Magical Girls Exposed!

Chen Xiaoxia spoke with perfect justification.

What Chen Xiaoxia said seemed quite reasonable. Yu Muqiu hesitated for a moment before no longer arguing.

After all, the name "Xiao Bai" had come from her, and it was only a name. If Xiao Bai truly did not want it, Xiao Bai could tell them what to call her, even if it was just a codename.]

(So that was how Xiao Bai got her name.)

(No, honestly, that name sounds way too much like a pet name. It seems a little disrespectful to Xiao Bai...)

(But wasn't it Xiao Bai's fault for not giving a name first? Even a codename would've worked.)

(No, how are you all calling her Xiao Bai so naturally?!)

(No, why did you say no?)

"..."

Fang Ming stared blankly at the comments scrolling across the Sky Screen.

In truth, he did not care what he was called. Though he had initially thought Xiao Bai was indeed a somewhat inappropriate name, he had never planned to give himself another one.

Whether he came up with a codename or reported a fake name, someone might be able to follow the trail and discover his real name.

He might as well accept the form of address Yu Muqiu and the others had given him.

Looking at it now, Fang Ming's choice back then had been correct.

After all, the Sky Screen was right above them, openly revealing the existence of magical girls to the public.

There was no shortage of clever people in this world. If he had tried to be clever and given some other name back then, those clever people might have guessed something.

Xiao Bai it was.

It was pretty good.

[After discussing Xiao Bai, Xiao Chun was about to ask about the "territory" Xiao Bai had mentioned when Nino suddenly flew in through the window in a panic and said:

"I sensed the location of the second... no, the second Nightmare Seed cluster!"]

Along with Nino's cry and the magical girls' surprise, the opening theme began to play.

After the ninety-second opening, the scene on the Sky Screen shifted from indoors to the lakeside.

["Yes, four tickets. Thank you."

Fang Ming bought tickets from the young woman at the park ticket booth. Meanwhile, the three girls stood at the edge of the park, looking toward the lake in the distance.

Stillwater Lake in Rock City was one of the nearby scenic spots, named for how calm and rippleless its surface remained most of the time.

Though it was a tourist attraction, not many people came on ordinary days. Locals generally did not visit, while most tourists came from elsewhere. And although it was summer vacation, the scorching weather meant there were not many visitors.

As a result, the entire Stillwater Lake Park seemed very quiet.

In other words, it did not seem like the sort of place where a Nightmare Core could exist.

"Nino, could there really be a Nightmare Core here?"

Yu Muqiu looked around the sparsely populated park and asked Nino, who was in the cat carrier on her back, complete with its own little air conditioner.

Nino lounged in the carrier, enjoying the cool air, and nodded. "There's no mistake. It's here!"

"But there don't seem to be many people around." Yu Muqiu voiced her concern.

Chen Xiaoxia nodded as well. "Yeah. Didn't you say Nightmare Cores like crowded places most?"

"There are plenty of people here." Nino looked out from the carrier at the people in the park.

Xiao Chun asked, "But there aren't many residential buildings nearby. It doesn't seem likely that nightmares could be born here, does it?"]

One of the necessary conditions for a Nightmare Seed to transform into a Demon was for someone to harbor resentment. The resentment did not need to be especially intense. As long as a group of people shared the same resentment, it would activate the Nightmare Seed, transform it into a nightmare, and give birth to a Demon within the dream.

The second necessary condition for it to transform into a nightmare was that people had to be asleep.

Therefore, Nightmare Seeds generally transformed into Demons at night. It was rare for one to transform during the day.

As for Demons that had already taken shape, they were not restricted by day or night.

There were few people around Stillwater Lake Park, and not many residential buildings either. It was dozens of kilometers away from the city center.

Other than the night-shift security guards stationed there, practically no one lived nearby.

Naturally, there was no way for resentment to accumulate.

The odds of a Nightmare Seed transforming into a Demon were not high.

["But... it could have come from somewhere else, like the Speed Demon."

Nino offered a guess.

The three magical girls immediately fell silent.

That was right. Once a Demon took shape, it was no longer restricted by the barrier. Though most Demons lacked intelligence and would only remain where they were,

intelligent Demons were different. The Speed Demon, for example, had actively come to attack Yu Muqiu and the others, and no one knew where he had been born.

"What are you all talking about?"

While they were chatting, Fang Ming walked over with the tickets and ice cream.

The three girls instantly put on smiles. Yu Muqiu said, "Nothing. We were just admiring... wow, the scenery is so beautiful~"

"Yeah, yeah! Brother Fang Ming, is that ice cream for us? You're so nice. Thank you, Brother Fang Ming!"

Chen Xiaoxia spotted the ice cream in Fang Ming's hands, took one from him, and smiled sweetly.

It was hard to imagine that Chen Xiaoxia, who was usually so carefree and tomboyish, would act so obediently in front of Fang Ming.

She really had two completely different faces depending on who was watching.

Fang Ming did not mind. He had bought the ice cream for the girls in the first place, so after Chen Xiaoxia took one, he handed the remaining two to Xiao Qiu and Xiao Chun.

The two girls took their ice cream and sweetly called out, "Thank you, Brother Fang Ming," at the same time. Then they began communicating with Chen Xiaoxia beside them through magic.

Yu Muqiu was the first to raise the issue:

What if we really run into a Demon here? What if it doesn't open a Nightmare Barrier and suddenly attacks us? Then Brother Fang Ming...

How about one person stays with Brother Fang Ming while the other two split up? Once we find a clue, we can send a signal and regroup, Xiao Chun suggested.

Leave one person behind to protect him? That works. Then... who stays? Chen Xiaoxia asked the other two.

In the end, the three looked at one another, and Xiao Chun stayed by Fang Ming's side.

The reason was that Xiao Chun was the most mature. With her protecting Fang Ming, the others could rest easy.]

"This Is My Territory"

[The three magical girls decided to split up.

Fang Ming, meanwhile, fully took on the role of both tour guide and guardian. On one hand, he introduced the sights around the park to the three girls. On the other, he kept a close eye on them to make sure they did not run around.

But Fang Ming was only one person. How could he possibly keep watch over three people?

Thus, after they passed a fork in the path, only Xiao Chun remained beside Fang Ming. Xiao Qiu and Xiaoxia had disappeared without a trace.

"Seriously... why are you kids running around..."

Seeing Xiao Qiu and Xiaoxia vanish from beside him, Fang Ming sighed helplessly at Xiao Chun.

Xiao Chun gave an awkward laugh. "They probably went back to the gift shop from earlier to buy something."

"Seriously... they're not answering their phones either... Forget it. Xiao Chun, stay here. I'll go back and look for them, then come meet up with you later."

After Fang Ming called Yu Muqiu and found that no one answered for quite a while, he sighed again and got up to head back to the gift shop.

Xiao Chun blinked. "How about I go back with you, Brother Fang Ming?"

She still needed to protect Fang Ming and make sure that, if an attack suddenly appeared, Fang Ming and the ordinary people around him would not be hurt. She could not separate from him now.

"No need. You can rest at the milk tea shop nearby. I want to see what those two kids are up to."

As Fang Ming spoke, he led Xiao Chun over to the milk tea shop beside them and bought her a cold drink. Then he added:

"Oh, right. Remember my number. If Xiao Qiu and the others meet up with you first, call me."

Worried that Xiao Qiu's phone might be on silent or simply turned off, Fang Ming gave his number to Xiao Chun.

"Um... Brother Fang Ming, how about we still go together..."

Xiao Chun had just been about to follow Fang Ming when she suddenly felt an unusual fluctuation of magic.

The magical fluctuation was very close, leaving her unable to finish what she was saying.

She blankly turned toward the source of the magic before saying to Fang Ming:

"Got it, Brother Fang Ming. I'll wait here for you."

"Mm. Don't run around, or I won't be able to explain things to your parents."

Fang Ming reminded her once more before turning and leaving, quickly disappearing from Xiao Chun's sight.]

(Cousin worked hard!)

(Cousin worked hard!)

(As an adult, although I know Xiao Qiu and the others had no choice but to separate in order to search for the Demon, from his perspective, realizing that the kids he brought along had disappeared would seriously make his vision go dark.)

(And what would make Cousin's vision go even darker was that once he failed to find Xiao Qiu and Xiaoxia and came back... haha, Xiao Chun would be gone too!)

(Fang Ming: I'm screwed!)

(I feel bad for him, but I want to laugh.)

(This is what happens when you live with three beautiful girls!!)

(www Jealous Bro is still here.)

No, actually, watching them "get lost" was part of my plan!

Fang Ming looked at the comments and recalled what had happened at the time.

He had actually known that Xiao Qiu and the others had disappeared.

They thought no one else could hear them using magical Telepathy, but perhaps because they did not think any other magical girls would hear their words, their Telepathy... had been on public broadcast.

They definitely could not be heard from far away, but Fang Ming had been right beside them. It would have been stranger if he had not heard their conversation.

But Fang Ming did not interfere.

Xiao Qiu and the others wanted to leave Fang Ming's side to search for the Demon. How could Fang Ming not have had the same idea?

The park security was fairly good anyway, and Xiao Qiu and the others were magical girls. They were stronger than ordinary people to begin with, so as long as they did not encounter a Demon, they would basically be in no danger.

As for the Demon—

[After Fang Ming left, Xiao Chun said "sorry" several times to his departing back before turning toward the lake beside her.

The shore of Stillwater Lake was very long. The stretch near the ticket gate alone was almost three kilometers in length.

The milk tea shop where Xiao Chun stood was right beside the shore. With just a turn of her head, she could see the calm, rippleless surface of the lake.

Ducks swam on the lake, and small boats carrying tourists drifted across it. It looked extremely peaceful, but Xiao Chun could not have been mistaken. She had just sensed a faint trace of magical energy here!

Should she notify Xiao Qiu and the others?

The bow-and-arrow pattern on the back of Xiao Chun's right hand flashed briefly. She planned to use magical Telepathy to contact Xiao Qiu and Xiaoxia, who had split up from her.

But reality gave her no time.

Because Xiao Chun saw a tiny crack appear on the lake's surface, one that only those with magical power could see.

And that crack lay directly along the unavoidable route of several small boats!

"This is bad! A Nightmare Barrier!"

The Nightmare Barrier had already formed. Clearly, the Demon here intended to devour the tourists and turn them into its nourishment.

Xiao Chun had no time to hesitate. She found a corner hidden from the cameras and began her magical girl transformation.

The exciting transformation sequence had arrived once more.

Unlike Xiao Qiu's pink space, Xiao Chun's transformation space was green, representing vibrant life.

Patterns of flowers and grass rose from the ground, while countless green leaves and flower petals descended from the sky.

The leaves and petals covered Xiao Chun's body, and under the effect of those petals, her clothing dissolved away.

Her glowing body was covered by petals, which then transformed into the dress she wore.]