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[jura_k]

Итак, свершилось! Вышла в свет очередная книга, написанная искусственным интеллектом. Автор книги - я. Я давал советы ИИ, что и как сочинять, а ИИ сочинял текст и рисунки. После этого это творение я отправил в типографию, где за него взялись специалисты. Литературный редактор основательно переработал текст. Дизайнер-иллюстратор создал обложку. Верстальщик сделал готовый макет. Ну и наконец, печатник отпечатал тираж 40 экземпляров. Результат этой работы вы видите на фотографиях.
Тираж пришел по почте.
Ну а теперь - раздача слонов! Я являюсь спонсором тольяттинской аниме-библиотеки, и большая часть тиража уйдет в подарок библиотекам. Ну и друзьям кое-что подарю.

PS. Итак, книжки я раздал. В числе призеров: пять сотрудниц. По пять книжек - две в детские библиотеки города Тольятти. По три книжки - в центральные библиотеки города. И еще родной школе, где я учился. Пусть знают, кого выучили!

[олух царя небесного]

[jura_k]

а) Вообще-то гораздо лучше, когда дети туда ходят.
б) Но увы. Их ходит как-то не очень много.
в) Эту книгу ещё надо отыскать... Там о-о-очень много толстых книг. Всё зависит от того, куда её поставят.

[олух царя небесного]

jura_k, в жизни детей и так полно бездушного. А тут ещё и электронная проза...

[jura_k]

Над этим произведением работал 1 ИИ и 4 человека, включая меня. Причём у меня была руководящая роль.

[олух царя небесного]

jura_k

[SWS]

[jura_k]

[jura_k]

- - - - - - - - - - -
Я почему и создал эту тему на данном форуме - во-первых, тут сидят творческие люди, которые пилят что-то своё.
Во-вторых, магии и аниме тут хоть отбавляй.

[SWS]

[jura_k]

[Strannick610]

Может jura_k просто последователь Джеффа Кунса.

[SWS]

[SWS]

[jura_k]

Check! Молодец!
Ведь можешь же, когда захочешь.
Кстати, про Волчу знаешь, с сайта mikupa ru? Мы с ним как бы на одном сайте были... Когда-то... Это сайт, посвященный вокалоидам от его авторства. Он и сейчас вроде работает.

По крайней мере, его радио, с этого сайта, до сих пор в эфире.

Добавлено спустя 6 минут 10 секунд:

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Н-да... если бы без фансервиса, то можно было бы и в "приличной" группе опубликовать. Фансервис - это, конечно, приятно, но его не везде впихнешь.
Потому что в последние годы хороших работ на такую тематику - ну вообще ноль. Это я честно говорю. Нечего смотреть. Вот и приходится самому корпеть, придумывать... Но не очень получается.

Добавлено спустя 25 минут 11 секунд:

[jura_k]

Путь этой книжки довольно долог. Первым делом, когда появился ИИ, я рванул рисовать картинки. Занимался этим полгода. Потом обнаружил, что он может писать тексты. И понеслось...
Тексты бывают разные. Одна из возможностей - сочинять длинные истории, но там есть свои хитрости, чтобы текст получился РЕАЛЬНО длинным.
Потом мне пришло в голову, что сочинять можно не только 18+, но и что-нибудь пониже - например, 12+ или 16+.
Оба-на! А ведь это можно публиковать! И вот однажды в бессонную ночь мне пришла в голову идею сочинить что-нибудь этакое... Ну, например, про экзамен про магию пузырей. Пусть волшебницей будет Тохо. (А ведь девушка Тохо реально не существует? Или нет? Не нашел.)
Ну и чтобы читать было не скучно, или чтобы можно было публиковать в аниме-пабликах, нарисую-ка я картинки. С тем же самым ИИ.

Потом появилась идея второй части. Это было сложнее. Пришлось ввести учительницу. Как её зовут? И тут я вспомнил... Мне когда-то приснилось это имя. Благозвучное. Клиндерелла. Отлично, вставлю-ка я её сюда.
На свет появилась вторая часть.
Пришлось придумать и развязку истории. Всё было не так просто.

Потом на помощь пришла реклама. "Печать книги от 1 экземпляра!" Ну надо же. А сколько мне надо? Может, 10 экземпляров? Постепенно дошел до 40.
Тут помог мой опыт работы в типографии. Я там был и упаковщиком, и электронщиком, и верстальщиком, и с редакторами знаком. Так что процесс представлял вполне четко.
Но не просто так. Я же еще и спонсор тольяттинской аниме-библиотеки. Так что нести есть куда. Продавать своё творение я изначально не собирался, сделал его бесплатным.

И вот, когда всё было закончено, в конце прошлого года я получил свой тираж. Небольшая такая пачка - пожалуй, меньше по размеру любого из моих заказов в аниме-магазинах. 40 экземпляров.
И началась беготня. Ведь тираж надо еще и раздать. Сначала 5 сотрудниц. Потом, чтобы не запутаться сам, пошел в библиотеки. В общем, пошел, пообщался с библиотекарями. Заглянул в свою родную школу, которую закончил много лет назад. Им тоже подарил.

[jura_k]

Процесс работы над очередным изданием.

[Strannick610]

[jura_k]

Похоже, у Льюиса Кэрола сказка похуже... Какие вредные советы там даются. Пить неизвестное вещество.
Не помню, правда, что там дальше было.

[Strannick610]

[jura_k]

Нормальные идеи кончились,
поэтому переделал всё то же самое из мыльных пузырей в воздушные шары. Читайте на здоровье.

Anime girl Tohou, a student of Lunar academy, went into library. Earlier, her sensei Clinderella said: "To pass intermediate exam, you must choose theme that you like". Tohou noticed a thin book among thick volumes on a shelf of library. She picked this thin book. "Hm-m-m..." - said Tohou. - "Balloon magic. It should be interesting. Beautiful. And safe."

"Balloon magic? Seriously?" Tohou muttered under her breath, flipping through the pamphlet-sized book. Its faded cover showed a simple sketch of a floating sphere. Around her, towering shelves groaned under ancient spellbooks bound in dragonhide and star-metal. The air smelled of dust and old paper.

She traced a finger over the handwritten title. Most students at Lunar Academy chased lightning storms or shadow manipulation for their intermediate exams. Something flashy. Impressive. Balloon magic sounded like a child's birthday trick.

Her sensei Clinderella's advice echoed. *Choose what sparks genuine curiosity, not applause.* Tohou tucked the slender volume under her arm. Its pages felt strangely warm against her skin.

She found Hana hunched over a bubbling cauldron in the Practical Applications alcove. Hana's usual vibrant pink hair was tied back severely, her brow furrowed as she adjusted a complex array of glowing crystals. "Hana!" Tohou called softly, not wanting to disrupt the delicate energy flow. Her classmate jumped, nearly knocking over a vial of shimmering liquid. "Tohou! You startled me. What's up?"

Tohou held up the thin book. "Balloon magic. For my intermediate exam." Hana blinked, wiping her hands on her apron. "Balloons? Like... party decorations?" Tohou nodded, a flicker of doubt crossing her face. "Sensei said to choose something I like. They seem... peaceful. But I need a partner for initial stabilization trials. The book mentions volatile air mixtures." She tapped a diagram showing intersecting streams of colored gas. "Help me?"

Hana peered at the diagram, her initial skepticism melting into intrigued calculation. She pushed her goggles onto her forehead, leaving a smudge. "Volatile air mixtures, huh? Okay, that sounds less like a birthday party and more like potential combustion. Interesting." She grinned, a spark of challenge lighting her eyes. "When do we start?"

They headed straight for the academy's secondary laboratory, a smaller, less imposing room filled with sturdy stone tables and basic elemental containment fields. Tohou carefully laid the thin book open on a workbench, its pages crackling faintly. From her satchel, she withdrew a small, unassuming paper packet. "First," she announced, her voice steady despite a flutter of nerves, "we must blow the balloons." She tipped the packet, and twenty small, deflated rubber spheres tumbled out, looking impossibly mundane against the magical apparatus.

Hana picked one up, stretching the thin material experimentally. "Just... blow them up? Like mundane children?" She sounded skeptical, but intrigued. Tohou nodded, selecting a pale blue balloon herself. "The book is very specific. The initial inflation must be purely physical, using our own breath. It establishes a baseline connection between the magician and the vessel." She took a deep breath, pinched the neck, and began to blow. The rubber expanded slowly, resisting at first, then yielding with a faint squeak.

The air in the lab grew thick with the sounds of exertion and the rhythmic squeaking of stretching rubber. Hana, cheeks puffed out, managed to inflate a bright red balloon to the size of her fist before it slipped, jetting air with a rude noise that made them both giggle. Tohou concentrated, her balloon swelling steadily into a perfect, translucent sphere the color of sky. She tied it off neatly, the knot small and tight. "Focus," she murmured, more to herself than Hana. "It's about control. Gentle, even pressure." She placed the finished balloon carefully on the stone tabletop, where it wobbled slightly.

Hana finally wrestled her red balloon into submission, tying it with a grunt. "Okay, okay, I get it. Not as easy as it looks." She watched as Tohou inflated a second blue one, then a soft yellow, her movements becoming smoother, more economical. Hana followed suit, managing a green and then a violet balloon, her initial clumsiness fading into a determined rhythm. The squeaks became less frequent, replaced by the soft rustle of the book's pages as Tohou occasionally glanced down for guidance. Five balloons – two blue, one red, one green, one violet – sat clustered on the cool stone surface, bobbing gently in the slight draft from the ventilation grille.

Tohou couldn't hold back a small, delighted gasp. She reached out, her fingers brushing the taut surface of her first blue balloon. It wobbled, nudging the red one beside it. A faint, prismatic shimmer danced across its surface, catching the light from the overhead glow-crystals. "Look, Hana!" Tohou whispered, her voice filled with pure, unguarded wonder. She gently tapped the blue balloon again, sending it bumping softly against the yellow one. The reflected lights intensified, tiny rainbows skittering across the smooth rubber and onto the stone table. A giggle escaped her as the yellow balloon bumped the green one in response, creating a chain reaction of soft collisions and dazzling, miniature light shows. Her earlier doubts vanished, replaced by the simple, visceral joy of creation and the unexpected beauty blooming from such humble materials.

Hana leaned forward, her earlier skepticism dissolving into genuine curiosity. She watched the interplay of light and motion, her analytical mind momentarily quieted. "Huh," she murmured, her gaze fixed on the rippling colors playing across the violet balloon. "That's... actually quite pretty." She didn't reach out to touch them herself, but her posture relaxed, a small, intrigued smile touching her lips as she observed Tohou's obvious delight. The mundane act of inflating rubber suddenly felt imbued with a strange, nascent magic.

Tohou, still smiling, scooped up the thin book, its worn cover cool against her palm. She flipped to the first practical exercise, her eyes scanning the handwritten instructions. "Well," she announced, her voice bright with anticipation, "What should we do now?" She found the section quickly. "Exercise 1: Make balloons stronger." She focused intently on the cluster of bobbing spheres, her expression shifting to one of deep concentration as she whispered the simple incantation described – a low hum of syllables that vibrated faintly in the air. Nothing happened. The balloons continued their gentle wobble, unchanged. "Hm," Tohou frowned slightly, perplexed. She reached out and deliberately poked the nearest blue balloon with her index finger. It yielded slightly under the pressure but didn't pop, its surface dimpling then springing back smoothly. It felt no different than before.

Hana, watching Tohou's focused effort and the lack of visible result, raised an eyebrow. "Stronger? How? Did it work?" She leaned closer, peering at the balloon Tohou had poked. "Looks the same." She picked up her own red balloon, squeezing it experimentally. It felt like ordinary rubber. "Maybe it needs more oomph?" she suggested, her voice skeptical but willing. "Or a different approach?"

Tohou re-read the instructions, her brow furrowed. "It says the incantation is just the start. We need to... *impart* the strength." She closed her eyes, cupping her blue balloon gently in both hands. Instead of just whispering the words, she visualized the rubber thickening, becoming resilient like woven silk, picturing tiny threads of magic weaving into its structure. She hummed the incantation again, pouring her will into the image. This time, the balloon gave a faint, almost imperceptible *thrum* against her palms. When she opened her eyes and tapped it, the surface felt distinctly denser, resisting her finger with a new firmness. "Yes! Like that!" she exclaimed, her eyes sparkling. "It's about the *intent* woven into the sound!"

Hana watched, intrigued. "Alright, show me." She picked up her red balloon, mimicking Tohou's posture. She closed her eyes, her face scrunching in fierce concentration. "Stronger... tougher..." she muttered, humming the syllables. Her balloon pulsed once, a brief flash of crimson light flaring within it before subsiding. When she squeezed it, it felt slightly less yielding. "Huh. Okay, not bad." A competitive glint entered her eyes. "Now, what's next? Diminishing?"

Tohou flipped the page, her finger tracing a diagram showing a balloon shrinking to marble-size. "Exercise 2: Controlled Diminution. It says to visualize the air condensing... pulling inward." She focused on her blue balloon, whispering a new, softer incantation. The sphere trembled, wobbling violently for a second before abruptly collapsing in on itself with a faint *hiss*, shrinking down to a perfect, dense sphere no larger than a grape. It sat on the stone, impossibly small and heavy-looking. "Whoa!" Hana breathed, leaning in. "That's... efficient." She immediately tried on her red balloon, her incantation sharper. Hers shrank too, but jerked erratically before stabilizing at cherry-size. "Tricky," she grunted, poking the tiny, dense orb.

Enlargement proved even more demanding. Tohou concentrated on her shrunken blue balloon, humming the reversal incantation while picturing space unfolding within it. The tiny sphere shuddered, then began expanding with agonizing slowness, air rushing in with a low whistle until it regained its original size, looking slightly strained. Hana's attempt was explosive; her cherry-sized balloon inflated rapidly, ballooning past its original size to nearly twice as large before she choked off the flow with a gasp. It hovered, taut and quivering, looking ready to burst. "Okay," Hana conceded, wiping her brow, "subtlety required. Got it." They practiced diligently, the air filled with soft hisses, whistles, and the occasional startled yelp as a balloon resisted or overreacted.

But Tohou won't stop. She liked that. She applied the spell of enlarging again and again, until all five balloons become larger her and almost transparent. "Hey, Tohou... what are you doing?" - asked Hana. "I... just practice," - said Tohou.

The balloons pulsed with each whispered incantation, swelling steadily until they dwarfed Tohou herself. Their stretched rubber became gossamer-thin, near-invisible except for faint rainbow shimmers dancing across their surfaces. They crowded the stone table, pressing against each other with soft, elastic groans, filling the alcove with distorted light. Hana took a step back, her eyes wide. "Tohou, stop. They look ready to—"

"I'm almost there," Tohou murmured, her voice distant. She traced the air near the largest balloon, a pale blue behemoth. Her fingertip left a trail of shimmering motes that sank into the rubber. The balloon inhaled another impossible breath, its surface tightening like a drumhead. Hana flinched as the air pressure shifted, making her ears pop. The other balloons strained against their invisible bonds, vibrating with pent-up energy.

"Whoa!" Tohou gasped, a sudden grin breaking across her face. She snatched the dangling strings – thin, almost invisible threads – and gathered them into one thick, trembling bunch. "Look at this!" The clustered balloons formed a massive, wobbling sphere of light above her head, each one a giant soap bubble reflecting fractured rainbows across the stone walls and ceiling. They bumped and jostled against each other with hollow *thoomp* sounds, sending cascades of color rippling through the lab. But when Tohou stopped moving, her arms trembling from the effort of holding them, the entire bunch lurched downwards with startling speed. The strings pulled taut in her grip, yanking her off balance. She stumbled forward a step, barely catching herself as the giant balloons settled heavily just inches above the stone floor, their bottoms flattening slightly against the cool surface.

Hana stared, her earlier apprehension replaced by fascination. "They're... too heavy," she observed, stepping closer. She tapped the nearest balloon – a shimmering violet giant – with a cautious finger. It gave a deep, resonant *bong* that vibrated through the floor. "All that air you pumped in," she continued, her gaze sharpening as she assessed the physics, "it's dense. They're like... sky boulders. Beautiful, but grounded." She circled the cluster, her brow furrowed. "The lift incantation you used just counteracted their weight enough to hover briefly. It wasn't true flight."

"We must make them *fly*!" Tohou exclaimed, her eyes burning with renewed determination. She frantically flipped through the thin book, her fingers trembling slightly. "Here! The *Aerion Ascendus*!" Ignoring Hana's warning glance, Tohou took a deep breath, focused her will, and spoke the complex, fluting syllables. The air crackled. All five balloons shuddered violently, then, with a collective sigh of displaced air, lifted off the stone floor. They rose jerkily, bumping against each other with loud, deep *THOOM* sounds that echoed in the small lab. They drifted upwards in a loose, wobbling cluster, their immense, near-transparent forms casting distorted, shifting rainbows across every surface.

Tohou looked at balloons. But she wanted more. Blow more balloons and repeat all from the beginning? No! She had an idea.

She flipped through the thin book with feverish intensity, pages rustling like dry leaves. Her eyes scanned faded diagrams and cramped script, dismissing stabilization charms and density modifiers. "Yes! That is it." Her finger stabbed a page titled in looping, almost manic script: *Lunatic Mode*. The accompanying sketch showed a balloon pulsing with chaotic, jagged energy lines. Ignoring Hana's sharp intake of breath, Tohou drew herself up, took a deep breath, and pronounced the spell's guttural, dissonant syllables: "*Vexus Lunare!*"

The effect was instantaneous and jarring. The five hovering giants *snapped* rigid, their near-transparent surfaces instantly hardening like polished crystal. Rainbows fractured across their surfaces with blinding intensity, throwing sharp-edged shards of colored light that stung the eyes. They began to vibrate violently, emitting a low, teeth-rattling hum. Then, they moved. Not drifting, but jerking erratically through the air – up, down, sideways – colliding with each other and the stone walls with sharp, resonant *cracks* like billiard balls made of glass. Hana ducked as a violet behemoth ricocheted off the ceiling and shot past her ear.

A bright red balloon slammed hard into Tohou’s pale blue one. Instead of bouncing apart, they fused on impact with a blinding flash and a sound like tearing silk. Where they touched, the colors swirled violently, crimson and azure churning together. Then, abruptly, a new balloon materialized between them – identical in size, but a vibrant, swirling purple, born from the collision. It pulsed with unstable energy, immediately joining the chaotic dance. Hana stared, frozen, as a green balloon careened into the yellow one. Another flash, another tearing sound, and a sickly chartreuse orb burst into existence. "Tohou!" Hana yelled over the din. "Stop them! They're multiplying!"

Tohou watched, mesmerized, as the purple balloon collided with the chartreuse one. Another flash, another violent fusion, and a deep, bruised indigo balloon erupted into the fray. The air thickened with the hum of vibrating crystal and the sharp *crack-crack-crack* of impacts. Five became six, then seven, then ten. The confined space of the secondary lab was suddenly choked with giant, hardened balloons, each collision potentially spawning another. They ricocheted off the walls, the ceiling, the workbenches, their jagged paths leaving trails of fractured light. Hana ducked behind a stone table as a violet balloon shattered a rack of empty glass beakers with a deafening crash. "They're not stopping!" she screamed, her voice raw. "They're breeding!"

The number of balloons was about fifteen. Or, maybe, twenty? Tohou couldn't count them; they moved too fast, a chaotic kaleidoscope of impossible colors and sharp edges. The air vibrated with their manic energy, filled with the dry, unsettling rasp of latex-like surfaces scraping against each other and the relentless, hollow *bump-bump-bump* of collisions. A sudden, cold prickle ran down Tohou’s spine – a primal hint of danger. These weren't playful bubbles anymore; they were projectiles. Nervously, Tohou dropped to her knees, frantically searching the thin book splayed open on the floor for a reversal spell, a containment charm, *anything*. Her fingers trembled as she flipped pages. "Stop... stop... how do I—" she muttered, panic rising. Before she could find it, a giant, violently swirling crimson balloon, born from the latest fusion, slammed hard into her shoulder. The impact was jarring, like being hit by a sack of rocks. Tohou cried out, stumbling sideways, and the precious book skittered across the stone floor, vanishing under the legs of a workbench.

The shove sent Tohou sprawling backwards. Her head cracked against the cold stone floor, stars exploding behind her eyes. The breath whooshed out of her lungs. Dazed, she lay still for a moment, the world a blur of throbbing pain and fractured light. When her vision cleared, she was looking straight up. The air above was entirely filled by the giant, hardened balloons. They blotted out the ceiling lights, replaced by a shifting canopy of impossible, clashing colors – deep violets, sickly greens, bruised indigos – all pulsing with chaotic energy. They moved constantly, jerking, spinning, colliding, their polished surfaces reflecting the dim lab lights in jagged, stabbing shards that danced across the walls and floor. They showed no sign of stopping, no hint of settling. The sheer, overwhelming *presence* of them, this monstrous, multiplying swarm she had unleashed, pressed down on her.

"A-a-a!" Hana’s cry wasn't just fear; it was a strangled gasp of effort and panic. Tohou rolled painfully onto her side, wincing. Across the lab, Hana was pinned flat on her stomach. A single, immense balloon, larger than any of the others Tohou had initially created, pressed down on her back. Its surface wasn't a vibrant color, but a chilling, near-perfect transparency. It was like looking through thick, warped glass, distorting the stone floor beneath it and Hana's struggling form. This wasn't one of the originals. This was a new horror, born from the chaotic collisions. It pulsed with a cold, internal light, heavy and unyielding. Hana pushed against the stone floor with all her might, her arms trembling, but the balloon held her fast, its immense, solidified weight immovable. Her face was pressed sideways against the cold stone, her eyes wide with terror and exertion. "Tohou! Get it off!" she choked out, her voice thin and desperate.

The air itself felt thick and resistant. Tohou pushed herself up onto her hands and knees, the world tilting slightly. Everywhere she looked, the monstrous balloons filled the space. They pressed against the walls, bumped against the ceiling, and crowded the floor. There was no empty air, only the shifting, vibrating forms of the hardened spheres. The sound was overwhelming, a constant, dry, unsettling *shhhh-shhhh-shhhh* as their polished, latex-like surfaces slid and scraped against each other with every erratic movement. It was a sound of friction, of relentless pressure, filling the small lab until it seemed to vibrate in Tohou’s bones. She tried to crawl towards Hana, but a smaller, violently green balloon slammed into her shoulder, sending her sprawling again. Her cheek hit the stone floor hard. "Dammit..." she gasped, tasting blood where her lip had split. The weight of the chaotic, multiplying disaster pressed down on her spirit as much as the balloons pressed on her body. "It's so bad..." she whispered, her voice muffled against the floor. "It is not fun anymore." The thrill of discovery had curdled into pure, icy dread.

Suddenly, a sharp *crack* echoed from the heavy oak door to the secondary lab. The sound was distinct, cutting through the chaotic hum and scrape. The door handle rattled, then turned. The door swung inward a few inches, only to be instantly blocked by the immense, near-perfectly transparent balloon that had been hovering just behind it. The door pressed against the balloon’s hardened surface, causing it to emit a low, resonant *bonggg* that vibrated through the wood. Framed in the narrow gap, Verdandy, another Lunar Academy student, blinked in astonishment. Her gaze swept past the door-blocking balloon, taking in the impossible scene: the cramped space choked with giant, pulsing, multi-colored crystal orbs, the shattered glass on the floor, Hana pinned and struggling, and Tohou sprawled and bleeding. Verdandy’s usual calm expression dissolved into wide-eyed disbelief. "What... what are you doing here?" she stammered, her voice barely audible over the lab's din. She leaned in slightly, peering at the chaotic kaleidoscope of light and motion. "Is it... some kind of party?" The absurdity of the question hung in the charged air.

"Please... help us!" Tohou choked out, pushing herself up on trembling arms, her eyes desperate. Hana, her face still pressed against the stone, managed to twist her head slightly, her voice a ragged gasp. "Help! Get... it... off!" She strained against the immense, transparent weight crushing her. Verdandy’s eyes darted between them, then scanned the swirling, colliding balloons again. Her initial confusion flickered, replaced by a dawning, almost horrified comprehension. Her gaze landed on the discarded, familiar thin book half-hidden under the workbench. A slow, incredulous smile spread across her face, widening into a grin. Then, unexpectedly, a burst of laughter escaped her – bright, sharp, and utterly out of place amidst the chaos. She leaned against the doorframe, shaking her head, her shoulders trembling with mirth. "Oh my god!" she gasped between laughs, pointing a finger at Tohou. "You... you did this? By *yourself*? With *that* book?" Her laughter echoed strangely against the resonant *crack-thump* of the balloons.

Still chuckling softly, Verdandy withdrew her hand from her robe pocket. Pinched between her thumb and forefinger was a long, gleaming silver needle. She held it up, its point catching the fractured light. Her eyes narrowed thoughtfully as she surveyed the chaotic, vibrating mass filling the lab. She tilted her head, considering the needle, then the swirling balloons. The grin faded, replaced by a look of intense concentration. A light sparked in her eyes – a sudden, decisive idea. "No," she murmured, almost to herself, her voice firming. "Too messy." She tucked the needle back into her pocket. "Magic against magic!" Verdandy declared, raising both hands palms-out towards the seething mass. She took a deep, centering breath, her posture shifting into something focused and powerful. Her voice rang out, clear and commanding, slicing through the din: "*Spiritus Defluo!*"

The effect was immediate and profound. The harsh, resonant hum and scraping ceased abruptly. Every single giant balloon froze mid-vibration, mid-collision. For one suspended heartbeat, the lab was utterly silent. Then, a collective, mournful sigh filled the air – the sound of countless streams of pressurized air escaping simultaneously. It was a vast, whispering hiss, like a forest sighing in a sudden wind. The hardened surfaces instantly softened, losing their crystalline rigidity. The vibrant, chaotic colors dulled and flattened. Like punctured bladders, the immense spheres began to crumple inward, folding in on themselves with startling speed. They sagged, wrinkled, and collapsed downwards.

Hundreds of them. Five hundred? More? It was impossible to count as they fell. The sheer volume was staggering. Giant sheets of thin, translucent latex, once taut spheres, fluttered down like enormous, dying jellyfish. They landed softly, one atop another, with muffled *whumpf* sounds. Within seconds, the entire floor of the secondary lab vanished beneath a thick, undulating sea of deflated rubber. The layer was deep, easily ankle-deep near the edges and waist-deep near the center where the chaos had been densest. The air filled with the faint, acrid smell of ozone and stretched latex.

Hana gasped as the immense transparent balloon pinning her dissolved into limp folds. She scrambled backwards, coughing, her robes plastered with damp latex dust. Her eyes were wide, fixed on the mountainous pile. "Five... hundred?" she whispered hoarsely, disbelief warring with residual terror. She prodded the nearest crumpled sheet – a vast expanse of sickly chartreuse – with a trembling foot. It felt unnervingly like cold, damp skin.

Beside her, Tohou pushed herself upright, wiping blood from her split lip. She stared at the deflated chaos, a profound silence settling over her. The thrill, the determination, the sheer *want* that had fueled her moments ago felt like a distant, foolish dream. The rainbow shards of light were gone, replaced by the dim, ordinary ceiling lights reflecting dully off the wrinkled surface. "It is... not beautiful," she murmured, her voice thick with shame. "Not safe." She touched her bruised shoulder where the crimson balloon had struck.

Verdandy leaned against the doorframe, her laughter bubbling up again—bright, incredulous, and utterly infectious despite the wreckage. "Oh, you two!" she gasped, wiping tears from her eyes. "Intermediate exam prep? This?" She gestured at the sea of rubber swallowing the lab benches. "Blowing balloons?" Another peal of laughter escaped her. Tohou and Hana exchanged a glance, then slowly stood, their robes sticking to the damp latex. They looked around: shattered glass glittered amid the folds, stone scraped raw from impacts, the air still thick with ozone. Their simple practice had birthed a battlefield.

Hana kicked at a crumpled sheet of violet rubber. "It... got out of hand," she muttered, her voice raw. Tohou touched her bruised lip, staring at the deflated chaos. The vibrant rainbows were gone, replaced by dull, lifeless piles. Verdandy’s laughter softened into a warm chuckle. She stepped carefully over the rubber sea, her boots sinking slightly. "Listen," she said, her tone shifting to gentle firmness. She placed a hand on Tohou’s shoulder. "My friends... please, whatever you do next?" Her eyes twinkled with lingering amusement. "Do *not* try to blow them again." A final, soft laugh escaped her lips.