Xiaojie's Magic

(Ceruno)

September 30th.

Tuesday.

After breakfast, Miluno hurriedly went to "the Other Side," leaving Mono's body behind...

Thinking about it that way, it really is unbelievable.

The "The Other Side," which was completely unknown not long ago, is now Miluno's backyard, a place she can visit whenever she wants.

They could even manage to pick some "fruit" each time.

"Mumu~"

In the living room, Xiaojie was sprawled on the sofa, imitating the mooing of cows on TV, looking very relaxed. This little girl has been carefree since coming to the City School; she used to be so bothered by her birth...

Although she was young, she knew clearly that she was Witch Persona born from a human body. This shameful identity made her unsure of how to define herself, as if she were born with sin, as if she owed us something, and she could never hold her head up.

In fact, no one regarded her as Miss Anjie's possession. In fact, most of the witches in the prison took good care of this former little tree spirit, and Achernar treated her as her own daughter.

In my view, Xiaojie, who was born not as a weapon of aggression but as an independent individual, is a happy witch who deserves happiness.

However, she has never been to school.

Although she had been at the City School for three days, she had not gone to the classroom to attend a single class with the other magical girls.

It's not that we discriminate against Artificial Magical Girl, but we can't assign her to a class... because nobody knows what her magic is. Not only Achernar and Xiaoling not know, but even she herself doesn't know.

"Xiaojie, what exactly is your magic?"

"Hoo... Ha!"

She reached out her hand to me, calling out sweetly, and a gentle ripple spread from her palm.

It was warm and cozy, as if it smelled of sunshine, just like her healthy, tanned skin... but that was all.

I didn't feel any change after being hit by the microwave.

"Hehehe! Is Sister Ceruno feeling good?"

To be honest, being bathed in sunlight does feel quite comfortable, like sitting by a fireplace in winter.

But as magic, it's clearly not enough; I can just buy a small electric heater, which has the same effect.

She then smiled at me, as if asking for a reward... even though she clearly had no idea what her magic had done.

I pinched Xiaojie's dark cheeks, then looked at the petite girl beside me.

"Xiaoling, class is about to start. Why don't you take her to Miss Antarctic Star's class first? Aren't all the magical girls over there unclassifiable like this?"

Xiaoling has changed into her school uniform and is currently wrapping bandages around her hand.

This action was meaningless; she wasn't injured. The bandage was just the last act of stubbornness from a delusional girl.

"No way~ Teacher Antarctic Star said not to use her magic in public before confirming its effects, to avoid accidents... I don't know what the waves she releases are for, they don't seem to be offensive."

Xiaojie reached out and released a microwave towards Xiaoling. The latter didn't react much, but instead tackled Xiaojie onto the sofa, and the two rolled around in a ball.

I thought for a moment and asked:

"Could this be a healing wave?"

Xiaoling shook her head.

"Teacher Antarctic Star has conducted experiments on injured mice, and she couldn't cure them."

I've thought about it and I still think I should give it a try.

I grabbed a fruit knife from the kitchen and cut the back of my hand; it hurt a little.

"Try using magic on my wound."

I held my hand up in front of Xiaojie, and Xiaoling said:

"Did Ceruno really have to go to this extent?"

"A magical girl can heal wounds of this severity very quickly. It's a good time to try Xiaojie's magic... Her magic is so warm, it doesn't seem like it's any kind of aggressive magic at all."

A microwave-like pulse moved from Xiaojie's palm towards the wound on the back of my hand...

There is absolutely no sign of healing.

"It seems to be not healing magic."

Xiaoling shook her head, drawing out the long note.

"I told you so!"

"However, it seems to have a pain-relieving effect."

The wound hadn't healed and was even bleeding, but I couldn't feel any pain.

"So this magic is an anesthetic? A pain reliever?"

It doesn't seem like simple anesthesia...

Xiaoling took a band-aid from the first-aid kit under the TV cabinet, while Xiaojie grabbed my hand and licked the wound with her tongue... This actually makes it easier for bacteria to get infected, but magical girls don't have this concern.

I said after I put on a band-aid:

"I have an idea that needs to be validated. I'll take Xiaojie back to the Sky Branch!"

Xiaoling asked, "What is it?"

"Find suitable subjects for the experiment."

What about that class?

"It's over!"

Skipping class is fun for a moment

Skipping class all the time is so much fun!

Miss Bai Ze's basic training course didn't actually improve me much. My talent in manipulating magic is much higher than that of the magical girls of the same age, so skipping a few classes is no problem at all.

Returning to the Sky Branch via the Wormhole Device, I held Xiaojie's hand as we passed through the Research Level.

Her body was inherited from the witch Pawa, and therefore she also had horns on her forehead, a striking feature that made her feel piercing gazes all the way... but those gazes were not benevolent.

Because of Betelgeuse's previous actions, the people in the Research Level inevitably harbored hostility towards the visitors from "the Other Side".

It's not just the researchers here; society as a whole is hostile towards witches, which is understandable. But if we want to achieve peace through non-war means, we need to not only work on the witches' minds but also find ways to change society's overall mindset.

But that's easier said than done.

"Sister Ceruno, where are we going?"

Xiaojie was a little scared of being stared at and kept trying to hide behind me, but she's taller than me now, so there's no way she could hide.

"Come, let me take you to test your magic."

Many unfamiliar faces appeared in the Research Level, but it was still possible to find familiar people.

"Flow!"

"Ah, Princess."

He was already used to wearing women's clothes, and he approached me with a fawning expression.

"I brought Xiaojie here to take a magic test."

"This way?"

Where is that crazy, handsome boy?

Liu frowned slightly, revealing obvious disdain.

"... What do you want to do, guy?"

"I want to test if Xiaojie's magic works as I expect."

Monsters are imprisoned in the Research Level's detention room.

It was Special Monster that could switch between two forms: a shiny rubber boy and a black oil monster, but had no brain.

He was an experimental subject of Aldebaran, who brutally inserted three Simulacrum Factor into Aldebaran, thus granting him unparalleled regenerative abilities, even to the point of being able to regenerate instantly...

However, other attributes, including strength, are not outstanding.

Therefore, he became the researchers' best guinea pig, and the rapid progress in the study of Dark Energy was all thanks to his "assistance".

Does his inability to vent his anger stem from an inescapable pain?

So, I thought of Xiaojie's magic.