As soon as Qiluo walked into the classroom, Rei sprang from her seat like a little animal catching the scent of food.
She rushed over to Qiluo in a few quick strides.
“Tian Gong! How was your weekend? I sent so many messages in the group chat, but you didn't reply to any of them! I thought you'd been abducted by aliens, but then I realized aliens probably wouldn't kidnap someone as lazy as you, so I stopped worrying!”
“I was sleeping.” Qiluo hung her schoolbag on the side of her desk, pulled out a bag, and placed it on Rei's desk.
Rei looked down at the bag of cookies, blinked, and then looked up at Qiluo, her twin tails swinging to one side as she tilted her head.
“For me?”
“Yeah. I baked them at a friend's house over the weekend and made too many.” Qiluo thought about it and added, “My friend baked most of them. I only shaped a few.”
Rei opened the bag, peeked inside, and then looked up with a very serious expression.
“Tian Gong, the cookies you shaped are really ugly.”
“...I know.”
“But I'm going to eat every single one of them.” She clutched the bag to her chest as if it were some incredible treasure.
Ms. Tanabe pushed the door open and walked in, holding the homeroom logbook. Behind her, the class president carried a stack of printed handouts.
The buzzing chatter in the classroom gradually quieted down. Rei reluctantly stuffed the cookie bag into her schoolbag, turning around but mouthing, “We'll talk after class!” to Qiluo.
“You should all know the theme of today's homeroom,” Ms. Tanabe said, placing the logbook on the podium and adjusting her glasses. “The final confirmation of the booth plan. Class president, pass out the handouts.”
The class president acknowledged her and began distributing them row by row.
When the handouts reached Qiluo's hands, they still carried the residual warmth of the printer. Printed in bold at the top of the front page was: “Class 1-A School Festival Booth Proposal—Magical Girl Café”.
Below it was a dense list detailing the menu, duty roster, budget, and a rough layout sketch.
She scanned through it quickly while whispers and murmurs began to ripple through the classroom.
“Quiet, please—” Ms. Tanabe tapped the edge of the podium with her logbook, waiting for the buzzing discussions to subside a bit.
“Since this was voted on by everyone, let's take it seriously. A Magical Girl theme isn't just about hanging a few stars and calling it a day. The class president has already drawn up the duty roster. Please pass it around, and raise your hand if you have any objections.”
The class president projected the duty roster onto the whiteboard, and the rows of dense tables excited the class once more.
Rei turned around, winked at Qiluo, and silently mouthed, “Look at the costume column.”
Qiluo followed her gaze. Right there in the lower-middle section of the table, it read: Costume Coordinator—Ms. Tanabe (Official cosplay outfits available for rent).
Official cosplay outfits...?
“Teacher! What do you mean by official cosplay outfits? Are they the kind that real Magical Girls wear?” a boy in the back row raised his hand and asked.
Ms. Tanabe adjusted her glasses. “They're official. I know someone at the Association, so I can borrow a few officially licensed replicas. The craftsmanship is much better than typical cosplay outfits. Of course, the rental fee is also expensive, so as for the budget—”
“We'll pay!” the whole class chimed in unison.
Can I opt out? I don't have that much pocket money.
And besides, I am a Magical Girl...
Qiluo flipped the duty roster to the back, pretending to look at the menu pricing while her mind raced.
If they could rent official cosplay outfits, wouldn't they be highly detailed?
Her classmates spent all day watching Magical Girl videos on their phones, so they were bound to be extremely familiar with the details of the combat outfits.
She hadn't paid much attention to the patterns on her skirt when she transformed into Lightweaver. What if it looked too similar to one of the cosplay outfits...
No, Lightweaver had never shown her face in public, so no one should be able to recognize her.
Even in the Wings of Freedom videos, only her hands and back were visible.
But what if, by some chance, one of those cosplay outfits was identical to Mingyue's combat outfit, and Shizuru herself was right here at school?
If Shizuru ever found out that Lightweaver—whom she chased after every single day—was wearing a matching combat outfit while serving coffee in a café... Qiluo's stomach began to ache slightly just imagining the scene.
Ms. Tanabe waited for the class's excitement to quiet down a bit before adding unhurriedly, “These are the classic replica models officially licensed by the Association last year. They come in all sizes, from S to L.”
“What does 'classic models' mean?” Rei raised her hand high, nearly leaping out of her seat.
Ms. Tanabe switched the projection to the next slide. Photos of several officially licensed Magical Girl combat outfit replicas appeared on the screen, each labeled with the original Magical Girl's codename and active years.
“To commemorate the anniversary of the establishment of the Magical Girl system last year, the Association authorized the reproduction of combat outfits worn by representative Magical Girls throughout history. The appearance and details are completely replicated from the originals. Being able to borrow them this time is all thanks to your teacher~”
She paused here, her tone carrying a hint of smugness that was quite unlike her usual style.
The images on the screen flipped past one by one.
The first was a light gold stage costume with note-shaped decorations on the hem, labeled: “First-Generation Meruru (Classic Model)”.
The second was a deep blue short skirt, with an emblem of a crescent moon wrapped in chains on the left shoulder, and extremely fine silver-white stardust particles bordering the hem. The label read: “Tsukiyohime (Classic Model)”.
Qiluo stared at the cosplay outfit, which was almost identical to Mingyue's, her lips twitching.
If Shizuru saw her own outfit hanging in a classroom, how would she react?
It would probably be quite amusing.
Then came the third, the fourth...
Her gaze swept casually over the ornate skirts and delicate gloves while she calculated whether she should slip away early during lunch break to snag a pineapple bun from the cafeteria. That was until the screen flipped to the next page—
Qiluo froze, a sudden surge of embarrassed rage welling up in her chest.
It was a short skirt dominated by silver-white with gold accents. The upper half featured a form-fitting short jacket cinched at the waist, and the hem was short in the front and long in the back, with irregular light-spot-like cutouts along the edges.
The decorative lines on the shoulders and back of the neck were sleek and clean, unlike other styles that were cluttered with lace and bows, giving it a look that sat somewhere between a combat outfit and a uniform.
The hair accessory was a minimalist meteor-shaped hairclip, meant to be pinned behind the ear.
Beside it was an enlarged detail of the cuff: thin line decorations extending from the wrist to the base of the fingers, the path of each line perfectly matching the trajectory of the threads of light she shot from her fingertips when she transformed.
Why does this outfit look so much like my transformed state? And on the top right, there's even a codename labeled: Lightweaver?
Are you kidding me?! I clearly never registered with the Association! Where did this authorization come from?!
She felt rather annoyed. Who authorized this outfit? Did they even ask her before making it?
Lightweaver's codename and appearance had indeed been made public. The Association had probably referenced Wings of Freedom's debut video and the one from the amusement park.
But now, enthusiasts all over Japan could wear the exact same outfit.
Qiluo gritted her teeth, suppressing her anger.
She was really about to hiss.
They actually made and sold my clothes without my consent. How are the royalties going to be calculated?
If even one set sells, shouldn't I go to the Association to demand my cut?
She took a deep breath, cursing the Association's licensing department countless times in her mind.
Next time, I'm definitely going to cause a scene at the Association's entrance!
And I'd better get my royalties back!
Rate on N.U.
