Chapter 47: We’re All Crazy

“Haha, so stupid, you can’t bite me~”

Mu Yurou excitedly made faces at the shark behind the glass.

“Little Rou? Where is this?”

Mu Xi opened her eyes and looked around.

It was the familiar aquarium.

But somehow, the time felt wrong.

She looked at her own face reflected in the water tank in front of her.

My… eyes?

Red?

Are my eyes this color?

What… was I supposed to do?

Ah, that’s right!

Today is a happy day, the day to visit the aquarium.

Yes, that’s right.

Little Rou always wanted to visit the aquarium.

Today, I’m going to spend time with her.

“Little Rou, let’s go…”

Mu Xi turned around and found Mu Yurou was already gone.

Where is Little Rou?

“Excuse me, have you seen my little sister? Her hair is white like mine, so she should be easy to recognize?”

“Has anyone seen my little sister?”

Mu Xi asked the other visitors and staff, but they all said they hadn’t seen her.

Anxiety burned in Mu Xi’s heart.

She saw the only place she hadn’t searched—a tool room.

Mu Xi had just reached the door when she heard a scalp-tingling, ancient whisper.

She pushed the door open and entered.

Inside, a group of Red Robed People stood around a red magic array.

On the array, Mu Yurou was disemboweled, her face twisted in terror.

“No! No!”

Mu Xi screamed.

The Red Robed People turned their heads to look at her.

Beneath their hoods were not human faces.

But unspeakable things with octopus tentacles.

“Big sister!”

Mu Xi turned around.

Mu Yurou was right beside her?

“Little Rou? How did you…”

Mu Xi looked at the center of the array.

The corpse that should have been Mu Yurou’s had become a girl Mu Xi didn’t recognize.

“Let’s go!”

Mu Xi grabbed Mu Yurou and bolted out the door.

The Red Robed People watched them leave without moving.

“Run!”

Mu Xi quickly pulled Mu Yurou’s hand, running at full speed.

In the aquarium corridor, giant octopus tentacles had appeared from nowhere, sweeping up panicked visitors.

One tentacle fixed its gaze on the Mu sisters and chased after them.

“Run!”

The two girls’ stamina couldn’t match that of an Octopus Monster.

Mu Yurou was caught by a tentacle.

Mu Xi clung tightly to Mu Yurou’s hand.

“Big sister!”

Mu Yurou cried atop the octopus tentacle.

Mu Xi couldn’t hold on.

Her little sister was swept away by the octopus tentacle.

No!

No!!!

Mu Xi chased after the octopus tentacle.

Just as she was about to reach Mu Yurou’s hand, a door blocked her path.

A door that appeared out of nowhere.

Her little sister was snatched away by the tentacle! She was right behind the door!

Mu Xi yanked the door open and stepped forward.

The moment she did, she felt raindrops falling on her head.

Rain?

Mu Xi looked up.

She saw nothing but a night as dark as ink, and rain pouring down.

Boom!

“Captain! After we finish off the Disaster-Class Broodmother, let’s go get barbecue!”

Cornflower’s voice echoed from ahead.

Mu Xi’s gaze followed the sound.

“Little Blue? Sunny Rose? Marigold? Cosmos?”

Her former teammates stood before her, waiting.

Mu Xi looked around.

An abandoned factory?

Why did I come here?

Wasn’t I… Who was I trying to save?

That’s right.

We were going to defeat the Disaster-Class Broodmother.

Mu Xi walked forward and pushed at the factory door.

It wouldn’t open?

She turned back.

The four familiar figures were gone.

In their place was a massive octopus, Mu Yurou entwined in its tentacles, her fate unknown.

Little Rou!

A familiar Pure White Crystal appeared in Mu Xi’s pocket.

What is this?

But it felt so familiar…

She held the crystal to her chest and shouted:

“Transformation!”

A pure white battle dress materialized.

Magical Girl Crystal Orchid, on stage!

Pink Starlight magic quickly gathered in her right hand.

Forming a Starlight Sword!

She charged at Mu Yurou, slashing once, twice, three times, four times.

The tentacles were severed.

Mu Yurou fell into Mu Xi’s arms.

Mu Xi quickly retreated, turning to face the massive Octopus Monster.

Where was it?

The giant Octopus Monster had vanished.

In its place lay four familiar corpses.

And Mu Yurou, in her embrace, had disappeared without a trace.

Mu Xi remembered everything.

The aquarium.

Rainy Night.

Factory.

At the aquarium, her little sister was taken by Red Robed People.

Mu Xi transformed into a Magical Girl for the first time to save her sister.

But… she only saved her sister.

She couldn’t save anyone else.

She couldn’t save the other visitors.

Nor could she save the unknown girl who was sacrificed.

Rain poured down on Mu Xi.

She closed her eyes, unable to face the four corpses.

When she opened her eyes, the corpses had vanished.

Because—they had stood up.

They stared at Mu Xi with four pairs of crimson eyes.

Through their eyes, Mu Xi saw the truth of that Rainy Night.

The truth she never wanted to remember.

***

“Captain, which barbecue place should we go to after we get back?”

Cornflower asked cheerfully.

“I say the food street on Gold Street is the best. Why don’t we go there again?”

Marigold said, hands on her hips.

“Give me a break. The hygiene there isn’t great. I think a barbecue place is a good idea.”

Sunny Rose shook her head.

“What do you know? Food stalls taste the best! Oh, and we can bring Xiao Baihe along. Captain, what do you think?”

Cosmos looked back at Mu Xi, who seemed lost in thought.

“Captain? What’s wrong? Why are you spacing out?”

Cosmos’s crimson eyes looked at Mu Xi in confusion.

Red?

Red pupils?

Mu Xi looked at the other three.

Their eyes were all as red as blood.

They were contaminated.

Mu Xi could feel it.

Magic energy swirled inside them.

Yet they were completely unaware, still chatting and laughing.

Why?

Can’t you see each other’s eyes?

Mu Xi gripped the Starlight Longsword in her hand.

Cosmos walked toward Mu Xi and waved her hand in front of her.

“Captain? You—”

Before she could finish, Cosmos felt a pain at her waist.

She looked down.

Mu Xi had already driven her sword into her body.

Cosmos fell.

Mu Xi withdrew the sword.

Blood gushed like a fountain, splattering onto her pure white battle dress.

“I’m sorry…”

“Captain, what are you doing?!”

Sunny Rose was the first to sense something wrong.

She saw Cosmos collapsed on the ground and pointed her weapon at Mu Xi, who still held Cosmos’s blood.

Sunny Rose looked into Mu Xi’s eyes and shouted at the other two behind her:

“Run! Notify the Magic Association!”

Mu Xi said nothing.

She simply advanced slowly.

All of Sunny Rose’s attacks were blocked.

“Captain! Wake up!”

Mu Xi was perfectly lucid.

If she didn’t kill them, four Abyssal-Class witches would be born.

A threat far greater than the Disaster-Class Broodmother.

She ignored Sunny Rose’s cries.

One sword to the throat!

Sunny Rose clutched her neck and collapsed.

Blood pooled across the floor.

Mu Xi chased the last two as they tried to escape.

She pierced Marigold with a tentacle.

Tentacle?

Where did it come from?

Why do I have it?

The confusion lasted only a moment before she killed Cornflower with another tentacle.

“Captain…”

Their blood flowed onto the ground.

I’m sorry.

I’m sorry.

I’m sorry.

I’m sorry.

Mu Xi collapsed to her knees.

She looked up.

The four who had stood now fell again, blood spilling out.

It spread to Mu Xi’s feet, soaking her pure white skirt.

Are they insane…

Or am I…

The blood reflected Mu Xi’s pitch-black dress, and her silver-red eyes.

So this is it…

We’ve all gone mad…