A trade

Did all of Sakura's magic come from the Clow Cards?

No. If she hadn't had magic to begin with, she couldn't have used the Clow Cards at all.

So capturing the Clow Cards must have been a process that taught her to use her magic proficiently while helping it grow.

It felt like some kind of inheritance ritual.

Not "like." This was clearly an inheritance ritual.

Had Huo Lin accidentally interfered with it?

With that realization, she decided not to keep looking for Clow Cards.

Of course, she wasn't scared!

What a joke. Now that she'd learned Absolute Defense, she wasn't afraid of anyone! It was just...

Right. Respect.

After all, they belonged to someone else. They had an owner, so she shouldn't take them even if she came across them.

"Huo Lin, do you know any magic besides disguises?"

Although they hadn't known each other long, Sakura felt that, as fellow magical girls, they were already close enough to call each other by name.

Of course she knew other spells, such as Barrier and Defense Shield. But she thought Sakura was probably asking about Devices like the bow tie and hair clip, ones she could lend her to use.

"Yes, there's also a wardrobe-changing spell."

"Wardrobe-changing?"

"Mm-hmm. Although it only has a tracksuit right now. Like this."

Huo Lin took out the Changing Stage in its keychain form, which she had spent several days making.

A demonstration was clearer than an explanation. She softly called out, "Activate," and under Sakura's, Tomoyo's, and Hayate's gazes, "holy light" enveloped her entire body. Only a vague outline remained visible.

Three to five seconds later, the light faded, revealing Huo Lin in a school tracksuit.

"That's amazing! But why a tracksuit?"

"Well, there's a school uniform too."

Besides the tracksuit, it also contained a girls' school uniform she had borrowed from Hayate. They had the same build, anyway.

That way, if anything unexpected happened, she could change into the uniform and pass herself off as Hayate.

Aside from the tracksuit and school uniform, the Changing Stage really had nothing else in it.

"It can actually hold over a hundred outfits, and I can change into any of them whenever I want. I just don't have that many clothes."

"I do!"

Tomoyo's delighted cry startled almost everyone present.

"Come with me!"

Without waiting for objections, she led the girls running down the corridors of her home. Sakura had a bad feeling about this.

They crossed the garden and arrived at an observatory, where Tomoyo opened the doors with practiced ease.

There was no telescope inside. The observatory might once have been used for stargazing, but now it was filled with clothing racks.

Outfit after outfit of unusually designed girls' clothing hung there. Some were Lolita-style, some circus-inspired, and others princess-style.

Of course, every style could be considered a "magical girl outfit."

Sakura had already covered her face. She had worn every outfit here, all made for her by Tomoyo. Seeing them displayed together like this sent her embarrassment practically off the charts.

Hayate, however, admired them immensely. Now this was what she thought a magical girl should look like!

"These are really amazing!" she exclaimed in her distinctive Kansai accent. "Did you buy them somewhere?"

"I made them all myself. But they were tailored for Sakura, so they wouldn't fit anyone else. Huo Lin, could you make another Changing Stage for Sakura?"

Tomoyo had already heard that Huo Lin made all her own Devices.

She could already picture it. The next time Sakura went to capture a Clow Card, she wouldn't need to have her female bodyguards drive a van over and help Sakura change inside it.

Sakura could change directly with magic, and she could film the transformation! That was the magical girl Sakura she had always imagined! Perfect!

"Sure, I can make another one."

Huo Lin didn't think it was a big deal. She still had enough materials, anyway. At the moment, aside from making a Magic Shield for Hayate, she had no other plans.

Making the same Device again would give her more practice, too.

"Thank you so much! To show my gratitude, I'll make ten outfits tailored for you both-no, twenty!"

"That many?" Huo Lin had considered that possibility earlier, but she hadn't expected Tomoyo to be so generous.

The materials for these clothes weren't cheap, and the work took a lot of effort. At least, it was far harder than making a Device was for Huo Lin.

"It's fine! Making clothes is my favorite thing!"

Besides, she didn't make everything entirely by hand. The Daidoji Group, run by Tomoyo's mother, had a children's clothing business, and she could borrow all kinds of professional commercial equipment. That greatly improved her efficiency.

"Come here, come here. Let me take your measurements."

First came Huo Lin, then Hayate. Tomoyo discovered that their measurements were almost identical, too. They really were twins.

That made sewing the clothes a little easier. She had originally intended to make ten outfits each, but now there was no need to distinguish between them. She could simply make all twenty in the same size.

The new Device took Huo Lin three days. Having made one before, she found it much easier this time.

On Saturday the following week, when Huo Lin handed the Device to Sakura, she learned that Tomoyo had already finished an outfit as well.

One outfit a week was a pretty good pace.

Huo Lin wouldn't accept anything too revealing.

But she didn't need to say so. Tomoyo wouldn't make clothes like that anyway. Her designs were suitable for all ages.

For the first outfit, Huo Lin had requested a red-and-white color scheme. Christmas was approaching, so she had been thinking of a Christmas theme.

But Tomoyo's finished outfit... how should she put it? Rather than a Christmas costume, it looked more like a shrine maiden's outfit.

Still, it wasn't as bulky as shrine maiden clothing, nor did it have all the complicated layers of an underrobe, white robe, and red hakama. It looked roughly like a girls' sailor-style school uniform redesigned with a shrine maiden theme.

Whatever else could be said, one thing was certain: Tomoyo's sense of aesthetics never failed her.

"Hurry up and try it on," Hayate urged from beside her.

Of course, she didn't mean for Huo Lin to put it on by hand.

The Changing Stage flashed, drawing the "shrine maiden sailor uniform" inside and confirming it as an available outfit.

Then, with Hayate, Tomoyo, and Sakura watching, Huo Lin suppressed her slight embarrassment and called out, "Change!"

To the spectators, Huo Lin was surrounded by holy light, leaving nothing visible for three to five seconds.

What Huo Lin herself felt, however, was her original clothing vanishing instantly. It was not a pleasant sensation.

Perhaps some people had experienced a nightmare like that: suddenly finding themselves naked in public, desperately searching for something to cover themselves with, yet failing to get dressed before waking up.

That was how Huo Lin felt now. Even though she knew the holy light prevented anyone from seeing her, she still couldn't help inwardly cursing whoever had created this "wardrobe-changing spell." They had to be a pervert.

It was an advanced spell, too. Among all the spells recorded in the Book of the Night Sky, wardrobe-changing magic ranked among the highest tiers.

That was because it did more than simply change clothes. It had a very special effect.

During the change, the user was immune to attacks. Even if they had previously been afflicted by a curse or trapped by binding magic, wardrobe-changing magic could reset their condition.

That was why some experienced combat Mages would suddenly dismiss their magical outfits when trapped by an enemy, then put them on again.

Of course, in the instant between the dismissal and reequipping spells, they had absolutely no defenses. It was dangerous, so this method only worked for experienced elites.

With enough practice, they could even dismiss just part of the outfit and change again, achieving the same effect.

Huo Lin refused to believe that a "pioneer" capable of creating such magic couldn't have found another way to replace the changing process. They could at least have left her underwear on. It could only be a twisted sense of humor.

Those three to five seconds passed in a flash. During the process, she felt pieces of fabric wrap around her body one after another, bringing a sense of security. By the time the light faded, the entire outfit was neatly in place on Huo Lin.

"Wow! You really look like a magical girl!"

Whatever Huo Lin herself felt, to everyone watching, the process positively radiated "magical girl."

Tomoyo's craftsmanship was truly excellent. After all, she had plenty of experience making clothes for a "magical girl."

"Your turn next, Sakura."

With wicked intent, Huo Lin handed Sakura the newly made Changing Stage, inviting her to experience that sensation beneath the holy light that only the wearer knew.