Calling it a date was a stretch.
It felt more like dragging a magical girl along to grind dungeons as cheap labor.
The one blinded by love was Qi Qianqian, not Fang Wei.
He had never truly intended to be lovey-dovey with her for a lifetime.
Since it was already confirmed that Qi Qianqian had psychological issues, and that her magic was tied to dreams, then after this major investigation, treatment targeting her mental state had to be put on the agenda.
That might have been thinking too far ahead, but using a salami-slicing approach to treat Qi Qianqian step by step was the safest method.
Yes, treatment, not a cure.
From Zhuge Yu’s words, it was clear that this girl had absolutely not been this unhinged before.
Something must have happened to turn her into the obsessive, unstable person she was now.
Intense stimulation or trauma can cause someone to rapidly deploy a Mental Shield and act in ways completely inconsistent with their original behavioral logic.
Because of a certain girl in the past, Fang Wei understood this deeply.
He walked ahead.
He had been to this abandoned elementary school before to farm experience for the Dream Nail, so he easily opened the school gate.
With his other hand, he held Qi Qianqian’s.
It was obvious she had put real effort into dressing up for the date today, from her outfit down to her carefully groomed eyelashes and bangs.
Qi Qianqian softly hummed a tune as she followed behind him, her little steps so lively they nearly kicked up to her head.
“Why are you so happy?”
Fang Wei asked, puzzled.
Qi Qianqian giggled.
“Because my boyfriend asked me out on his own initiative, so I’m really happy.”
On the way here, Fang Wei had already said that although it was a date, he also had work to do today, namely farming experience by clearing familiars around the campus.
It sounded exactly like tricking a friend into coming over to hang out, only to rope them into a full-scale house cleaning as free labor.
But Qi Qianqian did not mind at all.
Like a tragic romance heroine, as long as she could be with the male lead, anywhere was sweet.
Qi Qianqian was, in some sense, pure to the point of being adorable, yet also so complex and profound that she was impossible to fully understand.
But one thing was certain.
She genuinely enjoyed this relationship, and this was the only way Fang Wei could understand her.
“All right. You can sense the magical fluctuations of familiars too, right? Be careful in a moment.”
“Mhm. Xiaocao will protect her boyfriend too,” she said in a deliberately sweet voice.
She stepped in front of Fang Wei, lightly tapping her red lips with her fingertip, her large eyes sparkling.
Before Fang Wei could speak, she leaned her chest against him.
He could feel the fullness pressing against him through the fabric, deforming slightly.
Her white shoes wrinkled as she stood on tiptoe. With both hands resting on his shoulders, she nestled close to him.
“So, boyfriend, do you like me as a magical girl, or the usual me?”
‘The you who sends me money.’
Of course, Fang Wei was not stupid enough to treat this as a multiple-choice question.
Of course he wanted both.
But he could not just answer with “both” to a girl’s question.
He actually started counting on his fingers, seriously listing the merits of Magical Girl Qi Qianqian and Little Auspicious Beast Qi Qianqian.
“You’re not as amazing as you say,” Qi Qianqian said, her small face turning rosy from the praise.
She then pressed the hand that had touched her lips onto Fang Wei’s mouth, stopping him from continuing.
Those beautiful eyes gazed at him gently.
It was the first time Fang Wei truly understood what a deeply affectionate look was.
Even he was momentarily entranced.
“Hmph. Since you like both, then today, let your boyfriend go on a date with me as a magical girl.”
Qi Qianqian lifted her snow-white neck.
A pink cross-shaped mark appeared at her throat, flickering with dazzling, mesmerizing brilliance.
A faint moan escaped her lips, as if using this power caused her slight pain.
Then, an object like a pendant condensed from the cross mark.
The magical girl’s Soul Gem.
It resembled a bright silver hairpin piercing a pink spherical gem.
Silver patterns shaped like a cage wrapped around the outside, while pink light pulsed within, like a heartbeat.
It housed the sincerity and hope of a girl’s wish, a Soul Gem symbolizing love and beauty.
The alluring pink glow was reflected in Fang Wei’s pupils.
He felt dazed, as if trapped in a beautiful dream, like an animal in heat or an inexperienced man meeting his unattainable ideal.
His heart raced uncontrollably as dopamine flooded his brain.
He realized he could not look away, wanting to drown forever in this addictive beauty.
As his pupils rapidly constricted, Qi Qianqian hooked an arm around his neck.
The closer softness pulled him back to reality.
The Soul Gem rested between them.
Qi Qianqian’s soft, pink lips moved close to his ear, her warm breath carrying a teasing giggle.
In a voice as sweet as candy, she whispered to him.
“Transform.”
The Soul Gem slowly spinning in midair erupted with a warm, gentle pink glow.
Silver sparkles were mixed among the particles of light, radiating soft hues as they enveloped Qi Qianqian.
She removed her spare black-framed glasses, her eyes narrowing slightly as they shimmered with pink.
The light faded like sand slipping through fingers.
Pink twin ponytails and a pleated idol-style skirt fluttered in the wind, her pink eyes clear and bright.
A sweet and adorable magical girl made her grand debut.
“Am I your favorite Magical Girl?”
Qi Qianqian asked proudly, lifting her small nose as her pleated skirt brushed against Fang Wei’s pants.
Fang Wei smiled and played along.
“Yes, Magical Girl.”
“Hehehe.”
Qi Qianqian grinned mischievously and jogged a short distance away so Fang Wei could better admire the outfit.
Magical girls might seem childish to middle school or high school students, given their child-oriented label, and kids that age would inevitably feel embarrassed watching it.
Actually becoming a magical girl was even worse.
If a middle schooler dared to call herself a magical girl, that would be social death.
But for college students, this theme could only be described as extremely nice.
Qi Qianqian showed not a trace of embarrassment, only an eager expression waiting for praise from her boyfriend.
“Boyfriend, this is for you.”
She pried open Fang Wei’s palm and placed the pink Soul Gem into it.
When he closed his hand, it felt cold.
“Why are you giving me something this important?”
This time, Fang Wei truly could not stay calm.
The Soul Gem was the core of a magical girl.
Even without the dark setting of Mitakihara, it was still an indispensable part of a magical girl.
The gem was the embodiment of the soul.
It could provide aid when a magical girl was injured, near death, or low on magic, and it could summon her exclusive weapon.
If the Soul Gem was damaged, even if it did not severely injure the magical girl, it would cause permanent, irreversible harm.
In short, the Soul Gem was a magical girl’s heart.
Yet the girl in front of him was smiling proudly and happily as she placed her heart into his hands.
She did not care about the gem at all.
She only looked at him.
“Because I belong to you.”
The shock of that moment was indescribable.
Fang Wei had relied on his looks to charm girls for eighteen years, yet he had never seen a lovestruck girl hand her heart to her lover with her own hands.
It was straight out of a fairy tale.
With a trace of dark humor, he thought that if he wanted to, a single movement of his hand could destroy Qi Qianqian.
But that would be meaningless and unnecessary.
She was like a three-year-old child filled with innocence after reading fairy tales.
Why use the filth of adulthood to mock her naivety?
Fang Wei might not understand Qi Qianqian, but he could understand the eyes looking at him.
Pure, clean attachment, mixed with a bit of obsession and admiration.
He carefully accepted Qi Qianqian’s Soul Gem and quietly stored it in the system inventory to prevent any accidents.
He would return it to her after today’s date ended.
Next came clearing the familiars in this area.
That was the real main event today.
However, Fang Wei was soon once again shocked by Qi Qianqian’s Lv five.
Women could affect his dungeon runs, but Qi Qianqian would not.
She was even more brutal than him.
What were shadow familiars and mirror familiars, stray dogs on the roadside?
The moment they showed themselves, they were obliterated by a single punch from the magical girl.
No magic, only an iron fist of pure, unrivaled physical force.
High damage with the left hand.
Even higher damage with the right.
Fang Wei’s mouth twitched.
Magical girl, are you really a magical girl?
Is this not just absurdly strong brute force?