“……That’s what happened. The Wayward Girl named Hanna disappeared after we repelled her. Lianying and the others also went our separate ways.”
Noticing a missed call from Mingji on her phone, Wuhua called back and reported the previous situation—
She also chose to conceal that part to avoid affecting Qianhan’s life.
“Hmm. So it was a Magical Girl who went astray. I’ve heard that their mental state and cognition are… dangerous.” Mingji’s tone sounded a bit worried.
“You have to protect the city and fight against them. As a Magical Girl, you need to be careful.”
“Eh. That’s rare. Little Ming actually caring about me.” Wuhua couldn’t help but tease.
“I don’t remember that ever happening before.”
“After all, who could have predicted that a junior male student would one day suddenly tell you that they’ve become a Magical Girl?” Mingji sighed with a helpless tone.
“I remember you said last time that it was because of Lianying…”
“Yeah. To be honest, part of it is because I’m interested.” Wuhua replied.
“Even if you can never turn back into a boy and be a girl for the rest of your life, it’s fine?”
“……I don’t want to deceive her. I don’t want Lianying to experience the same feeling of losing family like I did.” Wuhua gave a similar answer to last time.
“Then that’s for her sake.” Regarding his blockheaded thinking, Mingji spoke bluntly and slowly:
“You’re not… in love with Lianying, are you?”
.
“……You haven’t forgotten, have you? We’re both girls now.” Wuhua frowned in doubt.
“Lianying is just a high school student. Isn’t love a bit too early? People would say it’s puppy love.”
“Whether now or in the past, it’s not strange for a girl to like a girl. Besides—your heart is still that of a boy, right?” Mingji pointed out bluntly.
“Anyway. As long as it doesn’t affect the mission, it’s fine. The company and I are looking forward to your results.”
After leaving that intentional or unintentional reminder, Mingji simply said goodbye and hung up.
Wuhua tossed her phone onto the sofa beside her and lay down lazily, letting the bright sunshine warm her body.
“Sigh.” She raised her right hand, looking at the blue sky through her fingers, feeling the cool breeze.
“Do I… like Lianying?”
‘Lianying is beautiful, has a great figure, and is in the prime of youth. She’s also gentle and considerate to me.’
‘If any guy could resist that temptation, it would be unrealistic and unreasonable.’
Wuhua couldn’t pinpoint what was wrong, but she refused to admit it—as if it would make this ambiguous relationship awkward and unfamiliar.
Putting aside her troubles and doubts, Wuhua, alone at home, decided to go downstairs for a walk.
Usually Lianying would help Wuhua change clothes before going out, but today there clearly wasn’t enough time.
“Hmm. I’ll just wear something loose and comfortable.” Wuhua could only stand in front of the wardrobe and coordinate her own outfit.
After five minutes.
“Too troublesome. I’ll just wear a dress.” After trying several outfits and being unsatisfied—either too tight or too childish—
A pink bow with transparent sleeves, decorated with colorful lace. Wearing a strappy dress, Wuhua let her silver-white hair fall down her back. She simply put on underwear and stepped into sandals.
“Mm… Still such a cute face.” Looking at herself in the mirror, Wuhua said without any narcissism.
“Done. Let’s go.”
—
“Ah. It’s Wuhua.” The girl who had been wishing she could bury her head in the sand a second ago stood up and waved—
Dazzling golden curly short hair, wearing a bow headband. A pink knit sweater paired with a light polka-dot skirt. Maybe because it was a bit chilly, she also wore tights for warmth.
Her clear sky-blue eyes were staring intently at Wuhua.
“A-Anna. Good morning.” Wuhua greeted her, and unconsciously sized up her outfit.
“What? Why are you looking at me with such a strange expression?” Noticing the gaze, Anna brought her face close to Wuhua.
“N-Nothing. I just think you look really pretty, Anna.” Wuhua complimented her bluntly.
‘Is it her looks or her fashion sense? Either way, it’s thanks to her natural talent.’
‘She looks different from other kids. The type you’d notice at a glance in kindergarten.’
“Hmm? Even if you compliment me, I won’t share my snacks with you. I didn’t bring any anyway.” Anna tilted her head in confusion, puzzled by Wuhua’s behavior.
“Anna is stingy. She hides her tasty snacks in her room and doesn’t share with me.” At this moment, Mo Li, who always seems to follow Anna, naturally joined the conversation.
Shoulder-length brown hair, with a hair accessory holding back her bangs. She wore a hooded trench coat and balloon shorts, habitually keeping her hands in her pockets. Her face didn’t show much expression, but surprisingly she was easy to talk to.
Although a bit overshadowed by Anna, Mo Li was also a cute and distinctive little girl. If only she showed more expression…
“It’s my turn now.” Mo Li nodded at Wuhua, who was looking at her. A slight smile tugged at her lips at being included.
“Between me and Anna, who’s prettier?” And she said something that didn’t sound like something a child would say.
“It’s not a beauty pageant.” Wuhua’s gaze swept around briefly. She had an answer in mind but chose not to say it.
“Hehe. Needless to say, I’m the winner.” Anna confidently crossed her arms, making a scornful yet cute smile.
“By the way, Anna, you seem to be in a good mood today.” Wuhua noticed that Anna had an expression on her face that usually required coaxing to see.
“Did something good happen?”
“Tsk tsk, I’m not telling you.” Anna waved her index finger and made a zipping motion over her mouth mysteriously.
“This is my sec—”
“Anna met the prince she’s been dreaming of.” Before Anna could finish, Mo Li interrupted and exposed her.
“M-Mo Li!” Anna blushed, a mix of shyness and anger, looking like she wanted to eat her alive.
“Wuhua is a friend. She’s someone you can tell, right?” Mo Li refuted calmly.
“Tsk. E-Even so…” Anna couldn’t argue much. But she still whispered something in Mo Li’s ear.
“It’s fine. Wuhua doesn’t know anyway.” Mo Li shrugged, seemingly confident.
‘Prince? What is she talking about?’
‘To be safe, I’d better ask carefully. It would be trouble if someone tricked her.’
For the sake of safety and sexual education, Wuhua cleared her throat seriously and solemnly.
“U-Um, Anna.” Wuhua thought of a suitable way to phrase it and slowly began.
“Who is this ‘prince’ you’re talking about? Let me guess, is it a tall and handsome boy, older than us…?”
.
“No, it’s not.” However, Wuhua’s concern vanished in less than a second with Anna’s own denial.
“It should be a girl around our age.” Mo Li added from the side.
“A-A girl? Then why call her prince, shouldn’t it be princess…” Wuhua struggled to keep up with the logic of a “same-age” girl—
Like an old person racing a young one, she couldn’t keep up.
“I’m the princess.” Anna retorted, patting her chest.
“The person this princess likes should be a prince. It doesn’t matter if they’re a boy or a girl.”
“That actually makes some sense… No, no, so what did she do to make you like her?” Wuhua asked in confusion.
“Tsk tsk. Wuhua is still a child, so you wouldn’t understand.” Anna shook her head with an arrogant expression.
“When you reach my age, I’ll teach you what real love is.”
“Love, huh.” Wuhua didn’t press further about who the prince Anna mentioned was. Maybe she just made it up casually—
Her thoughts drifted far away. The familiar smiling face of that girl circled before her eyes.
Perhaps she had already met her own Mona Lisa.