Xia Ning

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Xia Ning (夏宁) 12
Alias(es)	Mint; Star Magical Girl Mint; Senior Mint; “Ningning,” used by Su Xiaoxiao 11 43 73
Gender	Female 12
Affiliation	Star Magical Girls; founding member of Lady Ziwei’s team 14 72
Occupation/Role	Student; Magical Girl; communications and tracking specialist; fan-festival merchandise seller 35 43 44 57
Status	Alive; remains active through the testing of Starshine’s personal weapon 81
First Appearance	Named mention in Chapter 7; combat debut as Mint in Chapter 11; civilian appearance in Chapter 12 7 11 12

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Awakened Magical Girl — Mint	Established by 11	Already capable of transformation and ranged spellcasting when she destroys the Mutant Deepwater Leech. Her initial awakening is not shown in the supplied passages.
Condensed Star Core	Recounted in 80 81	An earlier breakthrough, not a new advancement in these chapters. Stabilizing her mint magic required three weeks of Ziwei’s guidance. She recalls fourteen failed core-condensation attempts, three nights immersed in cold water, and painful magical backflow that nearly sent her to intensive care.

Appearance

• Civilian form: Usually wears twin ponytails. During a visit to the Su siblings’ apartment, she wears a pale-green T-shirt with her hair loose around her shoulders; later visits show her in school uniform with a schoolbag 12 43.
• Mint form: Has long mint-colored hair and wears a mint-green gothic gown, with lingering motes of light around its hem 11 15 72.
• Transformation effects: Mint-colored light, water vapor, and a short transformation tune accompany her change into Mint 72.

Personality

Xia Ning is playful and teasing with Su Xiaoxiao, but becomes serious when her friend is in danger. After initially joking during a late-night call, she hears Xiaoxiao’s fears about Su Bai and immediately asks for her location, arriving in the rain within fourteen minutes 72.

She carefully separates her civilian identity from Mint’s public image. Mint presents herself as aloof and mysterious after rescuing the light-rail passengers, while Xia Ning later discusses that same rescue as though she were merely a witness. Su Bai finds the contrast amusing because he knows her as his sister’s familiar, food-seeking friend 11 12.

Her devotion to Ziwei is sincere, but she is more cautious than Xiaoxiao about acting in the heroine’s name. She questions holding a fan festival without Ziwei’s approval and feels uncomfortable with the high markups on its merchandise 43 44. Her caution does not prevent her from fighting: despite visible fear, she refuses to abandon civilians during the Blood Curse Species attack 77 78.

Abilities & Skills

Elemental Spellcasting

Mint fights primarily through ranged casting with her staff, in contrast to Azure Gale’s close-combat equipment 42.

• Wind magic: Destroys the Mutant Deepwater Leech with Wind Waltz and disappears in a green whirlwind after the rescue 11.
• Water and ice affinity: Explicitly identified as possessing dual water–ice affinity when she reveals her identity to Xiaoxiao 72.
• Water propulsion: Uses the recoil of water magic to push Su Bai toward a rear exit during an attack 78.
• Freezing attacks: Conjures successive layers of white frost to immobilize monsters’ joints. The Blood Curse Species’ hot bone spurs turn the frost into steam, defeating the attempt 79.
• High-pressure water arrows: Fires three arrows during Starshine’s weapon test. Absolute Refraction redirects them with increased force 81.

Defensive Magic

• Creates a shield during the convenience-store battle, but it shatters under the Blood Curse Species’ overwhelming strength 80.
• Serves as an anchor for the team’s Starlight Barrier, channeling magic through a communication beacon at the Jiang’an District TV Tower 15 17.
• Helps contain the Bone Colossus Owl’s storm and protect survivors. The Deep-Space Giant Whale’s impact places painful strain on both Mint and Cherry 17.

Communications and Magical Tracking

Mint’s communications work is explicitly identified as one of the team’s established magical abilities 57.

• Traces the false Saintess scam’s magical signal through the city’s communications network to an underground warehouse 35.
• Scans a Military Contraband Shard and detects blood, a killing aura, and the burned traces of a violent Star Ring backsurge 72 73.
• Supplies a charged duck-shaped construct that tracks magical traces and the scent of Military-Grade Nutrient Solution. Used sparingly, its charge lasts three hours 73.

Magical Knowledge

• Recognizes the dangers associated with Star Ring backsurge and warns that the shard found in Xiaoxiao’s home is connected to multiple deaths 73.
• Identifies the political implications of Ziwei’s power: independent awakening bypasses the official certification system and threatens the authorities’ control over extraordinary power 80.
• Explains likely light-aspected weapon manifestations before Starshine produces her unexpected lace parasol 81.

Equipment / Items

• Mint Staff / Mint Wand — Her main casting implement, mint-colored and topped with a heart-shaped gem. She conceals it in her backpack or beneath her raincoat while in civilian form 15 24 77.
• Personal Communication Beacon — A star-marked communicator issued by Ziwei; also functions as a Starlight Barrier anchor when supplied with magic 15 16.
• Duck-shaped Hardened Construct — A palm-sized yellow plastic duck charged with tracking magic; used while following Su Bai and Chen Shu 73 76.
• Electric scooter — Covered in stickers; used to reach Xiaoxiao during the rainy-night emergency and to follow the investigation’s trail 72 74.

Relationships

• Su Xiaoxiao / Starshine — Best friend and later teammate. Xia Ning recognizes Starshine immediately by her voice but conceals her own identity, fearing Xiaoxiao might attempt something reckless to force an awakening. The disclosure leaves Xiaoxiao embarrassed and angry, though they continue investigating and fighting together 72 73 77 78.
• Lady Ziwei — Commander, mentor, and object of profound admiration. Xia Ning is one of her earliest followers, obeys her barrier assignments, and previously trains under her guidance to stabilize her magic 15 72 80.
• Su Bai — Her best friend’s older brother, whom she visits at home and later tries to protect. She regards his penny-pinching civilian behavior as entirely unlike the godlike Ziwei she admires, showing that she does not recognize their shared identity 11 12 77 78.
• Lin Guoguo / Cherry — Teammate and fellow barrier anchor. They coordinate under Ziwei’s orders and sustain the defensive dome through the Lord-Class Monsters’ assault 15 17.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Mint’s Public Debut

• Initially appears as Xiaoxiao’s skeptical friend during a phone argument about whether Lady Ziwei is real 8.
• Rescues light-rail passengers from a Mutant Deepwater Leech, earning public cheers as Star Magical Girl Mint 11.
• Donates the monster’s Abyssal Core to the Star Magical Girls’ Public Fund Pool under Ziwei’s rules. Her public battle sharply increases the organization’s fame and Faith Points 12.
• Maintains her cover at the Su apartment by claiming to have witnessed Mint and heard the “Call of the Wind” 12.

Defense of Xinghai City

• Answers Ziwei’s summons alongside Cherry and takes the Jiang’an District TV Tower anchor position 14 15.
• Helps maintain the Starlight Barrier against the Bone Colossus Owl’s storm and the Deep-Space Giant Whale’s weight 17.
• Senses the threat when the whale’s discarded remains mutate into a corrosive flesh-mountain creature 18.

Supermarket Rescue and Fan Activities

• Tackles Xiaoxiao to the floor during the Mutated Ice Toad attack. After Ziwei intervenes, Xia Ning quietly puts away her concealed staff 23 24.
• Receives a direct warning from Ziwei that withholding a hidden trump card could cost someone their life 24.
• Locates the warehouse used by scammers selling counterfeit “Starlight Holy Water” in Ziwei’s name 35.
• Helps with Xiaoxiao’s fan-festival plans and manages its merchandise stall, despite reservations about both authorization and pricing 43 44.

Identity Reveal and Investigation

• Responds to Xiaoxiao’s fear that Chen Shu may be using Su Bai to lure out a Magical Girl 72.
• Reveals herself as Mint inside a telephone booth so she can examine the contraband shard 72.
• Explains her prolonged secrecy and agrees to help follow Su Bai, setting firm rules: observation only, no fighting, and immediate retreat if discovered 73.
• Is subsequently caught with Xiaoxiao and hastily hides the tracking duck while claiming they were merely enjoying the scenery 76.

Blood Curse Species Attack and Starshine’s Breakthrough

• Refuses evacuation when two Blood Curse Species advance toward a civilian shelter. Together with Xiaoxiao, she forces Su Bai toward safety before standing against the monsters 77 78.
• Her freezing attacks fail, her wrists become numb, and she coughs bloody foam as the battle overwhelms her. Ziwei’s arrival prevents the girls from being killed 79 80.
• Reads the Bureau dossier with Xiaoxiao and explains why independent Magical Girls have been marked for eradication 80.
• Attempts to intervene when Xiaoxiao’s magic surges, but a force field pushes her back. She witnesses Xiaoxiao’s successful Star Core fusion and compares it with her own difficult breakthrough 80 81.
• Helps test Starshine’s newly manifested Absolute Refraction, confirming that the tiny parasol can return incoming attacks with greater power 81.

Notable Quotes

“The wind will carry out your every command.” 15

“Ground rules first. We only follow. No fighting. If we’re spotted, we run.” 73

“But Lady Ziwei’s power can make ordinary girls awaken on their own, like a cold virus spreading. They don’t need official approval, and they can’t be controlled.” 80