Are They New Friends?

"Hua Ling...!"

"Hua Ling! Wake up! Hua Ling!"

The girl's consciousness gradually returned.

She groggily opened her eyes to see Nan Xiaofeng beside her, frantic with worry, while Bailing floated nearby, scattering magic particles everywhere.

"Thank goodness! Hua Ling, you're finally awake!"

Seeing that she had finally opened her eyes, Bailing let out a long breath and wiped the sweat from her brow.

"Are you all right? Did Heartmoon Fox hurt you? Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?"

Nan Xiaofeng hurriedly helped her companion up.

"Xiaofeng?... I..." The girl stared blankly at Nan Xiaofeng, who looked as though she were about to burst into tears, and softly asked.

"You've been unconscious since then. Your transformation was undone too. Bailing kept treating you, but you just wouldn't wake up."

"I was worried sick about you! If something had happened to you..."

Hyacinth's voice had taken on a sobbing tone.

"It's okay, it's okay. Didn't she wake up? Xiaofeng, don't blame yourself." The Stargazer Spirit flew to Nan Xiaofeng's side and patted her shoulder comfortingly.

Then she turned to Hua Ling with a serious look.

"Hua Ling, how do you feel right now? Is anything bothering you?"

"Me?... I think I'm okay... My head just feels a little dizzy..."

Hua Ling honestly described how she felt.

—I really wasn't hurt.

The monster Heartmoon Fox had summoned had not harmed her at all. It had not even broken her skin, let alone injured her.

But... why?

If she had not been hurt, why was her heart still pounding so hard?

Was it because of that little fox's invitation just now?

Or was it because of the flash of disappointment on Heartmoon Fox's face?

"Phew... It's good that you're okay. It's good that you're okay..." Nan Xiaofeng let out a relieved breath.

"The association's medical staff will come in later to inspect the scene. Hua Ling, remember to get checked out in case you have any hidden injuries."

"Mm, okay."

The girl nodded in agreement.

Then, she recalled that little fox's singing and the lingering sensation of a tail around her neck.

...Foxfolk tails really are soft. The girl pursed her lips as she thought.

.

Meanwhile, atop an office building.

"—And that's what happened!"

Standing before the camera, Su Tianqing said excitedly,

"What did everyone think of today's scene? Wasn't Fox Fox super—awesome?!~"

The chat flooded with applause emojis, and superchats began popping up as well.

"Fox Fox is so naughty, Mommy loves her."

"Miss Iris looked really scared."

"No, I thought she was enjoying it."

The viewers enthusiastically discussed the battle from earlier.

Some said Hyacinth had looked like a war goddess, while others said Iris had slacked off the entire time,

but even more of the discussion centered around the moment when the tentacles had bound Iris.

"Miss Iris is pretty cute."

"I want to hear Iris sing."

The livestream's engagement soared.

—This had been Su Tianqing's plan to kill time for the day, something she had come up with on the spur of the moment.

This winged camera seemed capable of ignoring most magical and physical attacks, so Su Tianqing had suddenly thought of using it for a livestream.

This was precisely her unique advantage!

After recording everything that had happened at the train station with the camera, the livestream's popularity had skyrocketed!

After all, no one had ever managed to obtain complete footage of a battle between magical girls and monsters. Her recording was probably the first in history.

Battles between magical girls and monsters were extremely dangerous. Leaving aside the destruction the monsters could cause, the pressure from the magical girls' magic alone was immense.

Just like the magical missile that had attacked Hyacinth when she caused trouble at Third Middle School—it had nearly injured Hua Ling, who had been there at the time.

Not to mention that there was now Iris as well. The scenes of overwhelming firepower looked gorgeous and cool, but they were exceptionally dangerous.

No photographer would dare risk their life filming in a place like that!

Didn't that give her a huge opportunity?

As long as she recorded the magical girls' battles, edited the footage into videos, and uploaded them, the view counts would naturally soar!

She was going to make a fortune!

Just as the little fox was about to say something else, a faint voice suddenly came from behind her:

"That's it for today. You keep streaming. I should be going."

Su Tianqing hurriedly turned around and looked at the deep-blue magical girl who had spoken.

A cat tail stood upright behind her, while the pair of cat ears atop her head twitched weakly twice. She looked ready to take off and leave.

Golden Fox quickly called out to her.

"Hey! Wait! Wait a second!"

"...What is it?"

The catgirl magical girl stopped and glanced back.

The little fox trotted up to her, raised her head, and curiously studied the deep-blue catgirl before her, who was less than half a head taller than her, with her emerald fox eyes.

—Cute.

That was what the catgirl thought.

"Thank you for helping me just now!"

Su Tianqing narrowed her eyes and smiled. Her smile was bright and dazzling.

Behind her were the distant neon lights and streetlamps of Rongcheng, yet they were far dimmer than the radiant smile of the Golden Fox before her.

"...No need to thank me. I'm a villainous magical girl too. I was just passing by."

The catgirl felt as though this adorable little fox had made her heart skip a beat, though her face remained perfectly composed.

Su Tianqing glanced at her cat tail, which was held high and had begun to tremble slightly, tilted her head, and kept smiling.

"Huh? You're a villainous magical girl too? Then that makes us companions, right!"

"My name is—ah, no, my codename is Heartmoon Fox! What's your codename? Can you tell me?"

The catgirl parted her lips slightly, and a nearly imperceptible flicker of panic crossed her heterochromatic cat eyes.

She had known this little fox was cheerful and lively, but she was far too dazzling! Just like that other cute golden-haired fox!

Then, as though she had made up her mind, the catgirl softly said:

"...[Hell Shrike]."

"If it's you, Heartmoon Fox, you can call me—[Hellcat]."

After saying that, the catgirl rose into the air. Her outfit instantly transformed into a streamlined set of clothes suited for flight, and she swiftly flew away into the distance.

Su Tianqing blankly watched the direction in which she had disappeared. The words at her lips were swallowed back down, turning into an irrepressibly happy smile.

Hyacinth had gained a new companion?

What was there to envy about that? This fox had a new companion too! An amazing new companion!

And she was an incredibly cute catgirl! Fox Fox loved catgirls the most!

Just look at how her tail had secretly trembled earlier. She had clearly been conquered by this fox's charm!

Su Tianqing excitedly stomped her feet, then turned around and realized the camera was still on. The chat had already erupted into lively discussion:

"Fox Fox looks really happy."

"Is it because she has a new companion?"

"The foot stomping was cute."

"Ah! That didn't count! Fox Fox wasn't happy at all!"

"Thanks for Luojia Xiaomo's superchat~ No! What do you mean, a textbook tsundere? I'm not a tsundere!"

"Oh no... It's raining. Fox Fox needs to hurry and find somewhere to shelter from the rain!"

The rooftop was full of noise.

The night rain in Rongcheng fell in a steady drizzle, carrying a hint of autumn chill.