Chapter 23: The Mascot’s Insight and a Powerful Grip

After considerable effort, Bai Li deftly shifted the blame to a certain branch manager before quietly departing with Lin Xi.

By the time the battle with the Aberrant Beasts (TL Note: Creatures with abnormal powers or forms) and the subsequent cleanup operations were concluded, evening had already fallen.

“You certainly worked hard in today’s battle, meow,”

The black cat mascot, Ruth, lay sprawled on the table, offering words of comfort to her contractor.

Beyond her auxiliary abilities as a mascot, this comforting presence was arguably Ruth’s most valuable trait. The therapeutic effect of petting and snuggling a cat was undeniably potent, and Ruth, unlike common felines, could communicate articulately and never displayed a sour expression or shattered household items.

In essence, she was utterly ‘worry-free’.

Given Ruth’s unique status, Bai Li, despite a pang of envy, had no choice but to hold her tongue.

Yet, observing Lin Xi exhaustedly burrowing her face into Ruth’s soft fur, Bai Li couldn’t help but ponder if it might be better for her to transform into a cat herself.

Cat ear accessories, after all, were readily available in the vicinity.

“Come, dinner’s ready.”

As always, the meals in this household were prepared by Bai Li, to the point where it almost felt as though she resided there permanently—a reality that was, indeed, fast approaching.

It had been a considerable time since she last returned to her own abode; for many nights now, she had been staying over.

“Mmm… Mmm!”

Upon catching the enticing aroma of dinner, Lin Xi abruptly lifted her head, all traces of fatigue vanishing to be replaced by an almost fervent eagerness for the meal.

“Just look at you; you’re acting like you haven’t eaten in days. Weren’t you just slumped over the table, utterly exhausted?”

“Strictly speaking, it was on *my* body, meow.”

Ignoring Ruth’s interjection, Bai Li filled a bowl with white rice and set it before Lin Xi.

“Hehe, it’s just that my magic power was depleted. It’s similar to how ordinary people feel exhausted after overexerting themselves physically; magic power works the same way, only it’s closer to the mental aspect.”

Lin Xi had recently expended a vast amount of magic power fabricating firearms and ammunition. While she had managed to reclaim the unused portions back into magic, the overall depletion remained substantial. This, combined with the subsequent administrative tasks, had left her mentally overdrawn.

Consequently, rather than resting through sleep, she found petting Ruth or indulging in delicious food offered a far more effective means of recovery.

Conveniently, Bai Li had just prepared a veritable feast.

“Mmm~ I feel alive again~”

“…How is she?”

As Lin Xi savored her meal, Bai Li quietly inquired of Ruth, her gaze fixed on the younger girl’s face.

“Her recovery is remarkably swift. Truly worthy of being *my* contractor, meow.”

As Lin Xi’s designated mascot, Ruth naturally possessed the ability to connect with her magic power.

In her perception, Lin Xi’s magic power was regenerating at an astonishingly rapid pace, a speed comparable to consuming a potent magic recovery potion in a video game.

Magic power, spiritual energy, and other forms of energy utilized for supernatural abilities (TL Note: Powers beyond natural human capabilities) typically have inherent recovery rate limitations. Rapid replenishment usually only occurs after a restful sleep or prolonged exposure to an energy-rich environment; under normal circumstances, the process is rather gradual.

Yet, Lin Xi had merely consumed a few bites of Bai Li’s cooking and had already recovered an amount of energy equivalent to a full night’s rest.

It was crucial to remember that energy typically recovered proportionally to its total capacity. Lin Xi’s overall magic power was already considerably greater than that of other supernatural ability users at her level, and now this terrifying recovery rate further amplified her potential.

If she could maintain such a recovery rate during combat, she would be able to sustain even a full-spectrum, no-blind-spot barrage, like the one she unleashed today, without interruption.

“So, you noticed this from the very beginning?”

“No, meow. Strictly speaking, what I discerned wasn’t this particular magical aptitude, but rather her underlying mentality.”

Ruth was not the type of mascot that manifested concurrently with the awakening of a supernatural ability. Instead, she had existed from the outset in a liminal state, neither fully present nor absent, only gaining concrete form after Lin Xi’s awakening.

While seemingly similar on the surface, a profound distinction existed, primarily in their respective levels of self-awareness.

The former, born directly from the supernatural ability, was, in a sense, an extension of the magical girl’s very soul. Thus, while presenting as an independent entity, it was invariably guided by the magical girl’s subconscious.

The latter, conversely, resembled a ‘contractual’ relationship. While a magical girl and her mascot could share a mental connection, they remained, at their core, two distinct consciousnesses.

As for the intricate details of how Ruth forged her ‘contract’ with Lin Xi, they were quite complex. Suffice it to say that mascots, too, possessed their own discerning criteria for selection.

And what had captivated Ruth was precisely Lin Xi’s mindset.

“You’re aware, aren’t you? While magical girls are lauded as ‘beings who bring hope and miracles,’ a significant number have been utterly crushed by despair and pressure.

Such individuals either chose to end their own lives or, in a twisted turn, became the source of countless calamities. However, Lin Xi will never succumb to such a fate.”

In Ruth’s discerning view, while Lin Xi possessed a touch of ‘dark humor’ (TL Note: A personality trait where one appears sweet or innocent on the outside but is secretly mischievous or cunning), her overall disposition remained gentle, benevolent, and profoundly optimistic. She was not one to shy away from difficulties or harsh realities, nor would she ever succumb to despair; instead, she would confront them head-on.

“As for our contractor’s particular disposition, I believe you understand it even better than I do, meow.”

“…You’re right…”

Bai Li readily concurred with Ruth’s assessment, remembering how she herself had once been saved by Lin Xi’s inherent goodness.

“As for why our contractor’s magic power manifests in such a unique manner, I suspect it, too, stems from that very mindset, meow.”

“Are you suggesting that an optimistic and positive personality leads to faster magic power recovery?”

“Precisely, meow.”

Given that some magical girls weaken, or even transform into destructive forces, due to negative emotions or despair, it stands to reason that a magical girl’s strength can also be augmented by her feelings and personality.

Indeed, most magical girls, and even other supernatural ability users, tend to be more powerful when their emotional fluctuations are intense, irrespective of whether those emotions are benevolent or malevolent.

“So, the stronger the willpower, the greater the strength? It sounds exactly like a storyline from some shonen manga.”

Bai Li couldn’t help but recall those classic tropes in popular shonen manga, where protagonists, seemingly outmatched by the final boss, would suddenly rally with impassioned cries of friendship and camaraderie, then surge forward for a dramatic, tide-turning victory.

Nevertheless, precise control over one’s energy undeniably demanded a proportionate amount of mental fortitude, and countless supernatural abilities were both activated and resisted through mental power. Thus, willpower certainly served as a valid benchmark.

“You, however, and our contractor are heading in entirely opposite directions, meow.”

Ruth covered her mouth with a delicate cat paw, seemingly jesting about Bai Li’s character build, where every single skill point appeared to have been allocated solely to physical strength.

In response, Bai Li remained silent, merely extending a hand to firmly grasp Ruth’s tail.

“W-wait… what exactly are you trying to do, meow?”

“What do you think? If I’ve allocated all my skill points to physical prowess, surely a grip like this could deform many things, couldn’t it?”

“…I-I was wrong, please don’t play like this, meow.”