Guilt

(Sun Yao)

The Star Crystal flashed with a pink light, and then...

I, I, I, I really became a magical girl!

My racing heart pumped blood into my rapidly spinning brain at full throttle. My temples throbbed with every beat, and my face flushed uncontrollably.

A completely different center of gravity, the sensitive contact between skin and Battle Dress... this was undoubtedly a girl's body.

Gulp—

Swallowing hard, I cautiously peeked at the mirror in the room.

White boots that reached my calves, an ornate pink-and-white dress, a ruby-studded wand held in a hand wearing frilled gloves, and bows of varying sizes adorning my lower back and the back of my head.

The outfit alone was adorable enough, not to mention that harmless-looking young girl's face.

Was this frail angel really me?

There was no transformation animation like I had imagined, but from a practical standpoint, transforming in the blink of an eye was what magical girls really needed.

"Not bad. Your resonance rate with the Star Crystal is quite high, and you were able to calmly analyze the Monster's abilities. That doesn't change the fact that you made a serious mistake, but you should be able to become a fairly outstanding magical girl."

The one speaking was Miss Yin Wei.

She was the woman who had picked me up from the police station and given me this Star Crystal. She was a liaison officer for the Magical Girl Association.

She was unsmiling and serious at all times, giving off an extremely dependable impression.

"So now... whoa... c-can I leave?"

The sound of my own voice reaching my ears was far too pleasant.

"No. You need to register first."

"Magical girls don't have to register, do they?"

"You're different. Do you know where your Crystal came from?"

I racked my brains for every scrap of information I had.

As a die-hard magical girl enthusiast, I knew practically every moderately famous magical girl by name. I could even name quite a few obscure ones. I was basically a magical girl encyclopedia, yet this time, I was stumped.

Magical girls with pink as their theme color were fairly common as anime protagonists, but they were rare in reality. There seemed to be a few active magical girls like that, but since this Star Crystal had ended up in my hands, it had to belong to a magical girl who had either retired or... died in battle.

Wait, there really was one incredibly famous magical girl...

One of the original seven magical girls who saved the world twelve years ago and was bestowed the name of a celestial body—Celestial Fortress Vega.

Written as magical girl, but read as land fortress. With unshakable defense and beyond-spec individual firepower, she had swept through Europa's External Invaders all by herself...

"Judging by that expression, you've probably thought of her, haven't you? What if I told you that your guess was correct?"

"Th-this really is Vega's Star Crystal?"

"That's right."

One of the seven Star Crystals that first descended upon Earth had now become part of my body.

But there was a problem.

"Then why don't I have that armor and those heavy weapons?"

In fact, I was completely different.

I didn't look like I had any defense at all, nor did I seem to have much offensive power.

"Even with the same Star Crystal, the transformed appearance and magic differ from person to person."

Miss Yin Wei flipped through the procedure sheet in her hand, then said, "Perfect. Since you've successfully transformed, the next step is testing your magical abilities..."

Transformation, testing, and finally registration.

The entire process took quite a while. By the time I left the Association, it was already dark.

"Sis Wei, am I going home like this?"

"What, did you want to spend the night at the Association?"

Miss Yin Wei drove me back to D3 District.

We passed the street that had been blown up that afternoon. Repairs had already begun, and it would probably be restored by tomorrow morning.

"Just drop me off here. I want to walk the rest of the way."

When I said that, Miss Yin Wei stopped the car.

"Here's a piece of advice. Go home looking like this today. Whatever you do, don't change back on the way."

"...Why?"

She sighed, then handed me her phone.

"Because of what happened this afternoon, you've become public enemy number one."

The screen was filled with messages condemning me. Even my photo had been posted without any censoring, all accompanied by "heartfelt greetings."

"...I really am hated."

There was no way I could continue living in society as a normal person, was there?

"People breaking through cordons to secretly photograph magical girls happens all over the world, but this is the first time it has resulted in the magical girl involved being seriously injured. You were merely the spark that ignited all that resentment... though of course, you aren't innocent either."

I really had been cursed out terribly.

Yet that made me feel relieved instead.

After all, those were scoldings I deserved. Whenever I remembered Miss Heat Haze lying on the ground, unable even to move a finger, yet blasting herself toward the Monster to save me...

Did someone like me really deserve such a sacrifice from her?

"I'll fill the gap Miss Heat Haze left behind. Until she recovers, I'll maintain public safety in this area as a magical girl."

"Determination is a good thing, but don't push yourself too hard. The Association has assigned you a mentor. She'll offer you advice during battles. If you need help with anything later, you can contact me anytime."

"I'd be too embarrassed to keep troubling you."

"Helping magical girls is my job. And you're now one of the magical girls saving the world, so what's there to be embarrassed about? You're fighters battling for all humanity, while I can only do insignificant work behind the scenes. It's nothing worth mentioning."

Fighters battling for all humanity?

It was the first time I had heard someone call magical girls that. Come to think of it, although magical girls had increasingly become like idols in recent years, at their core, they were still a group of "superheroes."

Perhaps I should start looking at magical girls from a different perspective too.

I pushed open the car door.

"Miss Yin Wei, thank you."

"I'm not sure what you're thanking me for, but everything I did was simply my duty."

"Yeah, see you another day!"

I pulled myself together. Carrying my gem wand, I got out of the car. Miss Yin Wei turned around at the intersection ahead and drove away. Before long, I realized that every passerby's attention had fallen on me... Was this outfit really that conspicuous?

I remembered that the Battle Dress could be dismissed, but I had no clothes to change into. My wallet and phone were still at the KFC...

I could only endure those unbearable stares.

If they knew I was the culprit who had caused Miss Heat Haze so much suffering, they would surely be looking at me differently right now.

"Big sister, are you a magical girl?"

Just as my heart was being assailed by guilt, a young little girl stepped in front of me and asked with innocent eyes.

Her pure voice reminded me that, whatever the reason, I was now one of the magical girls.

So I had to uphold the good image of magical girls too.

"Mm-hmm, big sister is a magical girl! I'm here in place of your big sister Heat Haze to protect everyone in this area!"

Talking like this wasn't really my style.

The admiration in the little girl's eyes was so dazzling. Did I really have the right to accept it?

"Wow! Then are you stronger than big sister Heat Haze?"

I might have become a magical girl, but I had absolutely no combat experience, and the purpose of my magic was still unclear. Honestly, I hadn't even figured out how to fight Monsters. I was even less comparable to the battle-hardened Miss Heat Haze.

Of course, I couldn't say that.

Sun Yao's life was already beyond saving.

But my life as a magical girl had only just begun...

"Maybe I can't compare to Miss Heat Haze, but I'll work hard to chase all those Monsters away too!"

"You have to do your best, big sister! When I grow up, I want to become a magical girl too!"

I waved my wand and used magic to create a bear-shaped bubble.

It was soft, transparent, and very light.

"Mm-hmm. I don't know how long this little bear can last, but I'll give it to you as a present for now~"

The girl happily accepted the bubble toy and gave me an adorable smile.

"Thank you, big sister!"

"No, I'm the one who should be thanking you."

Somehow, I felt like I could see the path I needed to follow.

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