Erika took a deep breath before sighing. She was exhausted. That was one of the things healing magic couldn’t fix. Mental fatigue.

Last night had been a nightmare. She didn’t even know how long the battle had lasted. Probably hours. She hadn’t checked the clock when she’d gotten back home, she’d just dropped dead into her bed.

On the bright side, the strongest of the demon generals had been sealed and the magical girls had emerged victorious once again. She just hoped things would stay peaceful for a bit after this. They really needed a break.

With another sigh, the girl made it to her class. Her friends and teammates were already sitting in their places. They noticed her and gave her a gentle wave, which she returned. The circles under their eyes told her she wasn’t the only one exhausted by the battle.

“Hey, Erika… how are you doing?” her friend, Nicole, said, doing her best to smile despite the fatigue.

“Hi… tired…” she replied before dropping off her bag, plopping down onto her seat, and deflating onto her desk. She then looked over to their third teammate. “What about you Sarah? How are you holding up?”

“Ehh… you know me,” Sarah said, waving her hand. “Tis’ just a flesh wound! Nothing a good night's sleep or ten can’t fix.”

The trio giggled at that.

“Amen…”

Erika then idly looked around the classroom from her lying position on her desk. The last member of their magical girl group was much older than them, already going to uni, so, unfortunately, they didn’t share classes. Instead, she was looking for another friend of theirs. She had recently lost her mom and Erika wanted to make sure she was alright.

“Anyone seen Jessica yet? It’s rare for her to be so late…” Erika wondered out loud.

“Maybe she overslept. She has been looking really out of it since… that,” Sarah pointed out with a frown.

Erika grimaced.

“Wait… or maybe… Do you think she got caught up in yesterday’s…?” Nicole voiced her thoughts.

The trio froze up. Yesterday had been fierce, and had lasted a long time. They had made sure to look out for civilians as always but… what if…?

As if on cue, the door to the classroom opened, and in came a familiar face.

“Oh, hey! Jessica!” Sarah greeted her.

Jessica, for her part, looked no less exhausted than the trio. Her eyes were unfocused and she had circles under her eyes. Her usually beautifully brushed black hair was a mess as well.

“Uh, Jessica. Are you alright?” Erika stood up and walked up to her friend. “Didn’t get enough sleep?”

“Hmm? Yeah… Just a bit tired.” Jessica rubbed her eyes while she headed for her desk.

“Anything I can help with…?” Erika whispered to her friend. “You look more and more tired every day…”

“Nah, I’m fine…” Jessica waved her off, before stopping for a second, leaning closer to the three, and whispering back. “Don’t tell anyone, but… I actually got myself a part-time job. It’s just been a bit draining these past few days.”

“Oh, really? What do you do?” Sarah chirped up.

“It’s… aaah, I don’t even know what to call it. A jack-of-all-trades helper kind of position?” Jessica shrugged. “An assistant, I guess.”

“Huh… Where do you work, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Well… It’s a bit ways away from where I live. Not even in the city, actually.”

“That far…?!”

“Well, you know…” Jessica shrugged again. “I’m alright with it. I needed some change of scenery anyway. Get my mind off of stuff… you know?”

The trio exchanged a glance, all showing concern for their friend.

“Jessica… I know what you’re trying to do here, but you really shouldn’t overwork yourself like this.”

Jessica merely stared at her, deadpan. “Hello there pot, my name’s kettle,” she said, as she pointed at Erika’s eyes.

“Ugh… that was a one-time thing,” Erika said as she looked to the side. “We forgot about time and played games a bit too long…” she lied.

Jessica stood up and narrowed her eyes as her mouth shifted into a slight grin, before walking to Erika and putting a hand on her jaw. The next words she uttered were in a low tone, said slowly and carefully. “My, my… What a naughty girl you have been, Erika… Did you think your sins would escape my notice…?”

Erika smacked the hand off her chin as her cheeks began to imitate the redness of her hair. “Stop doing that!”

The other girls giggled.

“Damn, your villainess act is still top-notch. Especially when you tease Erika like that,” Sarah said whilst grinning at her embarrassed friend.

“Speaking of which, has the drama club been planning any plays before the school year ends?” Nicole asked.

Jessica’s demeanor returned to normal as she replied, “Hmm, we wanted to do some more Shakespeare. But we can’t agree on what exactly.”

“How about Romeo and Juliet? A classic!” Sarah smirked at her own suggestion.

Jessica immediately put a hand on her chest and lifted the other one in Erika’s direction whilst closing her eyes. “My bounty is as boundless as the sea! My love as deep! The more I give to thee, the more I have, for both are infinite!” she recited in a soft and light tone.

Erika managed to contain her embarrassment at the implied confession and sighed. “Jessica… you’re doing the thing again… Using your acting to change the topic to something random so you can ignore the things you wanna ignore.”

Jessica grumbled, annoyed that her friend had noticed.

“How about we go hang out again sometime? Wouldn’t that help you take your mind off of things as well?”

“Well… I guess. I still have my job though.”

“C’mon, don’t tell me you’re working every day!” Sarah called out.

Jessica crossed her arms and grumbled something to herself. A minute of deliberation later, she replied, “I guess I have Sunday afternoon free.”

“Alright, Sunday! How about you two?” Erika turned to Sarah and Nicole.

“Yeah, sure! Let’s hang out. It’s been a while,” Sarah agreed.

“Sounds like a good idea. I’ll go, of course.” Nicole smiled.

With the plans made, the four girls got themselves seated and chatted about all the things they would do on Sunday.

The class started soon after.

BottledChaos

Hey everyone! I hope you're all having a good day. I'm personally a bit nervous because of my upcoming surgery on the 30th >.< Hopefully, everything will go well then. In the meantime, here's a reminder that we have a discord server that you can join. And also, I have a patreon where you can read 5 more chapters.