Are You Here?

6:30 p.m., Coarse-and-Fine Alley, Rongcheng.

This was one of Rongcheng's more famous commercial districts.

The foot traffic was heavy, with all kinds of shops and vendors offering a dazzling variety of goods, enough to satisfy shoppers of every age.

Nan Xiaofeng was no exception.

The girl stood at the subway entrance, leafing through the promotional flyers in her hand.

A pair of skirted shorts, a pair of tights, and a knitted sweater made for a fairly warm autumn outfit.

Hua Ling, standing before her, was dressed entirely differently—

A long dress reaching her calves, black tights, shirt sleeves long enough to cover the backs of her hands, and an extra wool sweater over it all.

Her lovely long hair was held down with a headband, giving her an elegant, gentle air.

"Hua Ling, you're really bundled up," Nan Xiaofeng remarked.

"Because it's rather cold today, so I... dressed a little more warmly..." Hua Ling nodded and replied softly.

The two exchanged smiles and walked side by side toward the crowded streets nearby.

Nan Xiaofeng had specifically invited Hua Ling out today.

And the reason for meeting up was simple:

"Hua Ling, you've probably been under too much pressure lately. That's why you've been having nightmares and overthinking things."

As they walked toward the shopping district, Nan Xiaofeng spoke to Hua Ling beside her.

"So let's wander around and relax a little, then talk about what we'll do next!"

"Mm..."

The girl nervously clutched her shoulder bag and nodded with a bitter smile.

She knew what Nan Xiaofeng meant by nightmares and overthinking.

...Fox thoughts.

Ever since encountering Heartmoon Fox at the train station last time, Hua Ling had been unable to forget what happened.

She had even started having strange dreams because of it.

"I'm telling you, Heartmoon Fox must have done something to Hua Ling! She really is a terrible bad guy!"

Outside a dessert shop, Hua Ling held a cupcake in its paper wrapper and nibbled at it while the White Sable Spirit's voice echoed in her ear.

The girl said nothing.

"But didn't the doctors examine Hua Ling over and over? They didn't even find a single injury," Nan Xiaofeng replied.

"Could it be some kind of magic even you don't know about, Bailing?"

"Mm... But Heartmoon Fox's magic also comes from Astral Stars. She shouldn't have any magic I don't recognize..."

Bailing's voice dropped a few notches. She plopped down onto Nan Xiaofeng's shoulder and reached over to take her snacks from her hand.

Then she turned to Hua Ling.

"Hua Ling, have you felt anything unusual with your body when you've been casting magic lately?"

"I don't think... so."

"Then there shouldn't be any of Heartmoon Fox's magic left inside you. Strange."

They silently ate their cake.

Music echoed throughout Coarse-and-Fine Alley, making the place rather noisy.

The three used communication magic to speak, so they did not need to worry about attracting strange looks from passersby.

Once only the paper wrapper and spoon remained, Nan Xiaofeng suddenly stood up and looked toward the densely packed crowds deeper within the streets.

"Let's go look around over there! I heard there's a place with really good hot-and-sour rice noodles!"

"Hot-and-sour rice noodles? I haven't had those in ages," Hua Ling said wistfully.

Girls rarely went shopping with any particular goal in mind. Sometimes, they simply wandered around.

As they walked, the two began chatting.

"I wonder if you feel this way too, Xiaofeng... I think Heartmoon Fox might not be that bad after all."

Hua Ling did not dare voice the rosy thoughts in her heart directly, so she phrased it in a very subtle way.

Though Nan Xiaofeng seemed not to understand at all.

"Is that because she didn't hurt you? But when she summoned monsters to cause trouble, she was definitely a sneaky, rotten fox!"

"Look at how gentle and adorable Tianqing is. Why is Heartmoon Fox so awful?"

Whenever Heartmoon Fox came up, Nan Xiaofeng gritted her teeth. She even compared the two Foxfolk she knew.

Then she began recalling her first transformation and battle against a monster.

"The first monster I faced was a huge spider. It could use webs to cut an entire street in half."

"I hadn't coordinated with the Hero Association back then, and I happened to be there, so I found somewhere empty to transform and fought it. I took it down in just a few moves."

Hua Ling imagined a giant spider capable of blocking off an entire street with its web, and her heart trembled violently.

"Xiaofeng, you're amazing. You still dared to rush in when you saw such a huge spider."

"I was pretty scared too!" Nan Xiaofeng answered honestly.

"But then I thought that if I didn't deal with it, a lot of people there would get hurt. So I didn't think much more about it and just rushed in."

She just rushed in...

Hua Ling pressed her lips together, lowered her head to look at the hot-and-sour rice noodles in her bowl, and silently wound a chopstickful into her mouth.

"Even if you're scared, you still have to rush in?"

"Of course. I'm a magical girl, after all." Nan Xiaofeng grinned.

"Come to think of it, Hua Ling, you aren't very good at Flying Magic, are you?"

"Huh? Ah, well... that's true..." Hua Ling nodded timidly.

She had absolutely no grounds for rebuttal!

After transforming into Iris, Hua Ling had immediately mastered how to use the Magic Cannon through the knowledge bestowed by Astral Magic.

But her understanding of Flying Magic... was limited to hanging herself in the air and moving around.

"Then I'll teach you when we have time! I'm really good at Flying Magic."

"Xiaofeng, don't teach her nonsense. Iris is obviously a fire-support-type magical girl. She's completely different from you!"

"Don't listen to Bailing. Improving your mobility can never be a bad thing."

Watching the two bicker before her, Hua Ling covered her mouth and laughed softly.

"You two really get along well. But who exactly should I listen to?"

"Xiaofeng is clearly the one teaching nonsense!"

"Nonsense! You're the one who doesn't know how to adapt, Bailing!"

"Pfft... hehehe..."

The girl let out a silvery laugh, feeling much better.

Going out shopping really could help her relax. It seemed she had indeed been wound far too tight these past few days by that lingering thought she could not shake.

Feeling much lighter inside, Hua Ling said:

"Alright, stop arguing, you two. I've already got an idea."

"Hm? What idea do you have, Hua Ling?"

Nan Xiaofeng released Bailing's ear, and the White Sable Spirit flew far away with a backward tumble.

"Well... I plan to start with the basics, like foundational magic such as flying."

"I see. Hua Ling is the steady type, unlike someone else."

Bailing nodded in satisfaction, while Nan Xiaofeng gave her a blank look.

"Starting with the basics is a good thing too."

Turning her gaze back, Nan Xiaofeng said to Hua Ling,

"Then we'll start tomorrow. We'll find a suitable place and first work on your—"

Before she could finish.

Piercing alarms suddenly rang out one after another through the streets!

"What?!"

"Is there a monster attack?"

"Run! Run!"

The people panicked.

Nearby staff immediately began organizing an orderly evacuation, but Nan Xiaofeng and Hua Ling had no time to flee—

With their magically enhanced ears, they clearly heard a familiar voice!

"Ta-da~ Good evening, citizens!~"

"Villain Magical Girl Heartmoon Fox, making a dazzling ☆ entrance!"

Hua Ling's body trembled violently.

But what made her face turn deathly pale was Heartmoon Fox's next sentence:

"Miss Hyacinth, and Miss Iris, you two are here, aren't you?"

"Why won't you come out... and play with Fox Fox for a little while~?"