Outing with the Society, Then Encountering a Monster

Zhou Mo never managed to find any trace of Rabi, and Rabi hadn't contacted her all day.

Looks like he'd gone into hiding.

"Heh heh, you little bastard. If you've got guts, look me in the eye."

Standing on a bustling street, Zhou Mo muttered to herself in a voice only she could hear.

"Um, Zhou Mo?"

"Huh?"

Hearing someone call her name beside her, Zhou Mo turned around and saw An Xia and Mo Li both looking at her. An Xia had been the one who spoke.

"You don't look too well. Are you feeling unwell somewhere?"

An Xia asked with some concern.

"Uh, no, no. I probably just didn't sleep well last night."

Zhou Mo hurriedly waved her hands in explanation, and only then did the two girls withdraw their gazes.

"Ahem, let me briefly go over it again. Today, we'll be heading out to gather intelligence on Magical Girls out on the streets."

At that moment, Mo Li spoke to the two of them.

Zhou Mo nodded in understanding. This had already been explained back in the society classroom.

The Omniscient Wish Society's daily activities involved going out. Aside from the three of them, the other members would also gather intelligence throughout the city.

As for why Bai Yi had not come along—

"As the president, I need to hold down the fort."

That was what Bai Yi had told her in the society classroom.

Yet right after leaving the society classroom, Zhou Mo had heard a "timi!" sound coming from inside.

Maybe she was busy with something important...

Back in the present, Mo Li looked at Zhou Mo and spoke again:

"Let me remind you once more: while searching for Magical Girls, there's a chance we'll encounter a Monster attack. If that happens, run immediately and don't look back.

Before Magical Girls arrive, ordinary people like us could lose our lives if a Monster targets us. So your life comes first. Don't put yourself in danger just to gather information about Magical Girls."

Mo Li lowered her voice and gave Zhou Mo a warning.

A truly ordinary person?

Zhou Mo glanced at her.

The A Li Bai Yi had mentioned should be this vice president. And judging by how she had encouraged Bai Yi to transform in front of Zhou Mo, the vice president clearly knew Bai Yi was a Magical Girl. Could she also be a Magical Girl?

Though she was making guesses in her heart, Zhou Mo said nothing. Instead, she put on a frightened expression and swallowed nervously.

"If it's that dangerous, why do we have to come out here ourselves? Can't we search for information about Magical Girls online?"

"Of course it's because of timeliness. We're a Magical Girl society, so firsthand information is extremely important."

Mo Li explained.

"Come on, take out your phone and search for Omniscient Wish Society on Bilibili. We're the first to post a lot of new information about this city's Magical Girls."

Zhou Mo took out her phone and searched for the society's name, finding an account just as expected.

"1.52 million followers?"

She was somewhat surprised. She hadn't expected a school society account to have so many followers.

Seeing Zhou Mo's surprised expression, Mo Li put her hands on her hips and smiled smugly.

"That's just our Bilibili followers. Our Douyin account has even more."

"Alright, we'll split up to patrol. I'll search on my own, while you'll be on a team with An Xia."

"An Xia, you're fine with leading her, right?"

Hearing that, An Xia nodded and replied in a timid voice:

"Okay, I... I can do it."

After agreeing on where to meet when they were done, the three split into two groups and went their separate ways.

Zhou Mo and An Xia walked side by side in silence.

Zhou Mo glanced at An Xia, while An Xia cautiously looked sideways at her as well. The moment their eyes met, An Xia immediately turned away.

After observing her, Zhou Mo had some answers.

She definitely wasn't a Magical Girl.

Everyone knew Magical Girls were oddballs. With Mind-Obscuring Magic in play, their attempts to hide their daily behavior were like holding two branches and pretending to be a tree, treating ordinary people like idiots.

If Zhou Mo weren't a Magical Girl herself, she would have long since been kept in the dark by magic's influence.

And this girl named An Xia acted completely naturally. She was just an ordinary introverted girl, with nothing at all to do with Magical Girls.

"By the way, where should we go now?"

Zhou Mo spoke up, breaking the silence.

An Xia looked up at her, then raised a hand to point ahead and said timidly:

"Ah, just follow this street, then... look for places where people are gathered."

Zhou Mo continued asking with an eager-to-learn expression, "People gathering? Is there some reason for that?"

"Um, because usually, some Magical Girls put on personal performances on the street, which attracts passersby to watch."

She lowered her head slightly and explained in a soft voice.

"Cloud City has many lower-tier Magical Girls. Their usual activities aren't much different from ordinary street idols, and those are the Magical Girls we usually gather information on. After all, Monsters aren't something you run into all the time."

"Other than being Magical Girls, they're also just ordinary adolescent girls."

Her voice grew softer and softer. By the end, Zhou Mo could barely hear her beside her.

"Ah, sorry. I was just talking to myself."

An Xia suddenly realized Zhou Mo was still beside her and hurriedly apologized.

Zhou Mo smiled and waved her hand, indicating that she didn't mind.

After walking for a while, the two arrived at a street corner and found several people gathered not far ahead. A sweet voice, carrying a hint of tremor, came from within the crowd.

"H-hello, everyone. I'm a new Magical Girl, Shan Que. Um, please take care of me."

A girl in a dark yellow dress, with short, lightly curled golden hair, was introducing herself to the people around her. A small livestream drone floated beside her, while a handful of pedestrians stood watching in front of her.

The Magical Girl named Shan Que picked up a microphone and began covering a popular song without saying much else. Her somewhat immature singing gradually rang out.

At the sight, a glimmer lit up in An Xia's eyes, and she immediately jogged over.

"Zhou Mo, come quickly! It's a Magical Girl we haven't seen before!"

Zhou Mo followed after her.

The two found a spot unobstructed by the crowd and stopped there. An Xia switched on a recording device hanging from her chest and aimed it at the Magical Girl before them.

"Um..."

Perhaps because it was her first time performing before a crowd, Magical Girl Shan Que immediately grew nervous when she noticed the camera on An Xia's chest, and her singing faltered for a moment.

But when she saw the girl's sincere, harmless eyes, she gradually calmed down and continued her cover.

After the song ended, the few onlookers gave applause at the right moment.

As she clapped, Zhou Mo asked An Xia:

"Is that enough?"

"No."

An Xia gently shook her head before answering:

"If possible, we'll need to interview her a little later."

"Huh? We need to interview her?" Zhou Mo continued asking.

"Mm, things like asking for her Magical Girl name, physical characteristics, what she likes to eat, her goals for becoming a Magical Girl, and so on."

An Xia nodded, then held out her fingers one by one as she listed the questions they needed to ask.

After watching the Magical Girl perform for some time, the scattered few bystanders had become more than ten people.

Though it wasn't much, it was still tremendous encouragement for a newly debuted Magical Girl.

When the girl finally finished singing and dancing her last song, another round of enthusiastic applause rose around her.

Magical Girl Shan Que bowed excitedly to thank the audience.

Just as the audience was about to disperse and An Xia was preparing to find a chance to step forward and interview her—

A rhythmic clapping sound came from the crowd.

Zhou Mo, An Xia, and the Magical Girl before them all froze. A thin man wearing a black trench coat and a top hat stepped out from the crowd.

The man's face was somewhat pale. His eyes remained narrowed, and a smile hung on his lips as he softly said to the Magical Girl:

"Oh! How marvelous. Such an immature voice, yet so full of youthful vitality. This is precisely what I desire."

"The taste of Magical Girls is truly wonderful~"

Hearing his somewhat strange praise, Shan Que bent at the waist in thanks, somewhat confused.

"Th-thank you for the compliment?"

"No need to thank me. You deserve all of it."

The narrow-eyed man removed his top hat and returned the Magical Girl's bow.

Watching the man's behavior, Zhou Mo rubbed her chin.

Had someone else beaten her to it?

No...

She turned her head toward the man's side. There was another person there, hunched over and covered by a gray robe, their features impossible to make out.

At that moment, a hand lightly tugged at the hem of her clothes.

Zhou Mo turned around in confusion and saw An Xia frowning, quickly shaking her head at her as she whispered urgently:

"Step back, quickly."

Faced with the strange atmosphere before her, Zhou Mo readily took the advice and swiftly retreated behind the others with An Xia.

After showering Shan Que with praise, the man suddenly changed his tone:

"However, merely performing on the streets like this will make it difficult for you to become popular."

"Um..."

His words seemed to strike a sore spot. Shan Que replied softly:

"Th-that's true, but I'll work hard!"

By the end, it was as though she were encouraging herself. The girl clenched her little fists and pumped them.

"Hahaha, good. Very spirited."

The man clapped again before saying:

"But do you know what makes a Magical Girl gain followers the fastest?"

"W-what is it?"

"Naturally, fighting Monster."

As he said that, the man raised a hand and snapped his fingers. The hunched person beside him suddenly began to tremble.

While everyone was still stunned by this, the man abruptly raised both hands and shouted at the surrounding crowd:

"Okay, everyone, all eyes on me! Look at me, look at me! I have an announcement to make!"

The man's voice seemed to possess some kind of magic, and everyone around him involuntarily turned to look at him.

Then, a smile curled across his lips. He bowed slightly to the crowd and raised a hand to point at the hunched man beside him.

"Please enjoy my humble creation, and afterward..."

The man lifted his head, his eyes half open. A dangerous crimson gleam flashed through his scarlet pupils as he told the crowd in a cruel tone:

"Die by its hands!"

The instant his words fell, the gray-robed man beside him could no longer suppress himself. His body rapidly expanded, bursting through his robe and revealing black, savage skin beneath.

A Monster nearly three meters tall appeared before everyone. Thick blocks of muscle bulged from its back, its two deformed long arms braced against the ground, and its twisted head lifted high.

"Roar!"