“Mi-Miss Wuhua—” On the other end of the phone was Qianhan’s voice, about to cry.
“Where did you go? You didn’t reply to messages, and you didn’t even answer the phone. I was so worried… Also, I don’t know where you live.”
“Oh, sorry, sorry. I wasn’t feeling well yesterday, so I didn’t check my phone.” Wuhua apologized, even though the other person couldn’t see her.
“I made you worry. Yeah, I’m feeling better now.”
“Not feeling well… Ah, it must be because you caught a cold from the rain that day.” Qianhan seemed to understand the reason.
“Miss Wuhua, please take care of yourself. This city still needs your protection.”
“It’s not, not that exaggerated. Hehe.” Wuhua scratched her head, then looked out the window.
The afternoon sunlight slanted into the room, and the entire residential area fell into a tranquil atmosphere. If she quieted her mind, she could hear the rustling of the wind through the treetops, and snippets of conversation from the residents.
“Qianhan, are you at school now?” Wuhua tried to find a topic.
“Yes. Because it’s Thursday. Oh, by the way, are you free this weekend, Miss Wuhua?” Qianhan said, hesitantly twirling a strand of hair around her finger.
“I… I’d like to invite you out to play. But I haven’t thought of where to go yet.”
“No problem, then—see you then.” After reporting her safety and making plans with the worried Qianhan.
Wuhua sat idly on the couch. This was her usual lazy state when there was nothing else to do.
—
“Wuhua. We have a new mission. This one has nothing to do with the Evil Forces.” Ruibi emerged from the mysterious space in her pocket, carrying a faint, shimmering light.
“It’s not far from here. We’d better leave as soon as possible.”
—
“This is… Citrus Mountain Park?” After transforming, Wuhua used the Miracle Power that allowed high-speed movement through the air. In less than a few minutes, she arrived at the foot of a mountain on the north side of the city.
“I miss this. I used to come here often with my little sister. The air is fresh, the environment is beautiful. It’s a great place for convalescence. And it’s full of groves bearing huge citrus fruits.”
As Wuhua reminisced about old times, she looked down—
On weekends or holidays, locals and tourists would come here to hike, camp, engage in outdoor sports, or enjoy the scenery.
So the local area had specially built a park along the mountainside, equipped with facilities for everyone to rest and play.
There were stalls and vendors everywhere, offering snacks, drinks, and entertainment. It was almost as well-developed as the neighboring Binhai Park.
A spacious parking lot could accommodate visitors’ needs. The mountain trails and cable cars could handle hundreds of people at a time, and sightseeing cars were always available.
“Eh. Even on a weekday, there are people here.” Wuhua noticed the scattered tourists and sighed. She also couldn’t remember when she had last come.
“Wuhua, you’re very familiar with this area.” Ruibi asked beside her.
“Yeah… I guess. More importantly, what are we going to do next?” Wuhua hovered above the clouds, looking down at the mountain base from a height where she wouldn’t be discovered.
“You said it’s not related to the Evil Forces, and I don’t see any sign of Anomalies.”
“We’re here to look for something, Wuhua.” Ruibi answered expressionlessly. “Something very important.”
“Could it be that thing, meow? Xiao Ying and I have collected a few before, meow.” Just then, Miao Ke also popped out from the side.
“…Something that requires a Magical Girl and a Fairy to collect? Sounds incredible.” Filled with questions and curiosity, Wuhua slowly descended.
—
“Turn left at that tree ahead, then go straight. Cross that bush and the stream.”
“No, meow. We should go up the stairs first, then go around under the bridge, meow.”
Under Ruibi and Miao Ke’s instructions, which were not entirely in agreement, Wuhua kept her transformed state and wandered blindly through Citrus Mountain.
Since the area she was in hadn’t been developed and retained its natural landscape, naturally no one else would find her.
Finally, after more than ten minutes of being tossed around, mostly listening to the two dolls argue—
“Found it, Wuhua. It’s right ahead.” “Hurry over, meow. It might attract unwanted guests soon, meow.”
Wuhua, nearly collapsing from exhaustion, finally arrived at a clearing in the woods. It was overgrown with weeds and covered in dead branches and fallen leaves.
And there, she saw—
“…?” A girl slightly older than her, but still young. In her hand was a spherical object that emitted a faint glow. She was staring at Wuhua with a confused expression.
She wore a well-fitting light-colored shirt inside, with a dark jacket-like outer layer over it. Below were shorts paired with knee-high socks. A hair clip held back her bangs, and she wore a baseball cap. Her light red hair was tied into a ponytail.
She looked like the sporty girl type. She gave off the impression that she would go outdoors whenever she had free time.
“Um…” But before Wuhua could speak first.
“Seeing your outfit… I get it. You’re here for this too.” The nameless girl put the glowing orb in her pocket and began to rotate her hand.
“Wuhua, careful! …She’s about to attack.” Ruibi quickly warned.
“What’s wrong? If you don’t attack, it’ll be my turn.” As she spoke, with a turn of her palm, a beam of light appeared within it and extended up and down, eventually forming a weapon shaped like a long spear—
Next to the spearhead, there was also an axe blade attached. To be precise, it was something close to a halberd.
“…!” While Wuhua hesitated, the girl had already flashed forward. To an outsider, it was a speed close to teleportation.
“Guh.” Caught off guard, Wuhua could only raise her hands to barely block. However—
A flash of silver, and a sharp whistling wind by her ear.
The sensation of being directly slashed came clearly from her abdomen. Normally, it would have left a bleeding wound.
“W-Wait.” Fortunately, as a Magical Girl, her body was strengthened, so there was only pain. Wuhua clutched her abdomen and raised a hand to signal that she didn’t want to fight.
“…You don’t want to fight? Then why are you here?” The girl frowned, not understanding her behavior.
“Fine. Disappear from my sight now. I won’t allow danger to stay near me.” But she still put down her weapon and waved her hand in disgust toward the direction Wuhua had come from.
“This girl…” Even without Qianhan’s Mind Reading ability, Wuhua knew she was being looked down upon.
“Wuhua. Looks like we got beaten to it. Can’t be helped, let’s go back for now.” Ruibi persuaded from the side.
“This is my misjudgment. I didn’t expect the other side to arrive so quickly. Let her have the thing.”
“No, Ruibi.” But this time, Wuhua held a different opinion. Or rather, for the first time, she vetoed Ruibi’s suggestion.
“I don’t know what that Glowing Orb is used for, and I don’t care. I’m fine with letting her have it.”
Wuhua summoned her familiar Magical Handgun from her palm, and with her other hand began to load the magazine.
Click. The sound of a bullet being chambered suddenly rang out in the silent forest. A gentle breeze blew, lifting Wuhua’s skirt and silver twin-tails.
From deep within her heart, competitiveness and humiliation drove her to make an unexpected decision. She aimed the gun at the unfamiliar girl before her—
“Before that, I’m going to beat the crap out of her.”