Morning.
Liu Li let out a whimper, unwilling to rise from bed. Instinctively, she rubbed against what she was holding, yet the sensation was different from usual.
Suddenly, a realization struck Liu Li. Her eyes snapped open, wide with shock.
‘Oh no!’
‘I fell asleep!’
Liu Li lifted her head to find Zhou Huanan still deeply asleep. She wasn’t sure whether to feel relieved or lament her misfortune.
‘He probably hasn’t noticed yet.’
‘Otherwise, given that scoundrel’s personality, I would have been rudely awakened this morning.’
‘Wait a moment…’
Liu Li frowned, then reached down to touch her ‘forbidden zone.’ Her brows relaxed, but her small face crumpled in dismay.
‘Bro.’
‘Your favorite Magical Girl slept next to you all night!?’
Unsure what to make of the situation, Liu Li glared fiercely at him.
With a grunt, she rolled off Zhou Huanan. Only then did she realize she had unconsciously reverted to her original form. She had intended to look for her shoes, but then noticed she hadn’t even taken them off.
This discovery left Liu Li feeling unsettled.
“Wh-when did I change back…?”
Liu Li nervously looked down at herself. Her original plan had been to seize an opportunity to transform into Magical Girl Grey Moon and bid farewell to her old life.
‘But…’
Transformation consumed magical energy. If her magic fell below a certain threshold, her body would automatically cancel the transformation unless she consciously maintained it.
Even without fighting, Grey Moon’s magical energy could sustain her transformation for up to two weeks without issue.
However, every two weeks, she would have to revert to replenish her magic.
This not only increased the risk of exposure.
‘What if a monster appeared to wreak havoc on the thirteenth day of her transformation?’
Liu Li, who had initially been quite optimistic about her plans, now realized that being with Zhou Huanan was far more complicated than she had imagined.
She sighed.
Liu Li padded to the entryway.
“I’ll just have to put that on hold for now.”
Just as Liu Li was about to push open the door and escape the ‘crime scene,’ she glanced back and saw Zhou Huanan still sleeping on the sofa.
Her initial thought was to simply flee home and head to school.
Yet, remembering how he had treated her during her last stay at his house, Liu Li felt she shouldn’t just leave.
Conflicted, she hesitated.
Liu Li had already felt uneasy staying at Zhou Huanan’s place; after all, strictly speaking, she had been committing a ‘crime’ yesterday, and her ostrich-like mentality was at play.
She was afraid to discover whether Zhou Huanan had realized she was Magical Girl Grey Moon last night.
But.
Liu Li, who had already pressed the doorknob and stepped out, turned back and left the front door slightly ajar.
****
Ten minutes later.
Zhou Huanan was roused by his alarm clock. His brow furrowed with sleep lines as he groggily opened one eye. The first thing he did upon waking was to look down at his arms.
Naturally, he saw nothing.
‘To think I’d be foolish enough to mistake such a vivid dream for reality.’
Zhou Huanan recalled the soft touch of the two girls in his dream from the previous night, shaking his head with a sigh. He tucked the stirring sensation deep within his heart.
While he was getting up to brush his teeth.
Then, he heard a commotion from the living room.
Still holding his toothbrush, Zhou Huanan leaned back and peered out of the bathroom. He saw a slightly breathless Liu Li, who had clearly been running, placing soy milk and fried dough sticks on the living room coffee table.
Liu Li and the stunned Zhou Huanan met each other’s gaze.
Unbeknownst to her, her flushed cheeks, with strands of sweat-dampened hair clinging to them, appeared to Zhou Huanan as an alluring, ripe fruit.
As Zhou Huanan quickly ducked back to spit out water, he caught his reflection in the mirror, grinning from ear to ear.
However, he quickly realized the situation. After splashing water on his face, he saw Liu Li standing stiffly in the living room, seemingly unsure where to sit.
“Why are you here this morning?”
“I even dreamt you were… ‘servicing’ me yesterday.”
‘I certainly did not!’
Liu Li huffed and shot Zhou Huanan a glare. Seeing her adorable reaction, he decided not to tease her further. After finishing his morning routine, he walked over and sat down to eat breakfast with her.
“By the way, how did you get in?”
At Zhou Huanan’s question, Liu Li tilted her head, stammering that his front door hadn’t been closed. As for why it wasn’t closed, Liu Li remained silent.
“Oh,” Zhou Huanan realized belatedly.
“Good thing I slept on the first floor last night, or it wouldn’t be good if a thief came in to steal something.”
Liu Li’s mouth opened, her expression indicating she wanted to speak but held back.
On second thought, she swallowed her words along with the steamed bun she had picked up. Inevitably, she choked, and Zhou Huanan quickly offered her his soy milk.
Liu Li gulped it down, then let out a long, relieved breath.
“I’m alive again, thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
Zhou Huanan watched as Liu Li placed the soy milk back on the coffee table. Feigning nonchalance, he picked it up, and upon seeing the straw with Liu Li’s teeth marks, he suppressed a smile as he drank.
“I…”
Liu Li, however, was clearly oblivious to Zhou Huanan’s subtle, suggestive actions. Otherwise, even she might have grabbed his shoulders and given him a good pounding.
Liu Li’s gaze drifted. “I saw on the news, did a monster fall into your house yesterday?”
“I just… wanted to come check on you.”
Liu Li fabricated a clumsy lie. Zhou Huanan, observing her hesitance, sensed the girl’s ulterior motives.
Yet, he didn’t delve deeper into it.
‘After all, a girl with ulterior motives…’
‘That’s a good thing!’
Zhou Huanan felt that yesterday’s prophetic dream had been uncannily accurate!
Of course, he somewhat wanted to ask if Liu Li had genuinely snuck into his bed last night. However, he also recalled that Magical Girl Grey Moon had previously ‘refreshed’ in his bed.
Zhou Huanan shook his head, dismissing the thought.
‘Unless Mu Xi suddenly appeared, that would truly startle him, and he would cut her allowance for next week.’
He considered any other characters appearing to be merely the result of his suppressed desires.
The two finished breakfast in a peaceful atmosphere. Zhou Huanan gazed contentedly at the girl beside him, whose head was within easy reach. Her delicate features still held a touch of youthful innocence, yet subtly hinted at the qualities of a future wife. Her small, exquisite nose added to her charm.
Her dark hair cascaded like a waterfall as Liu Li happily held her soy milk with both hands. Seemingly sensing his gaze, the girl’s lively eyes looked over. Upon meeting his stare, she instinctively darted her eyes away, only for them to habitually return.
Little by little, bit by bit.
Until Liu Li’s eyes reflected nothing but Zhou Huanan’s image, containing no room for anything else.
‘Hmph…’
‘Too cute.’
Zhou Huanan tilted his head back, attempting to conceal his inner excitement. Liu Li, however, fixed her gaze on his chin, past his prominent Adam’s apple, and saw Mu Xi descending the stairs.
Upon seeing Liu Li with her brother, Mu Xi’s face naturally contorted into an expression of jealousy.
“Ah! You two!!”
She then charged forward aggressively. Zhou Huanan, still sighing dramatically, felt his mouth twitch. Without even looking, he expertly reached out, grabbing Mu Xi’s face to halt her charge.
“Th-that.”
As expected, Liu Li wasn’t quite adept at handling overly energetic children. Thus, she promptly offered up a portion of breakfast she had specifically saved for her.
“Soy milk? Want some?”
“Yes, please!!”
Mu Xi’s voice was quite loud.
Liu Li felt a mix of envy and relief, seeing that Mu Xi, despite what she had experienced yesterday, showed no signs of trauma and was still so energetic.
After the three of them finished breakfast, they headed to the entryway, preparing to leave.
Zhou Huanan watched as Liu Li opened the overhead cabinet above the shoe rack, pulled out a mask, and put it on. A smile involuntarily curved his lips.
‘He hoped to see this sight every single day.’
Mu Xi’s school was on a different route from theirs, so she waved goodbye reluctantly once they stepped outside. Zhou Huanan then accompanied Liu Li to school.
Zhou Huanan was very popular.
Although there were more eyes on them than usual, Liu Li, drawing on her experience as Magical Girl Grey Moon, realized she didn’t need to care about those stares.
So, she bravely lifted her head.
She saw smiling faces, radiant with youthful vitality.
Liu Li’s lips, hidden beneath her mask, couldn’t help but curl into a grin.
“Hehe~”
“What’s up?” Zhou Huanan asked casually. Hearing that Liu Li was in a good mood today, his own spirits lifted.
“Nothing much. I just suddenly thought Magical Girl Grey Moon is really amazing.”
Magical Girl Grey Moon was indeed amazing.
Zhou Huanan nodded, though his thoughts differed from the ordinary. The naked Magical Girl Grey Moon who had appeared in his dream yesterday—her skin, her touch, her flawless, otherworldly beauty from every angle.
And, entirely unlike reality, her perfectly clingy and obedient demeanor in the dream.
Zhou Huanan mused, Magical Girl Grey Moon was truly formidable.
So formidable, in fact, that she could inspire awe even in his dreams.
****
The Classroom.
Today’s peace was also protected by the Magical Girls.
As usual, Liu Li slacked off during class, scrolling through her phone. She saw countless people online apologizing to Magical Girl Grey Moon.
Among them, the most popular video was from Iron Bull, who was loudly sobbing and declaring he would donate half his earnings to support Magical Girl Grey Moon. His fan count had skyrocketed like a rocket.
Liu Li casually scrolled through more videos. The internet was saturated with “Sorry, Magical Girl Grey Moon” apology videos, along with detailed posts by bloggers explaining how Scarlet Magical Girl had ‘schemed against’ Grey Moon.
Grey Moon was portrayed as utterly miserable, prompting another wave of people to jump out and express their support and sympathy.
At this point, Liu Li switched off her phone.
There was no triumphant smile on her face. She only saw countless people, driven by traffic, speaking out for whichever side happened to be winning.
‘When she truly faced danger…’
‘Where were all these people online who pledged to support Magical Girl Grey Moon for life?’
Liu Li thought of Zhou Huanan, who had stood by her side countless times, no matter how many dangers she had faced.
She watched his back, through the afternoon classes, until school was dismissed.
Just as Liu Li stood up, intending to walk home with Zhou Huanan, their mature female homeroom teacher approached and called her to the office.
Liu Li followed. In the classroom office, where only the two of them were present, the mature teacher inquired about Liu Li’s aspirations for higher education.
‘If it were before…’
‘With a simple “Even if I get in, I don’t have the money for tuition,” Liu Li could have silenced any teacher.’
But now, Liu Li intended to seriously consider following Zhou Huanan’s path, aiming to get into the same university as him.
Seeing Liu Li’s apparent change of heart, the mature teacher pushed up her glasses in disbelief. ‘This child can be taught,’ she thought.
Wiping away a tear of satisfaction, she dismissed Liu Li.
Just as Liu Li was genuinely considering whether to resume her studies.
It was late afternoon, at dusk.
Few students remained in the school. The corridors were empty, save for the distant sounds of students playing basketball on the sports field.
Liu Li rounded the next corner and arrived at her classroom. Through the window, her breath hitched. She saw Genbu Omori, their class president, standing opposite Zhou Huanan. Her eyes were brimming with affection, and she held a delicate box in her hands.
With the bashful demeanor of a young girl, she stood shyly before Zhou Huanan.