Ding! Dong! Ding!
"So late, who would be coming to look for me? Touka? Didn't you go soak in the bath with Hikigaya-kun? Why are you dressed like this?"
Yukinoshita Haruno sat up in bed, narrowed her eyes slightly, then slowly got up and walked to the door to open it.
The moment she opened the door, she was stunned by the sight outside. Standing there was Tohsaka Touka, holding a magic staff, wearing long boots, dressed in a princess-style outfit, looking as if she were cosplaying a magical girl.
"Uh! I did go soak with Hachiman, but Hachiman said he could help me awaken the power of a magical girl. Haruno, look, look, I've become a magical girl! Do you want to come with me to the big bath right now? Hachiman is developing everyone's magical girl potential over there!"
Seeing that Yukinoshita Haruno really was in her room, Tohsaka Touka, who had just obtained magical girl powers and couldn't wait to come find her, quickly transformed her magic staff into a katana and struck a pose right in front of her.
Developing magical girl potential, awakening magical girl power, something this good was not something she would forget to share with her best friend Haruno.
After successfully gaining magical girl power, she did not even bother to rest, hurriedly leaving the big bath to rush over and bring Haruno with her.
She knew Haruno carried high expectations from her mother. If Haruno could become a magical girl and strengthen the Yukinoshita family, she would definitely be acknowledged by her mother, and Haruno would be very happy too.
"I don't know whether you're joking or if this is really a thing, but are magical girl outfits supposed to look like this?"
Yukinoshita Haruno stared blankly at Tohsaka Touka, who was holding her katana and posing, her gaze landing on the magical girl outfit that exposed delicate collarbones, smooth, pale shoulders, and even had a window cut open at the chest.
She did not know whether what Touka said about developing magical girl power was true or not, but no matter how she looked at it, this magical girl outfit felt very wrong.
"Uh! That just now was for convenience during the development of magical girl power. In normal combat, you definitely wouldn't need to dress like that."
Tohsaka Touka looked down, her pretty face instantly turning red. She hurriedly put away her exclusive weapon in katana form, using magic to change the upper outfit back to normal, and at the same time repaired and lengthened the battle-damaged skirt that had been exposing most of her smooth, rounded thighs and well-proportioned, slender calves.
The first transformation seemed to require a special awakening ritual. What she looked like just now was purely for Hachiman's convenience.
Although that development ritual was a bit strange, she had once suspected that Hachiman might be trying to play some kind of role-playing game with her.
It was only after she truly became a magical girl herself that she confirmed Hachiman had not lied to her.
"For convenience in developing magical girl power…"
Seeing the tattered, messy magical girl princess dress on Tohsaka Touka instantly become brand new, now really showing the characteristics of a magical girl, Yukinoshita Haruno found herself believing Touka's claim that Hachiman was developing magical girl potential in the big bath.
But looking at the long, shapely legs beneath Touka's skirt, faintly trembling, she did not know what to say to her good friend for a moment.
She was very touched that Touka came to remind her immediately after discovering she could obtain magical girl power, but becoming a magical girl was something many girls could only dream of. Touka, the very first thing you do after becoming a magical girl is this?
"No! No! Haruno, you misunderstood! It's not that I wanted it to turn out like that!"
Having known Yukinoshita Haruno for so many years, Tohsaka Touka could tell what she was thinking the moment she saw Haruno's expression, and hurriedly explained why her clothes had been in such a wreck just now.
Although she had indeed somewhat enjoyed and indulged in the feeling of that development process, and even before going to soak with Hachiman she had been mentally prepared for something similar.
But the necessary ritual for developing magical girl potential and her being eager to do that kind of thing after the development were two completely different concepts.
"Developing magical girl potential? Awakening magical girl abilities? Necessary ritual…"
Listening to Touka's explanation, Yukinoshita Haruno's gaze kept roaming over the princess-style magical girl outfit Touka was wearing.
If she had not seen Touka repair and extend the outfit with her own eyes, and if she did not know Touka had no reason to lie to her about something like this, because if she really wanted to drag her into it she could have just knocked her out and hauled her over, she probably would have suspected Touka had been deceived.
Why does developing magical girl potential have to go through something like that?
And here she had just been so tempted when she heard Touka earlier, even thinking that after properly fulfilling her role as vice minister, she might ask Hikigaya-kun to turn her and little Yukino into magical girls.
"Mm-hm, I'm really not lying to you. Hachiman is in the big bath right now developing magical girl potential for his childhood friend, as well as the young lady of the Rurikawa family, and several girls from the Ichinose family."
Tohsaka Touka nodded vigorously, staring straight at Yukinoshita Haruno, who was showing hesitation, her face full of anticipation.
"Hachiman said there will be magic power training, physical combat training, coordination training, blackening training, and so on in the future."
"Even without magical talent, Hachiman can still turn us all into magical girls, and our strength can steadily increase through training."
"Haruno, haven't you always wanted to become an extraordinary individual to protect your family? This is an absolutely perfect opportunity!"
She knew her best friend Yukinoshita Haruno was not in an easy position either. If nothing unexpected happened, she would very likely end up in a political marriage with someone she did not like.
Rather than letting her best friend marry some unfamiliar man and grow cold and distant over time, it would be better to pull her over here, where everyone could become magical girls together in Hachiman's arms.
In this world where extraordinary individuals were gradually emerging, developing family power was far less important than becoming extraordinary oneself.
"I-I think I'll pass. I'll think about it first, let's talk about it next time."
Faced with Tohsaka Touka's expectant gaze, Yukinoshita Haruno struggled for quite a while before finally shaking her head.
If it had just been Touka by Hikigaya-kun's side, she would have gritted her teeth and gone over.
Back then, she could persuade Touka not to pay attention to the Takamine family, so naturally she herself would not stubbornly refuse to accept reality.
If it was just having Hikigaya develop her magical girl potential, she felt it would be worth it. The Yukinoshita family would have an extraordinary individual then, no longer having to envy those families that had awakened magical talent.
But hearing that so many people were together at the big bath developing magical girl potential, she really felt too embarrassed to go.
Although she had no expectations for her own marriage, she had not imagined sinking this low either, doing it for the first time together with so many girls…
"Then… alright. Haruno, you rest tonight first. Next time there's a chance, I'll take you to undergo the magical girl awakening ritual."
Seeing Yukinoshita Haruno clearly tempted yet still refusing, Tohsaka Touka thought about it and found her friend's feelings understandable.
Earlier in the big bath, although there had not been as many people as now, having Elio, Leticia, and those mermaids and elves watching her awaken magical girl power had made her incredibly shy as well.
If she had been able to choose, she would definitely have preferred letting Hachiman help her awaken magical girl potential in private, even if it took longer.
"Oh right, Haruno, since it's also your first time and you have no experience, you can use this Empathy Bracelet first to get used to it. They say the longer you can endure during the first development awakening, the better the effect."
Tohsaka Touka pointed to the pink bracer on Yukinoshita Haruno's slender, fair wrist, using her own experience to remind her friend.
Although strength could continue to be improved through later training, things on Hachiman's side seemed a bit competitive.
Even though Hachiman said only humans could awaken magical girl potential, just the number of girls at Sobu High alone was already plenty, and there would be many new members joining the Service Club in the future. Who knew how long it would take to get a turn? So if you could improve more the first time, it was better to do so.
"Empathy Bracelet? Early experience? Touka, what exactly do you mean by that?"
Yukinoshita Haruno looked at the pink bracer on Touka's wrist, then at the identical one on her own wrist, an ominous feeling suddenly rising in her heart.
"Hm? Haruno, you didn't know? Didn't the person who gave you the bracer explain it? This is called an Empathy Bracelet. It can connect with a pair of Empathy Rings on Hachiman's side."
Tohsaka Touka blinked, pointing out the hidden button on the Empathy Bracelet for Haruno to see.
"This button is the empathy function. There's also a toggle function, a simple defense function, a call-for-support function…"
"Although the Empathy Bracelet has many functions, I hear that its original purpose was to enable empathy."
"When the wearer of the Empathy Ring experiences some sensation, you, wearing the Empathy Bracelet, can also experience it as if you were there."
"Club members can activate the empathy function on their own during normal times, and during… Service Club activities, everyone will activate empathy together…"
She herself had not known about this function at first. But after she put on the silver Empathy Ring and saw Elio, the three mermaids, and Leticia and the other elves pressing the pink bracers on their wrists, she asked about it.
No wonder Hachiman could satisfy so many people alone. So that was how it worked. Even so, the fact that Hachiman could supposedly keep going day and night without any physical problems was still terrifyingly outrageous.
"Experience the sensations of the Empathy Ring wearer as if you were there…"
Yukinoshita Haruno stared blankly at Tohsaka Touka, who clearly was not joking, and her expression suddenly changed.
Her mother was also wearing one of these Empathy Bracelets.
She herself had not had time to explore the functions of this bracer tonight, but what about her mother?
What if her mother had already started exploring its functions and accidentally pressed the empathy function?
She immediately wanted to teleport home and tell her mother how dangerous this thing was.
But just as she was about to teleport, she suddenly stopped.
Wait, no, she couldn't just go back like this.
"Haruno, what's wrong? This empathy function is very useful. I tried it once just now, and it felt almost no different."
Seeing Yukinoshita Haruno's expression changing again and again, Tohsaka Touka felt puzzled and asked curiously.
"It's nothing. Touka, tell me again about the functions of these hidden buttons. I'll make an Empathy Bracelet user guide for future new members."
Yukinoshita Haruno bit her lip and shook her head, taking a deep breath to calm her slightly tense emotions, patting the pink bracer on her wrist as she spoke to Touka.
"No problem…"
Right after that, Tohsaka Touka carefully explained all the functions of the hidden buttons on the pink Empathy Bracelet to Yukinoshita Haruno.
These hidden buttons, under normal circumstances, would not be triggered by accidental touches. You had to press them firmly to activate certain functions, and the call-for-support function did not even require pressing; it would automatically call nearby members for help if it detected that the wearer's physical condition was not good.
However, without clearly understanding the specific functions of the Empathy Bracelet, it was indeed easy to accidentally activate some function and not know how to stop it.
[Mother, this is the detailed usage guide for the Service Club's exclusive benefit.]
[Also, Touka awakened magical girl power tonight with Hikigaya-kun's help. She said this empathy function is only used during magical girl awakening, and should not be activated at ordinary times.]
[If any allies want to join the Service Club, when you give them these bracers, you can explain this to them first. If they accidentally activate the empathy function, they must turn it off immediately.]
After quickly making image and text usage instructions for the Empathy Bracelet on her phone, Yukinoshita Haruno sent them to Yukinoshita Kiyuki.
It was so late. Her mother was probably already asleep.
Seeing no reply from her mother, and not seeing her message marked as read, Yukinoshita Haruno quietly let out a sigh of relief.
"These bracers? Aunt Kiyuki has a lot of these Empathy Bracelets on hand?", Tohsaka Touka was a bit surprised as she looked at the message Yukinoshita Haruno had sent to Yukinoshita Kiyuki.
"Yes. Rurikawa family's head maid, Shion, gave me a whole bag. Mother found out that many demi-humans want to enter Sobu High, so she's already considering helping me pull in some allies to join the Service Club and help out."
Yukinoshita Haruno exhaled heavily, nodding as her eyes flickered.
"Some of them you know too. It's just that Mother thinks they might not be very suitable, and she's still hesitating over who would be better to bring in."
"If people found out that Hikigaya-kun has the ability to ignore magical talent and turn people into magical girls, a lot of people would probably go crazy, willing to pay huge prices just to join the Service Club."
She had thought Shion wanted to curry favor with her, but who would have thought Shion was actually hiding such crucial information.
Was this a warning? A reminder that a simple information gap could be fatal?
If she and her mother had unknowingly given these Empathy Bracelets to her mother's friends and their daughters, the consequences… would be unimaginable.
Those friends who could have become allies would probably end up dissatisfied with her and her mother.
And if the allies brought in became magical girls and instead turned into enemies, that would truly be a case of gaining less than losing.
"I know them too? Haruno, do you mean Sister Irisi? Her family's daughter really wouldn't be very suitable."
Tohsaka Touka froze for a moment, immediately understanding who the ally Haruno meant.
After so many years of decline, the Tohsaka family no longer had many trustworthy allies.
The allies both the Tohsaka and Yukinoshita families knew were probably only those whose family base was far overseas, but who had settled here, like Aunt Irisiviel.
Mm… by seniority, they should call her Aunt Irisiviel, but she said she was still very young, that calling her that made the name too long and made her sound old, so she asked them to call her Sister Irisi more affectionately.
"Touka, are you going back later to continue being developed by Hikigaya-kun?"
Yukinoshita Haruno did not want to dwell on the ally issue for now and asked Tohsaka Touka.
"I… I don't think I'll go back. Tonight Hachiman is developing magical girl potential for everyone, and there are so many people in the bath that he can't even keep up. I'll wait until next time to train magic power and physical combat with Hachiman."
Tohsaka Touka hesitated, then shook her head, not intending to go back and join the big bath competition for attention.
Right now, she could only transform, and having just awakened, she was very weak. She needed continuous training to be able to stand on her own.
Even as goddesses and angels, Goddess Angel Majima Yuuri needed rescue from Hanabishi Haruka and several other magical girls, while Goddess Angel Suzune Rione could single-handedly wipe out many demons, leaving the fleeing Naruse Mio and Naruse Maria sisters trembling in fear.
Still, although she wanted to become stronger quickly to protect her younger sister and her mother, she decided to leave it for today.
After just undergoing her first magical girl awakening development, if she had not successfully transformed at the end and gained enhanced physical abilities, she probably would not have even been able to get out of the bath.
"Alright then. Touka, sleep here tonight. And while you're at it, tell me more about the process of awakening magical girl potential."
Seeing that Tohsaka Touka had no intention of going back to continue, Yukinoshita Haruno pulled her back into the room.
She had been a bit sleepy at first, but after being woken up and then startled, she no longer felt much like sleeping.
"Uh… okay…"
Hearing Yukinoshita Haruno's blunt request, Tohsaka Touka felt a bit embarrassed, her cheeks flushing as she slowly nodded.
After all, she and Haruno were good friends. No matter how shy she felt, she still had to talk about it.
Once Haruno, like her, accepted Hachiman's development and truly became a magical girl, when everyone was the same, there would be no need to feel awkward anymore.
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