Shui Hua cautiously scanned the entire rooftop.
After confirming that it was empty, he finally canceled his transformation.
The light faded away, and Yu Hua let out a sigh of relief, pulling open the door to the stairwell.
He had just set one foot on the stairs when he nearly bumped into a familiar figure.
“Yu Hua?”
Lin Ling stood at the landing, looking at him in confusion.
“What are you doing here?”
Yu Hua’s heart tightened sharply, his mind racing.
To buy himself some time to think, he instinctively shot back, “Shouldn’t I be the one asking you that, Lin? What are you doing up on this deserted rooftop?”
“Of course I’m looking for a secluded place to transform. I’ve got a Patrol Mission tonight.”
Lin Ling pressed him further, “But what about you? Why’d you come up here? Don’t tell me… you’re transforming too?”
“Transform into what?”
Yu Hua denied it at once, thinking quickly.
“You went to the Magical Girl’s Publicity Meeting this afternoon, right?”
“Yeah,” Lin Ling nodded, “but I didn’t see you there.”
“There were too many people waiting in line for the test. I didn’t want the hassle, so I took a quick look and left.”
Yu Hua followed the logic he’d just made up.
“Then I just wandered around campus, and ended up… seeing someone fly straight up to this building’s rooftop.”
Thankfully, Yu Hua was used to lying. Making something up on the spot was second nature.
“I thought maybe I could catch a glimpse of a Magical Girl up close, so I hurried over here… Too bad I came up empty. Whoever it was had already left, so I didn’t see anything.”
“Oh?”
Lin Ling’s eyes lit up, obviously intrigued.
“So that means, among Shui Hua, Xing Li, and Fei Xing, one of them is a student at our school?”
“Uh… That’s possible.”
Yu Hua replied through gritted teeth.
“I was too far away to see clearly, so I can’t say which one it was.”
“It has to be Shui Hua.”
Lin Ling said with certainty.
“Wait, why are you so sure?”
Yu Hua’s heart skipped a beat.
He couldn’t tell what made Lin Ling think that.
“I’ve watched pretty much all the public event videos and battle records of the Magical Girl Division Dongjiang Branch. Shui Hua’s behavior, her manner of speaking, and the way she handles things are all much more mature and steady than Xing Li or Fei Xing. So I think she’s most likely a college student.”
“That’s not necessarily true, is it?”
Yu Hua retorted, determined to keep muddling things until Lin Ling doubted himself.
“How can you be sure she’s a student? Maybe she’s already graduated and started working, and that’s why she seems mature. And being mature doesn’t have to mean she’s a college student. Honestly, I think lazy Xing Li acts more like a college student.”
“But she just feels really familiar to me, like she’s our peer… Weighing it all up, I still think Shui Hua is a student here.”
“But even if you’re sure she’s a student at our school,” Yu Hua spread his hands helplessly, “so what? There are tens of thousands of people here—are you really going to pick her out of the crowd?”
“Never planned to,” Lin Ling’s lips curled up in a simple, satisfied smile.
“Just knowing that my idol might be on the same campus as me, breathing the same air, makes me happy enough.”
“Idol?”
Yu Hua caught that key word, stunned for a moment.
“You can’t have her, so now you’re making her your spiritual support?”
Yu Hua was genuinely curious—what on earth had this guy gone through after his breakup, to suddenly make her his idol?
“Oh, that’s a long story,” Lin Ling glanced at the time, showing a hint of regret.
“But I’m in a rush. I’ll tell you all about it after tonight’s mission.”
With that, he didn’t shy away in front of Yu Hua at all, and started transforming right there.
Golden light burst forth.
The Magical Girl Liu Jin appeared, bent her knees, and leapt away, vanishing into the clouds.
Yu Hua watched in the direction Lin Ling disappeared, wiping away nonexistent cold sweat.
“Guess I managed to bluff my way out…”
***
Around eight in the evening, the last member of the dorm returned.
Lin Ling came in carrying several packages of different sizes, immediately drawing everyone’s attention.
“Yo, Lin, bought so much.”
Wang Zeqi was the first to come over.
“Fu Ge, what good stuff did you get? Let us have a look.”
Liu Shixing also put down his game.
With his curious roommates gathering around, Lin Ling calmly began unboxing.
He opened the largest, flattest package first—inside was a brand new three-piece bedding set.
“Lin, did you do something on your bed? Why are you suddenly changing your sheets?”
Wang Zeqi teased.
Lin Ling didn’t reply, silently tearing open the clear plastic wrapping and spreading the sheet out fully.
Against a sky-blue background, an exquisite official promotional image of Magical Girl Shui Hua was printed, nearly covering the whole sheet.
Yu Hua’s expression froze the moment he saw it, his mouth twitching.
“Lin… what’s gotten into you?”
“Whoa, Liu Shixing, look at that.”
Wang Zeqi elbowed Liu Shixing.
“And you still call yourself an otaku? Look at Lin’s dedication. You got the guts to print your waifu on your bed sheets?”
Liu Shixing pushed up his glasses and examined the huge Shui Hua image, then heavily patted Lin Ling’s shoulder, saying only five words:
“Obsessed fanboys are disgusting…”
Lin Ling paid no attention to the banter.
With a blank face, he rolled up the sheets, duvet cover, and pillowcase, and carried them off to the washing machine.
When he returned, he continued unboxing: a Shui Hua Battle Stance Oversized Mouse Pad, a customized Shui Hua Themed Keycap Set, and a Pain Shirt with a chibi Shui Hua face on the front.
No matter how complicated his roommates’ expressions grew, he remained calm, changing the keycaps on his keyboard.
“Lin’s like this… I sense a hint of yandere energy,” Wang Zeqi stroked his chin, analyzing with a show of seriousness.
“Sigh, if you ask me, Lin and Shui Hua are a pair of star-crossed lovers.”
Liu Shixing shook his head with a theatrical sigh.
The two jokers went back and forth, improvising an absurd “Lin Ling x Shui Hua Tragic Love Chronicle” on the spot:
(Wang Zeqi, voice raspy and mysterious)
“It’s said that Lin Ling once summoned the courage to confess to Magical Girl Shui Hua. As it turns out, Shui Hua secretly admired Lin Ling as well, and without anyone knowing, the two formed a secret bond and became lovers.”
(Liu Shixing, voice low, expression mournful)
“But fate is fickle. Who could have guessed that the S-Class Hero Liu Jin, whom Shui Hua once saved at the risk of her own life, would be so smitten by her kindness and beauty that he fell hopelessly in love?”
(Wang Zeqi, picking up the pace, sounding excited)
“When Liu Jin found out that Shui Hua’s heart already belonged to someone else, he used his status as an S-Class Hero to confront Lin, threatening: ‘You wouldn’t want your girlfriend to lose her important job, would you?’”
(Liu Shixing, pounding his chest, mournful tone)
“Poor Lin, just an ordinary university student, powerless against authority, had to tearfully break up with Shui Hua for the sake of her future.”
(Wang Zeqi, full of emotion, hiding sorrow)
“On the day they broke up, the sky poured rain. Shui Hua, holding a flimsy umbrella, ran desperately to the dorm building, and from behind, hugged the drenched Lin tight, sobbing and begging him not to leave. But Lin could only look grim, his heart breaking, unable to utter a word.”
(Liu Shixing, pinching his voice, imitating a girl)
“‘All those days together, do you really not remember?’”
(Wang Zeqi, solemn and thoughtful)
“‘Those days? Do you mean the days of…’”
(Liu Shixing, lowering his voice, narrating)
“Lin recalls their sweet past, tears mixing with the rain, but when he thinks of Liu Jin’s threats and Shui Hua’s future, he forces himself to swallow the pain and says coldly:”
(Wang Zeqi, grief-stricken, in a daze)
“There’s nothing left to say. Please, let go.”
“Man, why is Liu Jin so villainous?”
“Man, why is Liu Jin so villainous?”
The two sighed in unison.
Watching these two put on a dramatic stage play, and the silent Lin Ling changing to Shui Hua Themed Keycap Set, Yu Hua felt nothing but despair.
“Are any of you three actually human?”