Electronics Street

Fangting City, Sunset District, near Central Avenue's Electronics Street—this was the city's busiest pedestrian shopping district.

Larkspur rubbed her wrist as she emerged from a deserted alley. Ignoring the occasional glances cast her way, she crossed roughly two intersections and spotted Lin Xiaolu, dressed in her school uniform, at their meeting place.

She quickened her pace, walked over, and greeted her flatly. "I'm here."

"Larkspur?"

Hearing that, Lin Xiaolu looked over. Her eyes first widened, then lit up as she circled Larkspur, crying out with the expression of someone who had found something rare. "So pretty! This outfit—this dress is so cute!"

"Is that so?"

Larkspur lifted her sleeves and looked them over from side to side, neither confirming nor denying it. "Thank you for the compliment."

"Ah... I'm so jealous. If only I could pull off that light, soft, fluffy feeling too. This is exactly the Magical Girl style I want!"

"I think you can do it."

"Can I take a picture?" Lin Xiaolu pulled out her phone, eager to try.

"Mm... Go ahead?"

It was not that Larkspur could not tell whether an outfit was cute. She simply did not know what she looked like in her current clothes. After all, the dress she was wearing had just been bought, and she had not even tried it on.

Larkspur had not previously prepared any everyday clothes for her Magical Girl form. So, after being told that the target was at Electronics Street and that she had to enter the busy district as Larkspur, she had no choice but to buy herself several outfits at a department store.

Because entering the mall in Larkspur's appearance while wearing her magical manifestation outfit would have drawn too much attention, Lin Yun had ultimately gone to the children's clothing section in his own appearance.

As an ordinary adult man, Lin Yun stood a full 183 centimeters tall. Even when he had first obtained Magical Girl powers at fourteen, he had been around 170 centimeters—a perfectly healthy height for a boy, one that even made many of his peers slightly envious. But for some reason, after becoming a Magical Girl, after becoming Larkspur, that impressive height had shrunk to a mere 139 centimeters.

Was it some kind of reversal at the extreme? Or just a strange coincidence? Lin Yun had never figured it out.

That also meant that when she wanted to buy clothes for her Larkspur form, it was difficult to find women's clothing that fit unless it was custom-made.

Children's clothing, by comparison, was much more convenient. Not only were the sizes easier to match, but there were dresses as well as pants. So Lin Yun, claiming that he was buying clothes for his daughter, gave the clerk Larkspur's measurements and entered a children's clothing store amid the clerk's enthusiastic welcome.

The sales assistant had even asked whether he had a picture of his daughter, saying she could offer more suitable suggestions if she could see what his daughter looked like. But Lin Yun had no narcissistic tendency to keep photos of herself after transforming into a Magical Girl on his phone. He merely picked out several sets of pants, tops, and dresses said to be "new seasonal arrivals," then left in a hurry.

After leaving the department store, he casually found a seemingly reputable chain budget hotel by the roadside, rented a room by the hour, changed clothes, and then flew straight to Electronics Street.

As for whether the clothes suited her, she was not worried.

She actually knew that, by ordinary standards of beauty, Larkspur could be described as "delicate and adorable." Even among Magical Girls, whose average looks were exceptionally high, she stood out.

And precisely because of that, as long as she wore normal clothes and matched her accessories and hairstyle properly, she would not look too bad.

Although, as a father, being called "cute" by his daughter under such circumstances left him feeling conflicted—and even a little strange—that feeling soon settled down.

What else could he say? Responding blandly was already the best way to handle it.

Without making any more small talk, after this one-sided fashion show, Larkspur got straight to the point.

"So? Where's the child Moko mentioned?"

"Ah, about that..."

At the mention of the matter, Lin Xiaolu blinked and slowly turned toward Moko. "How should I put this... We lost her?"

"Lost her?" Larkspur glanced at Moko as well.

"No, we didn't!"

The moment Moko saw Larkspur looking over, it jolted all over and immediately retorted, "It wasn't that I lost track of her! That child kept heading into crowded places, and her magical power aura got covered up!"

"So the result is still that you lost her?" Larkspur put one hand on her hip.

"That's true," Moko muttered guiltily. "But I can feel that she's still in this area. I just don't know her exact location."

"You really are..."

Larkspur lowered her eyelids and sighed softly. She could guarantee that the pink cat before her was the most unreliable Seeder she had ever encountered in her Magical Girl career.

Other Seeders, though Fairies as a race tended to have a mischievous streak, were still competent at their actual jobs. They might not be great assistants to Magical Girls, but at the very least, they were excellent at finding talented children, relaying information between the Kingdom and Magical Girls, sensing the location and strength of Aberrant Beasts... These support tasks were all handled very well.

But Moko? Leaving aside how it knew nothing whenever asked, even when doing its actual job, it gave off the impression of being clumsy and helpless. It was truly hard to feel at ease with it.

But all that could be set aside for now. Finding the girl with magical talent was what mattered most, so Larkspur did not dwell on it and quickly moved the conversation along. "What can we do now? Wait here for Moko to lock onto her location?"

"Mm... How about we check out some stores?"

Lin Xiaolu offered a suggestion. "That girl should be here to shop. She probably won't leave anytime soon, so why don't we have some fun too? Maybe we'll run into her along the way."

"Not reliable."

Larkspur shook her head and analyzed it calmly. "She may just be here to buy something and leave once she's done. If we don't keep watch, and she leaves Electronics Street while we're distracted, she'll only be harder to find."

"Then let Moko keep looking while we go have fun?"

Lin Xiaolu's suggestion made Moko let out a startled "Huh?"

"That actually doesn't seem like a problem..." Larkspur's response shocked Moko even more.

It hurriedly flew between the two girls and waved both paws. "You can't do this! Even if I am responsible for losing track of her, you can't leave me alone and go have fun! That's too cruel!"

"Where do you get the nerve to say something like that?"

Larkspur glanced at it, then sighed again. "Sigh, fine. I wouldn't feel comfortable letting you keep watch by yourself either."

"Then let's use the dumbest method. I'll split up from you two and guard the two entrances to Electronics Street. Once we spot the target, then..."

"—Then what?" A questioning voice came from beside Larkspur's ear.

"Then we'll call each other, stop that child first, and wait for Moko to come..." Larkspur wanted to continue, but after less than two seconds, she suddenly realized that the voice asking the question was not quite right. Or rather, it was unfamiliar.

She glanced at Lin Xiaolu in front of her and found that she was staring over Larkspur's head, a trace of fear showing on her face.

Over my head? My hair? No, at that angle, she isn't looking at my head—she's looking behind me?

After a brief moment of thought, Larkspur realized something and immediately turned around. A strange girl stood there with her hands behind her back, her clear eyes carrying a hint of curiosity and her face wreathed in a smile.

The girl looked young, only a little taller than Lin Xiaolu, with a very childish face. Her clothing, however, was mature and flashy.

A black suspender skirt with a cinched waist was paired with a loose white blouse trimmed in lace, giving her a distinctly girlish look. Her short black hair fell neatly to her shoulders, fluffy with slightly curled ends. The lower edge of her straight bangs was dyed purple. She wore light makeup, and her translucent lips had clearly been coated with lipstick. False lashes beneath her eyelids made her bright eyes look even more watery. Something glimmered at her earlobes—probably earrings.

Looking at the group of two girls and one Fairy before her, she stepped closer and leaned toward Moko. "And what's that kitty over there? A holographic projection? Augmented reality?"