Among the Magical Girls of the Magic Kingdom, there had always been certain stereotypes about the respective advantages of positions within the Five Great Institutes.
The Research Institute, the easiest of them all, held little power; the Investigation Institute, the most powerful, was overly demanding; the Finance Institute, with the widest connections, could not earn prestige; the Civil Governance Institute, with the greatest prestige, lacked connections.
Each of the four most mainstream institutes had its own strengths and weaknesses, forcing every Magical Girl to think carefully before choosing a career: Was she suited to this work? Could working here give her what she wanted? Did her aptitude suit advancement within this system?
But whenever the topic turned to the Magic Affairs Institute, those stereotypes took on an entirely different form...
—"Greetings, esteemed Lady Cornflower. It has been a long time. I am Zhe Helan, Flower Card No. 13011. I currently serve at the Magic Affairs Institute as the Standing Education Selection Office."
After leading a group of Magical Girls in kneeling before Larkspur, the tall Magical Girl at the head of the group straightened up and introduced herself first.
Judging by her movements, she had apparently intended to rise after paying her respects. However, after her gaze briefly passed over Larkspur's head, she calmly lowered herself again and swiftly changed her posture to one knee on the ground. "The Magic Affairs Institute has gone without a Scepter for a long time. We have remained leaderless, indulging in decadence as we wasted our days, with everything awaiting revival. Your arrival has greatly excited everyone. We were just gathered together discussing the bright future of the Magic Affairs Institute, so we neglected to welcome you properly. Please forgive us."
After the Magical Girl calling herself "Zhe Helan" finished speaking, a somewhat shorter