"Iris! Faster! Keep up!"
"I'm trying! Hyacinth, wait for me!"
Two brilliant trails streaked across the night sky of Rong City.
The Magic Girls' flights always caused a lot of commotion, especially with their trails; the magical trails produced during full-speed flight could even illuminate the night sky.
Hua Ling struggled to keep up with Nan Xiaofeng ahead.
Or rather, Magical Girl Hyacinth.
Five minutes earlier, the two had received a dispatch notice from the Hero Association: Xin Yuehu had appeared at the East Railway Station and, after the evacuation was complete, had summoned a Monster.
If it were an ordinary Monster, the Association's on-duty heroes would quickly react and attack, but a Magic Girl—the villainous kind—had appeared on the scene.
"As a Magic Girl, you must never expose your true name during battle."
The White Sable Spirit, perched on the white Magic Girl's shoulder, told her,
"Especially now that there's a self-proclaimed villain, Xin Yuehu, active, Iris, you must be careful to protect yourself."
"Protect myself? ...That..."
Hua Ling didn't quite understand what Bai Ling meant.
It wasn't until Nan Xiaofeng slowed down slightly and dropped back to explain a few words that Hua Ling finally realized.
"When we transform, there's magic that obstructs recognition; no one knows what we look like before we transform."
"But if Xin Yuehu were to find out our true identities, she might launch attacks against our friends and family!"
"That guy is a big bad guy! Absolutely rotten!" Nan Xiaofeng gritted her teeth in anger.
"But..." Hua Ling wanted to say something but couldn't get the words out.
—I don't think that Xin Yuehu is very bad.
Hua Ling had wanted to say that, but seeing Nan Xiaofeng's gritted teeth, she decided to remain silent.
Soon, the once brightly lit East Railway Station appeared before them.
Hero Association vehicles and staff had already set up a cordon around the area, all travelers were safely protected in nearby shelters, leaving an empty station.
But pleasant singing, not the terrifying roar of a Monster, was coming from inside the station.
This made Hyacinth feel very strange.
"It's Hyacinth and Iris!"
Sharp-eyed people recognized the two Magic Girls who had rushed over and shouted loudly, and the long-waiting reporters immediately swarmed forward with their cameras.
Iris wasn't used to being suddenly interviewed and nervously clutched the hem of her skirt.
Hyacinth, however, looked like a seasoned veteran, pulling Iris by the hand and walking from the safety passage to the edge of the cordon, briefly exchanging information with the on-duty hero guarding the area.
Watching Nan Xiaofeng's mature and experienced demeanor, Hua Ling couldn't help but let out a long sigh.
"Phew... Luckily Hyacinth is here, otherwise, I definitely couldn't handle it alone..."
"What are you saying? Aren't you two companions? Magic Girls have to help each other and team up."
The White Sable Spirit floated beside Iris, saying with a smile,
"And have you seen Hyacinth's first interview? Her face was almost as red as an apple."
"Really? ...Hehe..."
Imagining Hyacinth's blushing, stammering, shy appearance, Iris covered her mouth and chuckled, her princess-like elegant smile immediately attracting a flurry of photos.
The reporters even thought about how to write tomorrow's headline:
【The Pure White Magic Cannon Princess! New Magic Girl Iris Debuts!】
"Iris! Come and see!"
After clarifying the current situation, Hyacinth turned and called out.
"What's the situation inside now?" Walking to her companion's side, Iris asked.
Both of them looked at the screen beside the on-duty hero simultaneously:
Magic Girl Fox Fox Official's live stream.
Golden Fox stood on a stage haphazardly piled together from seat planks and sang; her singing was pleasant and melodious, making people momentarily forget that this was the scene of a Monster attack.
Instead, it was more like a stage exclusively for her.
"It's this guy again..." Hyacinth said sullenly.
She had already seen the dense barrage of comments, full of "calling out," and also incomprehensible, manic comments like "Fox Fox is so cute, boo hoo hoo hoo."
Iris silently watched the loli Golden Fox concentrating on singing on the screen, clutching the hem of her skirt even tighter.
Unlike Hyacinth's annoyance and anger, Iris only found this little fox very cute.
It made her think of another Golden Fox who was almost as cute as her.
"Messing up the train station just to make a stage for herself? Xin Yuehu is too hateful!"
Hyacinth muttered this, then turned to her companion and said:
"Let's go, Iris!"
"Let's go in and teach her a good lesson!"
The two Magic Girls crossed the cordon and quickly ran into the interior of the train station.
Meanwhile, in the darkness on top of a distant office building, a dark blue figure emerged from the shadows.
A dark blue form-fitting top and swallowtail cape, paired with a simple short skirt and a pair of short socks that didn't quite fit the usual flamboyant style of a Magic Girl, made it impossible to associate her with a Magic Girl.
A blue light flashed.
In an instant, the attire on the petite Cat Girl had changed completely:
The simple sportswear was replaced by an elegant and gorgeous dress, a magic wand floated behind her, and a pair of heterochromatic cat eyes were fixed on the princess-like pure white Magic Girl.
The Cat Girl narrowed her eyes, as if watching her prey.
.
"Bang!"
Hyacinth kicked open the tightly closed inner doors of the East Station.
The power inside the station was out, it was pitch black, but spotlights made of magic shone on the makeshift stage, illuminating the little fox who was singing.
The singing echoed in the empty hall; although it was just acapella without accompaniment, it was still very pleasant.
"Phew... Done singing! Thank you everyone! ~"
After finishing a song, Golden Fox happily spoke to the camera, full of energy, completely an dazzling idol on stage.
Hyacinth, who was about to say her lines, was also stunned by this cute appearance, and Iris, who followed in, showed the same expression.
"So cute..." Iris murmured to herself.
Hyacinth didn't refute her companion's sentiment; she just didn't want to say it aloud.
A brief silence.
Xin Yuehu, who had finished her performance, turned her head to look at the two who had kicked open the door and rushed in, her smile immediately turning into her characteristic mischievous grin, and with a raise of her right hand, the spotlights instantly focused on the two of them.
Hyacinth summoned a greatsword, shielding the surprised Iris behind her, ready for battle.
"Xin Yuehu! Your days of wantonly causing destruction in the city are over!"
"Surrender now!"
Su Tianqing froze for a few seconds, then casually picked up a street stall chair from the makeshift stage at her feet.
"Hmph, if you want to catch me, then come at me."
"But you know the rules."
The "big illness" meme was a great success.
Glancing at the barrage of comments that started to flash, like "the big illness zone came here," Su Tianqing's mood became even more delightful.
"...What are you talking about? What are your intentions for causing destruction in the train station!"
"Intentions? Hahahahaha."
Golden Fox chuckled softly, her charming smile making the two of them momentarily stunned.
"It seems you still don't understand me enough, Miss Hyacinth."
"Do villains need a reason to cause destruction?"
The world seemed to fall silent for a moment.
The next second, the station doors behind Iris suddenly closed, all the spotlights simultaneously extinguished, and the station plunged into pitch-black darkness!
A pair of blood-red, gigantic, fierce eyes emerged from the darkness!
"Watch closely, Miss Hyacinth, and Miss Iris."
Golden Fox chuckled,
"I hope you—have fun."