Pleasure Is the Primary Driving Force

"What...!?"

"Why does she know we're here?"

Nan Xiaofeng and Bailing were both stunned.

Hua Ling, however, did not grasp the deeper meaning behind those words. She simply felt that Heartmoon Fox had discovered her.

It was easy to think of what had happened that night.

But judging from Nan Xiaofeng's reaction... it seemed the situation was even more serious...

"Hua Ling! Are you sure there isn't any residual Heartmoon Fox magic on you?"

Bailing immediately turned to Hua Ling and asked.

Hua Ling shook her head blankly.

"Really, there isn't any. Other than feeling dizzy that day, I didn't feel anything at all."

"Then that's strange. If Heartmoon Fox didn't leave any magical traces on our side, how did she know where we were?"

"Tch... It must be that girl's Detection Magic. Maybe she has grasped our magical signatures, which is why she can pinpoint us so accurately." Nan Xiaofeng made her deduction.

"But didn't we take the subway here? There shouldn't have been any traces of magic use at all. Just how did Heartmoon Fox..."

A series of dull explosions interrupted the three girls' discussion.

Magic Missiles exploded across the road after the pedestrians had been evacuated. Countless shards of stone scattered in every direction, and dust quickly filled the street.

"She's started destroying the surroundings!"

Nan Xiaofeng gritted her teeth, pulled out her Guardian Star, transformed in the blink of an eye, and vanished into the cloud of dust.

The White Sable Spirit hurried after her.

Hua Ling took a deep breath and tried hard to calm herself from Heartmoon Fox's shadow.

Calm down, Hua Ling. This isn't the time to dwell on it!

Xiaofeng is your companion. What you need to do now is hurry up and support her!

The Guardian Star fell into the girl's hand. Hua Ling opened her eyes, her gaze firm.

Magical Girl Iris—Transform!

.

"Poom! Poom!"

The explosions of the Magic Missiles were strange and muffled.

Su Tianqing maintained her well-behaved pose atop her wand, using only the tip of her tail to arrange Magic Missiles around herself and launch attacks specifically at the empty streets below.

Nan Jiayu floated beside her, unable to understand why the fox next to her was doing this.

Was she showing off her precise control over magic?

Still, her magical reserves really were terrifying... But from Nan Jiayu's perspective, casually throwing around Magic Missiles like this was nothing more than wasting magic!

Why waste it so frivolously?

"Say, Heartmoon Fox."

"What is it, what is it? Did Cat-Cat discover something new?"

Su Tianqing stopped firing Magic Missiles and turned to look at the catgirl beside her.

"...You're specifically attacking places without people because you want to lure Hyacinth and the others out, right?"

"Yep." Su Tianqing admitted it without hesitation.

It was not exactly a secret, anyway.

"...But what's the point?" Nan Jiayu finally could not hold back and complained.

That was right! There was no point at all!

In Nan Jiayu's eyes, behavior like Heartmoon Fox's could not achieve any substantive result!

If a villain wanted to expand her influence, she should attack more buildings. That was how she could cause greater losses and destruction!

That was how more people would remember Heartmoon Fox as a villain!

Instead of doing this—giving advance warning, waiting for everyone to evacuate, then attacking the road after every last person had left.

Who would have thought that Su Tianqing merely smiled softly, gathering countless Magic Missiles at the tip of her tail again.

Her signature wicked smile was deeply imprinted in Nan Jiayu's eyes, along with the words that came from her mouth:

"Because... it's fun."

Another swarm of Magic Missiles flew out, exploding into smoke and dust.

"Fun?" The unexpected answer made Nan Jiayu freeze.

"Even though we're Villain Magical Girls, didn't we choose to be villains because it's interesting?"

"If innocent bystanders got hurt because of this, then it wouldn't be fun at all."

Interesting...

It was the first time Nan Jiayu had heard that word.

Actually, Nan Jiayu did not think she liked being a Magical Girl all that much.

She could not even clearly explain why she had kept at it for the past two or three years.

Now, hearing Heartmoon Fox say the word "interesting," Nan Jiayu began examining herself seriously for the first time.

Was being a Magical Girl interesting?

—Actually, it was kind of fun.

She could fly freely, secretly use magic to cheat during exams, and even occasionally punish bad people she happened to come across.

But Nan Jiayu also understood her own position.

She was a villain and had not received the blessing of the Stars.

So why had the Guardian Star acknowledged her?

And why had it turned her into a Villain Magical Girl?

Nan Jiayu remembered the day she first drew magic from a girl with magical talent.

She remembered the first time she ambushed a legitimate Magical Girl and kidnapped her for a whole hour.

The terrified reactions of those girls, and the stunned expressions on the legitimate Magical Girls' faces—

As well as their shy, blushing expressions, and the sounds they made during Magic Replenishment—

"...Hehe."

At some point, Hellcat's lips had curled into a smile similar to Heartmoon Fox's.

"Interesting."

"Right? It really is interesting."

Heartmoon Fox smiled sweetly.

But just as she was about to add a few more Magic Missiles to bombard the ground, a sky-blue figure burst through the smoke and charged toward them, instantly drawing both their attention.

Magical Girl—Hyacinth!

"Move!"

The catgirl reacted with astonishing speed. Her powerful tail whipped and shoved Heartmoon Fox several meters to the side while she swiftly dodged as well!

"Shhhwooom!!!!"

The blade of the greatsword, imbued with immense magic, tore through the air with a howling gust.

Su Tianqing's heart tightened, and a wave of lingering fear washed over her.

No matter how many times she saw it, Hyacinth's movements were so fast!

With such swift speed and such powerful sword strikes, she would have to be on guard against this brat's close combat from now on.

The golden-furred Fox Fox took the opportunity to flip off her wand. She and Hellcat flew off in opposite directions, leaving Hyacinth unsure of whom to pursue first.

But no matter what, she should focus on this sneaky, nasty fox first!

"Heartmoon Fox! Why is it you again?!"

"My, it seems Miss Hyacinth doesn't like seeing Fox Fox, does she?"

Su Tianqing smiled gently, tapped a fingertip against her lips, and said to Hyacinth,

"Is it because Fox Fox hasn't given you enough attention? So you're jealous, Miss Hyacinth~"

"Who would be jealous of you?!"

Hyacinth was so furious she practically smoked. She swung her greatsword and charged at Heartmoon Fox at full speed!

She had to teach this arrogant fox a lesson!

But at the instant she accelerated forward,

Hyacinth heard a fierce rush of wind by her ear. Her magical senses made her instinctively turn and block!

"KABOOM!!!"

The greatsword blocked a Cat-Claw Gauntlet several times larger than a head, supported by a fair, slender arm.

Their sizes were clearly mismatched, yet an unprecedentedly terrifying force came from that gauntlet!

Hyacinth exerted all her strength just to barely withstand it!

"Oh?"

A tiny head peeked out from behind the gauntlet, and a pair of dark-blue cat ears atop her head twitched twice.

"You've got some skill, huh? You actually blocked that punch."

"So you're Hyacinth, Rongcheng's Magical Girl." Hellcat said softly.

"Damn it... Who are you supposed to be?! Are you with that Heartmoon Fox?!"

Having barely blocked the punch, Hyacinth quickly dodged to the side and questioned the dark-blue catgirl as she assumed her stance again.

"I remember you. You were the one who ambushed me from behind at the train station yesterday! Despicable!"

Her strike having missed, Hellcat spun in midair. The Cat-Claw Gauntlets on both hands slowly opened, then clenched into fists again.

"Yesterday?"

"Hmph, that sky-blue brat with moves full of openings last night? So that was you."

Hellcat said coldly.

For a moment, the atmosphere was taut as a drawn sword!

But just as the two were about to clash, an inconspicuous point of light suddenly lit up on the ground.

Hellcat reacted incredibly quickly and retreated at once, narrowly evading the Magic Cannon beam as it grazed past her!

Both girls looked down at the ground.

The white Magical Girl held up a Magic Cannon and gazed into the sky.

"Fire support? Your timing for support is rather good." Hellcat praised softly.

"But... aren't you focusing too much on one thing at the expense of another...?"

—Behind the white girl looking upward, a fluffy tail quietly revealed its tip.

Hyacinth cried out anxiously:

"Iris!! Behind you!!"

But how could Hua Ling, focused on aiming at Hellcat, notice what was behind her?

By the time Hyacinth's warning left her mouth, Iris's vision had already been filled by a golden figure.

"Hello there! Miss Iris!~"

"Huh? Since when..." Iris only had time to let out a startled murmur.

Fox Fox launched herself right at her face!

Paralysis Magic! Activate!