Chapter 21: Check the limits.

Aqua had been a magical girl for less than a year.

A promising rookie.
A fast-growing fifth-gen.
Her reputation was glowing with such praise.

She was starting to feel like she could hold her own.

B-rank monsters and above were still scary, but those were rare.
With teammates, she could handle up to C-rank.

But she wanted to be strong enough to take them down alone.

To become an exceptional magical girl like her idol, Frozen Princess.
Aqua had been diligently deploying, honing her skills.

“Saw the video? Scarlet Lily was flying around, blasting beams.”

“The drone couldn’t keep up.”

Classroom, break time.
Boys were chatting in small groups.

Aqua, pretending not to care, overheard someone say:

“Doesn’t she seem way beyond 5.5th-gen?”

She agreed.
It wasn’t just her strength—she was masterful.

Take levitation magic, for example.
Right after her contract, Aqua spent days practicing magic flow control.

It took a week to fly stably.

She’d considered herself a prodigy, yet Scarlet Lily was on another level.

“No weaknesses, honestly.”

“Feels like the strongest ever.”

Unrestrained praise.

Aqua no longer resented Scarlet Lily.
She was too far above for jealousy, and Aqua had come to know her character.

She regretted her past harshness.
Living nearby and getting close felt like a stroke of luck.

Still, one question lingered:

“Does even Scarlet Lily have limits?”

Like the boy said, Aqua wanted to know if the seemingly flawless magical girl had any impossibilities.

“Shiiik!”

A red lizard let out a sharp cry.

About two meters long.
Not huge, but over a dozen moved in a pack.

“Spread out! Split their firepower!” Alpha commanded swiftly.

They were facing D-rank monsters.
Lizards resembling salamanders from fantasy stories.

Not too threatening, and the matchup was favorable, making the fight manageable.

Fwoosh!

The lizards spewed fire in unison.
Flamethrower-level intensity.

A hit would mean serious injury, but we had a water magic specialist.

“Aqua Shower!”

Chanting, countless water droplets formed in the air.
They poured down on the lizards.

Sizzle!

The flames died, smoke rising.

A torrential downpour, like a tropical squall.

The lizards’ fire couldn’t evaporate it.
Their only attack was neutralized, giving a free damage window.

“Let’s go!” Alpha, Beta, and Gamma charged with spears.

Blades and magic punished the weakened lizards.

“Woo!”

Victory high-fives.

I’m too old to match their energy, but I joined in for the vibe.

Didn’t do much, but as part of the team, I slapped palms with them.

“Huh, still smoky over there?” Beta pointed.

“True! That house is burning!” Gamma added.

All eyes turned to Aqua, who soared into the sky.

Another Aqua Shower!

She adjusted the output to douse just the fire.

Precise control.
As expected from the team’s top magic user.

“You’re our MVP today. Glad you’re here,” I said casually.

Aqua landed, blinking at me blankly.

Did I mess up?

“Lily could do this in her sleep,” she said.

Not sarcasm—she genuinely meant it.

“With practice, maybe, but I’d be clumsy now.”

I can use water magic.

But I’m not farming in the demon world, so I rarely need to sprinkle water.

High-pressure blasts, sure, but not this.

“Surprising. Thought Lily could do anything,” Aqua said.

“Magic has aptitudes.”

Unlike fantasy magic, magical girl magic is more like a superpower.

If it’s not your specialty, you might not even be able to try.

“Fair,” Aqua and the others nodded, exchanging glances.

If their illusions about me shattered, that’s fine.

Lately, people claim I could survive in space or eat radioactive waste.

I’m not that much of a monster.

“Aqua could probably put out a wildfire,” Alpha said.

“Wildfire?” I asked.

“It’s all over the news. Just popped into my head.”

Spring transition brings frequent wildfires.

This year was bad—turn on the TV, it’s all they talk about.

“Sounds tough… A house or two, maybe, but a mountain’s too big,” Aqua said.

Magic shortage?

Even with effort or talent, total magic capacity is fixed.
Fifth-gen struggles.

“What if I helped?”

“How?”

“I know a magic infusion technique.”

Seemed like a good idea, but Aqua waved it off.

“Might work, but it’d take forever. I’m no firefighter, and I’ve got homework.”

The wildfire was about 200km away.

Even rushing, it’d take a full day.
Without levitation magic.

“I’ll fly you there.”

“For real?”

“School’s out, so we’ve got time. You guys head back.”

Parting with the team, I stood behind Aqua.

“What’s the plan…?”

“I’m better at flying, so I’ll carry you. Wanna try?”

“Eh, nothing to lose… Sure.”

“Let’s go.”

We soared into the sky.

“Kyaaa!” Aqua shrieked.

“You know barrier magic? Put it up front.”

Like goggles.
Once she was ready, I sped up.

Cutting through the wind, accelerating.
Checking a map app for direction.

After a few dozen minutes, smoke rose into view across the landscape.

“Huff… huff… Warn me next time,” Aqua panted.

“Sorry, thought the barrier would be enough.”

“Not unbearable, just didn’t expect missile speed.”

“Missile’s an exaggeration.”

“Sonic boom wouldn’t have surprised me.”

She complained, but Aqua held up well.

“Let’s put out the fire.”

Choking smoke and heat.
Trees blazed along the mountain range.

Left unchecked, it’d spread further.
We needed to stop it here.

“Aqua Shower!”

Like before, water poured like heavy rain, dousing flames.

Impressive.
She seemed unsure but handled it deftly.

One mountain was covered, but her magic soon ran dry.

“Need a refill?”

“Please.”

I placed a hand on her back.

Overloading magic is pointless—there’s a limit to what she can hold.
I gave just enough.

“Ugh!? Ah… Eee!” Aqua let out an uncharacteristic squeal.

“You okay?”

“F-Fine… Eee!”

Foreign magic feels indescribable.

Moans are natural.

First time, unprepared, so it made sense.

“Full charge.”

Patting her back, Aqua tested a water stream.

“Weird. Like I’m reborn.”

“Magic’s life force for us.”

Ready to resume.

No idea how long it’d take, but we’d do what we could.

Deadline: before Aqua’s homework time!

After extinguishing the fire, Aqua was exhausted.

“We actually put out a wildfire…”

Collapsing onto a bench, she stared at her hands in disbelief.

“Good job. You might’ve leveled up.”

If she can douse one mountain, a range is possible.

Midway, Aqua got excited, spraying water wildly.

We quenched about 80% of the fire.

“Not tired, Lily?”

“Exhausted. I wanna go home and crash.”

The sky darkened.

Got so into it, I lost track of time.

“Get home safe.”

“You too.”

Unlike her earlier hesitation, Aqua looked proud.

Aqua flopped onto her bed the moment she got home.

Hyperexcited, she’d burned through magic and mental energy.

“Homework… maybe I’ll copy it.”

Staring at the ceiling, she replayed the day.

She’d doused fires, recharged by Scarlet Lily multiple times.

The sensation was like… pouring a canal’s water into a tiny cup.

Aqua was a paper cup; Scarlet Lily poured in an ocean.
Her magic showed no sign of running dry.

To have that much magic and* not tire after flying that distance.

An hour, maybe?
Minus navigation, even faster.

She was beyond the rumors.

“If I were as strong as Lily…”

Would she be as humble?

Even after a decade, Aqua doubted she’d outshine juniors.

As a comet-like rookie, she might’ve been too busy showing off.

“Her mindset’s different.”

Same age, yet Aqua felt deep respect.

Curious about Scarlet Lily’s limits, she didn’t find answers today.
Instead, Aqua reflected on herself.