Totally new beauty!

On the light rail of Huahai City.

“Wow… As expected of Youyou, this is just way too… indecent.”

Liyun stared at the photo on her phone, hands still covering her eyes, though she never truly looked away.

When Luo You had visited her home before, Liyun, by pure coincidence, ended up following Luo You’s social media account. Of course, Luo You knew this—she was the one who pushed it onto her in the first place.

Every tweet that “Luo Youyou” had supposedly posted—things like [Am I being bent by Big Sis?] or [I fell into Big Sis’s trap!]—was all fabricated by Luo You herself.

Even so, Liyun couldn’t help but wonder: If all of this really happened, wouldn’t that make her no different from Herrera reborn?

“I wonder if this time Youyou will ask me to help her post again?”

Thinking about the last time she posed for staged photos with Luo You, Liyun’s face flushed hot, her heartbeat racing. Those poses, those situations—far too thrilling.

With someone snapping pictures right beside her, she had been forced into even more compromising positions. Luo You, of course, used every seductive tactic she could, leaving Liyun with no way to resist.

It was torture.

A coquettish minx, constantly posing and teasing right in front of her—that alone was unbearable.

What made it worse was that this minx looked so much like the Herrera she so desperately longed to take revenge on.

Liyun’s fingers trembled, stiff and restless, though she couldn’t truly act.

After all, indulging in this “substitute” was nothing but her own shameful depravity.

If she ate, it should be the real meal!

“Youyou lives right here in Huahai City… should I take the chance to visit her?”

But then she thought—if she went, she might run into Luo Zining.

That wouldn’t do.

Liyun could not allow Luo Zining, or anyone other than her sister, to know of her existence.

Even Ji Yue had no idea she, beyond Ji Meng and Luo Zining, still lingered at all.

“Forget it, better just invite her out.”

Resolute, Liyun began hatching a plan.

Or… she could simply go straight to the gym where Luo You worked.

After all, her visit to Huahai City wasn’t just about Xingyue.

She also had another critical mission—meeting with “Luo Youyou,” and preparing herself for what came next.

Clutching her face, Liyun groaned in despair.

Back then, Herrera had forced her to sign that humiliating contract… to shoot those dirty little films with her!

Since then, she hadn’t slept soundly for a single night.

Alone at night, she always feared Herrera would crawl into her bed, whip and collar in hand, ready to start filming right there while her sister slept in the next room.

This shameful secret, she couldn’t tell anyone.

Not even her sister.

How could she? The humiliation was unbearable.

Besides, if her sister found out, with her fiery temper she might try to fight Herrera head-on—only to lose, and then both sisters would…

No.

She’d carry this burden alone.

Still, this was an experience unlike any she’d known before.

If Herrera demanded another shoot, Liyun feared… that afterward, she’d still be toyed with in endless twisted “humanitarian refinements.”

She needed… a rehearsal.

A way to prepare with Luo Youyou.

“Sigh… it looks like I’ll have to trouble Youyou again. I should probably buy her something as a gift. But, first, Xingyue.”

Before reaching the Huahai branch, Liyun glanced out the train window.

Smoke rose in thick black towers, flames licking the sky.

A fire.

Without hesitation, Liyun slipped into a deserted place.

“Transform!”

“Damn, I’m trapped inside the fire!”

Luo You coughed, cursing at her skewers of tofu as she searched for an exit, only to find all paths blocked.

She had only come here because An Meier had gone out, giving her a chance to sneak off to the food street.

But now? Flames everywhere. One kid’s prank with a charging e-scooter had sparked the blaze at a hotpot joint on the third floor.

Crowds screamed, smoke surged, and any second the gas lines could blow sky-high, wiping out everyone nearby.

Of course, Luo You wasn’t afraid.

She could snuff this little fire out with a snap of her fingers.

But with so many eyes around, it would be far too risky to reveal herself.

“…Better escape on my own before things get messy. Wouldn’t look good if my daughter had to come rescue me in front of everyone.”

But most important of all was—

“My six-thousand-yuan stockings!!” she wailed.

The cries for help all around made her lament stand out strangely.

The flames hadn’t yet touched her body, but the heat and smoke alone would ruin the silk beyond repair.

“No, no—if I strip them off now, I might still save them!”

Just as her hands reached down, a surge of magical power swept in.

White mist surged from outside in colossal waves, dense enough to blast people off their feet, yet never condensing to liquid. A storm of vapor—water magic infused with searing energy—smothered the flames in an instant.

Moments later, strong winds swept through, clearing the smoke, opening escape routes.

“Everyone, there may still be danger. Please evacuate quickly and in order!”

Liyun soared into the inferno, carrying survivors out one by one.

Fortunately, no casualties, no one trapped beneath rubble.

Smooth work.

Or, so it seemed—until she reached the last victim.

She froze.

Amid the dying embers sat a girl, her beauty like snow untouched by flame.

The stockings on her long legs had already split and singed, pale flesh gleaming through the burns of fabric and smoke.

Even in this place… she looked obscenely alluring.

“Youyou?”

“Huh? Who are you?” Luo You blinked, feigning ignorance.

“Eh? I’m—ah!”

Liyun jolted in horror—she was still transformed!

“Sorry, I got mixed up. Come here, I’ll get you out.”

She scooped Luo You up in her arms, hands instinctively clasping her thigh.

The texture beneath her palm made her heart quake.

“L-Looks strong!” Luo You turned bashful, her face reddening as she squirmed against Liyun’s chest.

“Um~ Magical girl lady…?”

“Sorry! Just a slip-up, my magic’s a little unstable!” Liyun stammered, scrambling to justify her lingering touch as she quickly carried Luo You to safety.

But instead of joining the other evacuees, she flew them both up onto a deserted rooftop.

“Are you hurt?” she asked, voice edged with worry.

“Nope.” Luo You batted her lashes wide-eyed. Then, with feigned awe, she said:

“Magical girl big-sis, you’re amazing! What’s your name? I’ve never seen you in this city before!”

“Eh… A-ha-ha… I’m… I’m Liyun. You probably haven’t heard of me.”

“Ohhh? Liyun? As in the sixth-ranked of the Ten Seats?!” Luo You gasped like a wannabe idol-chasing child. “What a coincidence, I know a big sister with the same name as you!”

“Uh…” Liyun’s smile stiffened.

“But that big sister was violated by a wicked woman and forced into a collar like a pet. So pitiful! Magical girl big-sis, could you maybe give her some guidance sometime?”

“Th-that—!”

What kind of topic was this?!

“Speaking of which,” she flushed, “Why would you tell a total stranger about my humiliating past, Youyou?!”

Liyun wanted nothing more than to dig a hole and vanish.

“No, forget it…” Luo You shifted tone. Her voice grew solemn, warm with conviction.

“I believe that big sister will overcome the shadows on her own and be reborn. I want her to succeed.”

The words struck her like a spring bursting in her chest. Liyun suddenly wanted to cry.

“You…”

“I’m sorry, Youyou. You hope I’ll escape the shadows, yet I still… still have to go film those dirty movies with that woman…”

Too bitter. Too shameful to dwell on.

To break the mood, Liyun pointed awkwardly at Luo You’s legs.

“Your stockings… maybe you should just take them off? Wearing that in public, you could get into real trouble.”

Luo You blinked innocently.

“Hm? But I’ve got magical girl big-sis to protect me, right?”

“But I almost slipped just now!” Liyun buried her bright-red face in her hands and bolted.

She couldn’t believe herself—how could she think, even for a second, about anyone besides Herrera? And like this, with “Youyou”?

“You could always take them off and give them as a keepsake,” Luo You teased wickedly.

“Wha—?!”

“A memento. Maybe a long time from now, when you look at them, you’ll remember me. Isn’t that nice?”

“This is… I…”

Before she could refuse, Luo You deftly peeled off the slightly damp stockings and pressed them into Liyun’s hands.

“There, done! Take good care of them, okay?”

“A-ah… mm.”

Clutching them, Liyun’s heart flipped.

Should she be happy?

Somehow, deep down, she truly was.

With firm resolve in her eyes, she tucked them away.

As if this wasn’t a pair of ruined stockings, but the symbol of a brand-new bond between herself as a magical girl… and “Luo Youyou.”

“I’d better get going. Take care of yourself.”

“Mm. See you, magical girl big-sis.”

Later, Liyun landed at the Magical Alliance’s Huahai branch.

Xingyue had been waiting.

“Liyun. You just came from the fire, didn’t you? I heard not a single casualty. Well done.”

“A-ah… it was just my duty,” Liyun replied faintly, still dazed.

Xingyue frowned.

It had been years since they’d met, and she’d expected Liyun to be nervous in her presence, but clearly her mind was elsewhere.

“What’s the matter? You seem distracted.”

“Uh… actually, I just got… a pair of worn stockings… from an acquaintance…”

“Stockings? Worn ones?”

“Eh!? Did I just say that out loud?!”

“Mm, you did,” Xingyue said, eyes glinting with interest. “So, what exactly happened? Tell me.”

Liyun wilted under her gaze.

Years apart, and Xingyue carried herself with such mystique—it was like standing before a strict homeroom teacher. She couldn’t help but be honest.

“It’s nothing really. Just someone I rescued from the fire gave them to me.”

She produced the tattered stockings from her pocket. “See? Already ruined. Ha-ha… I can’t even wear them myself.”

At once she snatched them back.

What am I doing?! Snap out of it!

She smacked her own cheeks, trying to regain composure.

Meanwhile, Xingyue’s brows furrowed deeply.

[These stockings… seem familiar.]

After a long pause, she shook her head.

No, impossible.

She couldn’t really recognize the original owner of a pair of stockings, could she?

If she could, she might as well be a living deity.