After a simple dinner, Tang Xiaolu and I left the fast-food restaurant, planning to check on the Witch Barrier near the school gate again.
As we walked along the small path in the shopping street near the school, the afterglow of the setting sun stretched our shadows long on the ground.
Occasionally, a gentle breeze blew, stirring my hair and the hem of my school uniform skirt, causing a continuous tingling sensation on the skin of my neck and thighs.
The brown round-toed women’s uniform shoes with heels kept contacting the asphalt road, making a “pat, pat” sound.
The feeling of wearing a skirt with my legs wrapped in black stockings was quite novel, making me—a “female high school student” who had switched halfway and still perceived my gender as a boy—feel a bit uncomfortable.
“A Witch’s Barrier spreads negative emotions like despair, depression, and suicidal tendencies outward. It lures people with similar emotions inside, devours their souls, or makes them kill each other.”
As we walked back toward the school, Tang Xiaolu said in a voice only we could hear:
“In principle, as Magical Girls, after discovering a barrier, we should eliminate the Witch inside as quickly as possible, but…”
“But we should also ensure our own safety before fighting, right?”
I finished her sentence:
“Otherwise, we might fall into despair ourselves, giving birth to a second Witch.”
Tang Xiaolu seemed a little surprised.
“You think so too?”
“I…”
I was a bit embarrassed.
“I’m just following what you said, Xiaolu.”
“Some Witch Barriers are extremely dangerous. If left alone, they’ll keep devouring nearby humans, turning them into nutrients or training them to become their ‘Familiars.’ ”
The girl beside me seemed very concerned about my answer and continued,
“If you knew for certain a Witch was incredibly powerful, would you choose to fight that Witch selflessly for everyone, Huang Yao?”
In the last rays of dusk, I saw a glimmer of crystal light flash in the corner of Tang Xiaolu’s eyes.
“No.”
Faced with the almost pleading look in her eyes, I shook my head.
“I’m actually quite selfish. Most of the time, I prioritize my own safety. Other people’s lives are precious, but if ‘saving the world’ is far beyond my ability, I definitely won’t push myself.”
“I see…”
Tang Xiaolu seemed a little dazed.
“Actually, I forgot to tell you earlier—‘Witches’ can’t only be born from a Magical Girl’s despair-filled Soul Gem. Some Witches’ Familiars can also become Witches…”
“ ‘Familiar’ are pieces or fragments of a Witch, equivalent to ‘larval Witches.’ Some Witches also train humans lured into the barrier to become their Familiars.”
“These Familiars have some combat power and can harm human society. After absorbing enough negative energy, they can grow into ‘Witches’ themselves and eventually hatch into Grief Seeds.”
“Our battles as Magical Girls consume a lot of Magic Power. The only way to replenish Magic Power is with ‘Grief Seeds.’ From a rational standpoint, fighting Familiars is uneconomical. If you see a Familiar harming society, would you…choose to transform and fight it?”
“I mean…if we fight a Familiar, even if we win, we won’t get a ‘Grief Seed.’ It’ll just waste our Magic Power. In that case, should we let them harm society until they become real Witches, and then…”
Tang Xiaolu grew more and more distressed as she spoke, as if trapped in some painful memory.
Watching the teary, clear eyes of the girl beside me, I unconsciously stood on tiptoe and pulled her into my arms.
“Huh?”
Tang Xiaolu froze.
“You’re too tired.”
Feeling the faint, elegant scent of a girl around my nose, I gently patted Tang Xiaolu’s shoulder.
“I don’t know what you’ve been through, but I’m a Magical Girl now, right? We’re partners, aren’t we?”
Tang Xiaolu’s body trembled slightly, and she let out a soft “Mm” from her nose.
“Sorry.”
Then, coming back to my senses, I let go of her, a little embarrassed.
“Um…I…I didn’t mean to. I’m not really a girl, but…I just wanted to comfort you.”
“It’s fine.”
Tang Xiaolu let out a “pfft” of laughter.
“Your body is female now, and you’ve been recognized by Kyubey as a Magical Girl. That means you definitely have some causality related to girls somewhere. I won’t see you as a boy.”
“I still feel embarrassed.”
“What’s there to be embarrassed about?”
Tang Xiaolu affectionately pinched my cheek.
“Little one, don’t you know how cute you are?”
“Ah…”
Being pinched on the cheek by a girl for the first time, I felt even more embarrassed and quickly changed the subject.
“About that…the Train Witch earlier. Once we go in, how should we defeat her?”
As long as a Magical Girl has Magic Power and her Soul Gem isn’t damaged, she can recover no matter how severe her body’s injuries are.
But recovery takes time.
That’s why Tang Xiaolu chose to take me to the fast-food restaurant to eat first after we left the Witch Barrier.
She planned to use the meal time to explain the relationship between Magical Girls and Witches, get to know each other’s situation, and let our Soul Gems restore our bodies to peak condition before going back to find a chance to eliminate the Train Witch.
“That Witch is very cunning. Not only did she open her barrier right at the school gate to lure fragile, extreme high school students, but she’s also very good at hiding her true form. When we fought earlier, I even thought there was an immature quasi-Witch living in that barrier…”
Sure enough, as soon as the topic turned to Magical Girls, Tang Xiaolu instantly became serious.
“I forgot to ask earlier—what are your Magical Girl ability and weapon?”
“My weapon is dual crossbows. As for my ability, it should be existence erasure.”
“Existence erasure?”
“Mm… kind of like an assassin in a game? Or invisibility?”
I organized my words simply.
“I can erase my own existence for a short time. Even if I’m very close to someone, they won’t realize I’m there.”
“It really is like an assassin…”
“Yes.”
I looked toward the school gate.
“Xiaolu, how should we…”
“Just call me Lulu.”
Tang Xiaolu interrupted me.
“Kyubey Power should have spread across the entire world. After becoming a girl, our relationship has definitely been adjusted. We might even be assigned to the same dorm room now. To outsiders, we should seem like close best friends, so there’s no need to be so formal.”
“Okay.”
I nodded.
“Lulu…”
“Mm-hmm.”
Tang Xiaolu seemed to enjoy this kind of intimate girl-to-girl behavior, actively moving closer and taking my hand.
“Then…can I call you Xiao Yao?”
“Of course.”
Before long, we returned to the area near the Witch Barrier.
Just as we both simultaneously gripped the Soul Gems in our skirt pockets, ready to transform into Magical Girls upon entering the barrier, we suddenly noticed, amidst the laughter of nearby students, the barrier entrance was completely empty.
“The Witch Barrier…”
“Disappeared?”