"...Cold."
Three o'clock in the afternoon.
The Gray Wolf Girl poked her head out from under the covers, looking groggily towards the window.
It was somewhat gloomy outside the window, and cold air seeped into the room through the window cracks, significantly lowering the room's temperature.
Fei Yelan wrapped herself tighter in the blanket, and her tail also retracted from outside the covers, intending to sleep a little longer.
...But the same strange dream as always made her just-closed eyes open again.
Confusion flickered in her wolf eyes.
Ever since she could remember, Fei Yelan had often had this strange dream.
In the dream, there were countless ruins, and people around her shouted in a language she didn't understand, pushing her to run forward.
Running, running, endless running.
Until everyone around her ran far away, and she walked alone through the ruins, still dragging her exhausted body forward.
After that, a huge explosion would sound in the dream, and her dream self would fall to the ground, consciousness fading into darkness.
Then came awakening, and a long period of confusion after waking up.
"...I can't sleep anymore."
The Gray Wolf Girl turned over and got out of bed, looking down at her loose nightgown; half of her shoulder was exposed to the air, and the chill grew stronger.
This was an old apartment building in Hong Kong City's Kowloon District, a Hero Association resettlement apartment.
Fei Yelan didn't know why she had such an apartment in Hong Kong City.
Ever since she could remember, she had lived in an orphanage in Mountain City.
Her trip to Hong Kong City was because she coincidentally found the ownership certificate and keys to this resettlement apartment among a pile of old items, and she came here out of a vague curiosity.
But she never expected... she would meet Xin Yuehu as a villainous Magic Girl...
"I don't know what's so special about this place... It's a very ordinary apartment..."
The Gray Wolf Girl looked around, muttering to herself.
The bed was made after she arrived, the cleaning was haphazardly done with magic, and even the curtains were temporarily made from old bedsheets.
This resettlement apartment was completely old and dilapidated, and the housing price was very low; according to neighbors, it was originally planned for demolition, but the demolition plan was somehow canceled.
"Drip-drop."
A peculiar magical chime.
Fei Yelan was stunned for a moment, then tried to open her magical space with magic and pulled out a small divine code stone from inside.
This was a small item Xin Yuehu gave her, said to be a communication tool used by Magic Girls, very convenient to use.
Just inject magic, and then adjust it slightly...
"Good afternoon, Doggy! Was this morning's special training smooth?"
The Golden-haired Fox Girl's voice echoed in her mind.
Fei Yelan really wanted to roar, "I'm a wolf!" but this was just a voice message, and she had no chance to refute it.
"Rabbit has other arrangements this afternoon, so Cat Cat and I plan to come find you to play. If you're free, let's meet at the main entrance of Queen's Plaza at three-thirty~"
"..."
Fei Yelan silently perked up one ear, pulled out her phone, and checked the time.
Three-ten in the afternoon; if she got up now, she should still make it.
"...Let's go out for a walk; there's nothing else to do anyway."
The Gray Wolf Girl muttered to herself, turned over, got out of bed, and walked to the window, letting the winter wind rage through the room, dispelling the last trace of sleepiness.
...
Three-thirty, Queen's Plaza.
The gloomy weather had dissipated somewhat, but the chill in the air grew stronger.
The scorching winter brought by the Volcano Monster had long gone, and Hong Kong City's temperature had rebounded sharply, unusually dropping to single digits.
Pedestrians in Queen's Plaza were all dressed in thick, warm clothes, down jackets appearing endlessly, completely different from the short sleeves and thin skirts worn during the heatwave a few days prior.
Even the Gray Wolf Fei Yelan was bundled in a thick cotton coat, wearing woolen gloves, standing in a corner at the plaza entrance,
Like a plump wolf that had eaten its fill of fat before winter.
Occasionally, pedestrians walking their pet dogs would pass by, but as soon as their eyes met the Gray Wolf's for a moment, they would immediately shrink back into their owner's arms, not daring to make eye contact with her.
Or they would tentatively bare their teeth at her, but they would be scared into turning and fleeing by her sharp wolf eyes, causing their owners on the leash to laugh and scold them.
"She really looks like a wolf king, huh."
Su Tianqing stood at the subway exit, wearing a fluffy winter dress, and said to the Cat Girl beside her.
"She seems to be disliked by animals," Nan Jiayu also complained.
"It's probably an aura problem. Cat Cat, don't you also scare away little birds?"
"...That's true."
Their brief exchange quickly ended, and they walked up to the bundled-up Gray Wolf Girl, waving and greeting her.
"Good afternoon~ Miss Ye Lan~"
"Good afternoon."
The Fox Girl greeted her with full energy, while the Cat Girl seemed more composed but still smiled and said hello.
After all, the three of them were now companions, so these courtesies had to be observed.
The Gray Wolf Girl looked at the two in front of her, who seemed to be glowing.
The Golden-haired Fox Girl wore a thick dress with a fluffy collar, pretty and adorable, her fluffy tail swaying behind her; it was hard to imagine what an enticing hand warmer she would be in winter.
Although the Cat Girl appeared more simple, her warm leggings still accentuated the girl's lower limb curves, making her look well-proportioned and agile, full of cat-like charm.
Compared to their dazzling outfits, Fei Yelan felt like a country bumpkin:
An old-fashioned cotton coat she couldn't bear to throw away, with a thick sweater and thermal underwear inside, puffed up and full, probably able to roll several meters if pushed on the ground.
Plus the coarse wolf fur unique to wolf beast-kin, which felt sturdy and prickly no matter how it was combed, completely lacking the appeal of the Fox Girl's fluffy tail.
"Hmm... Doggy, you're dressed so warmly, are you very sensitive to cold?" Su Tianqing asked casually.
Fei Yelan's eyelid twitched violently, but she didn't dare to refute at this moment, silently enduring it and nodding along.
Next time, I must find an opportunity to tell her clearly that I am a wolf! Fei Yelan thought to herself.
...
"Ye Lan, the clothes you're wearing are several years old, aren't they?"
Walking in the hall towards the shopping mall, Su Tianqing asked the Gray Wolf beside her.
Fei Yelan nodded sullenly.
"Yes, they're quite warm, and it would be a shame to throw them away, so..."
"I see~ You're a very nostalgic person," Su Tianqing sighed.
"Since we're out to have fun, why don't we pick out some nice clothes? How about it?"
"Tianqing is right, and it's almost New Year's, so let's treat them as new clothes for the New Year."
The Gray Wolf Girl looked at the two beside her, somewhat dazed.
New clothes...
How long had it been since she last bought new clothes?
At the orphanage, her clothes were always donated old items from kind people, and after she started school, she always wore a uniform. When had she ever bought new clothes?
And upon hearing the Cat Cat Fox Fox's suggestion, a feeling called expectation blossomed in Fei Yelan's heart.
"Xiao Yu! The task of choosing clothes for Doggy is up to you!"
"Huh? Why me? Tianqing, your fashion taste is better than mine."
"I only pick the cute kind! Xiao Yu, what you pick suits Doggy's style better!"
Watching the Cat Girl seriously ponder what kind of clothes to choose for the Gray Wolf Girl, Su Tianqing also quietly observed Fei Yelan's reserved movements.
This is one of Ben Hu's plans, Su Tianqing thought.
The little Gray Wolf has never told me more about her background, and she has more or less a defensive stance towards me. It's too hard to pry information from her.
So, inviting her out to have a good time, and finding an opportunity to break through her psychological defenses, is the only way to get more information!
Fei Yelan, could she be the Gray Wolf Girl I glimpsed in Inari's memories?