Chapter 325: The Girl with Taiyaki Hidden Away

Vivi turned her head to look in the direction indicated.

And at that very moment,

the pink-haired girl who had been by Vivi’s side all along, her expression barely changing until now, suddenly widened her clear orange-yellow eyes uncontrollably.

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“…!!”

Within their field of vision appeared a petite girl with a thoroughly indifferent expression.

“Her” long, pale-yellow hair fluttered in the air. Her chest was completely flat, and she dodged her opponent’s attacks while striking back.

“Her” movements were crisp and graceful, with a sharp, aloof air about them. She held a microphone in one hand, continuously firing blue waves of light toward whatever she pointed it at.

But none of that was what mattered.

Because the first thing anyone noticed when they looked at “her” was that particular spot.

Beneath her crotch was a mysterious △ bulge, swaying and trembling with her movements.

Its size and shape made it obvious that she couldn’t have secretly stuffed a taiyaki snack into her pants.

That damn thing was a real, full-sized ○.

“……”

“Oh, that’s Xiyuji.”

Watching the pink-haired girl sink into thought, Vivi explained in a perfectly even tone.

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“She used to be a bona fide man. She had a series of facial and body-softening surgeries to qualify for the exam, and that’s how she ended up looking like this.”

“That’s not exactly rare in Neon City. When you used my account yesterday to download stuff online… I mean, look up information, didn’t you come across any of those news stories? There are five or six people like that at our school alone. They even had to set up a men’s restroom just for them.”

“……….”

“Anyway, men get bonus points if they can become magical girls. A lot of them, too.”

Vivi’s expression remained unchanged. “The reasoning is simple. It’s countless times harder for men to become magical girls than it is for girls.”

“……….”

“Even after undergoing complete sex-reassignment surgery and becoming physically female, they still face huge difficulties on a spiritual level.”

“So the bonus-point policy works like this: the more male characteristics someone retains while passing the preliminary exam, the more bonus points they get…”

“……….”

Vivi wore a faintly mocking expression. “But I don’t think anyone in the world could possibly get the maximum bonus.”

“I was curious, so I took a look at the bonus requirements. The highest tier is for someone who retains a completely male appearance and still perfectly passes the magical-girl qualification exam’s preliminary round…”

“……….”

“If someone like that really existed, wouldn’t that mean they were more womanly than a woman, the woman among women? It’d only mean he was born into the wrong body.”

“……….”

“But if someone like that awakened as a magical girl, they’d definitely be strong. After all, magical-girl power comes from the heart.”

Then Vivi saw the pink-haired girl beside her quietly avert her gaze.

“Okay, you don’t have to say any more.”

Vivi was a little confused. “Why are you reacting so strongly…?”

Lin Guang said flatly, “Because that person isn’t actually a man…”

And just then, the battle came to an end.

Clang!

“Eeya!”

The cat-eared girl was sent flying by the magic power fluctuations from the microphone wielded by the one named Xiyuji. Her combat uniform neutralized the impact, but the long blade in her hand was still knocked away.

She rolled across the ground twice, then gritted her teeth and slowly struggled to her feet, looking thoroughly battered. After panting a few times, she let her tail droop listlessly. Her magic power was clearly badly depleted, and her eyes filled with unwillingness as she spoke:

“Damn it! Have I not been taking enough of the medicine I usually inject?!”

The cat-eared girl wiped the sweat from her brow and clenched her fists. “When I get

</path> home, I’m going to give those old geezers in my family a proper grilling and make them boost my magical potential some more!”

“Just you wait! I’ll beat you, get my qualification certificate, and become a real magical girl!”

Vivi was also giving Lin Guang a running commentary in her mind. “That’s Yang Luo, the top student ranked fifth in practical combat in our class and seventeenth in the year. Her magic power level has already reached Level 8.”

As the cat-eared girl fell, Tian Zhiya offered her assessment in a voice as booming as a bell.

“See that? Xiyuji’s movements are so swift, and her magic output so steady, because she’s been buying my enhancement potions and following the matching training plan for a long time.”

As she spoke, Tian Zhiya flexed her arm to show off her muscles, flashed her pearly white teeth, and gave a youthful smile. “As long as you follow my plan, buy the medicine, and take your injections, you can perform as well as she does.”

“……”

The big-○ girl casually lowered the microphone marked with the number 9. Looking at the cat-eared girl in front of her, whose face was full of unwillingness and who was still shouting about surpassing her, she narrowed her eyes slightly. After staring at the girl’s face for several seconds, she finally seemed to recognize her. “Oh, you’re… Yang Luo, right?”

“Culture score: 600. Practical combat: 230. Magic power: Level 8. Not bad. You could count as 0.7 of a magical-girl candidate’s candidate… You barely qualify for me to remember your name.”

Vivi rolled her eyes. “Damn, she’s doing it again.”

Xiyuji’s tone was calm, but carried a deep disdain. “But you can’t beat me. Your magical potential is far too meager.”

“Because even without counting the bonus points, I’ve already reached a culture score of 660, a practical combat score of 270, and Level 9 magic power.”

“That puts me at about 1.3 magical-girl candidates’ candidates.”

The cat-eared girl blurted out, “Isn’t that still just a candidate’s candidate…?”

“No. The height I’ve reached is enough for me to say I have the potential to become a magical-girl candidate. I’m on an entirely different level from you.”

From a distance, Vivi helplessly explained to Lin Guang, “It seems she damaged her brain during her sex-reassignment surgery. She’s completely face-blind, so she can only recognize people by their scores and magic power fluctuation patterns. That’s how she ended up like this.”

“Anyway, she can’t sense someone with my score at all. I’m like a patch of greenery to her. She’ll even ignore me when I speak.”

On the battlefield, the cat-eared girl’s face flushed red and then went pale. “And then what?! You haven’t even reached Level 10, and you’re not even the top student in the class!”

“Heh. True.”

“Even someone like me, with a culture score of 660 and a practical combat score of 270, will probably be able to break through Level 10 by then. But statistically speaking, my odds of passing on my first attempt and becoming a magical girl are still only one in a thousand.”

“Then what are you so proud of?!”

The pale-yellow-haired girl gripped her microphone and sneered. “That’s exactly why I won’t waste time on pointless effort.”

“I’ve already made my decision. After I pass the qualification exam’s first-round preliminary test, prove my worth, and attract an agency’s attention, I’ll give up my chance to enter the second-round exam and become a trainee magical-girl idol.”

“After all, magical girls in the idol track aren’t as rigidly focused on raw strength as those in the combat track. Or rather, compared to combat, ‘promotional appeal’ and ‘buzz’ are far more important.”