"So are you going to keep starving? Or go dumpster diving? I don't really mind, it's just... haven't you also gone three or four days without a shower?"
Black Rabbit used her tongue to groom the fur on her foot, speaking calmly to Song Niandong.
Song Niandong hesitated for a good while, finally took a deep breath, and raised her wrist to summon her Magical Armament.
At that critical moment, however, a hand suddenly reached out from the side and grabbed her wrist.
"!!!!"
Song Niandong jumped in fright, spinning her head around to look at the side.
Black Rabbit's fur also puffed up on end, her crimson pupils gazing at the newcomer.
It was a young man with short black hair.
The young man was likewise wearing a hoodie, but the style and color were different from the one on Song Niandong.
A pair of thick-rimmed black glasses also sat on his face, magic attached to the frames to interfere with perception.
It was Fang Ming.
The Magical Girls' cousin!
Realizing this, Song Niandong moved to transform immediately, planning to escape from here.
To her surprise, though, Fang Ming quickly let go of her hand, took two steps back, and raised his hands as he said:
"Sorry, I just saw you looked like you were about to use magic, which is why I came over to stop you, but I don't mean any harm."
"..." Song Niandong didn't answer, merely eyeing Fang Ming with vigilance.
Yet she didn't transform either.
Having grown up relying solely on her grandmother, and having frequently been bullied since childhood, she was very sensitive to both goodwill and malice from others.
Especially after turning into a Magical Girl, her perception in this regard had been enhanced all over again.
Thus she could sense that Fang Ming genuinely meant no harm.
Acting as if he wasn't the least bit worried that Song Niandong might launch a surprise attack on him, Fang Ming turned away, pulled loose change from his pocket, tossed it into the vending machine, and asked Song Niandong at the same time:
"What do you want to eat? Bread or instant noodles? To drink, a soft drink or mineral water? Hmm... you're still growing, right? Then how about drinking some milk?"
Fang Ming's goodwill rushed over her like a tide, leaving Song Niandong unaccustomed to it.
She tried her utmost to fake a cold expression and said:
"I don't ne--"
Rumble--
Her stomach let out a groan, cutting off Song Niandong's words.
The young lady's complexion immediately flushed red at a speed visible to the naked eye, even her exposed palms stained with a blush as her entire person seemed to turn into a 'little red person'.
Seeing this, Fang Ming chuckled, but without any mocking intent. He turned his head to press buttons on the vending machine, and shortly after, a number of items dropped into the collection basket below.
Bread, instant noodles, ham sausages, along with some other small snacks, plus two bottles of mineral water and a carton of milk.
After finishing his purchases, Fang Ming brought these items over to Song Niandong and asked:
"Your stomach is protesting against you, so... are you sure you don't need them?"
"..."
Song Niandong didn't speak.
Black Rabbit piped up from the side instead: "Dongdong, you should eat something no matter what. Humans always need food to survive, don't they?"
Hearing Black Rabbit say that, Song Niandong wavered somewhat.
Fang Ming, on the other hand, grew slightly more vigilant, looking over at Black Rabbit beside Song Niandong:
"This... should be the 'Magical Creature' by Miss Song's side, right? If I may ask a bold question, do you know Nino?"
"Nino? Hehe, that perennial underachiever? We're certainly close. After all, she's the only one who places last in exams every single year yet stubbornly refuses to leave the academy."
Black Rabbit also narrowed her eyes with a smile, blurting out Nino's dark history.
Such 'Kidnapping'
Magical Creatures had an academy, too.
This was the first time Fang Ming had heard of that.
Yet hearing Black Rabbit mention that Nino had always been an underachiever, Fang Ming felt it was somewhat understandable that Nino hadn't brought those things up.
Anyway, if it were Fang Ming, he wouldn't be able to blurt out his own embarrassing moments from school either.
Still... since she knew Nino and even mentioned school, this Black Rabbit really was a Magical Creature who had run away from another world.
No wonder Song Niandong could transform into a Magical Girl.
Leading Song Niandong over to sit on a park bench nearby, watching Song Niandong eat the bread in small bites like a little cat, Fang Ming finally questioned that Black Rabbit:
"Was letting Miss Song run away your idea?"
"Well, there's nothing I can do. Who knew certain people were so underhanded, reporting it to the authorities without a second thought? To keep Dongdong from getting caught, I had only one choice: let Dongdong flee overnight."
As Black Rabbit said this, a hint of playful amusement showed in her red eyes, and she said to Fang Ming, "So, you see, for Dongdong to end up in her present state, certain people bear absolute responsibility."
"I certainly won't accept that blame," Fang Ming said calmly. "I was only suspicious, and besides, joining the authorities isn't necessarily a bad thing for Miss Song. At least... she can be under the authorities' care."
"Heh, care? The care you're talking about wouldn't happen to be a guardian who ran off with her money, would it? Or maybe you mean those teachers at school who let Dongdong get bullied and turned a blind eye to it?"
"If that counts as care, then I can only say your human 'care' is truly novel."
Black Rabbit's tongue was somewhat sharp.
Yet Fang Ming could not find a point to refute her.
He had also looked over Song Niandong's file.
Originally, after Song Niandong's grandmother passed away, there should have been a temporary guardian by her side.
Only this guardian, shortly after coming into contact with Song Niandong, cleaned out the last of Song Niandong's family assets and vanished without a trace.
Although upon realizing that Song Niandong was very likely the fifth magical girl, the authorities had found this guardian in the shortest possible time.
Yet the money that had already been spent could no longer be recovered.
Of course, if Song Niandong cooperated, the authorities might not necessarily fail to take care of Song Niandong.
However, at the thought of the authorities' attitude toward Song Niandong today, Fang Ming somehow could not bring himself to say those words.
It was not that Fang Ming had any opinions about the authorities in this world.
Yet... to wait until this matter involved magical girls before the Investigation Department finally took action—such sluggishness made Fang Ming begin to disapprove of the authorities' methods.
Because of this, even now that he had seen Song Niandong, Fang Ming had no intention of reporting it upward.
If he were going to report it, he would have done so yesterday; that the authorities failed to seize this opportunity was the authorities' problem and had nothing to do with Fang Ming.
After all, Fang Ming had already done what he ought to do.
This lot could not possibly expect Fang Ming, a mere 'ordinary person', to hunt down magical girls, could they?
After remaining silent for quite a while, Fang Ming finally asked Black Rabbit:
"Then did turning Miss Song into a magical girl change anything?"
"Yes," Black Rabbit answered immediately. "At least those people who bullied Dongdong all received the punishment they deserved."
The punishment Black Rabbit spoke of was the Nightmare Curse Song Niandong inflicted upon those bullies after becoming a magical girl.
Those who had once bullied Song Niandong had been having nightmares every single night for the past few days.
Yet because they were only having nightmares and carried no magical aura about them, they were simply overlooked by the authorities.
Even the appearance of the Toy Bear that day was because a bully happened to be present in the mall at the time.
Song Niandong demonized the Toy Bear partly to test her true power, and partly... to exact revenge on the bully who had tormented her.
Only this, too, was ignored by the Investigation Department.
So what on earth did your Investigation Department actually investigate?
Air?
At this thought, Fang Ming felt a dull ache in his liver. How could anyone manage magical girls while coexisting with a bunch of maggots like these!
Yet at the thought of the apartment the Investigation Department had assigned him and the fixed monthly salary, Fang Ming sighed inwardly once more.
Whatever, whatever. At least there's money to be made...
Besides, that wasn't what Fang Ming was talking about now.
"Isn't Miss Song still sleeping out in the open, though?" Fang Ming pointed out Song Niandong's current plight once again.
Black Rabbit responded relentlessly, "Indeed. So who is to blame for this?"
"..."
Fine, blame me for meddling yesterday and calling the Investigation Department, happy now?
During the time Fang Ming and Black Rabbit were trading verbal blows, Song Niandong, who had already finished her bread and was currently drinking mineral water, suddenly said in a small voice:
"...It's fine."
Both Black Rabbit and Fang Ming looked toward her.
Song Niandong raised her head, locked eyes with Fang Ming, and said earnestly, "It's really fine. Even if I went back... it would just be an empty house anyway."
An empty house—that wasn't a home, merely a place where one could live.
Looking at Song Niandong, whose expression was calm as if she had already grown accustomed to all this, Fang Ming was momentarily left speechless.
He opened his mouth to speak, then stopped, finally running a hand through his hair in frustration as he said to Song Niandong:
"Do you have a place to stay tonight?"
"..." Song Niandong shook her head.
Fang Ming thought for a moment, then told Song Niandong, "If you trust me, come with me."
"?"
Song Niandong looked up at Fang Ming with confusion in her eyes.
She looked helplessly toward Black Rabbit at her side, only to hear Black Rabbit say, "It's alright, Dongdong. Just go with him for now. With me around anyway, I won't let anything happen to you."
While speaking, Black Rabbit also used magic to send a private telepathic message directly to Song Niandong:
'Besides, don't you think this is an opportunity? He's the cousin of that group of Magical Girls. If we can kidnap him... perhaps we can make those Magical Girls hesitant and afraid to interfere in the matters between us.'
"K-Kidnap!?"
Song Niandong let out a cry of surprise.
Fang Ming, who had almost just been treated as a hostage: "...?"
Song Niandong's exclamation not only stunned Fang Ming, but also made Black Rabbit helplessly pat her cheeks with both paws.
Fang Ming's gaze also turned dangerous as he turned his head to look at Black Rabbit. "Who are you trying to kidnap?"
"...You heard wrong."
Black Rabbit looked away, lying without a blush or a skipped heartbeat.
As for Song Niandong, her eyes darted around, not daring to look at Fang Ming, and her reaction allowed Fang Ming to confirm Song Niandong's kidnapping target.
It really was Fang Ming himself!
Seeing this, Black Rabbit simply threw caution to the wind and spoke directly to Song Niandong:
"Forget it, don't hesitate, Dongdong! Do it now!!"
"..."
"..."
A cold breeze blew past.
Nothing happened at the scene.
Fang Ming looked at Black Rabbit with deep eyes, and then at Song Niandong, who raised her hand, put it down, and then raised it again, appearing incomparably conflicted.
Before you continue