After the two of them had spent their lunch break under a sunny, cloudless sky, it was time.
“Well, I’m off to class now. Xiao Hua can go downstairs to play and get some fresh air. But—”
At the entrance, Lianying, having put on her shoes, turned around to face Wuhua, who was seeing her off. She placed one hand on her hip and extended a finger to emphasize.
“You absolutely cannot leave the neighborhood. If something happens to you, I… I won’t be able to forgive myself.”
For some reason, as she said this, Lianying’s expression and tone were completely different from usual. It made Wuhua feel that it wouldn’t be strange if she did something extreme.
“I-I understand, okay. I’ll listen to Sister Lianying!” Wuhua quickly promised, almost raising her hand to swear.
“Mm! That’s good. I’ll try to come back as soon as I can.” Thankfully, she had managed to convince Lianying. Smiling, she waved at Wuhua and then disappeared into the elevator.
—
“Phew. Finally got her out the door.” Wuhua sighed in relief and collapsed onto the sofa. Maybe it was because Lianying was too enthusiastic and caring, but it left her a bit exhausted to handle—
She hadn’t gotten enough rest to begin with, and now she felt even more tired.
“No time to waste, Wuhua.” Just then, Ruibi poked its head out from the pajama pocket.
“Let’s begin your first lesson as a magical girl.”
From an outsider’s perspective, it was just an ordinary rabbit plushie.
“I mean, sure, but… what do I need to do?” Wuhua asked, puzzled.
“First, try transforming.”
.
In no time, Wuhua found a spacious spot in the room—the connection between the living room and the entrance. She stood there, took a deep breath to calm herself, and got serious.
“First, take out those earrings from yesterday and put them on.”
Following Ruibi’s instructions, she fished the earrings out of her pocket. They felt warm in her hand.
“Um, I don’t have my ears pierced yet,” Wuhua said as she tried to put them on.
Fortunately, these earrings were clip-on style, so she just needed to attach them to her ears.
“Next, tap them with your fingertip and shout the slogan.”
Wuhua obediently did as told. Using the index finger of her right hand, she flicked each earring. In an instant, the earrings glowed as if activated.
“—Save all magical girls, embody redemption and hope!”
Before Wuhua could even process what was happening, the words had already left her mouth. Even she didn’t notice anything strange until the extraordinary change began before her eyes.
“…Huh?! Huhhh?!” Wuhua stared in amazement at her pajamas, which seemed to be covered by a white cloth.
Gradually, it faded away. When the cloth disappeared, her pajamas were gone, replaced by—
A dress dominated by black and white, adorned with bows and ribbons. The fabric was soft to the touch with printed patterns, and there was an abundance of lace trims and ruffles—far more than any ordinary skirt.
Even Wuhua, who didn’t know much about women’s fashion, could instantly recognize it: a Lolita-style dress.
“Th-this is… this is my magical girl form?” Even seeing it with her own eyes, Wuhua couldn’t believe it. She pinched the hem of the long skirt that only revealed her calves, looking at it from left to right.
“It doesn’t look like it could fight at all!” Wuhua couldn’t help but complain.
“I almost missed the best part. Just in time, just in time meow.” Right as Wuhua was in a state of confusion, Miao Ke emerged from Lianying’s room.
“A magical girl having her first transformation—that’s Wuhua’s debut meow.” It flew over to Wuhua’s side and looked her up and down in her transformed state.
“…What the hell are you talking about? Also, didn’t you go to school with Lianying?” Wuhua asked, confused.
“Going to school makes it easy to get found out, too troublesome meow. I’ll go find her when evil forces show up meow.”
Miao Ke replied, then lazily collapsed onto the sofa like a cat lounging in the afternoon sun.
“By the way, even you’ve become a magical girl meow. Though I expected it meow.”
“Um, I have a request, Miao Ke.” Wuhua spoke in a serious tone.
“Got it meow. Keep it a secret, right? We already talked about that meow.” Miao Ke agreed without hesitation. But then it asked curiously:
“But I think if Xiao Ying knew you were the same as her, she’d be even happier meow. Wouldn’t that be a good thing meow?”
“Well… there are complicated reasons. It’s hard to explain in just a few words. But—thank you.” Wuhua’s thanks made Miao Ke simply flick its tail, indicating not to worry.
—
To see if there were any other changes besides the outfit, Wuhua brought a small stool and stood on it to look in the mirror.
“My hair… it’s been tied up like this. The rest is the same as before.”
Wuhua’s original silver-white long hair, which had been loose down her back, was now styled into twin tails. The overall look seemed fluffier. As for her face, it looked a bit cuter.
“Besides me and Miao Ke, who witnessed your transformation in person, no one else will recognize you as Wuhua.” Ruibi explained beside her.
“Then maybe I should adopt a code name. Like, Magical Girl Something Something?” Wuhua thought that would give it the right feel.
“Keep it simple. It’s nearly impossible to find a magical girl’s true identity through a name anyway.” Ruibi was unconcerned.
“R-really?” Wuhua, who had found Lianying through a name, asked skeptically.
“Speaking of which, it’s really amazing. Even though you didn’t tell me, I knew how to transform and how to cancel it.”
As she spoke, Wuhua reached for her earrings, about to cancel the transformation.
“Wait, Wuhua.” Ruibi suddenly stopped her.
“Evil forces have appeared.”
…
…
“Binhai Park? An anomaly appeared there?” Leaving Lianying’s house, Wuhua walked out of the neighborhood, following her memory.
Outwardly, she seemed to be muttering to herself, but she was actually communicating with the plushie in her pocket.
“Yes. And it just appeared not long ago. It’s a good opportunity for training.” Ruibi said.
“Mm, it’s not far from here. I should make it in time.” As she exited the neighborhood, she happened to catch the bus that had just arrived.
“Strange, why don’t we just fly over meow? I don’t like riding the bus meow.” From the other pocket, Miao Ke also poked its head out and said.
“Because I don’t know how to fly yet! And why did you come along too?!” Wuhua couldn’t help shouting out—
Naturally, the adults on the bus gave her strange looks.
“It’s boring just staying home meow, so I thought I’d come see how you do meow. And…” Miao Ke yawned lazily.
“Xiao Ying told me to look after you while she’s not home meow. That’s right, I’m your guardian now meow.”
“So you have that kind of duty too… Must be tough.” As she spoke, Lianying propped her chin on her hand and looked out the window. The scenery rushing by gave her a nostalgic feeling.
Neither working nor attending school. Though it was called work, she was actually playing the role of a high school student as an adopted daughter. Compared to the busy people around her, she felt out of place.
“A magical girl riding a bus to save citizens… pfft, it feels so weird.”
She muttered to herself in a voice that no one could hear, then laughed at her own joke before calming down.
She decided to face her first mission as a magical girl in the best state possible.
“If Xiao Ying finds out you’re not at home or in the neighborhood meow…”
“…Don’t say something so terrifying at a time like this!”