My other self and Aldebaran believed that Sanctified magical girls were beings that should never have existed.
Looking at it through SpiCa's theory now, they were right...
I had overcorrected a little.
But converting only half of them wouldn't stop their Witch Personas from devouring them. The rules of this world really were a pain. Not everyone had SpiCa's ability to reconcile with her own Witch Persona inside her head and even merge with her afterward.
It looked as though we had found a new way forward, but in reality, there was still no solution.
"Hey! Be careful. Don't let your mind wander while you're working..."
SpiCa's arm made a sharp cracking sound.
It was a minor accident caused by instability while converting the darkness. She cried out in pain, too, and Liuzi looked distressed as she gently patted SpiCa's back from beside her.
"Sorry," I said.
"It's fine. Just convert a little more, and that'll be enough."
"Are you sure this half-and-half thing won't cause problems?"
"Witches have been built this way from the start. If anything, those Modified Witches don't count as real witches at all... That's about enough."
I let go of SpiCa's hand and stepped back beside Mom.
"I feel fantastic! This really is what being a witch is all about... I thought it was strange before. I'd become a witch, but my magic hadn't changed fundamentally. So it really was because I wasn't a Witch Persona!"
She bounced around like an excited elementary schooler, but her voluptuous figure was anything but a child's, and it bobbed along with her. Mom reached over and covered my eyes.
"Mom, are you seriously still treating me like a little kid?"
"No, I'm worried you'll feel inferior."
"...I won't."
I pulled Mom's hand away.
"Then, as promised, can we