The Reality of a Magical Girl

Bai Ruoruo, a thirteen-year-old middle school student, harbored a fervent dream of becoming a magical girl.

Why, then, did she yearn for such a transformation?

Her aspiration dated back to a time long, long ago, when she was merely nine years old.

Home alone, she had experienced a sudden earthquake. A massive, gaping-mouthed villain had emerged, terrorizing everyone and leaving them trembling with fear.

It was then that Sister Saint Lily of ‘Lucky Garden’ descended from the heavens, bathed in a divine glow, and cried out, “Great monster, you shall not harm another soul! Great Lily Sealing Art!”

Under Sister Saint Lily’s magic, the monstrous creature transformed into countless blooming flowers. Truly, Sister Lily was so beautiful, so stunning, so gorgeous, and what else was it?

In short, Sister Lily was the most formidable!

Unlike her own sister, who always seemed half-asleep and utterly useless in daily life, constantly needing a child to look after her.

At this rate, her sister would surely never marry. Bai Ruoruo vowed never to become like that.

Ah, anyway…

‘When I grow up, I hope to awaken superpowers, become a magical girl, and be just like Sister Lily.’

****

“Su Mo, you big villain! How could you do this to the sisters of ‘Lucky Garden’?”

“She killed Sister White Rose and Sister Hyacinth! Wuwuwu~”

“Kill you! Kill you!”

Bai Ruoli watched her sister cry and pummel the giant radish doll she had bought for her. Just from the sound of it, she could guess what had happened, for her little sister was a devoted fan who constantly followed ‘Lucky Garden’.

“Ruoruo, actually, White Rose and Hyacinth, they’re only petrified, not dead…” Rubbing her aching eyes, her head feeling heavy, Bai Ruoli softly explained.

“Sister! You big idiot! You don’t understand anything! Wuwuwu, the news already said…”

“Uh…”

“Su Mo, you big villain, kill you! Kill you!!”

Bai Ruoli sighed, shaking her head. This incident had been a significant blow to her as well.

Had she finally recruited new members, only for their first battle to end like this?

She yearned to escape, to dig a hole and bury herself.

But she couldn’t.

It was impossible; she could not evade her responsibilities.

Those children had become ‘Flower Seed Girls’ because of her guidance.

Though petrified, they still showed vital signs. As long as she found a way to reverse the petrification, she could save them.

She bore a profound responsibility, one she had to shoulder.

Sowing, sprouting, branching, leafing, flowering, bearing fruit.

Becoming a ‘Flower Seed Girl’ meant successfully completing the sowing stage, leading to a significant improvement in physical fitness. The remaining five stages would see new skills evolve based on each individual’s specialized needs.

Saint Lily, primarily a support type, had reached the ‘Leafing’ stage, possessing the skills: ‘Seal’, ‘Blessing’, and ‘Barrier’.

‘Seal’ weakened individual targets.

‘Blessing’ enhanced allies.

‘Barrier’ locked down specific areas.

“Wuwu~ Is Sister going out?” Bai Ruoruo asked, her eyes red and puffy like a crying rabbit’s, sniffing her little nose, her voice muffled.

“Ah… Miss Editor needs me for something.” This was Bai Ruoli’s usual excuse for leaving, one she often used with her sister, who had seen her post articles online.

Of course, the “Miss Editor” and “manuscript fees” were entirely fabricated. Her novels were simply not engaging enough to attract an editor, and thus no editor would ever seek her out.

The so-called fees were, in reality, her remuneration for completing missions as a Flower Seed Girl.

As for why she didn’t explain the truth to her sister.

It was because her sister idolized her transformed self, and she couldn’t bring herself to shatter a child’s dream.

“Oh, come back early, don’t stay out too late alone. If you meet bad people, find a security officer.”

“Mm.” Bai Ruoli smiled, nodding softly at these wise words from her little adult sister.

****

‘If I could only reach the ‘Flowering’ stage, perhaps I would acquire the means to reverse their petrification.’

However, flowering required immense experience, which could only be gained by defeating disaster beasts or completing missions. Moreover, as one’s level increased, the experience gained from defeating or completing tasks of the same caliber would proportionally decrease.

This kind of magical girl system was far from idealistic; or rather, Bai Ruoli herself was not idealistic.

With her growth, Bai Ruoli had come to a profound understanding that there was no such thing as instant success; all achievements, she believed, had to be earned through diligent accumulation.

She had been stuck in the ‘Leafing’ stage for many years.

She was the magical girl least suited to be a magical girl.

What she was most grateful for was that, after understanding the origins of their powers, she hadn’t restricted her juniors or allowed them to inherit her flawed perspectives.

They were no longer limited; these children could continuously break through their own boundaries as long as they possessed a resolve for love and justice.

White Rose, in particular, had caught up to her in less than two years, successfully reaching the ‘Leafing’ stage and becoming ‘Lucky Garden’s’ most outstanding ‘Flower Seed Girl’.

Yet, at this moment, Bai Ruoli – or rather, Saint Lily – was profoundly grateful for her past beliefs. Instead of waiting for a sudden enlightenment, she could now take firm steps forward to save her companions.

****

“You can do this,” Bai Ruoli whispered to herself, clenching her fist.

****

“Su Mu, you’re such a good person!”

“Haha~”

“It’s as good as new, your craftsmanship is superb! I’ll come find you again next time!”

“Anytime, anytime~”

****

Su Mu always wore a beaming smile. Of course, his happiness wasn’t merely from others’ praise; it stemmed from something else entirely…

[Good Deed Points +1 +2 +1 +3 +8…]

Listen. That crisp clinking sound, like coins dropping into a reserve jar—how utterly delightful.

Moreover, the numbers clearly showed that these people’s gratitude was mostly superficial; a +8 was already a hefty sum.

‘Doing good deeds truly isn’t easy.’

“Host, where shall we go to do good deeds next?” Su Xiaoqian asked, quite pleased. Compared to the beginning, her host had undergone a tremendous transformation.

‘This is the power of love.’

[Su Mu: No, it’s the power of money.]

“Hmm…”

Su Mu remained silent. In the past few days, he had repaired everything that needed fixing in the vicinity.

His Good Deed Points barely exceeded four hundred, a hundred of which came from naming ‘Little Money’.

“It’s too slow,” he mused. Without the comparison to ‘Little Money’, Su Mu might have tolerated it, but with the stark difference, the frustration set in. He could no longer endure this sluggish increase and was determined to make a big score.

To achieve this, he needed a suitable identity that could be publicly revealed.

Su Mu entered the men’s restroom, and then, with a flash of light, a powerful young woman with black hair and red eyes calmly emerged.

“Everyone has their moment to shine!” Imagining a bright future, she smiled.

“But for the spawn point to be a men’s restroom, that’s just absurd~” Su Xiaoqian muttered, speechless.

“One must always leave children with some dreams. If they were to think magical girls were all transformed grubby old men, they’d fall into darkness and stray from the right path. I’m protecting their innocent young hearts.”

“Incredible! As expected of the Savior I chose!”

“Such profound understanding, I love it (⑉• •⑉)♡”

****

‘No, shouldn’t you refute the term ‘grubby old man’? Is twenty-six considered an old man?’