Chapter Summaries

Lin Yun began another difficult day after his wife’s death, then saw a magical girl confront an aberrant beast during his commute. After work, while dwelling on his strained life and family, he answered a woman’s call inviting him to dinner.

• Lin Yun woke alone, left breakfast for his sleeping daughter, and took the crowded train to work.
• Passengers spotted an aberrant beast clinging to a high-rise, and a streak of blue light identified as a magical girl flew toward it.
• Lin Yun noted that the blue light belonged to a new magical girl but told himself the incident had little to do with his ordinary life.
• Lin Yun spent the day handling work at Ascend and left the office near seven in the evening.
• Lin Yun reflected on his dissatisfaction, his distant relationship with his daughter, and the loss of his wife.
• A woman called Lin Yun and asked whether he wanted to have dinner with her.

Lin Yun met Hong Siyu for dinner, where her drunken remarks about new magical girls and his unresolved feelings for Aya brought up their shared past. After driving the sleeping Hong Siyu home, he admitted that he still could not let Aya go.

• Hong Siyu teased Lin Yun about new magical girls in the Kingdom, but he stopped her from discussing his past.
• Hong Siyu told Lin Yun that new magical girls in Fangting City had contacted the Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau and that an interview report would air on the city channel that night.
• Hong Siyu fell asleep at the restaurant, so Lin Yun paid the bill and carried her to her car.
• As Lin Yun drove Hong Siyu home, she asked why he could not consider her after Aya had been gone for over two years.
• Lin Yun said he had not been able to convince himself to let Aya go, while Hong Siyu appeared to fall asleep again and murmured, "I'm sorry."

After recognizing his daughter Lin Xiaolu as the new magical girl White Rose, Lin Yun tried to talk with her but could not bring himself to discuss her transformation. He retrieved a Shard-Pattern Gem Flower from storage, preparing to use it to tell her what he knew about magical girls.

• Lin Yun watched the evening news replay and recognized White Rose as his daughter, Lin Xiaolu.
• Lin Yun decided to talk with Lin Xiaolu about becoming a magical girl and knocked on her bedroom door.
• Lin Xiaolu opened the door, and Lin Yun asked about her well-being before apologizing for their strained relationship.
• Lin Xiaolu said it was too late for his apology and closed the door, while Lin Yun left without mentioning magical girls.
• Lin Yun retrieved a Shard-Pattern Gem Flower he had hidden for nineteen years and recognized it as a treasure possessed by magical girls.

A week after Lin Yun discovered that Lin Xiaolu had become a magical girl, he reflected on his failed attempt to transform and worried he could not protect her. An unknown caller warned him to be careful of that night’s Aberrant Beast, then hung up.

• Lin Yun noted that his relationship with Lin Xiaolu had improved slightly and asked Hong Siyu to watch over her safety.
• Lin Yun recalled that the Flower of the Heart had not responded when he tried to transform, leaving him unable to approach his daughter as a magical girl.
• Lin Xiaolu defeated a new Aberrant Beast, while the attack received little attention from the media or public.
• Lin Yun received a call from an unknown number, and the caller warned him to be careful of that night’s Aberrant Beast before disconnecting.

After receiving a cryptic warning about an Aberrant Beast, Lin Yun discovered his daughter Lin Xiaolu was missing from her room and raced toward the wetland park after the caller revealed its location.

• Lin Yun received an anonymous warning about an Aberrant Beast and failed to determine who had called him.
• Lin Yun watched over Lin Xiaolu at home, but woke at 2:10 a.m. with a premonition like the one he had felt when his wife died.
• Lin Yun found Lin Xiaolu's bedroom locked and got no answer when he knocked or called Hong Siyu.
• Lin Yun called the unfamiliar number, and the caller said, "In the suburbs, wetland park."
• Lin Yun grabbed his dormant Flower of the Heart and sped toward the wetland park, determined to reach Lin Xiaolu.

Lin Yun recalled how, as a boy, he had awakened the power to become a Magical Girl in order to save Anya. At the Wetland Park, he used the same resolve to activate his Shard-Pattern Gem Flower and began transforming.

• Lin Yun remembered asking a rabbit-like Seeder to let him fight after his childhood friend Anya was endangered by two Aberrant Beasts.
• Although the Seeder said only girls could become Magical Girls, Lin Yun pressed the Heart Seed to his chest and awakened its power.
• The Seeder taught Lin Yun how to sense mana, balance its flow, construct a magical rune, and choose a transformation chant.
• At the Wetland Park, Lin Yun ran into the woods while thinking of his need to rescue someone important.
• Lin Yun's Shard-Pattern Gem Flower glowed as he pressed it to his chest and said, "Transform."

Lin Xiaolu and Moko searched Wetland Park for an Aberrant Beast, but the creature ambushed them and trapped them inside a Magic Barrier. As Lin Xiaolu tried to flee, the monster lunged at her throat.

• Lin Xiaolu and Moko entered Wetland Park to hunt an Aberrant Beast, but Moko lost track of its location.
• Moko urged Lin Xiaolu to retreat if they reached the park center without finding the enemy, and Lin Xiaolu agreed.
• At the center of the park, Lin Xiaolu realized Moko had vanished, then heard Moko call for her to run.
• Moko returned badly wounded and warned Lin Xiaolu about the Aberrant Beast as the two-headed monster emerged from the trees.
• Lin Xiaolu tried to escape by flying, but a Magic Barrier stopped her, and the Aberrant Beast lunged at her throat.

Magical Girl Larkspur saved Lin Xiaolu from the Aberrant Beast and demonstrated her combat abilities while explaining them to her. She bound the monster with magical threads and formed a short sword, then prepared to strike it down.

• Larkspur appeared just in time to block the Aberrant Beast’s fatal attack on Lin Xiaolu and ordered her to step back.
• Larkspur introduced herself as Magical Girl Larkspur, authentication number 41076, and began the elimination mission.
• Larkspur dodged and parried the Aberrant Beast’s rapid attacks, then stopped its jaws with a kinetic defense.
• Larkspur summoned magical threads to restrain the Aberrant Beast and shaped them into a short sword.
• Larkspur raised the sword toward the Aberrant Beast’s glabella and swung as deep-blue magic filled the woods.

After defeating the Aberrant Beast, Larkspur investigated Fangting City's missing Magical Girls and learned that Moko had arrived there by accident and cut off contact with the Magic Kingdom. Lin Xiaolu asked Larkspur to teach her, and Larkspur—secretly her father, Lin Yun—agreed without revealing her identity.

• Larkspur collected the Aberrant Beast's Echo and questioned Lin Xiaolu and Moko about Fangting City's weak defenses and absent Magical Girls.
• Moko admitted it had arrived in Fangting City last month, found no Seeder or Magical Girls, and had been appointed the city's Seeder before contracting Lin Xiaolu.
• Larkspur identified herself as a Magic Kingdom Inspector but said she could not contact the Kingdom because she had no usable Magic Mirror.
• Lin Xiaolu praised Larkspur's battle and asked her to teach her how to become a Magical Girl like her.
• Larkspur, secretly Lin Yun and Lin Xiaolu's father, agreed to teach her while keeping her identity hidden.

Lin Yun reviewed four unresolved mysteries surrounding the Wetland Park incident while discussing the investigation with Hong Siyu. He remained unable to reveal to Lin Xiaolu that Larkspur was her father, and planned to begin secretly training her that evening.

• Lin Yun told Hong Siyu he could not reach her during the attack and discussed the mysterious warning call, the abnormal Magic Barrier, and Moko’s claim that Fangting City had no Seeders or Magical Girls.
• Hong Siyu asked Lin Yun how his return to battle felt, and he admitted it had gone poorly and that he had failed to reveal his identity to Lin Xiaolu.
• Lin Yun ended the call when Liu Guanshan entered his office with documents to sign.
• Lin Yun told Liu Guanshan he planned to spend the evening with his daughter, while privately resolving to teach Lin Xiaolu Magical Girl training as Larkspur.

Larkspur taught Lin Xiaolu the basics of Aberrant Beast ranks and magical girls’ Blossoming stages, and the two exchanged phone numbers. The next day, Moko reported that they had found a girl with magical talent, and Larkspur agreed to investigate.

• Larkspur explained Aberrant Beast ranks and warned Lin Xiaolu not to fight opponents she could not defeat.
• Larkspur described the five Blossoming stages—Seed, Bud, Leaf, Blossom, and Flower—and explained how a magical girl’s Mana Source worked.
• After the lesson, Lin Xiaolu and Larkspur exchanged phone numbers, each hoping to grow closer to the other.
• The next day, Moko called Larkspur and reported finding a girl with magical talent who could become a new magical girl.
• Larkspur considered the risks and the shortage of magical girls in Fangting City, then asked Moko where the girl was.

Larkspur met Lin Xiaolu at Electronics Street after buying clothes for her Magical Girl form, only to learn that Moko had lost track of the magically talented child they were seeking. As they discussed how to search, a strange girl appeared behind Larkspur and asked whether Moko was a hologram or augmented reality.

• Larkspur met Lin Xiaolu at Electronics Street, and Lin Xiaolu admired Larkspur's new outfit and took a picture.
• Lin Xiaolu told Larkspur that Moko had lost track of the child because crowded places obscured her magical aura, though Moko could still sense she was nearby.
• Lin Xiaolu suggested shopping while Moko searched, but Larkspur argued that the child might leave and proposed guarding the entrances together.
• A strange girl appeared behind Larkspur, and she leaned toward Moko and asked whether the pink cat was a holographic projection or augmented reality.

Larkspur and Lin Xiaolu confronted the girl they had been seeking after she revealed she could sense Moko. Larkspur offered to explain the girl’s unusual feelings, and the girl followed the group when they walked away.

• Larkspur realized the girl could see or sense Moko and identified her as their target with magical talent.
• Lin Xiaolu recognized the girl as one of the school’s gyaru and argued with her about her appearance and rumors of bullying.
• Larkspur stopped their public argument and suggested they move somewhere private to talk.
• The girl feigned alarm when Larkspur admitted they had followed her, but Larkspur pointed out that she was curious about Moko and sensed danger from Larkspur.
• Larkspur invited the girl to come with them to learn why her feelings were real, then walked away without offering again.
• The girl admitted she had been hooked and followed Larkspur, Moko, and Lin Xiaolu.

Larkspur brought Lin Xiaolu and Xia Liang to a secluded rooftop and revealed that she and Lin Xiaolu were Magical Girls who protected Fangting City. After discovering Xia Liang’s unusual sensitivity to magical power, Larkspur asked what Xia Liang knew about Magical Girls.

• Xia Liang asked Lin Xiaolu about Larkspur, and Lin Xiaolu identified her as Senior Larkspur.
• Larkspur led Lin Xiaolu and Xia Liang into an alley, transformed into a Magical Girl, and flew Xia Liang onto a rooftop.
• Lin Xiaolu transformed and joined them, while Xia Liang recovered from the frightening flight.
• Larkspur asked Xia Liang her name, and Xia Liang introduced herself.
• Larkspur introduced herself as Larkspur and Lin Xiaolu as White Rose, explaining that they fought Aberrant Beasts and protected Fangting City.

After breaking away from her uncaring friends, Xia Liang followed a mysterious summons and met Larkspur and Lin Xiaolu, who offered her the chance to become a Magical Girl. Xia Liang chose to give up her old connections and accept, despite the danger.

• Xia Liang agreed to go with her friends to Electronics Street, but a flying pink cat and an inner summons drew her attention away.
• When Xia Liang tried to leave, the group's leader told her not to come around again, and Xia Liang accepted the rejection and walked away.
• Xia Liang followed the summons and met Larkspur, who revealed that she could become a Magical Girl and warned her about the dangers.
• Lin Xiaolu objected to Xia Liang joining, but Larkspur argued that Xia Liang might be a valuable source of support.
• Xia Liang discarded her earrings and deleted more than a dozen contacts, then declared that she wanted to become a Magical Girl.

Lin Yun investigated urban legends for signs of a hidden Pupa-stage Aberrant Beast in Fangting City, then received word that Moko had found one. He hurried to the reported location after narrowly avoiding being discovered transformed as Larkspur in his office.

• Lin Yun reviewed Bureau records and concluded that a Pupa-stage Aberrant Beast might be behind Fangting City's strange events and the long absence of Magical Girls.
• Lin Yun searched urban legends for leads and found rumors including Sewer Song, the Mirror-Reversed Abandoned Construction Site, and the Flickering Streetlights.
• Lin Xiaolu called Larkspur to report that Moko had found an Aberrant Beast and tell her where it had appeared.
• A subordinate opened Lin Yun's office door while Larkspur was transformed, but she hid beneath the desk until he left.
• Lin Yun canceled his transformation, left the office, and hurried toward the Aberrant Beast's reported location.

Larkspur restrained an Egg Rank Aberrant Beast and waited for Xia Liang and Lin Xiaolu to arrive so the rookies could gain combat experience. Xia Liang arrived first, impressing Larkspur with her rapid progress, while Lin Xiaolu showed up last and called out to the two.

• Larkspur reached the sealed-off scene and bound the still-rampaging Aberrant Beast with her mana threads.
• Larkspur decided to keep the creature alive for Lin Xiaolu and Xia Liang to use for practice.
• Xia Liang arrived using Mana Breakfall, and Larkspur praised her for mastering the technique so quickly.
• Xia Liang examined the bound Aberrant Beast and teased Larkspur while learning about her threads-and-scissors Magic Construct.
• Lin Xiaolu arrived nearly ten minutes later and shouted at Larkspur and Xia Liang for acting so close.

Larkspur released an Egg Rank Dissolving Cavity Aberrant Beast so Lin Xiaolu and Xia Liang could practice fighting together. Their clashing styles and poor coordination left them exhausted after a long battle with little damage done to the creature.

• Larkspur explained the Aberrant Beast's rank and type, then loosened the mana threads binding it and told Lin Xiaolu and Xia Liang to fight without her help unless they faced extreme danger.
• Lin Xiaolu and Xia Liang charged the creature, each confident and eager to fight.
• Xia Liang nearly hit Lin Xiaolu with a Mana Beam when Lin Xiaolu crossed her firing path, prompting Lin Xiaolu to angrily confront her.
• The pair continued fighting through dozens of exchanges but dealt little damage and wore themselves out.
• Larkspur observed that both girls showed individual combat strengths, but their incompatible styles and failure to coordinate made their teamwork ineffective.

Lin Xiaolu and Xia Liang coordinated to defeat the Cavity-Melting Aberrant Beast, but Xia Liang’s lethal Mana Beam caused its compressed slime to burst over them. The fight ended with Larkspur safely away and the two Magical Girls drenched in foul-smelling slime.

• As the Aberrant Beast grew more mobile and pressed its attack, Lin Xiaolu asked Xia Liang to save her mana for a decisive strike.
• Lin Xiaolu lured the Aberrant Beast into firing its Dissolving Cavity, and Xia Liang aimed a Mana Beam into its open mouth.
• Xia Liang’s Mana Beam missed the mouth but struck the fragile nozzle, killing the Aberrant Beast.
• Larkspur realized the damaged Dissolving Cavity would release its stored slime and warned Lin Xiaolu and Xia Liang to move away.
• The Aberrant Beast exploded, showering Lin Xiaolu and Xia Liang with foul-smelling slime.

After the battle, Lin Xiaolu and Xia Liang struggled with the foul tissue fluid coating them, and Larkspur told them to go home and clean up. Xia Liang followed Lin Xiaolu and revealed that she had run away from home, asking to stay with her.

• Lin Xiaolu dry-heaved and cried after being splashed with the Aberrant Beast's foul tissue fluid, while Xia Liang fought to keep from throwing up.
• Larkspur comforted Lin Xiaolu, checked on Xia Liang, and said she would report the incident to the Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau so the girls could miss school and rest.
• Lin Xiaolu started heading home after recovering enough to stand, but Xia Liang followed her.
• Lin Xiaolu told Xia Liang to go wash at her own house, but Xia Liang insisted that she wanted to visit Lin Xiaolu's house.
• Xia Liang announced that she had run away from home and asked Lin Xiaolu to give her somewhere to stay.