by Asari Endou
In order to keep herself employed and in school, she needed a hobby to relieve stress when things went sour. She also firmly believed that those who spent money on their hobbies were idiots, which made Magical Girl Raising Project a perfect match. So she added the game to her two other hobbies: reading manga in bookshops (without buying) and reading at libraries.
When one company succeeded in lowering prices on their smartphones, competing companies joined in on the price war. Three years ago, smartphones had expanded to 90 percent of the cell phone market, according to some reports. In the years to follow, demand continued to rise until they controlled the entire cell phone market.
And with the increase in smartphones came an upsurge in mobile games designed for them. Most of these followed the model of being free to download but requiring real money to progress smoothly. But Magical Girl Raising Project was completely free-to-play.
Kano had always scoffed at the immature boys at school talking about their games, but once she tried it herself, she was hooked. She’d designed her own avatar, the in-game representation of her player, then jumped right into the game. By clearing quests to help people and fight enemies, she could collect cards for magic and items, strengthen her character, and take on more difficult quests and adversaries.
Sticking religiously to sessions of thirty minutes a day, she progressed at a snail’s pace. But she still enjoyed gathering the cards for her perfect strategies and combos, combining them, and winning battles. With its perfect balance of hard work and reward, the game brought her pleasure, and to a newbie like Kano, everything was fresh and original. She didn’t care much for magical girls, but she remembered how, back when she still had a TV, she used to smile along with the girls on-screen—and realized she had in fact used to love them. Strangely, she found herself reveling in her memories. Multiplayer battles and co-ops she found troublesome and irritating, so she opted to play against the AI and clear quests in the story mode. Progress was slow but steady. And a week after she’d started the game, something changed.
Fav, the mascot character floating inside the screen, began talking to her.
“Congratulations, pon! You’ve been selected to become a true magical girl, pon!”
Thinking it was some kind of new event, Kano rapidly skipped through the dialogue. Suddenly, the screen shone brightly, and the blinding light enveloped her. The next moment, she had transformed—she had become her game avatar, Ripple.
Kano took three deep breaths, looked at her hands and feet, then checked her entire body in the mirror. Then repeated the process four more times. She wasn’t imagining things. She pinched her cheek and felt the sharp pain—she wasn’t dreaming. Searching for a realistic explanation, she decided she must have been exhausted from school and work.
“This is going to be a problem,” she thought, and the next time she looked in the mirror, she had detransformed. As a test, she willed herself to change again, and she transformed in the light. The same happened when she willed the costume away. She repeated both processes over and over, and still she saw Ripple in the mirror. Her face, body—everything about her was different from Kano, especially the salacious outfit she would never be caught dead wearing. The transformation was so real and vivid that she couldn’t possibly consider it a dream or hallucination.
She flexed her right hand repeatedly, then drove her fist into her left hand. The sound wave and impact caused the windows to shudder and the ceiling light’s pull cord to swing. Her fingers were like beautiful works of art—finer, longer, and more graceful than Kano’s—yet held great strength within. She kicked at the floor lightly and almost hit her head on the ceiling. If she had cracked it, the landlord would yell at her again. Her physical power had increased by leaps and bounds, clearly no longer a normal human’s.
Next, she examined her limbs and couldn’t find any scars, bruises, or hairs—not even a mole or patch of dry skin. Her skin was smooth and soft, and firm as ripe fruit. Inside her body, energy coursed through her like never before. Outside, throwing knives and shuriken were sewn into her collar and sleeves. One unlucky slip and she could really hurt herself.
The rumors were true. The Magical Girl Raising Project game created magical girls.
She regarded the beautiful, perfect face in the mirror one more time. What was she, a model or an actress or something?
“Hmm…” Even her voice was different, higher and clearer than normal. She struck a few poses in the mirror—smiled brightly, blew a kiss. Everything she tried just looked right. Yet it was still a bit off from her idea of a true magical heroine. At the very least, it didn’t feel orthodox.
“Something on your mind, pon?” the mascot asked from her phone’s screen. Kano almost jumped, but somehow managed to keep her shock from showing. She couldn’t do anything about the blush on her cheeks after getting caught striking poses and smiling in the mirror, though.
“Who are you…?” she asked, as calmly as possible.
“Fav is Fav, pon. If you played the game you should know who Fav is, pon.”
“That’s not what I mean… What is your goal?”
“Fav provides support to girls who show potential, pon. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask, pon.”
He didn’t seem to be listening. Ripple clicked her tongue and returned to the mirror. Staring back at her was, no matter how you sliced it, a magical girl. That fact was unmistakable.
“People described them as ‘too beautiful to be human.’ Is this really…”
“The ones you help will remember a little differently, pon. An average face will suddenly become ‘too beautiful for this world,’ pon. Is this unacceptable, pon?”
“No…”
Kano’s avatar, Ripple, was based on a ninja—black hair, almond eyes, and thin eyebrows. She’d chosen her accessories in an attempt to compliment the half-kimono, half-swimsuit costume, yet seeing herself in full now, she looked rather plain for a magical girl. She sported a red scarf, the ninja cliché, and a giant shuriken hair clip that glinted silver. All else was a coordinated black, from head to toe. The name “Ripple” she’d come up with by translating her last name, Sazanami, into English, but in real life the Japanese outfit and Western name simply clashed.
“Is it possible to change your avatar’s outfit?”
“Not at this stage, pon.”
“Oh, I see…”
“What’s the matter, pon? Something bothering you, pon?”
“No…”
Fav continued his explanation. Now that she had been chosen, she was expected to help people in need. Kano had no interest in helping others, but she couldn’t resist the allure of beauty, superhuman strength, and the unrestricted use of magic.
More than anything, she was bored with her life.
“Fav will be sure to give you all the support you need, pon. For starters, take this magical phone, pon.”
“What kind of support?”
“Fav is friends with every magical girl, so if you ever want to communicate, Fav can connect you, pon. Fav can also answer any of your questions, pon.”
“What is a magical girl, anyway?”
“A magical girl is a magical girl, pon. Don’t you watch TV, pon?”
“But what exactly does that mean?”
“The Magical Kingdom has granted you powers in order to help people, pon.”
“For what reason? What is the Magical Kingdom’s goal?”
“Don’t you watch TV, pon?”
“Like I said…”
“You’re a magical girl now, and that’s final, pon. That is an irreversible truth, pon. No matter what you ask, no matter what the answer is, you are Ripple, pon.”
“What?” It was all incredibly fishy, but she couldn’t deny the extraordinary phenomenon she was now a part of. With enough effort, Kano could get into a good university, but effort alone couldn’t make her into a magical girl. For that, she had needed a fair amount of luck and latent talent. If she let this chance pass her by, she’d most likely never
get another one. So, after weighing her options, she made the calculated decision to accept.
Kano reflected on her objective pro-and-con calculations. As a self-professed realist, she was impressed at how calmly and collectedly she had accepted such an unusual situation.
Fav spoke up, possibly sensing her thoughts. “If you cannot accept that magical girls exist, you wouldn’t have been chosen as one in the first place, pon.”
She wasn’t allowed free rein right off the bat, though. When Fav informed her she would need lessons from a more experienced mentor, Kano became moody. Just imagining it rubbed her the wrong way.
“Fav, you said you would be my support…”
“Fav would love to help as much as possible, but there is only one of Fav, pon. Fav cannot do everything, pon.”
Kano remembered the game’s forced tutorials and how slow and frustrating they were—simple button-clicking over and over, clearly made for idiots with no imagination. She shut off her new magical phone and clicked her tongue angrily. She could barely stand to look at the heart-shaped screen.
Talking to others had never been Kano’s strong suit. To be honest, others in general had never been her strong suit. She had a deep dislike for people who herded together and thought they were tougher for it. This was one of the reasons she’d started playing Magical Girl Raising Project in the first place, so the looming prospect of obnoxious human relationships upset her.
Her first impression of Top Speed, her mentor, was that she seemed like an idiot. She wore a triangular witch’s hat and a witchy dress and carried a magic broom. She was your generic spellcaster, and even her face appeared more Western than Ripple’s. Her big blue eyes, a classic magical-girl trait, darted about busily as she tossed her flaxen braids. Only her long purple cape and the charm hanging from her neck broke the witch archetype in any way. The back of the cape, Ripple noticed, was embroidered with the words “No Gratuitous Opinions.”
Oh, she’s an idiot, Kano thought to herself, and her appraisal dropped even more. They’d agreed to meet on the roof of the Seventh Sankou building, and as Top Speed landed she gave a big smile and jabbed her right hand out in a thumbs-up.
“Nice to meet ya! I’m Top Speed. Good to have ya on board!”
“… Nice to meet you.”
“Where’s your energy, man? You eating right? Ha-ha-ha!”
She spoke like a guy and cackled like a fool. Ripple’s assessment slipped down another level.
With a flourish, Top Speed spun and parked herself on the guardrail and beckoned Ripple to sit beside her. Not wanting to sit next to her, yet also not wanting to stand under her gaze, the ninja chose the simplest option and leaned against the wall.
Top Speed then proceeded to explain all that being a magical girl entailed. In essence, they used magic to help normal people, and doing good deeds earned them magical candies.
“Good deeds…?”
“In the game, you’d defeat enemies and stuff, but in the real world there ain’t much in the way of enemies to defeat, ya know? I know it’s not glamorous, but honest work like this is best.” Top Speed spoke with an air of experience, but Ripple just scoffed silently.
Top Speed also taught her functions of the magical phone that only they could use—although it was nearly identical to a regular smartphone. The way Top Speed talked it up only added to Ripple’s exasperation. She did not show this, of course, but silently scoffed again.
Following instructions, Ripple used the device to bring up a page with her personal data. Height, weight, and measurements—it was all there. As Kano, she was an inch taller than the average boy and solidly built, but when she transformed into Ripple, everything about her became feminine. Under “Personality” was written “Violent and unsociable,” and the fact that she agreed with this just irritated her more. Under “Magic” was written “Throws shuriken that always hit their target,” and this time she audibly clicked her tongue.
“Hmm? What’s up?”
“I only have one kind of magic…”
It was so plain. Throwing shuriken was more of a ninja technique than a power. She could think of so many other ninja-like things to do, like creating clone illusions or breathing fireballs.
“Magical girls only get one kind of magic, see. It was way easier in the game when you could use lotsa magic, but them’s the breaks.”
That wasn’t the only depressing piece of information Top Speed had to share, though. There were also two rules that all magical girls had to follow: Never reveal yourself to a regular human, and never talk about the rules or your powers to a regular human. Those who broke these rules had their right to be magical girls rescinded.
Once a week, they had an online meeting. While attendance was not mandatory, it was a good idea to attend so as not to miss some major announcement.
Certain members of their ranks were very territorial. The two places to avoid in the city were Calamity Mary’s Jounan district and Ruler’s Nishimonzen. The former loved to pick fights, and the latter was just aggravating to listen to. Both were an equal pain in the butt.
Top Speed regaled Ripple with stories. For instance, Sister Nana had once stumbled into Calamity Mary’s territory and was nearly killed for it. There was also the time a video of the Peaky Angels had made its way to the Internet and caused a stir. The more she talked, the more Ripple checked out. When her mentor had finally finished, hopped onto her broom, and disappeared into the night sky, Ripple clicked her tongue.
“Hey…”
“Yes, pon?”
“Who made her a mentor?”
“Friendly magical girls volunteer for the job, pon. Top Speed’s explanation might have taken three times longer than normal, but that just shows how thorough she was being, pon.”
So not only had she been the victim of an overzealous busybody, but she had also suffered through a longer-than-necessary introduction. Ripple clicked her tongue louder than she had in years. To her, Top Speed had gone from “idiotic mentor” to “idiot trying to act like a mentor.”
For some reason, Top Speed kept coming back to visit Ripple. Not even subtle sounds of dismay or saying to her face, “You don’t have to come back” could stop her. She simply waved it away with a, “You’re such a prickly pear.”
Realizing words wouldn’t reach her, Ripple decided to ignore Top Speed. In the end, the witch would talk without interruption until she’d had her fill, then leave for the day. One time she brought a plastic container of boiled sweet potatoes, which Ripple grudgingly tried and found delicious.
In summer, Kubegahama practically teemed with tourists, but by fall it was a ghost town. When the sun set, not a soul could be found wandering the streets. A very tall steel tower stood on a hill overlooking the beach, and on this tower sat two girls in costume. One of them wore a white school-uniform-esque outfit, and the other looked at first glance like a knight from the Middle Ages, but with a long tail. The two of them huddled close around a magical phone and spoke with the mascot character, Fav.
Magical girls preferred constructs like office buildings and steel towers. These tall, deserted areas were good resting spots where their outrageous outfits could go unnoticed. Few of them could truly fly, but they all had the ability to run up building walls as if they were flat ground.
“Be extra sure to come to the next chat meeting, pon.”
“Why?”
“There’s going to be an important announcement, pon.”
“I heard a new girl was joining. Is it that?”
“That, and a big event as a result, pon.”
“What kind of event?”
“You’ll have to show up to find out, pon.”
“Hmm.”
Snow White turned off her phone and rotated a little to the side. She drew her knees close to La Pucelle’s, making it easier to converse.
“Sou, Sou. Did you hear that?” she chirped.
“I did.”
In contrast with Snow White’s ill-fitting nonchalance, La Puce
lle’s response had a tinge of melancholy to it.
“What do you think?”
“Chat attendance has been low lately, so maybe Fav is doing this to get people to show up.”
“It’s low?”
“Yes. Yesterday only seven people showed up: you, me, Nemurin, Cranberry, Top Speed, Sister Nana, and Winterprison.”
“But that’s higher than before.”
“It’s still low. Can you recall even one time when everyone showed up?”
Attendance at the once-a-week chat meeting was recommended but not mandatory, which was causing a drop in attendees, a situation Fav was always trying to remedy. He constantly insisted that everyone should exchange information more, and that they should be friendlier toward one another. Hardly anyone listened.
Snow White and La Pucelle both had a high attendance rate. They were huge fans of magical girls and jumped on every chance to associate with others like them. Thanks to the chat meetings, they had developed many friendships, so to them, at least, the meetings had not been for nothing.
“That chat room is so tiny. I think it’d be really hard to squeeze lots of people in.”
The weekly chat took place in an imaginary meeting room, with each girl entering as a simplified version of her avatar.
“It’s not like we’ll be literally squeezed, so what’s the problem?”
“Still, Sou…”
“Also!”
La Pucelle jabbed her pointer finger at Snow White, who stared blankly back.
“Don’t call me Sou when I’m transformed!”
“Oh! Sorry, So—” Snow White started to apologize but made the same mistake again, so she laughed to try to cover it up. Her infectious laugh caused La Pucelle, finger still extended, to start giggling as well.
Koyuki Himekawa had always admired magical girls. As a child, watching the adorable Hiyoko in the Hiyoko series had been an emotional roller coaster. From there, she had moved on to the Star Queen series and the Cutie Healer series. Watching these brave girls fight against evil enthralled her. Her childhood friend and fellow magic fan would also borrow older series from a cousin for them to watch, which introduced her to girls like Merry, Riccabel, and Miko. They used their powers to bring people happiness and never faltered, no matter what the danger. Koyuki even declared that when she grew up, she’d become a magical girl just like them, which made her friend jealous, since he could only hope to become a sorcerer.
