Day 104

[from StarLight]

"The day after an enormous monster appeared in downtown Mitsuzawa, demolishing a bridge and causing severe disruption, the world is rife with speculation about the mysterious magical girl who destroyed it. The girl, who called herself "White Star", has already become a global phenomenon, with hundreds of fans producing tribute artworks of her and fan-sites popping up all over the Internet. There are even reports of companies attempting to secure merchandising rights for White Star, with planned products ranging from figurines and fridge magnets to life-sized hugging pillows.

"At the same time, many are questioning the origins of the monster, and how exactly this girl was able to defeat it. Some have speculated that the entire event could have been staged, as some kind of viral marketing campaign. One expert went as far as claiming that White Star herself poses an imminent threat to humanity, claiming that her final attack may well have the equivalent power and destructive capability of a targeted nuclear strike. However, White Star herself proclaimed after the monster's defeat that she intends to protect Mitsuzawa from any threats."

The reporter, who had been narrating over a montage of clips from White Star's debut battle, now fell silent as White Star's words were transmitted across the airwaves once more: "I promise to let the light of justice shine wherever the darkness may appear… If any other monsters show up, I'll blast 'em to bits just like I did this one! That's a promise!"

"White Star's words appear to suggest that Mitsuzawa will face more monster attacks in future," the reporter continued, "however the girl also vows strongly to defend the city from any such attacks. In the meantime, nobody knows for sure whether or not Mitsuzawa will be attacked again, when or where any future attacks may take place, and perhaps most importantly, whether this mysterious heroine will be able - or willing - to make good on her promise to protect the city. Until then, arguably the biggest question on people lips is this: who or what is White Star, and what heroic deeds will she perform next?"

***

As the morning sun shone through her bedroom window, White Star was busy replacing the lightbulb, after Kousen had broken it the night before. She didn't really need to be in her magical girl form in order to change it, but being able to fly up to the bulb to change it rather than needing a step ladder was remarkably convenient.

"Hey, Kousen," she remarked suddenly, as she started to screw in the bulb. "How many magical girls does it take to change a lightbulb?"

Kousen seemed somewhat baffled by the question. "One," she replied.

White Star facepalmed. "No," she said, "you're supposed to say, "I dunno, how many magical girls does it take to change a lightbulb?""

"Oh, it's a joke," said Kousen. "Okay… I don't know. How many magical girls does it take to change a lightbulb?"

"Actually, I couldn't think of a punchline," White Star admitted. "I just wanted to say that, since I actually am changing a lightbulb right now."

"Oh," said Kousen. "That wasn't very funny."

White Star shrugged, and finished screwing in the lightbulb. She then flew over to the light switch and flicked it on and off a few times to check that it worked; it did. "Alright, that's that fixed," she said, before letting go of the White Star Wand. As the chi faded from her body, she was surrounded once more with a bright white glow, and when it faded she was back to being Sanae Hikari again, dressed in her regular school uniform.

"One other thing as well," said Kousen, as Sanae stowed the Emblem away inside her rucksack. "I ask that you only use the White Star Emblem for emergencies, such as monster attacks. It's an incredible power, and not something that should be misused for anything you feel like."

"Oh, lighten up, Kousen," said Sanae, putting on her rucksack. "I was only using it for about a minute. You gotta admit, being able to fly comes in handy."

"It does," conceded Kousen, "but even so, this power is not to be abused. Do you understand?"

"So I can't use it unless there's a monster attack? That's kinda boring," Sanae lamented. "But, I guess if I was White Star all the time, there wouldn't be any slice-of-life elements, and we're parodying that genre as well, so I guess it's alright."

"I'm glad we've reached an understanding," said Kousen. "And remember: you are not to tell anyone that you are White Star."

"I know that," said Sanae. "Alright, I'll be off then. See you after school, Kousen!"