A New Magical Girl

Time trickled away, second by second.

The magical girls at someone else's mercy had no way of knowing the exact time. They only knew that this night of waiting for rescue was unbearably difficult.

The waiting only intensified their unease. They 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 stroked the strange high-tech equipment in the secret chamber, yet he was too afraid of breaking anything to touch it carelessly.

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

His torment was no less than that of the magical girls—if anything, it was worse.

He had never felt time move so slowly before.

Where was the rescue!?

Why had no magical girl come to save them yet!

Could it be that they did not know Abyss Return's location?

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

Or could Abyss Return's secret chamber block detection?

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

A full six hours passed without the slightest incident.

At first, he could still hear Feiyan making a fuss from time to time.

By now, even Feiyan was too exhausted to argue.

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

Keeping his eyes fixed on his phone, Ye Qing immediately noticed a message notification from the boss.

[Boss: Any progress with the hypnosis?]

If I do not cause some kind of incident, I am dead!

Ye Qing hurriedly grabbed two seemingly high-end instruments at random, though he had no idea what they were for.

Letting out a strange, villainous laugh, he deliberately slowed his steps to a crawl as he approached the magical girls one step at a time.

"Kehehehe, relax. Feeling dizzy is normal. Even under hypnosis, you are still yourselves, so do not be too afraid."

"If you are going to do it, then hurry up."

Feiyan turned her head angrily and helplessly. She did not want to suffer any more torment.

Yuyan closed her eyes as well. Prolonged pain was far harder to endure than brief 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 do not want to lose this high-paying job yet!!

My childhood sweetheart 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 am begging you, as long as someone is willing to save the magical girls... as long as I do not lose my job...

I will do anything!! I can accept anything!!

Boom!

His powerful wish received an answer. Five-colored light spread outward from his heart.

A bright, crystal-clear stone appeared out of thin air before Ye Qing. It spun on its own and merged into his chest.

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

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

Sensing that light and noticing the anomaly, Yuyan slowly opened her eyes. Feiyan straightened her head as well.

What entered their sight was a magical girl.

Her features were exquisite, her beauty breathtaking, and a cascade of jet-black hair fell loosely over her shoulders.

Her eyes were like a bright moon amidst the stars, and her face bore no expression, as if she were an immortal maiden untouched by the mortal world.

Her clothing was extremely modern: a pure white short shirt above, with a black skirt tied beneath it, its hem edged in white lace.

Rather than the lavish dresses worn by so many magical girls, her outfit was simple, almost like 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 resembled that untouchable, inviolable white moonlight from one's student days, shaped by longing and later fantasies.

Violent magic power swirled around her, celebrating her birth. Yet upon drawing near, it became gentle, circling her like starlight around a bright moon.

"Senior! Are you a senior magical girl here to rescue us!?" Feiyan cried out in immediate excitement.

She looked so gentle. They were safe now!

"Where is that Abyss Return officer?" Yuyan asked as she looked around in confusion.

Why did I become like this?

I became a magical girl?

No, I cannot expose myself. I need to cover it up first.

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

She parted her red lips. Her faintly cold voice was soft and crisp, like pearls falling upon jade, pleasing to the ear.

"Shut your damn mouths. Do not overthink it, do not get any ideas, and follow me! You troublemakers."

Her words were incredibly crude, completely contrary to the first impression given by her appearance and voice.

"Eh!?" Feiyan's eyes widened in shock.

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

How had she suddenly become so vulgar?

"Though I like you two, do not get any ideas, and do not cause me any more trouble." Ye Qing stepped forward and tore away the ropes binding them with her hands.

"Like us?"

Feiyan was just about to ask when Yuyan repeatedly tugged at her.

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

She furtively glanced at Yuyan beside her, only to see her gently shaking her head.

It seemed that rescuing them from Abyss Return had made this senior magical girl very dissatisfied.

Ye Qing approached the wall and, right before the two magical girls' eyes, smashed the sturdy wall of the Abyss Return base to pieces with a single punch.

Feiyan's first impression of her beauty shattered along with it.

That seemingly delicate magical girl handled matters even more directly than Feiyan did.

Ye Qing said, "Follow me."

The Magic Martial Tome opened. As its pages flipped, magic power bored upward at an angle like a drill, forcibly carving out a passage away from Abyss Return and straight to the surface.

The commotion was so great that the entire ground shook. Feiyan and Yuyan used their meager magic power to fly closely behind Ye Qing.

"She is so pretty, and her voice is like heavenly music. Who would have thought her temper would be so awful, and that she would be so crude?" Feiyan muttered to her friend behind her, turning her head.

"Shh, Senior Feiyan. We can talk after we get back." Yuyan held a finger to her lips.

If they spoke badly about her to her face and she got angry enough to abandon them, they would probably be caught by Abyss Return again and suffer even more torment.

The Magical Girl Association in the Otherworld.

An office crammed 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 invite that newborn magical girl, the symbol of beauty, to join us."