*
"... I'll do something about your request. It'd be easiest to keep your secret contained in this facility, but unfortunately Jiyu should have spread the news to other places by now.
A new order would be issued to this place under my command and we can simply say Kaori has gone off somewhere else to get help. But you won't be able to fool those of us who are already here. Do you need some help for a disguise? Everyone practically knows your face. " (Willen)
".... Aren't you a patrol? Do you have the authority to issue a gag order? " (Kaede)
Willen retains her poker face, not a single hint of her thoughts slip to the surface. She was either incapable of expressing her emotions, or incredibly skilled at suppressing them. For her disposition that prefers to keep to herself, it wasn't surprising if she simply likes to hide her emotions. Not everyone liked to air out their feelings on public display.
It was simply a preference that made it difficult for Kaede to know whether she was angered or not. She wasn't sure what were the boundaries that she could push, or what she could really expect out of Willen's mettle. As far as she knew, the possibility that Willen was giving empty promises wasn't zero.
"... I see this isn't going to work out very smoothly... Well, let's ignore the trouble some details for now and move forwards head on. You'll adjust with time, I'll assign you a standard apprentice schedule which includes a patrol route and some training time. Of course, most of it would actually be a guise for your recovery.
But I have to ask. If you intent to fight against the progenitor again... Why do you want to hide from the upper echelon of our organisation? They can even protect you should things go awry." (Willen)
For a short instance, an unimaginable pressure descended onto Willen. An oppressive force that bound itself to her very conscious pressed onto her like a judgement from heaven, it eroded at her vision as if decaying at the very light that filled the office. The black erosion spread from top to bottom, engulfing half her vision. All of it happened in an instant as cold sweat trickled down her nap, as if to remind her of her own place.
"Willen... My comrades died while I survived... Do you understand... This shame?" (Kaede)
Her meek expression of an intensive care requiring patient had faded off into a neutral coldness that didn't see Willen in its eyes. Her sight was fixed far ahead, in the future. She then turn her iris to face Willen. Despite the gaze coming from such a weak being, Willen thought that there was something else there. Something more that she couldn't see but wanted to. It was lighting up a fire in her spirit.
'I want to see it... View it with my own eyes... Whatever she' s hiding... Or whatever she will bring... ' (Willen)
***
Despite magical particles lacking a physical nature, the well of a magical girl almost acts like a physical object. It retains a form, it stays fixed onto its host and it stores magical particles. Magical circuits on the other hand, are merely the natural streams formed by the flow of magical particles in a magical girl's body. They move due to a force akin to gravity, this force is produced by itself and dictates the movement and orbit of magical particles.
In other words, this set pattern of movements... Something that Kaori had learned about in magic lessons far before this point in time... The unique magical signature of a magical girl, is the phenomena responsible for the formation of magic circuits as it influences their shape. Both macro and micro effects...
It would also decide how the skill magical circles form in the body, making a unique skill for the magical girl. Even if the effects of two skills are the same in reality, the magic circles would be different and with it, minor differences will also appear in their magic. Time needed to cast, magical particle to phenomena ratio, determining the cost efficiency of their magic. Exponential or linear enhancement when infusing more magical particles into the skill magical circles...
Magic combat was a numbers game where nobody knew the exact numbers. Even if they did, it wouldn't change a thing. Opponent's could form new techniques or unlock their final skill at the last moment and change the tide of battle. Magic wasn't something to be predicted, that's why people rely on stats. A magic measuring tool is mass produced, the units of measurement are standardised but also arbitrary.
For example, C grade is 800 times average human ability. What is average human ability? Wouldn't this average fluctuate a lot? The easiest and most convenient way, was to make the 'average human ability' the same perimeters as an older teenage girl. Magical girls... As the name implies, transforms all humans into teenage girls to conduct magic better. If they do not infuse their body with magic, they would have the same capabilities as a teenage girl.
Though they are infused with magic... Or augmented subconsciously anyway. Only a conscious decision to remove their augmentations, and some training in controlling their magical particles could successfully remove their augmentation completely. Some people use it to blend into society and enjoy their life. Ignoring how a well dressed girl with perfect skin would stand out in society and scream the fact that they are either rich or a magical girl.
Their previous untransformed self no longer mattered. The muscle mass, bone density, muscle density, flexibility, martial training, movement capability was all gone. Even if that has its own fluctuations and exceptions after transformation, the arbitrary measurement proved practical use.
'My stats went down.... Usually the subconscious augmentation that decides the stats is part of the transformation and can not be changed... But with my well leaking, I'm basically only partially transformed... Its enough to change my body and form this combat dress, but there's an undeniable drop in my capability... ' (Kaede)
Was there any hope in repairing it? She pondered that very question numerous times for the past few days. It was strangely... Serene. Her schedule was a facade, so she basically had free reign while she waited for a medical proffesional to arrive. Having a damaged well was like seeing a unicorn, in the worse case there wasn't a specialist that could help.
Her ears perked up as she listened to afternoon breeze brush by as if it was in a rush to head somewhere. The streets were sufficiently decorated as things seemed to be looking up for the people, almost a year and a half after The Great Disaster, the recovery of civilisation was increasing quicker and there was hope that the lives which the post modern people wish for is coming back.
Banners of countless colours line the streets as the traffic crowds around the free spaces, enough to make it feel like the vicinity is a bustling place, yet sparse enough to see the signboards of shops. In a place like this, even Kaori could blend in. As long as she wasn't wearing her combat dress which looked like expensive cosplay, her looks wouldn't stand out if not many people could see her.
In the end, Kaede had to don a disguise as she didn't even want to be recognised as Kaori. Wearing shades would stand out, so she wore a sweater to hide her figure and a thin cloth to wrap around her face. If someone she knew saw her... The disguise wouldn't really be effective... Despite hiding her silhouette, the sweater was still thin enough for someone to estimate how she looked like underneath.
The reason for it was simple... The weather was too hot... She wore a grey shirt underneath her open sweater and a basic khakis that reached her knees. Wearing an open sweater was already pushing it for her.
"Ugh... Who would think it would be this hot... I'm drenched under my chin..." (Kaede)
Masks were in limited supply and had to be scavenged from old ruins since they were no longer in production. Instead, cloth was used for sanitary purposes as they were more simple to produce and more versatile. They didn't have the capability to process out masks, and now that they have some capacity to do it, it was still better to dedicate these resources to other more essential things.
The only luxury allowed was practically food. Food, water and shelter was given the most attention as the 3 basic needs, but food was still the most invested. They're the most important factor for a modern person. It was a wonder that they could recover so many cuisines in such a short amount of time, that was the food Street that she was walking through right now. A utopia of food, the largest one that was near her current headquarters.
"Uwahh... My mouth cloth is so damp... I'll have to pick up the pace and get the pickup..." (Kaede)
That was right, in the guise of a patrol she was sent to pickup food for the others. In her hands were several stacks of boxed food and the personal metal containers of her new colleagues. She was heading towards the final shop when she saw a commotion off in the distance. Coincidentally, it was at the shop that she was heading towards.
"Gyahh!!!" (?)
A coarse scream of a middle aged uncle resounded, but oddly enough the crowd wouldn't budge from whatever threat that had incited that scream. Kaede used a little bit of her magic to throw a strong breeze at the people in front of her. It wasn't much, at most it would snatch a piece of paper from someone's hand. But people would instinctively move away when they feel danger, even if it was just a few centimetres of movement it would open up a gap in the ground.
'... This is going to be troublesome, if this commotion prevents the shop owner from making this delivery... I, who can't even deliver food would be quite a useless magical girl wouldn't I?' (Kaede)
She spared no time and went to the front and transformed into her combat dress. A gentle light filled with warmth envelops all her clothes, producing a brilliance that blinded the entire crowd. She continued to carry her conspicuous luggage as she walked towards the centre, the crowd parted ways like the red sea when they noticed her costume and aura. She was also continuously blowing soft wind in every direction, causing a surreal atmosphere.
'... Mummy is that a magical girl...?' (?)
'Stop pointing! Who knows what she'll do to us...' (?)
A distant whispering of uneasy voices meshed together as quiet murmuring. In such times, perhaps the magical girl here would shut them up somehow. Well, it depended on the individual. Magical girls randomly coming to stroke their egoes wasn't such a rare occurrence, those who were used to it knew to keep quiet and observe. It was like a precaution one took when they encounter a dangerous animal. Stop moving and be quiet, then there was a higher chance of them leaving you alone.
Well... Kaede wasn't in the mood for such things though. She just didn't want to wait for the commotion to be over before ordering food from the establishment in front of them. Might as well make it quick. She was even willing to ask them to take it elsewhere and leave them alone to it, in case it was unrelated to the shop.
At this point most of the crowd had laid eyes on her, even the ones who were originally at the centre of attention. A well dressed and tidy girl with black blond hair and a middle aged uncle with an apron laying on the ground. He was tightly grabbing his wrist, and his cheeks were drenched in tears... Sweat? Kaede wasn't particularly happy or angry at that time, but her neutral face managed to intimidate a most of them. It was a situation similar with Willen, where they couldn't guess about how she's feeling or what she wants them to do.
At a glance, the young girl dirty blond hair that was fading black at the root as if the dye is wearing off. But the colour was too uniform, as if it was purpose dyed with a boundary in mind. That would be really hard to pull of in this day and age unless someone was rich. Or if it was an effect of transforming into a magical girl.
At this point, she couldn't be bothered to care. Usually a B grade is well sought after and paid, it would be exceedingly rare for those sorts to go into crime. If they are in a high position of a government body or organisation, then their crime is more related to non-physical things like corruption or fraud, then that wasn't her place to judge. It would be left to the law.
As such, low ranking thugs were usually E or D grade, and sometimes C grade. Nothing she couldn't handle if she asked Grail to plug up her well for a moment.
"Oi, what are you guys going on about right now? I have a food delivery to make." (Kaede)
'A magical girl... Delivering food...?' (Everyone)