Magical Girls Exposed!

The sound of Chains rang out. Chains extending from the void sealed off all the space above, below, left, and right of Yu Muqiu.

Then, invisible magical barriers unfolded through the gaps between the Chains, forming a small Magic Barrier.

Hearing the Chains and seeing the Magic Barrier surrounding her, Yu Muqiu's face immediately lit up with joy. She quickly turned around and looked back.

"Xiao Bai!!"

Behind her stood a cool-looking girl with white hair and crimson eyes, dressed in black leather. She sat atop the Chains, propping up her chin as she watched Yu Muqiu.

Hearing Yu Muqiu call her that, the girl's expression darkened slightly, but she did not correct Yu Muqiu's form of address.

She merely lifted her chin and looked down at Yu Muqiu with a faintly arrogant expression.

"What? Were you looking for me?"

Hope There Won't Be a Season Two

Seeing the person she had been searching for, Yu Muqiu immediately nodded her little head again and again.

She said happily,

"Yes, yes! I came to invite you to join the Investigation Department for supernatural... something! From now on, we can fight Demons together!"

"Not interested."

Xiao Bai answered without a second thought.

Yu Muqiu froze. She blinked up at Xiao Bai. "Why? Didn't we work together quite happily before?"

She was talking about what had happened a month ago, two days before the Sky Screen began broadcasting.

At that time, they had just fought a powerful female Demon formed from the fusion of six Nightmare Seeds.

Xiao Bai had originally intended to deal with that Demon alone, but she eventually realized she was no match for it. She could only join forces with Yu Muqiu and the other two, casting a combined magic spell to finally defeat the female Demon.

According to the calculations of those adults at headquarters, what Yu Muqiu had gone through back then should have been the ending of the first season shown on the Sky Screen.

So by that logic, Xiao Bai should have been on their side!

She was also a member of the protagonist group. There was no reason for her to refuse them!

Yu Muqiu thought to herself.

Yet Xiao Bai's expression remained largely unchanged.

When the matter from back then was mentioned, she only reminisced for a moment before continuing,

"All twenty-four Nightmare Seeds have been dealt with. I should be able to handle any Nightmare Seeds that fall into this world from now on by myself. I don't need companions, and you don't need to become Magical Girls."

"But..."

"There's no 'but,' Yu Muqiu. You've made being a Magical Girl sound too simple. You... and your friends aren't suited to becoming Magical Girls at all. Just be idols admired by the entire world. As for Demons..."

Xiao Bai stood up, and the Chains slowly withdrew. It looked like she was about to leave.

Only then did she speak the rest of her sentence.

"...just leave them all to me."

"Y-You want to bear everything alone?! That's too unfair!"

Seeing Xiao Bai about to leave, Yu Muqiu shouted at her retreating figure.

"Don't make me sound so kind. I'm just... bored."

As Xiao Bai spoke, her figure began to fade from the air—a sign that she was leaving.

Yu Muqiu took out her wand, instinctively wanting to stop the other girl from leaving.

But perhaps Xiao Bai had prepared for this long ago. The instant Yu Muqiu drew her wand, countless Chains wrapped around her body and limbs.

Then Yu Muqiu heard Xiao Bai's mocking voice.

"See? I controlled you so easily. That proves you're not a qualified Magical Girl at all. Be good and go back to being an idol. This... is the life you should be living."

Xiao Bai's words made her sound like Yu Muqiu's elder.

After saying that, her figure vanished without a trace.

It was only two minutes after she left that the Chains around Yu Muqiu gradually disappeared.

Those Chains were magical Chains created using Xiao Bai's magic as their foundation. Their solidity proved that Xiao Bai's magic was far stronger than Yu Muqiu's.

After not seeing each other for a month, she had become even stronger than when she fought that Scorpion Demon.

But...

"I won't give up!"

Yu Muqiu pursed her lips, stared in the direction Xiao Bai had left, and shouted, "I won't give up! I'll definitely... definitely make you my companion! I definitely will!!"

"...That's why I hate this kind of hot-blooded protagonist."

Having transformed back into his original appearance, Fang Ming listened to Yu Muqiu's voice transmitted back through the Chains and could not help sighing inwardly.

Before the Sky Screen appeared, if Fang Ming had met a child like Yu Muqiu, he would only have thought she possessed the youthful passion and purity adults lacked. That was why she believed that as long as she worked hard, everything would succeed.

But now that he had watched the Sky Screen, Fang Ming understood.

Yu Muqiu's efforts really could succeed.

Because she was the protagonist chosen by the Sky Screen.

And he...

Was an unidentified Magical Girl who could be exposed at any moment.

Precisely because Yu Muqiu was the protagonist, she would survive no matter what crisis she encountered. And precisely because she was the protagonist, her single-mindedness—just like that of most protagonists—gave Fang Ming an enormous headache.

Before the Sky Screen appeared, Fang Ming had considered moving to Spring City and helping Yu Muqiu from time to time.

But after the Sky Screen appeared, Fang Ming abandoned that idea.

He was worried that if he got close to Yu Muqiu, she would discover his identity.

The reason he had not acted as a Magical Girl over the past month was also because of this.

The reason he had appeared in that identity again today was partly to let Yu Muqiu know that he had not met with trouble and was still alive.

It was also partly because he wanted to warn Yu Muqiu again.

Being a Magical Girl was such a dangerous job. Children like them, not even twenty years old yet, should not be doing it.

It was enough for him, an adult who had lived through two lives, to do it.

Even if they did not become Magical Girls, the people of this world would not blame them. After all, everything shown on the Sky Screen was their achievement. Those achievements could not be erased. As long as those achievements remained, they would be heroes of this world.

With that record, whether they became idols or genuinely entered government departments to work public jobs, either option would be better than fighting Demons to the death.

That was what Fang Ming had wanted to tell Yu Muqiu.

But unfortunately...

Yu Muqiu truly was worthy of being the protagonist. She did not listen to a single word of Fang Ming's warning. Instead, it only ignited her fighting spirit.

Damn that fighting spirit!

That was why hot-blooded protagonists were so annoying!

Fang Ming felt helpless, but he could not exactly show up and break Yu Muqiu's legs to stop her from fighting Demons.

Besides, Xiao Chun was by Yu Muqiu's side. She had mastered plant magic and was also highly skilled in healing magic. Even if he broke Yu Muqiu's legs today, she would be hopping around in front of him again tomorrow.

After thinking it over, Fang Ming could only helplessly abandon that tempting idea.

"Forget it, forget it. There haven't been any Demons for more than a month anyway... Maybe... Demons won't appear anymore?"

One month and three days ago, three days before the Sky Screen appeared, Fang Ming had joined forces with three Magical Girls to directly defeat the final Upper Demon formed from six Nightmare Seeds.

After that, no new Nightmare Seeds had fallen into this world.

Then the Sky Screen appeared, and everyone watched four episodes of Magical Girl Xiao Qiu. During that time, no Nightmare Seeds had appeared either.

Fang Ming thought that perhaps the story of Magical Girl Xiao Qiu had already ended in its first season, and everything he was experiencing now was what happened after Magical Girl Xiao Qiu's ending.

Something like an epilogue.

Therefore, the future would likely just be everyday life. Things like Nightmare Seeds and Demons would no longer appear.

That was what Fang Ming thought.

As for whether that was true... they would have to see whether there would be a second season after the Sky Screen finished airing the first season of Magical Girl Xiao Qiu.

I hope there won't be a second season. Otherwise... wouldn't the chances of me being exposed increase drastically?

Whether for Yu Muqiu and the others' safety or for his own "safety," Fang Ming hoped with all his heart that there would never be a second season.

Because he really did not want to die socially.

Episode Five Begins!

A week passed in the blink of an eye.

During that week, Fang Ming's life did not undergo any major changes.

Other than signing an agreement with the government and being placed in a specially protected residential complex, his daily life was basically the same as before.

No Demons appeared, and no one guessed that he was a Magical Girl.

Thus, a peaceful week passed.

And during that week, Fang Ming had also prepared an escape route for himself.

He had already decided that if the contents of episode five showed even the slightest sign that he might be exposed, he would immediately transform and run!

He had already found his way out!

No matter what Fang Ming thought, the fifth episode on the Sky Screen began airing right on schedule.

But unlike the fourth episode, this time the opening did not immediately play the OP. Instead, it continued directly from the previous episode.

(Here it comes!)

(Episode five! I'm here!!)

(Bai-chan, I'm here!!)

(Bai-chan...?)

(Ah, the official materials currently refer to the fourth Magical Girl as "Xiao Bai," so that's what we call her.)

(Scythe-chan is obviously cuter though!)

Amid all kinds of comments, the fifth episode's footage appeared before everyone.

Watching the comments drift across the sky, Fang Ming could not help twitching at the corner of his mouth.

So... in the end, the official name they gave him really did become "Xiao Bai," huh? He just did not know whether it had been Chen Xiaoxia's idea or Yu Muqiu's.

"W-Who is it?!"

Amid the Demon's furious, startled shout, his head slid from his neck.

The white-haired girl in black flicked her scythe, stepped over the Demon's body, and arrived before Yu Muqiu. Her ruby-like eyes looked at the Magical Girl before her without the slightest emotion.

"The... fourth Magical Girl?!"

Yu Muqiu cried out in surprise.

As she cried out in surprise, the OP music began.

(Well, the Sky Screen just padded out another minute.)

(Alright, alright, that's how you want to play it, huh?!)

(Isn't this just the previous episode's ending, slightly altered and moved to the front...?)

(Stop arguing, watch the OP!)

"...6."

Fang Ming watched the footage playing on the Sky Screen and posted a thoroughly speechless comment as well.

He was sitting here worried sick, yet the Sky Screen had to keep everyone in suspense!

It learned all the bad things and none of the good!