After defeating the Evil Fiend, Yang Mo casually found a hidden corner to release her transformation.
The moment she reverted to her regular outfit, her stomach let out a long, mournful “grumble.”
Having lost her strength, she draped both arms over Qian Ling’s arm, using it to prop up her upper body.
“Ugh… I’m so hungry I can’t take it anymore…”
She looked up, her expression on the verge of tears as she spoke.
But all Qian Ling could think at a time like this was, “Your stomach sure knows how to pick its moments.”
If her stomach had started rumbling mid-transformation, Yang Mo’s career as a Magical Girl would’ve been in trouble.
A Magical Girl’s stomach growling from hunger while fighting Evil Fiends—does this reflect the distortion of human nature, or the decline of morality?
Reports like that might start popping up online, leaving people not sure whether to laugh or cry.
Luckily, Qian Ling helped her take care of the Evil Fiend in advance; otherwise, the previous battle might’ve dragged on even longer.
But Yang Mo showed no sign of gratitude. Instead, she urged impatiently, “Enough talking, let’s go eat already!”
Pushed along by Yang Mo, Qian Ling ended up at a chain fast food restaurant.
As always, the two of them chose seats facing each other. While waiting for their food, Yang Mo lay exhausted on the table, barely responding to the world around her.
Seeing this, Qian Ling, a little uneasy, asked, “Is it really that bad?”
Yang Mo seemed to regain a bit of spirit. Her eyes shimmered with tears, but she still answered Qian Ling in the same position, “Of course it’s bad… You never get hungry, compared to me it’s basically cheating…”
“I see…”
Qian Ling propped her chin up with one hand on the table, unable to stop herself from giving a wry smile.
At this point, she actually found herself missing those uniquely human sensations.
She fell silent, simply waiting with Yang Mo for their food to be ready.
Not long after, the counter finally called their meal number. Yang Mo, too hungry and out of it to notice, only realized when Qian Ling brought the food back.
Qian Ling set down the tray of burgers and various fried snacks in front of Yang Mo, and only then did Yang Mo show signs of coming back to life.
In all those animations, the tray brought to a hungry character is always piled high like a small mountain.
But in Qian Ling’s hands, the tray only had a bit more food than a typical meal for two.
After all, Yang Mo didn’t have the gluttonous trait in her settings.
Watching Yang Mo nibble rapidly like a hamster, Qian Ling thought her table manners weren’t all that bad.
Then she picked up a burger herself and took a bite.
With one mouthful, she tasted a blend of salad dressing and black pepper.
The most important part—the meat patty—was a thick, hearty piece of beef, just the right amount of firmness and plenty of juiciness.
Though a bit greasy, the freshness of lettuce and tomato balanced out the texture.
Qian Ling rarely ate junk food in her previous life, and never thought there’d be a day when she could eat her fill without worrying about this or that health issue.
Thinking this way, maybe it was one of this body’s advantages?
If it were her old body, there’d never be a scene like this.
Somehow, it brought her a bit of comfort.
After finishing their meal, the two didn’t linger in the mall long before deciding to head home.
But first, they had to collect everything they’d left at the clothing store.
The clothes they bought were mostly packed in boxes, with hard cardboard bags on the outside—not like last time at the supermarket when things were just piled together.
Finally getting to be the one responsible for the luggage, Qian Ling felt at ease suggesting it.
She grabbed several bags in each hand, and because the boxes were thick and stacked up, she and the bags together formed a shape oddly reminiscent of an anchor.
Seeing this, Yang Mo sighed and said, “Guess I should take a few myself after all.”
On the bus ride home, they managed to avoid rush hour by heading back early.
There were few passengers, so they didn’t have to stand the whole way with all their things.
Qian Ling set down the bags and sat, pulling out her phone.
The moment she unlocked it, a news headline popped up at the top: “Shopping Paradise Turned Battleground? Magical Girl Unleashes Spectacular Attack to ‘Exorcise Evil’ for Shoppers!”
She didn’t even need to look to know the story was about her and Yang Mo. Sure enough, once she clicked it—
“Look, this was when we finished that guy off.”
Qian Ling held her phone up to Yang Mo next to her, whispering softly in her ear.
On the screen was a scene of book pages swirling down toward the Evil Fiend. From a third-person perspective, the moment looked even more overwhelming than it did before.
“It really is.” Yang Mo studied it closely, also whispering, “Too bad the camera was too far, didn’t catch my cool pose.”
She pointed at the screen with her index finger—her face was just a blur of pixels.
Qian Ling actually thought it was just right like this and reminded her, “That’s for the best… Any closer and they’d see you yelling at me.”
“It’s fine as long as you weren’t caught on camera, right?”
“There’d be other problems. What if someone says you’re a weirdo who likes talking to herself? The media loves to sensationalize things.”
“Qian Ling, you’re so old-fashioned.”
“Old-fashioned?… Me?”
Qian Ling pointed at her own face, bewildered. She never thought anyone would call her old-fashioned—especially not Yang Mo, who barely knew how to use the internet.
Then Yang Mo explained,
“That’s magic, of course—magic!”
As she spoke, a mischievous grin appeared on her face.
“A Magical Girl talking to herself isn’t like a normal person. People will just assume she’s using magic, or communicating with an invisible familiar or something. Anyone who finds that strange is actually the strange one, don’t you think?”
After saying this, she realized something was off and hurriedly waved her hand, adding, “Ah… I didn’t mean to say you’re weird, Qian Ling!”
“It’s fine, I don’t mind.”
Qian Ling replied, then thought about it—and realized Yang Mo was right.
In a world where magic is the default, someone like me from a mundane world is probably the odd one out. It’s easy to slip back into old ways of thinking without noticing…
After a while, the bus arrived at their stop—the same one where they’d boarded earlier. They finished the rest of the way home on foot.
Once inside, both collapsed onto the sofa, and only then did Qian Ling suddenly remember something they’d forgotten.
On the way home, Yang Mo had been in Qian Ling’s line of sight the whole time, but not once did she see her open “that page” on her phone.
So Qian Ling immediately asked, “By the way, did you report our results from this afternoon on the ‘Message Board’?”
“Ah…! I completely forgot!”
Qian Ling looked at her panicked expression helplessly, thinking: I knew it…