Life doesn't always go the way you want it to.
But wouldn't it be nice if it did sometimes? It's my life, after all.
"...That's how it works. Do you understand?"
"...Pardon?"
"I'll explain step by step from the part you didn't understand. How much did you follow?"
"...'The method of turning magic into gems...' That's as far as I got."
"From the very beginning, I see. Understood."
...Magic was similar to studying in some ways.
Some people have natural talent for it, and everyone's gifted areas differ.
...And sometimes people who excel in one area completely fail in another.
"...What was it again?"
Honestly, I know I have talent for magic. It would be strange if the person who researched Alice's magic through sheer determination didn't have some aptitude for it.
...But this is different.
"...I really don't get it."
I felt completely blocked by a wall.
It was like facing a wall so tall and massive that I couldn't even see where to begin climbing—something I'd never experienced while studying magic before.
I couldn't just borrow the wand for this magic either. First, I needed to explain this phenomenon to Sapphire.
Second, using it that way would defeat the purpose.
My goal was to master "magic that stores spells in gem form" so I could apply it to other magic, which meant I needed to learn the spell myself.
After all, you can't store gem-storing magic in gem form.
...Actually, I asked about that possibility just in case, but apparently it doesn't work. It's like trying to put a box inside itself.
In other words, it's impossible.
Anyway, I had already confirmed that this magic held the potential I was looking for.
"Let's start over step by step. First, take a look at this gem."
*Flash*
As Sapphire closed her fist, a blue gem about the size of a finger joint appeared with a blue light.
"It looks like an ordinary gem, but you can see it, can't you, Alice? What's inside."
"There are magical formulas intricately woven together. The gem is just an outer appearance, while the reality is that magical formulas are written into reality with mana, structured to maintain their form in the physical world for extended periods. Is that right?"
"Yes. You understand that much. Just understanding that means you're halfway there."
I don't think so. I still don't get it.
"You'll see much better up close. Here, take a closer look."
*Slide*
Sapphire said this while extending her hand with the gem toward me.
...For context, Sapphire and I were sitting across from each other at a table, and beyond the gem at this perfect height was...
"...Ahem."
I focused my vision on the gem as much as possible, trying not to look at what was beyond it.
But looking didn't change anything. I already understood the basic principles, but was stuck at the "so what?" stage.
I needed to research whether I could do it myself and, if possible, how to apply it to my situation, but the path ahead seemed endless.
"...If I could just succeed once, the rest would probably be easier."
...As soon as I thought that, an easier path naturally came to mind.
Just borrowing the wand once to cast it.
Although memories and sensations of the magic would completely disappear once I let go of the wand, I would still gain something. Even the smallest clue.
"But how do I ask to borrow it...?"
Mia made it look so easy to lend hers, but a wand is actually extremely precious to a Magical Girl. While it can't be stolen or damaged, it's like an ID card for a Magical Girl.
With Sapphire...
*Stare*
"Alice, it won't take you long. I'm sure you'll master it quickly."
"I'm not that amazing..."
This is pressuring.
Why are all the Magical Girls around me so eager to build Alice up? Alice is indeed an exceptional Magical Girl. But humans are humans. It makes me uncomfortable when people treat me like I can do anything.
They say the bigger the expectation, the bigger the disappointment. I don't like seeing expectations turn to disappointment. I especially hate experiencing it myself.
"How can I naturally borrow it... Ah."
Sapphire's wand was currently in ring form. That meant I didn't necessarily need it handed to me given its size and location.
"Sapphire. May I hold your hand for a moment?"
"My hand...?"
"Yes. I think it might help if I try while feeling your magical energy."
"I don't mind. If that's what Alice wants."
She agreed readily. Well, Sapphire thinks Alice is a woman, so it probably wasn't a difficult request.
Now... at the most natural angle. To make stable contact with the wand...
*Slide*
*Grasp*
"But... you won't be able to see the gem this way. Is that alright?"
"Yes. I don't need the gem because I can feel you, Sapphire."
"In that case... I'll support you."
She didn't show any particular suspicion. Good. Just like this.
*Hum...*
"...Stay calm. Rushing won't help matters."
The act of touching another Magical Girl's wand... something I'd become somewhat accustomed to through practice with Mia's wand.
The sensation of magic flooding into my mind from the wand was never particularly pleasant, no matter how many times I experienced it.
And this flood of sensations would disappear like mist as soon as contact with the wand ended.
"...I hope this isn't damaging my brain."
With such thoughts, I continued fishing out the magic I wanted or found useful from the wave of information flooding my mind, until I successfully retrieved the magic I was originally looking for.
"Arcana Crystal"
Now that I'd found the compression magic, I needed to decide which magic to compress... which wasn't easy either.
I had to choose from my own magic, but this spell itself was optimized for Sapphire's magic, so I needed to modify it to compress my own.
"...So it's not a cure-all after all."
Until now, it might have seemed like I could use other Magical Girls' magic well, but nothing in this world comes free.
Alice's magic doesn't fit into this gem framework. That's why I'd been struggling to understand it all this time.
I could cast Sapphire's other magic. But fitting Alice's magic into a framework optimized for "Sapphire" depended on the situation.
Honestly, in Mia and Black Rose's cases, their ranks were low so their frameworks were incomplete.
"Aia's would probably take hours just to examine."
The higher a Magical Girl's rank, the more likely they have a framework optimized for themselves, so I could already feel a headache coming on thinking about Aia's magic system, which seemed like its own world.
Anyway, what mattered now was adapting this magic to fit... not Alice, but "me."
The basic principle remained as I understood it: embroidering magical formulas with mana to give them "form" in reality so they wouldn't easily lose shape.
And the "framework" I chose for my magic was...
*Flash*
"...A card?"
"Phew. Somehow I succeeded."
*Spinning*
A stiff but thin piece of paper with special patterns drawn on it.
A playing card was spinning in my hand.
...And I wasn't particularly happy about it.
"...It must be about being twins."
The fact that a playing card appeared even when I focused on "me" rather than "Alice"... wasn't something that could be interpreted in a positive way.
Even if it was inevitable after living that way for years... I couldn't help feeling bad about it.
"Since it's my first try, I couldn't store a major spell. Just a simple Starlight Shower."
"That's sufficient progress. Higher-level magic naturally takes longer to compress into gem form."
"I'd like to try using it, but that would be difficult here. Oh well."
"Shall I guide you to the practice area?"
"No, no. It's fine. This is enough for today."
*Slide*
I released Sapphire's hand that I'd been holding. As my hand separated from the wand, the knowledge in my mind naturally...
"...?"
Wait a minute.
*Grab*
"...What's wrong?"
"Oh, nothing... it's just..."
...It was similar even when I touched Sapphire's wand again.
The memory hadn't completely disappeared.
More precisely... memories of the parts I modified remained, while memories of other parts vanished as usual.
Of course, with only the shell remaining and the interior completely removed, this alone wouldn't function as proper magic, but...
"...Is this continuous?"
Since my progress in modifying Sapphire's magic remained with me, I wouldn't need to modify the magic from scratch each time—I could just continue where I left off by touching Sapphire's wand.
"...Then..."
As the situation turned out more positive than expected, a possibility I wanted to try came to mind.
Touching multiple Magical Girls' wands simultaneously.
Once I perfectly acquired this compression magic independently, it would become unnecessary, but at this stage, it was worth experimenting with.
...It also seemed appropriate for improving proficiency.
*Gulp*
"Um, Sapphire. Are you free these days?"
"I wouldn't say I have abundant free time, but I have about as much leisure as ordinary people."
"Then... when you have time... would you like to... go somewhere... with Mia and me?"
...Trying to hide my magical purpose, I ended up suggesting we go out together.
I probably could have just asked to meet the three of us.