“Magical girl? Who, you?”
Mingji on the other end of the phone, her calm tone turning excited and shaken. She quickly adjusted back.
“…If it were in the past, I would think there’s something wrong with your head and call the police without hesitation.”
“That’s a bit too much, calling the police.” Wuhua said.
“Not at all. Imagine if one of your same-sex friends suddenly told you they wanted to become a magical girl.”
“Yeah, calling the police is right. Maybe an ambulance too.” Wuhua quickly understood Mingji’s meaning—
Perhaps it was because he had become a girl himself, he could empathize.
—
“The doll you met should be an assistant to the magical girls.” Mingji explained thoughtfully.
“They’re often referred to as fairies, pets, or companions. There’s no unified theory on their origins yet.”
“We only know they approach girls who are or will become magical girls, and help guide them as much as possible.”
“By forming a contract with a fairy, one can activate the magical girl factor within and become a magical girl ahead of time.”
—
“I just noticed… you really know a lot about these things.” Wuhua said after listening to Mingji’s detailed explanation.
“Xiaoming, you don’t happen to have a desire to become a magical girl too, do you?”
“That’s a different matter.” Mingji brushed it off casually, then thought for a moment and slowly spoke.
“But… yeah. Since you’ve become a girl now, it’s natural for you to have the chance to become a magical girl. We haven’t prepared a response yet.”
“It’s like not knowing how to explain to a child where they come from. Give us some time to think about how to handle it.”
Wuhua was taken aback at first, then teased.
“Your metaphor is both strange and accurate.”
—
Since Lianying, the target of the mission, wasn’t home and probably wouldn’t be back for a while, Wuhua decided to find something to kill the remaining time.
“Meow Ke, come out and chat with me.” Back in his room, Wuhua called out without hesitation. “Lianying went to school, I’m so bored.”
After all, being willful and mischievous were traits of a child, so he decided to see the act through.
“What is it, meow? Even dolls need to sleep, meow.” The doll by the pillow suddenly activated as if powered on, flying in front of Wuhua.
“Xiaoying is at that place called school and won’t be back until late. Why don’t you watch TV or read a manga.”
For some reason, the doll spoke sluggishly, as if tired from waking up and complaining.
“No way. I want you to chat with me.” Wuhua reached out and grabbed his squirrel tail. “Don’t forget, you still have secrets with me.”
“What a troublesome kid, meow. So what do you want to talk about, meow?” The doll had no choice but to nod and compromise.
“Well… for example, what are Sister Lianying and Sister Qinglan up to lately? As magical girls.” Wuhua planned to use the chat to pry out more information.
“What else would they do, meow? Fight monsters and protect citizens, the things magical girls should do, meow.” Meow Ke said impatiently.
“But lately, they seem to realize that if they keep using their real names to communicate, meow, they might expose their identities. So they’re thinking about codenames or aliases, meow.”
“Aliases, huh… sounds mysterious and cool.” Wuhua nodded thoughtfully, then recalled some interesting events—
It started a few weeks before Wuhua began tailing the magical girl organization “Cat Garden” led by Lianying.
Because in battle, the three girls called each other without hesitation—both Wuhua and Mingji thought they were using aliases or codenames.
Until, in their normal state (non-magical girl), Lianying and Qinglan came to Dandelion Orphanage to adopt Wuhua.
Only then did they find out from the registration book that the names used to refer to the three magical girls were their real names—
They had been calling each other by their real names in battle. Lianying and Qinglan. And the as-yet-unseen Xicheng, no doubt the same.
—
Looking at Wuhua’s face, which showed a pensive expression not fitting for his age, the doll suddenly spoke expressionlessly.
“Come to think of it. You’re a bit strange, meow.”
“Huh? Why do you say that—” Wuhua forced calm and asked in confusion.
“Because you don’t seem surprised, meow. That Xiaoying is a magical girl, meow.” The doll propped its face on its arm.
“Your reaction is even calmer than when you learned yesterday that you have potential, meow. As if you already guessed it, meow.”
“Well…” Wuhua twiddled his fingers and quickly fabricated a reason. “Actually, I had a friend before. She was also a magical girl, so I’m not that surprised.”
“A-and besides. Whether Sister Lianying is a magical girl or not, compared to an identity I’ve never seen, her being my adopter and benefactor is more real.”
Hearing Wuhua’s convincing and touching emotional appeal, the doll thought for a moment.
“I see, meow. That’s not strange then, meow. Wuhua, you’re really a good kid, meow.”
—
Having successfully bluffed, idle Wuhua sat on the sofa and spent a lazy morning. As time approached noon.
From the distant entrance, the sound of an electronic door lock being opened came.
“Wait, could it be—” Just as Wuhua thought it might be Lianying’s parents, whom he had never met since arriving yesterday, and was wondering how to explain his origin and identity—
—
“I’m home—” Lianying came into the house hopping and skipping, clearly in a very happy mood.
“Oh, isn’t this Xiaohua. Watching TV?” Lianying changed shoes, took off her jacket, and put down the packed food in one fluid motion, then sat down on the sofa next to Wuhua.
“Phew, so hot, so hot. Even though it’s already autumn, it still feels like summer isn’t over.” As she spoke, Lianying grabbed her shirt and started fanning herself.
The girl’s sweat from the heat, after taking off her jacket, kept emitting hormones. A sweet and sour scent once again filled the room.
“Sister Lianying? Weren’t you supposed to come back in the evening?” Wuhua asked in confusion.
“Eh, ah, well. That is…” Lianying turned her face away and rubbed her light pink hair, her shirt stained with sweat outlining her tempting figure.
“Hmm—if I didn’t come back, what would Xiaohua eat for lunch?” As if it were the most natural thing, Lianying pointed to the takeout boxes in front of her.
“Oh, so it’s lunch break.” Wuhua nodded, understanding Lianying’s intention, and obediently sat at the dining table.
“Even though I’ll have to go back later, it’s a bit troublesome.” Lianying followed and sat in her seat.
“But compared to crowding in the school cafeteria with classmates, I prefer eating with Xiaohua.”
With that, she opened the box like Pandora’s box. The two spent a wonderful time with delicious food and a warm afternoon.
—
“By the way, Xiaohua.” Having eaten and changed into clean clothes, ready to go out, Lianying suddenly said to Wuhua who was seeing her off.
“When we get out of school, we’ll take you to the pedestrian street. We need to buy all kinds of daily necessities for you, and also replenish some household items.”
“Mm-hmm, no problem.” Wuhua nodded obediently. “Thank you, Sister Lianying. For thinking of me so much.”
“It’s what I should do. After all, I’m your…”
Shy impulse stopped her from continuing. Blushing, Lianying waved her hand.
The afternoon sun penetrated through the curtains, though it didn’t shine directly on them, warmth filled their hearts.