Faster Than Light

(Sun Yao)

Back in the restaurant, I sat down in the empty seat between Yezi and Miss Miluno. The tray in front of me was simple yet exquisite, but Miss Melissa's words were still lingering in my mind.

[Not just me, all the maids in this mansion are magical girls.]

Miss Melissa's nickname during her active years was "NAPALM".

In other words, napalm bombs.

Although I've never witnessed Miss Melissa's magic, I can only imagine it.

This is a title steeped in history. Twelve years ago, at the beginning of the war, she was a member of the Sirius Squad. Unexpectedly, after retiring, this early magical girl ended up spending her retirement on this small island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean... working as a maid... and incidentally educating the new generation of maids... magical girls.

Hmm, the other non-speaking maids are all young magical girls. I'm quite surprised; I've never seen so many magical girls gathered together, serving as maids.

Homeless mute girls exist all over the world, but those who are both mute and eligible for the Star Crystal are extremely rare. Miss Sirius finds these marginalized magical girls, gathers them around her, and then has Melissa train them.

Of course, these are all just my guesses.

During the meal, I cautiously inquired, "Miss Miluno, do you already know about that matter?"

"What's up?"

"Well... Miss Melissa is actually a magical girl too."

Because Sirius was also in the room, I spoke very softly.

"Yes, I already know."

Miluno's reaction was surprisingly indifferent.

Am I the only one who doesn't know?

Even Yezi on the Other Side nodded. The thought that they were hiding things from me made me feel frustrated, especially since I was the only one left out.

What are you talking about?

Sirius wiped her mouth after finishing her meal. She was wearing a rather formal dress today, and the maid next to her was holding a wide-brimmed hat, so she probably had something to do when she went out.

Thinking this, she said, "Ceruno- chan, I'm going to the Hawaii Branch today, so you'll have to rely on your own initiative to attend training. Can you do that?"

"Certainly!"

Although I agreed without thinking, I know I'm not a self-disciplined person, at least not as self-disciplined as Yezi and Miss Miluno.

So he changed his tune again. "Yezi and Miss Miluno will be watching me!"

Miss Sirius simply smiled at this.

I pressed further, "What is Miss Sirius going to the branch for?"

"Go see Spica; I have something I'd like to discuss with her."

It was quite surprising that she would take the initiative to meet with Ms. SpiCa.

"... About that plan?"

"I disagree with militarizing the management of magical girls, but the situation here has stabilized, and it's time to move the battle to the next stage... I won't blindly support her plan, so the specific details still need to be discussed."

If Miss Sirius also supports SpiCa's Second Counterattack Operation, then whether Daddy agrees or not becomes irrelevant, right?

However, that's not something I should be thinking about. If we really go to war with the Other Side, then I won't be able to escape.

I asked again, "Are you coming back this afternoon?"

"Oh? Is there something you need?"

"I think..."

He glanced at Miss Miluno, then mustered his courage and said, "I want to challenge you again, Miss Miluno!"

Several magical girl maids were cleaning the kennels; all the Doggy had been chased out, but Miss Miluno and I stayed in the dance room at the far end of the kennels.

Sitting cross-legged facing each other, Miss Miluno asked, "Tell me, what plan do you have that will allow me to break through Sirius's All-Angle Laser Defense Grid?"

"Haven't you already broken through once?"

"I can only maintain twenty times the speed for a split second, and you've seen the consequences of using it."

"Miss Miluno, if I'm not mistaken, your magic is actually manipulating the flow of time, isn't it?"

My question made Miss Miluno frown, and after a long while she sighed, revealing her deep helplessness.

"Yes, how did you find out?"

"Inferred from Miss Antarctic Star's rate of magic decay."

"Is that so? Then it has indeed become a weakness... Now that you know, how do you plan to deal with Sirius?"

"Miss Miluno's acceleration can be applied to other objects, right? Like the volleyball and the stones we threw earlier."

"Yes, but like the magic of the Antarctic Star, it will decay rapidly."

"That's not important, let's try it out first."

I took out my wand and cast a Magic Membrane over Miss Miluno.

"Miss Miluno, please accelerate the activation of your Magic Membrane."

Miss Miluno did not reply, but she tried to do it, and then ran out of the kennel like a gust of wind, leaving only a blur.

Not only did I not see it clearly, but the other maids also didn't understand what was happening. Miss Zara, holding the broom, tilted her head, showing a cute, bewildered expression.

Speaking of which, Miss Zara is also a magical maid. What kind of magic does she possess?

In the blink of an eye, Miss Miluno had returned.

She suddenly appeared, holding several white seashells in her hand, and in just over ten seconds, she ran back and forth between the beach and the kennel.

"How are you feeling?" I asked.

"Your magic allows me to easily run at speeds exceeding my physical limits. As long as the bubble doesn't burst, even at twenty times the speed, I won't be affected... I've never experienced such effortless acceleration before."

Miss Miluno's face showed an unusual excitement; she seemed genuinely satisfied with the result.

Although it only accelerated the membrane, because the space inside the membrane was independent, it also accelerated Miss Miluno. The pressure she originally had to endure was all absorbed by the membrane, allowing her to run more easily in the accelerated world.

My idea was proven correct, and I couldn't help but feel a little smug.

"Hehe, this should be enough to deal with Miss Sirius, right?"

"If she can't come up with anything new, I shouldn't lose at my current speed."

Miss Miluno said, patting my forehead again.

"However, I need to conduct extreme tests to see how many times your membrane can withstand acceleration without being attacked."

"The strength of the magic depends on my 'confidence'."

Recent battles have proven that the strength of the bubble does indeed depend on my mindset; as long as I have unwavering faith and a strong enough will, I can create the most durable bubble.

She then asked, "How fast can you make me change?"

"I don't know, but I'll try my best."

Miss Miluno shook her head; she was not satisfied with my answer.

"That doesn't sound very confident."

Confidence...

Sirius once said that a smile can bring confidence.

Therefore, I smiled at Miss Miluno.

"I'll make Miss Miluno run faster than the light!"