Magical Girls Exposed!

Xiao Chun thought for a moment, then asked, "So this Magical Girl didn't make a contract with you?"

"No. And three people is already my limit. I can't make contracts with any more people."

Nino explained.]

Nino's hometown was a world made up of magical creatures like her. They could use magic, and they could also form contracts with other intelligent beings, allowing them to use magic as well.

But the conditions for making a contract were extremely strict.

First, the person had to possess some particularly distinct traits, such as Yu Muqiu's "hope," Xiaoxia's "courage," and Xiao Chun's "kindness."

Second, they needed to have an aptitude for magic.

Lastly, they needed a strong desire to use magic to help others.

Only when someone possessed all of those qualities could Nino awaken the "Emotion Seed" within them and grant them the power to use magic.

And every magical creature could only activate a limited number of Emotion Seeds.

Nino's limit was three people. After making contracts with Yu Muqiu and the other two, she could no longer turn anyone else into a Magical Girl.

["Then does that mean...?" Yu Muqiu suddenly thought of something and said in surprise, "Could one of Nino's people have ended up in this world too?"

"That's possible!" Chen Xiaoxia's eyes lit up as well. "So she's a Magical Girl contracted by another magical creature?"

"That's impossible!"

Nino suddenly raised her voice, denying Chen Xiaoxia and the others' guess.

She was so loud that she drowned out the discussion between the three girls.

When all three turned to look at Nino, she lowered her voice again and said, "...I told you, didn't I? My hometown... has already been completely destroyed. Other than me... other than me, there's no one else..."

As Nino spoke, her eyes grew watery, as though tears were gathering in them.

Yu Muqiu and the other two exchanged glances. In the end, Xiao Chun hugged Nino, holding the little calico cat in her arms and gently stroking her as she comforted her.

"I'm sorry... We shouldn't have said that."

"..." Chen Xiaoxia was still somewhat unwilling to let it go. "But... but it's not like it's completely impossible..."

"Xiaoxia."

Xiao Chun softly stopped Chen Xiaoxia. Faced with the authority of Mama Xiaochun, Chen Xiaoxia ultimately did not continue.

Yu Muqiu said, "When we meet her again, we can just ask her."

"Will we be able to meet her again?" Chen Xiaoxia asked.

Yu Muqiu nodded. "As long as she became a Magical Girl to eliminate Demons, just like us, we'll meet again someday!"]

(Serious question, why was Nino so worked up?)

(You watched the opening of episode one for nothing, huh? Xiao Qiu and the others didn't see it, but we did. We saw Nino's hometown get utterly destroyed by powerful Demons.)

(In theory, Nino should be the only survivor from her hometown, but... this is a Magical Girl series, right?)

(Thinking that this really happened makes it feel kind of surreal...)

(Then Xiao Bai is very likely a Magical Girl contracted by another magical creature?)

(That's possible.)

It was possible, but Fang Ming had never seen a second magical creature besides Nino.

So the possibility was slim.

But if the viewers wanted to misunderstand, Fang Ming could hardly step in and explain it himself. Seeing that he had not been exposed in this episode, he finally let out a genuine sigh of relief.

If he would not be exposed in this episode, then he probably would not need to worry about anything until the final episode of this season.

The Sky Screen had now reached eleven minutes. Aside from the earlier discussion, there were still several minutes of dialogue-heavy scenes.

It was a conversation between Yu Muqiu and Xiaoxia, while Xiao Chun took Nino out to clear her mind.

And if nothing unexpected happened, this episode's big highlight would arrive soon.

When Fang Ming saw night fall and Xiao Qiu get woken by Nino, who said she had sensed the aura of a Demon, he knew the highlight of this episode had arrived.

If Fang Ming remembered correctly, this should have been his second meeting with Yu Muqiu as a Magical Girl.

Xiao Qiu and Xiao Bai Meet Again

["Xiao Qiu, this way!"

Late at night, Xiao Qiu, already transformed into her Magical Girl Form, arrived at the barrier created by a Nightmare Seed under Nino's guidance.

Yu Muqiu did not wake Chen Xiaoxia and Xiao Chun, who were resting as well.

According to Nino's senses, the Nightmare Seed's aura this time was very weak. If its barrier had not been close to their residential complex, Nino likely would not even have detected it.

That proved the new Demon was like the one Yu Muqiu had dealt with before—an ordinary Demon that the current Yu Muqiu could dispatch at any time.

So Yu Muqiu decided to handle it alone.

"It really is the same type as the one we saw at the hospital last time."

After entering the barrier and casually dealing with the weak familiar, Yu Muqiu finally relaxed.

Nino walked beside her, studying the incomplete projection of reality within the barrier. Suddenly, she said to Yu Muqiu, "Something's wrong. There's someone else in this barrier!"

"Huh?"

"I can sense magical fluctuations... It's her! That Magical Girl from before!"

After sensing carefully for a moment, Nino spoke to Yu Muqiu.

After freezing for a second, Yu Muqiu quickly reacted and headed deeper into the Nightmare Barrier.

As she neared the core of the Nightmare Barrier, Yu Muqiu heard the sounds of battle.

And the closer she got, the fiercer those sounds became.

When she reached the barrier's core, Yu Muqiu saw that black-and-white figure.

Long silver hair, a black trench coat—it was the fourth Magical Girl she had seen before!

"Oh no, I have to help her!"

Seeing the fourth Magical Girl locked in fierce combat with the core monster, Yu Muqiu took out her staff, intending to provide support.

But Nino stopped her. "Wait, Xiao Qiu. She... doesn't seem to need our help."

Hearing that, Yu Muqiu looked again at the silver-haired Magical Girl.

Sure enough, Nino was right. The other girl did not seem to need her help.

The core monster inside the barrier was a traffic-light monster covered in road signs from every direction. Who knew which person had failed their driving test and been influenced by the Nightmare Seed, causing their thoughts to manifest into such a monster.

The signpost monster attacked by hurling every sort of road sign filling the air—signs like "No Entry," "Turn Right Ahead," and "Height Limit"—throwing them at the silver-haired girl as though they were weapons.

Fortunately, the signs thrown by the signpost monster possessed no special abilities. They were merely a bit sturdier and a bit sharper.

Aside from the seemingly endless supply of signs it could throw, the Signpost Demon itself was not particularly strong.

Compared to the previous Speed Demon, it was practically nothing.

A silver-haired girl who could instantly kill the Speed Demon would naturally not be defeated by the Signpost Demon.

By the time Yu Muqiu arrived, the battle was already nearing its end.

As her passionate theme music swelled, countless Chains extended from every direction in the void, accurately seizing the Demon's body and all the road signs on it.

The silver-haired girl held a scythe as she ran swiftly along one of the Chains.

Partway through, the Signpost Demon let out a strange cry, and new road signs appeared in the void. The signs shot toward the silver-haired girl charging at it like speeding projectiles.

Facing the signs flying at her, the silver-haired girl swung her scythe atop the Chains.

She spun, knocking aside the incoming signs, or leapt across the Chains at breathtaking angles, allowing the signs to skim past her body.

After showing off like that for a while, the silver-haired girl leapt high from the Chains.

Then the scene cut to a close-up, showing the silver-haired girl spinning her scythe. Only then did it pull back into a wide shot, framing both her and the Signpost Demon within the scene.

As the stirring music reached its peak, the silver-haired girl stepped onto the Chains in the sky and jumped down with all her strength.

Slash—!

The scythe's edge flashed. The Demon's vital point was severed in a single strike, and the silver-haired girl landed on the ground at that very moment.

The entire image turned black and white, becoming a silhouette that froze the scene in place.]

(So cool!!!)

(So cool, Xiao Bai!!)

(Is she a melee-type Magical Girl like Xiaoxia? But... why is she so much cooler than Xiaoxia!)

([Chen Xiaoxia]: Huh?! How is she cool?! What makes her cooler than me?!)

That last comment had clearly been sent by Chen Xiaoxia herself. The bracketed prefix on the comment revealed her identity.

For some reason, although most comments on the Sky Screen were anonymous, certain people's comments—especially those from characters appearing on the Sky Screen—came with a name tag.

The name tags were obvious and had distinctive colors, allowing everyone to tell exactly who had sent each comment.

For example, Chen Xiaoxia had just sent one comment, and everyone already knew whose mouth those words had come from.

"Tch, what's there to argue about? I'm cool. Is there a problem with that? No problem!"

Fang Ming thought narcissistically to himself.

In her Magical Girl Form, "she" was both beautiful and possessed a unique heroic air. Even Fang Ming, whose standards for beauty were rather high, thought she was gorgeous and badass.

Not to mention ordinary passersby.

"But... did I fight like that back then? I feel like I barely put in any effort before killing that Demon... Hmm, maybe it's just that those involved can't see as clearly as onlookers."

Fang Ming recalled that first... second battle.

At the time, he had only been focused on testing his true strength, devoting all his attention to fighting the Signpost Demon. He had not paid attention to striking poses or anything like that.

It was probably the Sky Screen enhancing it.

Of course, it might also have been because Fang Ming himself simply had not noticed.

[The silver-haired girl killed the Signpost Demon cleanly and stylishly, and the BGM stopped there as well.

With the Signpost Demon's death, the barrier began to dissipate. A Nightmare Seed like a black gemstone fell from the Signpost Demon's body and finally landed in the silver-haired girl's pale palm.

The silver-haired girl held the Nightmare Seed in her hand, seeming to think about something.

"Um... excuse me!"

Xiao Qiu stepped forward, rousing the silver-haired girl, who seemed to be lost in thought.

The silver-haired girl raised her head, her eyes meeting Xiao Qiu's.

Yu Muqiu was startled by the other girl's utterly emotionless gaze. She instinctively wanted to step back, but she ultimately gathered her courage and stepped forward, asking the silver-haired girl, "May I ask... who... who are you?"

"..."

The silver-haired girl said nothing. She simply scrutinized Yu Muqiu.

Already somewhat socially anxious, Yu Muqiu grew even more flustered under the other girl's stare.

Until the other girl finally spoke.

"You want this?"

The silver-haired girl shook the Nightmare Seed in her hand and asked Yu Muqiu.]

(!!!!)

(It sounds so good!!)

(I'm already floored just hearing her speak! That voice... I love it, I love it!)

(Lady Xiao Bai, curse me!! Curse me!!!)

(That's enough. If she really cursed you, you wouldn't be happy either.)