Villains also have Star Shadow?
Upon hearing Xia Taotao utter these words, Su Tianqing immediately felt a strong sense of curiosity and pressed for more details.
The questioning continued until after class, and even into dinner time.
"So that's how it is... Tao Tao really knows a lot," Su Tianqing said with emotion.
"Eh... I just like it a lot, so..." Xia Taotao blushed slightly.
"It's great to have enough passion to devote to something you like," Nan Jiayu said with a smile from the side.
The atmosphere of their conversation in the cafeteria was very harmonious.
From Magic Girls to daily life, the topics expanded considerably, and naturally, they also discussed weekend activity invitations.
"Tao Tao, are you free tomorrow?" Su Tianqing asked.
"Tomorrow, huh... Yes, I'm free, because the anime convention originally scheduled at the gymnasium has been postponed to next week, so I have nothing to do all day," Xia Taotao nodded.
"That's great! We're planning to go to a nearby mall tomorrow. Would Tao Tao like to come along?"
Xia Taotao felt a bit flustered.
It was her first time being invited out by a classmate, especially by a sunny and popular Fox Fox like Tian Qing Tongxue.
She had the distinct feeling of a prey being targeted by a predator.
The Rabbit Girl instinctively wanted to run away, but seeing the Golden Fox's expectant expression, the refusal on the tip of her tongue turned into another sentence:
"O-okay... But I'm not very good at shopping or things like that, so..."
"It's okay! There are lots of fun things there, and new merchandise is coming out too!"
New merchandise!
Seeing the Rabbit Girl's ears perk up, Su Tianqing knew that this Rabbit was already interested.
After deciding on tomorrow's plans, the three parted ways at the cafeteria entrance.
Su Tianqing returned home in a great mood.
Not only had she decided on tomorrow's entertainment, but she had also gathered very important information from Xia Taotao!
—Even villainous Magic Girls can have Star Shadow.
"But just as Tao Tao said, this condition must be exceptionally harsh, definitely not simpler than for Hyacinth and the others."
Su Tianqing muttered to herself.
The Golden Fox took out her phone, a spark of thought in her mind, and typed a name into the search bar:
"Magic Girl Mercury."
One of the results was a post from a classical Magic Girl forum, written by an anonymous Magic Girl enthusiast, summarizing information about several older Magic Girls.
The world's first Magic Girl was confirmed over fifty years ago, identified by the Hero Association with the codename "Red Rose."
Red Rose was incredibly powerful, and after obtaining Star Shadow, she was unstoppable; no Monster could last more than ten rounds against her.
Even high-level Witches would quickly be defeated by her complex and varied magic combinations.
Yet, even such a powerful Magic Girl encountered a formidable opponent:
Two years after Red Rose became active, a Magic Girl calling herself a villain, "Mercury," appeared, constantly opposing Red Rose and even engaging her in fierce battles.
However, because Red Rose possessed Star Shadow, Mercury's victories were not frequent.
But the day after a certain defeat to Red Rose—Magic Girl Mercury obtained Star Shadow, putting her back on par with Red Rose, and even subtly surpassing her.
Red Rose, on the other hand, temporarily lost her transformation ability, only resuming her confrontation with Mercury several days later.
"The problem lies here!"
Su Tianqing immediately spotted the issue.
Why did the villain awaken Star Shadow the day after her defeat?
Why did Red Rose, a legitimate Magic Girl, suddenly lose her transformation ability?
What exactly happened that day, and why did such a huge change suddenly occur in both of them?
But just as Su Tianqing was about to delve deeper into the investigation, a message popped up.
"Hero Association Kind tips: You are browsing inappropriate information. Please pay attention to personal information security."
"?"
A question mark appeared above the Golden Fox's head.
This counts as inappropriate information? Are you kidding me! This is a perfectly normal post! Is it just because it touches on the topic of villainous Magic Girls?
After several attempts to bypass the censorship notification, Su Tianqing had no choice but to give up and close the browser.
Darn Hero Association, it must be the Hero Association blocking the rest of the post. It seems she can only let the righteous Fox Fox figure out how to get into the association's headquarters server.
But even just getting this shallow understanding of past Magic Girls, she could still gain a lot of interesting information.
The experiences between Mercury and Red Rose might just become her breakthrough!
Moreover, Mercury herself was the only villainous Magic Girl with Star Shadow besides Ben Hu to date.
But what was her true identity? Was this name related to the Mercury secret codex she held?
Thinking of this, Su Tianqing immediately began to flip through the secret codex.
But the book contained no information about this villainous Magic Girl, nor did it mention any connection to her, effectively thwarting her idea of uncovering secrets by reading the book.
"Forget it, I'll just leave this matter for the righteous Fox Fox to handle," Su Tianqing muttered to herself.
She needed to make full preparations for tomorrow's weekend fun tonight! Villain activities could be paused for now!
But since she was planning to have the righteous Fox Fox collect information, she might as well cultivate her identity as Miss Dandelion a bit too.
Starting with tonight's righteous training!
...
Night, Magic Girl training ground.
Three Magic Girls sat obediently in front of a whiteboard, listening attentively to the two Observer Spirits explaining at the front.
"First, the team's tactical arrangements can still only revolve around the three of you as the core," Bai Ling said.
The three of them collectively turned their heads to look at Magic Girl Dandelion, who was sitting on the edge of the rooftop nearby, wagging her tail and watching the scenery.
Noticing their gaze, the Golden Fox tilted her head, squinted, and smiled as she waved in greeting.
"Why?" Hyacinth was the first to ask.
"Yeah, Dandelion's enhancement magic is very powerful; she could be a great help," Iris chimed in.
Then she was lightly tapped on the forehead twice by Bai Ling, who flew over.
"Of course I know Dandelion's magic is powerful, but she's usually very busy and will only come to support you if you can't win!"
"That's right, Dandelion works and studies late every day, so she can't participate in every battle," the Fox Spirit said regretfully.
Everyone looked at each other in silence, also feeling very regretful.
This was a Fox Fox! Without her, the fun of battle would be at least halved! It would be like the other side not having Xin Yuehu!
Iris dared not imagine what would happen if the other side didn't have Xin Yuehu.
First, Hellcat and Cheshire Rabbit would be uncontrollable; if these two dangerous individuals weren't restrained by Xin Yuehu, they might do something very outrageous.
Then, she herself would have no desire to fight, only wanting to quickly resolve the troublesome matter and go home to rest.
This was certainly not for sucking up to the fox, absolutely not.
"However,"
The Fox Spirit said to the three, crossing her arms over her chest,
"Although Dandelion and I can't always be with everyone, if a dangerous situation arises, we will still rush to support everyone immediately."
"Okay!"
Looking at the three Magic Girls whose expressions had regained their vigor, the Fox Spirit glanced at the Bai Diao (White Sable) Spirit, secretly gave a thumbs-up, and winked.
It's really good to have a reliable junior!
Bai Ling was beaming, giggling foolishly.
And no one noticed the mischievous smile on Miss Dandelion's face nearby.
This Observer... is quite easy to deal with.