The Wandering Luo Zining

At exactly 10:00, the entire food street’s sound system suddenly blasted a cheerful, upbeat melody.

The dazzling lights on the overhead display screen lit up, dancing and flickering.

The originally noisy crowd instantly quieted down.

Everyone looked toward the performance stage, awaiting the grand entrance of the magical girls.

Right then, the screen lit up.

The silhouette that had been intentionally blurred gradually became clear.

A girl dressed in a short red cloak, holding a pink rocket launcher, emerged from a dreamy forest mist, slowly walking toward the camera.

She had delicate makeup, pretty features, and the corners of her eyes slightly curled up, like a cat full of mischief.

Though her expression looked sweet, her aura made people instinctively wary.

As she walked forward, the forest behind her suddenly burst into flames.

Amid the firelight, several black shadows darted back and forth—giant, wolf-like monsters with gaping maws.

But the girl remained calm and composed, as if this was all child’s play to her.

She suddenly aimed the rocket launcher over her shoulder and fired.

A pink heart-shaped rocket flew out, exploding mid-air.

The blazing inferno instantly turned into a dazzling pink and purple fireworks display.

The wolves in the forest trembled and whimpered, collapsing and disappearing.

The girl then faced the camera and revealed a devilish smile.

“Don’t worry~ Little Red Riding Hood will protect everyone.”

As the image faded out, the screen lit up with a new title—

【Huahai City Magical Girl Concert】

【Special guest: Little Red Riding Hood】

【Let’s give her a warm welcome!】

The next moment, Luo Zining took the stage in person.

The crowd went wild.

Cheers erupted like a wave.

They were so enthusiastic, as if this was the long-awaited debut of a national idol group.

Luo Zining stood calmly in the center of the stage, expressionless.

Her gaze scanned the crowd.

She wasn’t looking for her loyal fans.

She was looking for that one… very, very dangerous presence.

After confirming that she wasn’t here yet, Luo Zining subtly let out a breath of relief.

Good, she hadn’t come.

It should be fine.

This was an official magical girl concert hosted by the alliance—she wouldn’t come to cause trouble, right?

She can’t possibly appear in front of a thousand people and publicly beat me up, right?

Luo Zining felt a little reassured.

She continued to perform as planned.

As someone who had fought and trained for years, dancing and singing was nothing to her.

It wasn’t until halfway through the performance that something started to feel… off.

From the corner of her eye, she caught a familiar figure weaving through the crowd toward the front.

She was wearing the gym’s uniform—a short sports top and shorts.

The moment she appeared, a path opened for her through the dense crowd.

That was probably because her aura was too intense.

Everyone’s instincts screamed at them to make way.

This was a scene Luo Zining had seen before—many times.

Usually, when she was caught ditching school, her dad would walk toward her just like this.

With a calm smile.

But behind that smile was pure hell.

Luo Zining’s heart skipped a beat.

Oh no.

She came after all.

Can I still run at this point?

If I make a break for it now, will I get blacklisted from performing again?

No—if I run now, I might be dead before the blacklist even hits.

She’s too scary.

Too scary.

I’m doomed.

Luo Zining’s steps faltered.

She completely forgot the choreography and started dancing in place like a malfunctioning robot.

Even her singing turned into humming.

The audience below looked confused.

Some of the magical girl alliance staff started whispering.

“What’s going on?”

“She’s messing up?”

“Stage fright?”

“How could that be? Wasn’t she fine during rehearsal?”

“Maybe she saw someone in the crowd?”

The camera zoomed in.

The broadcast screen now showed Luo Zining’s panicked expression.

That smiling face, moments ago full of charisma, was now pale and on the verge of tears.

She stared directly off-stage.

The camera followed her line of sight—

And locked onto the terrifying figure standing below the stage.

Tall.

Athletic.

With a faint, ambiguous smile on her face.

She stood with her arms crossed, exuding the calm confidence of someone watching their prey from above.

And that prey was clearly Luo Zining.

The camera operator was stunned.

Who the heck is this?

Is this… her parent?

Her boss?

Her ex-girlfriend??

None of the above—this was her dad.

But no one could tell.

The stage director hurriedly cut the camera feed.

Luo Zining, on stage, had practically given up.

She looked like a convict awaiting sentencing.

Sure enough, after the performance ended, she was pulled aside.

The staff thought she had a stomachache or something, and wanted to take her to the medical room.

But Luo Zining smiled weakly and said, “Thank you… but I probably won’t live that long.”

Then, she was escorted out by Luo You.

No one dared stop her.

Luo You brought her to a quiet alley nearby.

Luo Zining squatted in the corner like a prisoner, head down, trembling.

Luo You leaned against the wall with a hand on her hip, looking at her like a disappointed parent.

She didn’t speak.

The silence was crushing.

After a long moment, Luo Zining finally said, “It’s not what you think…”

“I think,” Luo You said gently, “that you became a magical girl without telling me, then skipped school to do idol performances, and just now had a public mental breakdown on stage?”

Luo Zining winced.

“…I was just nervous.”

“You, nervous?”

“You’re right, that’s a lie.”

Luo You slowly crouched down in front of her.

Luo Zining shut her eyes tight.

“Are you… mad?”

“Not really.”

“Then…?”

“I just didn’t expect my own daughter to become a magical girl behind my back.”

Luo Zining whispered, “I didn’t think you’d agree…”

“That’s true. I probably wouldn’t.”

“But I still wanted to try…”

Luo You fell silent again.

She looked at this stubborn girl in front of her.

Finally, she sighed.

“I’ll admit, you surprised me.”

“You’re not going to punish me?”

“I didn’t say that.”

Luo Zining tensed.

“But since you’ve come this far, I’ll respect your choice.”

“Really?!”

“Yeah. But you have to promise—”

“Anything!!”

“No more skipping school.”

“…Okay.”

“No more lying to me.”

“…Okay.”

“No more public breakdowns on stage.”

“…I’ll try.”

Luo You smiled and patted her head.

“Alright. Let’s go home.”