The massive body of the demon beast crashed down, shattering the street into layers of fissures.
Magic Girl Feng Ling flew a lap around it, confirming it was completely dead, then let out a long breath and retreated to the edge of the cordon.
But even before the demon beast had exhausted its strength and started to tilt, the crowd had already pushed the cordon out of shape, cramming against it.
People held their phones high, lenses aimed at the cyan figure standing before the rubble.
They jostled each other, the sound of shutters clicking in a steady rhythm, occasionally punctuated by excited murmurs of “Got it, I got it.”
Feng Ling turned around and struck a victory pose for the cameras.
Her light cyan dress was slightly torn, her white stockings scuffed from the fight, revealing a small patch of pale thigh… but even in this battle-worn state, it didn’t hurt her image at all.
If anything, it made the onlookers even more sympathetic.
The crowd erupted in cheers, louder and louder, mixed with whistles and shouts of “Feng Ling is amazing!”
“Baby Feng Ling is so cute!”
“Baby got hurt, boohoo!”
According to Magic Girl Association regulations, after a battle, the first priority was to guide the crowd, check for casualties, and wait for the logistics team to take over.
But Feng Ling just glanced carelessly toward the cordon, then walked boldly in front of the crowd, meeting everyone’s gaze.
She approached slowly, the bells on her anklet jingling.
Under the eyes of everyone, she pulled a payment QR code from a hidden pocket in her skirt.
“Dear fans and family…”
Her voice suddenly turned sweet.
The sharp tone she’d used during the fight vanished, replaced by a cutesy professional voice:
“Thank you all for your continued support! Today, Feng Ling worked hard to defeat the demon beast and protect everyone… If you like Feng Ling, could you please support her? Autographs are forty yuan, custom blessings are eighty yuan, and a photo together is one hundred yuan. After payment, please line up.”
She tilted her head, poked her cheek with her finger, then had another bright idea.
Holding her torn skirt pitifully, she curled up her slender figure.
“Please, everyone. Feng Ling really needs your help.”
The crowd fell silent for a moment, then erupted with even more enthusiasm than before.
Even in this era plagued by demon beasts, chances to get close to a popular magic girl were few and far between.
Most magic girls left immediately after eliminating the beasts, coming and going like the wind.
Ordinary people could only stand far away on the ground, craning their necks to watch a tiny speck of light disappear into the sky.
If they were lucky enough to catch an official event, they’d have to go through several layers of security and wait in line for hours, with no guarantee of even saying a single word.
Given that scarcity, spending just forty yuan for an autograph or a hundred for a photo with a magic girl was more than just a good deal—it was a steal.
The sounds of successful payments beeped in a steady stream.
People lined up in front of Feng Ling on their own.
Feng Ling, like a magician, pulled a gold signature pen from under her skirt.
Maintaining her sweet smile, she quickly signed stylish “Feng Ling” on posters, cards, and even phone cases that fans handed her.
Occasionally, a fan would ask for a personalized blessing video.
She’d make the standard heart gesture at the camera, reciting platitudes in her sweet voice: “Happy birthday,” “Good luck with your grad school exams,” “May you get rich soon.”
“Feng Ling, I’m your fan! I finally get to see you…”
A cosplayer wearing the same outfit as Feng Ling made it to the front of the line.
She was a full head taller than Feng Ling, and her white wig was crooked from excitement, revealing a patch of her real black hair underneath.
“Wow, big sister’s cosplay is so spot on! We’re practically twins. I’d love to take a picture with you!”
“Photo, photo! Definitely.”
The cosplayer was completely floored by that comment.
She frantically scanned the QR code, handed her phone to a nearby bystander, and squeezed in next to Feng Ling.
Feng Ling voluntarily leaned closer, raising her right hand to form half a heart.
The cosplayer hastily raised her left hand, and together they made a perfect heart shape.
But before their hands could meet, Feng Ling felt herself yanked backward.
Someone had grabbed her from behind, an arm around her neck.
Startled, Feng Ling turned around to find a magic girl with long blue hair tied in a high ponytail, wearing a Greek-style white robe with a gold belt around her waist.
Despite her righteous appearance, her face bore a smile squeezed from pure anger.
“C-Captain? Didn’t you have a meeting?”
Feng Ling’s voice instantly dropped from its professional sweetness back to her natural tone.
“The meeting ended, and I rushed right over.”
Lian Ge’s voice came out through gritted teeth, one word at a time.
“The moment I take my eyes off you, you pull something like this?”
Without another word, Lian Ge’s arms suddenly tightened, executing a clean joint lock that pinned Feng Ling completely.
She was half a head taller than Feng Ling, and with this lock, she lifted Feng Ling clear off the ground.
Feng Ling’s feet flailed uselessly in the air, her toes barely grazing the ground before bouncing back.
The bells on her anklet clattered wildly, but she couldn’t break free from the hold.
“Sorry, everyone. Please wait a moment. I need to have a word with her.”
Lian Ge gave the onlookers a gentle smile and apologized softly.
Then, still holding Feng Ling in the lock, she stepped back, one step at a time, into a deserted alley beside the street, under the stunned gaze of the crowd.
Lian Ge dragged Feng Ling all the way to the deepest part of the alley before letting go.
Feng Ling stumbled a couple of steps to steady herself, rubbing the red mark on her neck.
Her smile had completely disappeared, replaced by her usual defiant expression.
“Feng Ling, how many times has this been? Using your identity as a magic girl to do this? Magic girls already get paid enough, don’t they? If you’re really in trouble, you can apply for reimbursement from the Association. Why do you have to do something that tarnishes the image of magic girls?”
Feng Ling’s voice returned to its natural, lazy tone:
“They see me as pitiful and cute. They travel all this way to watch me fight monsters, get moved by me, and give me a little pocket money. Isn’t that perfectly reasonable? I’m not forcing anyone to buy anything. I have clear prices, no cheating old folks or kids. What’s wrong with that?”
“Don’t get smart with me. Didn’t we discuss this at the last meeting? Even if it’s not in the rulebook, it’s not allowed in principle. A magic girl is a profession of dedication, not a tool for you to exploit.”
“Fine, fine, I was wrong. I won’t do it again.”
Feng Ling’s tone was incredibly sincere, and her face matched it with a look of genuine remorse.
But in her heart, there was no regret at all.
She was only thinking: ‘Next time, I’ll do it again. Just somewhere else, far away from you.’
Lian Ge looked at her, knowing it went in one ear and out the other, but there wasn’t much she could do about it right now.
She let go.
Feng Ling quietly gave her a thumbs-down and slipped away in a flash.
After circling around a block to make sure Lian Ge wasn’t following, Feng Ling landed on the rooftop of an office building.
Standing at the edge of the rooftop, she looked back in the direction she came from.
The sunset was deepening, and most of the crowd had dispersed.
But that blue figure was still standing there, bent over, trying to explain something to a few fans who hadn’t left.
“Money’s hard to make…”
Feng Ling sighed.
She grasped the cyan gem on the bow at her chest and released her transformation.
A cyan light blazed.
Feng Ling’s form underwent a radical change in the glow.
When the light completely faded, the person standing on the rooftop was no longer the petite girl in the dress, but a young man.
In this world, magic girls were born when they were chosen and contracted by a familiar named Qia Bi.
Qia Bi’s appearance was somewhere between a rabbit and a cat.
It looked harmless, even giving people the urge to pick it up and cuddle it.
But Jiang Zhu knew that thing was essentially a demon.
The first time that dead rabbit had latched onto him, he was finishing up his senior year, first semester.
He’d just gotten an offer from a major company a few days earlier and was happily planning his graduation trip and how he’d allocate his future salary.
He was eating instant noodles and singing when that white creature squeezed in through the half-open window of his rented room.
Jiang Zhu thought he was hallucinating from staying up too late.
But before he could react, the thing opened its mouth and said, “You have been chosen. Become a magic girl and save the world, qia.”
Jiang Zhu, of course, had no intention of agreeing.
Not to mention the sheer absurdity of a man becoming a magic girl—he couldn’t even accept the job’s conditions.
Magic girls were prone to injury and worked year-round without holidays.
If a demon beast attacked at midnight, they had to get up and fight.
And despite that terrible working environment, the pay wasn’t even that great.
Only underage girls, brainwashed by slogans of love and justice, would willingly become magic girls.
He’d studied hard for sixteen years, gotten into a top university, graduated from the hottest computer science department, and was about to make serious money.
How could he let a mere rabbit trick him into becoming a magic girl?
Jiang Zhu naturally refused outright.
But the thing just blinked and said, “You will sign, qia.”
Jiang Zhu didn’t believe it.
He stomped the illegally invading rabbit flat, threw it out of his room, and went back to dreaming about his future.
But when he went to report for work at the company, the HR person told him apologetically that his offer had been revoked due to force majeure.
He didn’t believe that either.
He applied to dozens more companies, passed all the interviews, but every time they were about to send the offer, they’d hem and haw and tell him something came up.
For three whole months, he didn’t find a single job.
Eventually, he couldn’t even pay his rent.
When Qia Bi appeared in front of him again, Jiang Zhu had no choice left.
And so, the world gained a magic girl named Feng Ling and lost a promising future coder.
But even after being forced to become a magic girl, Jiang Zhu could still make a little money by managing his fan economy, swallowing his pride and acting cute.
Normally, his teammates would turn a blind eye.
But unfortunately, there was Lian Ge, that blockhead, always yelling about tarnishing the image of magic girls and singling him out.
Today was the same.
He’d finally gotten a chance to earn a little bit, but she’d cut him off.
He’d only made a pittance.
Who knew when he’d get another opportunity like this?
On the rooftop, Jiang Zhu glanced back again.
That blue figure was still there.
Lian Ge was bent over, surrounded by a few small children tugging at her robe, looking up and chattering about something.
You could tell Lian Ge genuinely loved this job.
She wasn’t in it for anything else.
She truly believed that the words “magic girl” represented something worth protecting.
She believed in that slogan of love and justice.
But Jiang Zhu’s assessment of her was simple:
“Scab.”
He had no interest in watching anymore.
He just wanted to go back and rest.
“Ahh, whatever. First things first—let’s eat.”
He randomly picked a fast-food place and pushed open the door.
He found a seat by the window.
Before he could even order, his phone rang.
Jiang Zhu glanced at the caller ID—it was his mom.
He swiped to answer, but before he could say a word, his mother’s words came crashing down on him.
“Xiao Zhu! Have you gotten off work? Have you had dinner? Do you have any free time right now…”
“Mom, can you slow down a little?”
Jiang Zhu held the phone a bit farther from his ear, rubbing his ear that was ringing from the noise.
“No time to slow down! I set up a blind date for you. It’s tonight. Hurry up and go. Don’t keep the girl waiting.”
“Wait, a blind date? When did you set that up? I’m only twenty-three, Mom. I haven’t even been out of school for a full year.”
“If I don’t set you up, you’ll never chase girls. If you don’t start looking and choosing while you’re young, who’s going to want you in a few years when you’re older? Look at you—not having a high school romance is one thing, but in four years of college, you didn’t even hold a girl’s hand, right?”
“Actually, I have.”
Jiang Zhu thought back to when he transformed into a magic girl—his left hand at least touched his right.
“I don’t care how you explain it. If I didn’t see it, it didn’t happen. I get it now—you’re that Schrödinger’s cat. If I don’t observe you, you just stay ambiguous…”
“Mom, you sure know a lot…”
“Just tell me, am I right or not?”
Jiang Zhu had no choice.
“Fine, fine, I’ll go. But why didn’t you tell me earlier? I didn’t prepare anything…”
“I’ve been chatting with Auntie the whole time. One thing led to another, and we got to talking about this. And they’re old friends, so no need to prepare much. Xiao Lin is getting off work soon. You’ll be right on time.”
Jiang Zhu paused, then repeated uncertainly, “Xiao Lin?”
“Lin Ciwei. Auntie’s daughter. The one who used to follow you around when you were little. You two went to the same high school. You forgot?”
Jiang Zhu hadn’t forgotten.
It was just that hearing his blind date was Xiao Lin caught him off guard.
He’d always thought of Lin Ciwei as a little sister.
His gut reaction was a weird sense of incestuous taboo.
“I remember her, of course. I just haven’t seen her in a long time. It took a moment to register.”
“Good. Then you’ve got to work hard and win her over. Let me tell you, Xiao Lin’s a big deal now. You’ll be shocked when you see her. Do you know what she does now?”
“What?”
“She’s a magic girl! Surprised?”
Jiang Zhu paused, a bad feeling creeping in.
On the other end, his mother continued:
“And she’s pretty famous too. She’s even a captain. Her name is… right, Lian Ge. You young people probably like her a lot, right?”
“Huh?”