Super Genius Magical Girl, Stretching Exercises for Growth (1)

***

“This is quite serious…”

[Soo-ah seems to have already gone to Klaus Castle via the Warp Gate… Ciel, should we suspend the operation for now?]

Super Genius Magical Girl Ciel’s Workshop.

Ciel, dressed in a Magical Girl outfit with only a lab coat over a smooth navy blue school swimsuit, took the call. The report from Lupin was nothing short of devastating news.

Magical Girl Soo-ah, who was responsible for maintenance like curse removal and healing, was voluntarily bought by the Seven Stars…

While ChuChu’s magic and Ciel’s own technological prowess aren’t incapable of healing injuries or illnesses, ChuChu, being in a front-line position, can only provide healing magic to Luna and Mera, who are fighting alongside her at the front. And they can’t exactly enter medical capsules during combat, can they?

“Ugh… Can you give me a moment to think?”

Ciel racked her brain over the unexpected variable. She didn’t even drink her favorite milkshake while talking with Lupin.

The seven Rebel Army members were sold to the stars, and all remaining personnel in Black Rose have been identified… That’s at least some good news, perhaps.

On the day of the decisive battle, when everything was set, the plan was for Ciel and other team members to raid Black Rose while the infiltration team led the Rebel Army out through a pre-dug tunnel.

However, the weight of the mission that three people should have undertaken has now fallen on two, and since the internal structure is still unclear, hasty judgments are forbidden.

The Seven Star known as 『Onmyoji』, who bought Soo-ah, is said to be installing an Anti-Magical Girl Barrier around Black Rose within two months. Furthermore, the whereabouts of the camera that brainwashes people haven’t even been found.

“We’ve even got a time limit now… ChuChu, can you deploy a Sanctuary across all of Black Rose?”

[Yeah… If I weaken the effect and broaden the range… it might be possible somehow. But because it’s so big… I’ll use a lot of Magical Power, so I probably won’t be able to fight… Sorry.]

“No need to be sorry. If you run out of Magical Power, you can just kiss Lupin~.”

[Uh, huh?]

[..Alright. It’s for the operation. And since Soo-ah isn’t here, we can’t be picky.]

“Hey… Lupin? That was just a joke… I can just send you a Magic Cylinder filled with my Magical Power, you know.”

[…Ah.]

“Or were you looking forward to it? ChuChu is cute~ Hehe.”

At the word “possible,” as if she saw a chance to win, Ciel picked up the milkshake next to her keyboard.

With only ChuChu’s magic, 『Purification』, it would take too long to undo the brainwashing of the kidnapped Rebel Army.

Originally, the plan was for Soo-ah to attach a Haeju’s Talisman to the gathered Rebel Army to undo their brainwashing, and then, under the cover of the team members, Ciel would lead the recovered Rebel Army to escape, but…

“Let’s move quickly too. ChuChu, how much time do you need to deploy the Sanctuary?”

[Black Rose is quite big, so… it’ll probably take about a month.]

She needs to deploy a Sanctuary that not only covers the surface but also extends underground where the tunnels are, weakening the effects of curses or Negative Skills. Above all, the problem was that Black Rose was immensely vast.

One month. If it can be completed faster than the 『Onmyoji』’s Anti-Magical Girl Barrier is finished, there’s a good enough chance of success, even if the operation has changed a bit.

‘As for Soo-ah… I can only hope she returns safely…’

“Alright, I’ll brief you on the revised plan. One month from now, when the Sanctuary is complete, at 23:00. The infiltration team will gather the Rebel Army at the Auction booth. The moment you meet us, who will enter as guests, the operation begins. Understood?”

[Understood..! I’ll do my best…]

[Good. Ciel, what should I do until then?]

“Hmm… Lupin, make a pretext to gather the Rebel Army in one place by getting close to the staff or Nobles. Oh, and don’t misunderstand, I’m not telling you to become sex partners, okay?”

[………]

Lupin subtly avoided Ciel’s eyes, which were looking at her from beyond the screen.

“Lupin? Rapin~? Are you sick? You’re suddenly sweating?”

[No… Understood. Miwol… give my regards to Luna. I’m hanging up.]

“Alright~ Next time, let’s definitely see each other face-to-face, not just on screen~.”

…..

“Haa-up~”

The light of the display board turned off, and Ciel, who ended her call with Lupin and ChuChu, stretched.

Interlocking her fingers and stretching them high towards the sky, she felt the refreshing sensation of the fatigue accumulated in her body flying away. She got up from her chair and began her exercises in earnest.

Standing on her tiptoes, she stretched her fingers, making sure her joints didn’t wrinkle, *stretch… stretch…*

“One, two, three… four…”

“Two, two, three, four…! Haa…”

‘I have to be taller than ChuChu…’

Even if she didn’t show it outwardly, being smaller than ChuChu, the youngest, was a huge complex for the proud Super Genius Magical Girl.

Her height… her chest too… Well, both Magical Girls are adults, but they have such small physiques that one would believe they aren’t adults.

‘Oh… I feel like I’ve grown a little…’

No.

‘Shall I measure it later~?’

Absolutely not.

She hadn’t grown.

In ChuChu’s case, she became a Magical Girl early, and her physique from a young age was largely fixed due to the aftermath of the 『Blessing of the Guardian』, but Ciel was……..

Anyway, Ciel’s stretching exercises were one of the secrets she couldn’t tell anyone.

Not even to her precious teammates, and…

“Three, two, three…….four?!”

“…I was wondering what you were doing… It was exercises.”

Not even to her partner, 『Doctor』, who was cohabiting with her in the Workshop for the Klaus rebellion plan.

Due to the Nanomachines injected into her body, she came to feel affection for the Klaus Seven Stars, whom she had to confront. In the team originally consisting of Magical Girls and Phantom Thief Lupin, she came to regard him as a joker card and a research mentor.

Perhaps she was so engrossed in the illusion of having grown that she didn’t even hear the door open… Thanks to that, Ciel ended up showing a sight she shouldn’t have shown to anyone.

“Doc-torr…!”

“Hmm? Did the brainwashing just break from the shock?”

Looking down at Ciel, who had turned red like a carrot, Doctor snorted.

The sight of her brainwashing breaking due to embarrassment was cute and naturally brought a smile to his face, but Ciel thought Doctor was doing it because he found it pathetic that a woman in her twenties was doing height-increasing exercises, and it only looked like he was mocking her.

“I came back earlier than planned because there was a communication record, but… to see such a spectacular sight. It’s the first time I’ve seen it in person. It’s much more adorable.”

“In, in person… you saw?”

“It’s quite popular among the Nobles. Thanks to it, sponsorships have increased noticeably.”

“Show… me? Wh-what… what exactly…?”

*Snap!* As he snapped his fingers, Ciel’s videos were played one after another on the display board, which lit up again.

From the flexible waist-bending movements, even after being subjected to breeding press by Doctor all night, to the splits and lying forward with her upper body…

After signing a contract under the condition that her teammates would not be captured alive, the exercise videos, filmed daily while Doctor was away or sleeping soundly, became good entertainment for the Nobles.

“M-my…”

“The reviews are excellent. Especially the one filmed two days ago, the sweaty exercise in Type【Zero】 right after training received the best response─

“GET OUTTTTTT!!!!”

*Slap!!*

Doctor, who was chased out of the Research Workshop, sat cross-legged in front of the door and had to remain there until Ciel’s anger subsided.

Since the mutation progression rate showed no signs of increasing beyond 49 percent, he tried adopting the opinions of 『Onmyoji』 and 『Emperor』…

As he heard from 『Onmyoji』, who aimed for stimulation, he applied the stimulation of shame. And based on 『Emperor』’s words that it might be related to the heart, becoming a presence she could lean on was good, but…

“….I didn’t expect to get slapped.”

Because he put down the receiver forcefully, the speaker made a tearing sound.

“Such speed that my machines couldn’t even react… Was she hiding her power?”

[….]

If he hadn’t suppressed Ciel’s power beforehand with the 『Authority of Absolute Obedience』, his neck might have been twisted, and he might have died a violent death…

His tentacles had lightly blocked the Beam Saber Ciel swung as if it were a child’s arm, but before the holes in the floor and ceiling could open, Doctor’s body, struck by her fern-like palm and sent flying, was neatly embedded in the iron wall…

Even if the brainwashing had broken, there was nothing to worry about. Doctor already had control of the Workshop’s system, and kneeling in front of the Workshop door was nothing more than entertainment.

There was no way their secret would be revealed to other Magical Girls, and Doctor had already grasped all the information from his conversation with Phantom Thief Lupin and Paladin Magical Girl ChuChu, whom he had just spoken with.

“What’s so embarrassing about exercises? On the contrary, your healthy beauty stands out, and you even have a fan club among the Nobles.”

[Shut up! Pervert! Don’t you dare come in! If you come in, I’ll kill you!! Understood?!]

“Is it really such a wrong thing to do? Wasn’t it a clause included in the contract from the start─

*Thud─!*

“…..”

To be cut off twice.

From Doctor’s perspective, it was unacceptable, but he couldn’t kill his only assistant and valuable test subject either.

Moreover…

“What on earth is this… this chilling feeling that leaves me speechless.”

An unknown pressure.

Doctor should clearly hold the initiative, but at Ciel’s thoroughly angry voice, various emotions were felt simultaneously in Doctor’s mind.

Unease, tension, fear. Because he had never felt such emotions towards anyone in his life,

and above all, even if she was just a brainwashed test subject, it was quite different from the emotions he had felt towards Ciel until now,

Doctor, using a hologram displayed on his palm, called someone and briefly explained what had just happened.

.

.

.

.

.

“Such a thing happened, you see. What would you do? Sekhmet.”

[…You fucked up big time.]

The person he called was none other than 『Emperor』 Sekhmet. The Emperor of the Arena and the man who had offered useful opinions regarding information on increasing the mutation progression rate.

Sekhmet, who had roughly heard the entire story, replied in a tone that suggested, “Do you really need to ask about something like this?”

“Wasn’t it in the contract clause?”

[That’s not the point…]

The fourth clause: regardless of brainwashing status, always appear in video calls with Nobles… Naturally, this included recordings of daily life.

He edited the most popular exercise videos among them, uploaded them as a compilation, and merely informed the Nobles about the brainwashing influence of the Nanomachines. But Doctor appealed his unfairness to Sekhmet, who was scolding him, saying it was his fault.

[Just go apologize… That’s the fastest way.]

“Apologize to a test subject..! Do you think that’s a reasonable thing to do, Emperor?”

[Right, if you only saw the Magical Girl you captured as a test subject, would you have called me? Doctor, of all people, with your high pride?]

“….”

[Think carefully. Whether you’ll end up with her as just a test subject, or truly make her a reliable assistant…]

After the call with the Emperor ended, Doctor asked himself.

How he wanted to see her…