The Birth of a Magical Girl

(Sun Yao)

The Star Crystal flashed with a brilliant pink glow, and then…

I—I—I—I really became a magical girl!

My heart raced, pumping blood to my brain until my temples throbbed with every beat. My face flushed uncontrollably. A completely different center of gravity, the sensitive, unfamiliar contact between my skin and the battle suit… this was, without a doubt, a girl’s body.

Gulp—

Swallowing hard, I cautiously peeked at the mirror in the room.

I saw white boots reaching to my calves, a gorgeous pink-and-white frilly dress, a scepter topped with a ruby held in a gloved hand, and ribbons of various sizes adorning my waist and the back of my head. The outfit alone was incredibly cute, but coupled with that innocent girl’s face…

Was this frail angel really me?

Though there was no flashy transformation sequence, from a practical standpoint, this instant change was exactly what a magical girl needed in the heat of battle.

“Not bad. Your resonance rate with the Star Crystal is quite high. You stayed calm enough to analyze the enemy’s abilities even while facing a monster. While that doesn’t change the fact that you made a grave mistake, you have the potential to become an excellent magical girl.”

The speaker was Miss Yin Lu.

She was the woman who had picked me up from the police station and given me this Star Crystal. She was a liaison for the Magical Girl Association. She never smiled, remained serious at all times, and gave off a very reliable impression.

“Then I’ll… wow… can I leave now?”

My own voice sounded way too beautiful to my ears. It was jarring.

“No, you need to register first.”

“Magical girls don’t have to register, do they?”

“You’re different. Do you know where your crystal came from?”

I racked my brain for information. As a hardcore magical girl enthusiast, I knew almost all the famous ones—and even the obscure ones. I was basically a walking magical girl encyclopedia, but this time, I drew a blank.

Magical girls with pink themes were common as anime protagonists, but rare in reality. There were a few active ones, but since this Star Crystal had been given to me, it must have belonged to a retired or… fallen magical girl.

Wait, there was one who was legendary…

Twelve years ago, one of the first seven magical girls who saved the world bore the name of a star: Heavenly Fort Vega.

The name was read as “Magical Girl” but written as “Land Fortress.” With unshakable defense and extraordinary individual firepower, she had single-handedly swept through the External Invaders in Europe.

“Your expression tells me you’re thinking of that lady,” Miss Yin Lu said. “What if I told you your guess is correct?”

“Is this… really Vega’s Star Crystal?”

“Yes.”

One of the first seven Star Crystals to fall to Earth. Such a precious thing was now part of my body. But there was a problem.

“Then why don’t I have that armor and those heavy weapons?”

In fact, I looked completely different. I seemed to have neither high defense nor massive attack power.

“Even with the same Star Crystal, the transformation and magic vary by the individual.” Miss Yin Lu flipped through the form in her hand and added, “Just as well. Since you’ve transformed, the next step is a test of your magical abilities…”

****

Transformation, testing, and finally, registration.

The whole process took quite a while, and it was dark by the time I left the Association headquarters.

“Sister Lu, should I just go back like this?”

“What, do you want to spend the night at the Association?”

Miss Yin Lu drove me back toward District D3. On the way, we passed the street that had been bombarded that afternoon. Repairs were already underway; it would probably be back to normal by morning.

“Just drop me off here. I want to walk the rest of the way,” I said.

Miss Yin Lu pulled the car over. “One piece of advice: go back looking like this. Don’t change back to your normal self on the way.”

“…Why?”

She sighed and handed me her phone. “Because of what happened this afternoon, you’ve become public enemy number one.”

The screen was flooded with messages condemning me. My photo had been posted without any blurring, accompanied by some very “warm greetings.”

“…I really am hated.”

I could no longer function as a normal person in society, could I?

“Incidents of people sneaking past cordons to photograph magical girls happen all over the world, but this is the first time it resulted in a serious injury to a magical girl. You’re the straw that broke the camel’s back. Of course, you’re not innocent, either.”

I was being scolded harshly, but surprisingly, I felt at ease. This was the lecture I deserved. Thinking of Miss Yang Yan lying on the ground, unable to move a finger, yet ready to blow herself up to save me…

Does someone like me really deserve her sacrifice?

“I’ll fill the gap Miss Yang Yan left,” I said firmly. “Until she recovers, I’ll maintain order in this area as a magical girl.”

“It’s good to be determined, but don’t push yourself too hard. The Association has assigned you a mentor who will advise you in battle. If you need help, you can contact me anytime.”

“Sorry to trouble you so much.”

“Helping magical girls is my job, and you are now one of the warriors saving the world. Why be sorry? You are fighting for all of humanity; I only do the small work behind the scenes. It’s nothing.”

Warriors fighting for all humanity?

That was the first time I’d heard someone call magical girls that. Come to think of it, although magical girls have become more like idols lately, they are essentially superheroes. Maybe I needed to change my perspective.

I opened the car door. “Thank you, Miss Yin Lu.”

“I don’t know what you’re thanking me for, but it’s all part of the job.”

“Yeah. See you another day!”

I tried to perk up. Holding my gem-adorned staff, I stepped out of the car. Miss Yin Lu made a U-turn and left. Soon, I noticed that all the pedestrians’ eyes were on me.

Is this outfit too conspicuous?

I remembered that the battle clothes could be dispelled, but I had no change of clothes with me, and my wallet and phone were still back at the KFC. I had to endure the stares.

If they knew I was the culprit who hurt Miss Yang Yan, their expressions would be very different.

“Big sister, are you a magical girl?”

Just as I was drowning in guilt, a little girl stopped in front of me, blinking her innocent eyes. Her pure voice reminded me: regardless of the reason, I was now one of them. I had to maintain the image.

“Yeah! Big sister is a magical girl! I’m here to protect everyone in place of your sister Yang Yan!”

The speech felt awkward, but the admiration in the little girl’s eyes was dazzling. Did I really deserve this?

“Wow! Then is big sister stronger than Sister Yang Yan?”

I had no combat experience, and my magical abilities were still vague. I hadn’t even considered how to actually fight a monster. I was incomparable to the battle-hardened Miss Yang Yan. Of course, I couldn’t say that.

“Sun Yao’s” life was over. But as a magical girl, I was just beginning.

“I might not be as strong as Miss Yang Yan yet, but I’ll do my best to keep those monsters away!”

“Work hard, big sister! When I grow up, I want to be a magical girl too!”

I waved my staff and instinctively used my magic to create a bear-shaped bubble. It was soft, transparent, and very light.

“Hmm, I don’t know how long this little bear will last, but for now, take it as a gift.”

The girl happily took the bubble toy, smiling brightly. “Thank you, big sister!”

“No… I should be the one thanking you.”

I finally felt like I could see the path I was supposed to take.