You'll Lose Your Only Group-Buying Channel for Merchandise

Chen De stared at his phone screen.

His expression went from confusion to shock, then from shock to numbness, and finally settled into calm.

A complete set of facial muscle calisthenics.

"Was my phone number printed on a utility pole or something?"

He was beginning to question his life.

He could tolerate that mysterious "senior" from who-knew-where being able to text him.

But how had that blue newcomer, whom he had pulled out from under a Fierce Calamity's claws just last night, managed to pinpoint his personal number in a single night?

The speed of that information leak made this "senior," who had only been in the business for three days, feel utterly humiliated.

Though he had only signed the contract twenty-four hours before her.

Chen De locked his phone, took a deep breath, and looked at Qubi, who was squatting at the corner of the desk.

"What about the information I told you to look into?"

"I forgot."

Qubi tilted its head, its emerald-green eyes radiating a clear and idiotic innocence.

A vein throbbed at Chen De's temple.

"You forgot."

"Mm."

"The thing I specifically told you to do before I went to sleep last night—you're telling me you fucking forgot?"

"Right."

"Other people investigate me like they're checking my household registration, but you can forget to look up even one person's name for me."

"Now that you put it that way, it does seem a little unequal."

"A little?"

Unable to endure it any longer, Chen De shoved his phone in front of Qubi.

"Look! She even found my phone number! I don't even know what her name is!"

"That means her intelligence-gathering ability is better than yours."

"That means you're useless."

Qubi's ears twitched, seeming a little unconvinced.

"I only forgot. That doesn't mean I can't find it."

"Then look it up now."

"Now? Aren't you going to the bathroom?"

"Class is over."

"Oh, then I'll check."

Qubi closed its eyes. Its two furry ears gave a slight twitch twice, and the entire process lasted about three seconds.

"Found it."

"Talk."

"Blue uniform, staff-type weapon, the city's tenth active magical girl."

"Name."

"Registered name: Xing Lan."

"I'm asking for her real name."

"Real names are sensitive information. The system has a privacy protection agreement and prohibits inquiries."

Chen De's expression turned completely cold.

"Wait."

"Mm."

"You mean your crappy system protects her privacy."

"Right."

"Then what about my privacy?"

"Yours is protected too."

"Protected? Then how did she get my phone number?"

Qubi fell silent for two seconds, seemingly searching its database.

"It's possible... she didn't get it from the system."

"Then where did she get it?"

"Is it possible that when you were fighting the Calamity last night, you accidentally dropped your phone?"

Chen De thought back.

In his transformed state, he carried nothing. His phone had been sitting safely on the desk in his bedroom.

"No. My phone was at home."

"Then that's strange."

"You think?"

Qubi tilted its head and shifted into a more comfortable position.

"Maybe another magical girl told her."

"What other magical girl?"

"There are currently nine active magical girls in the city, not counting you. They have their own way of socializing."

Chen De froze for a moment.

"A way of socializing?"

"Right. A group chat."

"...Magical girls have a group chat?"

"They do."

Chen De's brain crashed for a full two seconds.

"You're telling me a bunch of magical girls... made a group chat behind my back."

"Right."

"Why am I not in it?"

"Because you never applied to join."

"How the fuck was I supposed to apply when I didn't even know there was a group?"

"You never asked."

Chen De took a deep breath, feeling like his lungs were about to explode.

"Qubi, do you know what this behavior of yours is called?"

"You already told me. It's called not treating your teammate like a person."

"No, this time it's escalated. This is called information monopoly!"

"It isn't a monopoly. If you ask me, I'll tell you."

"Well, I'm asking now."

"Mm."

"What's the group number?"

"9950xxxx0."

Chen De stared at the string of numbers Qubi had recited, his expression like he had swallowed a green-headed fly whole.

No.

It felt even worse than swallowing a fly.

At least swallowing a fly was a one-time thing.

This group number meant he would have to face one fact for a long time—

He, Chen De, a one-meter-seventy-three high school boy—tentatively—was about to join a group chat full of girls.

"Qubi."

"Mm."

"What do they talk about in this group?"

"Daily conversation, task assignments, Calamity information sharing, and occasional group buying."

"Group buying what?"

"Magical girl merchandise."

Chen De's temple throbbed.

"I won't join yet."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

"Then how will you find information about that blue magical girl?"

"You can look it up for me."

"I can only find her registered name. I can't access her real name."

"Can I find it in the group?"

"You can just ask directly in the group."

Chen De fell silent for three seconds.

Then, expressionless, he opened his phone, entered the group number, and searched.

The application reason field popped up.

Default text: Please enter your magical girl number and registered name.

Gritting his teeth, Chen De typed.

Number: 009. Registered name: Su Xi.

Send.

He had come up with that name on the spot. It had nothing to do with his real name.

Three seconds later, he was approved.

Chen De tapped into the group.

Group name—Local Magical Girl Mutual Aid Chat Group (No Ads).

Group members: 10.

Including him.

The moment he entered, the messages exploded.

Xing Lan: There's a newcomer!!!

Liu Liu: ? No way, another one?

Yue Jianbai: Welcome, welcome~

Xing Lan: Wait, this number 009... is that the person who saved me last night?!

Chen De stared at the screen.

His finger hovered over the keyboard as if facing a formidable enemy.

"Qubi."

"Mm."

"Is it too late to leave the group now?"

"It's not, but you'll lose your only group-buying channel for merchandise."

"Why the hell would I group-buy that stuff?!"

Chen De gritted his teeth and typed a single character.

Su Xi: Mm.

The group instantly exploded again.

Xing Lan: It really is you!!! That's great!!!

Xing Lan: Thank you so, so much for last night!!!

Xing Lan: You're incredible!! You split that Fierce Calamity in half with one slash!!

Liu Liu: One slash? Fierce Calamity? Tell us more.

Yue Jianbai: ? A newcomer one-shot a Fierce Calamity?

Xing Lan: Yes, yes, yes! She's super strong! She dealt with it in under two minutes!

Xing Lan: And she saved me too!!

Xing Lan: She was so cool!!!

Chen De looked at the string of exclamation marks on the screen and felt his blood pressure steadily rising.

Cool?

Him?

Him, wearing a short skirt, bows, and thigh-high socks?

"Qubi."

"Mm."

"She says I'm cool."

"Right."

"Me in a skirt."

"Right."

"Does this world have some kind of misunderstanding about the word 'cool'?"

"No misunderstanding. You really were quite cool after transforming."

"Shut up."

The group chat was still flooding with messages.

Liu Liu: A rookie soloing a Fierce Calamity on her second day? What kind of monster are you?

Yue Jianbai: When did No. 009 sign her contract?

Xing Lan: Yeah, when did you become a magical girl?

Seeing the words "become a magical girl," Chen De felt as though he had suffered a crushing blow.

He slowly typed out a reply.

Su Xi: The day before yesterday.

The group went silent for a full ten seconds.

Liu Liu: ???

Yue Jianbai: The day before yesterday?? I thought the Contract Familiar was joking with me.

Xing Lan: You signed a contract the day before yesterday and one-shotted a Fierce Calamity yesterday???

Liu Liu: Are you serious?

Su Xi: Yeah.

Silence fell again for five seconds.

Liu Liu: Qubi must've given you cheats.

Su Xi: No. Pure skill.

After typing that, Chen De himself felt a little shameless.

But he had no choice.

Admitting that he was actually a man in front of a bunch of real magical girls would be true social death.

So he could only grit his teeth and keep up the act.

Xing Lan: Sister Su!

Chen De nearly threw his phone into the toilet.

Sister Su.

She had called him Sister Su.

"Qubi."

"I saw it."

"She called me Sister Su."

"That sounds rather affectionate."

"Affectionate my ass."

Xing Lan: Sister Su, which district are you in? We can team up to fight Calamities!

Liu Liu: Stop pestering her. She can one-shot a Fierce Calamity by herself. You'd just be dead weight.

Xing Lan: Wuwuwu, Sister Liu Liu, you're so blunt.

Liu Liu: Just telling the truth.

Yue Jianbai: Stop picking on the rookie. Xing Lan only signed her contract two days ago. She has plenty of room to grow.

Xing Lan: Sister Bai is the best QAQ

Chen De silently read through the chat log, extracting several key pieces of information.

First, Xing Lan had only signed her contract within the last couple of days. She was a complete rookie.

Second, Liu Liu spoke sharply and was probably an old hand.

Third, Yue Jianbai was the peacemaker type.

Fourth, they all called each other sister.

And they called him sister too.

Chen De locked his phone screen and leaned against the stall door with a dead-eyed expression.

"Qubi."

"Yeah."

"How exactly did my phone number get leaked?"

"I looked into it just now."

"Tell me."

"Xing Lan asked in the group, 'Who was active near the Eastside Industrial Zone last night?' Yue Jianbai replied, 'I think it was No. 009. She signed her contract a day before you did. We'll need to wait until she joins the group for the details.'"

"And then?"

"Then Xing Lan asked Qubi to look up your contact information."

Chen De froze for a moment.

"Asked Qubi? Which Qubi?"

"Her Qubi."

"...Wait."

Chen De sat up straight, realizing he had overlooked something.

"Does every magical girl have a Qubi?"

"Obviously. Though the name they use may vary."

"You aren't one of a kind?"

"No. We are different terminals within the same system."

"So you're mass-produced?"

"You could put it that way."

Chen De stared at Qubi for three seconds, looking at it as though it were a defective product.

"Then if her Qubi can find my phone number, why can't you find her real name?"

Qubi's ears twitched.

"Different permissions."

"What permissions?"

"A phone number is basic contact information. To facilitate mission coordination, magical girls can look up each other's numbers. Real names are high-level private information and require the other party's active authorization."

"So she can look up my phone number, but I can't look up her name."

"That's right."

"Isn't that system a little ridiculous?"

"It isn't. Phone numbers are for emergency contact, while real names are protected to preserve identities."

"So my phone number doesn't need protection?"

"You can apply to the system to disable the contact lookup function."

"Would turning it off now even help?"

"She has already looked it up."

"Then what the hell is the point?"

His phone vibrated again.

Chen De looked down.

It was a friend request and a private message from Xing Lan.

Xing Lan: Sister Su! You joined the group! That's great!

Xing Lan: My name is Lin Xi. You can call me Little Xi!

Chen De: ...

She had directly given him her real name.

Voluntarily.

Without the slightest guard up.

Chen De stared at the two characters "Lin Xi," falling into a long silence.

"Qubi."

"Yeah."

"I spent all that effort trying to find out that information, and she just sent it to me herself."

"The difference in social skills."

"Who are you saying has poor social skills?"

"An objective assessment."