I Became a Magical Girl In a Harem Manga

Chapter 35 - High School Magical Girl (1)

"Chief, what is this?"

"It's the school uniform you'll wear from today onwards."

The next day, I arrived at work, only to be handed a uniform by the chief. He said I should wear it and go straight to the Awakened Academy.

"Hah, really. I never thought I'd have to wear a uniform again."

"You've only been out of high school for three years, no? Just think of it as revisiting your student life for a bit."

"It's like I'm going back into the army."

"You've never even been in the army in the first place. What do you mean by going back?"

No... I've graduated from high school twice and served in the military, so I'm a military high school girl.

There was no use complaining when the decision had already been made. I decided to accept reality, changed into the school uniform, and put on the wig I had prepared.

To conceal my identity as much as possible, I wore a completely different black wig and glasses.

When I returned to the office, my team members and the section chief burst out laughing when they saw me.

"Hahahaha! You look great, Hye-Rim."

"Lol... Team leader, you could completely blend in as a student."

"From your appearance, you look like a model student! Your whole demeanor has changed!"

The section chief was laughing out loud, while Park Oh-Jin tried to stifle his laughter. Lee So-Young told me I looked good, but it wasn't comforting at all.

"Is it funny? Yu-Sung, do you think I look that funny?"

"N-no... lol! Of course not."

Shin Yu-Sung even turned his head away and is doing a 'try not to laugh' challenge.

Damn it. I never thought I'd be wearing a school uniform at this age. If you combine the age of my current body with my original age, I'm practically middle-aged.

"Ugh, yeah, yeah. Laugh all you want."

"Don't be so irritated, Hye-Rim. It's all part of the mission to protect the students."

"Despite saying that, you're the happiest one here, chief."

"How can I not laugh at the thought of not seeing your face for a while?"

Right now, the chief's face is lit up as brightly as a hundred lamps.

I see. You've been planning to send me on this mission since the moment I reported in.

Damn it. We'll see. I'll make sure to bring back a big headache to wipe that smug look off your face. I won't go down alone.

"Anyway, now that you're in disguise, head back to the Academy. You have to become a transfer student!"

"......I'll be back."

Even without him saying it, I planned to leave immediately. I might as well get there and capture the monster quickly rather than continue being laughed at by these bastards.

I headed straight for the Awakened Academy, bumping into Team Leaer 1 on my way out and getting my picture taken with her. By the time I arrived at the academy gates, my irritation was already bubbling up.

There, the disguised heroes had already arrived.

"Are you... Ms. Hye-Rim?"

As I approached the group of disguised heroes, a woman with light brown hair stepped forward.

I had already seen the disguises they wore in the original movie, so I knew immediately that it was Jung Ha-Yeon speaking to me.

"Yes, you must be Ms. Ha-Yeon. It's been a while."

"Yes, yes, it has been a long time."

"I didn't expect to see you again like this."

At my words, Jung Ha-Yeon smiled awkwardly and nodded. Then she began to examine me from head to toe, her gaze making me feel a little self-conscious.

"Something seems... different about you."

"That's the whole point of disguise. Does it seem a little strange?"

"Oh, no, not at all. I'm actually a little surprised at how pretty you look."

Leaving Jung Ha-Yeon behind, who mumbled something about how this was surprisingly good, I approached Baek Shin-Hwa and Shin Chul-Min.

Even though I didn't want to, I had to work with them, so I needed to say hello.

"Mr. Shin Chul-Min and Ms. Baek Shin-Hwa, right? I guess it's been... some time since we met?"

"A-ah, hello!"

"Hello!"

When I waved and greeted them, Baek Shin-Hwa, who wore a short-haired wig, stiffened and bowed her head, while Shin Chul-Min, who wore a red-haired wig, smiled cheerfully.

"Are you two a little closer than the last time we met? You're not still fighting, are you?"

My first encounter with Shin Chul-Min and Baek Shin-Hwa left quite an impression on me. I never thought I'd be questioning a hero and a heroine who were both victims of a lucky sukebe.

In response to my playful remark, Baek Shin-Hwa strongly denied it with exaggerated gestures and voice.

"That's not possible! Mr. Chul-Min and I would never fight; we're very close hero friends, right, Mr. Chul-Min?!"

"Uh... What? We don't have a bad relationship, but it's not like we're super clos-"

"No! We're super close! So, Ms. Shin Hye-Rim, I would never be the kind of person to argue and cause trouble with my fellow heroes, okay?"

"......Uh, I see."

What's with this reaction?

At first glance, it seems like Baek Shin-Hwa is trying to emphasize her closeness to Shin Chul-Min. It’s like the heroine who vehemently denies when someone asks, 'Aren't you two actually not that close?'

I expected a tsundere-like response—embarrassed but subtly hinting at their closeness. Instead, it sounds like she's making excuses to me.

Where have I seen this expression before? Oh, right, on a criminal I was interrogating.

"So rest assured, there will never be a situation like the one Ms. Shin Hye-Rim is worried about!"

"......"

I finally realized. Baek Shin-Hwa, you're scared of me.

That's weird. Last time we met, she was just fine talking to me normally. What's wrong with her now? Did she hear some rumors about me belatedly?

"Anyway, I'm glad to hear you two are getting along, and I'm sure you'll work well together in the future."

I extended my hand to Shin Chul-Min and Baek Shin-Hwa to shake.

Shin Chul-Min shook my hand right away, while Baek Shin-Hwa shook mine with a trembling hand.

"......"

Baek Shin-Hwa's hand was clammy, her palms drenched in sweat.

I couldn't figure out why she was suddenly so afraid of me, but I knew I needed to bridge this awkwardness between us. We’d be seeing each other frequently, and this was no way to behave with a colleague.

I'd have to be extra nice to Baek Shin-Hwa.

"Well, why don't we head inside? I heard we can go to the staff room."

After greeting them, I suggested that we proceed straight to the faculty office. The chairman had already briefed me on what to do.

When we go to the faculty office, all the professors who will be in charge of us will be waiting. We will have to explain to them who we are and why we are there.

As we entered the academy, Shin Chul-Min led the way, and I followed closely behind. Walking beside me was Jung Ha-Yeon, while Baek Shin-Hwa trailed cautiously at the rear.

I had imagined that Baek Shin-Hwa and Jung Ha-Yeon, who had both shown an interest in Shin Chul-Min, would sit next to each other, but the reality was different.

Feeling slightly disappointed, we walked into the staff room, where four teachers were waiting for us.

"Ah, you must be from the Hero Association and the Awakened Crime Division, right?"

The youngest of the teachers, a female, stepped forward to greet us.

"We've been expecting you. These teachers and I will be your homeroom teachers."

These teachers were responsible for the first, second, and third grade classes, respectively. Since we didn't know which grade the monster was disguised as, the plan was to assign each hero to a different grade to find it.

Originally, there were only three teachers, but with my addition, they had included a third-grade teacher. His face was not seen in the original story, but it looked familiar to me.

"Hmm?"

I walked up to the familiar-looking male teacher, who stood up straight with a tense expression on his face.

"Aren't you Lee Jung-Seok?"

The teacher was none other than Lee Jung-Seok, a hero I had met once before when I subdued a troublemaker similar to Kim Min-Seok.

"Why are you here? Weren't you a Hero?"

"Uh, I quit being a hero a while ago and became a teacher at the Awakened Academy!"

"Huh? Suddenly? Why?"

"Well, I just felt that I wasn't performing well as a hero, so... I decided to teach here to fulfill my childhood dream of becoming a teacher."

Many heroes retire and become teachers at Awakened Academies. Given their battlefield experience, they are highly valued as educators for the Awakened.

"Yeah? Is that so? Well, it's good to see you after all these years."

I patted Lee Jung-Seok on the shoulder, happy to see a familiar face.

"Well, it's an honor to meet you too, Team Leader 5!"

"What do you mean, 'honor'? Don't be so stiff. I'm here as a student; how can you be so respectful to a student?"

"No, I'm comfortable doing this!"

After exchanging greetings with Lee Jung-Seok, the female teacher continued her explanation.

Shin Chul-Min was assigned to the first grade, Baek Shin-Hwa to the second grade, and Jung Ha-Yeon and I to the third grade. My homeroom teacher would be Lee Jung-Seok.

"Jung-Seok, you're my homeroom teacher, right? I'll be counting on you."

"I'll do my best!"

"......Mr. Lee Jung-Seok is usually not that kind of person. What's wrong with him?"

The young female teacher looked at Lee Jung-Seok and me, shook her head, and continued.

"You are here to find the monster, so you don't have to pay attention to the class. If you want to skip class and wander around the school, you're free to do so."

She also brought up the topic of our dormitory arrangements.

"Oh, and by the way, you'll be staying in our academy dormitory for a while."

I had heard this during the briefing. Since we couldn't leave the academy while the monster was on the loose, we'd be staying in the academy's dormitory.

"The dormitories at our academy are equipped for two people per room. Since Hero Shin Chul-Min is the only male, he can have a room to himself. But among the three of you, two will have to share a room. Who will that be?"

In short, two of us—Jung Ha-Yeon, Baek Shin-Hwa, and I—would have to share a room.

"......Wait a minute, two of us have to share a room?"

At that, Baek Shin-Hwa broke out in a cold sweat again and glanced nervously at me.

"Same room?"

For some reason, Jung Ha-Yeon's eyes suddenly lit up.