Cousin Joins the Main Cast

But even in such a large city, there are still vast slums with mixed populations and filthy environments.

That's right, it's not some old neighborhood, nor is it a street; it's an entire area, occupying more than a tenth of the city of N City, a large slum.

Chaos is the dominant theme here, and dirt and disorder have become acceptable.

Coupled with the neon lights that illuminate the surrounding area and the virtual projection of downtown N City that can be seen from a distance, the entire slum area gives off a cyberpunk vibe.

A girl Lyla Lyra currently lives here.

"The gang that governs this area is the Skoll Gang, which is a well-known gang in N City. They also Crocodile Brotherhood, which is why I live here."

Lyla led the way with her hands in her pockets, nimbly dodging any litter she occasionally encountered.

On both sides of the street, Fang Ming could see homeless people sitting in the corners, as well as some gaunt-faced black gang members.

However, when these people saw Lyla, they all looked away and didn't dare to meet Lyla gaze.

Fang Ming, who witnessed this scene firsthand, asked Lyla:

"You seem to be quite famous here?"

"Huh? I guess so, I've beaten up all those guys over there."

Lyla had one hand in her pocket and the other pointing at the gang members peeking from a distance.

Fang Ming fell silent upon hearing this.

Regardless of the plot of <Magic Autumn>, judging from the overall atmosphere of the first and second seasons, it is closer to all ages, or rather, it is an all-ages anime to begin with.

Therefore, nothing related to the dark side of society will appear in that anime.

The only relatively dark aspect of the second season is Song Niandong's bullying incident, but it wasn't explored in much detail in the second season.

But looking at the Magical Girls Lyla in front of him, who seemed to be related to the spin-off, Fang Ming couldn't help but doubt the level of explicitness in the spin-off.

Given Lyla's background, no matter how much the outside stories try to downplay it, some of the 'dark' aspects associated with her are certainly unavoidable.

At least she couldn't avoid being chased by gang members and living in a slum.

So... is the direction of the <Magic Autumn> series going to become brutal starting with the spin-off?

Fang Ming began to worry about the future again.

Lyla didn't know what Fang Ming was thinking. She kicked a juice can that had rolled to her feet, sending it flying.

The aluminum can arced through the air before crashing with a thud into a long-overloaded trash can in the distance.

After doing all this, Lyla led Fang Ming to an abandoned warehouse and said:

"Arrive."

"...?"

"This is my base."

"Stronghold..."

Fang Ming stared at the somewhat damaged abandoned warehouse in front of him, speechless once again.

Lyla didn't care about anything else. She took out a key, unlocked the lock in front of her that was secured with heavy chains, and led Fang Ming into the warehouse.

Upon returning to the warehouse, Lyla skillfully walked to the nearby transformer box and lifted the switch.

Buzz--

With a buzzing sound, the lights in the entire warehouse came on, and the televisions, computers, and other electrical appliances all started working.

Lyla walked to the sofa placed on the side of the warehouse under the light, casually lay down on it, and then asked Fang Ming:

"Speaking of which, why aren't you staying in the Central Continent District? What are you doing here?"

Fang Ming, who was surveying the warehouse, looked at Lyla he heard her question and answered her question:

"I came to check it out because I heard a new Magical Girls had appeared here."

"Oh? So you're working for those Magical Girls? Why don't they come over themselves?"

"It's too dangerous here. It's not appropriate to bring them along before we've investigated the situation thoroughly."

"Tch, what? Too delicate, how pathetic."

Lyla showed disdain for Xiao Qiu and the other Magical Girls.

Fang Ming didn't refute it. After all, compared to Lyla, who was likely involved in gangs since childhood, Xiao Qiu and the others were indeed as innocent as could be.

Fang Ming couldn't look at Lyla the way he looked at Xiao Qiu and the others, and he certainly couldn't argue with Lyla's assessment.

Therefore, after thinking it over, Fang Ming skipped this topic and asked Lyla:

"Are you the only Magical Girls in the Americas District... no, in N City?"

"No." Lyla answered almost without thinking, and then Fang Ming:

"There's another one, but I don't know her name or where she lives."

"You've met that other Magical Girls?"

Fang Ming asked again.

Lyla scoffed, "'Met before'? It's not that simple. We've fought, or rather, we fight every time we meet. But it's not my fault, you know, because she always shows up with those monsters."

Lyla expressed disdain for the Magical Girls Fang Ming had never met before, and Fang Ming quickly grasped the key words in Lyla's words.

"Monster?"

Lyla said, "Yes, a bunch of monsters that appeared out of nowhere have shown up twice already, but I've taken care of them both times."

She scratched her head impatiently as she spoke, "Honestly, dealing with those hordes of dead crocodiles every day is enough of a headache, and now all these random monsters are popping up... It's really..."

"What exactly do those monsters look like?"

Fang Ming wanted to ask what the monsters looked like, but Lyla didn't want to discuss that further.

"Why are you asking so many questions? You wouldn't be able to beat such a monster anyway. You might as well teach me how to fight!"

Lyla didn't believe that Fang Ming, an ordinary person, could deal with the monsters she was fighting, even though Fang Ming had demonstrated combat power beyond that of an ordinary person on the Sky Screen.

More than that, Lyla was interested in Fang Ming's 'fighting skills'; she really wanted to learn them.

Lyla was unwilling to talk about it, and Fang Ming didn't press her for details.

Moreover, it wouldn't be appropriate for Fang Ming to act like a Xiao Bai and showcase his abilities in front of a stranger, so after Lyla's words, Fang Ming continued the conversation along the same lines.

He asked Lyla:

"You've been here so long, and you still can't fight?"

"Who told you I've been here for a long time?"

Lyla said irritably, "I haven't lived here for six months, okay? If it weren't for hiding from the Crocodile Brotherhood, I wouldn't have come here."

"..."

Well, Fang Ming thought that Lyla had lived in the slums since she was a child, but he didn't expect that she was also a later arrival.

Since that's the case, Fang Ming had no more questions to ask.

He sat down in front of Lyla and asked her:

"What kind of fighting techniques do you want to learn? Martial arts? Jiu-Jitsu? Sanda? Military combat techniques?"

"... Wow, you know so many?"

"Yes, I know a little about each of them."

Fang Ming nodded modestly.

Lyla tilted her head and thought for a moment, then suddenly stretched out her hand to Fang Ming, clenched it into a fist, and said, word by word:

"I want them all!"

Fang Ming: "..."

Okay, you said it. Don't cry later.

There's no rush to train Lyla.

Today, Lyla and I spent half the day driving around the city. By the time we got back to Lyla's 'base', it was already evening.

After a quick bite to eat and a few more questions, it was almost 10 p. m.

Sky Screen is about to start airing again, and Lyla seems to be very interested in the anime "Magical Girl Xiao Qiu".

Even on the eve of the broadcast, Lyla's rebellious girl vibe had diminished considerably; instead, she excitedly tugged at Fang Ming's sleeve and asked:

"Hey, do you think the last few episodes of season two will also be aired in three-episode runs? Does that mean we can get a good viewing experience today?"

"... Miss Lyla, we're acquainted now, so isn't it a bit inappropriate for you to call me 'hey' anymore?"

Lyla's way of addressing herself left Fang Ming feeling helpless.

He could guess that Lyla probably hadn't received much etiquette training. Rather, it was already an incredible miracle that she could maintain her positive emotions and become Magical Girls in the environment Lyla lived in.

Fang Ming believed that Lyla's way of addressing him meant no harm, but even if it didn't, it still sounded somewhat uncomfortable.

Lyla tilted her head, puzzled by Fang Ming's suggestion, but Lyla didn't object. She pondered Fang Ming's words and asked Fang Ming:

"Then I'll call you Brother Fang Ming too? Uh... no, that feels a bit disgusting."

Fang Ming: "?"

No, why is calling Fang Ming disgusting??

This kid really needs to be taught a lesson...

"Uncle!" Lyla finally seemed to have made a decision, looking at Fang Ming seriously, and said, "I'll call you Uncle then."

"I don't seem to be that much older than you!?"

"He looks older than me, and it's just a title."

"... Very well, little one, you're now the first Magical Girls I don't like."

Fang Ming calmly retorted, but his words sounded like he had guessed a landmine on Lyla's persona.

Then Lyla bristled and shouted:

"Small... small!? Where am I small! Where am I small!!!"

Fang Ming looked him up and down, then smiled, "Of course it's age and height. What are you thinking?"

"... Even though I'm not young, I'll still grow taller!!"

Lyla's face flushed red as she bared her teeth and brandished her claws at Fang Ming.

Lyla isn't very tall, about the same height as Xiao Chun, but her body size... is on par with Chen Xiaoxia.

At first glance, she looks exactly like a twelve or thirteen-year-old girl.

No wonder they get angry when they hear the word 'small'.

"Oh, how old are you?"

"I... I... What does it matter how old I am? I'm an adult!"

"Really? That's troublesome. Adults don't keep 'growing taller' anymore."

"..."

Fang Ming's words completely crushed Lyla's spirit. Lyla glared at Fang Ming through gritted teeth, then snorted coldly and ignored him.

It wasn't that Lyla gave up arguing with Fang Ming.

Just by looking at her, you can tell she's not the kind of girl who gives up easily.

The reason I stopped arguing with Fang Ming was because the Sky Screen had already brightened.

Episode 10 of <Magic Autumn> is about to begin!

Chapter 165 My Cousin Joins the Main Characters

(Here it comes!)

(At the end of the previous episode, Dongdong and Youyou had already set up a magic circle throughout Spring City... Xiao Qiu and the others should be able to find it in this episode, right?)

(Bao found it, but it's unclear whether Xiao Bai or Xiao Qiu and the others discovered it themselves.)