“Today, to bid farewell to the volunteer soldiers from our Second Industrial District and help them make their final preparations before heading to the battlefield, the Witch Committee has specially sent the Second Performing Arts Troupe to perform!”
“Let us warmly welcome them! The magical girls of the Second Performing Arts Troupe are all newcomers, some of whom are defectors from the mainland, oppressed and sworn to seek revenge,” the host announced.
Then the microphone was handed over to a petite magical girl standing behind him.
She looked no older than twelve, with somewhat long hair and messy bangs that covered half of her face, giving her a listless appearance.
“Hello, everyone.” She spoke softly into the microphone.
“I’m an A-rank magical girl from the mainland. You can call me by my former codename—Yuan. I’m originally from Tianfu Province…”
The girl named Yuan took a deep breath, nervous about speaking in front of such a large audience for the first time.
“Before the official performance begins, I’d like to share my story… My parents died when I was six, killed in a massive magical disaster…”
The audience’s eyes softened with sympathy, encouraging the girl to continue.
“So, I was taken in by an organization since I was very young. Conditions were harsh, and I often went hungry at the care facility.”
“One day, I even encountered a group of bandits who hijacked a bus transporting children. They kidnapped many children my age, but since I was a girl, the bandits didn’t dare to take me.”
“I was lucky to escape—because abducting girls who could become magical girls was considered a graver crime than kidnapping boys. Those boys were less fortunate… among the kidnapped was my good friend…”
Yuan paused here, swallowing hard.
“Afterwards, I had nowhere to go. The original organization closed due to a lack of personnel. And because I was too young, the Magical Management Bureau wouldn’t let me serve as a magical girl, so they tried to find someone to take me in… but no one wanted me.”
“In this chaotic world, everyone only looks out for themselves. In the end, they made an exception and allowed me to become a magical girl—after all, the death rate among magical girls was very high then, and manpower was scarce… I was only eight years old.”
“After becoming a magical girl, I trained for two months before going on my first mission. On that mission, our team suffered casualties. I witnessed a girl about my age being torn apart by a wild beast…”
“Despite the losses, we were ordered to continue. I was terrified, fearing I’d be the next to die. During the mission, I secretly hid.”
“Sure enough, in the middle of the operation, a duke-class beast suddenly appeared and slaughtered the entire team…”
“Afterwards, I wanted to quit, but then I realized that quitting meant having nowhere to go and likely death anyway. So I stayed, living one day at a time, constantly on edge during missions.”
“Then, two years ago, during the Battle of Chiyou, I was assigned to the perimeter for guard duty. I thought I’d be safe, but my squad received orders to reinforce the fiercest part of the battle.”
“As soon as we reached the front lines, our squad was hit by Chiyou’s magical cannon, suffering over half casualties. The wild beasts surged in immediately afterward.”
“I fought with all my might just to survive. In the end, only I lived. Thankfully, reinforcements arrived in time, or I would have died too…”
Recalling those moments still shook Yuan, and her whole body trembled.
“Why do adults have to fight such terrifying monsters? Why must a little girl like me do it!? After that, I broke down and ran away—I became a deserter. If caught, I would have faced imprisonment, or worse”
“Magical girls aren’t treated like mere minors… Those liars! They promised fighting wild beasts wouldn’t be too dangerous, and that we’d receive a hefty pension after retiring. It was all lies! If you die on the battlefield, no one cares. We’re just expendables!”
Her sadness turned to rage as she clenched her fists.
“Thankfully, Lord Xingluo saved me. I’m also grateful to all of you for accepting a homeless girl like me. I will treat this place as my only home and actively participate in the revenge campaign—for those of my comrades who were deceived and betrayed!”
Thunderous applause roared like a tide of fury, unceasing.
The girl looked at the applauding audience with satisfaction and continued, “Now, let the Second Performing Arts Troupe continue the show!”
“That poor girl… homeless since childhood, forced by those beasts to march to their deaths—ugh! They’re not even human!” Xueyan’s father slapped his thigh angrily.
Xueyan’s mother, Aunt Chen, turned her head to look at Ciyue, who was silent and seemed lost in thought. Aunt Chen gently patted Ciyue’s shoulder. “Miss Ciyue, do you feel the same as that girl?”
“I… probably. I’ve seen many children like her.”
Ciyue could barely bear to look back. Whenever scenes like this unfolded, the memories buried deep in her heart would break through her fragile defenses, exposing her scarred wounds, raw and bleeding.
During that battle, her comrades died before her eyes, and she was powerless to help. Grief and rage surged from within, drowning her in a sea of despair and imprisoning her in a cage of helplessness.
Perhaps it was for this reason that Chi Lian turned out the way she did… she, too, witnessed this tragedy unfold.
Ciyue had heard of the squad Yuan belonged to—fifty B-rank magical girls who, despite suffering over half casualties, held back a wave of beasts that included one duke-class and five count-class beasts…
The whole squad was reportedly annihilated. She never expected there to be a survivor.
Every time she saw magical girls fall, Ciyue recalled that battle—the girls she lived and trained alongside, who had become her only companions after losing her squad.
Most had died in that failed mission… Now, she no longer wished to remember.
Aunt Chen saw the sadness on Ciyue’s face and fell silent.
On stage, the magical girl band began singing “Katyusha,” their beautiful voices echoing in all directions.
Ciyue noticed Lín Xīng standing at the back of the stage, dressed in an ornate white costume.
“Lín Xīng…”
When it was Lín Xīng’s turn to perform, she first bowed deeply, then gracefully began the Swan Lake dance.
Under the spotlight, accompanied by elegant orchestral music, Lín Xīng moved nimbly across the simple stage, displaying her wonderful form.
Her movements were smooth and precise, clearly well-trained.
Ciyue watched mesmerized. After all, Lín Xīng was the second familiar face she had met in the Northeast.
The Swan Lake performance concluded, and Lín Xīng finished her dance with another bow.
Just as she was about to leave the stage, her eyes met Ciyue’s for a moment, but she showed little emotion.
“That blue-haired girl dances really well. I wish our Xueyan could be that talented,” Aunt Chen remarked.
The next performance was a skit satirizing the various social contradictions of the mainland. Ciyue didn’t pay much attention, but the audience was amused, laughing and applauding throughout.
The show lasted over an hour. When it ended, Ciyue planned to find Lín Xīng, but the girl seemed to have vanished. Ciyue couldn’t find her and eventually gave up.
“Ciyue, who are you looking for?” Aunt Chen asked.
“That blue-haired dancer. I know her, but now I don’t know where she’s gone.”
“It’s fine. You’ll have a chance to see her again. The troupe’s girls will stay in Song City. Once your labor reform is over, you can go find her.”
“All right.”
Ciyue turned and followed Aunt Chen back home.
[Lín Xīng, I hope you won’t get involved in this pointless conflict…]