“Power itself is neither right nor wrong; its nature is determined solely by its wielder.”
Aya Tone’s eyes flickered with a profound light of contemplation, yet in the end, it all dissolved into a long sigh.
“Big White, I need some peace…”
“Understood, Master.”
Closing his eyes, Aya Tone remained oblivious to the fact that the restraints on his body had long since been removed. His mind was in utter turmoil; Big White’s words had pierced his heart like a knife.
‘Uncontrolled power.’
This was a possibility he had never considered. He had been certain he’d completely expended the surging magic within him.
‘Why?’
Lost in a chaotic swirl of ‘whys,’ Aya Tone finally succumbed to sleep.
Big White, meanwhile, remained silent, gazing intently at his furrowed brow. A faint, mysterious, yet gentle daylight shimmered around her fair fingers. She gently placed them on his forehead, slowly massaging it until the furrow smoothed away.
‘This Master of hers truly causes too much worry. They keep everything bottled up, never speaking their mind, until by the time someone notices, they’re almost beyond help. How could uncontrolled power be so easily managed? The magic that surged when the Heart Power activated was, in the end, Aya Tone’s own magic. How could it possibly be completely spent? The moment it appeared, it had already merged with the magic within her, becoming indistinguishable. It had simply settled and fully assimilated before, which led Aya Tone to mistakenly believe the magic within her was not out of control. It was like different ethnic groups within the same country, all part of one family, yet with slight cultural differences. Over time, these differences simply vanished. And this incident, occurring at Dragon Court Academy, was precisely when they were caught. The external stimulus instantly caused Aya Tone’s inherently unstable magic to affect her body, leading to her emotional breakdown and tears.’
Watching her face gradually settle into tranquility, Big White waved her small hand. Starlight ignited, and night instantly enveloped the entire living room, preventing her Master’s sleep from being disturbed by external light. If anyone were to look from outside, they would be astonished to find that the sunlight seemed to be completely cut off from the room by an invisible wall. Outside, the sun shone brightly; inside, deep night reigned.
****
An unknown amount of time passed before Aya Tone slowly opened her groggy eyes.
“Hm…? Is it dark?”
Her stirring head simultaneously roused Big White, who had been resting on the sofa with her eyes closed.
“Master, are you awake?” Big White didn’t immediately dispel the darkness. Instead, she waited for Aya Tone to fully awaken before slowly adjusting the brightness. The midday sun, streaming through the window, once again reclaimed the room it had been cut off from all morning, brazenly casting its warmth.
“It’s been so long since I’ve slept this comfortably…” Aya Tone pushed herself up from Big White’s lap, stretching languidly.
‘It’s been a while since I slept alone.’
“Big White, what time is it?”
“It’s currently…” Big White pulled a phone from her pocket and glanced at it.
“Almost half past one in the afternoon.”
After transforming into a human, she had lost her ability to directly connect to the network, so Aya Tone had specially provided her with a phone.
“Half past one already. I’ll head to the guild to tell the President about my leave first.”
With that, she rose and walked towards the washbasin.
Big White rubbed her legs, which had gone numb from being used as a pillow. ‘Human bodies are such a hassle; prolonged lack of blood circulation easily leads to numbness. Although what flows through her body isn’t blood but magic, the principle is the same.’
“Big White, I’m heading out.” Aya Tone’s vibrant female voice rang out from the corridor.
“Goodbye, Master.” A crescent moon slowly curved at Big White’s lips as she looked up and whispered, but Aya Tone’s figure was nowhere to be seen behind her.
‘It seems Master had a good sleep and figured many things out. At least, they’re not as resistant to becoming a magical girl as they initially were.’ She picked up her phone and opened a chat group.
[White Demon: Guys, what’s the best way to handle a tsundere Master?]
Having realized her Master was a tsundere, Big White decided to solicit advice from the omniscient netizens. The moment her message landed, the quiet chat group instantly erupted with a flood of lurkers.
[I’m a Loli-Con: ?]
As if a single “?” couldn’t convey his doubt and shock, he began spamming more question marks below. Within mere seconds, Big White couldn’t even find her own message amidst the screen full of question marks.
[I’m a Loli-Con has been muted by the group owner for one hour.]
Finally! The endless barrage of question marks ceased, and the group chat returned to normal.
[Possessed by a Demon: I’ll speak for him!]
[Possessed by a Demon: @White Demon Holy crap! Bro, you have a Master?! Playing it this wild?]
Clearly, in their perception, Big White was just some scruffy old man. And the Loli-Con, having admitted his mistake promptly, was now unmuted.
[I’m a Loli-Con: It’s not that loli you mentioned last time, is it?!]
[White Demon: Mm.]
Instantly, the group chat was filled with another chorus of howls and wails. Their words reeked of intense jealousy, ultimately earning them a day-long mute.
[Head of White-Haired Witch Fanclub: Alright, the world is quiet now. Let’s continue.]
[Possessed by a Demon: *shivering.jpg*]
[Where’s My Head: *shivering.jpg*]
[Chop Me Up: *shivering.jpg*]
[Head of White-Haired Witch Fanclub: Spam the screen again and you’ll all be sent to the small black room!]
Instantly, those who hadn’t seen Big White’s message but still wanted to “+1” stopped their self-destructive little hands.
[Possessed by a Demon: I think, perhaps, a tsundere loli is too much to bear. Let me shoulder that burden instead.]
[Chop Me Up: Me too!]
Some who struggled to scroll back to the original message also left their “goodwill.” Big White looked at the dense stream of messages, each one subtly hinting at an intention to abduct her Master. She replied with domineering flair: [My Master is mine! Get lost, all of you!]
Then, indignantly, she closed the chat group and started browsing short videos, ignoring everyone in the group who had turned into green-eyed monsters of jealousy.
‘These group members are truly abominable. Here I was, trying to ask a serious question, and they’re already coveting my Master. It seems I can’t discuss anything about Master with these group members next time. Otherwise, if Master found out I almost lost her, I’d be finished!’
****
After five days of clamor, the city finally welcomed a quiet morning.
In front of the washbasin.
“Big White… didn’t we agree you’d go?” Aya Tone grumbled indistinctly, having been dragged out of bed early in the morning. Beside her stood little Aya Jiu, on a small stool, also holding a tiny toothbrush.
The father and daughter, each sporting a bird’s nest hairstyle, stood there with half-closed eyes, looking utterly unawakened. Last night, remembering it was the weekend, the two had stayed up late binge-watching anime. Little did they expect to be pulled out of bed by Big White bright and early this morning, and for a perfectly valid reason at that.
‘Who told them not to sleep late into the night? She was just doing her usual routine.’
“Hmph, I did promise Master, but that’s no excuse for Master to sleep in!” Big White stood at the bathroom doorway, watching the two, one large and one small, move mechanically, as if they might fall asleep at any second.
“Ah…”
Aya Tone squinted, looking towards the sound. Big White wore a casual long dress, her silver hair braided and hanging over her chest.
‘Hmm… a dangerous hairstyle.’