Ch. 41Longing
Chapter Summary: “Longing”
Key Plot Points and Events
- Huali notices the first visible signs that his body is gradually changing into that of a girl: a faint pink tint around his pupils, softer and more sensitive skin, and a plumper, “mochi-like” texture.
- He reflects on his earlier transformations into a Magical Girl and recalls his embarrassing first awakening. He transformed after panicking upon seeing a snake in a mall restroom, frightening the snake and the bystanders before being bitten.
- Huali explains the nature of a Magical Girl’s body:
- The transformed body is separate from the ordinary human body.
- Severe injuries can be healed or survived as long as the Magic Core remains intact.
- Magical Girl bodies are resistant to poison and respond especially well to healing magic.
- Damage to the Magic Core or the human body can still result in death.
- After the snake incident, Huali was taken to the Magical Girl Division, registered, trained, and eventually began working as an official Magical Girl.
- He recalls secretly transforming several times to study and adapt to the altered body, learning to cope with changes in height, limb length, hair, softness, chest, clothing, and movement.
- Returning to his current untransformed body, Huali confirms that he remains physically male for now, with a broad and firm chest, despite knowing that a full transformation will eventually occur.
- He considers how the knowledge of his future transformation has changed his attitude toward girls. He is no longer as nervous or excited around them as he once would have been.
- However, remembering Fu You effortlessly destroying a Witch reignites his excitement and admiration. Huali longs to become as powerful and imposing as she is, even though he doubts that a healing-type Magical Girl can reach that level.
Character Development
- Huali: Becomes increasingly conscious of his impending gender transformation and is curious, embarrassed, and somewhat uneasy about the physical changes. His repeated transformations have made him more experienced and adaptable, but he still feels self-conscious about his Magical Girl appearance and body.
- Huali’s perspective on gender and attraction is changing. He is becoming more emotionally detached around beautiful girls, perhaps because he knows he will eventually become one himself.
- He also develops a strong sense of aspiration after witnessing Fu You’s power, revealing that beneath his practical healing role, he desires strength, authority, and recognition.
- Fu You: Though she appears only in Huali’s recollection, she is presented as an exceptionally powerful and intimidating senior Magical Girl whose effortless defeat of a Witch leaves a lasting impression.
- Huali’s sister: Mentioned as the person who taught him to care for his skin, indirectly emphasizing the gradual feminization of his body and routine.
Significant Themes
- Transformation and identity: Huali’s changing body forces him to reconsider his sense of self, gender, and future.
- Adaptation: Becoming a Magical Girl requires learning to control a physically unfamiliar body and accept its unusual features.
- Embarrassment versus confidence: Huali’s first transformation was humiliating, but the Magical Girl body also gave him a natural confidence and courage that allowed him to capture the snake.
- Power and aspiration: Fu You’s overwhelming strength inspires Huali, even as he questions whether his healing abilities can ever make him equally formidable.
- The body as both vulnerability and strength: Huali feels embarrassed by the softness and altered proportions of his Magical Girl form, yet that body is also resilient, magically enhanced, and capable of surviving injuries that would kill an ordinary person.
Character Interactions
- Huali remembers his sister guiding him in applying body lotion, highlighting his changing skin and increasing sensitivity.
- During his first awakening, Huali’s panic, scream, and transformation frightened the snake and several would-be rescuers, creating an awkward but memorable public incident.
- Passersby and police helped him after the snake attack and connected him with the Magical Girl Division.
- Huali compares his reactions toward girls such as Huang Xing and Green Yi with how he would have behaved before beginning his transformation.
- His recollection of Fu You defeating a Witch functions as an indirect but emotionally powerful interaction: her overwhelming presence inspires Huali and fuels his longing to become stronger.