Want Both

The next day, at nine in the evening.

The city branch dormitory rooftop was swept by a gentle night breeze.

Celestial Star stood at the edge of the Rooftop, hugging her Record Book. Every so often, she glanced at her watch, then at the night sky. Her expression was so solemn that it looked as though she were waiting for a UFO... Of course, there was also a hint of anticipation in her eyes.

--Magical Girl: Love.

The legend whom the entire Association most wanted to meet, yet who had always been as elusive as a dragon—visible only by its head and never its tail—had asked to meet her alone tonight.

Although Love's veil of mystery had long since been shattered to pieces in front of her.

But Dawn Rank was still Dawn Rank, in the end.

Your old man... Ahem.

In any case, Celestial Star was still a little excited to meet Love again. It was not because of Love herself, but because she had brought some simple testing equipment and planned to test Love's Magic Power a little.

The Magic Power within magical girls at each rank was different.

If they could thoroughly study these things, it would help all magical girls advance in rank.

And as the only Dawn Rank magical girl Celestial Star had ever met, Love's importance in her mind went without saying.

If she could obtain Love's data, she would have all the information she needed on advancing from Glow Rank to Dawn Rank.

At exactly nine, a wisp of pink light gently landed on the Rooftop.

"Good evening, Celestial Star~"

She's here!

Celestial Star raised her head slightly.

The pink-haired girl was slowly descending from the sky.

It had to be said that although the color scheme looked a little "tacky," Love's dress design was quite good. It looked exceptionally dignified and gorgeous.

It just did not quite match her fighting style.

Love's dress actually made her look more like a mage.

But although Love's voice sounded extremely girlish, she seemed to be quite tall? She was completely an older sister type, wasn't she?

She had to be nearly a hundred and seventy centimeters, right?

Those long legs were longer than her life...

And then...

A flash of holy light suddenly appeared in Celestial Star's field of vision.

The downside of thinking too fast was that sometimes, before Celestial Star could stop it, her brain would automatically render certain things.

"Eh? Celestial Star, why are you having a nosebleed?"

"And that's how it is."

While Celestial Star hurriedly wiped away her nosebleed, Love explained the whole situation—from confessing, to making an impact, to having a sense of ceremony, to getting revenge!

She had to give Chen Qianqian a huge shock!

"So," she said, blinking her starry eyes and looking at Celestial Star expectantly, "have you thought of a good plan?"

Although they had already discussed it over the phone, Celestial Star still felt a little helpless when she saw how seriously Love took this.

This person's true nature was completely that of a little imp who loved to play pranks...

But since Love had been willing to confess, Celestial Star had no reason not to help her.

After all, once this matter was settled, Love's so-called worries would all disappear. Joining the Association afterward would then be perfectly natural.

"Let's first clarify the requirements." Celestial Star opened her notebook, pushed up her glasses, then rubbed her nose. "Let me confirm."

"First, the impact has to be strong. It must be something Chen Qianqian will never forget."

"Second, she must not suffer any harm whatsoever, physical or psychological."

"Third, you have to make a dazzling entrance yourself. You can't just transform uneventfully and call it a day."

"Exactly!"

Why not ask for dazzling black in every color imaginable while you were at it...

Listening to Love's demands, Celestial Star felt a vein bulging on her forehead.

So the client only had to make demands, huh?

She raised her pen.

"I think the most suitable scene would be for us to run into an enemy we can't handle and become locked in a bitter battle. Then you arrive at the scene, perform a magnificent transformation in front of Chen Qianqian, and turn the tide."

"The impact on her would definitely be incredibly powerful."

"No." Love shook her head decisively without even thinking.

"Qianqian would definitely get hurt in a scene like that."

Celestial Star felt a little helpless.

"How could a magical girl never get hurt? If she doesn't learn through battle, how can she grow? Besides, Knight is there too. As long as Knight doesn't fall, there's no way Chen Qianqian will suffer too much harm."

Love knew Celestial Star had a point, but whenever she imagined what Chen Qianqian would look like after being injured...

"Backup plan! Backup plan!"

Half an hour later.

Celestial Star expressionlessly crossed out the seventeenth plan in her notebook.

The Record Book was densely covered with crosses.

"I understand something now." She closed the notebook, raised her head, and looked at Love as though she were a rare animal.

"What?"

"You..." Celestial Star enunciated each word. "You don't want Chen Qianqian to suffer even the slightest harm. She can't even be excessively frightened, and she can't come into contact with the slightest danger."

"At the same time, you want a grand spectacle. It has to be shocking, gorgeous, a chance to show off in front of everyone, and something she'll never forget."

"Of course." Love nodded as though it were only natural.

"Do you know what these two conditions are called when put together, logically speaking?"

"What are they called?"

"They're called wanting both." Celestial Star remained expressionless. "They're also called impossible."

The night wind howled across the Rooftop.

Love folded her arms, her brows tightly furrowed as her long pink hair fluttered in the wind.

"Mm..."

She was unwilling to give up.

This was her one and only chance in her life to make a magnificent entrance that would shock Chen Qianqian.

Although she would continue interacting with her under a new identity in the future, no matter how magnificent that future entrance was, it would never again have the shock of a first appearance.

Come on, stupid brain. Think.

How could she possibly be stumped by a little thing like "wanting both"?

"Wait."

She suddenly raised her head.

"You said just now that the reason grand spectacles were so shocking was because of the loss of control and the risk involved."

"That's right."

"Then what if..." Her eyes gradually lit up. "The loss of control and the risk weren't on her side—"

"What if they were on mine?"

Celestial Star's pen tip stopped.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean..." Love turned around, her starry eyes shining astonishingly in the night. "What if, in this 'grand spectacle,' what we wagered wasn't her safety—"

"But mine?"

Celestial Star stared at her for three seconds.

"You're doing this again?"

"Why don't you think about what happened the last time a situation like this came up?"

"A perfectly ordinary girl was driven into awakening through sheer desperation."

"I think if you try this, Chen Qianqian is very likely to beat you to death afterward."

Love's expression immediately fell.

That was true... Doing this would definitely cause Chen Qianqian a huge amount of psychological harm.