Welcome

"Iris! Pick up the pace! Hurry and catch up!"

"I'm trying! Hya—Hyacinth, wait for me!"

Two brilliant trails streaked across Rongcheng's night sky.

Magical girls had always made quite a spectacle when flying, especially with their trails. At full speed, the magical trails they left behind could even light up the night sky.

Hua Ling struggled to keep up with Nan Xiaofeng ahead of her.

Or rather, Magical Girl Hyacinth.

Five minutes earlier, the two of them had received a deployment notice from the Hero Association: [Heartmoon Fox] had appeared at East Railway Station and summoned a monster after waiting for the evacuation to finish.

If it had been an ordinary monster, the association's on-duty heroes would have reacted quickly and attacked. But this time, a magical girl had shown up at the scene—a villainous one.

"As magical girls, we absolutely must not reveal our real names during battle."

The white ferret spirit perched on the white magical girl's shoulder and said to her,

"Especially now that Heartmoon Fox, who calls herself a villain, is still active. Iris, you must protect yourself."

"Protect myself?... Um..."

Hua Ling did not quite understand what Bailing meant.

It was not until Nan Xiaofeng slowed down slightly and fell back to explain that Hua Ling finally understood.

"After we transform, magic interferes with people's perception. No matter who it is, they won't know what we looked like before transforming."

"But if Heartmoon Fox learns our real identities, she might target our family and friends!"

"That girl's a complete villain! Rotten to the core!" Nan Xiaofeng said through gritted teeth.

"But..." Hua Ling had wanted to say something, but the words never left her mouth.

I don't think Heartmoon Fox is that bad.

Hua Ling had wanted to say that, but seeing Nan Xiaofeng's furious expression, she could only remain silent.

Soon, the East Railway Station, once brightly lit, came into view before them.

Hero Association vehicles and staff had already set up barricades around the area. All passengers had been safely sheltered nearby, leaving the station completely empty.

Yet instead of a monster's terrifying roar, pleasant singing drifted from inside the station.

Hyacinth found that extremely strange.

"It's Hyacinth and Iris!"

Someone sharp-eyed recognized the two magical girls rushing over and shouted. The reporters who had been waiting for ages immediately swarmed forward with cameras and microphones.

Iris was still not used to being suddenly interviewed like this and nervously clenched the hem of her skirt.

Hyacinth, on the other hand, looked thoroughly experienced. Taking Iris's hand, she led her through the safety passage to the barricade and briefly exchanged information with the on-duty heroes guarding it.

Seeing how mature and composed Nan Xiaofeng was, Hua Ling could not help but let out a long breath.

"Whew... Good thing Hyacinth is here. I definitely couldn't handle this alone..."

"What are you talking about? Aren't you two partners? Magical girls are supposed to help each other and team up."

The white ferret spirit floated beside Iris and said with a smile,

"And have you seen Hyacinth during her first interview? Her face was practically red as an apple."

"Really... Hehe..."

Imagining Hyacinth blushing bright red and stammering shyly, Iris covered her mouth and giggled. Her princess-like, elegant smile immediately drew a flurry of photographs.

The reporters had even figured out tomorrow's headline:

[The White Magical Cannon Princess! Rookie Magical Girl Iris Makes Her Debut!]

"Iris! Come take a look!"

After asking about the current situation, Hyacinth turned and called out.

"What's going on inside?" Iris asked as she walked over to her companion.

The two looked at the screen beside the on-duty hero at the same time:

Magical Girl Fox Fox Official's livestream.

Golden Fox stood on a stage haphazardly piled together from seat panels, singing. Her voice was sweet and lovely, making people forget for a moment that this was the scene of a monster attack.

It felt more like a stage built just for her.

"That girl again..." Hyacinth muttered.

She had already seen the dense flood of comments scrolling past, filled with cheers and bizarre unhinged comments like "Fox Fox is so cute, waaahhh."

Iris silently watched the little Golden Fox singing intently on the screen, her grip on her skirt tightening further.

Unlike Hyacinth's irritation and anger, Iris only found the little fox adorable.

She could not help thinking of another Golden Fox who was just as adorable.

"She trashed the whole station just to build herself a stage? Heartmoon Fox is absolutely despicable!"

Hyacinth blurted out, then turned to her companion.

"Let's go, Iris!"

"Let's head in and teach her a proper lesson!"

The two magical girls passed through the barricade and ran swiftly toward the inside of the station.

Meanwhile, in the darkness atop a distant office building, a deep-blue silhouette emerged from the shadows.

A fitted deep-blue top and a swallowtail cape, paired with a plain short skirt and ankle socks that did not suit a magical girl's usual extravagant style at all—it was impossible to associate her with a magical girl.

Blue light flashed.

In the blink of an eye, the petite catgirl's outfit had completely changed:

Her simple sportswear had been replaced by an elegant, gorgeous dress. A wand floated behind her as her mismatched cat eyes fixed tightly upon the princess-like white magical girl.

The catgirl narrowed her eyes as though watching prey.

.

"Bang!"

Hyacinth kicked open the tightly shut doors of the East Station.

The station had lost power and was pitch-black, but magically created spotlights shone upon the crude stage, enveloping the little fox who was singing there.

Her song echoed through the empty hall. Though she sang without accompaniment, it was still wonderfully pleasant.

"Phew... I'm done singing! Thank you, everyone!~"

After finishing her song, Golden Fox happily spoke to the camera. She was full of energy, every bit the dazzling idol onstage.

Hyacinth, who had been about to deliver her lines, was stunned by the adorable sight. Iris, who had followed her in, wore the same expression.

"So cute..." Iris murmured.

Hyacinth did not refute her companion's sentiment. She simply did not want to say it aloud.

A brief silence followed.

Heartmoon Fox, having finished singing, turned her head toward the two who had kicked down the door and rushed inside. The smile on her lips immediately turned into her signature wicked grin. With a raise of her right hand, the spotlights instantly focused on the two of them.

Hyacinth summoned her greatsword, shielding the stunned Iris behind her as she readied herself for battle.

"Heartmoon Fox! Your days of casually causing destruction in the city are over!"

"Surrender without resistance!"

Su Tianqing froze for a few seconds, then casually fished a large food-stall chair out of the crude makeshift stage beneath her feet.

"Hehe, if you want to catch me, then come at me."

"But you know the rules."

The absurd meme landed perfectly.

Glancing at the comments starting to spam "How did the insanity zone end up here?", Su Tianqing's mood improved even further.

"...What are you talking about? What exactly is your purpose in destroying the railway station?"

"Purpose? Hahahaha."

Golden Fox gave a soft laugh, her charming smile making both of them pause.

"Looks like you still don't understand me well enough, Miss Hyacinth."

"Do villains need a reason to cause destruction?"

The world seemed to fall silent for an instant.

The next second, the station doors behind Iris slammed shut. Every spotlight went out at once, plunging the station into darkness so deep they could not see their hands before their faces!

A pair of enormous, blood-red vicious eyes emerged from the darkness!

"Watch closely, Miss Hyacinth, and Miss Iris."

Golden Fox chuckled.

"I hope you two—have fun."