A New Magical Girl

Time ticked away, drop by drop.

The magical girls under another's control had no way to tell the time. They only knew that this night of waiting for rescue was agonizingly long.

The waiting only intensified their unease. They almost wished they could just experience the hypnosis already.

They did not want to remain threatened by the Sword of Damocles hanging over their heads. Waiting for unknown torment was far too painful.

But...

The two magical girls were not the only ones suffering.

With his back to them, Ye Qing touched the strange high-tech equipment in the secret room, yet he was too afraid of breaking anything to fiddle with it carelessly.

Distracted, he kept sneaking glances at the time on his phone every few minutes.

Compared to the magical girls, his torment was even worse.

He had never felt time pass so slowly.

Where was the rescue!?

Why had no magical girls come to save them yet!?

Could it be that they did not know where Abyss Return was?

Did magical girls seriously not have an ability to locate their companions?

Or could this secret room of Abyss Return block detection?

No one could answer Ye Qing's doubts. He could only watch helplessly as the time crawled from six in the evening to midnight.

A full six hours passed without the slightest accident.

At first, he could still hear Feiyan making a fuss now and then.

But now, even Feiyan was too exhausted to make a scene.

If he did not take some real action soon, Ye Qing was certain his behavior would be suspected.

The moment Ye Qing, who had been staring at his phone, saw a notification from the BOSS, he caught it.

[BOSS: Any progress with the hypnosis?]

If I don't cause some kind of accident, I'm dead!

Ye Qing hurriedly grabbed two devices that looked sophisticated but whose functions he had no idea about.

Letting out a strange, sinister laugh, he deliberately slowed his steps and approached the magical girls one step at a time.

"Hehehe... Relax. Feeling dizzy is normal. Even after being hypnotized, you're still yourselves, so don't be too afraid."

"If you're doing it, then hurry up."

Magical Girl Crimson Flame turned her head in anger and helplessness. She did not want to endure any more torment.

Magical Girl Yuyan closed her eyes as well. Long-term pain was much harder to bear than short-term pain.

Ye Qing stopped before the two magical girls, unable to immediately proceed with his next move.

Unlike his bluffing words, his heart was already roaring.

I don't want to lose this high-paying job yet!!

Qingmei lost her job half a year ago too. If I lose this job...

The financial pressure on us will be too much, and our quality of life will drop!

Please!

Someone, save the magical girls!

I'm begging you, as long as someone is willing to save the magical girls... as long as I don't lose my job...

I'll do anything!! I can accept anything!!

Boom!

His powerful wish received a response as five-colored light spread from his heart.

A bright, crystalline stone appeared out of thin air before Ye Qing. It spun on its own before merging into his chest.

All the strange radiance gathered within the Radiant Stone on his chest, blooming into dazzling, brilliant light.

In an instant, it swept away the darkness of the secret room, turning the entire place as bright as day.

Sensing the light and noticing something unusual, Yuyan slowly opened her eyes. Crimson Flame turned her head back as well.

What entered their sight was a magical girl.

Her features were exquisite and her beauty breathtaking, with long black hair cascading over her shoulders.

Her eyes were like the bright moon in a starry sky. Her face bore no expression, and she resembled an otherworldly fairy.

Her outfit was highly modern: a flawless white cropped shirt paired with a black skirt trimmed in white lace.

Rather than the lavish dresses worn by many magical girls, it was simple enough to resemble a school uniform.

She held a closed book in her hand. Gentle and refined, beautiful and intelligent, she radiated an air of scholarly grace.

She was like the untouchable white moonlight of one's school days, admired from afar and shaped by the fantasies of later years, too sacred to profane.

Violent magic swirled around her, celebrating her birth, yet it became gentle upon drawing near, circling her like Starlight around a radiant moon.

"Senior! Are you a magical girl senior here to rescue us!?" Crimson Flame immediately cried out in excitement.

She looked so gentle. We're safe now!

"Where is that Abyss Return officer?" Yuyan asked, scanning the surroundings in confusion.

Why did I become like this?

A magical girl?

No, I can't expose myself. I need to cover this up first.

Countless thoughts raced through Ye Qing's mind as she tried to make sense of the situation. He—no, she should be called she at this moment.

She parted her red lips, and her slightly cold voice was soft and clear, like pearls falling onto jade, pleasing to the ear.

"Shut your filthy mouths. Don't get any ideas, don't overthink it, and follow me! You troublesome brats."

Her words were incredibly crude, completely at odds with the first impression created by her appearance and voice.

"Eh!?" Crimson Flame's eyes widened in shock.

Where had that gentle, intellectual magical girl big sister from before gone?

How had she suddenly become so vulgar?

"Even though I like you two, don't get any ideas. Don't cause me any more trouble." Ye Qing stepped forward and tore apart the ropes binding them with her bare hands.

"Like us?"

Crimson Flame had just wanted to ask when Yuyan repeatedly tugged at her.

The arrogant Crimson Flame could only lower her head like a quail, afraid of angering this strange and powerful magical girl she had never seen before.

She secretly glanced at Yuyan beside her, only to see the other girl lightly shake her head at her.

It seemed that rescuing them after they had fallen into Abyss Return had made this magical girl senior quite displeased.

Ye Qing walked up to the wall and, before the two magical girls' eyes, shattered the solid wall of Yuanhui Base with a single punch.

Crimson Flame's first impression of Ye Qing's beauty was shattered along with it.

This seemingly delicate magical girl handled matters even more directly than Crimson Flame herself.

Ye Qing said, "Follow me."

The Magic Martial Tome opened. As its pages flipped, magic drilled upward at an angle like a drill bit, forcefully carving out a passage that led out of Abyss Return and directly to the surface.

The commotion was so great that the entire ground trembled. Crimson Flame and Yuyan used their weak magic to fly closely behind Ye Qing.

"She's so beautiful, and her voice is like heavenly music. Who knew her temper would be so terrible, and that she'd be so crude?" Crimson Flame muttered to her friend behind Ye Qing.

"Shh, Senior Crimson Flame. We'll talk after we get back." Yuyan raised a finger to her lips.

If they talked badly about her to her face and she got angry enough to abandon them, they would probably be captured by Abyss Return again and suffer all over again.

At the Magical Girl Association in the Otherworld.

Inside an office piled high with documents.

The magical girl seated behind the desk with her eyes closed suddenly opened them and said to the thin and fat mascots beside her:

"A new magical girl has been born. Go bring in the newly born magical girl who symbolizes beauty."