Lure

Question: How could one put a magical girl in an awkward situation?

The moment Su Tianqing saw that question, last night's scene surfaced in her mind:

Magical Girl Hyacinth, seized by a monster, stripped of her usual liveliness and left with nothing but fear and panic, whimpering helplessly beneath the moonlight.

That scene had been utterly wonderful.

But Su Tianqing knew perfectly well that yesterday's situation had only been possible with the enhanced Black Wolf Monster. It had not been her true strength.

Today, the Codex had not reported any monster sightings in Rongcheng. In other words, she could only rely on her own power to complete these two daily missions.

"This is really difficult."

Fox Fox, a golden-haired fox in a ribboned dress, sat atop an office building with her little feet dangling in midair, swaying lightly in the wind.

She might have been a villain, and her life experience after being reborn could be considered rather rich, but her experience as a magical girl was nowhere near Hyacinth's.

With her rookie-level strength, making Hyacinth fall into an awkward situation in a direct confrontation was clearly unrealistic. She had to use some unusual trick.

As she repeatedly flipped through the Codex and looked at that shocking line about doxxing, a dangerous idea arose in Su Tianqing's heart.

What if I exposed Hyacinth's real name...? Wouldn't that put her in an incredibly awkward situation...?

But that thought lasted only an instant before Fox Fox quickly cast it aside.

What a joke! I'm a villain, not chaotic evil! I absolutely can't do something like doxxing!

After abandoning that dangerous idea of doxxing a magical girl, Fox Fox once again stared miserably at the Codex in her hands. Even her ears and tail drooped.

"Looks like I'll have to spend some Divine Codex Stones to avert disaster," Su Tianqing muttered.

She flipped a few more pages in the Codex, and several lines of small text appeared before Fox Fox.

[Monster Enhancement Potion A: 50 Divine Codex Stones]

[Enhances a monster in every aspect and grants it a powerful summoning ability]

[Portable Camera: 50 Divine Codex Stones]

[A magic camera that requires no charging, with a bonus video site account that conceals your true identity]

This was the enhancement potion she had bought yesterday. Unfortunately, no monsters had appeared in Rongcheng today, so buying it would be useless. Better look at the next one.

"...Huh?"

Without the slightest hesitation, after letting out a puzzled little cry, Su Tianqing decisively bought it.

Make videos!

How had she not thought of that?

If she used the Magic Camera to record a magical girl being set up, then uploaded it with this anonymous account and got a hundred people to watch it, wouldn't that be easy?

I'm a genius!

Yet even after resolving the prerequisite for the second mission, the question of "how to put a magical girl in an awkward situation" still haunted Su Tianqing's mind like a nightmare.

She only had 200 Divine Codex Stones left. The 100 she had earned from yesterday's mission had already been squandered completely, so she had to spend carefully.

As Fox Fox played with the tiny winged camera, her gaze moved across the Codex pages toward the next item she could buy with Divine Codex Stones.

[Random Monster Capsule: 100 Divine Codex Stones]

[A capsule that can randomly summon a monster]

It looked quite useful, and it could combo with the enhancement potion, but spending 150 on two single-use items was a little too extravagant.

She would only get 200 for completing both daily missions today! This fox wasn't going to make a losing deal!

Su Tianqing's gaze continued downward.

[Immobilization Trap: 100 Divine Codex Stones]

[Sets a trigger-based immobilization trap that can be reused and can immobilize a target for up to 1 hour]

Hmm... a reusable trap...

Su Tianqing pinched her chin, her tail swaying from side to side as she sank into thought.

She finally understood the predicament villains faced in classic heroic stories.

She had too few cards in her hand!

But if this Immobilization Trap could be reused, then although it looked a little weak, its value for money completely crushed the Monster Capsule above it at the same price.

Su Tianqing's eyes rolled.

As long as she personally got involved, this seemingly rather useless Immobilization Trap... might actually be capable of some interesting tricks.

.

.

Evening.

Huatianli Residential Community, Rongcheng. Inside the bedroom of a certain residence.

A girl in a nightgown sat at her desk, writing furiously.

Today was August 31st. There was only one day left until school started.

Nan Xiaofeng—or rather, Magical Girl Hyacinth—was desperately catching up on her homework.

"I can't finish it, ahhhhh! Why is there still so much left?!"

The girl's wail echoed through the bedroom. If a certain trashy villain fox had been present, she probably would have recognized that it sounded exactly like Nan Xiaofeng's voice when she had been restrained last night.

The White Sable Spirit lay on the bed, holding Nan Xiaofeng's phone and idly scrolling through videos. Hearing the wail outside her earphones, she glanced over and let out a long sigh.

"Ah..."

"How many times have I told you, Xiaofeng? I told you to finish your homework earlier, but you just wouldn't listen."

"Now look at you. School starts tomorrow, so you'll have to keep working until midnight today, right?"

"Is that my fault?! ...It's all because of, because of that monster last night!"

Nan Xiaofeng turned back and snapped angrily, though a blush crept onto her face.

—Last night, Magical Girl Hyacinth had gone to Greenheart Park to fight a monster, only to be ambushed by an unknown magical girl. She was not rescued by the Hero Association until seven whole hours later, after they noticed something was wrong.

It was not because the Hero Association had been inefficient. At the time, all she could think about was breaking free and leaving as quickly as possible. She had not even considered asking for help. The Association only sent an on-duty hero to investigate because it had not received her mission report for so long, and that hero happened to discover her miserable state.

Whenever Nan Xiaofeng thought of how awkward she had looked back then, she wanted to crawl into the cracks between the floor tiles.

The bedroom fell silent for a long time, leaving only the faint scratch of a pen tip over paper.

"...That golden-haired girl. Bailing, how much do you know about her?"

Nan Xiaofeng suddenly spoke.

The White Sable Spirit froze, silently turned off the phone screen, removed her earphones, and looked toward the girl at the desk.

"The golden-haired girl... You mean the one from last night...?"

"Yes, that unfamiliar magical girl." Nan Xiaofeng nodded.

Her adorable appearance remained deeply etched in Nan Xiaofeng's mind. Though she did not want to admit it, Nan Xiaofeng knew very clearly—she was cuter than Nan Xiaofeng.

But that devilish, crafty smirk had also left a deep impression.

An angel on one side, a demon on the other.

She introduced herself in a Nightingale-like voice, yet summoned disgusting, slimy tentacles to bind Nan Xiaofeng for an entire night.

And she had done something so excessive!

"Hmm... To tell you the truth, Xiaofeng," the White Sable Spirit said, putting down the phone and floating over to Nan Xiaofeng's side with a frown, "I don't know her. You're the only magical girl I know in Rongcheng. I've never even heard of any 'Villain Magical Girl.'"

"But she really does have a Guardian Star, and she really did call herself a 'villain,'" Nan Xiaofeng replied.

The two looked at each other and fell silent. In the end, neither said anything, and each returned to her own business.

—Until the White Sable Spirit suddenly cried out.

"What?! This is...!"

"Bailing, stop yelling. You're so annoying," Nan Xiaofeng said irritably.

But Bailing flew to the desk with a face full of shock and held the phone before Nan Xiaofeng, who was buried in her work.

"Xiaofeng, look! Look at this video!"

"I don't have time. I'm busy."

"This video is important! Hurry up and watch it!"

Bailing flapped her wings anxiously and forcibly shoved the phone into Nan Xiaofeng's hands.

The girl shot the White Sable Spirit a fierce glare, then helplessly set down her fountain pen, took the earphones, put them on, and focused on the phone screen.

"Magical Girl Fox Fox official?... Bailing, are you watching some weird streamer?"

"No! Watch her first video!"

Bailing reached out and tapped the phone screen. The video began playing.

An adorable, pretty little face abruptly appeared on the screen. Smooth golden bangs fell over her forehead and cheeks, framing her emerald eyes before the camera.

Nan Xiaofeng froze.

"She, she's the one from last night...!?"

"It's her! That golden-haired magical girl!"

"Oh, has it started already? Hello, everyone~ I'm Magical Girl Fox Fox, the magical girl who's recently made her dazzling debut! Ta-da—"

Her soft, pleasant voice was mixed with a little wind noise. The cute little fox appeared fully in frame, and Nan Xiaofeng was shocked to discover that she was floating above Rongcheng.

A few comments flashed past—"So cute," "Is she a new magical girl?" and the like—but the video continued.

"Let me give everyone a simple introduction. I'm a newbie Villain Magical Girl from Rongcheng~"

"Recently, there's been a magical girl named Hyacinth who's been very active in Rongcheng. Fox Fox is especially, especially interested in Miss Hyacinth."

"Unfortunately, we didn't get nearly enough fun last night at Greenheart Park, so..."

The golden-haired magical girl suddenly leaned close to the camera, revealing that familiar smile once again.

"If Miss Hyacinth is watching this video, Fox Fox wants to tell you something."

"Tonight at seven, Rongcheng Third College of Arts and Sciences. See you there~"

Golden-haired Fox Fox struck a cute pose.

But then, as if she had remembered something, she softly added:

"Oh my, if Fox Fox doesn't see Miss Hyacinth by seven o'clock..."

"Then the teaching building at Rongcheng Third College of Arts and Sciences... will probably be reduced to rubble~"

The video ended.

It had been posted at three in the afternoon on August 31st. It already had over ten thousand views, with more than a hundred people watching at the same time.

Nan Xiaofeng checked the time. It was 6:50.

There were ten minutes left until seven.

The girl abruptly stood up, grabbed the Golden Cross Star from the desk, and leaped out the window before Bailing could react!

Magical Girl Hyacinth—transform!

A flash of sky-blue light streaked past, turning into a Meteor that raced toward the school!