Fox Fox's Plan

"Boom!!!!!"

The thunderous blast of the Magic Cannon was deafening.

Su Tianqing hurriedly covered both her fox ears, while Nan Jiayu frowned and covered her cat ears as well.

Another pillar of white light erupted from the cannon muzzle, enveloping the monster as it tried to rise again!

Explosions and the monster's furious roars followed in quick succession.

The white magical girl lowered her right hand, staring intently at the enormous, raging figure within the smoke.

—Suddenly.

A massive boulder flew out of the smoke, hurtling straight toward her!

"Crap! I—I can't dodge it—"

"Watch out!!"

"Crash!!"

A greatsword slashed down, shattering the boulder in an instant!

A soot-covered Hyacinth appeared before the white magical girl, raising her greatsword as she shouted to the girl behind her,

"Don't just stand there! Keep moving and look for openings! I'll cover you!"

"...Okay!"

Hearing the reply behind her, Hyacinth did not hesitate. The instant she made out the monster's movements through the smoke, she accelerated and charged forward!

Su Tianqing leaned against the window, watching in surprise as the two magical girls darted and wheeled through the air.

They had been somewhat clumsy at first, but they quickly formed a cooperative rhythm and swiftly pinned the monster to the ground, leaving it unable to move.

According to statistical analysis by the Hero Association headquarters, two magical girls working together could defeat villains far stronger than themselves.

Although this white magical girl had only just appeared, with the seasoned Hyacinth guiding her, she quickly grasped the basics of aerial maneuvering, dodging the rocks the monster hurled at her again and again.

Still, she was clearly a firepower specialist. That princess dress of hers did not look like something suited for exceptional mobility, and she seemed to prefer deploying magical shields to take attacks head-on.

Not bad at all, this rookie.

It seemed the Codex had been right about her being the best candidate. Hua Ling had displayed such formidable combat ability during her very first transformation. It truly made one...

...full of anticipation.

Su Tianqing thought as she mentally controlled the monster, making it throw rocks at her.

Nan Jiayu silently watched the white magical girl as well.

Yet even Su Tianqing failed to notice that the vertical pupils in the catgirl beside her gleamed with the light of a predator spotting prey.

The monster was defeated.

It was definitely not because a certain stupid trashy fox had not figured out how to control a large monster.

Under the white magical girl's relentless bombardment, the monster could not even stand up, giving Hyacinth an excellent chance to attack.

With the long-range suppression of the Magic Cannon and Magic Missiles combined with powerful close-range attacks, even a strong villain could be defeated through close coordination.

As the gigantic villain dissolved completely into particles of magic, Hyacinth stood amid the ruins with one hand resting on her greatsword, looking toward the white girl who was cautiously descending from the sky.

If she had guessed correctly, this should be Hua Ling.

That gorgeous princess dress, the envy-inducing number of accessories on it, and that adorable crown on her head...

Hyacinth looked down at her own outfit and suddenly felt a little unbalanced.

"Ah... um, could you please move aside—Eeeek—"

The white magical girl let out a shriek. Before her flight spell could bring her to the ground, it was abruptly cut off.

Hyacinth hurried forward and steadily caught the falling white girl, like a knight catching a princess.

"Thank you... um..."

"Not only do you need to learn how to fly, you also need to learn how to land." Hyacinth whispered into the white-clad girl's ear.

The white magical girl blushed and gently nodded.

The Hero Association's rescue team soon arrived at the scene and rescued the people trapped on the Ferris wheel one by one.

Since Su Tianqing and the others' cabin was at the very top of the Ferris wheel, rescuing them was particularly difficult. The rescue team dispatched a high-rise ladder truck specifically for them, and it took quite a while to get the two of them out safely.

After secretly undoing their transformations in a hidden corner, the two walked back to the Lakeheart Island plaza, now reduced to ruins. Watching firefighters securely carry out the Golden Fox and catgirl from their cabin on safety harnesses, both of them let out sighs of relief.

"Thank goodness..." Hua Ling lightly clenched her fist and let out a long breath.

"Xiaofeng! Hua Ling!"

The moment she stepped off the ladder truck, Nan Jiayu anxiously looked around. When she spotted the two waiting nearby, she immediately waved at them.

Nan Xiaofeng jogged over to her sister.

"Jia Yu! Are you two okay? Were you hurt?"

"I'm fine, but your Tianqing seems to be..."

"Glare!"

The golden-furred fox glared viciously at the catgirl. Nan Jiayu quietly shut her mouth, not daring to mention how the little fox had hurt her butt falling down.

Then Nan Jiayu changed the subject.

"What about you two? Hua Ling wasn't hurt, was she?"

"We're fine. Hua Ling was just a little frightened. I was comforting her just now."

"Yeah... Thank goodness for those two magical girls earlier... Otherwise, the few of us might have..."

Su Tianqing's ears drooped as she secretly rubbed her aching butt and spoke.

The group fell silent as they looked at one another.

Magical Girl Hyacinth had suddenly appeared to stop that monster, and the white magical girl who arrived afterward had demonstrated formidable long-range firepower, forcefully keeping the monster firmly suppressed with Magic Cannon bombardments.

Imagining the stomach-dropping ups and downs the other Ferris wheel passengers must have felt, Su Tianqing softly remarked,

"It's good to be alive."

Everyone chuckled.

"Let's go!" Nan Jiayu turned with a smile and waved at Hua Ling in the distance. "Time to go home! Let's buy some souvenirs on the way!"

""Okay—""

"Come to think of it, I've never seen that white magical girl before," Su Tianqing said as they walked.

"Yeah. Xiaofeng, you know quite a bit about magical girls. Have you seen her before?" Nan Jiayu nodded and looked at her sister.

"I don't know her! She must be a new magical girl!" Nan Xiaofeng broke out in a cold sweat.

Hua Ling chuckled beside them, smiling happily.

Later that evening.

"Bye, Little Fish~ Be careful on your way home!"

"Mm, you too, Tianqing."

Su Tianqing said goodbye to Nan Jiayu at the school gates. Only after watching the catgirl disappear from sight did she happily head toward the apartment she rented.

This fox is in a great mood today!

Not only did I complete that seemingly difficult stage mission in one go, I even got closer to Little Fish!

Whenever Su Tianqing recalled the catgirl's shy, timid expression on the Ferris wheel, the curve of her smile grew a little wider.

The happy golden-furred fox skipped down the back street behind the school, drawing plenty of stares from passersby.

Back home, Fox Fox tossed off her outer shirt and flopped face-first onto the bed. Her little feet kicked against the mattress a few times before slowly relaxing, and she let out a long breath.

"Phew..."

"Finally got that done..."

Su Tianqing muttered to herself as she pulled out the Codex from behind her and flipped through several pages.

[Mission: Expansion · Third Stage, Completed]

[A new magical girl has received the Blessing of the Stars and been acknowledged by the Guardian Star]

She had succeeded.

It seemed her guess had been right. That white magical girl was Hua Ling.

Su Tianqing immediately flipped the Codex to the information page and looked at the entry under magical girls.

[Hua Ling]

[A newly appointed magical girl, unskilled in every regard but working hard to grow]

Very good.

Villainous Fox Fox bared her teeth in a grin, utterly unable to hide the wicked smile on her face.

Hua Ling was a good girl.

After transforming, she was also a princess-like white magical girl—cute, gorgeous, and beautiful.

But the more gorgeous and beautiful the little one was... the more intoxicating her expression would be when she fell into a trap carefully designed by Fox Fox.

Not only did she need to pick fights with Hyacinth, she now had to pick fights with Hua Ling too. Only then could she be considered a proper villain!

"Hehehe, she really makes me... want to take such good care of her..."

The little fox lightly licked the corner of her mouth with her tiny tongue, reflecting a glistening shimmer.