I need therapy.
I need emotional support to quench my exhausted, dried-out soul.
That’s the only thing motivating me to carry out all the grunt work I’m doing.
And now! Finally!
Whooooooaaaaaa!
Cheers like you’ve never heard before fill the air immediately after Fake Shiva announces the next team’s entrance.
The first person to enter the arena is a super cute girl.
Oh my god, my freaking angel Char.
Walking and chatting next to her is Yulia. They both seem relaxed and look like they’re having fun.
Uranis follows behind them, stone-cold as usual. Iris is the last of the team’s members to enter.
The four of them are heading to the center of the Arena. They’re wearing their school uniforms instead of the standard gym clothes.
The opposing team is a bunch of people I don’t know.
Both parties finish up their self-introductions and take a few steps back to face each other.
The rivals look intimidated from the start. I don’t blame them; the difference in their abilities is stark.
Char and Yulia’s eyes are glistening with excitement. Uranis, on the other hand, looks glum. A look of determination glows in Iris’s eyes.
“Um, Miss Iris. You really don’t have to force yourself if you don’t want to,” says Char.
“I’m not forcing myself. I just want a clean slate for my reputation─my terrible reputation for being the girl who can’t take a hit!” She widens her eyes as if she’s declaring a catch phrase.
Surprise, surprise. I didn’t know she was bothered by that.
“Come on, you guys! Let’s go!” Iris calls out with resolve as she raises her arm high above her head. Still, her cheeks are a little red.
“Friend Power! Explosion!” she yells.
There’s a bracelet around her raised wrist. A gem-like rock in the center of the accessory twinkles.
A flash of blue light sparks from her wrist and spreads out to outline her silhouette. It looks like she’s wearing a skintight bodysuit now.
I didn’t realize this while I was developing the spell, but it’s super dicey when you put it into practice.
Especially with Iris. She’s got curves in all the places where a woman should have curves. Would she get scolded─particularly by a certain “No falsehood or immorality lady” AKA the headmistress?
Which leaves me with no choice.
“Why is it so bright? I can’t see anything,” says a male student.
“Oh, Iris… She’s stunning…” a female student breathes.
Accessible for female viewers only.
Moving along. The cluster of light bursts and…
“Soldier of Friendship, Iris is h-here!”
The magical girl in blue takes a pose. Her face is bright red. She hasn’t quite gotten over the shame.
My face is getting flushed, too. This must be what they call “secondhand embarrassment.”
The public screening venue is roaring so loudly that you can feel the ground quiver. Guy or girl, everyone is in a frenzy. Iris keeps saying she has no friends, but she’s actually pretty popular all around.
“Go on, Uranis. Your turn,” Yulia directs.
“…”
Uranis, too, begins to transform reluctantly─or more like bitterly─but I couldn’t care less, so I’ll skip to the results.
He turns into a magical girl whose theme color is black. He’s still a boy, though, so I gave him booty shorts under his miniskirt. Total femboy vibes.
He goes back to his usual deadpan face; what’s done is done, I guess. A handful of spectators who are into that niche are cheering wildly for him.
Next.
“My turn.” Yulia steps forward exuberantly. She raises a magic wand that looks similar to Char’s over her head.
“Purity Power! Explosion!” she shouts as she leaps…and rises high into the sky. Bright yellow light shoots out of the gem-like thing embedded in her magic wand.
The ribbons of light wrap around her wrists, chest, waist, and ankles, until her body is cocooned.
Yulia’s height and facial features are visibly that of a child’s, but her chest area is much more developed for someone her age. Again, a very sensitive matter to televise. Should I really be airing this?
In the end, the lights─poof─burst and disappear. Out comes a yellow-gold magical girl.
Again, you can hear and feel the reverberating cheers from the spectators.
Wait a minute─nobody’s even questioning the transformation sequences. These students adapt way too quickly to their situations.
And finally, the time is now adorbs-o’clock!
“Immortal Power! Explosion!”
Char waves her magic wand as she hovers in the air. A colorful mist in shades of pink sprinkles out of the wand, and a mysterious backlighting appears around her. Her sequence looks way more lavishly produced, but you’ve gotta understand; she’s adorable.
She closes her eyes and lets her arms and legs extend. Her silhouette blacks out, and images of sparkling stars and swirling galaxies paint her figure like a projection mapping show.
Tiny pink particles gather around her mystical form to obscure the stars and finally burst away to reveal a frilly outfit.
“Immortal Char is born!”
Shwink!
Yes, I added the sound effects. Is that a problem?
The Magical Girl of Justice Immortal Char leaps and quietly lands next to Yulia. They stand back-to-back as Iris and Uranis race to catch up to them.
“We’re here to annihilate your worries away!”
“And purge your troubles clean!”
BA-BOOM!
Explosion effects go off behind them.
Yeaaahhh! The crowd grows even wilder.
In contrast to the overjoyed students, the dignitaries who are visiting the academy are agape. The headmistress, too, looks like she’s questioning the meaning of all this production.
I need you to understand that this is a form of classical art.
That wraps up the preparation.
“And now, will both teams step up and…begin!” Fake Shiva announces the start of the game.
Char’s team immediately gets into action.
“Ah-haha!”
“Hiyah!”
Iris and Yulia, the two brawlers of the group, dash to the forefront and start throwing punches at the enemy team.
So much for magical girls.
The opponents are highly skilled, but they’re cornered into defense-mode.
Fake Shiva flies over to the arena and lands at the commentary booth next to where Headmistress Theresia is stationed as the presenter.