Searching for Relatives

Boom—!

The policewoman was thrown to the grassy verge, held tightly in Bai Hai’s embrace.

Behind them, the police car was engulfed in a massive explosion.

Just a moment ago, a stray shockwave from the battle between the magical girl and the Anomaly had shot in their direction.

If not for Bai Hai’s quick reaction, the two of them would have been consumed by the flames, just like the police car.

“Tha… thank you,” the policewoman said, lying on the grass with a look of lingering fear.

Bai Hai, however, didn’t notice her reaction.

He was still staring intently at the distant battlefield, and after a long moment, he muttered to himself, “What kind of fighting style is this…”

The battle was nearing its end.

With a final roar from the eyeball monster, the girl raised her wand high and unleashed her final spell, blasting the monster into ashes that rained down beautifully from the sky.

In an instant, applause and cheers echoed throughout the city.

The girl turned her head, flashing a sweet smile at the excited crowd and waving.

This was a moment of victory.

The applause and camera flashes were the reasons she fought.

However, on a whim, the girl’s gaze swept over a certain direction and landed on a peculiar outlier.

The person stood on the road, showing no sign of excitement or gratitude.

Despite holding a rather high-end camera, he wasn’t aiming the lens at her.

Instead, he was staring at her with an indescribable expression, a gaze that was scrutinizing and… critical.

The girl recognized him immediately. She had just saved him.

‘How annoying.’

The girl pouted internally, grumbling about his ingratitude.

She had saved his life, and this was the attitude she got?

However, a righteous magical girl couldn’t show her dissatisfaction with the public.

Besides, the people around had mostly finished taking their pictures.

So, with a wave of her wand, she transformed into a streak of light and vanished before everyone’s eyes, leaving behind a sea of cheers.

“It’s safe now.”

The policewoman let out a soft sigh and looked at Bai Hai.

He was still standing like a statue, gazing in the direction the magical girl had disappeared.

She gave a bitter smile and said, “What’s with that look? It’s like you’ve never seen a magical girl before.”

“I haven’t.” Bai Hai retracted his gaze. “I’ve been living abroad all this time. I just returned to the country today.”

“No wonder. I was wondering who would be foolish enough to run around in a lockdown zone during a Level Three alert.” The policewoman teased, “Now you’ve seen it, haven’t you? This country has dangerous Anomalies, but it also has invincible magical girls. They’re the real saviors.”

“Saviors?” Bai Hai rubbed his nose and suddenly said with great seriousness, “All I see is a child. Don’t you think so too, Officer?”

The policewoman froze, and she remained frozen for a good five or six seconds before saying, as if forcefully changing the subject, “Where are you headed, kid? I’ll give you a ride in a police car later.”

“Really? Thank you so much.”

“It’s a small thing. It’s a police officer’s duty to help lost citizens get home… By the way, what are you doing back in the country?”

“Looking for family.”

A dazzling streak of light shot across the sky, descending towards the second-floor balcony of a townhouse.

It then deftly slipped into the room, and an elegant figure materialized from the light—it was the magical girl who had just battled the Anomaly.

The girl remained motionless in her landing pose, her expression serious, her eyes fixed on the full-length mirror before her.

The mirror reflected her magnificent figure, the setting sun behind her casting a blood-red glow upon her.

After a full minute, an irrepressible grin spread across her lips, and she whispered, “Perfect landing. So cool!”

In the dimly lit room under the setting sun, the magical girl who had just fought a monster like a savior was now jumping and bouncing around like a child.

After striking several supposedly cool poses, she flipped backward and rolled onto her large bed.

“Took care of another one. Looks like it won’t be long before I level up. It’s not that hard at all.”

With a wave of her wand, the magnificent dress on her body dissolved into scattered particles of light, reverting to an ordinary school uniform.

Now back to her middle school girl appearance, Xia Cheng took a breath and sprawled ungracefully against a large doll on the bed, her legs spread apart. She pulled out her phone and began scrolling through it hastily.

She finally stopped on a page titled “Magical Girl Ye Huasheng Fan Page.”

After a few seconds, she pumped her fist in excitement.

“Awesome! My ranking on the Magic Site just shot up to sixty-sixth! Looks like I’ll be on the first three pages soon.”

Xia Cheng let out a few random shouts, her face a mixture of fatigue and excitement.

She then pulled a pack of spicy gluten strips from her school uniform pocket and began to munch on them, her gaze falling on the peculiar pendant around her neck.

It was a blood-red crystal encased in metal.

The craftsmanship was exquisite, so much so that it looked like a mass-produced item from some small-goods market.

But upon closer inspection, one would notice a faint light within the crystal, twinkling like a star.

Xia Cheng chewed on the spicy gluten strips, unable to help but recall the day her fate changed—a month ago.

After her evening self-study session, she was heading home as usual when she was attacked by an Anomaly on the way.

Just in the nick of time, she awakened some mysterious power, successfully defeated the monster, and obtained this peculiar pendant.

Afterward, the legendary magical girls found her and told her this pendant was called the Source Blood, the proof of the awakening of a magical girl’s power.

Even today, Xia Cheng felt like these past days had been a dream.

Becoming a magical girl, forming a team with reliable partners, and even gaining adoring fans…

Good things kept happening one after another. Every day was so blissful.

Xia Cheng bit into the spicy gluten strips, sweetly imagining the future, occasionally letting out a silly laugh and wiping her greasy fingers on the edge of the bed.

She thought, today must have been a perfect solo show.

Clearly, everyone present was thanking her from the bottom of their hearts, and they had already become her fans.

Except for one person.

An arrogant face suddenly appeared in her sweet reverie, and Xia Cheng’s mood soured.

That scrutinizing, critical gaze seemed to pierce through her fantasy and land on her again, which made her very unhappy.

‘What kind of attitude is that?’

‘I clearly saved his life, and he doesn’t even show a bit of gratitude, instead giving me that disgusting look.’

‘Just you wait. The next time you encounter a monster, I definitely won’t save you!’

The more she thought about it, the angrier she got.

Xia Cheng abruptly threw the half-eaten spicy gluten strips and their packaging to the floor.

Her cheeks puffed out in anger, as if she had suffered some great injustice.

She pounded on the edge of the bed, letting out a series of muffled grunts and yells, hitting harder and harder to vent her frustration, until she saw the doorknob of her room turn sharply.

“Xia Cheng, what kind of racket are you making up there!”

A middle-aged woman with a hint of anger on her face walked in.

She looked quite young. Although she was in loungewear, her taste in clothes was good.

So if not for the wrinkles between her brows and that maternal air about her, she could have passed for twenty-seven or twenty-eight.

“I can do what I want!” Xia Cheng was embarrassed for a couple of seconds, then retorted coldly, “And how many times have I told you, don’t just come into my room!”

Jiang Yue’s elegant eyebrows shot up, clearly three parts angrier with her daughter now.

However, she didn’t scold her as she used to.

Instead, she took a deep breath to calm herself. After all, today was a very important day.

“I can’t be bothered with you. Get dressed and come downstairs now. Your brother is about to arrive. He’s come a long way, so don’t act like a crazy girl.”

After speaking, Jiang Yue took out her phone, dialing a number as she walked downstairs.

Xia Cheng quickly closed the door, then felt puzzled.

‘My brother?’

Xia Cheng tilted her head, taking a moment to recall.

Her mother had mentioned before that she had a half-brother.

But he had gone missing when he was very young, supposedly in a shipwreck.

Although the police investigation concluded he was deceased, her mother had always refused to believe it.

And just a month ago, her mother had received a phone call and been gone for over a week.

When she returned, she told her with great excitement, “Your brother isn’t dead. He’s just been living abroad all this time.”

Xia Cheng hadn’t paid it much mind, because by then she had already become a magical girl.

‘What a pain.’

Xia Cheng grumbled, but she obediently picked out a pleated skirt from her closet, put it on, and went downstairs.

Although she had no interest in this brother who had suddenly appeared, she was very concerned about how others perceived her.

At the very least, she couldn’t meet someone in a school uniform that reeked of spicy gluten strips.

Besides, she was also quite curious about what this legendary brother who had supposedly died at sea was really like.

When she reached the living room, she noticed that her mother was dressed very formally today, wearing a dress she had never seen before.

She sat on the sofa, glancing at the front door from time to in, or checking her phone for messages, looking very nervous.

Xia Cheng pouted, thinking, ‘Is it necessary to be so nervous?’

Seeing her daughter’s expression, Jiang Yue instinctively wanted to flare up, but the words, “You’re meeting him in that?” had barely formed in her mouth when a crisp doorbell rang from outside—

“Ding.”

Jiang Yue quickly stood up, glanced down to smooth out the wrinkles in her dress, ran a hand through her hair, and walked over to open the door.

“Mm… Uh… You’re here?”

Xia Cheng curiously followed.

The blood-like light of the setting sun shone into the house from outside.

The person stood silhouetted against the light, talking to her mother.

Because he was blocked, she couldn’t see his face clearly, only a tall figure.

He was at least two or three heads taller than her.

His build looked even stronger than the gym teacher at school.

His hair was long, the kind a male protagonist in a TV drama might have.

‘Looks like he’s not bad.’

“It’s alright. An officer brought me back.”

Xia Cheng curiously craned her neck, trying to get a clear view of his face.

But her mother, Jiang Yue, obviously noticed her daughter’s gaze first.

Her face suddenly hardened.

“What are you standing there for? Hurry up and call him brother.”

Xia Cheng rolled her eyes, annoyed by her mother’s commanding tone.

Just as she was about to argue, the tall figure turned his head, revealing a gentle smile.

“I’ve heard a lot about you. Nice to meet you, my name is Bai Hai.”

The person turned his face, revealing his features in the blood-red sunset.

He was young, and quite handsome… maybe even very handsome.

He had a gentle smile that was very infectious under the setting sun.

‘But why does he seem so familiar?’

Xia Cheng was speechless, meeting the eyes of this so-called brother.

Suddenly, she understood what was so familiar.

That scrutinizing and critical gaze was now fixed on her!

“Why is it you! What are you doing here?!”