Magical Girl Tea Party

A burst of rousing electronic music rang out.

Crash!

"I'm telling you one more fucking time! Stop playing that damn guitar in here!"

In the Magical Girl lounge, Beautiful Sound's bass was once again smashed against Electric Sound's head.

Poor bass. It could do anything except make music.

"Damn you, Beautiful Sound! I just got to an exciting part and wanted to do some proper voice-over!"

"Voice-over my ass!"

The Magical Girl duo from the neighboring province started brawling again. Old Wei had stepped out on business, leaving the others with nothing to do, so Knight had suggested a Magical Girl tea party.

Since they were all so close and kept in touch, why not chat about interesting things they'd been through and get to know one another better?

And so the conversation began in the lounge.

"Ah~ Sweet cake, sweet tea. This is so nice~"

Love put a big forkful of cake into her mouth, her eyes narrowing to delighted slits.

The corner of Thousand Blades's eye twitched as she watched.

"And then? What happened next?"

Love was asking Masked Heroine.

Masked Heroine had been telling them about a difficult battle she had once fought.

It was the encounter she had mentioned before, against a Fallen Beast on the verge of advancing to the third tier.

At first, the battle had gone smoothly for Masked Heroine.

With her powerful hand-to-hand skills, she had kept the Fallen Beast firmly on the defensive. But they were on a bridge, and she had been afraid that damaging it would cause an accident, so she couldn't unleash her full strength.

Then something unexpected happened.

Members of the Liberation Faction hidden in the crowd stirred up panic. They claimed the bridge was about to give way, that Masked Heroine was only a second-tier Magical Girl and couldn't save everyone. With the bridge packed, the Association couldn't evacuate the crowd properly, either.

In an instant, the crowd's negative emotions made the Fallen Beast much stronger.

Masked Heroine found herself in a desperate fight.

That was where Electric Sound's sudden outburst had interrupted her story.

At Love's urging, Masked Heroine collected herself.

"After that... there isn't much to tell, really."

"I had people supporting me and cheering me on, too... I heard them calling out, and they gave me courage. In the end, I took a gamble and managed to kill the Fallen Beast. But I was badly hurt in the process."

"Ah... so everyone's love gave you strength."

Love sounded deeply moved.

"Of course. The power of love is boundless... It's pure and beautiful, the brightest light in the human heart... A light that can pierce the darkness and illuminate every corner..."

Listening to Love, Masked Heroine suddenly grew curious about the wish she had made.

"Love... you used to be a boy, right?"

"What kind of wish did you make back then? It turned you into a Magical Girl even though you were a boy, and made you so powerful."

But the moment the words left her mouth, Masked Heroine felt she had overstepped.

She had seen the records from when Love had been Yang Chen.

He had lost both parents seven years ago and, for a time, had withdrawn so completely that he refused to speak to anyone...

Masked Heroine couldn't believe Love's wish had nothing to do with her parents. Her question seemed to have reopened an old wound.

"Um... if you'd rather not say..."

"I don't mind."

Love's expression didn't change. She still wore that gentle smile.

"When it comes to love~"

"Ever since I was little, Mom was always telling me she loved me."

"When I left the house, when I came home, before I fell asleep, when I was sick... At every moment, she showed me how much she loved me, without holding back or feeling embarrassed to say it."

"Dad wasn't good with words, but everything he did showed it just as clearly."

"Mom told me herself that love could overcome anything... And I saw the miracle it brought with my own eyes. I'll never forget that moment."

"So I made a wish."

"Maybe my prayers, day after day, finally moved the heavens and let me become a Magical Girl."

Silence settled over the room for a moment.

Love had told the truth, but she hadn't told the whole story.

Everyone could see that.

After all, a parent's love was something most children had. Barring a few rare exceptions, parents everywhere loved their children deeply.

And as for praying day after day...

If that really worked, Magical Girls would be everywhere by now, wouldn't they?

Love's miracle?

Something occurred to Knight, but she kept it to herself and turned to Celestial Star instead.

"Come to think of it, Celestial Star really did become a Magical Girl in a way no one else has."

Seeing Knight change the subject, everyone followed her lead and looked at Celestial Star.

Celestial Star pushed her glasses up again.

"There's not much to tell... My friend is a Magical Girl. Once she became one, it never occurred to her to keep her identity secret. She couldn't wait to tell me."

"I was curious about Magic Power, so I tried studying it."

"Mm... Later, there was a small accident during an experiment, and some Magic Power entered my body. Through a strange twist of fate, I gained the ability to sense it... After that, I became a Magical Girl."

Put that way, Celestial Star's path to becoming a Magical Girl was the most extraordinary of all.

Yang Cheng might have originally been a boy, but she had become a Magical Girl through a powerful, beautiful wish.

Celestial Star hadn't even made a wish.

"Oh... No wonder little Celestial Star can't control her abilities. You're still trying to find your way, aren't you?"

Love thought she understood why Celestial Star couldn't control her abilities.

"Yes."

Celestial Star didn't shy away from the subject.

"Becoming a Magical Girl was an accident for me. Right now, I don't have a powerful wish or a heartfelt desire to protect others... But I was raised to know that, now I have this power, I can't run from the responsibility that comes with it."

"Although I spend most of my time working in support, I'm also actively searching for a reason strong enough to make me fight."

Clap, clap, clap...

At some point, the rock duo had ended their close-quarters exchange and started applauding.

They didn't quite understand, but it sounded impressive.

"Oh, right! No time like the present! Let's all go out for a meal today!"

After applauding, Electric Sound suddenly raised her hand.

"A meal? Doesn't the Association..."

Knight didn't seem inclined to go out.

"That's different!"

Beautiful Sound crossed her arms in front of her chest, making a big X.

"All right."

Knight looked around. No one seemed opposed, so she nodded at last.

"It's about time to eat anyway. Let's go to Commercial Street."

With that, Knight was the first to drop her transformation.

"Mm... heh heh... mm..."

In the dorm room, Ranger rolled over and scratched her waist.

"Heh heh heh... Zzz..."