Lao Qian

—That cute little girl named Tidal was actually a magical girl.

Chen Xi wasn’t particularly surprised by this revelation. In fact, the moment she first saw Tidal, she had sensed that there was something unusual about the girl.

That quiet, restrained aura. The calm confidence with which she dodged probing questions… If those traits truly belonged to a girl who looked only eleven or twelve, that would have been strange.

A few days ago, while tailing her ex-boyfriend You Dong on Jixiang Street, Chen Xi had accidentally witnessed Tidal defeating an aberration. After that, she’d nearly forgotten her original purpose—her curiosity about Tidal had completely taken over.

That evening, after work, Chen Xi returned to her bedroom and logged into her favorite magical girl forum as usual.

There were many different types of magical girl websites online. Some were obsessed with ranking combat power, while others served as pure information hubs.

The forum Chen Xi frequented had a single mission: To spread the cuteness of magical girls to the entire universe.

As a result, the atmosphere was incredibly wholesome. No arguments about “who would one-shot who,” no “MVP vs. deadweight” drama. The posts were mostly fan-taken photos of magical girls, along with high-quality fan art and serialized doujinshi.

Her obsession with this forum stemmed from a lifelong love for magical girls.

Of course, she wasn’t interested in battles or power levels.

Like many girls who once dreamed of being princesses, she simply adored the cuteness and elegance of magical girls.

Their consistently high-tier looks. Their beautiful yet practical costumes.

Hairstyles, hair color, accessories—even their weapons—all designed with a cohesive, refreshing aesthetic that never grew stale. Chen Xi had once been utterly immersed in it.

The number of magical girl images and audio clips stored across her three TB-level hard drives? Even she couldn’t begin to count.

After graduating and becoming a regular office worker, whenever she felt overwhelmed by work and social pressures, browsing her treasured collection of magical girl photos became her essential way to breathe.

In the forum’s search bar, she typed in keywords: Fifth Ring, blue magical girl, Tidal. Relevant posts appeared instantly.

Currently, fans online didn’t know Tidal’s codename, so the posts referred to her as “that super powerful little blue girl” or “the blue girl who shoots light beams.”

The thought that she knew something others didn’t made Chen Xi feel closer to Tidal. This sense of exclusivity filled her with pride and delight.

She flipped through the posts, grinning like an idiot, saving every photo of Tidal to her computer.

“So cute… way too cute… hehehehe…”

As she scrolled, Chen Xi suddenly came across a locked thread. Access required 50 forum coins—50 yuan in real money.

【Human Treasure】Fuxing Street Battle—Collection of Rare Under-Skirt Snaps of the Mysterious Blue Girl.

The moment she read the title, Chen Xi’s face turned bright red.

It wasn’t her doing, but for some reason, she felt overwhelming shame—as if *she* were the one holding the camera, snapping photos of a magical girl’s underwear mid-flight.

H-how could anyone do something so disgraceful? Chen Xi was stunned.

Are you serious?

Magical girls are fighting to protect you, to protect this city!

And you people… what the hell are you even doing?!

Her embarrassment quickly turned into furious anger at such shameless behavior.

Enraged, she paid the 50 yuan and entered the thread.

First, I’m not a pervert.

Second, this is critical viewing.

Giving herself these two excuses, she began browsing the images.

W-whoa…

Oh my…

S-so that color…?

****

In the dim room, the glow of the computer screen illuminated Chen Xi’s face—her expression dazed, almost vacant, as she scrolled slowly, meticulously studying the 50-yuan “educational material” she’d just purchased.

Recall Tidal’s cold, distant attitude that day.

Now imagine her reaction when she finds out she was secretly photographed, that her exposed images are spreading online.

Panic. Rage. Hurt…

Until that perfectly composed face finally cracks, tears streaming down. And then—just one lick—surely it would taste divine.

“…Hehe.”

Chen Xi had completely fallen into her fantasy. Her imagination soared like wings unfurling across an endless sky.

Tap tap tap…

Her fingers flew across the keyboard. Three hours later, she finished her very first magical girl doujinshi.

Shooting Down the Ice Queen—My First Intimate Encounter

****

“…Hatchoo!”

Mid-flight patrol, Tidal suddenly sneezed. Raging Flame, flying beside her, immediately asked:

“Senior, are you feeling unwell? Should we rest?”

“No.”

Tidal waved her off, insisting she was fine.

In truth, her human body *had* caught a cold from overwork lately. But theoretically, physical illness shouldn’t affect Tidal’s magical form.

So was it psychological? She couldn’t shake the eerie feeling that someone was watching her from behind…

Suppressing that inner unease, Tidal and Raging Flame continued scanning the skies over the Fifth Ring for traces of the Nightmare Fiend’s magic.

Two days prior, the Second Ring’s magical girl squad had fought a grueling battle, finally wounding the Nightmare Fiend within a pre-deployed barrier. Though it escaped, according to Yu Bing’s report, it was now barely clinging to existence—making this the perfect time to finish it.

Currently, every idle magical girl across Shangjing’s rings was searching for the Nightmare Fiend. All wanted to eliminate it before it recovered—and claim the rare, valuable magic crystal of an A-rank aberration.

“Senior, should we split up?” Raging Flame suggested.

“The Fifth Ring only has us two magical girls. If we stay together, we won’t cover many areas in a day.”

Tidal considered the suggestion. The Nightmare Fiend was likely using all its energy just to maintain its form. There was no need for teamwork—splitting up would be more efficient.

“…Use that convenience store down there as the dividing line.”

She pointed to the bustling street below.

“I’ll take east. You take west. Regardless of results, we’ll regroup on the rooftop here at 5:30 p.m.”