Chapter 10: Quantum Blues
Pink’s eyes began to rapidly blink, her pupils dilating as the caffeine and pure multiversal energy hit her bloodstream.
She whipped around, grabbing Alice squarely by the shoulders. With wide, manic eyes and a massive, uncharacteristic grin plastered across her face, she declared, "I CAN HEAR MY HEART SCREAMING AT MY POOR CHOICES!!"
Alice flinched, trying to steady herself. "Wha... why do you sound so...?"
She stopped mid-sentence because Pink had begun vibrating at such a terrifyingly high frequency that she literally turned into a pink blur.
Maya’s eyes lit up as she stared at the brown paper bag on the counter. "Hell yeah! Give me one of those!!"
Before she could reach out, Miss Marcy snatched the bag off the counter, pulling it close to her chest. Her protective teacher gaze never left the vibrating pink anomaly. "Actually... for everyone's safety, I am officially confiscating these..."
Suddenly, the pink color on her uniform began to peel away like a violent chemical reaction, dissolving into the air. Underneath the fading magenta, a stark, brilliant shade of electric blue began to bleed through.
The girl let out a breathless, ecstatic shriek.
"I can see probability and the heat death of the universe all at once! It is magnificent!!!"
When the intense vibration finally settled, the figure standing before them was completely transformed. She wore denim overalls over a light blue tank top, topped with a worn leather mechanic's hat fitted with high-tech goggles and magnifying lenses. She was still subtly vibrating in place, her feet tapping an anxious, hyperactive rhythm against the linoleum.
"I can actually taste my own words!" the blue girl announced proudly, smacking her lips. "They're regret-flavored!"
Suki stared at her, her face completely unreadable. "After what happened earlier with Red... I am no longer surprised. I am simply attempting to calculate what specific form of insanity she currently represents."
Completely deadpan. Completely Suki.
Across the breakroom, the gathered crowds of magical girls were huddling into the far corners, staring at Team 7-A in total shock and mounting horror.
Behind the counter, the vendor’s anime glasses literally cracked right down the center. "Wh... what!!?" she stammered, her cool-girl composure shattering completely. "Magical girls only have... ONE form! What the hell are you???!"
She caught herself, coughing nervously as she adjusted her broken glasses. "I... I apologize. That was highly unprofessional of me..."
The blue girl turned toward her, casually pulling off her leather hat in a polite bow. "Greetings, Vendor of Mystical Merch! I am Blue... extremely nice to meet you!"
The vendor blinked, slowly looking over at Team 7-A. "Does she just... call herself whatever color she happens to be at the time!?"
Alice let out a long, exhausted sigh. "Yeah..."
Suki nodded grimly. "Basically."
Maya shrugged, leaning against the counter. "Honestly, it's just way faster."
From the doorway, Riley finally stepped inside, having succumbed to her curiosity. Hearing the commotion, she looked past the squad, her eyes locking onto Blue. "Did you say something... about probability?" her voice was quiet, shy, but deeply intrigued.
Blue whipped around, letting out a loud gasp. "YES!!"
Her eyes widened, and without any warning, her posture shifted as if she had just stepped onto a Broadway stage.
“Energy cannot be created...!” she belted out in perfect pitch.
“...!”
“Only transformed from state to staaate~♪”
The entire room froze dead in their tracks, staring at her in absolute, stunned silence.
Blue closed her eyes, swaying gracefully to her own internal tempo.
“Quantum fields are everywhere, particles appear in paaaairs~♪”
“The observer changes measured states~♪”
Alice took a hesitant step forward, her hands hovering nervously. "Blue...?"
“Hydrogen has one proton~♪”
Blue paused, her eyes snapping open as her face flushed a deep, embarrassed blue. "...Sorry," she squeaked out, "...I'm having a lot of trouble stopping."