The Second Clash with the Magical Girls

The “Three Little Ones” didn’t let out a breath of relief until they were certain Cheng Ya had left.

Bai He’an asked urgently, “Yunshu, what happened? We can excuse Sister Ran, but why was that mysterious woman able to find us too?”

Jiang Yunshu shook her head frantically. “I don’t know! I don’t know! I’ve never encountered anything like this before!”

Seeing that Jiang Yunshu was just as clueless, Bai He’an suppressed her rising anxiety and began to analyze the situation calmly. “Ran Jiuyi can see through your camouflage because she knows your ability and she’s incredibly strong. But how did that woman do it? I couldn’t sense a drop of mana from her; she felt like a total civilian. And from their conversation, she clearly didn’t know who we were or what we could do.”

No matter how they turned it over in their minds, they couldn’t find an answer. At that moment, the habitually timid Yiziling began to get cold feet. Clearly shaken by Cheng Ya’s earlier remarks, she said timidly, “Maybe we should head back for today? Even if we didn’t catch Sister Ran red-handed, we’ve confirmed she’s likely ‘Bian.’ Isn’t that enough?”

“No,” Bai He’an countered immediately. “It’s not enough. We know Ran Jiuyi is Bian and we’ve overheard some secrets, but we know absolutely nothing about the woman she met.”

“…You don’t seriously want to keep tailing that woman, do you? My ability is useless against her. Think carefully, it’s dangerous,” Jiang Yunshu warned. “She’s definitely not as simple as she looks. Why don’t we try again another day?”

“No,” Bai He’an replied firmly. “Today is a rare opportunity. If we miss it, we might never get another one. We have to seize this. If you two want to go home, go ahead. I’m going to keep following her!”

With that, Bai He’an set off in the direction Cheng Ya had gone. Faced with this, Jiang Yunshu and Yiziling had no choice but to follow; they couldn’t bear the thought of letting Bai He’an track her alone.

The good news was that, contrary to their expectations of some high-tech vehicle, Cheng Ya’s “transport” was a simple taxi she hailed from the side of the road. Thanks to this, the trio had little trouble keeping pace.

Still, they didn’t dare lower their guard. Who knew if that ordinary taxi had some high-tech modifications—like a cloaking device that could make it vanish into thin air at any moment?

The taxi finally slowed to a crawl and stopped in a wasteland on the outskirts of the city.

“Thanks. Keep the change,” Cheng Ya said, stepping out.

The driver didn’t say a word. After taking the money, he floored it and vanished. The middle-aged man had already sensed that Cheng Ya was bad news and wasn’t about to stick around for trouble.

Watching the taxi disappear, Cheng Ya turned toward the empty wilderness.

“You girls are certainly dedicated. I’ve already spotted you, yet you’re still tailing me. How much do they pay you a month for this kind of work?”

The figures of the three girls flickered into view before Cheng Ya. Jiang Yunshu asked with a stony face, “How did you see through my illusion?”

“Sound,” Cheng Ya replied, giving an answer they never expected. “The three of your heartbeats are way too obvious. Besides, while your illusion can block visible light, it doesn’t block invisible spectrums like infrared. Oh, and the scent is quite distinct too. Next time, use a better brand of shampoo; that one is far too pungent.”

Long ago, Cheng Ya had used her abilities to drastically enhance her sight, hearing, and smell. Jiang Yunshu’s illusion was sufficient to fool ordinary people or non-sensory power users, but it was transparent to someone with Cheng Ya’s hyper-senses.

“So, did Ran Jiuyi send you after me for a reason? Has she had a change of heart and agreed to my deal?”

Bai He’an snapped, “She has nothing to do with this! Don’t group us with her. I suggest you surrender now and tell us your identity and everything you know. Do that, and we won’t have to get rough.”

Cheng Ya tilted her head. “Oh? You aren’t with Ran Jiuyi? How interesting. She seemed quite concerned about you. Is this what they call ‘adolescent rebellion’? Truly—”

A laser beam cut her off. Bai He’an’s expression was dark. “I’ll say it again: we have nothing to do with her. Now, surrender quietly!”

Yiziling hesitated. “An-jie, is all this seriousness really necessary? Maybe we should just talk to her first? She might tell us about her connection with Sister Ran voluntarily.”

“Ziling, don’t be naive,” Bai He’an said. “Reasoning doesn’t work with people like this. You have to use force.”

Watching the farce unfold, Cheng Ya asked casually, “Why don’t you go back, finish discussing how to handle me, and then come back? I actually don’t mind chatting, but could we wait a bit? I need to finish dealing with Ran Jiuyi’s business first. Will you let me go?”

Another laser beam from Bai He’an was her answer.

Seeing that conversation was impossible, Cheng Ya sighed with resignation. “Did it ever occur to you why I dared to come here alone? You’re being very childish. And I’m warning you, if I start fighting, there’s a chance I might get… ‘carried away.’ Don’t blame me if things get ugly.”

“But I can guarantee one thing: I won’t kill you.”

As she spoke, Cheng Ya began to strip off her clothes, revealing a curvaceous, well-proportioned figure.

Jiang Yunshu immediately tried to stop her. “Stop, stop, stop! What are you doing? Why are you taking your clothes off?!”

“So I don’t run out of clothes later, obviously,” Cheng Ya answered as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “You think everyone is like you Magical Girls, able to fix their outfits with a bit of mana? Besides, we’re all girls here. What’s there to be shy about?”

Watching Cheng Ya become increasingly naked, Jiang Yunshu’s face turned bright red. “You still don’t have to strip right in front of us! Ziling, An-jie, say something to her!”

Yiziling looked on with pure innocence. “I think she’s got a point. We’re all girls, so it shouldn’t be a problem, right?”

Bai He’an remained deadly serious. “A battle is about to start and you’re worried about this?”

They made so much sense that Jiang Yunshu was left speechless. She could only yell at Cheng Ya, “Then couldn’t you find somewhere to hide before stripping?!”

“I’m just doing what’s convenient. Oh? She’s here too?”

Following Cheng Ya’s gaze, a violet-black silhouette was rapidly approaching. In just a few moments, she landed before the group.

It was Ran Jiuyi, now in her Magical Girl form. After leaving the cafe, she had realized halfway back that the trio tailing her had disappeared. Worried they had run into danger, she followed the trail of residual mana and rushed over as fast as she could.

“Why are you here? Couldn’t leave these three alone?”

“…”

Seeing that Ran Jiuyi wouldn’t answer, Cheng Ya didn’t push. She simply wrapped her hands around her own neck. “Fine, if you don’t want to talk. But since you’re here, I’ll leave these three to you. We’ll chat later.”

With a sharp crack, under the horrified gazes of the girls, Cheng Ya cleanly snapped her own neck and collapsed limply to the ground.

“Hey! Hey! Hang on, I’ll heal you!”

Seeing Cheng Ya fall, Yiziling tried to rush forward to help, but Bai He’an and Jiang Yunshu held her back.

“Wait! It’s too dangerous!” Jiang Yunshu cried.

“Exactly. Ziling, calm down. She’s dead; healing won’t do anything now.” Bai He’an’s eyes were locked onto Ran Jiuyi. “Besides, we have a much bigger problem to deal with.”

Heartbeat, blood pressure, respiration—all gone. Her pupils were dilating. Every sign of life had vanished; she was undeniably dead.

After double-checking Cheng Ya’s condition, Ran Jiuyi gave the corpse a light kick. This woman had played a brilliant move. By “dying” like this, she had forced the trio’s attention entirely onto Ran Jiuyi, making a battle between them almost inevitable.

And was Cheng Ya really dead? Ran Jiuyi didn’t believe it for a second. A mad scientist like her surely had countless enhancements and backups. The one who just committed suicide was likely a clone—manufacturing clones of oneself was exactly the kind of thing Ran Jiuyi expected from Cheng Ya.

Ran Jiuyi raised her hands. “You three, can we call a truce? Or maybe another day…”

Before she could finish, a hail of fire from Bai He’an saturated her position.

Unlike their previous fight, Bai He’an had swapped her arm cannons for twin rotary machine guns. While the individual power was lower, the area of effect was much larger and far harder to dodge.

However, Bai He’an had underestimated Ran Jiuyi’s reflexes. The moment the firing started, Ran Jiuyi had already flickered back to a safe distance, leaving only Cheng Ya’s corpse to be shredded into mincemeat by the bullets.

It seemed words were useless. To get the trio to quiet down, Ran Jiuyi would have to use force.

Seeing the sneak attack fail, Bai He’an warned her teammates, “Be careful. She’s even faster than our last encounter. She likely wasn’t using her full strength last time.”

Jiang Yunshu and Yiziling nodded. They could feel that Ran Jiuyi was significantly more dangerous than before.

“Did you modify yourself specifically to counter me? Not bad,” Ran Jiuyi praised. “The rotary guns are definitely harder to avoid than the cannons. Do the other two have any new tricks?”

The trio didn’t answer. They began their coordinated assault.

Bai He’an soared into the sky, locking all her weapons onto Ran Jiuyi—six floating bits and four rotary guns primed to fire. Jiang Yunshu unleashed her illusion again; as flower petals drifted around Ran Jiuyi, both her and Yiziling’s presence vanished completely.

“One for suppression, two for the ambush?” Ran Jiuyi remarked. “Good momentum. Let’s see what you’re really made of.”