Love's Test

"Honestly, I still find it a little hard to believe."

Old Wei spoke as he arranged for the test equipment to be prepared.

"A boy became a Magical Girl... and now, because he became a Magical Girl, his body is gradually turning into a girl's... Biology has left the building."

Celestial Star adjusted her glasses.

"The moment Magic Power came into existence, all science split into two categories: with Magic Power and without it."

Love and Thousand Blades had transformed, while Masked Heroine and Knight had just returned from patrol. Every Magical Girl present was in her transformed state, so Celestial Star transformed too, rather than be the odd one out.

It was a test, after all, and she looked even more scholarly after transforming.

"So... what rank were you when you awakened?"

Old Wei continued his questions.

"Even if you started at Lamp-Lighting Rank, reaching Dawn Rank within a year would make you a genius among geniuses."

Everyone except Chen Qianqian fell silent.

Masked Heroine was an obvious case. She had been a Magical Girl for nearly four or five years and was still hovering at Firefly Rank. Even Knight, her junior, had resolved what was weighing on her at the concert and broken through to Lamp-Lighting Rank in one leap.

Of course, Knight really was a genius.

She had reached the second rank purely by refining her own Magic Power, without even unlocking her unique ability.

"Dawn... I was Dawn Rank from the moment I came into being."

Love scratched her cheek, a little embarrassed.

"Actually, I haven't made much progress this past year."

Masked Heroine couldn't hold back when she heard that.

"Not much progress? Does that matter? You were born at Dawn Rank! That already puts you among the very best Magical Girls. Even if you never improve another inch, you've still beaten ninety percent of us... And you want more progress? What, are you trying to reach the heavens in one step?"

As she spoke, resentment practically poured off Masked Heroine.

What had led her to become a Magical Girl was her deep love for the Masked Rider franchise.

She had dreamed of becoming someone like a Masked Rider, someone who protected the weak... Then, when someone was in danger, her knightly spirit drove her to step forward. At the moment between life and death, she awakened as a Masked Ri—no, a Magical Girl.

A perfectly ordinary Magical Girl, with only first-rank power when she awakened.

Celestial Star said nothing. After all, she hadn't been a Magical Girl much longer than Thousand Blades.

But she was a genius too.

Why couldn't she control the ability she'd been born with?

Because she had become a Magical Girl through her research into Magic Power, not through a wish.

"Damn it..."

Realizing she was the only ordinary person in a room full of geniuses, Masked Heroine even slipped into her native tongue.

Thousand Blades had awakened at Firefly Rank too!

I'm done... What a bunch of cheaters.

Old Wei's gaze grew complicated at the news that Love had been Dawn Rank from the moment she came into being. In the end, though, he said nothing more and merely pointed to the first piece of equipment they had prepared.

"Come on. Let's test your Magic Power..."

"Remember, don't release it all at once. Our equipment can only just manage to measure Dawn Rank. Too much Magic Power at once, and it'll explode."

"Ooh~ That sounds impressive."

Electric Sound popped her head out.

Beautiful Sound appeared beside her, took both of Electric Sound's hands, and pressed their cheeks together.

"It'll display her power level, just like in Dragon Ball."

"It probably won't be that dramatic..."

Love stepped onto the testing device.

Her Magic Power flowed out slowly, far more gently than anyone had expected.

Then again, this was Love... Her Magic Power wasn't sharp or aggressive. It was warm like the sun... Never mind whether you could touch the sun; from far enough away, it was warm.

Get too close and try to touch it, and you were asking to die.

In any case, nothing unexpected happened. The reading climbed steadily to the Dawn Rank mark, then eased to a stop at the equipment's limit.

"Mm... She's definitely Dawn Rank... And she has more Magic Power than the average Dawn Rank Magical Girl."

Celestial Star gave her verdict.

Love stuck out her tongue.

"That's because I felt everyone's love outside just now..."

Old Wei nodded in astonishment.

"That's an incredibly mind-over-matter ability. Drawing energy from an abstract concept like love is downright eerie... With enough love to sustain you, you could theoretically keep going far longer than normal, couldn't you?"

She might even gain Sunlit Rank power for a short time.

A true ace...

"And her abilities are determined by what she wants."

"Doesn't that mean... Love can instantly learn anything she wants to?"

"Love! Let's start a band and stay together forever!"

Electric Sound lit up at Old Wei's words and immediately invited Love to join her band.

"Aw~ I'd love to say yes, but unfortunately, everyday skills are outside the range of what I can do... If we get the chance, though, we could hold a joint event!"

Electric Sound looked disappointed at the first half, then jumped for joy at the second.

"Yay!"

Electric Sound rushed forward to give Love a huge hug.

Love had already opened her arms, but Thousand Blades suddenly stepped between them, glaring at Electric Sound and hissing.

"Come on~ It's just a friendly hug~"

Love stroked Thousand Blades's head helplessly, soothing her.

Thousand Blades gave a couple of disgruntled grumbles, but she stopped hissing.

Knight stared at them for a moment, lost in thought.

They're so close...

For some reason, memories surfaced one after another: Love treating her mother, and what Love had said to her at the concert.

Knight couldn't help thinking how nice it would be if she could be closer to Love too.

"Speaking of which, what's Masked Heroine's ability?"

Love knew more or less what everyone present could do.

The two punk Magical Girls were from the neighboring province, and asking them outright would be rude. But she was curious about Masked Heroine, who had come to support them.

Masked Heroine scratched her cheek.

"Well, my ability is pretty hard to pin down... I guess it's a combination of all sorts of Masked Rider traits."

"Like showing up in the most unlikely places, unleashing a burst of power with zero windup... Stuff like that. I even have invincibility frames while transforming..."

Judging by how she usually performed, the only real difference between Masked Heroine and a Masked Rider was the outfit.

"Ooh~"

Love drew out the sound.

"By the way, do I need to keep testing? I heard there were quite a few tests."

Old Wei shook his head.

"No. You're too strong for our equipment to handle... And you've already shown how strong you are in combat, so there's no need for more tests."

"You can go do some AI..."

A phone call cut Old Wei off before he could finish.

"Anyway, go get some rest for now."

With that, he hurried off.