Ah.
Gazing at the ceiling, Zhou Huanan found a perverse satisfaction, a soothing balm to his irritation, in picturing his arch-nemesis, Magical Girl Grey Moon, utterly defeated and pathetic beneath him.
It was the most potent episode yet.
A hazy stupor settled over him, and after a few tissues, Zhou Huanan slowly returned to his senses.
Now in his ‘sage mode,’ the imperative to work diligently swiftly reclaimed the forefront of his mind.
Consequently, he retrieved his phone and began searching for Magical Girl Grey Moon online.
Unsurprisingly, the online discussion surrounding the possibility of Magical Girl Grey Moon’s achievements being fabricated ignited a massive uproar across the internet.
“I knew it!” Troll A declared.
“How could Grey Moon possibly compare to the Tri-color Magical Girls, who have safeguarded C City for years? And to overshadow them immediately upon her debut? She must have cheated!”
“So Magical Girl Grey Moon truly is a kill-stealer? That can’t be right, can it?” Netizen B questioned.
“To the previous comment, I can only say it’s highly possible,” Troll C chimed in.
“No, no, that’s completely wrong!” Netizen D countered.
“My dad and I were attacked by a monster on the pedestrian street just recently, and Magical Girl Grey Moon appeared and instantly annihilated it! I even have the video—it was incredibly cool!”
“LOL, ‘dad’ indeed,” Troll E scoffed.
“Kid, go back to school. And that video of yours? Obviously fake, clearly AI-generated.”
The ‘Semi-Awakened’ troll army’s relentless offensive effectively seized control of the narrative, inundating the internet with a deluge of truly AI-generated smears and baseless rumors.
Any voices attempting to defend Grey Moon were utterly drowned out, unable to make even the slightest ripple.
The plan was unfolding with remarkable smoothness.
Zhou Huanan’s thoughts inevitably drifted to the culmination of this elaborate scheme.
Magical Girl Grey Moon might eventually succumb, falling into depravity, and then, her destiny would mirror that of Magical Girl Violet.
And he, Captain 19, despite this task being thrust upon him by the organization, was nonetheless the de facto executor of the plan.
As such, he held the priority right to capture a Magical Girl.
Indeed, he truly had the chance to hold a Magical Girl in his arms—and not just any Magical Girl, but one like Magical Girl Grey Moon, whose beauty would incite envy even among her peers, a paragon among Magical Girls, a breathtaking supernova.
The mere thought was enough to stir his deepest desires.
“Magical Girl Grey Moon, heh heh heh, you’d best not fall into my clutches.”
A smile stretched across the man’s face as he sat in his office, before he replaced his mask.
Driven by the desire to soon embrace a Magical Girl, Captain 19, brimming with enthusiasm, pulled out his phone and sent a text message to Scarlet Magical Girl.
After a considerable wait, the other party finally replied, albeit with palpable reluctance.
Captain 19, grinning widely, then proceeded to discuss the terms for their continued cooperation…
***
School dismissed exceptionally early today.
The dismissal bell rang, yet Liu Li remained slumped over his desk, devoid of energy.
Noticing Zhou Huanan’s seat had been vacant all day, he pulled out his phone to send him a message.
“[Did you take sick leave today? Do you want me to come see you?]”
Zhou Huanan replied instantly: “[No need.]”
“[Okay.]”
Accepting Zhou Huanan’s words, Liu Li swiped away the chat window, opened his browser, and habitually searched for himself online.
‘Magical Girl Grey Moon’
Liu Li discovered, as expected, a proliferation of sharp, critical discussions online.
He pursed his lips in displeasure, typing and deleting numerous words, still sensing that something was amiss with Scarlet Magical Girl.
Lacking direct evidence, however, he couldn’t articulate precisely what felt wrong.
‘Forget it.’
His phone slipped from his grasp.
While Liu Li hadn’t managed to absorb any ‘praise energy’ from the internet today, he knew how detractors operated: all he needed to do was transform into Grey Moon and perform exceptionally well in front of everyone over the next few days.
All the rumors would then crumble under their own weight.
In other words, as long as Magical Girl Grey Moon goes on the offensive, everything will turn out splendidly!!
‘Yosh!’
He lightly patted his cheeks, steeling himself, then rose from his seat and slung his backpack over his shoulder.
The orange glow of the setting sun, streaming through the window, illuminated Liu Li’s profile, momentarily dazzling him after his prolonged slump.
Snapping out of his reverie, Liu Li glanced around the classroom.
Only a handful of students lingered.
His eyes landed on Unohana Ren and the class monitor’s small circle of three.
He inadvertently met Unohana Ren’s gaze, prompting an audible huff of dissatisfaction from her.
“Hey! Liu Li, why are you still here?”
“I’m leaving right now…”
Liu Li instinctively recoiled, biting his lip as he clutched his backpack, a hint of injustice in his hurried departure from the room.
Witnessing this, Unohana Ren clicked her tongue, her gaze remaining fixed on Liu Li’s now-empty seat for a prolonged moment.
‘Hmm… why did he just leave like that?’
“Oh, dear…”
The class monitor, Genbu Omori, rubbed her temples in exasperation, unable to watch any longer.
She wasn’t blind; just moments ago, Unohana Ren had repeatedly cast hesitant glances at Liu Li, clearly wanting to speak with him, yet each time he looked her way, she invariably scared him off.
‘What exactly is going through your mind?’
Class Monitor Genbu, seemingly on the verge of a breakdown, slammed her forehead directly onto the desk.
Victoria, the English committee member, paid her no mind, instead letting out a soft ‘oh’ with her cat-like mouth as she quickly righted her water bottle.
Hailing from a distant island nation, Victoria, though not a native of C City, possessed remarkably refined tastes, especially concerning her hydration.
She carried a sophisticated multi-functional water bottle, boasting a double-layered glass design with a vacuum-sealed interior and a capacity of approximately five hundred milliliters.
Green tea steeped within.
Assured that her bottle was secure, she lifted it with the grace of an English lady, took a pleasant sip, and then meticulously tightened the lid.
“Hey! Look, everyone! The informant I contacted just sent me another message!”
In the classroom, with only Unohana Ren and her two companions remaining, Unohana Ren suddenly exclaimed with delight, clutching her phone.
“He says the Semi-Awakened will also launch an attack tonight, and the location is the aquarium!”
“There hasn’t even been an attack yet, and your informant already knows the location in advance…”
Hearing this, Class Monitor Genbu lifted her head once more, casting a deeply suspicious glance at Unohana Ren.
“Scarlet, are you certain that person is reliable?”
Exactly!
Unohana Ren, from Class 2-E at Sakura International High School, was, in fact, Scarlet Magical Girl, the transforming heroine who had long protected C City!
Her classmate, Class Monitor Genbu Omori, was none other than Emerald Magical Girl, the leader of the Magical Girl Tri-color.
And Glimmering Yellow Magical Girl? She was also in their class, a transfer student and the English committee member, Larissa Victoria.
To think such a small class harbored four Magical Girls and members of an evil organization—it was truly chilling to imagine what other terrifying identities the remaining classmates might secretly possess…
In any case.
Unohana Ren met Genbu’s skeptical gaze with an unconcerned smile.
“It’s fine, really~ I know that person, and their information is highly reliable, you know.”
“So, what do you say? Should we head straight to the scene and ambush them? It’s been ages since I’ve had a chance to visit the aquarium, too!”
Unohana Ren chuckled, throwing a sharp jab into the air, the swift motion creating a faint whoosh.
Her eager, almost frantic readiness to fight suggested boundless energy; indeed, even as she spoke, she had already purchased tickets to the aquarium, a testament to her unparalleled decisiveness.
Now, she opened her phone again to search, and a quick glance revealed the internet was awash with netizens vindicating the Magical Girl Tri-color.
‘That’s right~ Magical Girl Grey Moon, it’s all your fault for your usual actions, making you so arrogant!’
Unohana Ren’s face broke into an even more radiant, childlike smile.
“Victoria, what do you think?”
Genbu looked at Unohana Ren with a profound sense of unease.
She couldn’t shake the feeling that Unohana Ren was far too gleeful, swayed by this so-called ‘informant,’ yet the intel provided that morning had been undeniably accurate.
Hesitantly, she turned her gaze to Victoria.
“Eh, isn’t this perfectly fine, meow?”
Victoria hugged her ‘old cadre’ glass water bottle, warming her hands, her cat-like mouth pursed in an adorable pout.
However, seeing Genbu’s persistent worry, the cat-girl patiently elaborated to assuage her captain’s concerns.
“After Magical Girl Grey Moon defeated the Magma Demon, the Semi-Awakened suffered a major blow to their morale.
And they caused such a huge commotion in the Civic Plaza today.
Tonight will, at most, be just some minor skirmishes.
“Besides, even if it truly is a trap,” Victoria said with a smile, “don’t we have Magical Girl Grey Moon to back us up?”
“Don’t worry~”
“Everything is under control~”