NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 32
(An alien wearing a headpiece stands in the middle of the screen.)
“It’s been quite a busy three months, but I’ve been busy replicating [Start]-chan’s chest.”
(Silicone pieces that failed to hold their form are scattered around.)
“I even tried learning from a cosplay goods manufacturer, but it’s just too much for a personal workshop.”
(The precise measurements are all obscured in the manufacturing draft design.)
“I was told by the experts that the base holding the chest is just too weak considering its size.”
(On the initial blueprint, there’s a blue pen reinforcement added to the headpiece.)
“I decided to change direction and focus on creating [Start]-chan’s torso, or upper body model.”
(Compared to the initial design, the second design draft is filled with a much more complex frame and material concepts.)
“First, I made a rough test piece just matching the cup and waist sizes without worrying about the details.”
(The silicone torso wears a t-shirt stretching out like a tent due to the impressive size gap between the chest and waist.)
“I made it roughly, but wow, it really looks amazing.”
(A picture of the headpiece in pajamas hugging the slim waist part and emphasizing it multiple times.)
“I tried hugging the temporary test piece while sleeping… whoa…”
(The headpiece shakes its head.)
“I might end up switching to making a full-body mannequin.”
—
＊
[Magical Girl Talk: Kumamoto Magical Girls’ Chat Room 52]
K-chan: So, I said, ‘Smartphone, please come out!’ and it actually did!
K-chan: (A chubby rabbit stamp in excitement.)
M-chan: Really???
S-chan: No way?????
K-chan: Well, it disappeared in a minute…
K-chan: (A chubby rabbit stamp looking deflated.)
M-chan: What? That’s totally useless then lol.
M-chan: (A stamp of a disappointed cat.)
S-chan: For any slightly complicated items, you need a ton of starlight…
M-chan: I used all my starlight to say, ‘Please bring out crab canned food!!’ and I was sick for two days.
M-chan: (A picture of lying down and eating crab meat.)
S-chan: What’s with that picture? 
K-chan: Well, you can’t help but want crab.
M-chan: So, speaking of which, I’m thinking of applying for the performance volunteer recruitment at Walpurgis.
S-chan: A performance? Going all the way to Tokyo is tough.
K-chan: They say magical girls with broadcasting skills gather in the garden for an internet live stream.
S-chan: If popular people like [Nursing] or [Guardian] show up, everyone there will get their starlight charged in an instant, and if the king comes, it could be a blooming party that day?
S-chan: (A stamp of a期待ing dog.)
K-chan: (A stamp of an期待ing chubby rabbit.)
M-chan: That’s not it; I heard she’s a magical girl who used to aim for being an idol.
S-chan: (A stamp of a disappointed dog.)
K-chan: (A stamp of a crying chubby rabbit.)
—
“Hmmm…”
Tsugumi, the magical girl of [Order], left the field command to her loyal subordinate and came to the Dream Garden.
The Dream Garden, which expands in real-time to accommodate the girls’ desires, had grown to the size of an average city center.
Scattered between the green fields and trees were makeshift buildings and stalls set up by magical girls, where those living far away were meeting each other to catch up.
“It doesn’t look this big from below; it’s amazing!”
Instead of heading straight to the Central Garden where Walpurgis’ Dream was opening, Tsugumi was waiting to meet someone in a large open space commonly referred to as ‘the square’ by magical girls.
“Come check out the knitted doll I made!”
“I’ll draw a portrait for you!”
“Come have a cup of tea!”
There were several stalls where blooming but yet-unblossomed magical girls used their unrefined talents to bring joy to other magical girls and charge starlight.
Though some special skills might be embarrassing to show regular people, the atmosphere allowed magical girls to overlook this when they were among themselves.
“If Walpurgis hadn’t issued a ban on stalls for blooming girls in the square, this would have been a sad scene.”
Sumire, the chairperson of the council, had proposed that blooming magical girls were best off not being active in the garden to avoid taking attention away from the unbloomed magical girls.
The reason was that those who had found their dreams should refine themselves enough to present in front of regular people.
“Ishikawa-chan.”
Tsugumi, halted by her name, turned to see Sumire arriving with the members of the Salon.
As usual, dressed cohesively in black casual wear with her long hair flowing, Sumire had an overwhelming presence that made passing magical girls glance at her.
“Hello everyone!”
Clap!
As Tsugumi greeted with a precise salute, Sumire nodded in return while Lena answered with a playful salute. The others simply ignored it.
“Were you calling me about the personnel reinforcement announcement for the guard squad?”
“No, well, we will bring that up as an agenda item for Walpurgis today…”
Tsugumi pulled out a piece of paper she had inside her pocket and handed it to Sumire.
“What’s this…”
Several photos printed from a digital camera were on the paper.
The pictures showed the past and present appearances of abandoned buildings scattered across the country.
“It seems like magical girls from the building construction or spatial distortion categories have gotten together and turned places into illegal hideouts.”
Some places had transformed into spaces filled with bizarre amusement rides like a theme park, while others had turned into creepy-looking places with chains and spikes.
While they hadn’t seriously harmed civilians or hurt someone who wandered in, they sometimes caused noise or held strange gatherings that frightened nearby residents.
“Magical girl groups trying to decorate hideouts like this and gaining infamy are rapidly increasing nationwide.”
There’s a kind of fame and aspiration that comes from notoriety.
They had dug into that aspect.
Tsugumi hesitated for a moment before letting out a sigh.
“Magical girls causing ruckus on the streets can be controlled, but those holding out in fortified locations like this are beyond our reach.”
“Groups trying to leverage public fears while cleverly sidestepping Walpurgis’s rules.”
“Exactly, that’s why I’m asking for your help, Salon members.”
Lena, Kohane, and Nanami listened with slightly embarrassed expressions.
The infamy they had proposed in Kabukicho had transitioned to the name of the military faction under the council chairperson with Sumire’s leadership.
“Understood. If you provide the exact locations and information, we will handle it.”
“Thank you!”
While Sumire looked at the photos, she felt her head start to throb.
If they can’t allow that, then they evade like this, and if they ban that, everything related gets paralyzed.
Once they created a law limiting the use of abilities in public places after magical girls of the release category startled citizens with their abilities, performance-based magical girls protested in the Central Garden.
“What are we supposed to do? We sing, draw, and show off talents in public to gather starlight!”
Thus, they allowed performance-based magical girls to use their abilities in public places, leading summoner-based magical girls to demand similar rights, rushing into pet cafes and amusement parks.
Then came enhancement-type magical girls next, followed by summoning-type, and then…
As the nightmare of having to deal with 500 complaints from magical girls surfaced in her mind, Sumire momentarily felt dizzy and her vision went dark.
“Boss, are you okay?”
“Yes, just thinking about something else for a moment.”
Even though Lena looked at her suspiciously, Sumire didn’t show any signs.
“Are you heading to the Central Garden now, Ishikawa-chan?”
“Yes! That’s right!”
“Let’s go together.”
“Yes!”
As Sumire took a dignified step forward, Tsugumi, Kaede, Lena, Kohane, and Nanami followed her.
Sumire was considering the possible scenarios for the day’s agenda, worried about another legal conflict like before, but the magical girls around were enchanted by the charismatic figure of the council chairperson.
“Hello, Fujimoto-san, Ishikawa-san!”
As soon as they arrived at the Central Garden, they saw Himari from [Nursing] flipping through documents at an incredible speed.
She was handling the status reports and dispatch requests of the rescue team, now increased to 300 members, with absolute precision.
“Yes, hello.”
“I was just tidying up some paperwork since there’s still some time before the meeting starts.”
Himari glanced at her watch.
There were about five minutes left until meeting time, so she organized the documents she had been reading into a briefcase under the glass table.
“…It seems the rescue team is growing rapidly.”
Tsugumi muttered while looking at the ever-growing pile of applications for the rescue team.
“It’s the best place for unbloomed magical girls to see starlight, and it has the best public image too.”
“…Sigh.”
“Everyone knows the guard captain is putting in a lot of effort.”
While Tsugumi and Himari were chatting, magical girls belonging to the council began to file in, and the ceiling of the Central Garden was sparkling with starlight from magical girls wanting to oversee the meeting.
The quiet Central Garden became bustling in an instant with the magical girls who had arrived, and they each took their assigned glass chairs.
Ping
Once several seats were filled, Sumire tapped on the teacup in front of her with a teaspoon to catch everyone’s attention.
“Now then, let’s get started.”
By now, Sumire had assumed her transformation, wearing a blooming magical girl outfit reminiscent of a lavender furisode.
The hem of the skirt was shorter than a regular kimono, boldly revealing her legs, but due to Sumire’s natural elegance, it didn’t come off as vulgar; instead, it felt determined like sleeves tied for battle.
“Let’s begin the regular meeting of Walpurgis’ Dream.”