Dave felt uneasy as he was picked up by Hailey while Hoshi followed Himari as if it was a cat trained to follow its owner.
Something that Dave felt would surely draw attention even though no one paid it any mind.
Which made him wonder if he flew after Hailey if that would attract as much attention as Hoshi was attracting now, namely none at all.
When they reached the alley, Himari turned to face Hailey and grasped her bracelet on her right wrist, which Dave hadn’t noticed until that moment, which made him briefly wonder if Soul Gems were made so it wasn’t easy to notice them unless your attention was drawn directly to it.
“Spreading Wings!” Himari called out, making Dave feel like it should make someone look into the alley to see what was going on, out of curiosity if nothing else.
However, as Himari started to transform, he felt his eyes trapped on her.
Her clothing faded away as if it had been an illusion, leaving her completely naked for a brief moment before a twin pair of iridescent, transparent wings sprouted from behind her, around the middle of her back, and then folded over Himari to cover her, leaving her navel completely exposed.
The upper wings covered her chest and shoulders in a crisscross fashion while the lower wings covered her hips and upper thighs in the same fashion before both pairs vanished leaving behind an electric blue dress with a skirt that barely covered Himari’s upper thighs but also included a pair of shorts under them.
Next her hair lengthened so it almost touched her ankles, taking on an a bright blue color while a pair of electric blue boots grew over her feet as if they were being printed on as her eyes turned a bright green color.
Then a pair of platinum earrings grew out of the base of her ears, the charm hanging from the earrings a pair of stars.
With the finishing touch being her bracelet turning into a gauntlet on her right hand that left a gemstone of a bright yellow over the back of her wrist.
“My codename is Dragonfly,” Himari told Hailey when her transformation was complete.
“Now it’s your turn to transform.” Hailey took a deep breath, looking embarrassed to have seen Himari transform, which made Dave wonder if she realized that she’d be that exposed when she transformed.
Something that Dave wondered if he really should be watching.
After all, both of these girls were underage and he was an adult man.
He shouldn’t be watching this.
Even though it was in public and broad daylight, he felt like he should be trying to get them to find someplace private to transform.
If only because of his embarrassment from seeing them transform.
Yet as Hailey started her transformation, he couldn’t help but feel his gaze drawn to her like he was a chunk of iron and she was a magnet.
“Crystal Soul Shatter,” Hailey said, almost as if she was bored as she gripped her pendant.
This time, Dave got a full view of her transformation, including when her clothing disappeared, her breasts shrank, as if being ‘ungrown’ before flattening out when crystals started forming over her body, starting at her navel until they encompassed Hailey from her hips to her neck and shoulders.
Then in a flash they disappeared, leaving her in a dress that left her shoulders bare and neck half-covered, sleeves that started from the middle of her upper arm to her elbow, where they flared out before extending to the middle of her forearm.
Her skirts flared at her hips and extended down to her mid-thigh, the upper skirt a deep purple with gold embroidery and pockets over each hip covered with gold thread while the lower skirt was a mixture of pinks, purples, and whites.
Boots appeared one her feet, much like Himari’s boots grew on her feet, but these almost looked like they were made out of a kind of flexible crystal.
Then her eyes took on a purple hue as her hair grew in length until it reached down to her legs and took on a lilac color with the tips taking on shades of purple and pink.
While the center of her chest grew a blue gemstone set in gold.
After Hailey finished transforming, she shifted her stance, as if she expected Himari to attack right away.
“What’s your codename?” Himari asked.
“Codename?” Hailey echoed, unsure what Himari was getting at.
“Come on, you should know what your codename is, even if this was your first time transforming.
Just like the words you needed to transform.” Haiely looked at Dave as if she thought he might have the answer.
Dave could only shrug because he really hadn’t heard anything about codenames from the voice before it declared that his ‘tutorial’ was complete and left.
Which suddenly made Dave wonder if the voice had sensed Himari arriving, or at least getting close to Rock Lake City, which was why it took off.
“Look, just open your mouth and say what it is.
You’ll know it as it comes out, okay?” Himari said, looking like she was starting to get impatient.
Hailey took a deep breath and opened her mouth, looking like she was nervous and expected to not have anything come out.
Yet, what she said was simply, “Crystal Flower.” Himari nodded, as if she was satisfied.
“So, Crystal Flower, let’s see what you can do against a magical girl of my level.” “Bring it on, Himari,” Hailey said, looking determined to meet whatever came her way.
Yet, at that moment, Himari stopped, nearly tripping over herself as she forced herself to stop at the same moment she was about to begin.
“No.
I’m not ‘Himari’.
I’m Dragonfly,” Himari corrected.
Dave looked between the two magical girls and wondered if the codename was more than just a measure to protect their identities.
He couldn’t help but wonder if there was a purpose that he just didn’t understand right then.
“I’m Dragonfly.
Codenames are as much a part of a magical girl as their soul gem is,” Hoshi remarked, as if reading Dave’s mind.
“Calling them by their codename while they’re transformed is one aspect that allows them to use their powers.
Besides, it also helps us keep our real identities a secret from our enemies that could always be watching us when we don’t realize it.” Dave wasn’t sure he fully understood, but he was still just learning about how all this worked.
So, he didn’t really worry too much about it right then.
Although, he did worry that he might not be able to do much with that knowledge if Dragonfly and Hoshi decided to eliminate him for breaking that taboo they mentioned, regardless of the fact that he hadn’t even been aware of such a taboo when he’d broken it.