Chapter 12: Discussion on Solving the Problem

The Inverted State.

This was a critical issue that all magical girls inevitably had to confront.

Among the myriad of Esper abilities, transformation-type powers were generally considered the most troublesome and unpredictable. This whole business was like those damn Paramecia Devil Fruits in One Piece. First, they tell you it’s the Gum Gum Fruit, a simple rubber fruit, and then BAM! Suddenly, it’s the "Human-Human Fruit, Mythical Zoan, Model: Nika, the Sun God"! Who the hell could keep their sanity with that kind of bait-and-switch?!

Many Espers, like the fiends Silver Drill, Quivering Tentacles, and Maiden Bandage, needed to undergo long periods of arduous training, repeatedly honing their abilities and cultivating their powers through painstaking effort, just to attain a sufficient level of strength.

But magical girls? They just needed to transform. Poof! Instant power.

They possessed immense strength right out of the gate. Even a nine-year-old girl, upon awakening, could effortlessly defeat renowned, battle-hardened fiends. This kind of power, which was, in a certain sense, almost purely conceptual and reality-bending, should logically be considered a massive threat. However, magical girls themselves enjoyed enormous prestige and popularity among humanity. After all, they were all incredibly cute, and everyone loved cute things. It was a simple, if somewhat terrifying, equation.

But in recorded history, there had been two massive "Inversion Disasters."

One was caused by the first magical girl in history to enter an Inverted state. Her name was "Magical Girl Crystal." In that era, most magical girls were named after gemstones—like Magical Girl Topaz, Magical Girl Lapis Lazuli, and so on. Magical Girl Crystal’s Inverted "Black Crystal" mode inflicted the largest scale, and also the very first, devastation upon humanity. In that single Inversion Disaster, the death toll reached a staggering five thousand. Magical Girl Crystal herself also perished in that catastrophic inversion.

Following that tragedy, a specialized system and set of protocols were established specifically to deal with magical girl "Inversions." This system had successfully resolved several subsequent magical girl Inversion incidents, although the methods employed were not always particularly… friendly… to the magical girls themselves. But the damage caused by an Inverted magical girl was simply too immense, too catastrophic, for society not to take extreme precautions.

This was a very big deal.

Upon discovering that Magical Girl Black might potentially enter an Inverted state, the organization had immediately proposed several contingency plans and support measures.

Firstly, the production speed for Black’s specialized equipment was expedited. A magical girl’s own Dress (their costume) essentially functioned as their primary defense. Different forms and states came with different Dresses, each offering varying levels of protection against different types of attacks.

Theoretically, the best solution for Black would be to develop a new form similar to Strawberry Sweetheart’s Sparkling Form, a mode known for its high mental resistance. However, for a magical girl who had only been active for just over a month, this was an incredibly demanding, almost impossible, expectation.

Therefore, to address this urgent situation, the organization had commissioned the creation of some small, specialized gadgets—items designed to mitigate mental attacks, crafted by Espers with unique material-enchanting abilities. And, partly as a way to further augment Black’s already formidable combat power, this particular gadget had been fashioned into the shape of a pair of knuckle dusters. Very hard, very solid knuckle dusters. The kind that could actually be used as brutally effective knuckle dusters.

Black absolutely adored this little gadget. It was her dream "weapon" come true. She had, in her civilian identity as Kenji, previously purchased some knuckle dusters online out of a strange, middle-aged curiosity, but those cheap, mass-produced items could hardly withstand the sheer force Black herself could generate. These custom-made, organization-specialized knuckle dusters were different. She could feel it. She felt like she had become even stronger. Yes! More punching power!

Afterward, the organization also provided some… suggestions… and strategic advice.

Ren Akiyama meticulously reviewed all these suggestions and reports, and then, taking the initiative, he helped Black schedule meetings with two key individuals.

One was Strawberry Sweetheart. The other was a retired magical girl from the previous generation, Magical Girl Lapis Lazuli, who had been a contemporary of the infamous Magical Girl Crystal.

As a magical girl who had successfully mastered her own Inverted state (more or less), Strawberry Sweetheart’s insights would undoubtedly be invaluable. Moreover, if understanding how to control an Inversion proved too difficult, learning how to enter a "Sparkling Mode" like Strawberry’s would also be an incredibly important alternative. If Black could achieve her own Sparkling Form—perhaps tentatively named a "White" form, as a contrast to her usual darkness—that would be an excellent development. At the very least, if she were attacked by those cursed black flames again, she wouldn’t be left so vulnerable.

Ren was almost certain that the next time fiends attacked, they would specifically target Black. Their goal might not necessarily be to kill Black outright, but rather to deliberately try and force her into an Inverted state, to unleash her destructive potential upon the world.

The organization, for its part, was also vigorously searching for any traces of the fiends, investigating all possible leads, but that wasn't something Ren could directly involve himself in. His role was more… personal.

......

“Ren~ You look like you have something on your mind?”

Hana looked at Ren with concern in her eyes. “Are you worried about something?”

Ren was a little surprised. He hadn’t expected Hana to see through him so easily. But then again, they were very close; it was only natural that she’d be able to read him. “Hana, you know a lot about magical girls, right?”

“Of course! I’m a super mega magical girl otaku! When it comes to magical girls, there’s nothing I don’t know!” she declared proudly, puffing out her chest.

You probably have no idea I’m actually working as Magical Girl Black’s Supporter, do you? Ren thought with a silent, internal sigh.

“Well then, what are your thoughts on the Inverted State? I encountered this problem while studying recently. If a Supporter is assisting a magical girl, and that magical girl is about to fall into an Inverted state, what’s the best way to resolve the situation? This question has been bothering me for a while now, and I still haven’t been able to come up with a perfect answer.”

Hana listened, then waved her hand dismissively. “Pfft, is that all you’re worried about? Just that simple little problem? Does such a trivial question even warrant the expertise of me, the renowned magical girl specialist?”

“Oh? So you mean, you have a solution?” Ren asked, a sliver of hope (mixed with a healthy dose of skepticism) in his voice.

“Hmph, hmph, hmph~” Hana looked around conspiratorially, saw that their teacher wasn’t nearby, then quickly cast a small, almost invisible spell, retrieving her smartphone from a pocket dimension (or so it seemed). She rapidly tapped away at the screen, then triumphantly presented the phone to Ren.

Ren took the phone and saw it was displaying a webpage for a forum, titled “The Magical Girl Nexus.”

“Look here,” Hana said, pointing. “This is the dedicated ‘Inversion Studies’ sub-forum. The issue of magical girl Inversion crises? The netizens figured that out ages ago! Look at the top-voted solution in the poll.”

Ren looked.

“Option 1: Of course, just kiss them directly! (87.3% of votes)”

Ren was dumbfounded. “What… what kind of poll is this? This has to be a joke! People actually voted for this?!”

“What are you talking about, you uncultured normie!” Hana huffed indignantly. “As everyone knows, a magical girl’s power comes from love! And to give someone love, is there any method more direct, more passionate, more effective than a kiss? As for the second most popular option, ‘let her best friend die tragically in front of her,’ that only got votes because of Strawberry Sweetheart’s specific backstory! If you ask me, that’s a one-way ticket to a Bad End, guaranteed!”

This is… unbelievably unreliable! As expected!

Ren looked at Hana very seriously. “Hana, do you… do you honestly think this is a reliable solution?”

“Of course, it’s reliable! I’m telling you, this answer is a guaranteed full-marks solution on any magical girl theory exam!” Hana insisted with unwavering confidence.

“…Let me ask you this way, then. If you were sad, or upset, would you want me to kiss you?”

His sudden, direct question made Hana jump. She quickly snatched her phone back, stuffing it away, her face turning a brilliant shade of crimson. “Wh-what are you suddenly saying, you idiot!”

“Just talking about the topic at hand,” Ren pressed gently. “Do you think that would make you feel happy again?”

Hana’s ears were now as red as her cheeks. But finally, with a mixture of hopeful anticipation and mortified embarrassment, she mumbled, “I… I think… I would become very happy.”

Hearing Hana say that, Ren, of course, felt very happy too. But then he immediately added, “But what if it wasn’t me? Um, in other words, what if it was a complete stranger?”

“What do you mean by that?!” Hana immediately bristled, her good mood vanishing.

“You’d feel unhappy, right? Maybe even angrier?” Ren asked, guiding her.

“Well, duh! Obviously!”

And so, Ren nodded. “Exactly. So, feeling happy after being suddenly kissed only happens because there are pre-existing feelings between the two people. Because they like each other. That’s why it works.”

Hana finally understood what Ren was getting at. “You mean, to use this ‘kissing method’ to cure an Inversion, it has to be someone the magical girl herself already likes.”

“That’s precisely my meaning. But, as everyone knows, when a magical girl falls in love with someone, it usually leads to the development of a different kind of power-up, a new mode. When she truly comprehends the power of love, she’ll typically unlock some kind of ‘LOVE Mode,’ right?”

Hana nodded seriously. “You make a very good point!”

“Then, in the case of Magical Girl Black… can you even imagine her having a ‘LOVE Mode’?”

To be honest, Hana couldn’t really picture it. Although she had discovered a couple of days ago that Black seemed a little gentler than she initially thought, her terrifying, brutal combat style was still deeply, unforgettably ingrained in her memory. Black in a pink, frilly LOVE Mode? The universe would probably implode.

“So, you see, the person who set this exam question is really trying to stump people!” Ren sighed. “This whole problem was clearly designed with Black as the specific case study. These damn exam setters! Don’t they have anything better to do all day than come up with these impossible, trick questions!”

“Totally! I know, right!” Hana immediately chimed in, eager to join in on the teacher-bashing. “The teachers at our school are just the same! They spend their entire lives just figuring out new and inventive ways to torture students with ridiculously difficult questions!” She completely sympathized with her boyfriend’s academic frustrations, blissfully unaware of the true nature of the problems he was currently facing.

......

“Strawberry Sweetheart said she’ll meet us today in her civilian form. And Miss Black, you’ve also changed into regular clothes, so you shouldn’t attract any undue attention.” Ren was leading Black, who was currently, and very reluctantly, dressed in an outfit that looked suspiciously like something a young child might wear (much to Kenji’s internal horror), to a designated café where they were scheduled to meet Strawberry Sweetheart.

To be honest, the last time Kenji Tanaka had worn anything remotely resembling "children's clothes" was probably over thirty, maybe even forty, years ago. He felt utterly ridiculous.

Black’s mood was still quite complicated. “So, to summarize, today we’re going to consult with this ‘senpai’ of mine about transformation experiences and control methods. Speaking of which, Strawberry Sweetheart’s Supporter is…?”

“I hear she’s a top-tier corporate elite. A real professional. She’ll be coming too.”

Black nodded stiffly. As the moment of the meeting approached, she couldn’t deny a growing sense of apprehension. Her previous collaborations with Strawberry Sweetheart had been official work, professional engagements. As a dedicated (if somewhat unconventional) worker, she could handle that with a degree of stoic detachment. But this consultation today… this was, for all intents and purposes, a private matter. A personal favor.

It was essentially like arranging a private meeting with someone to ask them to teach you their special, hard-earned skills—skills that were probably trade secrets. Her first instinct, as Kenji Tanaka, had been to offer some money, a hefty consultation fee. But Ren had firmly stopped her.

She had been tempted to tell the kid that he clearly didn’t understand the first thing about adult social etiquette or the importance of greasing palms. But Ren had calmly explained that he would handle any necessary financial remuneration by speaking directly to Strawberry Sweetheart’s Supporter. For someone like Strawberry Sweetheart, a genuine hero, Ren believed it was more important for Black to approach this meeting with sincerity and genuine resolve, not as a business transaction.

Since Ren was her Supporter, and since this was technically his area of expertise, she decided to just trust his judgment on this. After all, the kid, despite his occasional cluelessness, really was remarkably reliable when it counted.

Still… I wonder if Strawberry Sweetheart will even be willing to discuss this matter with me in detail… After all, for her, it’s most likely a past she’d rather not revisit, filled with painful memories.

Before long, they saw a young girl in a high school uniform enter the café.

Wait a minute… that uniform… it looks awfully familiar… Isn’t that… isn’t that Hana’s school uniform…?

Black—Kenji—froze. And she wasn’t the only one who was bewildered. Ren, too, was staring, a look of doubtful questioning on his face.