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⬅️ Previous capture (2024-03-21)
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(original prompt: "magical enby who bought out a disappearing shop's entire supply of magic items")
Of course I noticed that the local businesses seemed to be going through a bit of a trying time. On the drive to school every day, when we passed the shops, I'd see this or that new trendy shop that I'd heard chatter about at school, and mention to my driver that we ought to stop by on the weekend—but then it would be gone!
"That's what happens when you chase trends to make a quick buck," Papa said over dinner, shaking his head. "Steady income and careful investing is the key." And I nodded, because of course—he and Mama have made sure my education has been impeccable on all manner of things, including business and economics.
Even so, I was quite surprised while out with a couple of friends that even a well-worn, venerable-looking establishment seemed to be going out of business. I peered in—it was off the way that I usually went with the girls from school, so I wasn't entirely sure what sort of shop it was.
And would you know, it was very charming! Although I didn't see any proprietor, there were all sorts of interesting, very unique items—decks of what looked like tarot cards, ornate necklaces and earrings, cute pens, leather-bound books. I supposed it must have been a pawn shop or occult store or the like, and got *so* absorbed in my browsing that when the woman running the place tapped me on the shoulder, I admit that I nearly jumped out of my skin.
She was very pleasant, though, and admitted it had been rather hard times for business recently. Hardly any nice young people stopping in, she said, but everything's at a discount, and she'll throw in something for free, even. I was in a sympathetic mood, and I'd just gotten my allowance, so when I asked how much it would be for the lot of it and she named a very reasonable price, I made a bit of a snap decision and took, well. All of it.
...well, Mama and Papa were away on business, anyway. They didn't have to know.
The woman seemed a bit at a loss at first, and I imagine it wasn't at all what she expected, but I reassured her multiple times that I did really want to buy all of it and that it wasn't really a problem for me—she was so modest and the store was so cute! It just seemed a shame. So after a bit she agreed that she'd have it all delivered later today, once she got it all in boxes, and thanked me for my business. And gave me her card, in case I needed it regarding any questions about the purchases.
At the time, I didn't think much of that, although I thought I might look her up in a while to see if she'd opened anything new. But now, well, I'm reconsidering. Because—
Because, there's a bit of a squabble going on in my bedroom, you see, among a great many small fantastical creatures. A talking bird is pointing its wing very adamantly at a floating stuffed animal, which is gesticulating wildly. A winged cat with glittering blue-black fur is pacing back and forth on my bed and hissing at the miniature jet-black capybara glowering up at it; a set of glowing keys circles around my head.
"Er," I say, and none of them even look at me. I clear my throat. "*Ahem*."
Nothing. I think some more of them have arrived? I'm really going to have to nip this in the bud. I stand, taking a deep breath, and then yell, as loud as I can, "*QUIET!*"
The floating stuffed animal wastes no time. "As the master of the Oracle Deck, you're direly needed as the High Priestess to fight the Reverse Kingdom—"
"Never mind that!" the cat snaps. "The Celestial Decorations chose them, and without a Sky Warden we're absolutely fu—"
"Language," says the capybara, serenely, and the cat growls at it. "If you may, I believe we all have an appeal to present to you. My own home of the Yuzu Kingdom is under threat, and a prophecy led us to you, who selected the Citrus Wand—"
"How did *everything* choose them?" the bird mutters, anxiously plucking at its feathers. "We can't all time-share a magical guardian. *No* one could fight all these things at once."
I frown, and then lean over to my school bag to get my planner, leafing through it. Of course, I have a lot of extracurriculars on my schedule, but I'm already good at juggling those. And with a number of genuine magic items... wouldn't that potentially make it even easier?
"Hang on," I say, getting what turns out to be the Yuzu Wand to write with. "We're going to take turns, and I'm going to need as much detail as possible about what you need me to do, and what I'll be able to do with these powers. Because I already have what's probably the rarest power of all—
"Time management."
And that's how Magic Universal Friend Makoto was born.