The Next Day, Afternoon
The dismissal bell in senior year had become something both precious and routine.
Outside the window, laughter echoed from the gymnasium, drifting into the classroom building and souring Luo Zining’s already foul mood.
Last night, Luo You had barged into her room uninvited, interrupted her incantation, and said something she just couldn’t forget.
“That bastard actually said I was flat-chested…!”
“And yesterday too! I specially ordered takeout for him, and he didn’t even touch it. Instead, he ordered some fancy lamb offal stew for over a hundred yuan—when my daily meal allowance is only thirty!”
“Tonight, I’ll draw you into my doujin—let dozens of men teach you a lesson!”
Ding-dong—
A notification popped up on her phone.
After reading the message, Luo Zining didn’t head straight home.
Instead, she turned toward the faculty office next door.
Inside, a stunning teacher dressed in sheer black tights and a professional OL suit locked the door and drew the curtains the moment she saw Zining enter.
“Magical Girl Little Red! You’ve made a huge contribution!”
“…Huh?”
“The divinity particle! The thing you brought back during your last mission. The Magical Alliance has decided to award you a First-Class Merit!”
“Oh… is that so.”
Luo Zining replied flatly, devoid of expression.
The glamorous teacher, Zhao Xin, pushed her glasses up with a smile.
“You don’t seem very excited. This is a First-Class Merit, you know.”
“If possible, I’d rather receive something tangible than emotional appreciation… (hint hint).”
“You little rascal…”
Right before Luo Zining’s eyes, Zhao Xin produced a small glass vial, no larger than a thumb.
Inside it floated brilliant particles of nine different colors, suspended and glowing softly.
Of course Luo Zining recognized it.
She was the one who had found it.
“Something as important as the divinity particle, and you’re just pulling it out like that?”
“According to the organization’s evaluation, you’re an incredibly rare match—so much so that the Alliance has decided to give you a portion of it for fusion. Congratulations. This is a huge opportunity.”
“Eh… Is this stuff really that powerful?”
“Of course it is! You’ve heard of… no, you know the Aurora Witch, right? That terrifying sorceress? Rumor has it her immense power was thanks to divinity particles.”
“Heh…”
Luo Zining accepted the vial.
As it neared her, the nine-colored particles began to stir, slowly swirling within the container.
Seven years had passed, and even now, among the older generation of magical girls, the name “Elera” remained taboo—proof of just how deeply her shadow loomed.
And at the heart of that fear was the power of the divinity particle.
“That said… I’m just a rookie who’s been a magical girl for less than a year. Something this valuable, and I didn’t have to give bribes or kiss up to get it?”
Her words made Zhao Xin sweat nervously.
“Hey now, give us some credit. This is the Magical Alliance, not some grimy office full of backstabbing coworkers. We value strength and results. You may be a newcomer, but your power rivals the top-tier magical girls.”
“Once you fuse with the divinity particle, you might even qualify for the next Council of Ten Seats!”
“Wow~ The Ten Seats, huh? I could actually become one of them?”
Luo Zining raised an eyebrow, feigning surprise.
The Ten Seats represented the highest combat force among magical girls—a symbol of power and prestige within the Alliance. The strongest among them, Xingyue, held the First Seat.
For someone like her, a complete newbie, even being shortlisted as a candidate was the pinnacle of recognition.
The First-Class Merit she just received was mostly a way to bolster her credentials and reduce the controversy around her rapid rise.
But Luo Zining wasn’t naive.
She knew it wasn’t finding the divinity particle that got her the honor—it was the fact that she could fuse with it.
The Alliance’s generosity toward her was entirely conditional on that compatibility.
It was said that the entire Magical Alliance had never found anyone who could properly match with the divinity particle.
“According to the current data, your compatibility rate is about 33%. Our projection is—”
“Wait, only 33%? Isn’t that low? Am I gonna blow up when I fuse with it?”
“Don’t panic. Compatibility just determines how much power you can draw from it. There have been successful fusions even at low percentages—and even safe removals.”
“Really… I remain skeptical.”
Zining looked wholly unimpressed.
This was starting to feel like they were treating her as a rare lab rat.
While she didn’t think the Alliance would stoop to unethical experimentation, it still rubbed her the wrong way.
“Oh my? Then that’s such a shame~”
Zhao Xin stretched lazily, and her ample bosom nearly pressed against Luo Zining’s face through the sheer blouse.
“From our limited tests, it seems the higher your compatibility with the divinity particle, the more feminine charm you gain post-fusion. For example, your bust might grow by two cup sizes overnight…”
“I’LL TAKE IT!”
Luo Zining snatched the vial and stuffed it into her backpack like a mother hen guarding her eggs, glaring murderously at Zhao Xin.
“…Right, let me brief you on the follow-up procedures.”
Zhao Xin shivered.
Teen girls’ obsession with certain things could be truly terrifying.
“Ahem. The Alliance recommends not fusing right away. Keep it close to your body for now, let your system adapt, and wait for an optimal moment.”
“Got it. Anything else? If not, I’m heading home.”
“Ah, just don’t forget to come in for regular checkups. We still want to study how exactly the divinity particle functions.”
“Ok, I’m out. Call me if anything comes up!”
With a whoosh, Luo Zining darted away, terrified that Zhao Xin might try to take the vial back.
Ha!
Let that bastard call me flat again!
Just you wait.
Once I become oozing with feminine charm, I’ll slap him with the truth!
“…Kids these days. So impatient.”
Zhao Xin shook her head.
As of now, there were five magical girls compatible with the divinity particle—but all barely scraped 10%.
Luo Zining’s compatibility was by far the highest.
Her innate talent was already exceptional.
Once she fused with the divinity particle, who knew how powerful she could become?
Zhao Xin touched her waist, where a scar left by the Aurora Witch still remained—a shame she would carry for life.
She sighed long and heavy.
If only we knew the Aurora Witch’s compatibility rate… we might be able to estimate the true extent of her power.
▼
Meanwhile…
“Divinity particle… if I remember right, my compatibility rate was around 79%?”
Luo You sat with a dish in front of him, in which a few drops of his blood—freshly drawn from a sliced finger—writhed like living things, inching slowly back toward the wound.
“The particle’s been suppressed in my body for seven years. I wonder if the compatibility’s dropped… Meh, not like I’m planning to use it again. Doesn’t matter either way.”
From time to time, Luo You would cut himself just to observe the divinity particle’s activity in his blood.
When the particles were at peak activity, blood wouldn’t even flow.
Even if he forcibly extracted it, he could sense the blood from afar.
Now, with just slow wriggling, it meant the particle was finally settling down inside him.
“If things go smoothly… in about two months, I should be able to fully expel it. Damn, that’s a relief.”
He sighed.
For all its power, the divinity particle had one fatal flaw—it forcibly transformed him into a woman.
Back when he served as an officer in the Xiren Organization, he’d only been male on the first day of initiation.
From the next day on, it was skirts and bras all the way, and there was no going back.
At the time, he didn’t mind.
Becoming female didn’t bother him—so long as his heart still burned with the pride of manhood, his body didn’t matter.
But as mentioned before, his battle with the top magical girl, Xingyue, had shattered that illusion.
Without realizing it, the pride he once held had already eroded.
And when a dear friend of his had died in an accident, it became the final push for him to leave the Xiren Organization for good.
Things change… Luo You murmured.
Now, years later, he was the adoptive father of a daughter.
Although, truthfully, adopting her was his last-ditch attempt to reclaim his lost masculinity.
After five years of raising her, his daughter’s rebellious personality still left him feeling completely un-fatherly.
After all, when he adopted Luo Zining, she was already twelve—her personality and worldview set in stone, impossible to reshape.
And now, thanks to her rotten-girl antics, she was driving him insane.
Still, Luo You admitted this was karmic payback.
After everything he’d done to magical girls over the years, it was too much to expect a peaceful family life.
Luo Zining’s defiance was divine retribution.
He knew what he was.
A villain.
A big, bad, ultimate villain.
During his days as Elera, he had kept himself grounded through a twisted routine—hunting magical girls to reaffirm his ambition.
In that period, who knew how many magical girls had suffered at his—her—hands.
Nearly every one of them in the Alliance had some kind of “unclear” history with Elera.
Honestly, he still missed those days.
“Mr. Luo, we’re done counting. Here’s the final number.”
A delivery worker held up six fingers.
“Good. Just send it to my account.”
Luo You nodded.
He could already imagine it—the instant his daughter returned, this household would go nuclear.
Just moments ago, he had sold off every last piece of her fujoshi merch.
And now, the doomsday bell tolled—
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!”
Luo Zining’s shrill, air-raid-siren scream echoed throughout the entire floor the moment she got home.
As the source of the tragedy, Luo You crouched in the corner of the living room, hands clamped over his ears, expression as lifeless as a doodled stickman.