Chapter 74: The Birth of Magical Girl ☆ Amethyst Aki

The words hung in the air of my office, a declaration of intent so monumentally stupid that even the silent, swirling nebulas outside my window seemed to pause in judgment.

“Codename: Magical Girl ☆ Amethyst Aki.”

Isao, who had been watching me with a look of profound sadness, simply buried his face in his hands. A low, pained groan escaped him. “Of course,” he muttered into his palms. “Of course it has to be a magical girl. Why did I expect anything less?”

“It’s a classic and effective heroic archetype!” I retorted, turning away from the monitor and striding towards the center of my office, a new, manic energy buzzing through me. The despair of a moment ago was gone, replaced by the thrill of a terrible, wonderful idea. “Magical girls represent hope, justice, and the power of friendship! Plus, the outfits are cute. It’s the perfect cover!”

“A cover for what, Akane?” Isao asked, looking up, his silver eyes filled with a weary resignation. “A cover for a goddess abandoning her post to stalk a mortal she was in love with eons ago? I don’t think there’s a frilly enough dress in the cosmos to hide that.”

“Details, details,” I said, waving a dismissive hand. “Celeste, initiate the avatar creation suite. And bring me the deluxe design module. If I’m going to do this, I’m going to do it with style.”

The floor of my office irised open, revealing the reality-crafting chamber below. A holographic mannequin of light appeared before me, a blank slate for my masterpiece. This wasn't like creating a world or designing a reincarnation package. This was personal. This was my vessel.

“Alright, let’s start with the basics,” I mused, circling the mannequin. “Appearance. We’ll base it on my original mortal form, Akane Suzuki, but… upgraded. Let’s call it Akane 2.0. Hair: silver, obviously. A nod to my divinity. And let’s make it long, down to my waist, and tie it up in twin-tails. A classic look.”

The mannequin’s head sprouted shimmering silver hair, which then neatly arranged itself into two perfect, flowing twin-tails.

“Eyes: amethyst. Also a nod to my divinity,” I continued, tapping my chin. “And make them big. Big, expressive, anime-style eyes. The kind that can convey a whole range of emotions, from ‘I will fight for justice!’ to ‘B-baka! It’s not like I like you or anything!’”

Isao groaned again. “You’re building a walking cliché.”

“I’m building an effective disguise!” I corrected him. “Now, the outfit. This is the most important part.” I clapped my hands, and a wardrobe of holographic light appeared. I swiped through options with giddy excitement. “No, too much armor. No, that’s just a school uniform. Ooh, this one has potential.”

I selected a base design. It was a short, frilly dress, layered with white and amethyst fabric. I added a big ribbon to the chest, another set of smaller ribbons for her hair, and thigh-high white stockings. For footwear, cute, impractical ankle boots with little wings on them.

“It needs… something more,” I said. I snapped my fingers. “A magical accessory! A conduit for her powers. How about… a heart-shaped locket that can transform into a staff?”

A shimmering, amethyst locket appeared on the mannequin’s neck. It was perfect. She was perfect. She looked like she had just stepped out of the cover of my favorite manga.

“Now for the skills,” I said, turning to a different console. “I can only allocate a small fraction of my power to the avatar, so I have to be smart about this.”

“You could allocate zero power and stay here and do your job,” Isao suggested weakly from his chair.

I ignored him. “Okay, no divine arts. That’s a given. So, mortal-level skills it is. Class… let’s go with ‘Celestial Warrior.’ It sounds impressive. Primary weapon: Magic Staff. For skills…”

I scrolled through the list, my mind racing. [Divine Light Arrow]? Too powerful. I downgraded it to [Sparkle Shot]. [Realm-Piercing Gaze]? Nope. I changed it to [Keen Eyes], which basically just meant she had good eyesight. [Summon Celestial Guardian]? Definitely not. I settled for [Summon Fluffy Companion], which would allow me to conjure a small, bunny-like creature for moral support. I named him Mochi.

“This is pathetic,” Isao stated flatly, having come over to look over my shoulder. “You’re a goddess who can shatter planets, and you’re giving yourself the ability to shoot sparkles and summon a rabbit.”

“It’s called subtlety, Isao,” I said primly. “I can’t just show up and solve all his problems with a snap of my fingers. I have to be a believable adventurer. I’ll be support. The cute, slightly clumsy, but surprisingly powerful in a pinch, magical girl support character.”

Finally, the backstory. “Aki Amakawa,” I dictated. “A wandering traveler who lost her memories, but retains a strong, innate sense of justice. Her only clue to her past is this mysterious locket. She travels the world helping people, hoping to one day find out who she truly is.”

“The amnesia trope? Really?” Isao asked, his voice dripping with disdain. “That’s the laziest writing I’ve ever heard.”

“It’s foolproof!” I argued. “It explains why I don’t know anything about the world, and it gives me a convenient excuse for my mysterious powers! It’s perfect!”

The avatar, now named Aki, was complete. She stood there in the holographic chamber, a perfect, beautiful, walking-talking cliché of everything I loved. She was my ticket into his world.

The excitement suddenly drained away, replaced by a cold, heavy dose of reality. It was time.

“Celeste,” I said, my voice quiet now. “Prepare for consciousness transference. Divert 0.001% of my core consciousness into the avatar vessel. The rest of my being will remain here in a state of low-power stasis to maintain the domain.”

“Warning, Lady Akane,” Celeste’s voice intoned. “Splitting your consciousness carries significant risks. You may experience memory fragmentation, emotional instability, and a weakened connection to your divine authority. The avatar will be mortal. If it is destroyed, the transferred portion of your consciousness could be lost forever.”

“I understand the risks,” I said, taking a deep breath.

“No, you don’t,” Isao said, his voice raw. He grabbed my arm, his cold touch startling me. “You don’t get it, do you? You’re not just sending a drone, Akane. You’re sending a piece of you. A piece that can feel pain. A piece that can die. And for what? To chase the ghost of a boy who doesn’t even remember you?” His grip tightened. “Stay here. With me.”

The last three words were almost a whisper, filled with a desperate, wounded longing that stunned me into silence. For a second, I saw past the God of Death, past the annoying, smirking rival. I saw someone who was… lonely. As lonely as I was.

But then I looked at the screen, at the feed of Natsuki sleeping peacefully under the stars in Caelum, and the resolve hardened in my heart once more.

I gently pulled my arm from his grasp. “I have to do this, Isao.”

I stepped onto the transfer platform, facing the glowing, empty vessel of Aki Amakawa. The chamber sealed around me, plunging me into darkness, save for the light of the avatar.

“Initiating transfer,” Celeste announced.

I closed my eyes. I felt a strange, pulling sensation, like a single thread being drawn from a vast, cosmic tapestry. A tiny spark of my soul, my memories, my very being, stretched across the void. I saw flashes of my countless lives, of my lonely godhood, and then, a brilliant, warm memory of a boy’s goofy smile.

The last thing I heard from my divine realm was Isao’s voice, a broken whisper in the darkness.

“Baka.”

Then, a new sensation. The feeling of air filling my lungs for the first time. The scent of grass and damp earth. The gentle warmth of a sun I wasn’t controlling. The strange, heavy weight of a physical body.

I opened my eyes. Amethyst eyes. I looked down at my hands. They were smaller, softer. I was wearing a frilly, ridiculous, and wonderful dress. The world was no longer a series of data streams on a monitor. It was real. It was vivid.

I was standing in a small, sun-dappled clearing on a floating island. I was no longer a goddess. I was Aki Amakawa, the amnesiac magical girl. And somewhere, in this vast, beautiful world I had created, Natsuki was waiting.

My ridiculously reckless, universe-breaking plan had officially begun.