Chapter 6: Part 3: White Snow and Her Knight

Part 3: White Snow and Her Knight

"Magical Girl Cultivation Plan?"

"Hmm, hmm~. I heard it's software used to select girls who can become magical girls."

"Ah~, speaking of which, do magical girls really exist? Xiao Xue."

"I don't know about that either. It should be true, right?"

"Hahaha~, who knows?"

"By the way, Xiao Xue, are you still watching those magical girl anime and such?"

"Hehe. Just occasionally watching it."

"On the bus, Jihe Xiao Xue and her classmates chatted about topics of mutual concern on their way home."

————

"After parting with her classmates, Jihe Xiao Xue, having confirmed no one was paying attention, slipped into a side alley."

"After a few breaths, a white figure darted out of the alley."

""Is this what it feels like to be a magical girl? It's truly, so exhilarating." Bai Xue, leaping between buildings, thought excitedly."

————————————

"In a certain room in N City, a girl with half her body lying on the bed stared fixedly at the game screen on her smartphone."

Congratulations, Magical Girl Bai Xue, for defeating the monster and obtaining the rare item 【Rabbit's Foot】, which brings luck to its holder!

"In the screen, a chibi-style animated character defeated the boss under the girl's control."

"Xiao Xue~! Go to sleep early!"

"Ah? Ah! Got it, Mom!"

"After hearing her mother's urging, Jihe Xiao Xue hurriedly responded, and while rubbing her shoulders and the back of her neck, she lay down on the bed."

""Hah~. Magical girl? I don't know if that rumor's true. I've been playing this for so long." The girl yawned after tossing her phone aside and muttered to herself."

"Player 【Jihe Xiao Xue】, after this elf's observation, has finally been deemed to meet the requirements for a magical girl. From today onward, you have been selected to become a magical girl!"

"Suddenly, a round, black-and-white creature (thing?) floated out of the discarded phone. Its two glowing little eyes fixed on Xiao Xue's face as it announced:"

""Eh?" Jihe Xiao Xue couldn't help rubbing her eyes."

"You haven't reacted yet? You've already been chosen as a magical girl! I am the intelligent magic elf Fabu, existing to assist magical girls in better helping others." The black-and-white creature repeated that, then went on to explain generally.

"Whoosh!"

""Is this… really true? I've become a magical girl?" Jihe Xiao Xue sprang up from the bed, incredulously asking as if talking to herself."

"At that moment, a magic circle also floated onto the phone."

"Tap it, and you can transform." Fabu, floating beside the magic circle, said to Jihe Xiao Xue.

"Upon hearing that, Jihe Xiao Xue cautiously extended her finger."

"As her finger touched the magic circle, light burst forth from it, enveloping Jihe Xiao Xue."

"Not long after, a pink-haired girl in a sailor outfit resembling a cosplay costume appeared where Jihe Xiao Xue had been standing."

"Your magical girl name is 【White Snow】; please don't casually reveal your true identity to others. Because magical girls in their non‑transformed state are very fragile." Fabu remarked from the side.

"However, Jihe Xiao Xue was completely immersed in the joy of becoming a magical girl, striking various poses in front of the mirror and admiring herself."

"Bang!"

""What happened?""

""Ah?! Nothing, nothing! I just bumped my head by accident!""

"Jihe Xiao Xue had intended to jump a little to express her excitement, but what she didn't expect was that even a slight exertion would make her head hit the ceiling. It even drew her mother's attention. Fortunately, Jihe Xiao Xue promptly dispelled her transformation, thus fooling her mother."

"After her mother left, Fabu popped out of the phone again and said to Bai Xue:"

"To facilitate Bai Xue's contact with other magical girls, please put your palms together and reach upward toward Fabu."

"After Bai Xue complied, many glowing heart‑voice particles floated out of the phone, gathered in her hand, and finally formed an egg‑shaped object."

"This is the Magical Girl Terminal; swipe right to activate it. Besides the usual smartphone functions, it also has functions exclusive to magical girls." Fabu explained from the side.

………………

""Magical girls exist to help others and bring happiness. I will surely do that!" Bai Xue, sitting on her building's rooftop, gazed at the distant nightscape and swore in her heart."

"Drip~ ding~."

""?" Bai Xue looked at the terminal in her hand."

"A message appeared on the screen."

"Holy Girl, who will serve as Bai Xue's guide, and has invited Bai Xue to meet at the Iron Tower in N City."

""What will the other magical girls be like?" Bai Xue thought as she leapt from her building's rooftop."

………………………………

"Clang."

"Following the instructions, after rushing for over ten minutes, Bai Xue stepped onto one end of the platform atop the Iron Tower."

"And after stepping onto the platform, Bai Xue saw a figure's back at the opposite end."

"Her stature was slightly taller than Bai Xue's."

"Because she was facing the moon, in Bai Xue's view only the silhouette was visible, while other details were lost in shadow."

"Two slender horns extended from its head, and at its waist there was a thick tail, like a dragon's tail described in novels, but covered with overlapping plates."

"In her right hand, Bai Xue saw a great sword whose blade was wider than her head."

"But Bai Xue was unsure whether those horns and tail were real or merely decorative."

"Just as Bai Xue was observing the magical girl before her, the girl, after being looked at for a while, turned around, waved at Bai Xue, then turned away again."

"Seeing that gesture, Bai Xue felt a bit uneasy and walked toward her tentatively."

Only when she walked up close did Bai Xue turn her head and see the appearance of the magical girl who had summoned her.

Her hair was light gray with a hint of yellow (the author doesn't know colors well; the Holy Girl's hair color is probably this shade, maybe; if any reader knows, you can write a review, I'll change it.), and two slender black horns stood on her head.

Her eyes were golden vertical pupils, with a touch of purple eyeshadow.

Her upper outfit resembled knight armor, while her lower half was like a student's swimsuit, leaving two bare white legs. She wore high-heeled boots on her feet.

And in her hand she held a great sword as wide as a door panel, broader than Bai Xue's head.

While Bai Xue was observing the Holy Girl, the Holy Girl was also looking at Bai Xue.

"She really looks alike. I just don't know if she's Xiao Xue." The Holy Girl thought.

"I am the Holy Girl." The knight‑clad magical girl extended her hand to Bai Xue.

"Bai, Bai Xue. I'm Bai Xue, a newly‑minted magical girl. Senpai, hello!" Bai Xue said, reaching out with both hands to grasp the Holy Girl's hand.

"You know what a magical girl should do, so now I'll tell you about the other magical girls." After letting Bai Xue stand beside her, the Holy Girl looked toward the distant dock and said.

"…………"

"Beyond the national highway, and that area is where Top Speed and Ripple are in charge, because they often act together, so it's been made one zone. Top Speed is a very enthusiastic magical girl, and she's also good at cooking. But Ripple has a foul temper, so be careful not to anger her—she's not a bad person." The Holy Girl first turned her body, pointed to a direction, and said.

Bai Xue listened very attentively.

Bai Xue said, "You can look up their data and the other magical girls' data in the terminal, so I won't go over it." She turned and looked toward the Holy Girl.

"That place is the gang gathering area in N City, and also the zone managed by Disaster Mary. The gangs are kept under tight control, but she hasn't wiped them out, because she says destroying one wave just brings another, so it's better to control a part and use it to restrain the rest. However, be careful of the cowboy‑dressed magical girl—she often resorts to any means." The Holy Girl pointed to a relatively prosperous area and said.

Afterward, the Holy Girl also shared the information she knew.

"…………………………"

"The last one is also relatively mysterious among us. Because her efficiency in doing good deeds is too high, she often goes wandering to other places. Basically she's never attended a magical girl gathering, so aside from the data on the terminal and occasionally seeing a shadow in her own assigned area, she's had little interaction. She seems to deliberately keep her distance from us, but she should be a good person—after all, she's already done good deeds in the areas other magical girls are responsible for." After saying all that, the Holy Girl let out a long breath.

Bai Xue was slowly digesting this information, completely unaware that the Holy Girl was staring at her.

"……………………………………"

"Eh… um, Xiao, Xiao Xue?" After a moment, the Holy Girl suddenly said.

"Huh? How…?" Bai Xue exclaimed in surprise.

"I'm Souta." The Holy Girl said with a hint of delight.

"You're Xiao Sou? What the heck?! You you you aren't a guy?! How…?" Upon hearing this shocking news, Bai Xue's face suddenly burst with a tangle of conflicting emotions.

And the Holy Girl, who had anticipated this situation, covered her mouth before she could cry out, then slowly waited for Bai Xue to calm down.

"…………………………"

"Uu~，mu~." After a moment, Bai Xue's gaze indicated that the Holy Girl could let go.

"Then, Xiao Sou, what exactly happened to you? Why are you like this? ……"

"Please let me explain one sentence at a time, Bai Xue." The Holy Girl looked at Bai Xue, who was about to ask a barrage of questions, and interrupted her first.

Bai Xue, meanwhile, nodded.

Seeing Bai Xue nod, the Holy Girl let out a soft sigh and began to explain again.

"……………………………………"

"Hmm~, I actually thought you'd taken a liking to soccer later, Souto." After hearing the explanation, Bai Xue remarked.

"Eh, liking soccer is just something I do for show to the people around me. After all, I've become such a big boy; if anyone found out I liked magical girls, Mom would scold me to death." The Holy Girl said, her face slightly red.

"By the way, you were a guy before, and after transforming you became a girl—how does that feel?" Bai Xue asked, a little curious.

"Eh… At first I was a bit unaccustomed, but I gradually got used to it. Moreover, as a magical girl I basically don't need to use the bathroom. So it's not too hard. And if I don't speak after transforming, no one recognizes me." The Holy Girl explained, her face flushed crimson, while the tail behind her twitched restlessly.

"It's a real tail." Bai Xue thought silently to herself.

"However, I never expected heaven to give me this chance. I will surely cherish this opportunity!" Immediately afterward, the Holy Girl clenched her fists and said.

"Then keep at it~! My knight lord~." Bai Xue said teasingly.

"Mm! Then, Bai Xue, when I'm in my transformed state, could you not call my name?" The Holy Girl turned her head and solemnly said to Bai Xue.

"Mm! Of course, Souto." Bai Xue also said.

"Hey!"

"All right, all right, I got it~." Holy Girl.

"…………………………"

After chatting a while longer, the Holy Girl then said goodbye to Bai Xue and left.

And before leaving, the Holy Girl also reached an agreement with Bai Xue: "Let's become partners and earn magic candy together."