Crystal

(Miluno)

"Miluno ~ Time to get up and do your morning exercise!"

"I understand, but how am I supposed to get up when you're on top of me like this?"

I was shaken awake from my bed early this morning; I never dreamed such a day would come.

While I was washing up, Golden was also disturbed from her sleep on another bed... because Ceruno insisted on sleeping with me, leaving the Doggy all alone on the bed.

"This is too much! They're showing off their love and making us dog lovers suffer, and they won't even let the dog sleep! I want to change dorms! I want to sleep with Miss Extinction!"

"No way! Miss Extinction is very afraid of you. You'd better not get close to her."

Ceruno said this, she dragged Golden into the bathroom, preparing for the part the Doggy feared most: brushing its teeth.

Since I confessed my secret to her three days ago, she's suddenly become a different person—positive, optimistic, and proactive. She even takes the initiative to greet any magical girl she doesn't know...

You should know that she used to be a somewhat socially anxious otaku, but now she's a social terrorist.

"Ceruno, what's wrong with you these past few days?"

So, during my morning run, I decided to find out the truth about it.

"I'm great! Don't you think I'm even better now?"

"If someone's temperament changes drastically for no apparent reason, there must be a serious illness behind it... What you're doing is just frightening me."

I want to change.

"No changes allowed!"

"Ah?"

"It's nothing, just a symptom of transformation PTSD."

Ceruno was puzzled, but continued leading me and the Golden on our morning run.

At first, I thought the scenery outside the Ring Corridor was nice, but after a few days I got a little tired of it. After all, looking down from this height of 10,000 meters, it's all clouds and sea, the same scenery every day, making it hard to maintain a positive mood.

"Is that translation system going to be introduced today?"

"That's called the Central Control System. It was supposed to be finished before the start of the semester, but it was delayed for several days for some reason. However, it was successfully delivered last night, and the City School is full of magic. Sirius and the others are installing and debugging it in the Engine Room."

The voice coming from behind was Metal.

Ceruno said that she usually either tinkers with inventions in the Engine Room or takes walks in the Ring Corridor. She rarely goes to the main buildings of the school, and she has never even stayed in the Skyreach Dormitory that Thunderous Resonance left for her.

Good morning, Miss Metal.

Ceruno also stopped her morning run to hear what Metal had to say.

"Good morning, Ceruno. It's really impressive to see you every morning."

"Hehe, I am an idol now after all."

Ceruno chuckled and answered, then asked, "So what exactly is that Central Control System? Xiao Yi only said that it can solve the communication problems between magical girls, and that it's a translation program?"

"Let me think about how to explain this... Have you considered that since the power used by 'the Other Side' undergoes a qualitative change when it accumulates to a certain amount, what will we get after accumulating our magic power?"

Sirius acknowledges that the Simulacrum Factor and the Star Crystal are similar in function, and that the combination of darkness gathering can give rise to the Black Crystal...

Leaning against the handrails on both sides of the corridor, I shared my guess.

"Could our magic also form new Crystal?"

"Bingo~ That's the research department's theory, and the most suitable experimental site right now is this 'Zodiacal' Magic Academy. If successful, the resulting new Crystal will be transformed by Sirius into a supercomputer to assist Principal Shi Yi in managing the City School. Translation is just one of the projects envisioned."

It gathers the magical power of magical girls to form Crystal, hence the name "system driven by magical girls"...

Ceruno asked, "If Crystal can be mass-produced, wouldn't that mean magical girls could be mass-produced? What if the whole world were magical girls...?"

"That sounds nice, but I'm afraid it won't work. Crystal are the carriers of the Will of the Stars, but a pure Crystal is just an empty shell, without any consciousness. So it's fine to use it as a supercomputer that needs to be operated, but it can't be used for transformation."

"Then the Simulacrum Factor isn't just an empty shell?"

"Of course not. Didn't that witch already say that Dark Energy is part of 'that will,' and the Simulacrum Factor is an extension of 'that will'? It's not hard to understand, is it?"

The power of each Monster and witch comes from that god whose name is unknown... who is probably our ultimate enemy.

Call out--

A thick laser beam shot from the top of the tallest tower in the main building complex towards the transparent dome of the City School. The dome changed color with a series of fluctuations and eventually became opaque.

What happened?

Metal replied with some pride, "It's started successfully! As I said before, translation is only one of its functions. Only with the Central Control System is this City School fully operational... Come on! I'll show you around!"

Metal did not take us directly back to the Engine Room.

The Ring Corridor is located on the outside of the dome; to understand what happens inside, we must first return to the main complex to find out...

Wow!

Ceruno's surprise.

"So it's a simulated sky!"

Inside the dome, the sky remained blue.

The sun had just risen; this is what it should look like at six o'clock.

Metal explained, "This feature is significant because it allows students to live according to a fixed school schedule without having to endure chaotic time differences."

"Rational."

"Come with me, and I'll show you something even more amazing!"

She led us into the tallest tower that emitted laser beams. Although it was a tall tower, only the bottom two floors were the work area; the upper floors were filled with various modular pieces of equipment.

"Sirius -chan, how's the situation?"

In the hall at the base of the tower, there was a circular platform on which sat a large Crystal that required two people to hug. Sirius was standing with his hands on his hips in front of the Crystal, and only turned around when he heard Metal's call.

"Huh? Metal, why did you bring them along?"

I met him during my morning run.

"This Crystal is stable, but its purity isn't high; after all, it's only magic collected in one night..."

"Etc."

I interrupted Sirius.

"So this is the system that absorbs magic from us and transforms it into Crystal? Is this the true purpose of running this school?"

Sirius pulled Ceruno out from behind me and pinched her round face.

She added, "Miluno- chan really hasn't changed her ways. She's still a staunch supporter of the 'Association Conspiracy Theory.' You've already been honest with Ceruno- chan, haven't you? Why are you still having so many concerns?"

"..."

I just stared at her suspiciously.

How did she know?

Will Ceruno tell everyone about me?

Metal explained, "This system only collects free-floating magic in the air; it's completely harmless to us."

"Free magic?"

I was a little confused, Sirius explained, "Hmm, the Star Crystal is constantly producing magic power. Do you really think the extra magic power in your body will just disappear into thin air?"

The excess magic doesn't disappear; it simply floats in the air and is collected and compressed into pure Crystal by the system, then used as a supercomputer to control the entire City School.

"Well, in that case..."

I have some ideas on how to secretly investigate "the Other Side" without having Ceruno and Aunt Yuehan take any risks...

"Is there any way to restore the Crystal to magic so that the magical girl can absorb and use it?"