Two Bracelets
"Ta-da! Yerin, look at this."
What her manager produced was a lavish bracelet plated in platinum.
Kim Yerin's eyes went wide. "Wow... what is this?"
"The Mana Storm MP-7. Goldberry's newest prototype. I barely managed to get my hands on one—barely!"
Goldberry—the American megacorporation that had recently been making a name for itself in magic engineering.
The manager puffed out her chest with pride. "They say it assists your mana circulation. Anyway, this thing is the hottest item on the market right now."
"Really?"
"Of course! Which means our Lumina has nothing to worry about anymore!"
Kim Yerin lifted the bracelet carefully. Its surface was studded with finely shaved fragments of mana stone, and from within, a light like blue circuitry pulsed with a soft glow.
"Thank you, Manager."
"Oh, don't mention it. What use is there if the Pure White Lumina falls apart? Go out there and shine again!"
Once her manager left, silence settled back over the hospital room. Kim Yerin's gaze drifted to the side table by her bed—where another bracelet lay. Silver. No ornament, no gems, no glow. Just a plain silver band.
"Lovely."
"What is it, myong—?"
The little white rabbit beside her pillow perked its ears straight up.
"Is this really the work of an actual blacksmith?"
"It is, myong—! Made by Belgram's successor himself, myong—!"
"Then why does it look so..."
She swallowed the word cheap. She'd seen how thrilled Lovely had been when he brought it over yesterday.
Kim Yerin set the two bracelets side by side. One was Goldberry's latest prototype, purchased with the guild's budget. The other was a lump of metal some stranger had hammered out in a single day. She hated to say it with Lovely right there, but there was simply no comparison.
"Can't I wear both?"
"No, myong—!"
Lovely leapt into the air. "Mixing unverified equipment can cause problems, myong—! Worst case, your transformation could break, myong—!"
"Oh. I see."
So she had to choose. Kim Yerin fiddled with the silver bracelet at her fingertips. Honestly, her mind was already made up—it was just a little awkward to say so out loud in front of Lovely.
Just then, her phone shrieked.
Level 4. Not critical, but civilian casualties were expected. And the location was right near the hospital.
"Lumina?! You can't move around yet, myong—!"
"I'm fine."
"Couldn't you leave it to your juniors and rest, myong—?"
"It's right nearby. I can't just pretend I don't know."
Kim Yerin climbed out of bed. After a moment's hesitation, she picked up the platinum bracelet and fastened it around her wrist. Click. The blue circuitry lit up, glowing gently.
"Sorry, Lovely. I know you worked hard to get it."
"It's fine, myong—! You can use it next time, myong—!"
Kim Yerin tucked the silver bracelet into a drawer, then raised the brooch set with a white gem.
"With a heart that never fades, O light of purest white!"
Brilliant light burst forth. Her black hair flooded with pink, and an ornate dress of white and pink wrapped around her body. The Pure White Magical Girl, Lumina. Ready for deployment.
"Let's go."
"Don't push yourself, myong—!"
Lumina opened the window and flew out with Lovely.
The scene was utter chaos.
"Left foot, right foot! Left foot, right foot!! You lazy slackers! Run, RUN! Cardio is good for your health!!!"
"Hah... hah... P-please, save me!"
"My l-legs... I can't... anymore!"
A gigantic treadmill monster had unfurled its black track across the middle of the road and was dragging people onto it. On the belt, people ran for their lives.
"You bought me and turned me into a clothes hanger after ONE day, did you? Now you'll run for the rest of your lives!"
...One day is harsh. No—wait, that doesn't justify this!
Gritting her teeth against the pain, Lumina leapt down from a rooftop. "Stop!"
"Who's there?!"
"I am Lumina, the Pure White! You're forcing people to run against their will! Release them at once!"
"Hmph. A magical girl. Interrupting my coaching session, are you?"
Lumina raised her staff without hesitation. "Shield of Light!"
White light erupted from her fingertips. But something felt different. Normally she had to laboriously draw her mana up from somewhere deep inside, like hauling water from a well—yet now it simply poured out of her, endless and free. The barrier of light shot across the road in an instant, and the people being dragged along the belt collided with it and ground to a halt.
"Amazing!"
"It's Lumina! Lumina's here!"
The crowd cheered. Lumina looked down at her bracelet. So this is the power of equipment? Strength surged through her whole body. She felt like she could throw up ten barriers right now if she wanted.
"Lovely! I'm in peak condition right now! This is incredible!"
"Th-that's... great, myong—?"
"I'll finish this in one go! Chains of Sacred Light!"
Chains of light shot outward and coiled around the treadmill monster's body.
"Urk?!"
"Everyone, stand back! I'll purify it right now—"
But at that moment, her wrist crackled with static, and the chains of light began to swell.
In the blink of an eye, the chains grew massive—past the monster, wrapping around the building behind it. The building's windows shattered in a cascade of glass.
"Kyaaaa!!!"
"Save us!"
Lumina desperately tried to cut off her mana flow. It wouldn't cut. If anything, it felt like something was being siphoned out of her body, more and more.
Why... why won't it stop?!
Her vision went white. Her wrist burned. At some point the platinum bracelet had heated up scarlet, searing into her flesh.
"Ugh!"
"Lumina!! Get the bracelet off, myong—!!"
Lovely screamed. Lumina clenched her teeth, seized the bracelet, and tore it free. All the strength drained from her body at once, and the chains of light dissolved into a shapeless puddle of glow.
"Aha-ha-ha! YOU get the mountain trail course!!"
The freed monster lashed out with its belt, and Lumina couldn't dodge.
So it ends like this again, huh.
Just as that thought crossed her mind—
"Water Spear!"
"Time to roast~"
A jet of blue water and a torrent of red flame streaked in simultaneously and sliced the belt apart. On the rooftop above stood two magical girls. Aqua and Blaze.
Aqua called down urgently, "Are you okay, senpai?"
"We'll handle the rest," Blaze said with a yawn.
But Lumina didn't want to back down. "N-no, I can still fight..."
"You're in the way."
"Blaze!"
Aqua scolded her, but Blaze paid it no mind. And Lumina couldn't say a word in reply. Because it was true.
In the end, it was the two of them who defeated the treadmill monster with a combination attack. Lumina sat slumped in a corner of the road, watching the scene with nothing to do. She could hear the citizens cheering—but she knew the cheers weren't for her.
Then, a black miasma began to smolder up from the back of her hand. Lumina hastily brushed it away. But this time, it wouldn't come off.
The next day, her manager came rushing over as soon as she heard the news.
"They're saying it's because it was a prototype—a prototype!"
Sweating buckets, the manager waved her hands in frantic apology. "I filed a complaint with the manufacturer. They said it'll be fine once the output is adjusted. An improved model is coming next week, Yerin."
"...I see."
"How's your wrist? It would be terrible if it scarred."
"It's fine."
That was a lie. Her wrist was wrapped in bandages. A burn that would have healed at a single touch of her hand, had it been anyone else's wound.
"Whew."
Once her manager left and silence returned, Kim Yerin stared up at the ceiling. The latest technology had been useless. So what did that leave?
"...Lovely."
"Myong—?"
"I think it might be time for me to retire."
"Don't say that, myong—!"
"Ten years. I've done my share."
The majority of the first-generation magical girls were already retiring, one after another. And yet... she'd still wanted to keep going for as long as she could. Kim Yerin hung her head.
Lovely hopped up onto the bed.
"Retirement is off the table, myong—! There's still a way left, myong—!"
"What way?"
Lovely hesitated, then pointed a short paw at the drawer. "...That's what's left, myong."
Kim Yerin stared at Lovely for a long moment. Lovely couldn't meet her eyes; his ears just kept twitching.
"Were you hurt that I didn't use it?"
"No, myong—!"
"Your ears are twitching."
"They always do that, myong—!"
Kim Yerin snorted a laugh. Then she sat up and opened the drawer. The silver bracelet lay right where she'd left it. Still dorky. Still plain. But nothing ventured, nothing gained.
"I'll give it a try."
She fastened the bracelet around her unbandaged left wrist. It was light—so light she could barely feel its weight. And in that moment—
"...Huh?"
Something had stopped. At first she didn't know what it was. But as her mana slowly began to pool inside her again, she understood. All this time, her mana had been trickling out through one side of her body like water through a crack. And the moment she put on this bracelet—it had stopped.
Kim Yerin looked down at her wrist. Faintly, very faintly, the runes on the surface of the silver bracelet were shimmering with rainbow light.
"Lovely."
"What is it, myong—?!"
"This bracelet... who made it?"
Kim Yerin's voice was trembling.
Three days since I handed over the bracelet. Nothing. Not a word.
I stood with my arms crossed, glaring at Ppeupri. The fairy fidgeted and squirmed.
"L-let's just give it a little more time, bbi—."
"It hasn't been stolen, has it?"
"S-stolen?! Fairies don't lie, bbi—! I gave them the address, so they'll definitely show up, bbi—!"
"You ordered two shrimp burgers yesterday and told me you only ordered one."
"Th-that wasn't a lie, that was rounding down, bbi—!"
I had poured an entire day into that thing. Over twenty failed prototypes, and the blisters were still on my palm. And now—no payment, not even a phone call?
"You're the one who said you'd get me enough to cover one wrecked used car."
"Th-that's right, bbi..."
"So how much is in my bank account right now?"
"..."
"Why can't you answer?"
"Bbi—, hehehe..."
"Get over here."
"S-spare me, bbi—!!!"
Ding-dong—. Just then, the doorbell rang.
"Who is it?"
"It's me, myong—!"
Lovely. I flung the door open.
"Hey. Where the hell have you been all this ti... huh?"
Someone was standing behind Lovely. Long pink hair. A face I'd seen on TV hundreds of times.
"It's a pleasure to meet you."
Lumina bowed, her hands folded neatly in front of her. On her left wrist, the silver bracelet glinted.
"I came because I wanted to meet the blacksmith."