After such a humiliating defeat, I got home with an aching body. Even though my injuries healed once I transformed back into my civilian form.
The mental and spiritual pain, though… that didn't just disappear.
I knew I was weak, but not this weak. I couldn't even land a hit. And now, with a new day dawning—and it being a Saturday—I was told by Rio-san to come early.
And so I did. I found myself in front of Rio's dojo at 5 a.m., munching on toasted bread.
I opened the door and stepped inside.
Surprisingly, the tatami mats and some furniture had been cleaned a bit. Still messy overall and rundown, but the neatly arranged parts made it not look entirely awful.
"Finally here."
I froze and snapped to attention.
"Y-yes,"
I stammered.
"Good."
Rio-san emerged from one of the rooms, her gaze sharp and assessing. I had come in a cropped hoodie, showing my black sports bra, and of course, black yoga pants.
"Not bad, you've maintained your body well."
I smiled proudly.
"Naturally. I did it with my dream of becoming a magical girl in mind,"
I said, full of confidence.
Rio-san laughed, sharp and amused.
"That's good and all… but you didn't even land a hit. A hot bod ain't worth a damn if you can't hit, now is it?"
My smile faltered.
"T-That's true,"
I admitted hesitantly.
"Well, enough about that—let's get back to the fundamentals."
She gestured toward the center of the dojo. I didn't hesitate; I moved closer.
"See, the problem with you is your brain is good. You've got the wits. But your body? It can't keep up with your mind."
Rio-san poked me sharply in the chest.
"As such, yesterday? You got fcked in every way possible. Not to mention, you moved like a fcking twig."
My eyes widened.
My jaw dropped.
"L-like a twig?!"
I whispered, pure shock trembling in my black eyes.
"Goddamn right,"
she said, crossing her arms and laughing until she choked on her own saliva.
"Your feet were all over the place. Even with that teleportation or whatever, you're unstable AF. You could get tripped by the wind—wa-ha-ha-ha!"
Honestly… does this girl hate me?
Footwork, huh? That's the lesson. I couldn't help but let out a nervous, awkward laugh.
"Here, let me show you what you did,"
she said, beckoning me closer. She positioned herself with her feet almost touching, just a few centimeters apart.
"When you appeared behind me,"
she explained,
"the distance between your feet was tiny. When I punched your gut, you couldn't retreat at all. Your feet were way too close together."
To prove her point, Rio stepped back, deliberately tripping on the tatami and falling on her back.
"See? This is what happens when you don't have a proper stance."
I couldn't help but stare. Her demonstration actually made sense—suddenly, my defeat yesterday didn't feel entirely humiliating. At least now I knew why.
"Why dont you do it yourself?"
Rio's words jolted me, my black eyes dilating into tiny pearls.
"E-eh? Like this?"
I assumed the stance Rio did—and suddenly she kicked my calf. My legs trembled as my weight shifted wrong, forcing me to claw at the tatami just to stay upright.
"Eep!"
I whimpered as I nearly fell face-first onto the mat. Luckily, that wasn't the case.
"Pfft, see? Just a light tap on your calf and you already made an embarrassing noise."
Rio crossed her arms, grinning at me.
"Do the stance again. This time keep your knees slightly bent, put most of your weight on one foot then the other, and give them feet more space."
I tilted my head sideways, confused, but still tried again. I widened my stance a little and shifted my weight to my left foot.
"Like this?"
Rio looked me over, then nodded.
"Yup."
"Eep!"
Another sound escaped my mouth as Rio lightly kicked my left calf. My legs still wobbled—but unlike before, I didn't need to curl my toes or scrape for balance.
My black eyes shimmered as I finally understood what Rio-san meant!
"See? If you've got a proper stance, kicks arent shit."
Rio-san smiled and pulled her leg back.
I froze—my pupils shrinking in fear.
"R-Rio-san?!"
I gulped nervously before she unleashed a full-force kick straight into my calf. The impact was so immense I practically flipped three times before crashing into the ground, tears welling in my eyes.
"Oops, I've overdone it."
Rio-san laughed.
"Rio-san… do you hate me?"
I whimpered.
"Pfft, nah. Anyways, get up—the tatami mat aint clean, you know."
I rolled my eyes and forced myself back up.
"Again. This time, transform into your magical girl form."
My eyebrow twitched. Hearing that… is it perhaps time for a harsher lesson?
Either way, I complied.
Darkness flooded the dojo. The land trembled, the sky collapsed into nightfall—then vanished, revealing me clad in my black gothic lolita dress.
"Do you really hafta do that whole cutscene every damn time?"
Rio-san clicked her tongue, crossing her arms.
『It's part of the transformation!』
My face burned beet red as I stomped my foot.
"Pfft, okay."
She waved her hand dismissively, then her expression hardened.
Her mouth curved into a smile.
"Question. What do you think powers a magical girl?"
My eyes narrowed. Honestly… I didn't know.
Even now, most of my powers come from instinct—hunches.
It's like breathing or blinking. You don't actively think about it; it just happens. And for most of our lives, we never question it.
『I suppose it's just inept—we feel it, and have a hunch on what to do—ouch!』
Before I could finish, Rio-san flicked my forehead. I squatted immediately, clutching it with both hands.
"It's good you're thinking, but you're way off, dumbass."
I looked up at her, tears pooling in my eyes, my white diamond-shaped pupils trembling.
"What powers magical girls is their own will."
My eyes widened. My mouth parted slightly.
『Will?』
Rio-san nodded.
"Will. If you noticed, most of us magical girls have our own philosophies.
Stella Commet believes in Kindness, Humility, and—"
『Honesty.』
I interrupted. She glanced at me, then nodded.
"Right. I won't make it long, but similarly… I believe in pure violence through fighting. To shine brighter as I slowly kill my own self.
That is Nova Eclipse—seize every opportunity, overtake someone's light to become darkness, and live and die with a bang."
Rio smiled proudly, pointing her thumb at herself.
"Now I ask you—what is your will?"
My eyes widened, but I didn't hesitate. I already knew who I was.
A smile etched itself onto my face as I met her gaze with utter arrogance.
『To be the darkness reclaiming its land. To become the necessary shadow among the light. A necessary evil—a queen tasked to purge her motherland.』
Each word echoed through the dojo.
It felt sweet—venomous—
Until I got punched in the gut.
『Pwuah!』
My body folded upward as I dropped to my knees.
"Arrogant b*tch. I like you already."
I coughed, saliva dripping down my chin as I glared up at Rio.
"Queen my ass. Your durability is shit af. Stand up—let's continue your footwork training."
She hauled me up, my legs still shaky.
"Assume a stance."
I nodded and set my feet apart.
"Now, using your own will, think of how you can strengthen your legs."
I gulped, staring down at them. Then a thought surfaced.
『I am the unmoved mover. Therefore I am the uncaused cause. I am not to be moved, for it is I who moved first.』
I imagined my legs wrapped in long thigh-high socks—material so durable, so absorbent, that no force could penetrate it.
"Here I go."
Rio pulled her leg way back, winding up with full intent.
Then—blur.
Her foot slammed into my calf.
A shockwave erupted across the dojo.
I looked down.
My legs were fine.
No bruises.
No damage.
"You finally did it. Good fucking stance."
My eyes widened as I stared at Rio.
『I did it? Did I really do it?!』
She rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, you did. Learned faster than
Himeno, that's for sure."
My black eyes sparkled, dilating.
『That's amazing!』
My mouth hung open as I soaked in my tiny victory.
"Yeah, no shit—but that aint even the main agenda."
Eh?
『Ehhh?!』
I leaned toward her, eyes fluttering.
『W-What do you mean, master? We're still not finished?』
Rio recoiled like she'd smelled something rotten.
"Ew, gross. Don't call me master, it feels slimy. Anyways—stances weren't even the main agenda. We gotta deal with footwork."
I nodded.
Right.
Footwork.
"What do you think footwork is?"
I leaned back, crossing my arms, deep in thought.
『Isn't footwork just where we place our feet when we move?』
I tilted my head.
To my surprise, Rio nodded with a smile.
"You betcha. Footwork's about not trippin and making a fool of yourself. Look—what's wrong with this?"
She stepped forward, her left foot crossing over her right.
I studied it—then my eyes widened.
『Your feet are crossed. If you need to move your right foot, the margin for error increases.』
"Exactly. Come copy me and try moving."
I mimicked her stance.
When I tried to move, the only option was forward.
Backward?
My foot slammed awkwardly into the other.
I tripped and crashed onto the tatami.
"Yup. That's what poor foot placement does."
She pulled me up as I brushed off my dress.
"The solution's simple—just don't cross your feet."
Rio demonstrated, moving forward, backward, left, right—smooth and flawless.
"It looks simple, and it is. But people forget it. Try it."
I nodded confidently and stepped—
Swoosh!
I froze mid-step.
A scorched mark smoked on the tatami in front of me.
My eyes drifted to Rio-chan. She grinned, her hands glowing with warm—possibly hot—fire.
"Try doing what I showed you without burning yourself."
I gulped.
『Th-This wasn't part of the plan!』
I cried as I scrambled in every direction, dodging fireballs.
"BWAHAHAHA! THERE IS NO PLAN!"
Rio laughed maniacally.