Chapter 144 – Spice's Formal Wear Has Been Delivered!

Once thе Stаmpedе and Ikarugа Grаnd Тhаnksgiving Fеstivаl ended, thе yeаr’s еnd arrivеd in thе blink оf аn еyе.

Onlу two daуs rеmаinеd in the yеar.

Оn Decembеr 30th, а delivery arrivеd frоm Inukai Tama.

“Last wоrk dеlivery of the yеаr!”

“Ah, thank уou fоr уоur hаrd work!”

What I recеived was а сеlebratоrу rеd-and-white Sрice fоrmal kimono feаturing Shirоko’s imagе!

Sо cutе.

“Ahhh, this is adоrable, absоlutelу аdorable!”

“Right? I put quite а lot оf еffоrt into it! It’s а masterрiесe pаckеd with thе vеrу еssenсе оf cutеnеss from within me—please give it a try!”

“Thank you! This is really something wonderful~”

And so, I received this amazing item.

Until now, transformations had relied on the Metamorphose Fragment, depending entirely on Spice’s imagination.

But Virtualize was completely different.

“Hohou, shall we see what these human-made outfits are capable of? Little Floppy!”

“Yes, Sister. Preparations are complete. Master, please chant ‘Virtualize.'”

“Okay, Virtualize!”

I was already in Spice Mode and had been chatting with Ms. Inukai and Zakko.

Thanks to that, things moved quickly.

Surrounded by the Grimoires’ watchful gazes, Spice was enveloped in electronic light!

The transformation was complete in an instant.

Whoa—a maid-style formal kimono!

The black parts were accented with red, giving it a very celebratory feel!

The obi was a huge red ribbon.

Even from the front, you could see the ribbon on the back making a bold, dramatic statement.

“Wah-wah-wah!”

“Wha-what a daring design…!!”

“Is this the power of human creativity?!”

“Magic tends to settle into more realistic forms, after all. Well, if it’s the sea, such forms might… be acceptable!”

The Grimoires seemed completely won over by Ms. Inukai.

Virtualize involves turning illustrations into real forms, and when you’re a Streamer, you transform with magical power.

Its persuasiveness toward Grimoires must be exceptional.

By the way, tomorrow, from New Year’s Eve, we plan to stream with the Four Guys.

The four of us will venture into Virtual Space, enjoy the year’s end, and celebrate the New Year.

I’m sure everyone will be surprised.

Spice grinned and returned to his original form.

“I used to think humans weren’t much, but I’ve had many preconceptions overturned… The advancement of civilization is truly fearsome.”

“Really. Lately, Flota’s become a bit more humble, huh?”

“Well, of course! One unbelievable thing after another keeps happening. It really feels like now is the time for the fusion of Magic and science. Things that take too much time and effort with Magic can be done in an instant with science. Things that cost too much with science can be done in an instant with Magic~”

“Wow, flexible thinking!”

“Absolutely, as a Grimoire of the new era!”

“Master! What can that form from earlier dooo?”

“Ah, we didn’t check its abilities! Well then, let’s test it out a bit in the Otherworld.”

Heading to our home’s direct route to the Otherworld, I Virtualized into the formal kimono mode again!

Let’s see~?

Avatars exhibit different powers depending on the person wearing them.

They reflect the wearer’s magical talents, traits, or what fans expect from them, sometimes granting truly supernatural abilities.

In Spice’s case…

“Whoa! The ribbon grows bigger and I can fly!”

“Even without using levitation Magic! Hmm, this is wind Magic. Flight through flapping.”

“Even though the wind Grimoire hasn’t arrived yet, I’ve acquired wind Magic…”

“That happens. It’s quite common. Plus, Fragments have been trickling in here and there, so we can start making use of those soon!”

“Since when…?!”

“Fragments naturally gather around those with Magic Power! Until now, we Grimoires managed them individually.”

The four of them showed me the Fragments they’d tucked away, going “Ta-daa!”

Wh-wha-what?!

But well, since there are many slightly convenient everyday Magics, if Spice started managing them, the amount of information would be overwhelming! …So the Grimoires are handling it for us.

So grateful.

“Of course, the database is stored within this Floppy, Master.”

“Our Floppy is becoming more and more capable…”

“Little Floppy is my sister, after all!”

“She’s an excellent sister! I’ll teach her every skill I have!”

“Yeah, yeah, she absorbs everything and is so obedient… truly a good kid.”

“I only cared about the sea before, but having a sister is really nice, huh?”

The Grimoires were completely smitten.

From there, Spice tested the Avatar’s power while also checking how the Fragments felt to use.

“Hoho, Snare Magic that trips opponents… What!? If mastered, it can trip opponents whether they’re on wheels, tracks, or hovercraft!?”

“It’s the concept of tripping, after all~. Though it requires many Fragments!”

“This one is… phantom sound Magic… It can only produce meaningless sounds, but the more Fragments you collect, the more sounds you can make… You could become a one-person choir.”

Fragments have high collectibility.

Some even Power-up the current Grimoires.

For example, the bestowal Fragment allows Ignite’s flames to reside within objects…

“Convenient, convenient!”

“Master’s outfit is convenient too. What’s with the sleeves extending into tentacles?”

“It’s unfair to do that without using the sea’s Retinue~!”

“They’re cute-style tentacles! Ahahaha! This formal kimono is high-function too!”

I was already looking forward to tomorrow’s virtual New Year’s Eve celebration.