Don't Underestimate the Power of Bonds, Qiluo!

It was a well-known trope in anime, novels, and manga: when the protagonist is pushed to the brink by the villain, they often unleash an unprecedented surge of power.

This phenomenon also applied to moments when the protagonist's friends were in danger, or when making a breakthrough in a desperate, life-or-death situation.

The essence of this power wasn't just a simple numerical boost; it was the literal manifestation of their willpower.

When the shackles of rationality were shattered by a massive emotional shock, their latent potential would erupt like a geyser.

But that raised a question.

Did this actually conform to the law of conservation of energy?

This was the very question Qiluo was pondering right now.

And Qiluo didn't believe it for a second.

She had never believed in things like the power of bonds, friendship, or love.

Back in her original world at the Royal Astronomical Observatory, she had always scoffed at those knight novels where the protagonist suddenly experienced a power surge just to save a princess.

The so-called "power of bonds" didn't hold a candle to rigorous magic formulas. It absolutely violated the law of conservation of energy.

But now...

Qiluo finally understood why protagonists could achieve breakthroughs driven by pure emotion.

It actually did conform to the law of conservation of energy.

There was no power being generated out of thin air at all—it was all being drained from her!

She was the very law of conservation of energy that the protagonist was overdrawing!

The protagonists in those knight novels must have been drawing from the mana of Temple Magical Beasts. No wonder the Temple would toll its bells in mourning after every protagonist "awakened," announcing that another beast had sacrificed itself.

Now, it was her turn.

Even though her mana reserves were massive enough to keep her from being drained completely dry, this sudden drain still hit her incredibly hard.

Her head spun, and her vision kept swimming with dark spots.

Forget it. This was her own choice anyway.

Seeing how much Yuki cared about her, Qiluo found herself caught between a headache and the inability to actually get angry.

Snowrealm squatted down, her hands hovering just over Qiluo's shoulders. She wanted to touch her but didn't dare, her fingers trembling slightly in the air.

Her body temperature after transformation was lower than usual, and she was afraid her icy fingertips would startle the girl.

“Are you hurt? Did it touch you? Where does it hurt?”

Her voice was urgent and strained. Though the cognitive interference from her transformation made her tone sound colder than usual, the panic bleeding through was impossible to hide.

Qiluo shook her head. “...I'm fine. It didn't touch me.”

She hugged her knees a little tighter, though the reason she was trembling was entirely different from what Snowrealm imagined.

“...It suddenly slammed against the door, so I hid back here.”

Her voice trembled with the post-fright of a survivor. “I didn't dare to look. And then you showed up.”

She looked up at Snowrealm as she spoke, her eyes a mix of fear and gratitude.

It was exactly the reaction an ordinary high school girl should have when a Magical Girl descended from the heavens to save her.

She even managed to make the rims of her eyes look slightly red under the faint blue glow of the convenience store's advertising screen.

Qiluo Tian Gong: a master actress.

Looking at Qiluo, Snowrealm felt as if her chest were being violently squeezed.

She was so used to Qiluo always being calm, collected, and completely at ease.

So much so that she had almost forgotten Qiluo was just an ordinary high school girl who could get scared, too.

Her face was far too pale, and all color had drained from her lips.

When she had been approaching the convenience store, the mana inside her body had suddenly surged, as if something had violently jolted her circuits.

Snowrealm pulled off her transformed glove and gently touched the back of Qiluo's hand with her bare fingertips.

It was ice-cold.

“...I'm really okay. My legs are just a little weak, so I can't stand up right now. That strike of yours just now was amazing. Magical Girls really are incredible.” Qiluo looked up and gave her a smile.

It was a forced smile squeezed from trembling lips, her eyes still watery with tears.

Snowrealm didn't say a word.

She simply withdrew her hand from Qiluo's, pulled her glove back on, and squatted beside the cash register, offering her shoulder.

She didn't try to carry her in her arms; she knew Qiluo wouldn't like such a dramatic gesture.

“I'll help you up. It's too cold here. Let's get out of the convenience store first.”

Qiluo looked at the Magical Girl offering her back, feeling a bit complicated.

Rainwater still clung to Snowrealm's shoulder guards, and her silver-blue hair fell to her waist.

No matter how many times this girl transformed, she was still Yuki Kurokawa to the core.

Seeing the protagonist use her power to protect someone she cared about, Qiluo couldn't help but want to pat her head and tell her she'd done a great job.

“...Then I won't stand on ceremony,” Qiluo murmured, placing her hands on Snowrealm's shoulders and slowly pushing herself up.

Her knees were still a bit shaky, but her mana valve was already auto-repairing. She would be back to normal in a few minutes.

Snowrealm felt the weight on her shoulders, so light it was as if Qiluo was afraid of hurting her.

She rose slowly, keeping her movements incredibly gentle, while Qiluo's fingers clutched at the fabric of her outfit.

She reached up and covered the back of Qiluo's hand, hoping this gesture would at least reassure her that she wasn't alone.

“Pardon me,” Snowrealm whispered, her other hand steadily supporting Qiluo's waist.

“...Thank you.”

Snowrealm didn't reply. She only tightened her grip around Qiluo's waist slightly, allowing her to lean more securely against her.

She lowered her head, looking at the strands of Qiluo's hair brushing against her shoulder. “I'm sorry. I was too late.”

The crushing guilt in her chest refused to subside.

She could have been faster. She could have killed that Erosion Body in the street before it ever set foot in the convenience store.

But she had detoured slightly on her patrol route just to be closer to Qiluo. She never expected that minor delay would make her a step too late.

Leaning against the edge of the counter, Qiluo kept her fingers on Snowrealm's shoulder while resting her other hand against her forehead.

Taking a deep breath, she forced down the last remnants of her feigned fear and looked up at Snowrealm.

A light flickered in Snowrealm's deep blue eyes. She looked as if she wanted to apologize more, yet was afraid of making Qiluo feel even more overwhelmed.

“It's not your fault. Nobody could have predicted that thing would suddenly appear.”

Her voice was still slightly raspy. “Besides, you came, didn't you? You were so fast, and right on time.”

She reached out, hesitated for a brief second, and gently placed her fingers over Snowrealm's trembling hand.

Only after doing so did she realize a problem: Wait, how is a normal person supposed to react to a Magical Girl? Thank them? Bow? Ask for an autograph?

“Just now... you called me by my name. Do you know me?”

Snowrealm's fingers instantly stiffened at the touch.

At that moment, she had been so focused on Qiluo being in danger...

...that she had let it slip without thinking.

What was she supposed to do now?