“Xiaohua, look! These kittens and puppies are so cute.”
Sitting cross-legged on the sofa, Lianying handed her phone screen to Wuhua beside her.
“What do you think, how about we adopt one in the future? Ah, when we’re bored, it can play with you…”
“More importantly, Sister Lianying.”
Wuhua pointed at the clock on the wall.
“Shouldn’t you be getting back to school?”
“Eh…”
Lianying jerked her head up and noticed the hour hand had unknowingly pointed to a number that meant trouble.
“R-really?!”
She jumped off the sofa, rushed to the entrance in a few quick steps, and started putting on her shoes.
“Honestly, Qinglan is usually the one who keeps track of time, gah. I was careless, careless.”
Today during lunch break, Qinglan had something urgent come up, so she didn’t come back with Lianying.
“Mmm… and the laundry hasn’t been hung yet. Looks like I’ll have to wash it again when I get back tonight.”
Lianying looked at the washing machine still running in the distance and sighed helplessly.
“Leave it to me, Sister Lianying. I’ll hang the clothes up.”
To reassure her, Wuhua volunteered.
“Eh, but…”
Lianying wasn’t reassured. Subconsciously, she thought someone her age didn’t have the ability to help with housework.
“When I was at the orphanage, I used to help the sister out too.”
Having gotten somewhat used to lying, Wuhua’s face didn’t flush and her heart didn’t race.
“I see… Well then, I’ll leave it to you, Xiaohua.”
Unable to refuse Wuhua, Lianying had no choice but to compromise.
“I’ll be back tonight to cook you something delicious.”
With that, she gently kissed Wuhua on the cheek and set off in high spirits.
“…Now then.”
Forcing herself to stay calm, Wuhua began to fulfill her promise and walked toward the balcony.
“Now, let me see.”
She pulled up a stool, stood on it, and stuck her head into the washing machine.
“This is her pajamas, right?”
She took out a pink robe that Lianying often wore—soft texture, nice to the touch. It was like freshly baked, full of the scent of laundry detergent mixed with her own smell.
“…”
Holding the clothes in her hands, Wuhua felt a strange atmosphere envelop her entire body. In a daze, a peculiar emotion began to sprout in her heart.
When she came to her senses, an inexplicable impulse occupied her mind.
‘Just a little try… It shouldn’t be a problem, right.’
After a moment of rational thought so brief it was almost nonexistent, Wuhua pressed her face into the pajamas, as if washing her face with a towel, until the fabric completely covered her cute face.
Not wanting to appear too perverted, Wuhua only gave it a gentle sniff, like smelling perfume at a shopping mall.
Instantly, a rich, intoxicating sweet fragrance filled Wuhua’s nose and mind. Her thoughts snapped like a broken string. It felt as if she were tightly embraced in Lianying’s arms.
It was a comfort that made her heart race while also feeling incredibly at ease.
“…”
Once wasn’t enough. Wuhua sniffed several more times, wanting to etch this scent into her heart. Gradually, she reached a state of self-forgetfulness and let her guard down—
“What are you doing, meow?”
Suddenly, the voice of a certain doll, Miao Ke, came from behind.
Startled, Wuhua trembled, and beads of sweat visibly formed on her forehead.
“This, uh, is, um, I mean…”
Hurriedly letting go of Lianying’s clothes, Wuhua turned around and stammered in her own defense.
“Don’t play on the balcony, meow. Especially don’t stand on a stool, meow. If you fall and something happens to you, Xiao Ying will tear me into cotton and shreds, meow.”
Saying that, Miao Ke flew over and used its doll body to push Wuhua, making her get off the stool.
“…Mm. Thank you, Miao Ke. Good thing it was you who came, not someone else.”
Having narrowly escaped disaster, Wuhua expressed her heartfelt gratitude.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, meow. If you need to hang the clothes, I’ll help you, meow.”
Miao Ke nodded and flew into the washing machine.
“Oh, there’s something I want to ask you, Miao Ke.”
Recalling this morning’s events, Wuhua suddenly spoke up.
“How much do you know about the Magic Girl Management Bureau?”
“It’s that human organization that, in the name of the government, arbitrarily intervenes and collects information on all magical girls, meow. And artificially intervenes to cultivate magical girls that belong to and obey them, meow.”
Miao Ke said expressionlessly.
“None of my kind like them, meow.”
“Mm… When I went out this morning, I ran into someone from the Bureau. He didn’t do anything to me, just asked for a contact method.”
Wuhua recalled.
“That’s normal, meow. That’s what they do with magical girls they meet for the first time, meow.”
Miao Ke explained.
“Back then, Xiao Ying even had a home visit, meow. After providing a contact method, they tactfully left, meow.”
“H-home visit? That’s too scary.”
Wuhua looked at the entrance, imagining the scene.
“Don’t worry too much, meow. In most cases, magical girls like you and Xiao Ying aren’t their targets, meow.”
Miao Ke said.
“They only target wayward girls, whether by active attack or passive defense, meow. Sometimes, Xiao Ying also gets invitations to assist them, meow.”
“Wayward… girls?”
Wuhua felt she had heard a similar term somewhere.
“Are they like Qianhan, who don’t have a fairy partner…?”
“No, meow. That girl is a lost girl, meow.”
Miao Ke shook its head vigorously, showing how mistaken Wuhua was.
“Wayward girls refer to those who are seduced, influenced by evil forces, or naturally inclined that way, meow.”
“Most of them will attack other magical girls, cause serious damage to the city, and even endanger the safety of citizens. They are magical girls who have strayed from the right path, meow.”
“You should be careful when you encounter them outside, meow. Try to avoid conflict for the good of both sides. Ordinary weapons might not do much to magical girls, but attacks from one’s own kind are dangerous, meow.”
Even Miao Ke, who usually takes a break after a couple of sentences, said so much in one go. Wayward girls must be very dangerous. Wuhua nodded and kept that in mind.
At the same time, with Miao Ke’s help, Wuhua quickly cleared all the clothes from the washing machine. In a flash, only one item remained—
“…”
Wuhua’s hands pinched the shoulder strap of the underwear in front of her. She blushed and swallowed hard, as if mentally preparing herself.
“Don’t worry, I won’t tell Xiao Ying, meow.”
Miao Ke said out of the blue.
“I haven’t done anything yet!…”
“I have one more question, Miao Ke.”
After finishing the work, Wuhua sat on the sofa and casually scrolled through her phone.
“It’s also about the Bureau.”
“As long as I know, meow.”
Miao Ke lay lazily on the sofa like a real cat.
“I remember that magical girls have cognitive hindrance abilities, right? Ordinary people can’t tell the difference between a magical girl and their normal self.”
Wuhua was puzzled.
“How did that person find me?”
“…Wuhua, think carefully, meow. Just because ordinary people can’t tell doesn’t mean magical girls can’t, meow.”
Miao Ke explained in a matter-of-fact tone.
“That organization must have magical girls with detection and exploration abilities, meow. Through them, plus the authority to access real-time surveillance from various places, finding you is just a matter of time, meow.”
“You can use cognitive hindrance to continuously interfere with her ability, but she can also find you over and over again, meow.”
“…Using magical girls to deal with magical girls? That’s a troublesome method.”
Wuhua nodded thoughtfully.
“But rest assured, meow, they won’t actively leak your personal information and data, meow.”
Miao Ke yawned casually.
“Probably, only the magical girl who found you and the person you met this morning know your true identity, meow.”
“How do you know? Even if they do that, I can’t stop them, right?”
Wuhua was still a bit worried.
“It’s a simple logical relationship, meow.”
Miao Ke successfully convinced her with strong evidence.
“For them, having more enemies among magical girls is definitely not a good thing, meow. To use a human term—appeasement, meow.”