Two more humanoid Calamities appeared.
Those two Calamities staggered toward them like newborn infants, slowly approaching with no hint of menace.
Lu Yuan quickly drew her gun without hesitation.
Bang! Bang!
Two rapid shots were fired, the bullets cutting through the air and causing Lu Yuan’s skirt to flutter.
The two bullets hit the humanoid Calamities almost simultaneously with precision. They barely managed a short, sharp wail before dissolving into puddles of liquid under Lu Yuan’s attack.
The fight ended swiftly and decisively, but Lu Yuan’s heart sank. She stood still, her sharp gaze sweeping the surroundings to confirm there were no further threats before slowly holstering her weapon.
It was too familiar.
***
This scene… unsettlingly familiar.
Another human actively targeted by Calamities, just like the fake “Lu Qian” who had once come knocking on her door.
Why?
What is it about Qing that makes her, like herself, a target for these Calamities?
Lu Yuan took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil of doubts rising within her.
She turned and strode toward the still dazed Liu Zhe and the naturally airheaded girl Qing.
***
Stopping in front of Qing, she looked at her face with a complicated expression.
“You,” Lu Yuan said, “have you been running into these kinds of ‘accidents’ a lot lately?”
She usually didn’t speak like this, but to make Qing realize the seriousness of the situation, Lu Yuan chose a stern tone.
Qing slowly lifted her eyes; her pale green gaze met Lu Yuan’s, and she nodded.
Liu Zhe, as if clutching a lifeline, crawled over hurriedly, voice trembling with tears:
“Miss Lu Yuan! You saw it too! It’s exactly like this! Since yesterday, things have felt off—little accidents kept happening, but I never thought today would be so serious! What is going on? Is Miss Qing haunted by something unclean?”
***
Lu Yuan ignored Liu Zhe’s sobbing. She kept staring at Qing. “Do you know why they’re after you?”
Qing was silent for a moment, then shook her head.
Lu Yuan looked at Qing’s innocent and somewhat bewildered face, then glanced at the two puddles on the ground seeping slowly into the tile cracks—liquids that resembled slime.
A thought gradually became clear.
This experience of being continuously targeted by specific Calamities—besides herself, probably only this strange model in front of her had it in all of Tongmen City.
She recalled the helpless confusion she felt when tormented by the fake “Lu Qian.” If Lin Wan hadn’t helped her move on from the past, the consequences would have been severe.
Now, Qing seemed trapped in a similar situation, and she looked even more “dazed” than Lu Yuan was back then—not being a Magical Girl, she couldn’t even defend herself.
Though this girl behaved oddly and was a bit of a pervert, she was ultimately a victim targeted by Calamities. Protecting citizens, especially those targeted by Calamities, was a Magical Girl’s duty.
Lu Yuan took another deep breath, as if making a firm decision. Her gaze grew resolute again. She looked at the still-shaken Liu Zhe and said in a tone that brooked no argument:
“Mr. Liu, you’ve seen the situation. Miss Qing seems to have a special constitution that makes her an easy target for Calamities. Letting her stay in crowded places or move about alone is not only dangerous for her but also risks innocent bystanders.”
Liu Zhe’s face went pale. He nodded repeatedly, “Yes, yes! Miss Lu Yuan, what do you suggest? We’ll follow your lead!”
“From now on,” Lu Yuan said clearly, her gaze serious as it swept over them both, “I will take temporary responsibility for her safety.”
“You will immediately cancel all her unnecessary public appearances and events. Find her a place to stay that’s as hidden and secure as possible… Until her abnormal attraction disappears or we find the root cause, I will personally protect her.”
***
“You… you’re going to personally protect Miss Qing?” Liu Zhe was stunned.
“What else?” Lu Yuan rolled her eyes, “Should I just let her keep getting attacked? Or do you think you can protect her?”
Liu Zhe dared not reply.
Lu Yuan then looked at Qing again. Pausing, her cheeks slightly flushed, she ground her teeth and added, “And you… stop groping me! Got it?”
Qing nodded obediently like a well-behaved child.
What well-behaved child? A bad kid! Who gropes a stranger’s chest the moment they meet?!
***
“But… but…” Liu Zhe hesitated.
“But what?” Lu Yuan asked.
“But…” Liu Zhe wrung his hands, his face full of difficulty and anxiety, “Miss Lu Yuan, your plan is the safest, but… but Miss Qing has to go to Yun Jing in a few days.”
“Yun Jing?” Lu Yuan frowned deeply.
Su Li had just gone to Yun Jing for a meeting a few days ago, so this must be the same Yun Jing.
“Are you crazy? With things like this happening, you still want her to travel out of town? And to a big city like Yun Jing? What if a Calamity attacks on the way or there?” Lu Yuan retorted firmly.
“I don’t want to either!” Liu Zhe was almost in tears, “But this contract was signed a long time ago! It’s a shoot with Yun Jing’s largest advertising company, and the penalty for breach is terrifying. If we break it, even selling me wouldn’t cover it! Plus, this opportunity is crucial for Miss Qing’s career development…”
He was sweating profusely, eyes begging Lu Yuan for help while glancing at Qing, who seemed completely indifferent—as if the discussion wasn’t about her schedule.
***
Lu Yuan was silent. She understood the binding force of contracts. The Magical Girl System’s budget wasn’t meant to pay for models’ breach penalties.
But letting Qing go to Yun Jing in this condition was like throwing a Calamity magnet into a crowd—a huge risk.
She glanced at Qing, who remained calmly detached, as if none of this concerned her.
Lu Yuan took a deep breath, wrestling internally.
Protecting Qing and uncovering the secret of her condition was the top priority, but abandoning innocent citizens to danger would be counterproductive.
“…Fine.” Lu Yuan finally spoke reluctantly, as if making a tough decision, “I’ll go to Yun Jing with you.”
“Really?!” Liu Zhe was overjoyed, almost jumping, “Thank you so much, Miss Lu Yuan! With you there, I’m completely relieved!”
“Don’t get too happy too soon!” Lu Yuan cut him off, crossing her arms with a mix of resignation and shrewd calculation on her face, “I’m a Magical Girl, not a free bodyguard.”
“Protecting her is my duty, but any extra cross-city… uh, intercity task means additional expenses and labor fees. I can’t be the one footing the bill, right?”
She still remembered her long-unfulfilled dream of owning a sports car. Moreover, this money should rightfully come from the agency that almost screwed her over!
“Ah? Fees, you say?” Liu Zhe was taken aback, clearly not expecting this turn.
“Of course!” Lu Yuan began counting off on her fingers with righteous confidence, “There’s my lost work compensation, travel expenses, accommodation fees, meal allowances, special duty subsidies, and my mental distress—uh, I mean high-risk operation subsidies! Adding all that up…”
She named a figure that made Liu Zhe’s eyes twitch uncontrollably.
Two hundred thousand.
“Th-That much?” Liu Zhe’s jaw almost dropped.
“Too much?” Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow. “Think about it. Without me, you probably wouldn’t even reach Yun Jing safely. Even if you did, if a Calamity shows up at the shoot, the damages and fallout would far exceed this sum, right?”
“Besides…” She glanced meaningfully at Qing, “ensuring her safety and the smooth completion of the job ultimately benefits your company, doesn’t it?”
Liu Zhe stared at Lu Yuan’s unwavering ‘no money, no talk’ expression. Thinking about the astronomical breach penalty and Qing’s potential value, he finally gritted his teeth and stamped his foot.
“Fine! We’ll do it your way! I’ll arrange the payment!”
Though it pained him deeply, bankruptcy was worse. He could only hope Qing—the cash cow—would earn back this investment someday.
***
“Deal.” Lu Yuan nodded with satisfaction.
You little devil, trying to trick me today. Didn’t think I’d let you off without paying up, huh?
Just as Lu Yuan was smug, and Liu Zhe was fretting over the bank balance, Qing quietly pulled out her phone and opened her notes app.
She had started keeping a diary—only this way could she record her slowly growing understanding of human emotions.
[August 22, used stand-in, disguise event, successfully retained Lu Yuan…]