I was zoned out on my couch, watching some magical girls get interviewed on the news. I wasn't really paying attention, just sort of half-asleep. All I saw were a couple of girls in frilly, colorful outfits, chirping happily into a microphone. Whatever.
My eyes drifted to the door, where two bulging trash bags were waiting. Right. Trash day.
With a sigh, I pushed myself off the couch, not even bothering to turn off the TV. I grabbed the bags and stepped out into the chilly night air. It was dark, the moon hidden behind the city's tall buildings.
As I looked up, a silhouette zipped across the sky. Another magical girl, flying around doing who-knows-what.
I clomped down the metal stairs and chucked the bags into the dumpster. On my way back, a faint sparkle caught my eye. It came from a pitch-black alley right next to me. I saw it again, a tiny glint in the darkness.
My gut told me this was a bad idea, but I was bored, and my curiosity got the better of me. I crept into the alley, moving toward the sparkle.
There it was, sitting on top of a garbage can. A black, eye-like gemstone with blood-red veins, attached to a metal chain.
My heart started pounding. I reached out and snatched it up. The chain was cold against my skin as I hung it around my neck.
I held the gem in my palm. It felt like it was looking right through me, deep into my soul. I quickly tucked it under my shirt.
Then, a voice echoed in my head. It was deep, grim, and felt ancient. "So… you are my new host."
"Whoa, a talking rock?" I muttered, pulling the pendant back out to stare at it.
The gem just lay there, cold and dead in my hand. Its surface was black, but the red, eye-like thing in the center seemed to swirl.
The voice came again, not through my ears, but right inside my skull.
"I am far more than a mere rock, mortal. I am a weapon. And now, I am yours. I've chosen you because I sense potential in you. A deep dissatisfaction with your pathetic little world."
The voice paused, like it was sizing me up.
"You see them, don't you? The magical girls. So pure. So just. So loved by all. Doesn't all that sickeningly sweet heroism make you want to puke?"
The gem's red core pulsed once, a single, deep throb that matched my own heartbeat.
"Yeah, so what?" I shot back with a shrug. "It's not like I'm jealous of them, or looking to start a fight with them." I added, "And don't even think about making me one of them. I'm a guy, you stupid rock."
A cold, dry chuckle echoed in my mind. It wasn't a sound, but a feeling of pure, dismissive amusement.
"Become one of them? You foolish mortal. Your simple mind jumps to the most obvious, pathetic conclusion. Why would you want to be a vessel for such tiresome, saccharine light? No… my purpose is far more interesting."
The gem pulsed again, and I felt a weird, probing sensation, like invisible fingers sifting through my thoughts.
"Let's see what we have here… Hakuto, age 29. Jobless. Lives alone in this dump. And your deepest desire… oh, this is just sad. Not money, not fame. You just want a woman, any woman, to look at you with something other than pity."
"You just want to be needed. To have control over something, anything, in your miserable life."
The voice wasn't sympathetic at all. It was just stating facts, cold and final.
"I'm not here to make you a hero. I'm here to give you what you actually want. I'll give you power. I'll give you them! Not as heroes, but as your playthings. Your willing, corrupted servants."
"Geez, you're a real piece of work, you shitty rock," I grumbled, though I wasn't really angry. The whole situation was just too bizarre.
"Fine. You know everything about me. I'll play along with your stupid game. I'm bored enough. What's next?"
I could almost feel the gem purring in my head, a low hum of satisfaction.
"Boredom… An excellent start. You'll find this 'stupid game' to be quite… engaging."
Suddenly, the gem in my hand grew warm, a pulsing heat that spread up my arm.
"The game begins now," the voice commanded. "There's one nearby. A rookie. She just finished her patrol and thinks she's all alone, basking in the city lights, drunk on her own self-importance."
A flood of information hit my brain, sharp and precise.
"Her name is Miki Aoyama," the gem's voice explained. "She calls herself Magical Heart Princess. And her deepest desire? Fame. She doesn't just want to be a hero; she wants to be a superstar. Merchandise, talk shows, the whole world screaming her name. Her good deeds are just a stepping stone for her vanity."
"She's on the roof of the Himawari Department Store, two blocks east. Go. Confront her. Let her see the new power in this city."
The gem's warmth intensified, and I felt a strength I'd never known coiling in my muscles.
"Fine, fine," I sighed, already walking in the direction the gem was guiding me. "So what do we do when we find her? Talk? Fight? They have powers, you know."
"Her power is a child's firework," the gem answered in my mind. "Loud, bright, and harmless against what you now possess. Don't be afraid. She should be afraid of you."
The Himawari Department Store loomed ahead, its cheerful sunflower logo looking weirdly out of place in the dark.
I found a locked service door on the side of the building. As I reached for the handle, the gem pulsed. The lock clicked open.
"Here's the plan," the voice instructed. "First, you shatter her delusion. Use what I told you: her real name and her pathetic desire for fame. Strip away the greatest strength of a magical girl: her anonymity."
I walked through a dark storage area, up a concrete stairwell. My body, usually lazy and soft, moved with a new, unfamiliar ease.
"When her spirit breaks, her magic will weaken. Then, you subdue her. Don't kill her. She's more valuable to us… remade. I'll give you the means to restrain her. You just have to... want it."
I pushed open the heavy door at the top of the stairs and stepped out onto the gravel roof. The city glittered below.
And there she was.
Magical Heart Princess stood at the edge of the roof, her back to me. Her costume was a ridiculous mess of pink and white frills, with a skirt so short it was barely there. Long, bright pink pigtails drifted in the breeze.
"Ah, another night protecting the innocent..." she sighed dramatically, staring out at the city like an actress in a movie. "The burden of a hero is heavy, but one I shall bear with a smile!"
She hadn't noticed me.
A smirk spread across my face. I felt a surge of confidence from the power buzzing inside me. "Pretty high on yourself, aren't you, Miki? Or should I say, Miss Heart Princess?"
The girl flinched like she'd been slapped. Her whole body went stiff.
Slowly, she turned around. Her face was a mask of wide-eyed innocence, but it was cracking fast. The color drained from her cheeks. Her gaze darted from my face to the black gem on my chest, and her fear mixed with a flicker of disbelief.
"H-How... How do you know my name?" she stammered, taking a step back. "Who are you?! Stay back!"
She tried to raise her heart-shaped wand, but her hand was shaking. Her heroic pose was gone, replaced by the raw fear of a kid who just found out the monster under the bed is real, and it knows her name.
"Not so confident anymore, huh? Must be a rookie," I said out loud. In my head, I asked, "Hey, stupid rock, what now?"
The gem on my chest didn't answer with words. It just pulsed with dark energy. A wet, tearing sound ripped through the back of my shirt, and I felt a weird, unnatural pressure.
Four thick, glistening black tentacles burst from my back. They weren't flesh, but some kind of solid, writhing shadow, slick and pulsating with a faint red light.
Magical Heart Princess let out a choked, terrified scream. It wasn't a battle cry; it was the sound of a kid seeing a real monster for the first time.
"M-Monster! What are you?!"
She scrambled backward, tripping over her own feet and falling onto the rooftop with a pathetic yelp. Her frilly skirt hiked up, showing her pink panties, and she hastily pulled it down, her face a mess of tears and terror. She pointed her trembling wand at me, a tiny pink light gathering at its tip.
"H-Heartful... S-Shine!"