Evening.
A factory in the northern suburbs of Rong City.
The factory area had long since closed for the holidays, and even the security guards on duty had gathered in the guard room to drink tea and cook, enjoying the tranquility of Christmas Eve.
The blonde Magic Girl stood on the factory roof, holding a plush toy in her arms.
It was merchandise of the protagonist from an old Magic Girl anime, quite old, but it was clear it had been carefully maintained and was very clean.
Magic Girl Alice, or rather, Aurora, was currently looking down at the factory security guards laughing and chatting, her eyebrows lowered, and she sighed.
Family reunion, this was the custom in Rong City.
Although she had already had a reunion dinner with her dad on Christmas Eve, seeing everyone so happy during the traditional festival in Rong City, she couldn't help but feel a little lost.
“Aurora, do you have any plans today? If not, do you want to go set off fireworks together?”
A message from a friend with a fox carrot avatar remained on her phone screen.
After much thought, Aurora still replied:
“I don't have any plans today.”
Soon, the Fox Girl sent a reply:
“That's great! After you're done over there, let's meet at the back gate of Huatianli Community. We know a super awesome place to set off fireworks!”
“Okay.”
Aurora put her phone and the plush toy into her magic space. Activating her flight magic, she left the factory and landed in an open area near the factory.
The girl calmly looked up.
It was silent all around.
This was originally a recreational area for the factory workers during their leisure time, with some fitness equipment and shops built around it, but at this moment, it was empty, having long since closed for business.
“...Clang.”
A familiar magical aura, accompanied by the sound of blades clashing, echoed in Aurora's ears.
The girl turned her head, looked at the Monster that had emerged from the darkness not far away, and met its hollow eyes.
The Ripper, the evil spirit that haunted her.
It appeared by her side as always, making her heart pound with fear.
Aurora gripped the magic staff in her hand, feeling a bit nervous.
Could the things Xin Yuehu gave her really work?
At this point, she could only trust them. As long as she could successfully deal with it today, she could enjoy a rare New Year's Eve with everyone—
With this thought, Magic Girl Alice raised her magic staff, opened her magic space, and a few small capsules dropped out of the void, falling to the ground and disappearing.
“...”
The Ripper and Aurora both fell silent.
No movement?
Aurora's nervousness grew stronger.
Could it be that these capsules weren't meant to be used this way, and there was actually another method of use?
“Click, click, click, click.”
The Ripper shook all the blades on its body.
Aurora subconsciously took half a step back.
But behind her, there was a solid, heavy sensation, like a brick wall, blocking her retreat.
Aurora looked back in surprise, seeing the beings that had appeared behind her at some unknown time:
The Cancer Witch, the Leo Witch, the Aquarius Witch.
Three Zodiac Witches lined up behind her, and what she bumped into was the Cancer Witch's Crab Claw Magic Cannon, solid like a fixed turret.
Seeing the appearance of three Witches, the Ripper didn't dare to rush forward to attack Aurora.
Three Witches? Who would dare to go up against that?
Even if Red Rose or Mercury came, they would have to take these three Witches seriously, let alone a mere Ripper.
But then, a continuous stream of starry shadows appeared all around:
From Aries to Virgo, from Gemini to Sagittarius, a total of twelve Witches appeared one after another at the edge of the open space and in the sky above.
How could Aurora have ever seen such a formation?
The girl trembled with fear. Aurora felt that she had to lean on the Cancer Witch's magic cannon to stand upright.
Ever since she became a Magic Girl, she had never truly seen even one Witch.
The Shuofeng Squad in London usually only fought the Ripper, which required three or four people to deal with, and they had never seen a Witch's appearance.
But now...
Just the three Witches behind her, Aurora felt that they were enough to hang all the members of the Shuofeng Squad and spin them like tops.
Moreover, they were significantly different from how she had seen them in Xin Yuehu's videos:
Take the Cancer Witch behind her, for example. In the video, she only had two crab claws and two magic cannons, but now she not only had four twin-barreled magic cannons but also had significantly thick gun shields attached.
And the Leo Witch was even more exaggerated—
A pair of enormous lion paw gauntlets, with a pair of brass knuckles, giving a sense of deja vu of Hellcat.
No, it was more like Xin Yuehu completely modeled this Leo Witch after Hellcat.
“Hahaha, feeling surprised, Alice?”
A horn-shaped familiar appeared beside her, speaking in Xin Yuehu's voice.
“This is the surprise Fox Fox prepared specifically for the Ripper!”
“The Zodiac Twelve Witches! One of Fox Fox's most satisfying Witch combinations!”
“After practical tests in Hong Kong City and Sui City, Fox Fox made some rather exquisite modifications to them~”
“—So, let him see, Witches!”
The horn familiar gave the command, and the Zodiac Twelve Witches lined up front and back, pouncing forward.
Aurora stared blankly at the completely overwhelming battle before her.
Leo and Taurus charged first, and in one move, they slammed the Ripper into the ground.
Then came a dense barrage of magic rays and missile fire, blooming into dazzling fireworks in the open space.
The Ripper, this revival, lasted one minute.
...“Buzz, buzz, buzz.”
“Ah, my phone is ringing, Xiaoyu, can you help me check it~”
In Nan Xiaofeng's home in Huatianli Community, Rong City.
Su Tianqing, holding a half-wrapped dumpling, her hands covered in flour and filling, said to Nan Jiayu beside her.
The new anime of Magic Girl Luna was playing on TV. Lin Muyao and Hua Ling sat on the sofa watching TV, casually chatting with Nan Xiaofeng's grandmother.
The Cat Girl's tail reached onto the table, hooked the phone case hook of Su Tianqing's phone, hooked the phone away, and held it up to look.
A cat's tail was more useful than a fox's tail in times like these, Su Tianqing thought.
“It's about us going to set off fireworks later,” Nan Jiayu said after looking at the message content.
“Jiayu Jie, are you guys going to set off fireworks later?” Nan Xiaofeng, who was wrapping dumplings across the table, asked curiously.
“Hehehe, yes, we're going to the back mountain to set off super—big fireworks!”
The Fox Girl raised her hands and gestured, a tiny bit of flour on her nose, completely unnoticed.
Nan Jiayu smiled and put down her phone. Her cat tail hooked a tissue, and she carefully wiped the tip of the other person's nose.
Nan Xiaofeng, watching from across the table, felt an itch, almost blurting out a complaint, but in front of her dad and grandparents, she held back the urge to complain.
“Speaking of which, there's the Hero Association's annual meeting tomorrow. Xiaofeng, do you want to go?”
Wiping off the flour on the tissue Nan Jiayu offered, Su Tianqing said.
“Of course I want to go! I really want to see Qiugui's performance!”
“Speaking of which, you're starting school in a few days, right? How much homework have you done?”
Nan Jiayu seemed to remember something and asked.
Nan Xiaofeng was silent for a few seconds, shifted her gaze, and pretended to concentrate on wrapping dumplings.
“I report! Xiaofeng has only done half!” Lin Muyao on the sofa raised her hand and said.
Hua Ling smiled without speaking.
“Mu Yao, you sold me out!! I'm serious about doing it, okay?!”
“Jiayu Jie, listen to my explanation!”
“Hehehe... For the sake of the New Year, I won't deal with you. After you watch the annual meeting, remember to honestly catch up.”
“Jiayu Jie—”
Laughter filled the house.
Outside the window, sporadic firecrackers and fireworks sounded, making the atmosphere in the house harmonious again.
Tonight was peaceful, and the family was happy.