Bubble Magic and Self-Discovery

The profession of “Magical Girl” held a sacred, inviolable place in A-Yao’s heart. Because of his own inferiority complex, he placed his own value very low. So, when he became a magical girl himself, he couldn’t help but fall into self-doubt over the perceived chasm in status.

This feeling filled even normal self-exploration with a sense of guilt…

Personally, I believe that understanding one’s body after a transformation is normal behavior. It’s essentially just repeating what we did as children—discovering ourselves. Is knowing oneself really shameful?

Although my experience wasn’t as severe as his, I went through a similar stage. A year and a half ago, transitioning from an ordinary middle school student to a potential magical girl—and a top-tier one at that—took some getting used to. Those few dresses in my wardrobe were bought back then; they really were just middle school girls’ clothes.

Drying my hair with a towel, I walked out of the bathroom. A-Yao was sitting cross-legged on my bed, fiddling with his Switch. He seemed stuck in a tough battle, frowning slightly, his fluffy pink hair swaying as he moved. He looked incredibly cute.

He only looked up when I came out, then immediately lowered his head to continue getting mauled by monsters in-game.

“Ye Zi, done washing? Look, I made you a bed!”

Next to my original bed, there was now a fairly large air mattress—one he’d created with magic. It even had a blanket laid out on it. I lay down to test it. Not bad; it was certainly more comfortable than sleeping on the floor.

“Your magic is pretty practical. I wonder how it holds up in a real fight, though.”

“For now, I’m thinking of lifting the monsters up and dropping them from a high altitude.”

“That probably won’t work,” I countered. “Those monsters are thick-skinned. Unless you can drop them from outside the atmosphere, gravity won’t do much.”

I stood by the bed with the hairdryer when A-Yao suddenly said, “Ye Zi… thanks for earlier. I feel much calmer now.”

He was thanking me again.

“Idiot, I didn’t do anything worth thanking. If you keep agonizing over the ‘Magical Girl’ identity in front of me and insist on acting out a part, then interacting with you is going to be exhausting—not just for you, but for me, too.”

A bubble popped up beside him, pushing a can of iced Coke toward me. I caught the can and let it sit for a moment, just in case it was a trick.

“Actually, it’s not entirely an act. This identity has had some positive effects on me. At the very least, I feel like I’ve become… a little more responsible?”

He couldn’t quite articulate the change. But I understood what he meant.

It’s hard to explain why this shift occurs, but as Miluno, I too have become calmer and more rational. From a combat perspective, it’s a positive change—it helps me keep my secrets. But it also led to the public labeling me as an “Ice Queen.” The cold, distant type… even though I’m nothing like that in reality.

A-Yao waved his Switch at me. “Alright, let’s continue what we were doing this afternoon.”

“You’d better keep your legs together,” I warned. “Once I sit down on this air mattress, I’ll have a clear view of your battle lingerie.”

He immediately switched to a side-sitting position, legs pressed together, and grinned foolishly. “Hehe, it’s good that you’re so direct.”

His mood seemed better—at least he wasn’t rambling anymore. I picked up my own Switch and sat down on the soft air mattress.

“Speaking of which, I haven’t asked you yet. What’s your magical girl name? You’ve registered with the Association, right?”

“My name is Sailuno. I’ve already registered.”

Sailuno? My mouth twitched. “…So you just copied Miluno’s name?”

A-Yao leaned over the edge of the bed, poking his head out toward me. “Hehe~ What’s wrong with wanting to be closer to my idol? Even though she’s no longer just an idol—she’s now my role model and my senior!”

Sigh. There are so many magical girls in the world—over thirteen thousand registered with the Association alone. Why is he so obsessed with Miluno? Why is he obsessed with me?

Even if you rank us by strength, I always hover around seventh or eighth in the Top 10. If it’s just about admiring the strong, wouldn’t Sirius—who has carried the banner of magical girls for twelve consecutive years—be a more suitable idol?

“So, Sailuno…”

When I said the name, A-Yao… Sailuno… looked startled. “Whoa! Do you have to call me that even when we’re alone?”

“Of course. I’m letting you get used to it so you won’t be slow to react when someone addresses you in public.”

“That makes sense. So, what is it?”

“Can you conjure me a backrest cushion?”

“Ohh!”

She casually waved her magic wand, already becoming adept at using her powers. I observed the bubble-forming process: first, a small point appeared in the air, which then expanded into the shape she wanted. A soft air cushion floated down onto my legs.

I didn’t really need a cushion; I was just observing the mechanics of her magic. Even while I was focused on gaming, my mind kept thinking about how her soft, fluffy magic could be applied in combat. This was something I had to consider for her.

I asked, “Can you form that point inside a monster and then use the expansion force to blow it up from the inside?”

“Not really. I experimented this afternoon—my bubbles can’t burst things that are too sturdy. The expansion force just isn’t strong enough… Oh! The cat got me!”

Most monsters aren’t truly biological, and their interiors are usually solid stone or reinforced matter, so that tactic likely wouldn’t work.

I thought for a moment. “If you want to envelop a person or an object, do you have to place the membrane directly on the target from the start?”

“Yeah. Unless I break or dispel the bubble, nothing can be taken out from the inside.”

As someone who had been trapped in her bubble once today, I felt like something was off. “No, that’s not right…” I tapped my forehead and put down my Switch. “…Sailuno, try trapping me again.”

She didn’t ask why. She just picked up the wand from the nightstand and pointed it at me. The ruby at the tip flickered, and a layer of intangible magical film coated my body again.

“Stop,” I said, timing the process. “Like this—keep the membrane layer without expanding it yet.”

I pointed at my nose and mouth. “See? Even though my mouth and nose are covered by the membrane, I don’t have any difficulty breathing. Moreover, I can still speak perfectly clearly from inside the membrane.”

“Oh! That’s true!” Realizing this for the first time, Sailuno looked surprised.

“Breathing requires air, and the medium for sound is also air. In other words, air isn’t blocked by your bubble.”

“Even though gravity and weight are eliminated, air still flows through?”

“I’m not sure; that’s just my hypothesis. Sometimes magical powers aren’t as simple as they appear on the surface. If air can pass through your bubble, then what exactly is supporting this air cushion in my lap?” I pressed on the cushion, but I couldn’t squeeze the air out. The air-flow hypothesis didn’t quite hold up.

“Then what’s going on?” Sailuno was stumped.

Magical girls always start from scratch when exploring their abilities. I originally thought I was just an acceleration-type magical girl, never imagining my ability was actually an “OP” power like manipulating time flow.

An Acceleration Type simply moves faster than others. A Time Type, however, essentially slows down everything except themselves. Within that slowed time, I can develop better strategies and have more reaction time. Although the outward results look similar, the essence is worlds apart. Clearly, time-type abilities are far more profound.

And now, Sailuno’s magic might be a similar case. If the bubble is just a surface phenomenon, then what exactly is her true ability?