Chapter 19: The Ever-Positive Angel Is in Charge of the Magical Girl's Mental Care

Human Yoo Seo-ah, Angel Sarah

When I came to my senses, it was the morning of the third day.

Even though I had been in so much pain, just a bit of sleep was enough to clear both my body and mind.

Well, my body was always fine thanks to my abilities anyway.

Seems like my mind is still in recovery.

As I blinked blankly and stretched my limbs to relieve the stiffness,

"Uuugh… huuuaah…"

The tension in my limbs gave way to a refreshing sensation after a good stretch.

But despite the freshness, I still felt like going back to sleep.

"Haaaam… huuuh…"

Still, I had to get up.

Just as I got off the bed with a long yawn, my eyes met Seo-ah’s as she came out of the bathroom.

“You’re up?”

“Ah, Seo-ah! Good morning! You’re up early!”

“You just woke up later than usual.”

They say if you wake up feeling fresh, you probably overslept. How long did I sleep?

At Seo-ah’s words, I glanced at the clock on the wall.

“11 o’clock!?”

Considering I usually wake up at 6, that meant I’d slept 5 extra hours.

Sure, I was up late last night, but still, 11 o’clock!?

I was so surprised that I shot up, and Seo-ah chuckled.

“You must’ve been really tired after running around causing trouble yesterday.”

“W-what about breakfast!? Did you go out already!? You can’t go out on an empty stomach, it’ll drain your strength! People need to eat to function!”

“I already ate breakfast, and I haven’t gone out yet. So don’t worry. No need to be that startled.”

Seo-ah smiled gently and patted my shoulder.

“I was just about to have lunch. Join me?”

“O-okay… Is there anything you’d like to eat?”

I started heading to the kitchen to put on my apron.

Or rather, I tried to.

“Seo-ah? I need to get in the kitchen to make lunch, you know?”

“Take the day off. After everything you went through yesterday, don’t even think about cooking.”

“But…”

“No buts. When you’re sick or hurt, resting is the right thing to do. So today, don’t do anything. Just lie down and relax.”

She cut me off firmly as if she wouldn't accept any objections, so I had no choice but to nod.

“Then… how are we going to eat lunch?”

“Hm? What do you mean how? We’ll order in, of course.”

Oh. Right. Ordering food is a thing.

I’d been living like a model child these past few days and totally forgot about it.

As I nodded and sat back on the bed, Yoo Seo-ah—now with fully dried hair—sat next to me and said.

“And besides, today’s the last day, right? The last we can be together.”

Last day…?

What is she talking about—

— Just three days. Do whatever I ask during that time. Then I’ll let you go.

“…Ah.”

Today was the third and final day.

Because of the monster, I had completely forgotten.

‘Today is the last.’

After today, this time spent with Yoo Seo-ah would also come to an end.

Once I start traveling to help other magical girls, I probably won’t see her for a while.

The word ‘last’ always feels new and always feels sad.

Even though there was still plenty of time left in the day, the sadness that had taken root in me wasn’t going anywhere.

This feeling probably wouldn’t go away even after I left.

No, it would only grow stronger.

Because that’s the nature of parting.

I’ll keep thinking “If only it could’ve been like this,” or “If only that had happened instead.”

“What’s with the look? Feeling sad now that it’s time to go?”

While I was zoning out, Yoo Seo-ah, who was ordering food on her phone, looked over at me and asked.

The way she smiled casually made me hesitate for a second, but then I smiled gently and shook my head.

“It’s okay! It’s not like we’ll never see each other again, right?”

If I reveal my feelings, it will be a burden to her.

It’s not like we’ll be separated forever.

Surely we’ll meet again someday.

“You say that, but you really look like you’re going to cry.”

Was it that obvious?

As I touched my face in surprise, Yoo Seo-ah grinned.

Yeah… she’d seen right through me.

“They say, ‘every meeting has its parting’… but it’d be a lie to say I’m not sad.”

“You could’ve just honestly said you were sad. Why make it sound so complicated?”

“Because if I was honest, it might’ve made Seo-ah feel burdened.”

“And who decided that?”

Yoo Seo-ah poked my cheek with her finger.

“I appreciate the thought, but I’m not so emotionally weak that I can’t even handle something like that.”

“Seo-ah…”

“So just say it. Be honest. Say you don’t want to go.”

She gently revealed her true feelings, and I smiled faintly, leaning against her shoulder.

Maybe it was because she’d just showered, but her skin was warm, and she smelled faintly of pleasant lavender.

Just like she had sensed how I felt,

I could tell what she wanted to say too.

“…You don’t want to let me go, do you?”

I heard her softly inhale above my head.

But she only sighed instead of answering.

After a while of silence, she gently took my hand in hers.

“If I said I didn’t want to let you go… would you stay?”

This time, it was my turn to fall silent.

Only now did I understand why Yoo Seo-ah had gone quiet earlier.

‘I asked her something difficult.’

After thinking hard about how to respond, I gave her a soft smile and squeezed her hand back.

“If you tell me not to go… then I won’t.”

It wasn’t a lie.

If Yoo Seo-ah really told me not to go, I honestly would have stayed.

Of course, I hadn’t said it just because I didn’t want to leave.

It was because I already knew how she’d respond to my words.

True to that, Yoo Seo-ah didn’t say anything and just tightened her grip on my hand.

She stopped just short of it hurting and sighed.

“…That’s not fair. You knew I wouldn’t be able to say that.”

“Hehe, sorry.”

“Doing it even while knowing that makes you even worse. Are you really an angel?”

I laughed heartily as I watched Yoo Seo-ah speak with a sulky expression.

Seeing me like that, she let out a deep sigh and hugged me tightly.

“Honestly… I don’t want to let you go. But I promised I would. And… I know all too well how painful it is to be tied down by something.”

Saying that, Yoo Seo-ah laid down on the bed with me still in her arms.

This time, not with my back to her, but face-to-face so we could see each other’s faces clearly.

“That’s why I’m letting you go. Because I want you to be happy.”

She looked awkward as she gave a shy smile, her face flushed red with embarrassment.

Smiling brightly at that adorable sight, I reached up and gently dimmed the glow of my radiant halo, then hugged her back.

“Thank you.”

“If you’re really thankful, then send me a message now and then. I’m not asking for it often, just do it whenever you think of me.”

“I promise I will.”

We held each other for a while.

Dozing off in the warmth of each other’s arms, we were suddenly startled awake by the sound of the doorbell.

“Huh? Wh-what is it? A call to dispatch?”

“Ugh… No, it’s the food delivery I ordered earlier. I completely forgot while we were talking... Ugh, hang on a second, I’ll go get it.”

Yoo Seo-ah roughly got up with a disheveled look and walked out yawning to answer the door.

The food she’d ordered was none other than pizza.

“Pizza?”

“It just reminded me of when I used to eat it with my family. So I felt like ordering it.”

It wasn’t anything fancy or special, just a familiar and simple choice. But maybe that’s why it felt so nice.

“Thif if fo goof!”

“Yeah yeah, finish chewing before you talk.”

“This pizza’s so good!”

“Told you.”

With a big pizza in front of us, we laughed and chatted freely, enjoying our meal together while watching TV.

It made me think: shouldn’t we be doing something more special if today was our last day?

But Yoo Seo-ah said that because it was our last day, she just wanted it to be an ordinary one, so we won’t do anything grand today.

I understood it clearly.

Doing something special would make it feel too much like a true farewell.

So we decided to save anything special for the 'next time' that would come someday.

I hoped there wouldn’t be a dispatch today.

Maybe it was thanks to that small wish, or maybe because that monster had disappeared—

But whatever the reason, we really spent a peaceful day today. Truly peaceful.

[Struggling with dinner plans? Tired after a long day at work? We’ve got just the thing for you!—…]

“It’s already evening.”

They say happy times go by quickly.

Even though we hadn’t done much, the sun was already beginning to set.

As she watched a food commercial on TV, Yoo Seo-ah suddenly turned to look at me in silence.

It wasn’t just a glance—she kept staring at me with a look so intense it made me nervous.

“…Why are you looking at me like that?”

I asked carefully, feeling a bit overwhelmed by her gaze.

“Ah, nothing. I was just… thinking about something.”

With that, Yoo Seo-ah let out a deep sigh and leaned her head back on the bed.

“It’s hard.”

“What is?”

“Your name.”

I blinked at the unexpected topic, and she gave me a wry smile.

“I can’t keep calling you ‘hey,’ ‘you,’ or just ‘angel’ forever.”

“Hmm… That’s true. But… I don’t have a name.”

“That’s what I was thinking about. What kind of name would suit you?”

Ah, would this be considered blasphemy?

I hesitated for a moment at her playful grin, but then smiled.

“It’ll probably be fine. I doubt God would care.”

If we’re talking about the “god” of this world, it’d be that damn author.

Would that author really nitpick about naming a character that doesn't even exist in the original story?

No. Definitely not.

They’d just shrug it off like always.

“So, it’s fine. Let’s think of one together!”

Either way, I’d have to settle on a name eventually.

It’s a bit late, but since I’ll be meeting more people soon, I’ll need one.

As I was just about to start brainstorming, Yoo Seo-ah spoke up first.

“Actually, I already had one in mind.”

“What is it?”

“I looked it up online the other day. Apparently, an angel with six wings is called a Seraph. So at first I thought of Sarai (שָׂרַ֣י), but it sounded a little awkward. So I dropped the ‘-i’ and went with Sarah (שָׂרָה). What do you think?”

Sarah.

Sarah…

“I love it!”

I beamed and nodded happily.

[Name: Sarah (שָׂרָה – Princess of All)]

And just like that, in the once-empty corner of my status window, my name was engraved.

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