Passion on Tap

"... Um?"

Asō Madoka, who was locked in combat with the kite, was clearly taken aback by the Larkspur's words and was genuinely surprised. "Now?"

"Now is the time. We don't have much time left; it's time to go all out."

Releasing her hand from her chest, Larkspur nodded. "Don't worry about the other party's abilities. I have a rough idea in mind right now, but I need you and Morning Glory to help me verify it."

After saying this, she couldn't help but frown. In order to repair the damage to her body, she could feel her magic power draining away very quickly, and the burden on her soul also made her feel uncomfortable all over. However, she was still in the middle of a battle, so she had to suppress these feelings.

"What?" Hearing her words, Hong Siyu, who was standing next to her, also leaned over curiously.

"... Hit her, no matter what kind of attack or method you use, as long as you hit her."

Looking at the kite not far away, the Larkspur said with great certainty, "I'm ninety percent sure that the essence of her ability is hidden in this message."

"Just hit it?" Hong Siyu looked at Larkspur's expression, confirming that she was serious, then looked at Yuan standing not far away, lost in thought.

Are you sure?

Taking advantage of the moment when she was knocked back by the kite, Asō Madoka landed back beside the Larkspur: "If that's really what you mean, then I'll do exactly as you say."

"I'm sure." Larkspur also straightened up slightly. "Let's go, Asō, let's begin the counterattack."

Without asking another question, Asō Madoka grinned.

As she watched the kite approach her group once again, she gracefully raised the wine glass in her hand. Orange magic gathered in her other hand into a long-handled spoon, which she then gently spun around the inside of the glass.

"Margaret, in Grand Flourishing Blossoming."

All surrounding sounds were instantly cut off, and the magnetic chanting became the only main melody. In the dim forest, it was as if a spotlight shone down from the high platform, enveloping the girl in the yellow dance dress.

The wine glasses in her hands seemed to magically multiply, stacking one on top of another like a champagne tower. Behind her, a counter appeared out of nowhere, with countless bottles and jars neatly arranged, resembling a liquor cabinet in a bar.

The girl in the room stood behind the bar like a bartender. As the counter opened, her dance dress transformed into an orange shirt and a black vest, and her long hair at the back of her head became a neat ponytail. She moved skillfully, shaking the cocktail shaker that had appeared in her hand at some point, her wrists nimbly turning as if she were performing a graceful dance.

The bartender clinked crisply in her hands, and with each shake, the surrounding scenery became clearer until, with a "bang," she lightly tapped the bartender on the table, using a bar spoon and strainer to pour the liquid into a glass. Then, she pushed the cocktail, now ready in an instant, to the front of the table.

Welcome to "Passion on Tap".

Her declaration, delivered in a magnetic voice, sounded more like a romantic invitation than a declaration of war.

And all of this belonged to Margaret's Flourishing Bloom, whose name, as she herself said, meant "Passion on Tap."

Margaret's Magic Armament, whose real name is "Passion," is indeed shaped like a transparent stemmed wine glass.

This Magic Armament's ability is to condense corresponding liquefied magical power within the wine glass based on Margaret's own emotions.

These liquefied magical powers have various effects. Sometimes, drinking them can heal the user; sometimes, applying them to the body can enhance the user's senses; and sometimes, they can be used as weapons, producing a variety of magical attack effects.

According to Margaret's own tests, the more stable one's emotions are, the more positive the magical power of the liquid in the glass will provide; the more extreme the emotions are, the stronger the destructive power of the corresponding magical power.

Undoubtedly, this is a highly versatile Magic Armament, capable of both offense and defense. However, it also has a major flaw—its functions are linked to emotions, making it quite unstable.

When the previous Fangting City Squad was first formed, Margaret was almost hesitant to use her Magic Armament, because at that time, using Passion was like drawing lots: using it on an enemy might cause damage, but it was more likely to become healing; using it on an ally might provide a buff, but it might also become a backstab.

In order to control her Magic Armament and ensure its effects were consistently effective in actual combat, Margaret spent a lot of time studying how to control her emotions. She bought a bunch of books on psychology, success, and self-management, searching for tips on controlling her emotions every day.

In the beginning, her personality was actually much more flamboyant and confident than it is now. She always wore her likes and dislikes on her sleeve, and because she was too outspoken, she often said some very inappropriate things. Even someone as easygoing as Anya would occasionally feel helpless because of Asō Madoka's unintentional remarks.

However, later, through studying the relevant techniques and through deliberate control, Asō Madoka not only gained stronger control over her emotions, but also underwent a complete 180-degree turn in her way of dealing with people. Specifically, she went from being a straightforward person to someone who was quite reserved in her expression.

I used to enjoy blatant self-praise, but later I preferred the subtle, Versailles-esque style; I used to readily curse at things I disliked, but later I developed a penchant for sarcastic remarks. Although my underlying self-confidence hasn't changed, I seem like a completely different person.

Regarding Asō Madoka's series of changes, her then-teammate Su Shengzi described it as "becoming a scumbag," and even the Magic Armament with the somewhat ambiguous name "Passion" was described by her as "scumbag Magic Armament."

Whether this change is good or bad is debatable, but what it ultimately brings is Asō Madoka's extremely high level of Control Stage over her Magic Armament.

When a versatile Magic Armament can reliably perform its function in the required situation, its effectiveness is far greater than that of a Magic Armament with only one function.

This is why, in past joint operations with the Fangting City Squad, Margaret always acted as the lubricant. Whether it was her personality or her abilities, she could fill in the last piece of the puzzle where the team was lacking.

All of this, after finally converging and undergoing another sublimation, has become her current Flourishing Bloom — Passion on Tap.

"This is... a bar?"

After a brief moment of confusion, Yuan quickly recognized the meaning of the display in front of her. Having spent two months in Fangting City, she had gained an understanding of some modern concepts that had only appeared in Donghua Prefecture, and was no longer as bewildered as she had been when she first arrived.

"What, are you planning to buy me a drink?"

With the knife slung over her shoulder, she nonchalantly walked to Margaret's bar, reached for the wine glass on the counter, and said, "But you know, I'm used to drinking baijiu, so I'm afraid I can't tell the difference between your foreign liquor."

"It doesn't matter, you're a guest."

Margaret ignored the wine glass that Kite was holding and instead moved two steps to the other side of the bar, where she turned on a gramophone.

A soft and melodious jazz tune suddenly flowed through this small space.

The melodious sound of the saxophone intertwines with the gentle tune of the piano, filling the space like flowing water. The music is slow and soothing, yet possesses a captivating rhythm that brings joy and relaxation, making one unconsciously want to nod or sway gently to the music.

Almost the instant the music started, the surrounding woods ceased to be woods, and the overcast sky ceased to be sky.

Soft, warm yellow light illuminated the faces of everyone present. The empty floor had somehow transformed into a neatly arranged table and chairs. The walls, seemingly made of solid wood, enveloped the surrounding space, and a faint scent of incense lingered in everyone's nostrils.

By the time they came to their senses, all the magical girls present had already taken their seats, each holding their own wine glass.

Everyone's glass was filled with wine, and the color of the wine in each person's hand was different. The only difference was that the amount of liquid was not exactly the same.

In Lin Xiaolu's hand, there was a nearly overflowing four-color cocktail; in Xia Liang's hand, there was a clear glass of pure liquid, but only half full; in Bai Jingxuan's hand, there was a glass of greenish-black liquid, constantly bubbling.

As for Larkspur, before her was a rather small wine glass, containing a liquid with a white base and a blue surface, which looked as vast and beautiful as the sky. However, the liquid in the glass was only a thin layer, and it looked almost dry.

Faced with this scene, Larkspur's expression shifted slightly, but she quickly regained her composure and did not make any further moves. However, her reaction did not escape everyone's notice; at least Hong Siyu was standing next to her, widened her eyes in surprise.

Before anyone else could do anything, she took her glass and left her seat, sitting down next to Larkspur. Then, without waiting for Larkspur to react, she raised her glass high, swung it sideways, and poured half the wine from her glass into Cuique's.

"What are you doing...?"

Larkspur's eyes widened slightly, and she immediately grabbed Hong Siyu's wrist, stopping her before she could pour more wine. "Stop, don't do anything foolish."

"It's clearly the senior who's doing something stupid!"

Hong Siyu no sign of letting go, glaring at Larkspur while continuing to pour the wine, "Why are you pretending it's nothing serious when you're already in this state?"

"Because you could have asked me about the situation first before making your own judgment."

Larkspur looked around and noticed that Lin Xiaolu was still surprised by the changes in her surroundings and didn't seem to have noticed what was happening on her side. So she lowered her voice and whispered to Hong Siyu, "Take a look at this glass of wine."

Hong Siyu have time to pay attention to the changes in the wine glass in front of Larkspur, and then she couldn't help but widen her eyes—

The purplish-red liquid she poured was clearly more than half a glass, but in Larkspur's glass, it became a thin layer, slightly more than the original azure liquid, but not by much.

"Do you understand now?"

With a somewhat helpless sigh, Larkspur rolled her eyes at Hong Siyu: "My condition is indeed not very good, but for a normal magical girl, it's not as bad as you think. You don't need to do something that diminishes your combat power."

As she spoke, she raised her hand Hong Siyu poured the wine that had been turned upside down back into the bottle.

"... senior."

At this moment, Hong Siyu had been stunned, finally spoke again.

"What's wrong?" Larkspur's gaze had already drifted towards the direction where Yuan was not far away, so she asked casually.

"You're so amazing!" came Hong Siyu's slightly excited voice and admiring gaze.

"... Isn't this the right time to talk about this?"

Weiwei gently pushed away Hong Siyu, and Larkspur gestured towards the direction where Yuan and Margaret were. "Keep an eye on the situation over there. When we enter the next stage, that's when we'll all take action together."

The rather peculiar scenery before us is undoubtedly Margaret's Wonderland.

While showcasing her Flourishing Bloom, she also held almost no reservations, using her Wonderland without reservation.

Lights, bar, glasses, music, aromatherapy... If it weren't for the fact that everyone was on the battlefield just a moment ago, they would probably think this was a real bar.

The owner of this bar, who is also the bartender, is none other than Margaret, who is standing behind the bar with a beaming smile.

Under her gaze, the cocktail that Yuan had taken from the glass quickly underwent a change in appearance—the originally clear yellow liquid gradually turned reddish-brown with a slight black tinge. Moreover, the liquid, which was originally only one color, began to separate into layers. In an instant, it became a dense, layered mass of liquid, with countless layers of liquid.

"Oh? This is really..."

Noticing the change in the cocktail in her hand, Yuan's expression was initially puzzled, then she suddenly understood, and nodded with interest. "An interesting Wonderland, the younger generation is truly formidable."

"No, it should be said that I've had my eyes opened."

Margaret smiled and shook her head, "This is the first time I've seen a person's True Form manifest like this, and the magic within it has such a structure."

"So, you're using my wine to treat me to a meal?"

Gazing at the liquid in her glass, Tobi grinned, "This is the first time I've ever seen a tavern so adept at using tricks."

"These are the shop's rules. Please forgive any rudeness."

Margaret simply gave a slight bow and replied elegantly, "This is just one glass of wine; you can enjoy it as much as you like, and never worry about finishing it. However, while you're in the shop, please abide by our rules—"

"--No waste."