I Became a Magical Girl In a Harem Manga

Monday morning at work, after a weekend filled with various events. Since I didn’t get to spend the weekend like an actual weekend, my exhaustion didn’t go away—it only piled up.

The thought of going to work for another five days in this state is making me feel utterly miserable. What’s even worse is that Monday morning is already way too busy.

“Sigh… Seriously, what kind of mess is this because of that damn Silfin?”

I’m writing a report on the Choi Young-hee incident from the weekend.

Honestly, thinking about the future is enough to drive me crazy. I have no idea when Silfin might come after me again. I just hope she doesn’t try to force another Awakening on someone Unawakened like she did with Choi Young-hee.

If that happens, people are going to start questioning everything. How does an Unawakened person suddenly gain and then lose abilities? What phenomenon could possibly explain this?

“I need to settle this properly.”

If possible, I have to put an end to things with Silfin soon. If not, innocent people might end up getting hurt.

…Next time I see her, I really can’t afford to go down so easily.

As I was making that resolution in my mind, I finished my report before I even realized it. As usual, I grabbed it and went straight to Section Chief to hand it over.

“Here. The contents are the same as what I told you over the weekend.”

“Alright, good work. By the way, are you doing okay?”

“What do you mean? Are you asking if I got hurt fighting Choi Young-hee?”

“Yeah.”

“Chief, what do you take me for? Do you really think I’d even get a scratch from someone like that?”

“Well, no, but… whatever. As long as you’re fine.”

Section chief scratched his head as he read through my report.

Honestly, I knew exactly why he was worried about me.

When I answered his call over the weekend, my voice had been trembling—just slightly. It was the first time he’d heard me like that, so he must have noticed something was off.

“Well then, I’ll get going now.”

“Ah, wait a second.”

I was about to leave since I had no reason to stay after submitting my report, but the Section Chief called me back.

“What is it? Do you have more questions?”

“No, it’s not that. I was going to call you separately to tell you this anyway, so I might as well do it now.”

With that, Section Chief finally told me something he had been hinting at for a while.

And honestly, it was… a bit shocking.

“They want to use me as a promotional model for the Special Task Force?”

“Yeah. The broadcasting station has been bringing it up since last week.”

In short, because of all the attention I’ve drawn to the Special Task Force, the station wants to film a feature on us.

“They want to shoot a TV program and even a promotional advertisement for the Task Force. Of course, the Association president is already aware of this.”

“And what did the president say?”

“He thinks it’s a good opportunity to showcase what we do.”

“And what about you, Chief?”

“Pfft. Cameras in the office? There goes any chance of working comfortably. Absolutely not.”

The Section Chief shook his head with an exhausted look.

Of course, only higher-ups like this kind of thing—people on the site usually hate it.

“Really? Then should I just reject it?”

“No, no, that’s just my opinion. What really matters is what you think. Take your time and let me know.”

“…Got it.”

I nodded and left his office.

I should probably tell my team about this.

***

“We’re going to be on TV?”

Lunchtime. I brought my team to a Chinese restaurant and shared what the Section Chief had told me.

Hearing that we might appear on a variety show, Lee So-Young’s eyes sparkled.

“Yeah. You know how slice-of-life reality shows are trendy these days? They want to film our daily work lives. Since the whole team will be in it, I wanted to hear your thoughts.”

“That sounds amazing! I’m totally in!”

So-Young immediately raised her hand in excitement.

“I think it could be fun too. Plus, I can show my girlfriend a cool side of me. I’m in.”

Shin Yoo-Sung also grinned in approval.

On the other hand, Park Oh-Jin looked a bit worried.

“Oh-Jin, what’s with that face? Are you against it?”

“Well… I wouldn’t say I’m rejecting it, but I do have some concerns.”

“Like what?”

“Hmm… how should I put this…”

Looking conflicted, Oh-Jin finally voiced his thoughts.

“Team Leader, think about it. The station wants to film us because of you. That means you’re going to get the most screen time.”

“…Yeah, probably?”

“Now, picture it. Think about how you usually act in the office.”

“……”

I see where he’s going with this.

“People think of you like a celebrity. Some even have fantasies about you. But once they see the real you… the shock might be too much for them.”

At those words, Shin Yoo-Sung nodded in agreement.

“Snapping at subordinates when annoyed. Calling us in on weekends. Stealing our food. Slacking off during work hours. Whoa~ Our beloved Team Leader sure is something!”

“Haha, now that I think about it, that’s true. I joined the Task Force because of you, but now I just think you’re terrifying.”

“Hey, Yoo-Sung. So-Young. Do you guys have to insult me so cheerfully?”

Yeah, yeah, I get it. I admit I lack a bit of consideration for others.

But honestly, I don’t think it’s that big of a deal.

“People already know what kind of personality I have. There are plenty of videos online of me beating up criminals.”

“Well, I guess… but there’s a difference between seeing you at work and seeing you off-duty.”

“Ugh, whatever! Yeah, yeah, I’m a terrible person. So what’s your verdict, Oh-Jin? Yes or no?”

“I say yes. I was just worried about your reputation, but it doesn’t affect me personally.”

…Then why even worry about it in the first place?

Feeling a little dejected, I turned to Yoo Seo-eun.

“What about you, Seo-Eun? Are you in?”

“Hehe, I think it sounds fun! I’m with So-Young on this one.”

“See? Seo-Eun gets it!”

So-Young cheerfully patted Seo-Eun’s shoulder, already excited about the idea of being on TV.

With the majority in favor, the decision was pretty much made.

Technically, my opinion mattered the most, but seeing my team so enthusiastic made it hard to refuse.

“Alright, I’ll tell the Section Chief we’re in.”

“Yes! Oh, wait—Team Leader, we never asked for your opinion. What do you think?”

“Me?”

I looked at So-young, giving her an exasperated look.

“I already get recognized way too much, and now I have to be on TV? Pfft. Guess living a quiet life was never in the cards for me.”

“…Oh.”

Hearing my obvious reluctance, So-Young hesitated.

“If you really don’t want to, we can say no—”

“Nah, it’s fine. You guys want to do it, so I’ll put up with it.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, don’t feel bad about it.”

Honestly, I’ve already been exposed enough.

Besides, with that recent incident, I’ve already become way too famous in a certain… unexpected way.

At this point, whether I appear on TV or not doesn’t seem to make much of a difference anymore.

"Alright, let’s move on to what will actually happen if the filming proceeds. Since this shoot is meant to promote our department, they want me as the promotional model, but I won’t be the only one in the spotlight."

"Hmm? Then who else was selected as a model? If we’re talking about beauties on par with you, would it be the Team Leader 1?"

At Shin Yu-Sung’s question, I shook my head.

"No, it’s not someone from our department. A real celebrity will be coming to the Awakened Association for the shoot."

"Oh, so it’ll be one actual celebrity and you as the two promotional models?"

"That’s right. And it’s someone you all know very well."

Not only is this person famous, but they’ve also worked with our department a few times.

A world-famous idol and hero.

"Alice will be joining me as a promotional model for our department."

Upon hearing Alice’s name, my team members nodded in understanding.

"Ah, that makes sense. Both of you are blonde magical girls, so you match well."

"You also worked together before to stop the terrorists' attack, so you two are close."

"If it’s Alice, I totally approve. That’s an even bigger name than I expected."

However, one person remained silent, unable to join the conversation.

"Who’s Alice?"

It was Yoo Seo-Eun, who had spent several years living in the demon realm and had no idea who Alice was.

"Alice is a magical girl idol who’s actively working as an idol. I’ve worked with her before."

"Ah, I see."

Adding to my explanation, Lee So-Young praised Alice even more, calling her the most famous idol in the world.

With everyone around her showering Alice with praise, Yoo Seo-eun, curious about who she really was, pulled out her phone to look her up.

"Whoa, she’s super cute! With a face like this, no wonder she’s so popular."

"Hehe, right? I really like her songs too!"

"I’ll give them a listen. Hmm... But wait, this is strange. I feel like I’ve seen this face somewhere before..."

As she admired Alice’s appearance, Yoo Seo-Eun stared intently at her photos.

Then, after a brief moment, her eyes suddenly widened.

"Wait, w-wait! Could this person be—?!"