“Since I’m passing by anyway, I might as well go see that guy a day early.”
On the way back, Luoyou passed by a cemetery. After glancing inside, she turned and walked in.
The cemetery was somewhat quiet—after all, it wasn’t the traditional tomb-sweeping festival yet.
Luoyou approached the counter window and said to the clerk inside, “Hello, one white rose.”
“Sure.”
Holding the crystal flower carving, Luoyou moved through the tombstone forest inside the cemetery with practiced ease.
This cemetery had a special section designated for Magical Girls, and that was her destination.
When a Magical Girl passed away, if she still had family, her affairs would be communicated to them for burial.
Otherwise, if she had no family, the Magic Alliance would place her here.
Only the Magical Girl’s name would be recorded—never their real name.
This cemetery was open to the public, since many people had been saved by Magical Girls and would come to pay respects.
Scanning the tombstones, many were decorated with offerings of flowers, but there was only one tombstone that was completely bare, devoid of any adornments.
And that was the grave Luoyou was here for.
“She’s not here this time.”
In the past, whenever she came on schedule, she’d always find a white rose placed here, showing someone had come before her.
Looking at the four characters engraved on the tombstone—“Red Feather’s Grave”—Luoyou smiled with a hint of emotion.
“For someone like you, aside from me, there are actually people who remember to come and visit you every year. You’re kind of lucky.”
“I told you to let go earlier, don’t cling so hard to that place, but you didn’t listen. Now look where you are. Among so many Magical Girls, your way of dying was one of the worst. Why?”
“Such a shame. Although we were on opposing sides back then, we still shared a kind of mutual respect… Even though I interacted with you after taking off my mask, you’re smart enough—you probably guessed who I was.”
“…Sigh, if I’d known you would die so early, I would have tried to understand you more.”
Luoyou lifted her head, her expression bitter.
“I don’t even know if you were fighting so hard back then for this peaceful scene we have now?”
“Why did you become a Magical Girl?”
“Why did you, as a Magical Girl, choose that kind of fighting style?”
“Did you… enjoy the feeling of killing?”
“In the end, I hardly know anything about you… just your name.”
“But it’s not entirely my fault. You only ever said less than ten sentences a day. Seriously, I give up!”
With that last sentence, she returned to her usual sarcastic self.
After finishing, Luoyou followed the proper ritual to light incense, then stood up to leave.
As she was about to go, she brushed past a somewhat weathered young man.
At first, Luoyou only glanced at him without paying much attention, but soon, she heard him call out.
“Did you put down that incense and the flowers?”
Luoyou turned to see him standing before Red Feather’s grave and suddenly realized.
“…Haha, no wonder I never saw you before. So you come a day early every time.”
“A day early?”
The young man frowned but quickly asked, “What’s your relationship with her… with Red Feather?”
“Friends. What about you?”
The young man paused for half a second before saying, “She just happened to save me once.”
“So you come every year to sweep her tomb?”
“More than that… I admire the strength she had.”
Luoyou’s eyelids lowered slightly.
Though what he said sounded positive, she felt his admiration was somehow off-track.
Red Feather’s strength wasn’t something anyone should really admire… especially given the kind of power she wielded.
The young man continued, “She was so strong, made countless unforgettable contributions, yet no one praises her. Isn’t that unfair?”
“…Hmm, if it makes you happy.”
Red Feather, there’s still someone who looks up to you, even fights your corner!
Shaking her head, Luoyou didn’t answer any more questions from the young man and turned to leave.
He stared at her retreating figure for several seconds.
【…She says she’s Red Feather’s friend. Could she also be a Magical Girl?】
But no matter how he looked, Luoyou seemed just like a middle schooler, although physically she was more developed.
“Should… I be on guard?”
The young man muttered to himself.
***
“Dad? You’re back.”
“Hmm…”
“Eat dinner first? Or shower first? Or… me?”
“Eat, then shower. You… go do your homework!”
After coming home, Luoyou leapt onto the big sofa in the living room.
“Ah~~~ exhausted.”
If someone took a picture of her now and posted it online, it’d definitely become the new meme of the year for lazy expressions.
Luozining watched her and didn’t bother responding.
Every year on this day, Luoyou turned listless and lost all vitality. Even if the world exploded, she wouldn’t move.
【It should be fine to do her nucleic acid test now…】
Luozining picked up a cotton swab.
“Dad, open your mouth.”
“Huh?”
“Don’t fight it, just open wide, it’ll be quick and painless.”
Luoyou glanced at her wearily but obediently opened her mouth, letting the unfilial daughter use a mysterious stick to invade her oral cavity.
Saliva collected. Done!
Next was to collect…
Suddenly, Luoyou felt a tightening between her thighs.
She shivered a little, then remembered something and asked, “Zining, when you look at H-manga online, what websites do you use? Send me the URLs.”
“…So your only hobby really is lewd stuff, huh?”
“What are you talking about? Stop yammering and just give me the links.”
“Trying to get my precious sites with one sentence? No way.”
“Then I’ll take photos for you.”
Luoyou struck a pose.
“Don’t you need drawing references for your doujinshi? Taking photos should be fine, right?”
Five minutes later—
“What’s all this?”
Luoyou pointed at the cat ears and tail in front of her.
“I’m drawing a bratty little femboy who, after angering his master, gets caught and forced to wear cat ears in humiliating situations. Now I need you to wear these and pose in some embarrassing ways.”
“Cat ears are one thing, but this cat tail… it doesn’t even look like a clip-on.”
“Mm-hmm.”
“Mm-hmm, my foot! When did you buy this stuff? …Huh!? You didn’t use this yourself, did you!?”
In the end, Luoyou put on the cat ears.
The cat tail got tossed into the trash bin.
Two hours later—
“Hehehe… now I have material…”
Luozining looked at the photos on the DSLR with an evil grin completely unfitting of a Magical Girl’s identity.
Of course, she also sent Luoyou the website links.
“Hmph… let me check them out.”
Luoyou locked herself in her room and began poring over them carefully.
Human fetishes grow without limits.
She wondered what new trends had emerged over the past seven years that she could learn from.
Ding dong—
Luoyou glanced at the clock: 10 PM, her usual bedtime.
“Jiu’er doesn’t have an appointment tomorrow. I can binge-watch as much as I want during work hours!”
She buried herself in sleep immediately.
The next day, she got up and went to work as usual.
“Hello? Is this the coach?”
“…Jiu’er? What’s up?”
“It’s like this—I suddenly have some free time today. Can you come to the gym and train me?”