There's one side effect of regression that most people don't talk about: the energy. Miki had always thought the hyperness of the zapped kids was due to too much sugar, but it was more likely the boundless energy that was now stuck in a tiny body. Miki could barely sleep the night before, they just wanted to run and run and run...
When they heard the alarm go off, they jumped right out of bed. At least now they had an excuse to be loud and energised.
"ROSA ROSA ROSA! LOOK AT WHAT HAPPENED LAST NIGHT!" They almost shook the child out of bed.
"What hap-" She opened her eyes, and saw a preteen glaring at her. "Those pills are really working, huh?"
"No, this was uh, an accident I think. But I look so cute now!" They ran over to the doorframe, where they'd been marking their heights. Miki had lost a few inches since last morning, and was now almost Rosa's height. They knew they were short, but they didn't wanna be that short.
They slipped on a sundress, washed their face, and ran out the door - almost forgetting Rosa. Hand in hand, they made their way to the dining hall.
---
For breakfast, Miki got the same thing that Rosa did: a bowl of sugary cereal in strawberry milk. Miki thought that it would be too sweet for them, but it actually tasted amazing. They felt even more hyper than before.
Today Rosa was sitting with some other friends - the young couple of Calce and Zitrona. Miki had known them when they were still Gabe and Sabrina, but there was little resemblance. Calce was talking about how he'd saved a bunch of people that were magically transfoemed into teddy-bear-slaves.
Miki thought it was just another outrageous story; they were more shocked at how engaging she was. It was like talking to someone their own age...
They finished their bowl, grabbed their bag, and got going. They had to get to their own classes.
---
Psychology class was always a brief respite from their magical girl problems - most of the people there not being from Stonewood, so they weren't slowly turning into preteens.
The flip side is that they were one of the only people getting younger. They sank into their seat, trying not to notice, when Juri looked at them.
"You're so adorable! I love seeing you get into your femininity."
Juri was a magical girl trainee, and she was taking the process in stride. She wore a low cut top and high heals, and she even invested in a purple wig until her real hair came in.
"Do you wanna go shopping later? My boyfriend's being a drag, and I'd hate to have to go out alone."
"Yeah, sure. I'd love to." Miki hated being around Juri, but Sammie said they had to get out more, so what the hell.
They tried to listen to the lecture, but their leg kept on shaking. Miki needed to do some exercise, they needed to do some fencing... How else were they gonna protect Sammie?
Miki tried to focus on taking notes on some experiment or another, but they caught themself drawing in the margins. The drawing had short, messy hair, a full chest of armor, and a skirt that reached below the ankles, covered in chain mail. A magical girl ready for combat.
Mid-class, they stepped outside, and found the biggest stick lying on the ground. Rhey started going through the motions. Draw, on guard, stab, slice, sheath. They were gonna be the best fighter. Draw, on guard, stab, slice, sheath. They would protect Sammie and Rosa and everyone else. Draw, on guard, stab, slice, sheath. They would -
They nearly hit the Dean, who was passing by. "Miki?"
"Y-yeah?"
"Can you come with me?" The dean sounded anxious. They were pretty sure they were gonna get in trouble.
When the two had gotten to her office, the dean leaned into Miki.
"How are you? Like, mentally?"
"I'm fine, I've felt a lot better since I - y'know - that accident."
"Do you still feel like yourself? I notice you're wearing a dress - "
"That's unrelated." They paused. "Are you feeling alright, Miss Dean?"
"Call me Susie. And, to be fair... I don't think I do. I think the Authority changed me." Miki stared at the dean's short stature and pigtails. "Like, mentally. I feel like a different person.
"I can't focus on anything, I'm losing taste for the things I like, I feel so cruel. It's like I've become my own daughter."
"I know how that feels. Do you have like... visions? Seeing yourself as a magical girl, all that?"
"No, nothing like that..."
"Susie, let me ask you something. What did you study at university?" She thought back.
"Russian literature, I think..."
"Who wrote, uh, that story about blackberries"
"That was Chekhov, and it was actually about gooseberries. He got it published in Russian Voice in 1898." She responded instantly.
"What kind of little girl knows that off the top of her head?" Miki booped her own the nose. "I remember hearing that they need you to think like a little girl, because they have like, the best morals or something. But all the power and morality is useless without your intelligence."
Miki walked towards the door. "And Sally, if you ever wanna come over and watch cartoons, I'm always free."
---
Juri had dragged them to a dress shop, where she needed to find the right dress to show off her (nonexistent) chest. While she was in the dressing room, taking forever, Miki made her way to a bench where she could read some youth novel they'd grabbed from the library.
They were shocked to find, exactly where they were gonna sit, a familiar bunny girl, reading the same book as they were.
"Ana?"
"Miki! Didn't think I'd see you here. Did you get dragged here too?"
"Yeah, Juri needed some moral support"
"I'm here with my girlfriend, I'm buying her whatever dress she likes."
"Who's your girlfriend?"
"Oh, it's Ashley... You wouldn't know her, she's not in the program."
"I'm glad you two are making it work - " They both heard Juri storm out of the dressing room.
"Miki, how does this make me look?" The dress was black, and clung closely to her body. She was a brick, no curves to speak of.
Knowing that the sooner she found a dress, the sooner they'd leave and the sooner Juri'd buy them dinner, they said that it was "lovely" and "sooo sexy".
Right as Juri had made her way to checkout, Ana ran up to them. She said, out of breath, "doyallwannagoouttoeatwithmeandashley"
It took Juri a moment to parse it out, but she responded with a "Sure!"
---
It was so weird seeing Ashley and Ana as a couple. Ashley was beautiful, almost 6 feet tall, wearing a dress that accentuated her breasts an bright red lipstick. She was sitting right next to Anacostia, a ~13 year old bunny girl with a dress that made her look like a baby doll, and she was going in on some mac and cheese. Ashley kissed Ana on the cheek, seemingly not noticing that it was covered in cheese sauce.
Miki got up from their chair. "I'm going to the bathroom." They grabbed Ana by the sleeve. "Come with."
When they got to the bathroom, Ana started cleaning her face. "You know, I might start growing in fur - "
"Ana's taking advantage of you."
"And?"
"She doesn't respect you, she's just taking your money."
"And? If money is what it takes to date a college girl, then I'll pay up."
"You need a partner who's on the same level as you. What do the two of you even talk about?"
"Not much..." Ana looked away from the mirror, facing Miki. "Why do you care? Do you want to take her from me?"
"It's not that, it's... I care about my friends, and you need a partner that loves you."
"I'll keep that in mind." She angrily walked out of the bathroom, resolved to prove her girlfriend's love. When she sat down, she turned to Ashley.
"Have you ever thought about becoming a magical girl? It's got a lot of benefits, and I could help you with studying!"
"Yeah, maybe, but I was gonna focus on my music..." She thought to herself for a minute. "I didn't know when to tell you this, but don't freak out. I feel like we should break up."
"What? Why?'
"You're a little girl! You feel more like a baby sister than a boyfriend. I really hope you understand."
"I think I get it, but why didn't you tell me sooner?"
"I dunno... you were already going through a lot..."
---
Anacostia sat in the back seat, right next to Miki.
"Sorry about that earlier, I should've seen it coming." Ana had mostly stopped crying.
"I'm just looking out for you man. You just need to make more magical girl friends."
"Like you!"
"Yeah, like me."
Juri peeked back at them. "You mind if I turn on the radio?" The kids responded with 'sure's. Juri switched on the radio, which played some generic upbeat pop music. Neither Ana or Miki would've ever listened to this music in their old life, but now they were singing along.
Ana, Miki, and Juri all had a great Friday night.