Meanwhile, Blazing Flame followed Pandora’s instructions, flying with her toward a secluded direction.
After Pandora confirmed that no other Magic Girls were chasing them, the two of them descended from the sky and found a deserted spot in a nearby forest park to rest temporarily.
“I have to thank you again, Blazing Flame.”
“If it weren’t for you, I might have been hunted down by other Magic Girls to the ends of the earth—like those humans chased by evil spirits in horror movies. I probably would’ve been running all over this city.”
Pandora sat cross-legged on a tree stump, clutching some berries she’d picked nearby, nibbling the skins with her tiny mouth.
“I’m a Magic Girl, and you’re a Magic Fairy. It’s only natural that I help you,” Blazing Flame waved her hand dismissively, as if it were no big deal.
“Mmm… I just wish every Magic Girl was like you—not attacking me on their own initiative. Then I wouldn’t have to keep running for my life all the time.”
After speaking, Pandora swallowed a berry whole, her cheeks puffing out on both sides.
“Ha ha, maybe the other Magic Girls just misunderstand you,” Blazing Flame laughed awkwardly, trying to say something nice about her comrade.
But Pandora shook her head firmly, dismissing Blazing Flame’s suggestion.
“It’s not a misunderstanding. They really want to kill me. I don’t know why, but almost every Magic Girl I’ve met treats me like a dangerous Shadow Beast. Even Baixue from D City, who’s retired, still sees me as a Shadow Beast. It’s an incomprehensible anomaly.”
After swallowing the berry, Pandora explained to Blazing Flame why other Magic Girls hunted her.
“They see you as a monster? But you’re a Magic Fairy, right? Why would they see you as a monster?”
Blazing Flame was puzzled, unable to understand how such a thing could happen.
But soon, she recalled something odd from earlier and took a deep breath.
“Did something happen, Blazing Flame?”
Pandora noticed the expression on Blazing Flame’s face and turned to ask.
“Hmm… You probably won’t believe it, but the reason I found you was that my Battle Suit sensed the presence of a monster—a very dangerous kind of monster,” Blazing Flame recalled the scene in the corridor just now.
“Huh? Me? I’m supposed to be a really dangerous monster? Really?”
Pandora pointed at herself with her claw, completely baffled as to how she could be considered a dangerous monster in this state.
She couldn’t even beat a wild pheasant on the mountain!
“Yes, really. When you appeared, my Magical Outfit detected an enormous source of abnormal magical energy, so strong that I thought the world was ending.”
“World ending… Well, maybe at my peak, I could’ve done something like that. But now I have barely any magic left in me. I can’t even beat a stray dog on the street. How could I possibly have the power to destroy your Human World?”
“You used to be that strong?” Blazing Flame raised an eyebrow.
“Of course. Not everyone has abilities like mine,” Pandora replied cheerfully. “Can I take a look at your Magical Outfit? I want to figure out exactly where the problem lies.”
“I can show it to you,” Blazing Flame nodded. “But my Battle Suit has turned into this huge greatsword. Are you really able to sense anything strange from it?”
“No problem. As long as the essence hasn’t changed, a Magical Outfit is still a Magical Outfit. Trust my abilities,” Pandora said confidently.
“Oh, then here, take a look.”
Blazing Flame stood up and placed the greatsword on the tree stump, making it easier for Pandora to inspect her Battle Suit.
The moment the greatsword was set down, Pandora eagerly placed her claw on it, as if trying to understand why other Magic Girls saw her as a dangerous Shadow Beast.
Her small hand traced from the tip to the hilt of the sword. Then, closing her eyes thoughtfully, she lay back on the stump, as if discovering something unusual.
“So? Did you find out what’s wrong?”
Blazing Flame wanted to help Pandora fix the problem, but she was just a rough amateur herself and had no idea why this was happening. She had to rely on Pandora.
“Ah, um, well… yeah, there is something strange,” Pandora returned to her seat. “But since it involves your Magical Attire Core, I can’t make any modifications to your Battle Suit.”
“Magical Attire Core?” Blazing Flame was unfamiliar with this term.
“Every Magical Outfit has its own Magical Attire Core. If you tamper with it recklessly, it might reduce the overall performance of the outfit, cause it to malfunction, or even prevent the Magic Girl from transforming.”
After explaining, Pandora looked at Blazing Flame and continued.
“You can transform, so you must have your own Magic Fairy, right? Summon it. I want to check how your Magical Attire Core operates, so I can help you fix the abnormal sensing issue.”
“Ahaha…” Blazing Flame didn’t know how to explain her situation to Pandora, so she just smiled instead.
“You don’t have a Magic Fairy?!” Pandora seemed to realize something. “No Magic Fairy? How do you transform then? That’s impossible! How can a Magic Girl not have her own Magic Fairy?!”
“I really don’t have one,” Blazing Flame nodded, confirming Pandora’s suspicion. “But who says you have to have Magic Fairy authorization to transform? I just force the box open to transform.”
“So, you’re saying you replace the Magic Fairy’s role in transformation with brute strength?!” Pandora was stunned speechless by Blazing Flame’s answer. “You have that much human strength? Are you a gorilla?!”
“What gorilla? I’m a genuine human. You just don’t understand human limits,” Blazing Flame said with a little embarrassment, trying to console herself.
“Ah… whatever.” Pandora resignedly accepted this absurd truth. “As far as I know, humans usually have a fixed place to live, right? Take me to your place. I need to tell you some things at your home. Otherwise, the Night Demons might notice us.”
“Uh, I do have a fixed place. But I’m still a student, a university student—you know what that means, right?” Blazing Flame nodded, hoping her answer wouldn’t scare off the cute little creature.
“I know. University students are those humans with poor stamina, who like to stay up late and rarely use their brains. No problem, take me to your place. I’ll hide well and won’t show up in front of your roommates.”
“…Actually, I live in the boys’ dorm. But if you want to appear, it doesn’t really matter,” Blazing Flame braced herself and told her situation directly.
“Boys’ dorm, boys’ dorm, whatever… it’s no big deal—”
Pandora stopped mid-sentence and suddenly froze in place.
“Huh? Huh? Huh?”
“Eh eh eh eh eh eh!!!”
“You’re male?! No way! No way! That’s got to be a lie! A total lie!”