Are There More New Magical Girls?

The disguise magic on Xiao Bai and the others was naturally ineffective against Yu Muqiu, so it was only natural that Yu Muqiu discovered them.

"Xiao Bai!"

Even though Xiao Chun and Song Niandong were right next to him, Yu Muqiu noticed Xiao Bai first.

This surprised both Xiao Chun and Xiao Bai. Xiao Chun looked at Yu Muqiu with a strange expression, and then glanced at Xiao Bai.

Before the Sky Screen appeared, Xiao Chun felt that Yu Muqiu's attitude towards 'Xiao Bai' was a bit problematic. Now that they met again, Xiao Chun felt that she could get rid of her 'feeling'. Yu Muqiu's attitude towards Xiao Bai was indeed problematic!

Upon seeing Yu Muqiu again, Xiao Bai's heart skipped a beat.

This was certainly not because she was attracted to Yu Muqiu, but because Xiao Chun was by her side, and she was worried that Xiao Chun would talk nonsense in front of Yu Muqiu.

Although more than three people now know Xiao Bai's true identity, she still wants to keep it a secret for as long as possible.

At least... I should wait until after I'm dead to reveal it!

Fortunately, Xiao Chun didn't want Yu Muqiu to know Xiao Bai's identity here, so she stepped forward, stood in front of Xiao Bai, and appeared in Yu Muqiu's sight, asking him:

"Xiao Qiu? What are you doing here?"

"Hey? Xiao Chun, you're here too... Wait, she's Song--! Ugh--!"

Before Yu Muqiu could finish speaking, Xiao Chun stepped forward and swiftly covered her mouth:

"Keep your voice down, do you want others to hear?"

"Hmm?"

Yu Muqiu blinked and looked around.

They were at a restaurant on the food street, and it was lunchtime. If Yu Muqiu mentioned Song Niandong's name by name, given that everyone was a 'national celebrity' these days, the place would probably be immediately surrounded by a huge crowd.

Their identities will probably all be exposed then!

Putting aside other factors, it's definitely impossible to have lunch now.

Yu Muqiu blinked rapidly, indicating that he understood.

Before Xiao Chun could let go, Xiao Bai frowned, looked around, and whispered:

"... No protector found."

Xiao Chun froze, then looked at Xiao Qiu in surprise. "You ran away all by yourself?!"

"Ooh-ha!" Xiao Qiu's mouth finally escaped Xiao Chun's grasp, and she explained softly:

"I saw that you also snuck out alone, so... I snuck out too."

Xiao Chun: "..."

Was it because I set a bad example?

"Even so, how come you're here?" Xiao Bai asked, frowning.

The Investigation Department is almost completely opposite to this place. Fang Ming came here to avoid the Investigation Department.

Normally, Xiao Qiu shouldn't be here.

"Hmm... how should I put it, I'd say it's a kind of intuition?"

Yu Muqiu tilted his head and thought for a moment before answering.

Everyone fell silent.

If someone else had used such a reason, Xiao Bai might have been a little suspicious, but with Yu Muqiu... considering the 'protagonist halo' that currently surrounds her, Xiao Bai had no doubts about Yu Muqiu's words.

Perhaps it really was some kind of destiny that brought Yu Muqiu here.

After answering, Yu Muqiu, seeing the others remain silent, turned to Song Niandong and asked:

"You are... Song Niandong, right? Can I call you Dongdong?"

"... Um."

Song Niandong nodded hesitantly and shrank behind Xiao Bai.

She tried to avoid Yu Muqiu's gaze, but Yu Muqiu stared intently at her and pressed her for an answer:

"I know you're not a bad kid, but... could you please give Fang Ming back? I'm so worried about him... we're all so worried about him!"

When Yu Muqiu saw Song Niandong, the first person he thought of was Fang Ming.

She had never forgotten that Song Niandong had kidnapped Fang Ming, and she had been searching for Fang Ming ever since, but she had found nothing for the past few days until she met Song Niandong here.

Because she was too worried about Fang Ming, after seeing Song Niandong, she didn't even catch up with Xiao Bai, whom she had met again, and just stared at Song Niandong.

Upon hearing Xiao Qiu's question, Song Niandong almost instinctively looked towards Xiao Bai.

But Xiao Chun blocked Song Niandong's view first, and took Yu Muqiu's hand, saying:

"Xiao Qiu, don't worry, Brother Fang Ming is alright."

"Huh?"

Yu Muqiu looked at her companion with a puzzled expression, and then heard Xiao Chun comfort her:

"I've already met Fang Ming. He voluntarily let Dongdong take Dongdong away so that she wouldn't do anything wrong... It's just that he can't show up right now, which is why he didn't come with us."

"So that's how it is."

After hearing Xiao Chun's explanation, Yu Muqiu suddenly understood.

She's a very naive person. Even if Xiao Chun said it, or even if Xiao Bai, who's always been on the sidelines, said it, Yu Muqiu would still choose to believe it.

In this respect, she is much easier to fool than Xiao Chun.

Chapter 106 Another New Magical Girls?

Because of the addition of Yu Muqiu, and Nino, who was with Yu Muqiu, though he didn't speak, but was indeed present.

Xiao Bai and her group couldn't stay in the fast food restaurant any longer. Even though they had magic that prevented others from recognizing them, a group of young girls gathered together would still attract attention.

Therefore, in order to avoid any accidents, the group moved their lunch to a restaurant with private rooms.

Inside the private room, Xiao Qiu finally regained her composure, looking at Xiao Bai with eager eyes:

"Xiao Bai, it's so good to see you again!"

"..."

Xiao Bai couldn't stand Xiao Qiu's gaze, so she avoided it and calmly said:

"I saw him a few days ago, didn't I?"

"Xiao Bai" refers to their meeting at the lantern festival.

Xiao Qiu shook her head and said, "We didn't talk much when we met, so it doesn't really count as a meeting."

"... So you still haven't given up on your idea?"

"Yes." Yu Muqiu earnestly extended his hand to Xiao Bai: "Come with us, Xiao Bai! We really need you!"

Yu Muqiu still hasn't given up on recruiting Xiao Bai into the team.

In Yu Muqiu's view, Xiao Bai was too lonely, and his own power came from the Demons side, so using that power would come at a price.

This is something Xiao Bai himself admitted in the third episode.

Even the memories and knowledge she sacrificed were part of the price she paid.

Yu Muqiu wouldn't force Xiao Bai not to become Magical Girls, but she wanted Xiao Bai to join them so they could help each other and Xiao Bai wouldn't have to force herself to pay the price for using magic.

This was Yu Muqiu's idea.

But if Xiao Bai could be so easily persuaded by Yu Muqiu, she wouldn't be sitting here now.

"Give up," Xiao Bai said softly without even looking at Xiao Qiu.

"I will not join any organization, and the organization you have joined now... has also disappointed me."

Xiao Bai spoke, she looked at Yu Muqiu.

Xiao Bai still clearly remembers their first contact with the Investigation Department, when He Xuan led a group of people with tranquilizer guns.

At that time, she understood the Investigation Department's vigilance and tension towards 'superhumans', so she did not react excessively.

However, when Fang Ming inquired about Song Niandong's situation with the Investigation Department, she found nothing. Instead, Song Niandong managed to escape beforehand, which greatly displeased Xiao Bai.

Fang Ming had already made things quite clear at the time.

If the Investigation Department really takes this seriously, they could just send the Magical Girls out, and perhaps Fang Ming wouldn't have to personally contact Song Niandong afterward.

Otherwise, things wouldn't have turned out this way.

It was from that time onward that Fang Ming stopped contacting the authorities, preferring to remain a 'fugitive' with Song Niandong rather than go back.

... Although only a few days have passed since that day.

"But... Xiao Bai, you can't go on like this!" Yu Muqiu said anxiously to Xiao Bai, "If we encounter danger again, if we reach a point where you need to sacrifice your memories to fight..."

"I think you've misunderstood something," Xiao Bai interrupted Yu Muqiu. "My sacrifice isn't as serious as you all imagine..."

"But it was indeed a sacrifice, wasn't it?"

It was Xiao Chun who asked that question, not Yu Muqiu.

Having been listening to Xiao Chun all along, she finally couldn't help but chime in.

In this respect, Xiao Chun's worries were no less than Xiao Qiu's.

Xiao Bai kept saying that she didn't consume as much memory and knowledge as they imagined, but the problem is, doesn't "not that much" mean that the power Xiao Bai used did indeed sacrifice her memory and knowledge?

Xiao Bai remained silent on this matter.

Nino suddenly appeared, jumped onto the table, walked up to Xiao Bai, and asked her:

"Your power comes from the Demons, right? The Demons's power isn't so easy to use, so if you really care about yourself, then listen to Xiao Qiu. We won't harm you."

"Hmph, even an idiot is talking at the table now."

A discordant sound came from the other side.

The equally silent Black Rabbit, Youyou, jumped out of Song Niandong's arms and landed in front of Nino.

A cat and a rabbit stared into each other's eyes.

"Youyou!" Nino immediately called out Youyou's name.

Youyou squatted on the table, her upright body slightly taller than Nino's. Looking down at Nino, she said:

"You idiot, you actually know me? But I don't remember ever knowing each other."

"Because I remembered your names..." Nino whispered.

Youyou remembered what Xiao Chun had once said, and she snorted coldly, "I wouldn't feel honored to have my name remembered by a loser."

"... You don't need to feel honored. I just... remembered everyone."

Nino answered seriously.

After meeting Youyou, this silly cat's personality suddenly changed.

She looked at Youyou with a complicated expression, her gaze lingering on the Demon Mark on Youyou's waist, and asked:

"... How did you escape when the Land of Magic was destroyed?"

"Escape? I didn't escape. After you and a group of people ran away, those of us who stayed behind to fight the Demons were captured and reformed..."

Youyou calmly stated the cruel truth to her, meeting Nino's gaze, and said, "Do you know what they did to us? They made it impossible for us to contract any more Magical Girls. Do you understand... what that means?"

"!" Nino's eyes widened, and the calico cat's expression was full of shock.

Youyou's lips curled up as she smiled at Nino and said, "Yes, this means that these Magical Girls you've contracted are the last ones."

The Demons modified Youyou and the other captured Magical Creatures. Xiao Bai had never asked before what kind of modifications the Demons had made to Youyou and the others.

Now, Youyou herself has revealed only the tip of the iceberg.

They have lost their ability to contract with Magical Girls.

But Xiao Chun noticed a blind spot. She looked at Song Niandong and asked Youyou, "Since you can no longer contract Magical Girls, then what about Dongdong...?"

"Who told you she's Magical Girls in the traditional sense?"

Youyou turned to look at Dongdong, her emotions complicated, and said:

"Thankfully, my transformation wasn't complete, so with my remaining power, I turned Dongdong into Magical Girls. But even so, the power she possesses is still related to the Demons side..."