Outrageous

The grand entrance plan was shelved for now, its dazzling debut tucked away in a drawer.

Life settled back into its usual rhythm.

Monday, at school.

During the ten-minute break, the hottest topic in the classroom was still the newly awakened Magical Girl.

She hadn't been around long, but she made frequent appearances. And because she had awakened in their city, Thousand Blades was gaining fans at a ridiculous pace.

She still had a way to go before she caught up with Knight.

But she had already surpassed Masked Heroine's Support Squad and was nearly level with the elusive Love.

"Did you see it? Thousand Blades struck again at Riverside Park last night!"

"I did! One Blade Rain, instant kill! She was so cool even my mom started clapping!"

"What do you think Thousand Blades is like in real life? I bet fifty cents she's an aloof older beauty!"

"I bet a dollar she's the gentle upperclassman type! Did you hear her say 'Everyone, please step back' on the news? She sounded so gentle—"

At the back of the classroom, the "aloof older beauty and gentle upperclassman" herself hid behind her textbook, her ears red as beets.

Chen Qianqian, Magical Girl: Thousand Blades, was enduring the ordeal every Magical Girl with a secret identity had to face—

Listening to her classmates discuss her right in front of her.

"Qianqian, what do you think?" Her deskmate suddenly turned to her. "What's your bet?"

"Huh?" Qianqian jolted. "I—I bet... she's just an ordinary person!"

"Ordinary? Haha, where's your imagination?"

"Exactly! She's a Magical Girl. How could she be ordinary—"

Qianqian laughed along awkwardly, sweat beading on her forehead.

Ordinary. Really ordinary. Yesterday, she'd even argued with her dad because she couldn't get some limited-edition merch...

Meanwhile, Yang Chen was the center of another conversation in the same classroom.

"Hey, have you noticed," a boy in the front row whispered, waggling his eyebrows at the others, "Yang Chen's changed again, hasn't he?"

"Noticed ages ago. His hair's longer, his skin's fairer, and yesterday I got a close look—man, those eyelashes."

"Miss Yang really lives up to the name."

"Shh—he's coming."

Yang Chen returned to his seat with his water bottle. The moment he sat down, heads turned toward him from every direction.

"What?"

"Yang Chen," the boy in the front row said, holding back a laugh, "can we talk about something?"

"Go on."

"Our class is putting on a show for next month's Campus Culture Festival, and we all voted for you to—"

"No."

"You haven't even heard what the show is!"

"If you're voting for me, it can't be good."

"How can you say that?" another boy protested. "We want you to play the lead Magical Girl in a Puella Magi Madoka Magica stage play! You look like you were born for the part!"

Yang Chen: The Law of Cycles? Me?

"Pfft—"

Yang Chen spat out a mouthful of water.

"Cough, cough... Are you crazy?! You want a guy to play a Magical Girl?!"

"What's wrong with a guy playing a Magical Girl?" the boy shot back. "Art has no gender!"

"And besides..."

His classmates gave Yang Chen a pointed once-over.

His long hair had reached his shoulder blades, his eyelashes were long, his features were growing prettier by the day, and his fair skin had a rosy tint...

"I think only you and Chen Qianqian could pull off this role."

"Then why not ask Chen Qianqian?"

Yang Chen turned to look at her.

She was still busy being embarrassed and didn't notice his gaze at all.

"Because Chen Qianqian's already lined up for another role!"

"No, no, no. Not a chance."

"Tch, what a waste." Everyone laughed and dispersed. "Guess we're counting on Chen Qianqian for the festival, then. Oh, right, Qianqian's been acting strange lately too. She looks healthier, and her whole vibe's changed. She even seems kind of cool. Have you two been secretly evolving behind our backs?"

"Secretly playing dress-up together?"

"Get to class!"

On the way home from school.

The setting sun stretched their shadows far down the road.

Chen Qianqian walked beside Yang Chen, stealing glances at him the entire way.

Something was off.

Seriously off.

After eighteen years with him, she could say with confidence that "outrageous" didn't even begin to describe how much he'd changed lately.

His hair was already past his shoulders, his skin practically glowed... Even the way he walked and the sound of his voice were racing in a certain direction.

The most outrageous part had happened during break today. Looking at him from behind, she'd genuinely thought for a moment that a new girl had transferred into their class.

Then she remembered the mischief he'd been holding back on the day he left the hospital, and the sparkle of "anticipation" in his eyes...

A conclusion slowly took shape in Chen Qianqian's mind.

Wait—was he planning to dress as a girl just to mess with me?!

The more she thought about it, the more sense it made.

After all, even though her classmates' discussion had left her flustered today, she had still heard them invite Yang Chen to play a Magical Girl.

"Hey, Yang Chen."

"Hmm?"

"Don't you think it's time to cut your hair?"

She tried to sound casual.

Yang Chen twirled a lock of hair around his finger.

"It's fine, isn't it? You should see the looks on people's faces when they think I'm a girl and then find out I'm a guy... What a rush!"

Chen Qianqian's mouth twitched.

"What a rotten personality... Do you really enjoy messing with people that much?"

Come on, Yang Chen. Let's hear your answer!

"You mean that?"

"Haha... Seeing their entire worldview crumble is pretty satisfying, yeah~"

Yang Chen turned toward her, looking rather smug.

"What? You don't think I'm planning to mess with you, do you?"

Chen Qianqian spread her hands.

"Who knows? Knowing you, I wouldn't put it past you..."

"Seriously, Yang Chen, you..."

"All right, all right. Why think so much about it?"

Yang Chen cut her off and took her hand.

"Let's hurry home. I'm starving."

At the warmth of Yang Chen's hand, Chen Qianqian's face flared red.

He—he actually took my hand first?!

All the strange theories in Chen Qianqian's head vanished at once.

Chen Qianqian had always been the one to seek closeness with Yang Chen.

For some reason, though, Yang Chen had always seemed to hold back.

But since leaving the hospital, Yang Chen seemed to have let go of something. The distance between them really was melting away, little by little.

If that's how it is, I'll let it go.

What's the harm in one little prank?