Chapter 35: Negotiations with the Minister: A Magical Girl’s Summer Dispatch

It was a gathering that would have usually dragged on for two more hours, but… with Venus’s retirement announcement, it ended earlier than usual.

The next day, her retirement was widely reported on various news outlets, both on TV and the internet.

Even though I had heard about it firsthand just yesterday, it still didn’t feel real.

For now, I was just enjoying the coolness of this room and the freedom of summer vacation.

The idea of a magical girl’s retirement felt like a far-off issue, distant from my reality.

It was like when I was in elementary school, thinking, “By the time I have to join the military, there’ll be reunification, and I won’t have to go!”—a fleeting, meaningless, but happy delusion.

“Hah.”

Thinking about those days made a laugh escape from deep inside me.

How absurd.

Those kids who thought like that grew up to be the soldiers of that era.

People’s thoughts are often similar.

Anyway, a retired person is a retired person.

She probably didn’t say the word “retirement” lightly and had likely already found a magical girl to succeed her.

A magical girl to take on the name “Venus” and fill that role.

For her sake, let’s at least send her some well wishes, even if just for a moment.

“Welcome to hell, you still-pure girl.”

After releasing my hands, which I had briefly clasped together, I started fiddling with my smartphone.

The Magical Girl Gallery would be the most sensitive to her retirement news.

When I visited the page, most of the posts, whether in the general section or the highlighted ones, were filled with news of her retirement.

[No way, my magical girl!!!!!! (67)]

[Thank you, Venus… from all of Magical Girl Gallery (217)]

[I feel like I’ve been NTR’d (86)]

[Today, my world crumbled (101)]

[Sigh… I don’t want to live anymore, damn (55)]

Amid what seemed like posts related to magical girls, I clicked on one that appeared more sentimental.

[Turned on my smartphone and saw the retirement news]

[Suddenly, I didn’t want to go to work]

[It’s too hard, my company’s calling me]

[I regret not quitting sooner]

[I’m so fed up I want to take your lives]

[Please cancel the retirement.]

Puzzled by the incoherent beginning and end of the post, I looked at the comments.

[You should at least answer your company’s call, you crazy bastard lol]

[Lmao, she’s nuts]

[Why are you taking our lives, damn]

[Let’s all quit while we’re at it lol]

[Lmao this is nuts]

[What’s the original post of this?]

[Search for “My world crumbled yesterday”]

[Can’t believe this even has an original post]

[I’m drinking alone after taking leave, sigh…]

It turned out it was a parody of some original post.

Not knowing the original, I couldn’t laugh, so I quickly moved on to the next post.

It was the most commented post among the recent highlights, with a warm-sounding title.

Also, the poster’s username had an orange badge in front of it.

It was a post by the gallery’s manager.

They organized the accomplishments of Venus, a magical girl, over the span of an entire generation.

Where she fought monsters, at what time, and when she completed the task.

A list of the monsters she defeated over more than ten years was meticulously recorded, and at the end of these achievements…

“Thank you, Magical Girl Venus.”

“You can now lay down your wand and rest peacefully.”

“-From all of us at the Magical Girl Gallery-”

It was a message so sincere and heartfelt that if the one retiring read it, they might have been moved to tears. It was rare to see such strong yet solemn words of gratitude in this gallery.

Though there was some regret that I couldn’t show this post to her before memories were altered…

As an elementary school student with no means of direct contact, there wasn’t much I could do.

Instead, I stared in awe at the scroll listing her accomplishments.

Of course, some monster names appeared multiple times.

“How many hundreds of monsters are on this list…?”

Yet despite the repetition, the enormous number of records accumulated over time was definitely preserved in this gallery.

From now on, her achievements would become a blank canvas, ready to be filled by another magical girl inheriting Venus’s name.

Whether this new magical girl would live up to the name and accomplishments remained unknown.

“Still, it’s amazing…”

I was genuinely impressed by Venus and scrolled down to the comments section.

The gallery’s usual torrent of insults, criticism, and slander had transformed into a sea of peaceful comments.

“Thank you for your hard work. We won’t forget you.”

“Thanks to you, we were able to sleep peacefully.”

Every single comment was full of encouragement, comfort, and support.

It was such a heartwarming sight that I wondered if I had stumbled into the wrong community by accident. Feeling rare healing from this gallery, I pressed the back button.

Just as I was about to click on the next top post…

[Unknown Caller]

“Huh?”

A call screen appeared right in the center of my phone.

My phone didn’t ring very often.

I hadn’t inputted my number into any services, so there was no way it could have been sold as information.

And typically, even scam callers don’t use “unknown caller” IDs.

The moment I saw “unknown caller,” I knew something was fishy.

By process of elimination, the conclusion was obvious.

Someone who knew about magical girls and had the authority to contact individuals.

Without hesitation, I slid the green button and answered the call immediately.

“Hello?”

“Hello? Is this Sun? It’s me, the lady.”

After the formal greetings were exchanged, I calmly pretended not to recognize her and responded with a simple “Ah.”

“Oh, yes.”

The voice from the other side belonged to a high-ranking government official, often referred to as someone important.

She was essentially the magical girls’ financier and, in reality, their direct supervisor.

Her title was something like Minister of Public Safety or National Security…something along those lines.

Since they couldn’t use an official title like “Minister of Magical Girl Affairs,” they created a more roundabout one.

To put it simply, she was both the magical girls’ helper and their boss.

When this person contacts me first, it’s never about good news, but if I don’t respond, it causes problems in its own way.

“Not to change the subject, but did you hear about Venus’ retirement?”

“Yes, of course…”

Out of the blue, the minister brings up Venus’ retirement.

I don’t know why they’re telling me this, but I just gave a positive reply.

Then, like a snake’s tongue, the conversation started to drag on.

“Venus isn’t retiring right away. There’s going to be a new Venus… you know, they’ll hand things over to each other during the transition. Oh, and do you know what a transition is?”

“I know what it means.”

“Oh, do you now? You’re really smart… I can always count on you.”

This isn’t the usual straightforward talk from the minister.

It’s an attempt to flatter me, trying to cloud my judgment.

I’ve heard that government jobs are like hell, and she’s a survivor of that fierce battlefield.

I must not get caught up in this woman’s conversation.

If I keep going with “Mm-hmm, I see,” before I know it, I’ll end up losing something.

She’s definitely up to something.

Judging from the clues in the conversation, she probably wants me to fill the gap left by Venus’ temporary absence.

She knows full well that I’m not some naive kid.

“So, what’s the point?”

“Two weeks. A dispatch to Sokcho. While you’re there, 1.5 times the daily rate.”

“Do you think I’m stupid? Three times.”

Upon hearing the ridiculous pay offer from the other end of the phone, I immediately asked for three times.

This dumb job doesn’t come with retirement benefits.

So, there’s not much loss due to Venus leaving her position.

And the salary that was regularly paid to Venus should naturally come to me for covering the gap.

At this point, I rightly deserve at least double the pay.

Though I don’t have a solid reason to demand three times, if I were to start with double, she’d probably cut it down even further.

Considering the fact that she contacted me and not some other magic girl, it means the others are probably struggling just to maintain their own regions.

“That’s not possible, 1.75 times.”

Despite the fact that I hold the upper hand, the minister cautiously raised the original offer from 1.5 times.

Of course, I had no intention of lowering my demand to 2 times right away.

In negotiations, you have to be shameless.

“2.7 times.”

“1.8 times.”

The tension between us was palpable.

The gap between the numbers was narrowing.

It was starting to look like we might reach a compromise that both sides could accept.

“2.4 times.”

“1.9 times.”

As expected, it seemed like we would settle at around 2 times, but I decided to be bold and push for a stronger position.

I exaggerated about having already finished my vacation homework and collapsed dramatically with an exaggerated complaint.

“2.3 times, anything less and I’m hanging up. Oh my! Vacation homework is so tough!”

“Click.”

The Minister made a short, disapproving sound with her tongue.

Of course, the talk about summer homework was a blatant lie.

Siyeon may not know, but I had already finished everything.

Though I may look like a kid, it’s dangerous to underestimate an experienced worker.

Even if you’re a child, you still deserve to be paid properly for your labor.

“Fine! 2.3 times!”

‘Nice!’

I clenched my fist in triumph with the hand that wasn’t holding the smartphone, thrilled with the better-than-expected negotiation.

“They’ll send people, right? And you’ve prepared a place for us to stay?”

I asked in a sly tone over the phone, making sure we’d have people to take us to Sokcho and a place to stay there.

Of course, since we’re filling in at the last minute, that’s the least they can do.

“Yeah, yeah! Sheesh, where do they even find people like this…!”

The grumbling complaint on the other end faded as the call abruptly ended.

It seemed like the Minister was quite displeased with the outcome of this negotiation.

But on my end, it was extremely satisfying.

Now then, Sokcho. Sokcho, huh…

I leaned my head out from the bunk bed, glancing toward Siyeon, who was sitting at a low table in the living room working on her summer homework.

“Siyeon!”

“Hmm?”

She lifted her head toward me, a curious expression on her face.

To that puzzled look, I delivered the news that would make her day.

“We’re going to the beach tomorrow!”

“Really?!”

As expected, her face lit up with a full-blown smile.

**Author’s Note (Postscript)**

“Going on a trip is always nice.”

Read the next chapter.