Chapter 25

**Chapter 25: What if Prittina's Super Strict!?** is the twenty-fifth chapter of *We are Magical Boys*. It is the first chapter of vol. 5.

## Summary

*With Tokimekia unable to supply him with magic necessary to continue being a Magical Boy, Kaito plans on abandoning Thrilling Pink to affiliate himself with Prittina. But he starts to have second thoughts...*

## Synopsis

Kaito can't understand why Makoto would reject a chance to join Prittina if it meant continuing their Magical Boy activities. It's considered to be one of the best magical countries and supports their Boys generously, which he can admit, but he refuses. Rowdy Blue is his Girliness and he doesn't want any other kind, and being a superhero doesn't mean nearly as much to him as it did Kaito, so he doesn't mind a break. He tells Kaito that it's alright if he really wants to change, but he doesn't think he should make hasty decisions like that. He's just frustrated with Tokimekia right now and he might regret it. Kaito ends up throwing a tantrum, saying that wanting to help people isn't wrong, and it's not like Tokimekia cares about him, so he should be allowed to consider an opportunity like this. Makoto agrees, but he suggests that he asks Lily to show him around Prittina before he makes his final decision. He can give it serious thought afterwards.

Kaito eagerly agrees and runs off, and Magiru asks Makoto if this was the right decision. Makoto admits that Prittina isn't a bad place, but he doesn't think Kaito will like it once he sees it for himself. For now he'll inform Momo-chan about this.

- - - -

Kaito apologizes to Lily for having to be carried to Prittina, without his powers he's incapable of doing it himself. Lily surprises Kaito by explaining that they won't need to head into the Magical World to reach Prittina, because it's a major country that has connections to the human world. Communication between the two of them is very easy. Lily can't wait for him to meet the others, and he's very happy that he's agreed to come. Kaito is beginning to feel more convinced that he's making the right decision, but he's decided to wait one week before making the final call.

- - - -

Kaito is immediately floored by the fancy facility when they arrive. He sees several Prittinese Magical Boys enjoying themselves playing games and sports, reading manga and eating snacks. Lily compares it to a college of sorts, and they have a lot of utilities at their disposal. Kaito is excited, but he feels a little bored seeing that everyone's Girliness looks the same. He brushes it off as Lily leads him to the reception room and Kaito is amazed by the talking turtle waiting for them. He introduces himself as Kamekichi and prepares some tea.

Kamekichi explains that while they have plenty of Prittinese Magical Boys, the number of fresh candidates has been dropping as of late. A Magical Country is only as good as its Magical Boys, so while they don't like doing this, they had no choice but to try coercing some of Tokimekia's boys to their side during the crystal shortage. Kaito is very impressed by how professional Kamekichi is compared to how things are run in Tokimekia. But he starts to feel stressed, worried about how strict Prittina might be but Kamekichi apologizes for jumping the gun, having assumed Kaito was agreeing to join. He didn't mean to intimidate Kaito, and he asks Lily to confirm that they treat their Magical Boys very well. There are no strict rules, nor are they imposing.

Seeing how unsure Kaito remains, Kamekichi offers a real Transformation Ring from Prittina, not a tester like the one he got earlier. Talk is cheap, and he could spend a lot of time trying to convince Kaito to join them, but this is probably the better way of going about things. Kaito is very excited, until he recalls one important factor- leading Kamekichi to assure him that he will easily be able to remove the ring whenever he likes. All he wants is for Kaito to put it to good use, there's no point in trying to trick him. They value the Magical Boy's motivation here. Lily happily suggests they go out on patrol once Kaito slips on the bracelet, but before they can go he gets a call.

Kaito heads to the bathroom to find an anxious Momo-chan on the other line, which irritates him. Momo-chan makes an awkward attempt to express concern, having discovered Kaito's wavering faith in Tokimekia. He was trying his best to convince the others to set aside some magic for him and Makoto, but it didn't work. He asks Kaito to hang in there for a bit longer because he's working as hard as he can to try to fix everything, but Kaito feels no empathy. In fact, he sees no reason to wait a week to make his decision.

- - - -

Changing into his Prittenese uniform, Kaito and Lily make quick work of a group of thugs. He's amazed by how his powers appear to be matched with the power he had as Pink and sees no real difference, but he gets to look cool now and he can move around really easy. He also gets along really well with Lily, who gets flustered after Kaito compliments him.

He spends that following week as *Kaity X* and quickly makes a name for himself, earning the praise and adoration of everyone around him even though he and Lily are new to defending Yamikumo. He has a lot of fun and he waited a week like he originally decided, so now he must finally make a decision. He hasn't heard anything from Tokimekia either, so he's convinced they really won't miss him and sees no reason not to change Magical Countries.

Returning home, Kaito de-transforms and beings to feel remorse while observing his Transformation Ring. He feels bad turning his back on Tokimekia like this, but he can't think of any reason to stay. Suddenly, a surprise parcel from Tokimekia arrives for Kaito, and inside of the bag are homemade Tokimekian cookies. He sits down to try one and feels a little empathetic, until the cookies make him feel sick enough that he vomits. Kaito is horrified by the taste and his imagination gets the better of him, causing him to worry that they tried to poison him out of spite. With that he angrily denounces Tokimekia.

- - - - -

Kaito arrives at Prittina to reveal he's officially agreeing to join up with it. Lily and Kamekichi are delighted, but Kamekichi curiously asks what made him decide so quickly. Kaito expresses that here it feels like he won't have any additional burdens or stress, and he can just focus on being a Magical Boy. Kamekichi prepares the contract he'll be required to sign to make it official, and he asks Kaito if there is anything he felt could be improved upon. He'll do his best to try to make it happen.

After a moment Kaito recalls how boring everyone looks, and he asks if they could work on changing their Girliness. He doesn't notice Lily's visible aggravation hearing this, and Kamekichi admits that in order to mass produce everyone efficiently, they have to look the same. Kaito is surprised, remarking on how this makes Prittina sound like a factory. Kamekichi confirms he is right, and Lily expresses that this is why Prittina is special. He offers to explain it in an easier way that will make sense to Kaito, who notices the sudden intensity of his expression. Rather than Girliness, Prittina has developed a newer method that they refer to as "*Newliness*". It doesn't need training or talent to use, that way everyone can transform. On top of that, the magic in the uniform is specially designed so that anybody can wield the power just as well as anybody else. It's the exact same for everyone. Traditional Girliness reflects the heart of its wearer, which is very powerful if one accesses it. But it's not reliable when their feelings are the thing controlling it, to the point of being unable to transform at all.

He's well aware that Kaito has experienced this before, and Kamekichi continues on by explaining that there are times when people's lives are on the line. One can't risk their power failing at a critical moment, so these uniforms were developed for the sake of reliably bringing peace to the community. Kaito is dismayed to learn this and he rejects Prittina, leaving Lily stunned as Kamekichi asks if they did something wrong. Kaito expresses that while he doesn't have a problem with their Newliness and is happy they can work so well, but he doesn't want clothing made by a stranger. He wouldn't feel heroic possessing the same power as everyone else either. Someone important told him that their Transformation Rings aren't just a change of clothing, the power of his Girliness comes from inside of him. Knowing that makes wearing such frilly clothing worth it in his opinion, and its what keeps him going.

Returning the Pritinesse bracelet, Kaito thanks Lily for the offer and apologizes for having wasted their time as he prepares to go. Lily warns him that he might never be able to transform again but Kaito accepts that. He can't join up with them when he doesn't view being a Magical Boy the same way.

- - - - -

Kaito walks through Yamikumo and feels down about the current situation. He doesn't like feeling this way but knows it can't be helped, he can't depend on Tokimekia to fix itself. He then gets an idea to speak with Makoto to propose they start their own Magical country, but as it starts to rain he sadly realizes that it wouldn't actually fix anything. He begins to cry and wishes that he could return to being Thrilling Pink when Makoto approaches him as Rowdy Blue. Kaito is startled and asks if the magic shortage was fixed, causing Makoto to reveal the bag of cookies. Kaito panics and warns him not to eat them, leading Makoto to realize he didn't read the attached letter. Which explains that magic was kneaded into the dough, it was made years ago as a countermeasure for an incident like this. They taste horrible but eating them provides a Magical Boy with the means of doing his job.

Kaito is delighted when he realizes he can transform, and he immediately begins to cry again. He missed Thrilling Pink so much, and he can't wait to resume using his Girliness again now that he's learned to appreciate it. Makoto comforts Kaito and teases him, glad to see he's behaving like himself.

- - - -

Back in Prittina, Lily sits alone in one of the rooms, thinking about Kaito.