the skill for a moment, reading the information in the space.

 “It’s so fake, it’s called…?”

 

Hanbyul, who had commented, slapped her forehead in disappointment.

 

“Aaahhh! I thought this would be an easy way to end it!” “No, but how far is too far?” “I know. Don’t you have any standards? Seo Jun, do you have any idea?” “I don’t know much about that either.”

 

To get a clearer idea of the scope of faking, we also acted out a situation in which the second-ranked person tried to confess to the first-ranked person.

 

“Remember. The confession shouldn’t turn into a fight. It goes straight to steamed love. If you try to compete or show any sign of fighting, you may be completely assimilated into the original story.” 

They staged the confessional attack and got a quick ending.

 

***

 

“That sounded like their real name, didn’t it?”

 

“Yep. What about you, Seo Jun? Any new information?”

 

They didn’t get the theater story treatment.

 

“So, um, I guess if you fudge relationships and personalities too much, they don’t recognize it as story progression.” “Ouch, headache.”

 

I’m wondering what I can do that won’t lead to murder without undermining the rivalry between first and second place.

 “Can’t we just add a teacher role and force them to get along?”

I muttered in frustration.

 

“That’s it!”

Hearing that, Hanbyul exclaimed.

“Create public enemies!”