My Foolish Little Sister
Just then, a helicopter from the Monster Hunting Bureau flew into the block, hovering over the rooftops, its searchlight beams sweeping back and forth across the ruins.
Liang Bing sat by the hatch, staring at the screen of the airborne detector. Two curves were jumping on the screen.
One was purplish-gold, the other was light gold; this item could not be found in the archives, and the waveform had just stabilized.
"The second one," the technician beside him said, his eyes glued to the screen. "Enforcer Liang, the newly awakened one. Headquarters just sent orders to prioritize locking onto this new target."
Liang Bing pulled the headset down.
The same order was given by the higher-ups at Tianqiong University last time. She watched with her own eyes as the scythe-like blade cleaved through the blast barrier, coming within half a meter of the sniper's head. The sniper had held back his strength during that strike.
This time, dozens of wounded soldiers hadn't even been carried out yet, and the waveform of that new target was still jumping. When people are really pushed to the limit, no one can say for sure who the light will fall on.
"Save lives first." Liang Bing dragged the new frequency band into the archives and marked it in red. "No unit is allowed to unlock it. Anyone who dares to make a move now, I'll throw them out of the plane first."
The technician shrank back and remained silent.
Ziwei looked up at the helicopter.
The Monster Hunting Bureau won't let this go so easily. A new frequency band that's impossible to investigate, a new face no one has ever seen before—after tonight, Starshine's name will definitely be marked in red.
If Xiaoxiao were to deactivate her transformation nearby, the Monster Hunting Bureau could follow the fluctuations and catch up to the entrance of apartment 703 in Happiness Lane.
"Let's go." Ziwei looked at the Starshine. "Fly a little further away, to a place where no one is around, and then deactivate the transformation."
Starshine made no response.
She turned back to look at the pile of rubble, her lips pale. "My brother is still down there. I have to go find him... Lady Ziwei, I'll leave as soon as I find him, just one minute..."
"There's a boy trapped under the rubble, wearing a gray hoodie, quite tall." Ziwei's gaze didn't fall on her face. "I dug him out when I came in and handed him over to the rescuers."
She paused, then said, "He must be your brother."
"Ah..." Starshine opened her mouth, but remained silent for a long time.
Then, tears welled up in her eyes. She wiped them with the back of her hand, but the more she wiped, the more tears streamed down her face, until her star-studded crown was askew.
"He's alright..." she sniffled, laughing and crying at the same time, "That idiot, that idiot, he's alright..."
"I'm gone." Ziwei transformed into a purple streak of light, piercing the night sky.
Starshine nodded vigorously, pushed off with its feet, and transformed into a light golden beam, soaring into the sky.
The wind blew past my ears.
The Starshine flew crookedly, initially clutching her short staff tightly, afraid to look down. As she flew over the Riverside Bridge, she finally opened her eyes.
The entire Xinghai City stretched out beneath my feet. The river reflected the lights on both banks, the streets glowing like golden lines, the searchlights of the Ashen Defense Line flickering in the distance, and beyond that lay a dark, desolate wilderness.
"I'm flying...!" She looked down at her feet, then at Ziwei beside her. "Lady Ziwei! I'm really flying!"
She spun around in mid-air, almost plunging into the clouds, but was pulled back by the airflow.
Ziwei looked at the darting pale gold streak, a slight smile playing on her lips, but her expression remained calm.
"Don't get too excited. Remember these two rules."
The Starshine immediately stabilized, straightening its back like a student diligently absorbing knowledge.
"First, don't reveal yourself to ordinary people, including those around you." Ziwei's gaze fell on the distant city. "Second, don't try to prove yourself by forcing yourself. If you can't hold on, back down. It's better to lose face than your life."
"Don't expose yourself in front of ordinary people, and don't put on a brave face to prove yourself." Starshine repeated each word carefully, then silently repeated it again. "I've got it."
She stole a glance at Ziwei.
His profile was illuminated by the city lights, his expression unchanging.
Before, she only saw this person on a screen, took screenshots, edited videos, and argued with trolls in the comments section. Now this person is right beside her, teaching her how to fly and when to stop.
Starshine gripped the short staff tightly.
"Teacher Ziwei," Starshine changed her form of address, blushing first, "Can I join your team?"
Ziwei turned her head to the side.
"I know Mint. I've watched that light rail video over thirty times. Someone also filmed Cherry- colored light that night at the cross-sea base." Starshine spoke faster and faster. "And just now... there are so many Magical Girl online and in the media. They're different from my Light; they're all your people, right?"
Ziwei did not deny it.
"I'm willing to take any test, any test at all." Starshine puffed out her chest in mid-air. "Oh... I can also reveal my entire magical Transformation Guide, to show everyone it's real, so that more people..."
"No, I've heard of your guidelines, but they're ultimately exceptions."
Starshine's words stuck in her throat.
"Your priority right now is to learn to control your magic," Ziwei instructed. "We'll talk about other things later."
"... yes."
After a moment of silence, Su Xiaoxiao felt suffocated.
After flying over the ring road on the outskirts of the city, the lights became sparser.
Ziwei suddenly spoke up, "The name 'Starshine' is worthy of your light."
Starshine paused for a moment.
"From today onwards, you are a member of the Star Magical Girls." Ziwei looked ahead, "Starshine, the Magical Girl of Light."
The Starshine stopped in mid-air, its eyes wide open, its mouth opening and closing, closing and opening again.
"The teacher awarded me a medal..." She covered her face, then let go. "I need to go back and redo the support flag! And the team logo! The Starshine's signature color needs to be kept separately, with a gold trim, and the training ground needs to be completely redone--"
"Don't turn the training ground into a flash photography exhibition hall."
"... oh."
Ten minutes later.
The two landed beside an abandoned highway in the suburbs.
Only one streetlamp remained lit by the roadside, its lampshade cracked, casting a dim, yellowish light that slanted down onto the broken asphalt, casting two shadows—one tall and slender, the other petite.
Starshine stood under the lamp, holding a short cane in both hands.
She had a lot to say.
When her brother was buried tonight, she only had one thought in mind—that he should live, live well, and live for a very, very long time.
She gripped her short cane tightly and bowed her head to the person in front of her.
"Teacher Ziwei, please teach me how to protect my family! I want to protect my brother."
Ziwei did not agree immediately.
She slammed the handle of the dark gold Great Scythe into the ground, the tip pressing against a crack in the asphalt, and looked down at the little girl who was still sniffling under the lamplight.
"If you want to learn how to protect people, you first need to figure out who you're protecting." Ziwei paused. "Perhaps the person you want to protect isn't as weak as you think."
Starshine paused for a moment, then smiled.
"Teacher Ziwei, you don't understand my brother." She held up her fingers, breaking them one by one. "He delivers takeout all night, comes back and collapses on the sofa pretending to be dead. He still hasn't finished paying off his student loans. He'll fight with the aunties all night for the half-price bento at the supermarket at 8 o'clock. Tonight, when such a big piece of the ceiling fell down, he would just kick me away and bury himself in it."
As she cracked her fourth finger, the smile on her face faded slightly.
"He's such an idiot." Starshine hugged the short staff back to her chest. "So from now on, it'll be my turn, his Magical Girl sister, to protect him."
Ziwei gripped the sickle handle, remaining silent for a long time.
"Master," Kabi's voice echoed in her mind, "Why don't you just lay it all out? Deactivate your transformation, clear your throat, and say this—silly little sister, actually, Magical Girl Ziwei is your brother."
"Then what?"
"Then she was so moved that she cried, threw herself into your arms, and the siblings recognized each other—it was such a touching scene."
Kabi more and more fired up as he spoke, "If you two join forces, you'll have the world... then this world might just belong to the Su family!"