Magical Girl? There's No Going Back Now!

[Height: 154 cm]

[CUP Rating: A]

"Holy shit, a flat-chested magical girl! No, no, this isn't the time to care about that. Why did she suddenly appear here? Even the Hunting Radar didn't notice her?"

Cold sweat had already begun seeping from Li Xuan's temples. From his brief encounter with Yao, he had clearly realized that there was absolutely no way he could contend head-on with a Grade A magical girl. The little girl before him might look vacant and adorable, but who knew if she might suddenly throw out some bizarre skill and kill him in a single move?

Should he run? Opening the Delusive Badlands took some time. It was quick, but could it be faster than the attack speed of a Grade A Fantasy Type magical girl?

No, he absolutely could not run. Li Xuan discreetly pinched his thigh and steadied his emotions. He had come here as an ordinary person. As long as he did not transform, the other side could not discover his true identity. Yao of the Sealing Type could not do it, and neither could the black cat girl before him.

Since she could not detect his identity, this might actually be a perfect opportunity. Li Xuan quietly poked the inside of his belt—the stockings Li Sijie had given him were still there. If he got the chance, perhaps he could gain the upper hand first!

"Mommy, so cold... Mommy isn't moving... Mommy, are you dead?" The black cat raised her head and looked at Lilika with lonely eyes, murmuring dreamlike words as she occasionally stuck out her tongue to lick Lilika's cheek.

Lilika still showed no reaction. Even her breathing had gradually steadied, as if she had fallen asleep.

The Black Cat Wants to Eat Fish

"Um... little sister, did you mistake her for someone else? This isn't your mommy." Li Xuan slowly walked forward, never taking his eyes off the black cat's. He was ready to teleport away the instant she showed hostility.

"I didn't mistake her. Mommy is cold, and a little thing... and she smells strangely fishy. Oh, right, do you have any fish?" The black cat looked up and asked with a dazed expression.

The pajama-clad little girl spoke with an odd, spacey air that Li Xuan found hard to understand for a moment. But judging from her appearance, she did not seem to intend to attack him.

"Do you want to eat fish?" Li Xuan could only take her words literally.

"I want to." The black cat spoke in a soft, syrupy voice.

"Alright, I'll make some for you." Li Xuan got up and searched through the refrigerator, but unfortunately, Lilika did not have the habit of cooking. The fridge was full of ready-made food, with no fresh ingredients such as fish.

"Sorry, there's no fish at home. Why don't you let go of Ms. Lilika first, and I'll go buy some fish?" Li Xuan negotiated in the tone one might use to coax a child.

"I want to go too." The black cat stood up.

"Fine, we'll go together. But can I carry Ms. Lilika to bed first so she can rest?" Li Xuan asked.

"Who is Lilika?" the black cat asked blankly.

"She's Mommy." Li Xuan could only address her according to the girl's own logic.

"Mommy needs rest... Mommy is tired, tired every day..." The black cat nodded as though she half understood. She picked up Alulu's dress from beside her and gently covered Lilika's head, face, and upper body.

"That's how you cover a dead person. Mommy is still alive," Li Xuan reminded her helplessly.

"Mommy is still alive? Then take me to find Mommy." The black cat ran up to Li Xuan and held out both arms, seemingly asking for a hug.

Li Xuan felt the cold sweat at his temples flowing even more heavily. The little girl before him seemed rather unstable. Yet her Grade A magical power was absolutely real. One slight misstep from him, and he could lose his life on the spot.

But from another angle, this was also an opportunity delivered right to him. If he successfully captured the black cat, it would be equivalent to the band losing a quarter of its combat strength. If he could even make her undergo Demonfall, then as one side weakened and the other grew stronger, the gap between them would narrow further.

"Be good, Black Cat. Wait here for a moment, and I'll take you to buy fish, alright?" Li Xuan thought, Where the hell am I supposed to find her mother? Better redirect her interest toward fish. That'll be easier.

"Good~ I've always been very good. Whenever guests came, I hid in the cabinet." As she spoke, the black cat opened the living room storage cabinet, crawled inside, and shut the door from within.

"What exactly has this girl been through...?"

Listening to the black cat's soft, fluffy voice, Li Xuan felt a little sorry for her. He vaguely sensed that she was not mentally ill, but had instead become like this after suffering some sort of shock.

However, he was more concerned about Lilika's condition. Aside from nursing, the black cat did not seem to have done anything just now, yet Lilika had not woken up at all. He had no idea what was wrong with her.

Li Xuan ran over to check Lilika's pulse and breathing. Once he confirmed that she was simply asleep, he finally relaxed. He carried her into her daughter's bedroom, intending to let Alulu look after her.

Yet the moment he entered the bedroom, Li Xuan discovered that Alulu, too, had fallen asleep against the wall, still holding the handheld console he had just given her.

That struck him as unusual. Alulu was always full of energy when playing games, and even if she wanted to sleep, she could have simply gone to bed. Why sleep against the wall?

Could the black cat outside have done something?

Li Xuan carried both mother and daughter onto the bed. Seeing them asleep while embracing each other, with no sign that they had been harmed, he finally left in relief.

At this point, the black cat was still hiding in the cabinet. Li Xuan could only call softly from in front of it, "Come on, let's go buy fish."

"Fish!" At the word fish, the black cat immediately flung open the cabinet door and jumped out. The way she landed was just like a real kitten.

"Mm, stay close. Don't get lost, okay?" Li Xuan instructed her.

"Mhm! I'll definitely stay close to Big Brother." The black cat nodded vigorously.

Holy shit, that was kind of cute!

Hearing her call him Big Brother in that soft little voice, Li Xuan felt his heart melting. He instinctively wanted to hug her. But his rationality quickly reminded him that she was a dangerous opponent and that he could not let his guard down in the slightest.

"Let's see, the nearest fresh food supermarket is..." Li Xuan searched on his phone. Thankfully, it was not far away, so he took the black cat there on foot.

The supermarkets near Sunshine Street were naturally upscale, and the seafood section was stocked with all kinds of expensive ingredients. Everything was fresh and lively, with so many varieties that it felt as though they had entered an aquarium.

Yet faced with the dazzling assortment of fish, shrimp, and seafood, the black cat seemed thoroughly uninterested.

"Miss Black Cat, what kind of fish do you like? Salmon? Grouper? Mandarin fish? Or red carp, green carp, and donkey?" Li Xuan tried asking.

"You can't call me Black Cat. Only everyone in the band can call me that." The black cat shook her head.

"Then what should I call you?" Li Xuan realized that he could never seem to keep up with her train of thought. Even carrying on a conversation with her was difficult.

"You can call me by my surname. My surname is Bai Rijian: Bai from White Album, Ri from School Days, and Jian from Saying Goodbye to You." The black cat looked up at Li Xuan.

"Why are they all galgames... Alright then, Bai Rijian, what kind of fish do you like?" Li Xuan asked patiently.

"Fresh fish."

"The fish here are all very fresh~"

The black cat shook her head. She clearly did not agree with Li Xuan, but she did not argue either.

Li Xuan felt a headache coming on. All the fish here were kept alive and wriggling in tanks, fresher than the cash he had just withdrawn from his wallet. If even that could not satisfy the black cat, where could he find fresher fish?

Wait, maybe there was a way after all!

"How about we go fishing!" Li Xuan clapped his hands.

"Fishing? Okay!" The black cat froze for a moment, then revealed a happy smile. Though most of her body was hidden inside her clothes, the smile blooming across her face alone made her seem incredibly cute.

"Let's go! We're going fishing!" Seeing her finally smile, Li Xuan finally felt the burden in his heart ease.

He scooped up the black cat in his arms. Ignoring the astonished stares of everyone in the supermarket, he ran all the way to a nearby fishing supply store to buy a full set of equipment. Then he hailed a taxi and headed straight to the scenic Clear Lotus Lake.

Clear Lotus Lake was where Clear Lotus City got its name. It was currently lotus season, and the lake was filled with lotuses that rose unstained from the mud. Lotus leaves stretching to the horizon covered the clear waters, while leisurely passersby rested in the pavilions along the lakeside paths.

Clear Lotus Lake was a visual feast for tourists, but for fishing enthusiasts, it was even more of a fishing holy land. Before Li Xuan began his grand undertaking of capturing magical girls, he had often come here to fish for recreation.

"So many big flowers!" The black cat spread her arms and exclaimed at the sight of the vast lake.

"Those are lotuses. Let's fish first."

Li Xuan went to his usual fishing spot, skillfully lit a mosquito coil, baited the area, attached a soft lure, and cast his line. But after finishing that series of actions, he realized that the black cat had not followed him. Instead, she was hiding far behind a tree and watching him.

"Come over! We'll catch fish soon!" Li Xuan called loudly.

The black cat seemed very afraid of water. She timidly took a few steps forward before retreating again. But unable to resist Li Xuan's repeated temptation of fish, she eventually came to his side and waited with him.

"Don't worry! The fish here are plentiful and fat. We'll catch one soon! Once we hook a big one, I'll braise it for you when we get home!" Li Xuan stared at the fat fish faintly visible in the clear water, practically drooling.

"Will there really be one soon?"

"Mhm! Very soon!"

"Will there really be fish?"

"There will! I caught a fish weighing over six pounds around here before. If I'm lying, I'm a dog!" Li Xuan said firmly.

"Then I'll wait!" The black cat obediently crouched beside him.

"There'll be one... There definitely will..."

At one in the morning, Li Xuan, whose eyelids were drooping with exhaustion, stroked the little girl sleeping soundly beside him and repeated those meaningless words. He did not know whether he was comforting the black cat or comforting himself.

Fishing Enthusiasts Never Go Home Empty-Handed!

Just as Li Xuan repeated the words "there'll be one" for the one hundred and seventh time, the fishing rod suddenly dipped. He jolted awake and reflexively gripped the rod with both hands, yanking it upward.

A large, gleaming fish immediately broke the surface. Li Xuan grabbed it and weighed it in his hand. It felt like it was at least three pounds.

He was thrilled, but remembering that a little girl was sleeping beside him, he did not dare shout. Instead, he happily tossed the large fish into the bucket and cast his line again.

Before long, another big fish took the bait, and it felt even heavier than the last one.

"Hahaha! Let's see who dares call me Air Force One again!" Li Xuan excitedly cast again. He was using a lure rod, so the fish did not necessarily have to bite the hook. As long as the hook snagged a fish's body, he could forcibly drag it from the water.

Li Xuan had never been this lucky before. He felt as though he had been born with the ultimate fishing physique. Every cast hooked a fish, and before long, the bucket was filled with fresh, live fish.

Though he was still reluctant to stop, Li Xuan had nowhere left to store any fish. He had never dreamed that there would come a day when his fishing bucket was full.

At that moment, he could no longer suppress his urge to show off. He immediately opened the camera, snapped a flash photo, added some text, and sent it to Li Sijie.

[Awesome, right? I caught every one of these by myself!]

Li Sijie replied quickly:

[President Li is amazing! Bring them to our school tomorrow, and I'll make something delicious for you~ I'm really good at cooking fish!]

"Hmph, stupid woman. Now you know how amazing I am, huh?" Li Xuan smugly looked at Li Sijie's reply, then turned and patted the still-sleeping black cat. "Look! Bai Rijian! Fish! Such huge fish! They aren't tiger-striped sharks, but there are really so many, and they're so big!"

"Fish... tasty. Wow! There really are fish!" The black cat groggily opened her eyes. Upon seeing the huge fish in Li Xuan's hand, she excitedly jumped up, grabbed a large fish, and kissed it.

At that moment, Li Xuan suddenly felt that something was off. He carefully looked at the fish in his hand, then at the fish in the bucket. Something about them felt strange.

"Wait, aren't these Spanish mackerel? Why would there be Spanish mackerel in a lake?" Li Xuan quickly spotted the problem. Clear Lotus Lake was a purely inland lake, far from the sea. How could it possibly contain Spanish mackerel, a purely saltwater fish?

Just as Li Xuan became deeply confused and even began wondering whether he had fallen into a dream created by Mian Yin, a solemn piece of music suddenly played nearby. Then he heard a woman reciting loudly in an unusual cadence:

"All bodhisattvas and five hundred arhats. We disciples hold kind thoughts and do good deeds, releasing one hundred and eight live fish here. May the Buddha have mercy and bless us disciples with great wealth, flourishing careers, peaceful families, and freedom from disaster and misfortune. May you all live out your natural lifespans after being released. At the end of your lives, may you ride upon the Buddha's original vow and be reborn in paradise. Rejoice and praise!"

"Rejoice and praise!" Several men beside the woman also clasped their hands together and spoke piously with lowered heads.

Li Xuan was so embarrassed that he wanted to jump into the lake. He had thought his luck had finally turned around, that the fish he caught finally weighed more than the bait he had thrown in. Who would have thought it was all just an illusion? He had gotten happy for nothing.

"Big Brother, why aren't you happy? Here, eat fish." The black cat held out a lively, flopping Spanish mackerel toward Li Xuan.

"Holy shit, you're actually eating it?!" Only then did Li Xuan notice that the fish in the black cat's hands had already been eaten halfway, exposing a large section of white flesh. He could not help exclaiming in shock.

"Fish are for eating, aren't they? Big Brother says such strange things." The black cat looked confused.

"Uh... well, you're not wrong, but at least cook it before eating it..."

As Li Xuan spoke, he suddenly heard a burst of noisy footsteps. Turning around, he was immediately met by a group of menacing stares—it was the people who had just released the Spanish mackerel into the lake.

"What are you doing?!" the middle-aged woman at the front demanded.

"Fishing. Isn't that obvious?"

"You're not fishing!" The middle-aged woman shouted, her voice trembling with rage.

"Ma'am, your spit is practically hitting my face. Tell me, if these aren't fish, what are they?" Li Xuan asked, both amused and annoyed.

"You're catching karmic sin! For a moment's amusement, you actually caught the live fish we released to earn merit. They are living beings suffering through reincarnation just like us. How could you bear to do that? People like you will go to Avici Hell, burned by karmic fire, never to be reborn for all eternity!" The middle-aged woman pointed at Li Xuan's nose and cursed him.

"Ma'am, does cursing people to hell with that foul mouth of yours count as damaging your merit?" Li Xuan said impatiently.

"Evil people go to hell on their own! What merit am I damaging? We were afraid someone would covet these poor fish, which is why we deliberately came to release them in the middle of the night. Yet we still ran into trash like you. Release those fish right now! Release them! Release them immediately!!!" The middle-aged woman pointed at the fishing bucket and ordered loudly.

"I won't. You release yours, and I fish mine. I've even found someone to cook them. Why should I release them?" Li Xuan replied sharply and without any courtesy.

"You actually want to eat them! How disgusting! People like you will go to hell after death!!" The middle-aged woman stared at Li Xuan in shock.

"How strange. Aren't fish meant to be eaten? If you don't eat them, are you going to put them on display? And I was too polite to say this before: you fucking released saltwater fish into freshwater. Spanish mackerel can't survive in a lake at all! You don't know that because you only care about yourself. Old hag, hurry home and breathe some oxygen. Stop overthinking nonsense all day. Maybe then you'll live a few years longer!"

"Listen to him! Listen! How can such a fine young man say such cruel things? Aren't you afraid of karmic retribution?! Amitabha... Amitabha..." After being rebuked by Li Xuan, the middle-aged woman trembled with rage. Her body swayed as though she were about to faint, while the people standing behind her all looked angry as well.

"What a buzzkill... Bai Rijian, let's go." Li Xuan decided to stop dealing with this group of weirdos. He picked up the fishing bucket and prepared to leave.

At that moment, a burly man behind the middle-aged woman stepped forward and pointed at Li Xuan from behind. "Stop! If you leave like this today, I won't let this go!"

"Then how do you think I should leave?" Li Xuan set down the fishing bucket, turned around, and asked.

"Today, you'll release them whether you want to or not!" As he spoke, the man swung his tattoo-covered arm and punched at Li Xuan.

The moment the burly man stepped forward, Li Xuan had already seen that he intended to fight and prepared himself mentally. So when the man attacked, Li Xuan immediately straightened his right leg and aimed the sole of his shoe at the man's crotch.

Cat Tales

Though the burly man was much taller than Li Xuan, his reach could not compare to the length of a leg. Besides, the attack was so sudden that he had no time to slow down. His vulnerable crotch slammed solidly into Li Xuan's shoe, and he instantly suffered a devastating blow to the groin.