PASSION!!! Just Another Day For Your Local Magical Girl! [Part 1]

The thing about trying to grab a balloon blowing in the wind is that you should aim for the base of the string, not the actual balloon itself. That’s like trying to catch a mouse as it desperately evades your hands. I was embarrassed that I didn’t realize such an obvious strategy.

Now, I know what you're probably thinking: “No duh, ya dummy!” But you have the benefit of sitting there just thinking about it and not having to actively deal with catching a feral balloon while also worrying that you're gonna pop it! I'm saying this after having spent the past couple of minutes trying to rescue a kid’s balloon that luckily snagged on something before it could escape the stratosphere.

At least I got the balloon, and that's what matters!

Before I could finish rescuing the child’s balloon, I felt my phone vibrate in the pouch resting on my hip.

(Jack 6:44 PM):

[Kill me (x_______x)]

“Uh oh,” I said out loud, unlocking the screen.

Jack's been my best friend since I was seven years old, and he isn’t the type to wish for death. He's way too much of a hardworking dude to just up and end his existence for eternal relief.

Regardless, I couldn’t help but to worry and send a quick reply:

[What’s up?]

[Every person who comes to this store is a grade A moron.]

[lol y?]

The chat indicator kept vanishing and then reappearing over and over. Either he was writing a long manifesto or constantly changing his words. Finally, he sent a message.

[I don’t know what it is, but apparently, everyone who failed out of elementary school is coming to my register. Can’t read. Can’t do math. It makes me worry about the future of humanity.]

[Uh oh. If you’re worried, then I better start looking for a bunker to camp out in for the end times.]

[lol!!! Okay, maybe I’m overreacting. It was more like just a few bad apples one after another in quick succession. There was one person who got so offended cuz I asked if there was anything in the bottom of their basket. They thought I was accusing them of trying to steal something when I was just following store policy. Give me a break! Just let me do my job, man!]

[What r u doing now?”]

[On break. Got five minutes before I have to go back out on the floor. I wanted to relieve some stress beforehand.]

“Hey! Can I have my balloon now?!” yelled a faraway voice.

Oh, right!

I wrapped the string on the balloon around my hand to secure it.

“Be right there!” I shouted, brushing my pink hair from my eyes as I looked down from the top of a towering crane. The kid’s balloon had managed to travel into a construction zone for a new luxury apartment complex, entangling itself at the very top of the crane.

The city sprawled out twenty stories below me, twinkling like stars in the sky as the spring evening morphed into night.

I could’ve just quickly jumped down, but I thought I’d give the kid a little show to make our interaction a memorable one. Maybe tomorrow morning, he can go brag to his friends at school and say, “I met Magical Knight Lune last night! She’s so awesome!”

Oh, did I forget to mention that? Well, let me rewind for a moment and introduce myself!

I am Magical Knight Lune! Or Lune for short. As I more or less already established: I’m a magical girl! Knight? Magical knight girl!?

Honestly, I wasn’t too keen on the knight theme. I would’ve preferred to be something cuter like a fruit themed magical girl or flower themed magical girl. But a knight is fine too, I suppose. Can’t deny that my outfit is awesome!

Whether you need help carrying something heavy, crossing the street, or grabbing a frisbee that you accidentally tossed onto your neighbor’s roof for the nth time, I’m here to help! No job is too small for me!

Just, ya know, if you have a medical emergency, or if your house is engulfed in flames, then I highly recommend dialing 9-1-1. I’m a magical girl, yes, but even I have my limits!

I leapt off the top of the construction crane with a twirl. The tiny cape that hung from my absurdly large shoulder plate thingies danced around my petite form. Round and round, I flipped in the air, holding the balloon out so as not to get tangled in my long hair.

Just before I crashed into the road below, a pair of glowing wings burst out from my back, saving me from becoming a magical pancake.

With one large flap, I broke my fall, bounced upwards, and gently hovered above the child. Once my feet touched the ground, my wings burst into an explosion of sparkling light that faded with the gentle spring breeze.

“Here you go!” I smiled, handing the balloon to the child.

Looks like I overdid it, as the kid was frozen in place, staring in awe. “T-thank you!” he finally said, taking the balloon from me.

I smiled and waved goodbye as he ran off, probably to return home.

“Okay,” I said, reaching into my pouch to resume my conversation with Jack.

I felt around the inside of my bag, trying to pinpoint my phone’s exact location. Things tend to get jumbled around in there. Didn’t help that the inside is a pocket dimension that contains an infinite amount of space. Or at least that’s what I was told when I first received it.

Once I found my phone, I yanked my hand from my pouch.

“Ack!” I yelped. My phone flung out of my hand and landed onto the sidewalk with a clack! “Darnit!”

Jack asked me one time why I bothered with those ultra heavy-duty protective cases on my phone. This is why.

Whew! Screen was crack-free! This baby’s gotta last me another three years before I’ll feel comfortable with upgrading.

[Try doing some breathing exercises to calm down b4 going back out. Let off some pressure.]

[Good idea]

[Thanks]

[ | ) ) =3 *toot* ]

“Bwahahaha!” I burst out laughing in an uncontrollable fit of laughter. It wasn’t until I realized that a crowd was staring at me that I regained my composure.

There she is! Magical Knight Lune! The defender of happiness! Protector of love! Laughing like a five-year-old at immature toilet humor despite being a sophomore in high school.

Embarrassed, I smiled and waved. “Have a good night!” I said before jumping high into the air and onto a nearby rooftop for some privacy.

[You suck! I’m out in public right now, and everyone’s looking at me like I’m a weirdo! All because I laughed at your stupid fart joke!]

[Not my fault you haven’t matured at all these last few years.]

I made a sour face to myself.

[Clocking back in. Later.]

[ttyl]

I slipped my phone back into my pouch–

BLEEP BLEEP BLEEP! BLEEP BLEEP BLEEP!

Whoops! Duty calls!

Quickly, I pulled out my phone again and scrolled through my apps, looking for the pink one with a white magic insignia logo. This app was made specifically for magical girls; it’s programmed to map out the entire city and allows me to locate the whereabouts of my arch nemesis, Red Sandrea.

“Where is she?” I mumbled to myself, zooming the map out. “Aha! There you are!”

I held my finger down where the blinking red dot was, placing a pin at its location.

When I looked up from my phone, I saw a tower of blue light appear far off in the distance. A shining blue marker materialized in the exact real-world location that I had pinned on my mini-map.

The tower of light was something that only a magical girl could see. When “The Powers That Be” first integrated tech into the official arsenal of tools used by magical girls around the world, the application devs messed up by allowing everyone to see the tower. This led to mass hysteria; everyone thought aliens were invading. Course, all this happened before I was born, so this information came to me second-hand.

Not that I had any reason to think it’s a lie. I mean, I’m a magical girl, after all! If you had told me a few years ago that magical girls really exist, I wouldn’t have believed it (despite secretly wishing that they did… and that I could be one).

Welp, past me… you’re in luck! Magical girls are real, and you are one! And now you need to get to work!