“…Wuhua. Can you hear me?” The woman in the memory gently leaned down and spoke in a soft voice.
“If, and I mean if, one day, Mom and Dad are no longer by your side…”
“Then, I’m entrusting your little sister to you, as her big brother.”
“After all, Wuxi loves you the most.”
“W-Wait, are you going somewhere far away?” The younger version of himself rushed forward, trying to hug her.
“No, Wuhua. I promise you.” Seeing this, the woman simply patted his head and comforted him.
“Mom and Dad will always be with you and your sister.”
…
.
[Switching back to Wuhua’s perspective from Lianying’s]
“…Where am I?” Opening his clear eyes, Wuhua stared at the familiar pink ceiling.
It was the first time he had woken up feeling so energetic. It felt like he had slept for a very, very long time—a sleep comparable to hibernation.
“Ah. Lianying.” Noticing the sleeping teenage girl beside him, Wuhua finally remembered his current situation.
‘A high school student and Magical Girl acting as a mother… no matter how long it’s been, it still feels unbelievable.’
Wuhua carefully maneuvered around Lianying, opening his phone as he walked to the bathroom—
“Huh? Dead battery. Did I forget to charge it last night?” After taking care of business, he went to the living room to wait for his phone to turn on.
Casually, he noticed the electronic clock on the wall. The date displayed was “Thursday.”
“Hmm. That’s strange. Why is it Thursday? I thought today was supposed to be…” Just as Wuhua was feeling puzzled,
“Beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep.” His phone suddenly emitted a continuous series of notification sounds.
“W-What’s going on, did I get doxxed?” Wuhua looked closely and realized that all hundred-plus messages were from Qianhan.
They included content like this.
—
“Good morning, Miss Wuhua! Unlike yesterday, today is a sunny and beautiful day (◦˙▽˙◦)”
“The experience of fighting alongside you and the members of Cat Garden yesterday got me so excited I couldn’t sleep last night (^▽^)”
“Do you have any free time this week? I’d like to invite you to my place (｡>∀<｡)”
“If possible, I’d also like you to give me some guidance. I feel like I still have a lot to learn as a Magical Girl (๑ŏ﹏ŏ๑)”
.
“Good afternoon, Miss Wuhua. Could it be that you haven’t woken up yet? I haven’t seen a reply from you here •﹏•”
.
“It’s… evening now, Miss Wuhua. No matter how late you slept, you couldn’t still be asleep at this hour, right? (⋟﹏⋞)”
“Could it be… that something happened? Please no, Miss Wuhua (╥﹏╥)”
“(Missed Call)”
“(Missed Call)”
…
.
“Let’s not talk about whether Qianhan is a bit too worried.” Wuhua quickly scrolled through the messages.
When he saw “afternoon” and “evening,” he finally realized something was wrong.
“This… is this from yesterday, Wednesday? That can’t be right…” Subconsciously thinking he had slept for an entire day, Wuhua slumped onto the sofa in bewilderment.
.
“Hmm? If it isn’t Wuhua meow. You look like you’re back to normal meow.” Just then, Miao Ke floated out from Lianying’s room.
“How’s your body? Any discomfort meow? Could it be the influence of that Anomaly meow?”
“Miao Ke?! Lianying is still at home.” Wuhua quickly reminded her.
“It doesn’t matter meow. It’s still early meow.” Miao Ke glanced at the electronic clock, which showed the number 5.
“That’s true. By the way, what did you mean by ‘back to normal’?” Wuhua asked impatiently.
“Yesterday you lay in bed all day meow. You were also pressing down on my tail the whole time meow.” Miao Ke stomped her foot in slight annoyance.
“Xiao Ying said you had a fever meow. It’s a human illness, but I don’t think it’s that simple meow.”
“A fever… I don’t really remember. I have no memory of it.” As Wuhua tried to recall, only a sharp pain came from his mind.
“If it’s not a fever, then what is it?”
“It’s Magical Girl Syndrome meow.” Unrelated to the content, Miao Ke said calmly.
“Literally, it’s a symptom that only appears in Magical Girls meow.”
“…That’s like saying nothing at all.” Wuhua couldn’t help but comment flatly.
“What else? Like specific symptoms, causes, and treatments.”
“I don’t know either meow. Each Magical Girl has different symptoms and causes. As for the treatment meow…” Miao Ke paused, then slowly continued.
“When this symptom appears, the Miracle Power inside the body temporarily becomes ineffective meow. At that time, another Magical Girl is needed to harmonize with each other meow.”
“Harmonize… with each other? What is this, sounds like something from a game.” Wuhua tilted his head in confusion.
“You’ll know when the time comes meow. Or rather—” Miao Ke slowly drifted back into the room.
“You’ve already experienced it by chance. With Lianying’s help meow.”
.
.
“Ah. Time’s up.” After browsing his phone for two hours, Wuhua stood up from the sofa.
After enjoying a wave of reports and on-site videos about the battle on the bridge that day, he walked into the room.
“Sister Lianying, time to wake up.” Wuhua gently nudged the high school girl who, even while sleeping, had a silly grin on her face.
“Mmm, mmm.” Hearing the voice, Lianying twitched first, her face, which was quite attractive even without makeup, reacting.
“Little… Flower?” She opened her light-colored pupils and noticed the girl looking at her.
“What’s wrong? Is there still some discomfort? If so—” Her smile turned to worry as Lianying hastily sat up, ready to take her to the hospital.
“Wrong.” Wuhua spread her arms and spun around a few times, showing off her healthy body.
“Thanks to Sister Lianying, I’m completely—fully recovered.”
“…Little Flower is such a mischievous kid.” Hearing this, Lianying finally breathed a sigh of relief.
“Don’t scare your big sister like that. I was really worried yesterday. I thought I had done something wrong.”
“Mhm, mhm, not at all. It’s not Sister Lianying’s fault.” Wuhua shook her head, sincerely expressing her gratitude to Lianying.
“Yesterday, Sister Lianying was the one taking care of me, right? I’m sorry for causing you so much trouble.”
“What are you saying? Come here—” Lianying, still seated, pulled Wuhua into her arms and gently rubbed her against her chest.
“Big sister just wants you to live healthily and happily. You’re not allowed to carry burdens or think too much.”
“Sister Lianying…” Wuhua froze, her raised hands not knowing where to place.
“The name… you switched back.” Hearing that, Lianying’s voice carried a hint of regret and loneliness, but only for an instant.
“Alright. I’ll clean up and head to school. Little Flower, take good care of the house.”
Watching Lianying bounce off to the bathroom to wash up, looking overjoyed just because of her—
“Thank you, Lianying. Really… thank you.”
By the time she noticed, the words had already left her mouth. Unrelated to the mission, unrelated to the act—it was just Wuhua wanting to say that.
“—” The chirping of birds came through the window bathed in morning light, interrupting Wuhua’s thoughts.
She walked over and opened the window outward. A gentle breeze carrying a fragrant scent blew toward her.
Having almost fully accepted her current identity, Wuhua somehow felt a premonition that a new and exciting happy life was about to begin.
And she firmly believed it.