Magical Girls Exposed!

Yu Muqiu was in a period of confusion. For her to emerge from it, Xiao Chun's appearance and heart-to-heart talk had been necessary.

After all, they couldn't exactly have the carefree Chen Xiaoxia talk things over with Yu Muqiu, could they?

Chen Xiaoxia was always energetic and optimistic. She probably wasn't capable of doing something as delicate as a "heart-to-heart talk."

Although Fang Ming was Yu Muqiu's cousin, there was still an age gap between them. Coupled with their different genders, the only ones left who could help Yu Muqiu sort things out were Xiao Chun and Xiao Bai.

But they couldn't expect Xiao Bai, who always wanted Yu Muqiu to go back to being an ordinary person, to comfort Xiao Qiu while she was hesitating over whether to become ordinary again.

If they really let Xiao Bai do it, Yu Muqiu would probably strengthen her resolve to return to being an ordinary person within a few words.

So in the end, only Xiao Chun remained.

Which made the development of the plot above perfectly reasonable.

So what was Fang Ming on the Sky Screen doing at that moment?

At the time, he had been investigating the whereabouts of the last few Nightmare Seeds. While at it, he found one of the remaining seven Nightmare Seeds. After dealing with it, he chose to return the Nightmare Seed in his possession first.

Of course, the one he returned was the Nightmare Seed he had just dealt with, not the one taken from the Fish Monster Demon.

The reason was simple. The Nightmare Seed from the Fish Monster Demon carried a special magical aura, one that pointed toward the final enemy.

The aggregate of six Nightmare Seeds.

By rank, that was a powerful Demon close to the mid-tier.

That was why Fang Ming had kept that Nightmare Seed.

And now—

["Knock, knock, knock"—

The knocking sounded again, but this time it wasn't the door. It was the window.

Chen Xiaoxia, who had been anxiously waiting for Xiao Qiu and Xiao Chun to return, jumped at the sound of knocking on the window. Then, delighted, she hurried over and opened it.

"You're back... Why is it you?!"

Chen Xiaoxia had thought Yu Muqiu and Xiao Chun had returned after their talk. Yet when she opened the window, she found Xiao Bai standing on Chains, almost completely blending into the night.

"?"

Xiao Bai gave Chen Xiaoxia a strange look. "Why can't it be me?"

After saying that, she glanced into the room. Seeing that Chen Xiaoxia was the only one there, she fell silent for a long while before asking quietly:

"...Where are they?"

"Xiao Qiu and Xiao Chun went out to clear their heads... By the way, is it that time of the month? You seem like you're in a pretty bad mood."

"..."

At Chen Xiaoxia's words, Xiao Bai's already bad mood showed even more plainly on her face.

However, Xiao Bai did not say much. She put a hand into her trench coat pocket, took out a Nightmare Seed, and tossed it to Chen Xiaoxia.

Chen Xiaoxia caught it with both hands. Seeing that it was a Nightmare Seed, she looked up at Xiao Bai again.

But Xiao Bai seemed to have come only to return the Nightmare Seed. Once she gave it to Chen Xiaoxia, she vanished again.

"What the heck! Showing up without a trace and leaving without one too—are you a ghost or some ancient swordswoman?!"

Chen Xiaoxia could not help complaining.

She truly did not understand why Xiao Bai was so "cold." They had fought side by side, after all. Even if Xiao Bai could not be friendlier, shouldn't she at least say a few more words when they met?

Something like, "How have you been lately?" or "Have you found any other Nightmare Seeds?"...

Well, just imagining Xiao Bai speaking to her in that tone gave Chen Xiaoxia goosebumps all over.

When she looked out the window again, Xiao Bai had already disappeared without a trace.

With a sigh, Chen Xiaoxia returned to her anxious waiting.

She wondered when Brother Fang Ming would return. If he asked about Xiao Qiu and Xiao Chun then... how was she supposed to answer?

Chen Xiaoxia might have been rather carefree by nature, but she was not very good at lying.

"Come back soon, Xiao Qiu!"

In the end, that was all Chen Xiaoxia could hope for.

The scene shifted. Under the moonlight, beside an empty lakeshore, Yu Muqiu and Xiao Chun walked along the water one behind the other.

Yu Muqiu's eyes were slightly unfocused. She was still thinking about what Xiao Bai had said to her.

Until Xiao Chun spoke to Yu Muqiu.

"Actually, I've never regretted becoming a magical girl."

"...Huh?"

"Compared to who I was before, it was only after becoming a magical girl that I gained some real sense of 'being alive.' Only then did I feel that I truly was a person. So I've never thought becoming a magical girl was a bad thing."

Xiao Chun walked ahead of Yu Muqiu with her hands behind her back, speaking softly.

Xiao Chun's family... had actually been fairly harmonious.

Her parents treated her well. They could be strict sometimes, but overall, they were good parents.

But there was one thing Xiao Chun could not bear.

That was how much they valued her studies.

Because she was a "genius," a genius at learning. She learned everything quickly and had long held the top spot in both her class and school, so her parents had extremely high expectations of her.

Those extremely high expectations brought Xiao Chun immense pressure.

She did not dare relax even for a moment. She did not dare let her grades slip. She did not dare face the disappointed looks of her family.

Once, she had only fallen behind by a single rank, slipping from first place, and her family had immediately looked at her with concern.

They asked whether she was feeling unwell somewhere, or whether there was a question she had not fully understood.

There was no disappointment, no scolding. But that heavy concern, that concern of "it's for your own good," made Xiao Chun feel like she could not breathe.

Until...

She met Xiao Qiu and Xiaoxia.

By accident, she entered the world of magical girls. By accident, she became caught up in the battle between magical girls and Demons, and thus learned that she possessed the power to become a magical girl.

So she became a magical girl without any hesitation.

When she transformed into a magical girl, she felt as if she had become someone else. She felt like she was truly "alive."

So in less than a month, Xiao Chun's personality had changed completely.

At least in front of Yu Muqiu and Chen Xiaoxia, she was no longer that "genius" who radiated low pressure.

She was a magical girl.

Yu Muqiu and Xiaoxia's closest comrade.

"Even if... you get hurt..."

Yu Muqiu asked Xiao Chun quietly.

Xiao Chun smiled and turned to Yu Muqiu.

"Even if we get hurt, it's fine. Don't forget my magic. I can heal anyone, whether it's you or me. So as long as I'm here, you'll never have to worry about that."

At this point, Xiao Chun's gaze grew much more serious as she said to Yu Muqiu:

"You've never been alone, Xiao Qiu. Don't let Xiao Bai's words sway you. You have us. You have companions. Things that one person's strength cannot accomplish can definitely be completed if everyone works together.

"So cheer up, Xiao Qiu. You're the first magical girl in this world."

Hearing Xiao Chun say that, light gradually returned to Yu Muqiu's eyes, and a natural smile reappeared on her face.

She smiled at Xiao Chun. "What do you mean, 'the first'? Don't forget Xiao Bai. She might have become a magical girl even earlier than I did."

"I don't acknowledge someone who just popped out of nowhere. Besides, who knows how she even became a magical girl?"

Xiao Chun said with a curl of her lip.

Xiao Bai's identity was still a "mystery." No one knew whether she had become a magical girl before Yu Muqiu or afterward.

She was like someone who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

Xiao Chun did not trust her much, but after this incident, she also felt that perhaps Xiao Bai was merely cold on the outside and not bad at heart.

Otherwise, she would not have used her own body to block the blade aimed at Yu Muqiu.

The girls began chatting and laughing. But amid their laughter, Yu Muqiu checked the time and suddenly cried out:

"Ah! Oh no... It's already this late! Xiaoxia is still home alone!"

"..." The smile on Xiao Chun's face froze as well. She remembered that she had to video call her family every night to confirm everyone's safety, and she panicked too.

"Quick... let's go back!"

The two hurriedly transformed. In the end, they became two streaks of light and flew toward home.

Only after the two had left did Xiao Bai emerge from the shadows.

She looked in the direction they had gone and murmured softly:

"Companions... She found herself a pretty good friend."

As her voice fell, Xiao Bai turned and disappeared into the shadows once more.

No one could understand what she had meant by those words.

At least for now, no one could.]

Worthy of Being the Magical Girls' Cousin

[The episode was nearing its end, yet it did not enter the ending credits. Instead, amid the opening notes of the ED, the scene shifted elsewhere.

At some point, Xiao Bai had already left the lakeside and arrived in front of an amusement park.

It was an amusement park that had fallen into a semi-abandoned state. Most of its facilities no longer lit up, and only a small number of rides were still operating.

Xiao Bai entered the amusement park in the dead of night, holding a faintly glowing Nightmare Seed as she headed straight toward a certain destination.

Finally, she stopped at the entrance to a theater inside the amusement park and looked within.

Her gaze seemed to penetrate the tightly shut theater doors and land on the stage inside.

The scene followed her line of sight. In a swiftly moving shot, it shifted to the center of the theater stage.

There stood a puppet dressed in magnificent clothing. The puppet looked like a young girl, with a carved face and a perfectly proportioned body.

She danced at the center of the stage while singing a beautiful, enchanting melody.

Inside her body, six Nightmare Seeds formed the shape of a hexagram, engraved within her.

This was a level-six Demon.

The Songstress Demon.

Or perhaps she should be called... the Songstress Witch.]

When the Sky Screen entered the ED again, Fang Ming ignored the scrolling comments above and stroked his chin as he pondered the events of that day.

He remembered that after confirming Xiao Qiu and the others' safety that day, he had gone straight home.

He had not found the Songstress Witch until two nights later, not immediately after leaving the lakeside as the Sky Screen portrayed.

"What a fine example of artistic license... No, I should call it montage technique. Thank you, Sky Screen!"

Fang Ming offered the Sky Screen his most sincere thanks in his heart.

Because with that edit, no matter what anyone else thought, Yu Muqiu and the others, as those involved, would absolutely never suspect that Fang Ming and Xiao Bai were the same person!

After all, in their understanding, Fang Ming had always been with them. Yet during the "same time" presented by the Sky Screen, Xiao Bai had appeared outside the stage where the Songstress Witch was located.

At least for the time being, before they figured out the time difference involved, no one would suspect that Xiao Bai and Fang Ming were the same person.

So the Sky Screen really was on Fang Ming's side!

He was relieved. Completely relieved!

Fang Ming let out a breath, while Song Niandong looked bitterly at Black Rabbit Youyou and said:

"...I didn't see the earlier part."