Chapter 11: The First Lesson of a Magical Girl

"Today is the first time; let's start with some common sense a Magical Girl needs."

In the twilight, standing on the silent rooftop of an office building, Senior Cuique crossed her arms and said to Lin Xiaolu before her: "First, I must tell you how to judge the strength of an opponent versus your own. Do not fight a battle you cannot win."

"Okay, please teach me well!"

Lin Xiaolu replied with full enthusiasm.

To avoid the evening rush and keep the appointment on time, Lin Yun, after getting off work, found a corner away from the crowd, transformed into a Magical Girl, and left the company by flying through the air.

A Magical Girl's outfit stands out greatly in an urban environment; to avoid drawing attention, he chose an office building not far from home as the meeting point, convenient for Lin Xiaolu to come there after school. Besides that, the top floor of this building is usually locked, preventing others from entering or exiting, so there was no need to worry about anyone disturbing them.

Now, what she was about to conduct was the first lesson of Magical Girl instruction for Lin Xiaolu.

"I haven't told you yet; Remnant Beasts have corresponding ranks based on their evolution levels, starting from the most basic 'Egg', to the higher 'Caterpillar', followed by 'Pupa', 'Metamorphosis', and other life stages. Each evolution is a leap in strength compared to the previous stage; correspondingly, they become more dangerous."

"Sounds like insects..." Lin Xiaolu on the other side first felt a subconscious disgust, then some contemplation.

"Just treat them as insect-like things."

Senior Cuique added expressionlessly: "When they kill you, or even eat you, they will have no empathy at all, so when you kill them, you must do so like crushing pests, without holding any sympathy."

She raised her hand and held up five fingers: "And correspondingly, we Magical Girls also have five stages of ability development; more accurately, this act is called 'Blooming', meaning that cultivating one's Heart Seed from a seed to a flower requires experiencing five stages."

"At the very beginning, just like you are now, it is the Seed."

Senior Cuique spread her hands flat, pointing her fingers at Lin Xiaolu's chest: "This is the initial stage of your soul and abilities. The round gem looks much like a seed, signifying that you have just become a Magical Girl, and everything is still in a state of ignorance."

Lin Xiaolu seemed to understand: "So that's why you could tell I was a novice before?"

"No, simply because you are too weak."

Clearly, Senior Cuique's answer was more cutting: "The Blooming stages are usually not reflected on the Heart Gem in the chest; no matter how high the ability blooms, the daily transformation will always be a round gem."

She lifted her head and gestured toward her own chest; below the ribbon at her neck was a circle of classical lace choker, beneath which hung a small round gem. However, soft shoulder capes always hung on the shoulders of this outfit, keeping the gem half-hidden, which is why it hadn't been noticed before.

Lin Xiaolu, who had just been sunk by a single sentence, looked over upon hearing this and instantly perked up: "Ah... this outfit is indeed so cute."

"You're focusing on the wrong thing, idiot."

Senior Cuique sighed: "Anyway, I currently have no way to demonstrate what the other stages look like to you; releasing magic power in the city center would be far too conspicuous. For now, just memorize their names as if reciting them by heart."

"New Dreams and True Origins' Falling Slumber, the Quietly Lying 'Seed'."

"True Form and Constructs' First Sprout, the Emerging 'Bud'."

"Mysteries and Formulas' Branching Vines, the Extending 'Leaf'."

"True Self and Mirage Realm's Formation, the Nurturing 'Blossom'."

"Transcendent Body and Flourishing Bloom's Awakening, the Full 'Flower'."

Listening to Senior Cuique's long speech that sounded like chanting a poem, Lin Xiaolu's eyes went a bit vacant: "Um, New... hmm, Seed? Then what was it again?"

— "Just remember it simply as Seed, Bud, Leaf, Blossom, Flower; the rest are descriptions of the abilities at that stage. You'll know when you reach that time!"

Suddenly speaking from the side was Moko, the cat-shaped fairy who had always been by Lin Xiaolu's side: "My suggestion is not to aim too high; just remember that your next stage is the Bud."

Senior Cuique glanced at Moko, making no comment on her sudden interruption, and continued speaking:

"The Seed stage, just like its name, refers to your Heart Seed forming, while simultaneously beginning to construct your own source of magic power; you can start using magic power to fight. You should understand what kind of feeling this is."

Lin Xiaolu pondered: "As for the feeling... although I don't understand it either, as long as I want to use magic power to do something in my heart, I subconsciously do it."

"Wanting to be faster makes you subconsciously use magic power to accelerate; wanting to attack farther makes you spread the magic power out; wanting to fly into the sky allows you to use magic power to lift yourself."

Senior Cuique gave her a few examples: "As long as the thought arrives, the body moves on its own, right? This is the source of magic power at work."

"The source of magic power forms a bridge between the body and the spirit, simultaneously generating magic power inward and outward, allowing magic power to flow bidirectionally, imbuing the connection between body and spirit with the attribute of magic power."

"Simply put, once you possess a source of magic power, using magic power becomes an instinct."

Hearing this, Lin Xiaolu raised her hand and asked: "Do Remnant Beasts also have a source of magic power?"

"Yes. Since it is called a source of magic power, it is the source of all magic; the power of magic is born from the source of magic power, and Remnant Beasts are no exception. In fact, the Echoes we recover are the remains of a Remnant Beast's source of magic power."

Senior Cuique extended her hand, pointing to her own Heart Gem: "As for Magical Girls, the source of magic power lies within the Heart Gem; this is something absolutely no one else must touch."

She paused for a moment, then continued speaking: "Let's continue to the next Blooming stage; that is the 'Bud'. The characteristics of the Bud are called by us..."

Between the buildings, the girl's voice drifted away into the night sky with the wind.

Two Magical Girls, one large and one small, asked and answered here; time passed slowly like this.

Lin Yun said a lot, and Lin Xiaolu listened to a lot, feeling that the outline of the magical world had never been so clear.

Although there were still many things she didn't quite understand and couldn't remember completely, the world belonging to Magical Girls depicted in Senior Cuique's words made her feel once again that becoming a Magical Girl was the right decision.

Her feelings toward the identity of a Magical Girl were no longer merely a vague longing for characters in children's animation; it carried some yearning for a brand-new world.

Carrying this yearning, when the lesson ended that day and they parted ways, she took out her mobile phone.

"Um... Senior Cuique, do you have a mobile phone in this world? I mean..."

She spoke a bit awkwardly but proposed with full enthusiasm: "Can we... exchange numbers?"

A mobile phone number meant contact in daily life. If such a connection was established, the two would inevitably have more exchanges in their daily lives.

Senior Cuique knew that if she were merely Senior Cuique, she would have no reason to refuse this proposal.

Exchanging information between Magical Girl companions is very necessary; whether reporting locations when encountering Remnant Beasts or exchanging progress on investigations, frequent communication is required.

In the magical realm, Magical Girls often use Magic Mirrors to contact each other, but currently, neither Senior Cuique nor Lin Xiaolu possessed a Magic Mirror, so a mobile phone was the best choice.

So, after thinking for a moment, she spoke as if casually: "I do have one, but I don't have it with me right now. Give me your number, and I'll contact you when I get back."

She could not give her number to Lin Xiaolu right now; that was Lin Yun's number. Regardless of how stiff the relationship between father Lin Yun and his daughter was, they had at least exchanged contact numbers.

To maintain contact with Lin Xiaolu in reality as Senior Cuique, she would have to apply for a new number, and even buy a new mobile phone.

The expense behind this was not large for Lin Yun; just consider it a sacrifice made to accompany his daughter.

Thinking this, she pretended to hear it for the first time and wrote down the number Lin Xiaolu gave.

But since she could establish a new connection with her daughter, she hoped at least to know her daughter's heart more, to understand her a little more, and to bridge the gap between them a little more.

She closed her eyes, hoping for this in her heart.

Lin Xiaolu also held hope in her heart.

She wanted to understand Senior Cuique, to know what she was like in daily life, to see what her life was like, and even more, to grow close to this magical girl who matched her ideals.

And then, that would surely change the self she hated, wouldn't it?

Yet, under the night sky, neither of the two could have imagined that the numbers they exchanged would be used the very next day.

It was not because of a Remnant Beast, but something even rarer.

When Lin Yun, sitting in his office, found his newly bought phone ringing and saw the caller ID display "Lin Xiaolu," he had no choice but to immediately take out the Heart Flower and transform into Senior Cuique.

She sat back in her office chair, pressed the answer button, and a deafening shout immediately came from the other end:

"My Lord! I found one!"

The voice was clearly Mokou's, and her emotions were extremely agitated: "I found a girl with magical talent; we can recruit a new magical girl!"

A new magical girl.

Senior Cuique frowned, because speaking purely from her heart, she actually did not wish to casually increase the number of magical girls; first, it meant sending a girl into a dangerous world, and second, it was hard to guarantee the quality of the team members.

Yet Fang Ting City was indeed short on magical girls right now; she also had to consider building a team for Lin Xiaolu, and now she should be able to attend to the safety of new recruits...

A string of thoughts passed in mere breaths; she smoothed her brow, made her decision, and spoke in a calm tone:

"Where?"