Chapter 45: The Aftermath of Exams and the Burden of Magic

After becoming a magical girl, Jin Shiling found herself facing many challenges she had never imagined in her previous life—city crises, hidden enemies, unknown threats that were impossible to track… the scenarios that had once only existed in movies and novels were now gradually becoming tangible and weighty realities. Words that once felt light and insubstantial now carried a heavy sense of gravity, forcing her to devote more and more time and energy to her role as “Stormfall.”

How one could be called an outstanding magical girl was a question she could not yet answer. But when faced with the problems at hand, she already had a clear and definite approach.

She sat by the window, back straight, expression calm, pen in hand as she wrote neat, elegant lines on the blank spaces of her test paper. The faint “swish-swish” of her pen strokes echoed as she subtly applied her scoring techniques into every word and sentence, as if performing a rehearsal she had long prepared.

Indeed, the test was not easy, but she remained unflustered—rather than blindly searching through memory, she was better at logically breaking down each problem in order, just as she observed and looked for openings in her opponents during battle.

Unexpectedly, the model essays mentioned during extra tutoring at the Magical Supervision Department proved useful here. After carefully reviewing her foreign language composition, Jin Shiling felt a small surge of excitement. Then she flipped over the test paper on her desk and began double-checking her previous answers and the contents of her answer sheet.

Time passed slowly, until the bell for collection rang. She gently set down her pen, closed her eyes, and exhaled softly, waiting for the proctor to collect all the papers.

Finally, it was over: the final exams.

When the proctor disappeared at the classroom door, everyone in the room felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted from their shoulders. The air in the classroom also seemed fresher.

Jin Shiling glanced out the window. Sunlight poured through the glass, falling on the floor near her feet. The mottled light resembled countless tiny fragments forming a fleeting moment of peace that belonged solely to her.

Four consecutive days of finals had ended. Those days had passed smoothly without incident, allowing Jin Shiling to devote her full attention to revision. Her performance in this exam roughly matched her expectations, so she wasn’t too worried about her grades.

Although the things mentioned by Senior Polaris were somewhat anxiety-inducing, nothing had happened in the past few days. Whether good news or bad, she had heard nothing, which gave her a long-lost sense of normalcy.

In any case, she had successfully managed the final exams required to maintain the image of a model student.

“Snacks, snacks~”

Song Ketong approached with a mischievous expression.

“What did you pick for questions three to five in the reading comprehension just now?”

“Reading? Let me think… starting from question three, it should be C…”

“Wait, stop! Don’t check answers here, you two!”

Li Nailu joined the fray. Hearing that her close friends were doing such a sensitive thing at such a sensitive time, she immediately rushed over and interrupted them, repeatedly making an “X” gesture over her chest.

“Aiya, Nai Lu, such little confidence, that’s not like you,” Song Ketong said with a sly grin, poking Li Nailu’s cheek. “Who was it yesterday after math exam that insisted on discussing the last big problem with everyone? Aiya, my memory’s a bit fuzzy—Nai Lu, can you remind me who it was?”

“Anyway, don’t talk about English, don’t talk about English. I beg you both, please spare me today,” she pleaded.

“But even if you escape today, grades will be out the day after tomorrow, Nai Lu,” Song Ketong teased.

“Of course I know that, Snacks, but even one more day is enough. Let me bask a little longer in being the Math Queen. I don’t want to hear about English at all.”

“Someone actually calls themselves the Math Queen? And a Math Queen whose grade ranking isn’t even in the top ten? Wake up, Nai Lu. By the way, where’s Blueberry? I didn’t see her just now.”

“Blueberry went to help Old Chen carry materials. She probably won’t be back for a while.”

Jin Shiling chatted idly with her friends. Their conversation quickly shifted from the boring final exams to holiday plans. Although Kekeke’s grades weren’t out yet, she had already declared that she would go to a magical girl concert during summer vacation. Her wind ensemble also had an overseas exchange event planned for the summer, so her holidays would likely be quite full.

Nai Lu planned to get a part-time job during summer to earn some pocket money and also wanted to sign up for an astronomy summer camp. She had been passionate about observing celestial bodies and constellations since they met, and had once complained about getting bitten all over while stargazing at home. This time, she seemed intent on getting a new telescope.

Blueberry had also mentioned plans to travel with her family during the holidays… Everyone had already thought about what they wanted to do. What about herself?

“Snacks, what are your plans for the holidays?”

Ah, that question had come. Jin Shiling thought for a moment and answered: “Actually, I’ve gotten a bit into shooting lately. I plan to go to a summer camp to experience it, and for the rest of the time… I’ll probably attend another tutoring class.”

“Eh? Really? It’s vacation, don’t be so competitive, Snacks. Give us a break, please.”

It wasn’t a lie. She did plan to spend much of her vacation training at the Magical Supervision Department. In her recent battles, she realized she often lost her means of attack when her magical gear fell, which was something she hadn’t considered before becoming a magical girl.

In manga or anime, magical girls can always summon their wands at will and never lose their weapons, no matter how often they’re attacked. In reality, her rifle and handgun had been seized multiple times in simulations and fights with the Black Mirror, putting her at a disadvantage. Her firearm gear was superior in functionality, but its very nature as a tool was also a weakness.

When using the Heart Lock to transform into Stormfall, the rifle she named “Thunderclap,” the handgun “Inkflip,” and the dagger “Gloom” would appear directly on her. It seemed natural, but recent observations had left her with questions.

After simulations, she realized that as a magical girl, she always had to equip all three pieces of gear when transformed. But Polaris, even during the first meeting, maintained her transformed appearance without holding a shield or wearing the full damaged armor. Curious, Jin Shiling asked Polaris the reason.

“Stormfall, you’ve noticed that very keenly. I actually wanted to tell you about this,” Polaris explained patiently. Simplified, it was this:

The Heart Lock is the core medium of a magical girl. It connects the flow of magical power and determines her control over magical gear. The appearance and gear displayed after transformation are manifestations of the user’s self-awareness. Therefore, all magical girls form a complete image reflecting their self-perception when they first transform. For Stormfall, that meant her hunter outfit and three pieces of gear—a balanced, basic state.

Once a magical girl achieves precise control over her magical power, she can temporarily store her gear in the Heart Lock and summon it when needed. However, compared to always holding the gear, re-summoning consumes extra power and time. For a novice like Stormfall, it wasn’t recommended initially, since this function offered no immediate combat advantage—it was something to consider once the basics were mastered.

This restriction on “holding gear” also dispelled some of Jin Shiling’s illusions. If her gear fell, flew away, or was taken, she couldn’t retrieve it remotely—only by recovering it herself or relying on teammates. Otherwise, she would face the danger of losing her original means of attack during combat.

Realizing this made Jin Shiling slightly frustrated. Magic wasn’t omnipotent after all.

There was a way to recover lost gear: cancel the transformation and re-transform. Even if both guns were taken, this method would return them to her hands. But… the strategy carried immense risk.

Re-transforming meant she would be an ordinary person without any means of defense for several seconds. Combat is unforgiving, and even a second of hesitation could be fatal. Such behavior was nearly suicidal in battle and greatly increased the risk of revealing her true identity, affecting her daily life.

Most people supported magical girls, but this also made opposing and skeptical voices seem harsh and extreme. She had seen online that some people were obsessed with discovering every magical girl’s true identity. Their words revealed that it wasn’t simple curiosity—it was an anxiety-inducing threat.

Re-transforming also consumed magical power. During a battle, without considering other consumption, it could only be done a few times. Transformation relied on the Heart Lock’s stability. If the user was extremely fearful, broken, or doubting herself, she couldn’t transform successfully.

Thus, the only option was to ensure her gear remained in hand during battle. Jin Shiling concluded this for herself. Beyond improving shooting accuracy, she also needed to practice close combat, as she didn’t want to become a gun-wielding figure who froze in close quarters.

Her outfit was similar to gear concealment. Since the Heart Lock determined her transformed appearance and gear, a magical girl could control how they manifested, although this required a small continuous expenditure of magical power to maintain the “simulation.”

Polaris often wore regular clothes because she didn’t want many to see her “miserable” armor. Even though her situation was widely known in the Magical Supervision Department, most people silently respected her privacy.

As for Polaris’s true appearance, Jin Shiling was curious but only mildly interested. Especially after hearing Asura say, “Senpai is senpai. She will always be my favorite, Senior Polaris,” she abandoned thoughts of uncovering the red-haired girl’s true face. Some treated magical girl life as a part of themselves, some as an alternate persona, and some as a profession. As long as they wore the mask to enact justice, who was beneath it didn’t matter as much.

After school, the girls waved goodbye to each other, free from academic worries. Jin Shiling stood by the fence, unsure how to spend the remaining time.

She pulled out her phone and opened the squad chat. Over the past few days, there hadn’t been many messages. Cheng Zhenzhen, using the ID “Chilled Melon,” had slowed her usual video and news sharing. Even athletic students had to maintain appearances during finals.

On the first day, Polaris had sent a message cheering them on. Over the past few days, she had attended Magical Supervision Department meetings, and meeting contents were synced to the group, but nothing was urgent. Progress in locating the youth they were searching for remained slow.

As for String Moon…

Jin Shiling tapped the avatar — a real black cat. She had never spoken in the chat, only posted cat photos. When they first met, she had effortlessly gained the trust of a stray cat, clearly someone experienced in caring for animals.

Sending a message: “Exams over, freedom~” with an emoji, Jin Shiling put away her phone and headed home.

Her home remained quiet. That zombie had been coming home late all week, though she thought he worked a regular nine-to-five. Oh well, his business was none of her concern.

Turning on the living room light, tossing her bag onto the sofa, Jin Shiling lay down fully relaxed, replaying holiday chat with her friends.

Summer break? For now, her mind only drifted to magical girl-related things. She deliberately avoided thinking about summer, especially July.

July. She didn’t like July. She wanted to forget it.

Two years ago in July, she lost her father and her stepmother, the aunt who had always treated her well. After attending the funeral with Zhang Qingwei, she couldn’t recall how she spent that summer. The long, hot, sleepless nights, the noisy cicadas, the humid air… did she endure it or just hide in a closed room with air conditioning to numb herself? She couldn’t remember.

Last July, she and Zhang Qingwei’s relatives went to pay respects. Zhang Qingwei didn’t go. No one knew if he did. To her, he always seemed like an emotionless machine, showing nothing.

He had more love and care than her, yet always appeared indifferent. This angered her.

Later, she was probably preparing for high school entrance, keeping busy to avoid thinking about painful things. That summer changed her a lot. If her past self from middle school stood before her, she would never imagine becoming the person she was now.

Now, she was probably the “reliable child” her father had described.

Her father had been an orphan, raised in a welfare home until adulthood. After leaving, he built wealth on his own. Her biological mother married him then, giving birth to her. That moment was probably significant for him—he had family, a child to protect, a new hope.

But the story didn’t have a happy ending. Her mother was only after his wealth, and shortly after giving birth, she cheated and divorced him, taking much of his property and leaving Jin Shiling in her father’s care. Her father raised her alone for many years, unwilling to pursue relationships again.

Her past self had been ungrateful, causing her father worry, neglecting studies, occasionally fighting boys, and quarreling over having no mother. She had been completely unreliable.

Now, she was independent, proactive, strong, friendly, and trustworthy—the evaluation of those around her.

Yet… if given a chance, she still wanted to be a child in front of her father once more, even if just once. She wanted to hear his scolding, see his concerned face again, and experience being a daughter who believed someone would always protect her.

Her aunt and her family, her grandmother, all treated her kindly. She was grateful and had a comfortable life. She wasn’t pitiful—she was certain of that.

Still, she felt a trace of loneliness.

Loneliness is having children, laughter, sweet fruits, summer fireworks, annoying mosquitoes—creating a vivid midsummer evening scene full of warmth—but none of it involves you. That was loneliness.

Even walking and laughing with friends, she felt alone.

She didn’t share this feeling; she believed no one could understand, nor did she need anyone’s help.

In about two weeks, it would be the second anniversary of her father’s and aunt’s passing. How should she face it this year?

Lying on the sofa, the more she thought, the less she found answers. Her overworked mind protested through drowsiness: she needed rest, whether for holiday planning or preparing for future battles.

Slowly sitting up, she checked the time and decided to take a bath before dinner. Her phone on the table buzzed with a familiar notification.

“Negator body, let’s see… it’s quite far. In the group chat, Polaris has no new reply or instructions… let the other squad’s magical girls handle it.”

She set the phone down, stretched, yawned, and walked to the bathroom. As her figure disappeared from the living room and the warm bathroom light came on, the phone buzzed again. Whatever it signaled, it was irrelevant for now.