Off Work, Then I Become a Magical Girl
Book 2: Chapter 137: Nina and Nim

Vol 2 Chapter 137: Nina and Nim

When it came to Nim—the precocious Magical Girl—there was no doubt that her most childish side only ever showed in front of her older sister, Nina.

“Nim, have you been listening to the captain like you’re supposed to?”

After a morning of training, Cornflower and Nim returned to the team’s camp, only to be greeted by Nim’s older sister—Nina, also known by her code name: Mohe.

As she fussed over her little sister, checking her gear and even fixing her hair, Nina didn’t forget to ask about her performance: “You didn’t throw any tantrums or say anything weird, right?”

Since their parents had passed away early on, Nina had always taken on more than just the role of an older sister—she was like a half-mother to Nim, constantly worrying over every little thing about her.

Maybe it was this overprotectiveness, combined with Nina’s tendency to imagine the worst, that led her to bribe a superior officer and pull some strings to get herself and Nim assigned to the same squad under the captain’s guidance.

To this day, Nina still felt mortified about that decision and did her best to avoid Cornflower, the team captain. In Cornflower’s eyes, this Magical Girl known as Mohe was basically a ghost—her name was on the roster, her assignments were always completed, and yet no one could ever find her.

“Of course not! You’re worrying too much, Sis.”

Sitting on a bench, swinging her legs, Nim squirmed under her sister’s hands. “The captain even praised me a bunch!”

Nim wasn’t completely clueless about the things her sister worried about. It was just that, from her point of view, things weren’t that complicated.

She thought Cornflower was amazing, so she admired her and spoke well of her. She knew she lacked experience and power, so she worked hard to improve. When she sensed doubt or distrust from her teammates, she made the effort to reach out and communicate to clear the air.

Problems exist to be solved. Challenges exist to be faced. That’s how Nim saw things—and that’s exactly how she acted.

Still, she wasn’t the type to argue with her sister over their different views.

“Well, that’s good.”

Nina let out a small breath of relief, but she still couldn’t help reminding her: “Don’t cause trouble for the captain, got it?”

“Yeah, yeah, I got it.”

Nim responded a little helplessly. “But shouldn’t you worry about yourself too? According to the duty schedule, you’re supposed to go with the captain this afternoon to inspect the fortifications. But you can’t even talk straight around strangers—are you sure you’re okay?”

Nina’s hands froze.

“...I-I’m fine.”

She stiffly raised one hand to brush aside her too-long bangs that had been falling in front of her eyes. “I-I’ve gotten a lot more familiar with the c-captain now. I—I don’t think she counts as a stranger anymore.”

“You’re already stuttering.”

Nim tilted her head up, giving her sister a mischievous smile. “And you’ve barely even seen the captain, haven’t you? You’re always sneaking around trying to avoid her.”

“T-That’s not true! I’ve seen her!”

Thinking back to that conversation she’d had with Cornflower about the bribery incident, Nina protested, “Even though we haven’t talked since then, we did meet. I—I think it’ll be fine…”

That was a lie.

Everyone in Cornflower’s squad knew that Mohe was like a cat-and-mouse master at avoiding their captain. Any time they might’ve run into each other, Nina always found a way to disappear in advance.

Things had gotten to this point because Nina believed she’d wronged Cornflower in two major ways.

First, was the bribery incident. Even though Cornflower had already said she forgave her and had accepted Nim as part of the squad, Nina still felt that she had done something unforgivable.

Second, was that she had failed to live up to Cornflower’s expectations.

As compensation for the bribery mess, Cornflower had asked Nina to be in charge of Nim’s rookie training. At the time, Nina had confidently declared, “I can handle it!”

What followed, however, was an incredibly slow and inefficient training process.

Not only was Nina’s communication terrible—so bad that even her own sister couldn’t understand her explanations of technical terms—but she was also way too lenient. She couldn’t stand to see her little sister suffer even a bit. Half the time, Nim was still doing fine, but Nina would already be fussing over her and calling for an early break.

Naturally, this kind of instruction didn’t meet Cornflower’s expectations. Even Nim herself was getting frustrated.

One day, after training, Nim compiled all the things she still didn’t understand into a notebook and went to Cornflower directly to ask questions.

Cornflower, ever patient, answered every one of Nim’s doubts. She quickly helped her overcome the bottlenecks she was stuck on.

After that, Nim’s training routine changed: first, listen to her sister’s explanation; then, take any remaining questions straight to the captain. Eventually, for the sake of efficiency, she just started learning directly from Cornflower, and Nina didn’t need to do anything anymore.

Cornflower never minded. In her eyes, it was a natural outcome that both she and Nim had worked toward. Nina had already done her part diligently during the early stages, and that was enough.

But to Nina, it just felt like failure. The more patient the captain and Nim were with her, the more anxious and guilty she felt. She was constantly wondering if they already resented her.

Still, no matter how much she tried to avoid Cornflower, they were bound to run into each other eventually. The duty roster had finally paired them together—and this time, there was no escape.

Just imagining the afternoon ahead gave Nina stomach pains. She even felt a little nauseous. But she knew she couldn’t keep running. If she had to take a hit, might as well offer up her neck herself.

“I—I’ll do my best.”

As she pictured that “inevitable tragic scene” to come, Nina wore the expression of a hero facing noble sacrifice. Then, she raised a clenched fist to her chest…

—“Oww! Sis, why are you pulling my hair?!”

Feeling like a few strands had been ripped from her scalp, Nim looked up in protest.

“Ah! S-Sorry, sorry!”