No one told me that being a good neighbor Magical Girl actually means becoming a “failed man” and learning how to climb walls…
Lu Yuan stood downstairs at Old Lady Zhang’s house, looking up at the rickety, old balcony.
It was such an ancient building—the marks of time were vividly etched on its walls. Somehow, Lu Yuan could even feel a sense of loneliness emanating from the house itself.
A Creature Cat lay leisurely on the balcony railing, licking its paws, completely ignoring the trio waiting below.
“Meow~”
The cat called out once, its tail swaying elegantly, as if mocking them.
“This cat’s gotta be a spirit or something…” Lu Yuan twitched the corner of her mouth.
Chen Xin rested a hand on her hip, tilting her head to survey the terrain. “The balcony is on the third floor, and there’s no ladder truck nearby. Climbing straight up would be way too dangerous.”
Lin Wan suddenly raised her hand. “I have an idea!”
She pulled a small pack of Small Fish Snacks from her pocket, shaking it proudly. “Just swiped these from the police bureau!”
Lu Yuan: “…When did you get those?”
Lin Wan didn’t answer. Instead, she stood on tiptoe, starting to meow softly: “Meow meow meow, little kitty~ come eat some fish snacks~”
The Creature Cat flicked its ears, cast a disdainful glance downward, then flipped over and resumed sunbathing.
Lin Wan looked at Lu Yuan helplessly. “Aren’t you the Little Black Cat? Shouldn’t you be the one to meow to get it to come over?”
Lu Yuan scoffed, “Get lost!”
Chen Xin couldn’t help but laugh out loud. “Looks like that trick won’t work.”
“Then let’s solve this the Magical Girl way!” Lin Wan retorted, pulling out a Transformation Crystal. “Watch this—”
“Wait!” Lu Yuan grabbed her hand. “What are you trying to do?! Blow up the whole building with magic?”
“Do you think I’m stupid?” Lin Wan pouted. “I just want to kick off the outer wall to climb up…”
“Do you think that wall can support your weight?!” Lu Yuan pointed to the building’s exterior, where the bricks were severely weathered. Forget Magical Girls—any young person with a bit of strength could probably knock a few bricks loose just by bumping into it.
Suddenly, Chen Xin patted both of them on the shoulders. “I have an easier solution.”
She pulled out a Walkie-Talkie. “Xiao Wang, bring the ladder truck over.”
***
Ten minutes later.
The fire ladder slowly rose. Lu Yuan stood on the platform, holding out the Small Fish Snacks, forcing a friendly smile. “Good kitty, come here…”
“You have to meow!” Lin Wan shouted from below.
Damn it.
Lu Yuan stared at the motionless Creature Cat, then hesitated before embarrassedly letting out a soft, “Meow, meow~”
Now she really was the Little Black Cat.
The Creature Cat finally stood up and sauntered toward her.
Then suddenly, with a leap, it jumped from the balcony onto the neighbor’s air conditioner unit.
“Hey! Don’t run!” Lu Yuan pointed at the cat.
The cat glanced back at her, its eyes saying, That’s all you got? Then it darted up onto the rooftop in a few bounds and disappeared.
Lu Yuan: “…”
***
Downstairs.
Old Lady Zhang smiled warmly after hearing the report and waved her hand. “It’s fine, it’s fine. That kid will come back tomorrow.”
Lu Yuan rubbed her forehead. “So basically, nothing’s been solved…”
“Think of it as an experience,” Lin Wan patted Lu Yuan’s shoulder comfortingly. “Failure just means you tried your best, doesn’t it, dear?”
That sounded exactly like a mother comforting her daughter—what’s with that tone?
“Well, we’ll be going then.” Chen Xin smiled and prepared to leave.
“Daughter, wait a moment…” Old Lady Zhang called out to Chen Xin, then suddenly turned and walked back inside. “I’ll get something for you.”
Chen Xin instinctively replied, “No trouble needed, Zhang—”
Before she could finish, another woman’s voice came from inside: “Mom, what are you looking for? I’ll help.”
Chen Xin froze mid-sentence.
A woman in her early thirties came out, supporting Old Lady Zhang, holding an Iron Tin Box. Old Lady Zhang affectionately patted her hand. “These are some old photographs. Let Officer Chen Xin have a look…”
Chen Xin looked at the woman before her.
Is this… Old Lady Zhang’s real daughter?
Old Lady Zhang suddenly stopped, her cloudy eyes shifting between Chen Xin and her own daughter. Then, as if realizing something, she slapped her forehead. “What a memory I have! Officer Chen Xin, this is my daughter. She just came back from the big city, Yun Jing, last week.”
The daughter shyly nodded at Chen Xin. “Mom says you’ve taken care of things all these years.”
“N-no need to thank me, it’s just what we police should do,” Chen Xin answered, a little flustered.
Lin Wan curiously leaned over to look at the photos. “Wow, these are…?”
“Neighbors from ten years ago,” Old Lady Zhang’s wrinkled finger pointed at the pictures. “Back then, Officer Chen just transferred here. She helped me fix the water pipes, change the lightbulbs every day…”
In the photos, a young Chen Xin in a crisp new police uniform crouched at Old Lady Zhang’s doorstep, repairing a bicycle, her youthful face still innocent and fresh.
“Back then, the old lady always mistook me for her daughter,” Chen Xin quietly explained.
“I’m really sorry for troubling you,” Old Lady Zhang’s daughter apologized.
Chen Xin waved her off.
Suddenly, Old Lady Zhang shoved the iron box into Chen Xin’s hands. “Keep these.”
Her hands, covered in age spots, tightly gripped Chen Xin’s wrist. “Now I can tell them apart. Really can tell now.”
Chen Xin stood stunned for a moment, then let out a sigh, smiling faintly as if relieved.
“It’s good that you recognize them.”
***
On the ride back, the iron box lay quietly on the back seat. Lu Yuan was driving.
Through the rearview mirror, she saw Officer Chen Xin staring out the window, her eyes vacant.
This was clearly a good thing—so why did Chen Xin look so dispirited?
“Want to grab something to eat?” Lin Wan suggested. “I know a pretty good cake shop.”
That girl… always thinking about food, Lu Yuan thought with a mental sigh.
“No thanks, back to the police bureau,” Chen Xin replied.
Suddenly, the radio in the car crackled urgently:
“All units, attention. B-level Disaster detected at East District Commercial Street. Nearby police forces proceed to evacuate civilians immediately. Repeat…”
Eh…? This is an internal police channel?
While Lu Yuan was still distracted, Chen Xin grabbed the Walkie-Talkie. “This is Chen Xin. Message received. Heading to the scene immediately.”
Lu Yuan slammed the steering wheel and made a sharp turn toward the East District. The tires screeched harshly. Lin Wan gripped the handle tightly.
“Since when are you this good at driving?!” Lin Wan almost didn’t recognize the driver.
A young girl racing like this—wasn’t there some kind of mistake?
“Excuse my poor skills!” Lu Yuan floored the accelerator.
The engine roared to life. As expected of a police car, it reached one hundred kilometers per hour in an instant.
Trees along the road whipped past rapidly. The car drove against the flow of traffic.
“Officer Chen, your injury…” Lu Yuan’s eyes were fixed ahead, worried about Chen Xin’s wound.
“Fine,” Chen Xin said, cocking her pistol with one hand while quickly checking live footage on her tablet with the other. “Target is approximately five meters long, suspected millipede-type Disaster. Currently moving through the underground pipelines.”
On screen, the asphalt road was cracked and bulging. Several manhole covers had been lifted mid-air. The road was completely impassable.
Sirens blared through the streets. Lu Yuan suddenly noticed her palms were sweaty. In the rearview mirror, Lin Wan was sending a location report to Headquarters for deployment.
“Turn right at the upcoming intersection,” Chen Xin’s voice was calm. “Disaster is moving toward Gourmet Street.”
Lu Yuan slammed the gas pedal. In the distance, several explosions lit up the sky.
“Battle stations!” Chen Xin opened the car door. “I’ll handle evacuating the civilians. You three take care of the Disaster!”
“Got it!” Lin Wan already had her Transformation Crystal in hand.
***
The police car screeched to a halt at the intersection. As the three rushed out, the ground suddenly shook violently.
“Boom—!”
The asphalt cracked open, and dozens of black segmented limbs covered in sharp spikes burst from the earth.
A giant millipede wound itself around a building by the street. People fled in panic, dodging falling debris.
Chen Xin immediately raised a megaphone. “All citizens! Evacuate immediately toward the subway station!”
Lu Yuan and Lin Wan simultaneously raised their Transformation Crystals.
“Transform!”
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