“Hmm… I never imagined that the magical girl, Lianying, lived in Chunhui Community. It’s even closer than I thought.”
After listening to Wuhua’s brief summary report, Mingji on the other end of the line said thoughtfully.
“Yes. And her teammate, the other magical girl, Qinglan, lives right next door. They’ve known each other for a long time as neighbors.”
Wuhua said while keeping an eye on the kitchen. She made sure Lianying couldn’t hear the call.
“…Good work, Wuhua. Knowing this is already a big gain.” Mingji praised without reservation. “They usually find a secluded spot, de-transform, and then go home. That’s why we could never track them.”
‘Magical girls all try to avoid exposing their real identities.’
As Wuhua thought this, a sense of guilt and shame slowly crept into her heart.
“Am I… doing something really bad?” Wuhua began to regret agreeing to this plan so readily.
“Yeah. Not only are you a stalker and a paparazzi, now you’ve even legitimately moved into her home. When you think about it, that’s quite a sinful m—… woman.” Mingji commented bluntly.
“Hey hey, isn’t this the time to comfort me?” Wuhua couldn’t help but retort. “And don’t get hung up on titles right now. I can’t even tell who I am anymore.”
As she spoke, the corner of her eye caught her reflection in the bathroom mirror—
A completely unfamiliar girl’s face. She was even too short to see anything above her forehead and silver-white bangs.
“Even my hair color changed. Is that a side effect of that potion?” Wuhua complained.
“No idea,” Mingji replied without hesitation. “Honestly, without a physical exam, your current body structure and how much it relates to your original self are a mystery. I’ll need you to come back to the company to find out.”
“…I don’t have the time or a way to get away right now,” Wuhua said.
“For now, prioritize the mission,” Mingji said in a formal tone. “Put everything else out of your mind. I’ll take care of things with your little sister.”
“Yeah, I’m counting on you.” Wuhua expressed her gratitude.
Then Mingji quickly ended the call, saying that staying too long would raise suspicion.
On the other side, Lianying’s voice came faintly from the kitchen.
“Wuhua? You can come over. Dinner’s ready.”
—
Dinner time. Wuhua and Lianying sat at the table not far from the kitchen.
“Th-this… did Lianying make all this?” Wuhua forgot to switch back her tone and couldn’t hide her surprise—
A quick glance at the bowls and plates filled with fresh food.
Scrambled eggs with tomatoes, shredded pork with fish flavor, curry beef—three home-cooked dishes. Quite a generous portion for a high school girl and a seven-year-old.
“W-well…” Lianying stammered and looked away. Then she handed Wuhua chopsticks. “Go ahead, taste it, okay!”
“Then I’ll try it first.” Taking the chopsticks, Wuhua picked up a bit from each dish and put it in her mouth. “It’s good.”
Not professional chef level, but for a high school student, these home-style dishes had a certain difficulty. Doing this well showed either talent or accumulated experience.
“…That’s good!” Seeing Wuhua’s eyes light up, Lianying sighed in relief and murmured, “…Looks like I’ll have to work harder on learning to cook.”
Wuhua was too busy eating to notice her last words. But she suddenly stopped.
“What’s wrong?” Lianying, who was about to start eating, also froze, chopsticks hovering.
“Um, don’t we need to wait for Lianying’s… your family to come back before eating?” As soon as she said this, Wuhua could clearly see the change in Lianying’s expression.
It was a reaction that indicated unspoken words, mixed with loneliness and displeasure.
‘Crap. This is like stepping on a landmine… Did I say something wrong?’
Just as Wuhua was thinking about how to smooth things over and break the frozen atmosphere, a brief silence fell between them.
(Phone rings)
The sudden ringing broke the stalemate.
“S-sorry, I need to step away for a moment.” Checking her phone, Lianying stood up and walked into the kitchen.
Wuhua obediently sat in her chair, staring at the bowls and plates that were almost at eye level due to her height.
Before long, Lianying returned. An apologetic smile hung on her face—
“Um, Wuhua. I have something urgent I need to go out for.” She said while putting on her shoes at the entrance.
“Just leave your dishes when you’re done. I’ll be back soon. Be a good girl until then. There are plenty of manga and books in my room you can read.”
“Okay, no problem, Lianying-nee. I can take care of myself.” Wuhua patted her chest to show she didn’t need to worry.
“…Thanks!” Lianying smiled at Wuhua, then hurried out the door.
“Oh, almost forgot.” She doubled back into her room, grabbing something. From the half-closed door came her faint muttering:
“Don’t you say anything strange or do anything suspicious… That child is, of course, important to me.”
Wuhua silently watched until Lianying disappeared into the elevator. Then she reported this to Mingji.
“She rushed out urgently… Probably to act as a magical girl.” Mingji judged over the communication.
“Should I follow her?” Wuhua asked.
“No. That’s too risky.” Mingji refused decisively. “You don’t even have the community key. If you go out and can’t get back in, it’ll only cause more trouble and suspicion.”
Told to stay put, Wuhua finished her dinner simply and put her own dishes in the sink.
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a matching number of pre-made meal packaging bags in the trash.
“…I’ll pretend I didn’t see that.”
—
Since Lianying had mentioned it and given permission, Wuhua decided to check out her room. Or rather, gather intelligence.
She pushed open the half-closed door.
“Th-this smell…” The window was open but the curtains were drawn. The scent that rushed out caught Wuhua off guard.
A young girl’s body odor mixed with residual incense and shampoo—all the traces of her life were vividly concentrated in this tiny space.
‘She probably doesn’t notice it herself. But for others, it’s a different story.’
Wuhua didn’t dwell on it. She looked around, her analytic gaze not missing a single corner—
Pink, pink, and more pink. The wallpaper and ceiling were clearly Lianying’s favorite color. Aside from that, only a little white remained as accents.
Things were a bit cluttered. A hair dryer, an AC remote, an open manga, and a cup were all on one desk.
A huge wardrobe took up at least a third of the room. It looked packed, and Wuhua didn’t have the courage to open it.
The most eye-catching was a bed, slightly wider than a standard single. It was piled with plush toys of different sizes and shapes, leaving only barely enough room to lie down.
“Hmm. So this is Lianying’s room.” Wuhua nodded and stepped inside.
She didn’t know if this room was special or ordinary—she had never been in another girl’s room. Personally, she’d say it was the kind that catches your eye.
“…Come to think of it, Lianying seemed to be talking to someone just now.” Wuhua scratched her head in confusion.
“It was probably just a phone call or a voice message.”
She tried to convince herself with a smile, planning to pick out a few manga to kill time while waiting for Lianying to come back.
—
“Oh my meow. An unfamiliar face meow. Is this the girl called Wuhua that Xiao Lian mentioned meow?”
A clear, somewhat feminine voice suddenly sounded in the room. And it added “meow” at the end of every sentence, which sounded very eerie.
“Who?!” Wuhua flinched, her body jerking as she spun around.
Not far away, a plush toy was floating in midair, looking at her curiously.
“Looking for treasure meow? Too bad, Xiao Lian has already hidden the secret away meow.”
“Wh-what secret?” Wuhua unconsciously followed up, puzzled. At the same time, she noticed that the voice seemed to be coming from inside the toy.
“Something little girls shouldn’t see meow. I can’t tell you meow. Or I’ll get pixelated meow.”
“Saying that just makes me more curious!”