After being single-handedly attacked by the Orange Cat for ten minutes, Shui Hua finally received backup from another Hero.
A dark-tinted red light flashed by, and a girl holding a silk parasol appeared, landing right next to Shui Hua.
She had long silver-white hair like moonlight, skin fair and glowing, and eyes as bright as rubies, exuding a natural elegance.
Yet she didn’t seem to care much about her appearance, wearing only a loose T-shirt and shorts, making her look more like a shut-in.
“Are you alright?”
She crouched down, anxiously watching Shui Hua, who was still grappling with the Orange Cat on the ground.
Shui Hua looked up, her blue twin-tails now a messy tangle covered in dust, her skirt full of cat paw prints.
“I… I’m fine for at least another ten minutes, but after that, my magic will be all used up.”
After saying that, she buried her head between her knees again, curling up on the ground with her hands over her head to shield herself—this way, her face wouldn’t get hurt when she got hit.
“Leave it to me.”
The white-haired girl patted her chest, as if promising to rescue Shui Hua.
“I’ve still got enough power stored up. I can last for half an hour. Let me handle it.”
“What?”
Shui Hua was stunned, not quite understanding.
Was she offering to take her place as the punching bag?
The girl lightly tapped her parasol on the ground, the handle elongating to reach the floor.
Her slender fingers gripped the handle and started to spin it slowly.
As the parasol rotated, the area covered by its shadow rapidly expanded.
In just a few seconds, Shui Hua, the Orange Cat, and the girl herself were all enveloped in its shade.
Then, to Shui Hua’s astonishment, the elegant white-haired girl actually imitated the Orange Cat, baring her teeth and letting out a provoking “hiss” from her throat.
The Orange Cat’s attention was instantly drawn, clearly provoked to anger by the hiss.
Abandoning Shui Hua, its makeshift punching bag, it kicked off with its hind legs and lunged at the white-haired girl.
The girl, evidently experienced with being attacked, immediately covered her face for protection.
“Are you alright?”
Now it was Shui Hua’s turn to worry.
“I’m fine, I’m fine, my healing ability is really strong.”
She curled up just like Shui Hua, her voice muffled from within her arms.
Wherever cat claws scratched her, wounds healed in an instant, proving her formidable regenerative powers.
A parasol for shade and strong regeneration…
Even without using magic detection, Shui Hua could pretty much guess that this Hero had been altered by the Vampire Meme.
While Shui Hua wondered why there was another human spinning like a top just like herself, her hands didn’t stop moving.
She quickly pulled out her phone and dialed the Support Number.
After explaining the location and characteristics of the altered creature, all that was left was to wait.
She had called for reinforcements, but who knew when they would arrive.
Watching the white-haired girl taking hits on her behalf, Shui Hua could do nothing but fret on the sidelines.
“If this is a cat-type Meme…”
“Hang in there, I’ll be right back.”
Shui Hua shouted to her embattled companion, then flew toward a place she had only visited not long ago.
A few minutes later, Shui Hua rushed into the Cat Café she had been to a few days before and explained the situation to the Shopkeeper.
Recognizing her as the Magical Girl Shui Hua, the Shopkeeper immediately expressed understanding and support, quickly packing her a whole set of supplies:
Cat Teaser Wand, Cat Treats, Catnip, Laser Pointer, and all sorts of cat food and toys.
Shui Hua’s idea was to see if these things could draw its attention.
When she flew back, the white-haired girl was already spinning in place, battered by the Orange Cat.
Shui Hua hurriedly took out a Cat Treat, opened it, and waved it nearby, trying to lure it over.
Luckily, along with absorbing the cat’s powerful Meme, the Orange Cat had also inherited the cat’s weaknesses.
Just as it was furiously attacking, it caught the scent of the Cat Treat, immediately froze, its nose twitching wildly.
Instantly abandoning its prey, it turned and pounced toward the treat in Shui Hua’s hand.
Shui Hua finally breathed a sigh of relief.
“I’ve got it under control, hurry and grab the capture scroll.”
Shui Hua squeezed the Cat Treat, while the Orange Cat, wholly focused, licked it eagerly.
Apparently soothed by the treat, it even retracted its Spinosaurus posture and perked up its ears, transforming into a harmless little kitten.
“On it, on it!”
She quickly stood up, not bothering to fix her messy hair or clothes, picked up a Magic Net Scroll left behind earlier by a Student of Superpower Countermeasures, and aimed it at the Orange Cat.
The Orange Cat only then sensed the danger again, struggling fiercely within the net and letting out disgruntled mewls.
But it was too late—no matter how it clawed at the Magic Net, it didn’t budge an inch, holding the Orange Cat firmly in place.
“Phew…”
The world was finally peaceful again.
Both of them breathed a long sigh of relief in unison.
“Yeah, we did it…”
Anpelin slumped to the ground, weakly flashing a victory sign.
“We’re really awesome.”
“What’s so awesome about two spinning tops?”
Shui Hua was still standing, glancing down at her battered Magic Costume, then at the girl who was in no better shape, and couldn’t help but comment.
“A win’s a win. Don’t sweat the small stuff.”
Only then did the girl remember to introduce herself.
She stretched out her hand to Shui Hua, who was still standing.
“Hello! I’m Anpelin, still just an intern Hero. My Meme is Vampire, codename ‘Red Moon’. Nice to meet you.”
Shui Hua reached out and pulled her up.
“I’m Magical Girl Shui Hua. My Meme… as you can see, is Magical Girl.”
“Wow, you’re really Shui Hua from the Supernatural Department Magical Girl Administration Bureau! I’m your fan—I can’t believe I get to meet you in person.”
Anpelin held Shui Hua’s hand as she stood up, but didn’t let go. Instead, she took a step closer, her face full of excitement and admiration:
“I really like you guys—I’ve even bought your fan merchandise. I never thought I’d get to meet you in real life, let alone fight together…”
Suddenly remembering something, she whipped out her phone, her eyes shining as she leaned in toward Shui Hua:
“Um, senpai, senpai, can we add each other as friends? I just want one spot on your Friend List. Even if you never reply, just being able to message you would make me so happy… If you find it troublesome, it’s totally fine to block me—just as long as I can message your account.”
“No, no, no, don’t say that. I’m not that kind of person…”
Shui Hua really didn’t know how to handle someone like this, and since she had no reason to refuse, she took out her phone, and she and Anpelin exchanged contact info.
“Thank you, Senior Shui Hua!”
Anpelin gleefully took screenshots of the friend request approval, the Friend List, and her Chat Interface with Shui Hua, her excitement clear as day.
Shui Hua had thought Anpelin was just being polite, but after seeing that she wasn’t faking it, she believed that Anpelin truly was her fan.
“So she really is my fan—no wonder she fights exactly the same way as me…”