I Became a Magical Girl In a Harem Manga

"Ms. Hye-Rim, is this your house?"

"Uh... Yeah. Thanks for bringing me home."

I barely reached the front of my house with Alice's help. I drank way too much, trying to forget by force. Even now, my vision is spinning like crazy.

Just as I struggled to get inside the house—

—Creak

"...Huh?"

The house door next to ours opened, and out came Jung Ha-Yeon.

She was probably on her way to throw out the trash since she had a trash bag in one hand.

Jung Ha-Yeon and Alice locked eyes.

"Ms. Hye-Rim? And... oh, is that Alice?"

Ha-Yeon instantly recognized Alice, despite her disguise. Since they see each other often, Ha-Yeon is familiar even with Alice's disguised appearance.

Alice awkwardly greeted Ha-Yeon.

"Oh? Ahaha... Ms. Ha-Yeon, hello! Fancy seeing you here."

"Yeah... really. But what brings you here, Alice?"

"I had drinks with Ms. Hye-Rim, but she had way too much, so I helped her back home."

"Oh, I see."

Ha-Yeon glared sharply at Alice, who was standing close to a drunken Shin Hye-Rim.

She knew that Alice liked Ms. Hye-Rim. And now, here she was, with Ms. Hye-Rim drunk and defenseless by her side.

Just as Ha-Yeon wondered if Alice had done something strange to Ms. Hye-Rim—

"But why is Ms. Ha-Yeon living next door to Ms. Hye-Rim?"

With a similarly sharp look, Alice reversed the question. Her eyes had turned just as cold as Ha-Yeon's.

"I moved in recently."

"Hmm... And it just happened to be next to Ms. Hye-Rim's place?"

"Yes. I thought if I had to move, it would be nice to live next to someone I know."

"Ah, I see."

Alice smiled brightly at Jung Ha-Yeon's answer.

"In that case, maybe I should move next door too..."

"Unfortunately, someone else already lives there. So there's no room for anyone else next to Ms. Hye-Rim."

"Ugh...!"

As if knowing exactly what Alice was about to say, Jung Ha-Yeon cut her off and stepped closer.

"You must have had a hard time helping Ms. Hye-Rim all the way here. Thank you. I'll take care of her now, so you can go home."

"Oh, Ha-Yeon, what are you talking about? Weren't you on your way to throw out the trash? I'll make sure Ms. Hye-Rim gets inside safely, so don't worry, and go on your way."

"How could I just leave when my dear neighbor seems to be in trouble?"

"......"

"......"

Alice and Ha-Yeon stared at each other in silence for a moment. The smiles had long vanished from both of their faces.

While Ms. Hye-Rim slept, drunk, Alice leaned in close to Ha-Yeon and softly whispered.

"Ha-Yeon, what are you doing? You said it yourself, didn’t you? That you don’t have feelings for Ms. Hye-Rim."

"Yes, I did."

"Then, could you stop getting in the way?"

"But, actually, that was a lie."

"...What?"

"I feel the same way about her that you do."

"......"

Alice's expression froze. Jung Ha-Yeon alternated her gaze between Alice and the sleeping Shin Hye-Rim, resting against Alice's shoulder.

"I don't know why Ms. Hye-Rim drank so much tonight, but I'll take care of her now. After all, I'm her kind neighbor."n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

—I'm her neighbor, we live close by. Outsiders should back off.

That was how Alice heard Jung Ha-Yeon's words.

And indeed, that was exactly what Jung Ha-Yeon meant. Alice couldn’t just stand by.

"I don't know what your intentions were when you moved next door, but what does it matter what I do with Ms. Hye-Rim?"

—You moved here because you were aiming for her too, right? Just let us be alone.

Ha-Yeon and Alice exchanged these unspoken thoughts while smiling at each other.

—Creak

"Why’s it so noisy in front of the house...? Oh?! Hye-Rim? Why are you so drunk?"

Suddenly, the door to Ms. Hye-Rim's house opened, and Yoo Seo-Eun came out.

Yoo Seo-Eun was startled to see the sleeping, drunk Shin Hye-Rim and immediately rushed over.

"I told you to drink in moderation! You said you had something to do and told me to go ahead... and it was to go drinking? Sniff, sniff. Ugh, the smell of alcohol. You drank a lot."

"Uh, um..."

Alice looked at Yoo Seo-Eun with a flustered expression.

"Do you live with Ms. Hye-Rim?"

"Ah, yes. That's right. Thanks for bringing her home."

Yoo Seo-Eun awkwardly smiled and thanked Alice.

"Um, but... who are you?"

Only then did Yoo Seo-Eun ask the obvious question.

Right now, Alice was in disguise, looking completely different from how she usually met Ms. Hye-Rim. With short black hair and black lenses, she just looked like an attractive stranger.

"Oh, I'm a friend of Ms. Hye-Rim's. We had plans today, and we ended up drinking... and, well, she drank quite a bit. Haha."

"I see. Anyway, thanks for helping her all the way here. That must have been tough."

"Not at all. I actually enjoyed it."

"Enjoyed it?"

"Yes!"

Alice smiled brightly, in her signature way.

"Ms. Hye-Rim relied on me more and leaned on me. I was so happy!"

"...Hm?"

Yoo Seo-Eun froze at those words.

It could have sounded like something a very close friend might say. But with everything that had happened recently, Yoo Seo-Eun couldn’t help but grow suspicious of Alice.

Could this person be the one Hye-Rim had said she liked?

Yoo Seo-Eun quickly glanced at Jung Ha-Yeon, as if asking, "Who is this person?"

After a moment's hesitation, Jung Ha-Yeon replied, "She's a friend of Ms. Hye-Rim's. I can't say more."

Since Alice was in disguise, she was trying to protect her identity.

"Anyway, thank you for bringing Hye-Rim home. I'll take her inside to rest now."

Yoo Seo-Eun gently took Hye-Rim from Alice's arms, despite feeling a little uncomfortable.

Although grateful, Yoo Seo-Eun was also on guard and wanted to send Alice away as soon as possible. For some reason, she felt it would be a bad idea to leave this woman with Hye-Rim any longer.

Alice nodded and stepped back.

"Sure. Please let Ms. Hye-Rim know that I'll treasure what happened tonight in my heart."

"Uh... What?"

"Well then, I'll be off. Have a good evening, both of you~!"

Alice waved her hand as she walked away, then suddenly clapped her hands and turned back to Jung Ha-Yeon and Yoo Seo-Eun with a devilish smile.

"Ms. Hye-Rim's skin is so smooth and soft."

"...!!"

"Wh-What?!"

She left, dropping that bombshell.

"Ms. Hye-Rim, you should change clothes before you sleep."

"Mmm..."

"Geez, you never drink this much."

Yoo Seo-Eun sighed as she laid Hye-Rim on the bed.

Shin Hye-Rim liked to drink but never drank this much. Yoo Seo-Eun had never seen her so drunk that she couldn’t even stand.

"Maybe she usually holds back because I stop her."

Yoo Seo-Eun often gave Hye-Rim a look when she tried to drink more than two cans of beer. That’s probably why Hye-Rim drank so much when she finally had the chance.

At least, that’s what Yoo Seo-Eun thought.

"I wouldn’t have been so strict if I’d known this would happen. But..."

Looking down at the sleeping Shin Hye-Rim, Yoo Seo-Eun remembered what Alice had said.

'Ms. Hye-Rim's skin is so smooth and soft.'

What could she have meant by that? Did she do something inappropriate? What’s their relationship? Could they be... lovers?

The look Alice gave Hye-Rim was one of deep affection. And her provocative words seemed like a warning not to touch what was hers.

"I don’t know who that woman is, but I can’t just let this slide."

Yoo Seo-Eun brought a towel and wiped Hye-Rim’s face. She was sweating a bit, probably because of the alcohol heating up her body.

Yoo Seo-Eun gently pressed and felt Hye-Rim’s cheek.

"...It really is soft."

Even as a fellow woman, Hye-Rim's skin was enviably smooth. Had that woman touched her even more intimately?

It bothered Yoo Seo-Eun that only Hye-Rim had gotten drunk while the other person was perfectly fine. What if Alice had intentionally gotten Hye-Rim drunk for her own purposes?

What if, while I was at home, Hye-Rim was intoxicated and something happened to her?

'I must be crazy. What am I even thinking?'

My mind wandered for a moment and I imagined something strange. I am concerned about that woman, but surely, it hasn't gone that far.

'...Should I tell Mi-Young about this?'

Today, Team Leader 1 of the Awakened Crime Division, Yoo Mi-Young, was gloomy all day, sharing the same worries as me.

Recalling her, Yoo Seo-Eun picked up her phone.

T/N: the awkward moment when all the love interests are in one place