Miasma

City A, underground.

Traitor Organization.

The doctor's laboratory.

Several freaks gathered together.

"Another magical girl has appeared recently and destroyed a tentacle stronghold."

"She's only a newly born magical girl, nothing worth mentioning. She won't affect that lord's plan to descend upon this world."

"Focus on the magical girl Golden Yellow. She's the dangerous one."

"Right! Not only did she establish the Constellation organization and gather magical girls from all over, she has repeatedly destroyed our strongholds and obstructed our plans..."

"They all deserve to die!!"

Early morning.

Bedroom.

Sunlight streamed through the gap in the curtains, casting scattered patches of light across the floor.

"Grrr..."

Molly was awakened by the growling of her stomach.

She opened her eyes. Her muscles still ached from training, and she raised a hand to rub her temple. The exhaustion from practicing swordsmanship until late last night had not fully faded.

She threw back the covers and sat up, glancing at the phone on her bedside table. The screen showed seven o'clock, just the time to get up and make breakfast.

Molly shuffled out of the bedroom in her slippers. The moment she reached the living room, she caught a faint scent of milk.

Two cups of hot milk sat on the dining table, along with a plate of golden-brown toast and a jar of strawberry jam.

Moyan sat properly in her chair, nibbling on toast in small bites.

Hearing the footsteps, she raised her head. A trace of panic flashed through her eyes before she quickly regained her composure and called out softly:

"Morning, sis."

"Morning."

Molly walked over, pulled out a chair, and sat down. She picked up a slice of toast and took a bite, its crisp texture and milky fragrance spreading through her mouth.

As she chewed, she spoke as if casually:

"Little sis, did you see the cotton underwear I changed out of yesterday? I searched all night and couldn't find it."

The instant she finished speaking, Moyan's fingers tightened around her milk cup, her knuckles turning slightly pale.

She lowered her eyes, her long lashes casting a small shadow beneath them. Her voice sounded no different from usual, even carrying a hint of confusion:

"Underwear? I didn't see it. Did you put it in the wrong place? Or... maybe the wind blew it off the balcony?"

As she spoke, she even looked toward the balcony, her gaze open and honest without the slightest visible flaw.

Molly took a sip of milk, the warm liquid sliding down her throat and soothing the emptiness in her stomach.

"Maybe. Perhaps I remembered wrong."

Moyan secretly let out a breath, but an imperceptible panic flickered through her lowered eyes.

She quickly finished the last slice of toast, picked up the backpack beside her, and stood.

"I'm done eating. I'm heading to school first."

With that, she left the house like a gust of wind.

Watching her somewhat hurried retreating figure, Molly shook her head helplessly, though a faint, unnoticed worry lingered in her eyes.

"This girl has been getting stranger and stranger lately."

Molly finished the remaining toast in a few bites, drained her milk, then got up and cleared the table, placing the plates and cups in the sink.

She glanced at the wall clock. It was seven-thirty, with thirty minutes left before class, but she had still taken leave today.

Not because she was sick, but because she needed to practice swordsmanship.

Ever since gaining the Proficiency Panel, Molly had understood that there were no shortcuts to becoming stronger.

Only day-after-day training and slaying Monster Demons could make the numbers on the panel rise rapidly.

Molly returned to her bedroom, transformed into a magical girl, and gripped her broken sword, ready to continue grinding proficiency.

She spread her feet apart and assumed a standard opening stance.

She took a deep breath.

The Warrior's Breathing Technique immediately began circulating. A warm current flowed through her limbs and body, instantly easing the soreness in her muscles.

She raised her hand, gripped the hilt, and lightly twisted her wrist.

"Swish!"

The broken sword cut through the air with a crisp, sharp whistle.

Chops, thrusts, horizontal slashes, upward strikes...

She practiced a set of Basic Swordsmanship again and again, striving for precision in every movement and putting all her strength into every swing.

Sweat soon soaked her bangs again, sliding down her cheeks and dripping onto the floor, spreading into small wet patches.

With every swing of her sword, the numbers on the panel slowly ticked upward.

[Basic Swordsmanship: Level 3 4127/10000]

[Warrior's Breathing Technique: Level 2 2589/10000]

[Holy Judgment: Level 1 300/10000]

About six thousand more, and I'll break through to Level 4. Molly muttered inwardly, but her movements did not pause in the slightest.

She immersed herself in the rhythm of sword practice, nearly oblivious to the outside world.

It was not until a crisp doorbell rang that her rhythm was interrupted.

Ding-dong...

Molly lowered her sword, breathing heavily. She wiped the sweat from her forehead, her heart full of confusion.

Who could it be at this hour?

She canceled her transformation, left the bedroom, walked to the door, and looked through the peephole.

Outside stood a beautiful girl in a black-and-white school uniform. She was tall and slender, with long hair draped over her shoulders and delicate features. It was Luoxi, Molly's classmate and the student council president.

Molly froze for a moment.

Why had Luoxi suddenly come looking for her?

After hesitating briefly, she still reached out and opened the door.

"Molly."

Luoxi's mature voice was gentle, carrying a hint of concern. Her slender, fair right hand held a bag of fruit and some medicine.

Her gaze fell on Molly's sweat-dampened bangs. A strange look flashed through her eyes as she asked worriedly:

"I heard you were sick, so I came to check on you."

"Sick?"

Molly was stunned for a moment, then remembered that she had told her teacher she was taking leave because of a cold and fever. She gave an awkward laugh.

"Oh... thank you. I'm much better now."

As she spoke, she stepped aside to let Luoxi in.

"Come in and have a seat."

Luoxi entered the living room, her eyes discreetly sweeping over the surroundings before finally settling on Moyan's tightly shut bedroom door.

Her brows furrowed so slightly it was almost unnoticeable, and a trace of gravity flashed through her eyes.

Behind that door lingered an extremely faint yet incredibly familiar fluctuation of Miasma.

It was weak, so weak that it was nearly dispersed, but she had still caught it.

Miasma was the unique aura of Monster Demons. Anywhere touched by a Monster Demon would retain this aura.

A ripple rose in Luoxi's heart, but her expression remained calm.

She turned to Molly and asked casually:

"That door belongs to...?"

"Oh, that's my little sister's room."

Molly followed her gaze and answered offhandedly, then asked in confusion:

"Is something wrong?"

"Nothing."

Luoxi shook her head and withdrew her gaze, a gentle smile appearing on her face.

"I was just asking."

She said no more. Instead, she walked over and sat beside the sofa, her gaze resting on Molly with a hint of scrutiny.

"You don't look sick at all."

Molly's cheeks reddened slightly. She was so embarrassed that she wished she could dig out a three-bedroom apartment with her toes.

She couldn't exactly say that she had taken leave to practice swordsmanship at home, and that she could transform into a magical girl to slay Monster Demons, could she?

"Well... I have my reasons."

Molly answered vaguely.

"Sorry, but I can't tell you why yet."

Luoxi looked at her slightly embarrassed expression and replied gently:

"It's okay."

"If you run into any trouble or need help with anything, you can come to me."

"Whether it's something at school or anything else, I can help you."

Looking into her sincere eyes, Molly felt her heart stir slightly and nodded.

"Thank you, Luoxi."

For the next while, the two chatted casually about trivial school matters, such as how much homework the teachers had assigned again or what interesting things had happened in class.

Luoxi did not speak much, but every word was just right and made people feel comfortable.

After around ten minutes, Luoxi checked her phone and stood up.

"It's getting late. I should head back to school. Get some rest, and remember to take your medicine on time."

"Okay, I'll see you out." Molly stood up as well.