Xiao Chun thought for a moment, then asked, "So this Magical Girl didn't make a contract with you?"
"No. And three people are already my limit. I can't make contracts with any more."
Nino explained.
Nino's hometown was a world inhabited by Magical Creatures like her. They could use magic and form contracts with other intelligent beings, allowing them to wield magic as well.
But the conditions for making a contract were extremely strict.
First, the person had to possess some particularly distinct trait, such as Yu Muqiu's "hope," Xiaoxia's "courage," or Xiao Chun's "kindness."
Second, the person also had to have an aptitude for magic.
Lastly, they had to possess a strong desire to use magic to help others.
Only those with all of these qualities could have the "Emotion Seed" within their hearts awakened by Nino and be granted the power to use magic.
And every Magical Creature could only activate a limited number of Emotion Seeds.
Nino's limit was three people. Therefore, after making contracts with Yu Muqiu and the other two, she could no longer turn anyone else into a Magical Girl.
["Then that means...!" Yu Muqiu suddenly thought of something and exclaimed in surprise, "Could one of Nino's fellow townspeople 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's voice suddenly grew much louder as she denied Chen Xiaoxia and the others' speculation.
Her voice was so loud that it drowned out all three of their discussion.
When all three turned to look at Nino, her voice softened somewhat. "...I told you before, didn't I? My hometown... was completely destroyed. Other than me... other than me, there's no one else..."
As Nino spoke, her eyes grew crystalline, as though tears were gathering within them.
Yu Muqiu and the other two looked at each other. In the end, Xiao Chun hugged Nino, holding the tiny calico cat in her arms and gently stroking her as she comforted her.
"I'm sorry... We shouldn't have said that."
"..." Chen Xiaoxia still seemed unwilling to let it go. "But... but it's not like it's completely impossible..."
"Xiaoxia."
Xiao Chun softly stopped Chen Xiaoxia. Pressured by Mama Xiaochun's authority, Chen Xiaoxia ultimately did not continue.
Yu Muqiu said, "We can just ask her the next time we meet."
"Will we be able to meet again?" Chen Xiaoxia asked.
Yu Muqiu nodded. "As long as she became a Magical Girl to destroy Demons, just like us, then we'll meet again someday!"]
(Serious question, why did Nino get 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—the scene where Nino's hometown was destroyed by a powerful Demon.)
(Logically speaking, Nino should be the only survivor from her hometown, but... this is a Magical Girl show, after all.)
(When I think about how this happened in real life, it feels kind of surreal...)
(So Xiao Bai is probably a Magical Girl contracted by another Magical Creature?)
(That's possible.)
It was possible, but Fang Ming had yet to see a second Magical Creature besides Nino.
So the possibility was unlikely.
But the viewers were willing to misunderstand, and Fang Ming could hardly go up there and explain it himself. Seeing that he had not been exposed in this episode, Fang Ming finally breathed a genuine sigh of relief.
If he would not be exposed in this episode, then he probably would not need to worry until the final episode of this season.
The Sky Screen's runtime 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 outside for some fresh air.
And if nothing unexpected happened, this episode's big moment would arrive very soon.
When Fang Ming saw the time shift to night and Xiao Qiu was awakened by Nino, who said she had sensed a Demon's presence,
Fang Ming knew that this episode's big moment 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 formed by the Nightmare Seed under Nino's guidance.
Yu Muqiu did not wake Chen Xiaoxia and Xiao Chun, who were resting as well.
After all, 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 probably would not have sensed it at all.
This proved that the new Demon was like the ordinary Demon Yu Muqiu had dealt with before—something Yu Muqiu could easily dispatch at her current level.
Thus, 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 familiars, Yu Muqiu finally relaxed.
Nino walked beside her, examining the incomplete projection of reality within the barrier, when she suddenly said to Yu Muqiu,
"No, there's someone else in this barrier!"
"Huh?"
"I can feel magical fluctuations... It's her! That Magical Girl from before!"
After sensing carefully, Nino told Yu Muqiu.
After freezing for a second, Yu Muqiu quickly reacted and headed deeper into the Nightmare Barrier.
As she approached the core of the Nightmare Barrier, Yu Muqiu heard the sounds of fighting.
And the closer she got, the fiercer those sounds became.
When she reached the core, Yu Muqiu saw that black-and-white figure.
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 wand, intending to support her.
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 the driving test and been influenced by the Nightmare Seed, causing their thoughts to manifest into such a monster.
The road-sign monster's means of attack was the countless road signs filling the air—signs like "No Entry," "Turn Right Ahead," and "Height Limit"—which it hurled at the silver-haired girl like throwing weapons.
Fortunately, the signs thrown by the road-sign monster did not possess any special abilities. They were merely a little sturdier and a little sharper.
Aside from the seemingly endless supply of signs it could throw, the Signpost Demon itself was not particularly strong.
Compared to the Speed Demon from before, it was practically nothing.
Naturally, the silver-haired girl, who could instantly kill the Speed Demon, would not be defeated by the Signpost Demon.
By the time Yu Muqiu arrived, the battle was already nearing its end.
Accompanied by her stirring theme music, endless chains stretched out from all directions in the void, precisely seizing the Demon's body and every road sign on it.
The silver-haired girl held a scythe as she sprinted along one of the chains.
During this, the Signpost Demon shrieked, and new road signs emerged from the void once again, flying like speeding projectiles toward the silver-haired girl charging at it.
Facing the road signs flying toward her, the silver-haired girl swung her scythe atop the chains.
She spun her body, knocking away the incoming signs, or leaped across the chains at perilous angles, letting the signs brush past her body.
After showing off like this for a while, the silver-haired girl leaped high into the air from atop the chains.
Then the camera cut in close, giving a close-up of the silver-haired girl spinning her scythe. Only then did it pull back, showing both the silver-haired girl and the Signpost Demon within the scene.
As the stirring music reached its peak, the silver-haired girl stepped on the chains in the sky and leaped down with all her strength.
Slash—!
The scythe's edge flashed. The Demon's vital point was severed in a single stroke, 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 combat-focused Magical Girl like Xiaoxia? But... why is she so much cooler than Xiaoxia!)
([Chen Xiaoxia]: Huh?! How is she cool?! How is she cooler than me!!)
The final comment had obviously been sent by Chen Xiaoxia herself. The bracketed prefix on the comment had exposed her identity.
For some reason, although most of the comments in the sky had no owner, some people's comments—especially those from characters appearing on the Sky Screen—came with their own signature tags when they posted them.
The signature tags were obvious and had unique colors, allowing everyone to tell exactly who had sent each comment.
For instance, the moment Chen Xiaoxia sent that comment, everyone knew whose mouth those words had come from.
"Tch, what's there to argue about? I'm cool. Got a problem with that? No problem!"
Fang Ming thought rather narcissistically.
His Magical Girl Form was both beautiful and possessed a unique heroic air. Even Fang Ming himself, with his rather high standards for beauty, thought she was gorgeous and cool.
Let alone everyone else.
"But... did I fight like that back then? I feel like I didn't have to put in much effort to kill that Demon... Hmm, maybe it's just that those involved can't see as clearly as the onlookers."
Fang Ming recalled that first... second battle.
At the time, he had been focused only on testing his true strength, giving his full attention to fighting the Signpost Demon. He had not paid attention to striking poses or anything.
It was probably the Sky Screen beautifying things.
Of course, it could also have been because Fang Ming himself had simply not noticed.
[The silver-haired girl cleanly and stylishly slew the Signpost Demon, and the BGM came to a stop.
With the Signpost Demon's death, the barrier began to dissipate. A black gemstone-like Nightmare Seed fell from the Signpost Demon's body and eventually landed in the silver-haired girl's pale palm.
The silver-haired girl held the Nightmare Seed, seeming to be thinking about something.
"Um... excuse me!"
Xiao Qiu stepped forward, snapping the silver-haired girl out of what seemed to be deep thought.
The silver-haired girl raised her head, meeting Xiao Qiu's eyes.
Yu Muqiu was startled by the other girl's eyes, which held no trace of emotion. She instinctively wanted to step back, but in the end she gathered her courage, stepped forward, and asked the silver-haired girl,
"May I ask... who... who are you?"
"..."
The silver-haired girl said nothing, merely examining Yu Muqiu.
Already somewhat socially anxious, Yu Muqiu became 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.]
(!!!!)
(That sounds so good!!)
(I'm kneeling the moment she speaks! That voice... I love it!)
(Xiao Bai, insult me!! Insult me!!!)
(Enough already. If she really insulted you, you wouldn't be happy either.)
Before you continue