Chapter 38: I thought it was WWE, but it was UFC.

Streaming is my livelihood.

I started it to leverage my magical girl status.
It didn’t cost much to try, and somehow it took off, so I kept going.

If Frozen Princess hadn’t stirred up hype, I’d probably have moved on to something else.

Right now, her donations make up a big chunk of my income, and I’m genuinely grateful for that.

But I can’t rely on this forever.
I’m working to build my rep and become a proper streamer.

I’ll hustle to make a living off my own skills.

…If it flops, I’ll look for a part-time job.

The stream’s live.

Right now, it’s casual chat time.

– Going on trips all over the country now?
– Heard you don’t work with the government. Policy change?
– How long did the flight take?
– How hard did you work Reaper Mors?
– Jealous of your levitation magic.

I mentioned the glitched gate trip, and viewers got curious about how I ended up there.

“It’s less a trip, more an emergency call. Took five or six hours one way. Mors kept begging for breaks, so it dragged.”

I picked a few questions to answer, since everyone’s focused on different things.

– Bet you’d have been faster solo.
– Let local magical girls eat too!
– Lily’s stealing all the work.

Someone’s making it sound like I’m hogging jobs.

“I only go when it’s critical. And magical girls work for free, you know? Victims of a mascot scam.”

– You don’t resent the mascot, do you?
– Don’t hurt Armo…
– Nooo, don’t go dark!
– Why do you volunteer?

I don’t love mascots, but I didn’t spill my true feelings on stream.

“I do it because I’m kind and righteous.”

There’s duty and all, but fundamentally, only good-hearted people sign contracts.

Even if my will wasn’t involved back then, I’m a volunteer now.

Unlike the dark fantasy magical girls in manga or anime.

Though Mirage Illusion’s an exception.

[‘Silent Eve’ donated 1,000 won!]
[Love good Lily.]

“Huh.”

A familiar donor name.

– Isn’t that the 4th-gen girl?
– Another rival?
– 1,000 won, lol.
– Frozen Princess won’t let this slide.

[‘Frozen Princess’ donated 100,000 won!]
[I love you too.]

Frozen Princess, usually a 10,000-won donor, upped her game.

– She’s fired up, lol.
– Eve, you need more cash to play here.
– I love you too.
– 100x raise!
– Mors 2.0?
– ‘I love you too.’
– Polar bear extinction alert!!!

The viewers, waiting for this, went wild in the chat.

Probably not intentional, but that comment…

“Frozen Princess, watch what you say. You’re stirring up weird talk. And no donation battles.”

I tried to defuse it, but the bomb kept ticking.

[‘Silent Eve’ donated 1,000 won!]
[Sorry, spent my budget on Lily’s figurine pre-order…]

Oh boy.

They’re not the type to stay quiet.

– True fan, lol.
– Can’t blame her if it’s for merch.
– Frozen Princess, buy 100 figurines!
– 1,000 won’s valid for that.

I did a studio shoot for merch, and the figurine release date was set recently.
I heard pre-orders started, but didn’t expect her to buy one.

[‘Frozen Princess’ donated 100,000 won!]
[Just pre-ordered. 10 for now.]

– For now 10?
– Lololol.
– Princess, why so late to order?
– Heard of 3 for display, collection, and gifting, but 10?!

Buying 10 when she’s not displaying them all? She hates losing.

“Don’t waste money on weird stuff.”

Telling fans not to buy my merch feels odd, but I don’t want my stream turning into a cash flex.

– She pre-ordered and you diss her? 😭
– Harsh Lily.
– It’s pocket change for the Princess.

I tried changing the topic, but someone wasn’t having it.

[‘Silent Eve’ donated 1,000 won!]
[It’s not about money or merch count—it’s the size of your heart.]

– Damn, can’t ignore that.
– 4th-gen’s going wild.
– Frozen Princess: Line up, you’re below me!
– Straight-up challenge.
– No hierarchy in love.
– 4th-gens are fearless these days, lol.
– Heard she switched to Frozen Princess’s area. Bold move.

The jokes tapered off as viewers got nervous about a real fight brewing.

“Let’s drop this. Silent Eve, no more provoking.”

Even with mediation, the chaos didn’t die down, and the chat stayed rowdy for a while.

I signed with the first Armo about 14 years ago.

I was a high schooler, suddenly living as a girl after a gender swap.

Turning into a cute girl temporarily? Most wouldn’t mind.

I didn’t either, at first. It was novel, and people’s reactions were fun.

But when I learned I couldn’t revert, anxiety hit hard.

The fear of losing my entire life.

In stories, the world might rewrite you as always having been a girl, or you overcome a hurdle and return to normal.

That would’ve been nice, but not my reality.

For four years, I lived as a magical girl.
24/7, 365 days a year, in a girl’s body.

Mannerisms, speech, fashion—I had to abandon old habits and learn everything anew.

Some trials were too much to face alone.

Being born a different gender, things girls take for granted were alien to me.

The only ones who knew I was originally male—Stella and Spica, my peers—helped me through.
Without them, I wouldn’t be here.

I can live naturally as Scarlet Lily now because of the time spent with them.

Back then, I couldn’t control recognition inhibition magic.

They let me stay at their homes and protected my identity, doing everything to keep me safe.

To me, Stella and Spica aren’t just teammates—they’re irreplaceable, sharing everything.

“Jihyun, been a while.”

Spica waved as I entered a cozy café with a terrace.

“Has it been that long?”

Sitting across, Spica smiled warmly.

Her real name is Hong Jihyun.
Untransformed, I call her that.

“New ribbon?” she asked, eyeing my hair.

“Nah, bought it a while ago.”
“Super girly. Suits you.”
“I told you not to say that. I didn’t even pick it.”

No matter how hard I try, I can’t grasp fashion sense.
I asked Sia to choose my clothes and accessories, including the ribbon.

“Anyway, good to see you.”
“Yeah.”

Old friends, missed dearly.

We tried reconnecting after they retired, but now we don’t need to cling to that.

We enjoyed a relaxed afternoon tea.

“So you’re living off Frozen Princess’s donations?”

Chatting led to my streaming gig, and Jihyun worried about my finances.

“Not just her. I’ve got other fans.”
“But without her, you’re barely scraping by, right?”
“Well, she’s like 80% of it…”
“What if she stops? Want me to find you a job?”

Spica’s a working adult now.
Her connections and network are worlds apart from her past.

“Nah, I’m good. Gotta make it work.”

Frozen Princess doesn’t seem likely to quit, but I’m looking for my own path.
Begging’s a last resort.

“How about you? Work’s not tough?”
“Easier than being a magical girl. In at nine, out at five. No life-or-death stakes.”

Jihyun works at a well-known corporation, hired right after university.

“You’re working and raising a kid.”
“Used to it. She’s old enough for school now.”
“You’re a full-on mom.”
“You’ll get it when you marry. Though you’d need to untransform first.”
“Yeah…”

My unique condition keeps me transformed.
There was a chance to revert, but it’s gone.

“Can’t make another elixir?”
“Made from ingredients not found on Earth. No go.”
“Back to the demon world, then.”
“…Nah.”

A heavy sigh escaped.

“Speaking of, I forgot to mention,” Jihyun said, her tone turning serious.
“What?”
“Ever heard of an artifact?”
“Nope.”
“Objects infused with magic. Armo mentioned them once.”

Jihyun’s out of touch with both the support team and magical girls.
She doesn’t know about Dark Magical Gems, but my story sparked this memory.

“What’s it for?”
“No idea. Something to enhance second-gens, but they failed to make it.”

A theoretical tool.
Earth’s low magic density made crafting impossible, and the plan was scrapped.

“They finished it years later?”
“Maybe. Another mascot might know something.”
“Guess I’ll ask Armo.”

This could lead to the Dark Magical Gem’s origins.

*

A room packed with merch and posters.

Silent Eve sat, chin on hand, staring at a monitor.

The screen showed a colorful website promoting a festival.

A massive magical girl-themed event in Seoul.
She scrolled slowly, scanning details—programs, brands, booths, merch lists, schedules.
A decade-old festival, every element polished.

“Lily’s coming here, huh?”

She recalled a brief chat from days ago.

Frozen Princess mentioned going with Lily.
Lily brushed it off, but to Silent Eve, it was gold.

A festival using an entire plaza? Perfect for a special event.

“This year’s gotta be more fun.”