"Using magic power means getting serious, and getting serious can be classified as 'combat.' Regardless of the outcome, this is the fairest standard for determining whether magical girls have engaged in internal conflict."
Asō Madoka spoke slowly. "After all, some people are skilled at using a small amount of magic power to create a greater impact, while others lack such means."
"...Is that supposed to comfort me?"
Lin Xiaolu thought for a while before gradually grasping the meaning. "You mean that if it hadn't been for that Rule restriction, and we had both gone all out, I might not necessarily have lost?"
"No, I was merely analyzing why you lost."
Asō Madoka glanced at her and shook her head. "Even if you had gone all out, you still couldn't have beaten White Thistle, because she is my most satisfactory disciple."
Caught off guard by that answer, Lin Xiaolu froze once more before anger surged up within her. "You—"
"But I also said that I'm on your side."
Asō Madoka interrupted her outburst. "Not only because White Thistle was the one who provoked you first and had no grounds to stand on, but also because she is Leaf Rank while you are Seed Stage. A match spanning two Blossoming stages cannot be called a match at all. It is merely one-sided bullying."
"...I'm not like ordinary Seed Stage girls."
Her angry retort was forcibly swallowed back. Lin Xiaolu collected herself before speaking sullenly. "If we're talking purely about the amount of magic power, I definitely wouldn't lose to someone at Leaf Rank."
"Because you've been stuck at Seed Stage for a long time, but your magic power has never stopped growing..."
Yet before Lin Xiaolu could finish, Asō Madoka spoke from across from her. "That's what you wanted to say, right?"