In Haizhu City at dusk, dark clouds shrouded the night sky. As the darkness deepened, a sudden rain grew from sporadic drops into a downpour, cloaking the bustling city in a hazy veil.
Beneath the veil, undercurrents still surged.
[Switching from Lianying to Wuhua’s perspective]
“That was really close… I’ve never seen such a big anomaly before.” Wuhua raised her gun and aimed it at the sky.
She spoke to Lianying and the others as if it were the most natural thing, completely unaware that something was off.
“Huh? Ah… um.” Lianying scratched her cheek with her index finger, puzzled and confused. Then she turned her questioning gaze to her two teammates.
“I don’t know her.” “Is she Cute Cherry… your friend?”
Qinglan and Xicheng each gave their replies, distancing themselves.
“That’s strange.” Lianying crossed her arms and tilted her head, trying to recall this magical girl she’d never met before.
Nothing came to mind. This was their first meeting.
“Huh? What’s wrong, Sister Lianying…” Wuhua’s words caught in her throat like a jammed bullet.
‘R-right!? I-I’m in magical girl form right now.’
‘Because of cognitive hindrance, even if I said I was Wuhua, Lianying wouldn’t believe me.’
‘Besides, I absolutely can’t reveal my identity in this situation.’
Realizing she’d almost made a huge mistake, Wuhua quickly shook her head.
“Y-you, what did you just call me?” Lianying blinked in surprise upon hearing the familiar address.
“Nothing, nothing. Mm! Sorry, I mistook you for someone. I accidentally thought you were my teammate…” Wuhua waved her hands and said:
“A-anyway, you should check if you’re hurt. That anomaly was about to attack you.”
“R-right… that did happen.” A little dazed, Lianying’s mind flashed an image of Wuhua.
“Ah, thank you for helping. Though I think I could have handled it.” Without overthinking, she nodded in thanks to the unfamiliar fellow magical girl.
.
.
“What a coincidence. You sensed the anomaly and came here too, didn’t you?” Seeing the misunderstanding resolved, Qinglan walked over to them.
“Y-yeah. After all, dealing with anomalies is a magical girl’s duty.” Wuhua forced a smile.
“Um, let me introduce you. This is my companion, Qing…” Lianying was halfway through when Qinglan shot her a sharp glare.
“S-she’s Cute Ice. I’m Cute Cherry, and this is Cute Sunset.” Lianying quickly corrected herself and introduced the others.
“Hello. Even though we’re from different teams, we’re all magical girls.” Cute Sunset—or rather, Xicheng—smiled and greeted Wuhua.
‘She’s just as gentle as she looks.’
This was Wuhua’s first close encounter with Xicheng, both in their magical girl forms.
“By the way, what should we call you? Ah, we use code names to hide our real identities… it’s such a hassle.” Lianying joked with a helpless look.
“Hey! If you tell others that, what’s the point of code names?” Qinglan couldn’t help but remind her.
“It’s fine. It’s not like I said our real names.” Lianying still didn’t seem to care.
After their bickering, all members of Cat Park turned to look at Wuhua.
In that brief pause, Wuhua thought of a code name she could use now and in the future.
“Call me Mirror.”
.
“Oh, Mirror. I think it suits you… Did you come up with it from your ability or your original name?” Lianying clapped her hands.
“Well, just a spur of the moment?” Wuhua wasn’t lying.
“Nice. We spent an entire afternoon thinking of ours at a café.” Lianying recalled with a wry smile.
“I came up with mine pretty quickly.”
“Me too.”
Qinglan and Xicheng apparently had different opinions on that.
As they chatted about trivial things like at a tea party,
“Um, excuse me, magical girls.” Miao Ke slowly floated over to Lianying, as if wanting to say something.
“Almost forgot about you. This is our mascot and partner, Miao Ke.” Lianying introduced with an open hand.
“Even without the introduction, it’s fine.” Miao Ke said weakly, glancing at Wuhua. “Anyway, I recognize…”
“Ahem. Miao Ke, right? Nice to meet you.” Wuhua gave a cute little cough, a slightly warning look on her face.
“Anyway, don’t interrupt me.” Miao Ke looked down at everyone. “The anomaly hasn’t been completely eliminated yet.”
Hearing that, Lianying and the others exchanged glances.
“Mirror. How about we fight together from now on?” Lianying proposed decisively.
“—” Wuhua looked at Lianying, who had one hand on her chest and was inviting her. An inexplicable feeling stirred in her heart.
Unlike their time at home, Lianying was showing Wuhua her usual self—a side that Wuhua, as her adopted daughter, never got to see.
Both unfamiliar and familiar feelings swirled inside Wuhua.
“…Yeah! Let’s take care of this easily.”
…
…
“The rain is starting to let up.” On the way home, Wuhua observed the calming clouds.
“I didn’t expect the transformed outfit to be waterproof. How convenient.” Wuhua touched her skirt.
After a long flight and battle, there were barely any water stains.
Five minutes had passed since Wuhua and Lianying’s team defeated the anomaly together.
Since Wuhua had to get home before Lianying,
“Um, I have something to take care of. Leave the cleanup and aftermath to you guys. Bye.”
Right after eliminating the anomaly, she made up an excuse and left first. She was so fast that even Lianying couldn’t tell which direction she went, and that was exactly why.
“…Transformation, release.” Back on the rooftop, she took the elevator without stopping, finally making it home safe.
.
“I’m so beat.” The moment she got home, Wuhua buried her face in the sofa.
Soon, footsteps sounded outside.
“I’m home—Xiaohua.” Followed by a spirited and overly enthusiastic greeting.
“Welcome back… Sister Lianying.” Wuhua trudged to the entrance, forcing a smile.
“Hmm?” Lianying immediately noticed something off. She leaned in and gently sniffed at Wuhua.
It smelled like fresh soil and blooming flowers, as if taking a stroll in a forest after rain.
“…You sneaky little kitten.” Lianying placed her hand on Wuhua’s side and gently lifted her up.
“Come on, tell sister where you went.” She held Wuhua above her head, looking up at her.
“I-I went to play downstairs. But I came back as soon as it started raining.” Wuhua replied, feeling both ticklish and uneasy inside.
“Hmph. Honest and obedient Xiaohua is a good girl.” Lianying nodded with satisfaction, then hugged Wuhua.
“It’s okay if you go anywhere… well, not really. At least absolutely nowhere with anomalies.” She quickly corrected herself.
Wuhua realized Lianying was referring to the shopping mall incident. Until now, Lianying still thought Wuhua, like Xin Yu, had “accidentally” wandered in.
“Anyway, no matter where you go, you have to tell sister clearly and get my permission first. Understood?” Lianying advised earnestly.
‘…Looks like that really scared her.’
Wuhua had heard similar words many times.
“I know. I’ll be good. I’ll be a good girl.” Wuhua nodded and raised her small right hand in promise.
“Mm, good girl!” Lianying smiled contentedly and gently brought her face close to Wuhua’s—
Nose to nose, the two girls affectionately touched.
Just a normal, intimate mother-daughter interaction, but it sent ripples through Wuhua’s heart.
“Let me think, what reward should I give a good girl like you? I remember…” Lianying thought for a moment, then said:
“I’ve got it! …Let’s take a bath, Xiaohua.”
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