Patrol

Regarding transformation, Fu You really did not want to tell Huali too much.

He was not very good at explaining things, and he usually did not interact much with others. Topics concerning transformation were simply too embarrassing.

Fortunately, after stammering and trying to change the subject for ages without managing to squeeze out a single complete sentence, he still fit his usual persona perfectly.

After all, Fu You was sitting in front of Huali. When they spoke, Huali could not see Fu You's face and could only hear a few scattered words from him.

To Huali, that silence was simply his senior's usual aloofness.

His senior had always been like this. His senior was no different today.

He could sense that his senior was somewhat resistant to his incessant chatter, but this matter occupied nearly all his thoughts. Even knowing that his senior might dislike him, he could not help wanting to ask a few questions now and then.

After all, aside from his senior, there was no one else he could talk to. He barely knew most of his classmates; knowing their names was already his limit. Besides, he did not think becoming a Magical Girl was something worth publicizing everywhere.

He was going to become a girl in the future. As a girl, would it not be inappropriate to have too much contact with boys?

And what was troubling him now was somewhat inappropriate to discuss with girls as well.

Only men could understand the unease in his heart right now.

So after going in circles, Fu You was the only person he could talk to.

It did not matter if his senior ignored him. He believed that one day, he would find a way to win Fu You over.

As usual, he ate lunch with his senior. When they met at the school gates that afternoon, he bought his senior another bottle of cola.

His senior might resist other things, but he had never seen his senior refuse cola.

His senior clearly found him too talkative and did not respond much, but occasionally answered him with a word or two. Those few replies alone made him very happy.

If he could say a few more words every day, sooner or later he would ask everything he wanted to know.

Perhaps cola could help him pry open a little opening in his senior's defenses?

That afternoon, Huang Xing sent him a message, inviting him to patrol together after school.

Although they had evening self-study, skipping class was not difficult if they made use of a Magical Girl's privileges.

He asked Fu You whether he needed to go out and train that night. Since it would take several more days of rest for his magic power to fully recover, and his remaining magic power would leave him unable to handle anything else after training, what he needed most right now was proper rest—so long as he did not transform, his magic power would slowly recover.

The patrol Huang Xing mentioned was one of the ordinary daily duties of Magical Girls.

Fierce Beasts most often appeared at dusk, so patrols usually began then as well.

No one knew where the next Fierce Beast would appear. Even without transforming, Magical Girls were better than ordinary people at sensing magic power. They could walk around the city, and if they sensed an abnormality in magic power, they would go investigate. Perhaps they could destroy a Fierce Beast as soon as it formed, preventing ordinary people in the city from being harmed.

There was no fixed destination for a patrol. They simply wandered around the city together.

Fu You never took part in activities where Magical Girls traveled in groups, so naturally he had no interest in this sort of patrol either.

After school, he met up with Huang Xing and the others as agreed.

That day, only Huang Xing and Green Yi were patrolling nearby.

By their team's usual arrangement, the four of them split into two groups and took turns patrolling every other day. If someone did not have time, they adjusted the schedule, doing their best to ensure someone was out walking nearby every day.

They were not the only Magical Girls in the area. When ordinary people encountered Fierce Beasts, they usually chose to call the police. Afterward, the Special Incident Response Department would issue notifications based on the Magical Girls' locations.

So patrols were not something they absolutely had to do. They were simply a responsibility.

It was Huali's first time patrolling with Huang Xing and Green Yi, and he was somewhat at a loss.

"You just need to walk around together. You don't have to do anything special. If there's a Fierce Beast nearby, you'll feel it," Green Yi explained to him.

"What does it feel like?" Huali asked.

"A feeling... like something filthy suddenly touched you, and goosebumps rise all over your body. Sometimes, you'll suddenly feel like something scary is secretly watching you from nearby, staring at you, wanting to eat you." As Green Yi spoke, she made a clawing gesture.

Huang Xing said, "It's different for everyone. I only feel a sudden chill. But no matter what kind of sensation it is, it'll be very clear. You'll understand after you experience it a couple of times."

Both seniors tried hard to explain, but he could not grasp such an intangible sensation through words alone.

Following the two seniors on patrol, he found that patrolling really was just wandering around together. Since they did not encounter any Fierce Beasts, it felt more like shopping.

The two seniors were always drawn to all kinds of little goods by the roadside, sometimes lingering in small shops for more than ten minutes. Rather than patrolling, it was more like shopping.

"Don't be so nervous. Just treat routine patrols as a chance to shop and relax. Fierce Beasts tend to appear in crowded places, but there aren't many patterns to it, and they might not appear at all. They're hard to find before there are any clues. Relax a little. Look at this—do you like it?" Green Yi held a small plush rabbit and shook it in her hand.

The white plush rabbit had snow-white fur and red gemstone eyes. It was absolutely adorable.

"I like it. It's pretty cute. Something this cute suits little sister Green Yi very well," Huali said.

Green Yi smiled. "So? Do you want to take it home?"

Huali said, "Huh? Me? No need. I'm a boy."

"Boys can be cute too."

"This suits me better." He casually picked up a black teddy bear beside it, squeezed it in his hand, then put it back. "Never mind. This one isn't very nice-looking."

Green Yi paid for it, put the little plush rabbit into her bag, patted the small bag she carried with her, and they continued patrolling together.

When they reached a dark alley, Huang Xing suddenly stopped.

At that moment, Fu You also vaguely sensed a cold, sinister breeze blowing from the alley, sending chills through him.

It was still early autumn. The weather was somewhat hot and dry, and while the nights were cooler, there was something indescribably strange about this gust of wind.

"Let's go in and take a look," Huang Xing said.

"Okay." Huali hurriedly followed.

The small alley beside the residential buildings along the street was clearly long abandoned, covered in piles of garbage and creeping vines, and it gave off an unpleasant smell.

The dripping of air conditioners echoed steadily. Huang Xing walked in front, constantly looking from side to side.

"Is it a Fierce Beast?" Huali whispered to Green Yi.

Green Yi made a shushing sound.

Once it became quiet, Huali suddenly heard a man ahead let out a strange laugh.

Another cold gust swept over them.

No, it was not wind—

Huali suddenly noticed that the vines around them were not moving, nor were his clothes.

It was not wind. Only the side of his body facing that man felt cold.

Is this what a Fierce Beast feels like?