Regarding the fact that my best friend is a magical girl

This is a device used for sampling magic energy. I saw it when I first became a magical girl, but now it's used to collect the "black energy" within me, and to see if I can remove it directly from my Vega crystal...

"It still doesn't work. This energy and the magic of the crystal are completely mixed together."

Outside the jar, the female researcher, after several attempts, still shook her head in frustration.

"Director, with our current technology, we can't extract this energy, and... it seems to be using crystals to multiply?"

"Huh! Proliferation?"

I heard some ominous words, and even Miss Spica frowned.

"You mean, the power on 'the other side' is increasing?"

The female researcher compared the report in her hand and replied, "...Well, whether it's Seruno, Ange, or Miss Yuehan, the black energy in their crystals is more than when we checked a few days ago. Although the rate of increase is still slow, it is a real increase. We don't know what kind of impact it will have since they can't undo their transformations."

It would be a lie to say I didn't know.

The consequences of continuing to let things go unchecked have already been demonstrated by my father…

"Will we become witches too?"

The female researcher hesitated for a moment, but still replied, "Well, I'm afraid she will eventually become a witch... But, but it's still unclear whether the power of 'the other side' will affect her mind, so you don't need to be too nervous. Judging from the rate of proliferation, there is still a long time. During this period, we and magical girl researchers and scholars all over the world will try to find a way. It's not time to despair yet."

"...Yes, thank you."

Having received such comfort, continuing to be depressed is not a solution.

My words seemed to have relieved the researcher...

I put on a smile and asked Miss Spica.

"Now that the sampling of the black energy is complete, can my mother and I go back now?"

She nodded and then pressed her temples.

"Well... I still have a lot to do here, so I won't see you off. Be careful on the road. You are still the target of the other side, and Changkong City is not safe for you."

"I know, please let me know if you need any assistance."

Just as I was about to leave the lab, Ms. Spica called me back.

"Wait, Seruno."

"Is there anything else?"

"There's been a lot of bad news lately, so I have some good news to tell you... Yuehan's adaptability to that Star Crystal is much higher than during the last checkup. I think if this trend continues, it won't be long before she becomes a real magical girl."

Is the mother's and the Star Crystal's adaptability increasing?

This is indeed good news; she has also gained the sun's approval...

"Thank you, Miss Spica! I'll head back now!"

She nodded and watched me leave the research lab.

------

Shortly after my mother and I left the branch building, I received a text message from Yezi.

"Xiao Yezi's message? What did he say?"

My mother, who had become a magical girl, was shorter than me. At that moment, she was holding my arm and leaning against me to look at her phone. Her short gray hair was right in front of me, and I could smell the mixture of shampoo and oil.

I don’t know if this distance is normal between a mother and daughter, but I still held her arm to help her stand up straight.

He explained, "He told us to eat out before going back... He didn't cook, and he had already left because he had something to do."

"what's up?"

"They said it was a project assigned to him by Miss Sirius, and if he completes it, he can get some reward."

"That kid became a mercenary?"

Although I don't know what it is, since it was Miss Sirius's arrangement, there shouldn't be any danger. It's probably related to my identity as an idol manager and the talent show I'm going to participate in.

“Serno…”

However, given the current state of Changkong City, it's uncertain whether the preliminary and open elections this weekend can proceed smoothly, or whether they will continue despite the casualties among the public.

"Miss Seruno..."

As for the scene, there shouldn't be any clueless weirdos causing trouble. All the contestants this time are magical girls, so even if a witch came, let alone a weirdo, she would have to give up.

"Yao'er, is someone calling you?"

It wasn't until my mother pointed it out that I realized there were two people following me.

"South Pole Star?"

One of them was a famous person I had met before, Magical Girl Antarctic Star.

Because of the hot weather in Changkong City, she did not wear her signature tuxedo, but instead wore a short-sleeved shirt and suit shorts.

Her delicate features, rational gaze, and beads of sweat dripping from her short, ear-length hair made her look more like a teenager.

"Long time no see, what are you doing here?"

"I came to attend the Supernova Idol Festival, but an accident happened right after I got off the plane."

Then I remembered what Miss Spica had said.

This afternoon, the magical girl who dealt with the lobster monster in the green park was none other than Antarctic Star and...

"I didn't expect Miss Antarctica to participate in that talent show. I feel like winning this time will be extremely difficult. Is this Miss 'Goddess of Agriculture'?"

Unlike the atmosphere of him wearing battle armor in the information, this should be his form after de-transformation.

Miss Saturn is British. She wears slightly oversized headphones, carries a huge guitar bag, has long, golden curly hair cascading over her shoulders, and exaggeratedly long upper and lower eyelashes. Her snow-white face is dotted with light freckles. Even without transforming, she possesses a unique and captivating charm...

But she wasn't listening to me at all, nodding along to the beat on her own.

Fran, the "Goddess of Agriculture," is completely different from what I imagined. I heard she's a support-type magical girl who uses the life force of plants to save people, and I thought she would be a gentler and more tolerant person.

Was she turned out to be a blonde, blue-eyed British rock girl?

“Hmm, ‘Saturn’ Fran…you can also call her ‘Ceres’.”

Nanjixing nodded and added, "But she doesn't want to be recognized, so just call her Freya."

There's really no need to worry about this. Even I, a magical girl expert, am not very familiar with magical girls, so no one in Changkong City would recognize them.

"She's just a support-type magical girl, no one will recognize her."

Although I couldn't understand what he said, I could tell what he meant from his tone.

Miss Freya smirked in dissatisfaction, pulled out her phone and started typing rapidly before holding it up to my face.

[The support magical girl also fights for this world.]

This is Chinese text generated using translation software.

Wait, what should I say to Miss Fran at a time like this?

"Uh, nomatter?"

The mother sighed, holding her forehead, "Yao'er, now that your thoughts have been exposed, you should honestly apologize!"

"I'm sorry, oh... I'm sorry!"

I forgive you.

As compensation, please take me to try the city's delicious food.

I've heard that the food in this country is better than in Britannia.

British food is world-renowned.

No one can rival it in terms of how bad it tastes.

"Yes, I'd also like to ask you for a favor."

The composed penguin girl glanced at the time and then politely extended the invitation.

"It's almost dinner time. Would you two please join us for a meal?"

Chapter Twenty-One: The Rivals

(Sun Yao)

As the beloved daughter of all the members of the Antarctic Joint Expedition, this penguin girl was raised to be exceptionally well-mannered, surpassing at least 90% of ordinary humans in terms of refinement, knowledge, and etiquette.

The reason I say this is not only to show how outstanding she is, but also to tell everyone how famous she is internationally.

She is one of the very few magical girls who are directly named after a celestial body.

"Miss Antarctic Star is already a celebrity, right? Why would she participate in this kind of new talent show... Isn't this just bullying her?"

While waiting for the food to be served, we naturally began chatting.

Because there was a risk of being recognized at Nanjixing, we chose a quiet, upscale steakhouse with fewer people.

To my question, which was more like a complaint, the ever-polite "Penguin Prince" replied, "A celebrity? I do have many fans, but I'm not an idol, so of course I can participate in this idol audition program."

Is this a humble statement?

To me, it sounds more like showing off.

"Being worshipped by many people as a positive figure is enough to be called an idol, even more advanced than idols who sing and dance in the narrow sense."

"But the organizers won't declare me the champion because of this, Serino. This competition doesn't depend on the number of fans, but on the judges' scores for the performance. You shouldn't make excuses for your defeat before the competition even starts; that would be a blow to your morale."

Am I making excuses for my failure?

Miss Antarctic Star speaks with such seriousness that it's hard to argue with her.

At this point, the waiter brought out a bowl of appetizers.

The raw beef, served with cheese and black truffle, is incredibly fresh and flavorful.

Nanjixing picked up a piece of raw beef with his fork and put it in his mouth. I was still hesitating whether to try it when my mother asked, "Yao'er, that idol competition, didn't you ever think you could win?"

"It's not that I don't want to win, it's that I really can't win."

Why do you say we can't win?

I gave a wry smile and sighed, "Mom, this competition has gathered nearly a hundred magical girls just in the preliminary rounds. Given that everyone is a magical girl, I don't think I have any advantage... There are people like Antarctic Star who have a star aura, or people like Fahrenheit who have performing talent, while I am nothing except a magical girl."