Starlight Dream

Chapter 5

"What are we trying to accomplish here?" She asked. Instead of her usual clothes, Seina wore a training Gi which chaffed against her skin. "I'm already super powerful, so what are you trying to teach me? This probably won't help me learn how to use magic."

Mr. Kiyojiro crossed his arms. "Power is one thing, but you need to learn to channel and harness it. This isn't about training your muscles, Seina. This is about developing technique. You can't win every fight with raw strength alone. I'm teaching you to become a more effective fighter."

They stood inside a long since abandoned gym. After the vampire's defeat, many buildings remained unclaimed. Inside, they found several hundred exercising machines left to rust. It struck a chord with Seina, leaving her with a sense of melancholy. She sat cross-legged on a training mat with her bodyguard sitting across from her. Her friend Aiko watched from the sidelines, eager to provide Seina with support.

"There are plenty of powerful magical girls out there. They won't be so untrained like Takako," Colten said. "There's more to a magical girl's arsenal than magic."

"Sounds scary. I can't believe evil magical girls exist!" Aiko said. "Aren't vampires enough?"

No kidding!

"I suppose you're right. If I can't use magic, I'll need to depend on my fighting skills instead." It still sounded like a great deal of hard work to Seina. She really wanted an easier solution to this, but from her short experience she'd learned reality was rarely nice.

I can't believe I'm back to hard labor again. Still, if it meant protecting her friends, she'd endure it.

"I've created something that might help!" Colten dug into an old duffle bag he'd produced from somewhere and retrieved two pictures. One showed a regular photo of Seina. The other was a picture of a female bodybuilder with enormous rippling muscles with arms and legs the size of tree trunks. A cutout of Seina's face overlaying the muscular woman.

"This is our goal." The fairy pointed towards the picture of the bodybuilder. "This should provide some motivation! It's a goal to work towards!"

"What? No thanks!" Seina said in automatic protest, making a face. She imagined herself with that body in her magical girl dress and shuttered in horror. It wasn't even remotely cute.

Aiko wore a strained smile. "Yeah, it doesn't really suit Seina. That's just weird."

"Come on, it looks super cool! No one would dare mess with you." Colten replied, pointing at the muscular Seina for emphasis.

After staring at the bizarre picture of muscular Seina for several moments in bewilderment, Mr. Kiyojiro coughed into his fist. "That won't be necessary. We're working more towards dexterity and athleticism. Building up her muscles won't be necessary."

Thank you. Someone speaking sense! Aiko seemed just as relieved as Seina, sharing one mind on this subject.

Colten sighed. "Fine, but we're at least giving you ripped abs! Every warrior must have those at least!"

"... Right. Anyway, let's get started," Seina replied, eager to change the subject. "What cool moves are we learning today?"

"Yeah!" Aiko said, nodding with enthusiasm. "She could be like Bruce Li! Have you ever watched his movies, Seina? He is so cool!" She entered a fighting stance and made a punch while screaming a high-pitched yell.

"Great idea!" Seina said, nodding. Ever since she'd gained her freedom, she'd enjoyed watching movies. She wondered if these martial arts movies would teach her cool techniques.

"No, we're working on simple forms today." Mr. Kiyojiro replied, and gave a pained sigh as he noticed the look of disappointment on Seina and Aiko's faces.