Even at a top-tier institution like the University of Nantong, the Acting Department was inevitably filled with bizarre bird courses.
Fang Wei had arranged to meet Gen.
Little Yu at the school, so he arrived one class early.
On the podium, a male teacher was still lecturing on the useless history of obscure films.
Since it was the first academic year, there were still many students listening, though some slackers had already checked out.
Fang Wei sat at the very back with the other slackers, petting the ferret that no one else could see.
“It is pretty much as you understood it.”
The ferret’s little belly was turned upward, and it made a purring sound as it was petted.
It did not sound like a rodent; it sounded more like a cat.
After experiencing it firsthand, Fang Wei still had many doubts about Qiqiancao’s situation.
He wanted to discuss it with this rat, but the ferret essentially replied that it did not know either.
When it had first found Qiqiancao in the hospital and asked if she wanted to become a Magical Girl, the girl had agreed without hesitation.
And then?
Then, another completely different version of Qiqiancao appeared in this world—a sweet, beloved Little Auspicious Beast.
She had no disease or pain, a wealthy family, loving parents, and caring relatives and friends.
She was even a genius in her own right.
Now, she had even found a satisfying love.
“This ferret really doesn’t know. When I first found Little Cao, she made a wish to ‘obtain happiness.’ But she didn’t actually obtain it. Instead, another version of her that could transform into a Magical Girl appeared out of thin air.”
It was just like…
It was like a little girl about to freeze to death on a cold night lighting a match.
She could only feel a sliver of warmth, while inside the match, another version of herself was eating a warm, hearty meal with her grandmother.
Fang Wei narrowed his eyes, considering a possibility.
With something as absurd and bizarre as magic, nothing was truly surprising.
He made a mental note of this and decided to start his investigation with the Qiqiancao at the hospital another day.
He shook his head, pushing aside those complicated problems.
Fang Wei shifted his gaze back to the ferret.
He had a doubt in his mind from before, and he could finally ask, “Let’s not discuss that for now. I have a more important question for you.”
“Mhm, go ahead.”
“Ferret, are you… male or female?”
“Huh?”
The ferret, enjoying the petting, looked over with a suspicious expression.
“It’s nothing. I just wanted to ask. Mostly because I’ve seen too much media, and I have a bit of PTSD regarding creatures like ferrets.”
Did it know Yuno Scrya from *Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha* or the fairy Tart from *Fresh Pretty Cure*?
Both of those ferrets were male, and one could even turn into a full-grown human man.
This rat needed to understand that in male-lead light novels, having a male around the female lead was a major poison point!
With that, Fang Wei suddenly grabbed the ferret.
“Let me see if your development is normal.”
“Wh-What are you doing! This ferret was the previous Elf Chief of the Garden of Hope! Do not come any closer, ahhh—”
Ignoring the ferret’s high-pitched screams, Fang Wei let out a villainous chuckle and parted the fur to perform a careful confirmation.
It was a female…
Half a minute later, the ferret hugged its body and curled into a corner.
Both its mind and body had been severely violated, and it wept cartoonish ramen tears.
“Ugh… This ferret is no longer pure, waahhh…”
‘As expected, once a villain of an Evil Organization, always a villain… A rotten orange is just a rotten orange…’
The ferret stared fixedly at the culprit, wearing the grieving expression of an innocent maiden who had been toyed with and was now demanding an explanation.
Because it was a Magical Girl mascot, its expressions were not only vivid but felt like they were straight out of an anime.
‘There’s definitely something wrong. This ferret realized long ago that Little Fang Wei is one thousand percent problematic.’
‘Little Fang Wei, why did you heal this ferret’s three Magical Girls at the same time?’
‘Why are you so close to them but afraid to take a step further?’
‘Why do you only tell your secrets to this ferret alone?’
‘It’s because you’ve actually had a crush on this ferret for a long time, right!’
‘Saying you’re checking for poison points by looking at my gender… you just wanted to take the opportunity to molest this ferret and promote our feelings. Dammit, you gross shrimp-head man!’
It had already inquired on human forums.
In this sexually repressed era, developing a relationship meant skipping the dating phase and going straight to doing it!
The ferret tapped its two little paws against the back of Fang Wei’s hand, absolutely infuriated.
‘Did it… actually look angry?’
Fang Wei realized he might have crossed a line.
He had assumed it was the same as checking a puppy’s gender—just flip it over and take a peek.
But this ferret was as smart as a human.
It was a spirit, not an animal at its core.
Besides, if a puppy could talk, it would probably slap him and call him a creep.
After a long while, Fang Wei leaned over and expressed his deep apologies.
“I am truly, deeply sorry. I was just afraid you were a male ferret, which would cause unnecessary poison points.”
“I am truly, truly sorry. I was too reckless just now.”
He bowed again to show his sincerity.
“Hmph, I’ll… I’ll forgive you this time.”
The ferret raised its head arrogantly.
However, the moment it turned around—
It pulled a smartphone out of some four-dimensional pocket, opened the sprite-exclusive version of Xiaohongshu, and began typing a post.
[Can anyone relate? Boys in the human world are just so gross…]
As the former Elf Chief of the Garden of Hope and the one who signed Zhuge Yu—a god of slaughter Magical Girl who killed one monster every day for 365 days a year and still had two extra points of performance at the end of the year—this ferret was essentially a local emperor in the sprite circles, despite appearing unreliable.
The moment the post went live, a gorgeous banner with golden wings floated across the top of Xiaohongshu, accompanied by a Lamborghini entrance animation.
— The Garden of Hope Elf Chief, the distinguished SSSSVIP, has just posted new content.
Please click to view. —
In just two minutes, the post reached ninety-nine-plus messages.
This group of spirits spent their days either slacking off in group chats or showing off their own Magical Girls.
They were all heavy internet addicts who lived for gossip.
Furthermore, when a big figure like the Ferret posted, they naturally had to join the fun.
[I keep saying men are all bad.]
[Ahhh, sister, you are such a sweet and soft little ferret!]
[Don’t cry, Chief. Mama will give you a hug. (Rose)]
[Eh, how did you know that the Magical Girl this rabbit signed yesterday had an initial Level of Level 2?]
[This fox is placing an ad on this floor. If you like reading girl-love stories, come to Pineapple Bun Light Novel and follow Teacher Bai Zhou Xing, meow! Thank you, meow!]
Scrolling down the comment section, most were words of comfort, though some strange advertisements were mixed in.
Of course, for these little spirits, most posts were meant for showing off the double-crit gear on the Magical Girls they raised.
Only an old-timer sprite in retirement mode like the Ferret had the leisure to chat idly.
The ferret made sure to casually reveal the dazzling SSSSVIP icon on its phone, practically shoving the screen into Fang Wei’s eyes.
‘Little Fang Wei, do you know the legendary story of this ferret? Three years ago, this ferret had its engagement broken by the Elf Princess of the Garden of Hope. This ferret shouted, “Thirty years in the east, thirty years in the west; don’t underestimate a poor ferret!” Then, this ferret pulled a golden legend like Zhuge Yu in a single draw.
From then on, I cultivated the strongest Magical Girl in her normal state. After the Ferret King returned to divorce his wife, I became the legendary Elf Chief!’
‘Hmph, with such a status, you only have the qualification to slightly molest this ferret because you helped me heal my Magical Girls.’
‘This ferret won’t hold it against you. If you really like this ferret that much, let’s just find a time to do it.’
‘Anyway, my human transformation isn’t young; I look about 11 or 12 years old.’
*Tsk…*
Fang Wei felt, for some reason, that the way this rat had been looking at him was a bit off.
First of all, he was not a furry.
Secondly, the SSSSVIP icon was indeed flashy, but could it please stop “accidentally” letting him see it?
The phone had floated past his face how many times now?
Although Fang Wei didn’t know what the rat was thinking, he felt uneasy all over.
He propped his face on his hand and checked the time.
There were about ten minutes left in the class.
The daily life of a university student was indeed grueling.
Just as Fang Wei was staring blankly at the ceiling and the ferret was gaining experience points, the sound of rhythmic footsteps came from the doorway.
The teacher’s lecturing voice stopped abruptly, and everyone turned their gaze toward the door.
It was a figure who had suddenly intruded—a girl who looked about the same age as everyone else there.
She had her hair tied in a sharp, short high ponytail and wore headphones around her neck.
She wore a green jacket over a punk-style top.
Below, she wore only a pair of denim shorts, leaving her long legs bare, and her cotton boots made a distinct noise against the classroom floor.
The girl was tall and had her hands in her pockets.
She had a lazy, delinquent-like expression, appearing completely unfazed by being the center of attention.
Even though her looks were exceptionally outstanding and refined, no one dared to look at her twice.
They had no doubt that this girl was some street-tough punk.
*Snap.*
The girl found a random empty seat and sat down.
She bit into a piece of chocolate, crossed her legs, and began to scan the room.
Based on her behavior, she didn’t look like she was there for class.
Rather, she looked like she was there to pick a fight.
After a brief silence, the teacher resumed the lesson, pretending not to notice.
This should have been a minor incident that was easily overlooked, but the ferret beside Fang Wei was so terrified that it dove headfirst into the desk drawer.
“Gwah!”
The ferret timidly hugged its head.
“This ferret… this ferret doesn’t want to see her!”
“You know her?”
Fang Wei, who originally had no interest in the girl, shifted his gaze over.
[Degen Value: 21%]
A very healthy psyche.
Fang Wei thought nothing of it.
The girl seemed to have failed to find whoever she was looking for and leaned back in her seat boredly.
She casually tossed something into the air and caught it in her palm, rolling it around like a pair of walnuts.
Fang Wei’s pupils suddenly constricted.
That was a crimson Mind Gem.