The social death of [Saint]

[“Magical Girl ★ Kokoruru” Latest Limited Edition Figure Arriving Today!]

A tall woman stood in front of the display shelf in the merchandise store.

She wore a mask and a baseball cap, completely concealing herself, but even so, it couldn’t hide the cool temperament that emanated from her very bones.

“Alright! I have to buy a lot today.”

The woman’s name was Li Yu’an, also known as the current No. 8 hero, [Saintess].

At this moment, she had none of the cold seriousness she usually displayed when carrying out hero missions. Her eyes were filled with an irrepressible passion.

“The figure is so cute, the keychain is so cute, the sticker is so cute…”

Li Yu’an stood before a whole row of merchandise, her gaze sweeping over pillows, badges, and stickers, finally stopping on a model of a pink, heart-shaped transformation necklace.

“If only… I could be as cute as Ruru-chan.”

Before she had even finished speaking, Li Yu’an picked up a stuffed doll wearing a sailor uniform from the side and gently squeezed its ears.

She secretly glanced around again, and after confirming that no one was paying attention to her, she gently pressed the doll to her cheek.

“So soft… so moe, it’s really so cute…”

Just then, someone behind Li Yu’an cleared their throat.

“Ahem…”

“Um… miss, could you please move aside? I’d like to get the merchandise in front of you.”

Li Yu’an subconsciously stepped aside, making room.

“Ah, my apologies.”

The expression on her face switched as if controlled by a remote, her entire being shifting from a relaxed state to a state of alert, returning to her emotionless, iceberg-like state.

The black-haired young man moved closer to Li Yu’an, staring intently at the merchandise on the shelf.

Yang Yuan didn’t notice the change in the woman’s eyes next to him. He focused on pulling a delicately packaged [Magical Girl Ultimate Form – Clear Assembly Model] from the shelf.

Li Yu’an stared at the merchandise in his hand, and after a few seconds of silence, she finally couldn’t help but ask.

“Are you also a fan of this series?”

The sudden question made Yang Yuan’s hand pause as he was selecting merchandise.

He turned his head, glanced at Li Yu’an, and nodded in reply.

“I guess you could say so.”

He didn’t dare to say he was a one hundred percent fan of “Starlight Magical Girl.” After all, he was mainly here to buy a gift for Su Xiaoyou.

For some reason, Li Yu’an felt her mood relax a little, and her voice softened considerably, as if she could finally talk to a “kindred spirit.”

“This is the first time I’ve seen a guy who also likes Kokoruru! Her popularity is clearly the lowest, I never thought I’d meet a fellow fan!”

Seeing that Yang Yuan was holding Kokoruru’s assembly model, she became even more enthusiastic in her explanation.

“I also really like her ultimate form, especially those wing hair ornaments and the starlight boots, they’re really well-replicated.”

“And this staff, it’s different from the one in the art book. It’s actually the final design from the limited edition movie.”

The other’s incessant explanation left Yang Yuan a little unsure of how to respond, but he didn’t want to spoil her mood either.

“Indeed, it’s quite exquisite.”

The more Li Yu’an talked, the more excited she became. She felt the mask was too much of a hindrance, and to make speaking more convenient, she naturally pulled off the mask, completely unaware that her identity as a hero had been exposed.

“You’re… [Saintess]?”

The stunningly beautiful and cool face before him shocked Yang Yuan a little. He had seen a photo of this face on the news on his phone, it was exactly the same.

The astonished expression on Yang Yuan’s face finally made Li Yu’an realize what she had done.

“You’ve mistaken me for someone else.”

She hugged the doll and squatted down in shame, turning her back to Yang Yuan. Her entire being was completely consumed by a self-inflicted social-death panic, and she kept muttering under her breath.

“It’s over! It’s over! It’s over!”

‘Will he post this online? The headline will definitely be something like “Cool and Aloof Heroine is Actually a Hardcore Otaku in Private”…’

Li Yu’an was already imagining all of tomorrow’s news headlines being about her embarrassing reports, feeling like the sky was about to fall.

Yang Yuan heard the string of mutterings and was a little speechless, but he could understand.

After all, a nationally famous hero, caught in a merchandise store pressing a doll to her face and saying “so cute,” anyone would have a meltdown on the spot if they were seen.

But Yang Yuan didn’t care about these things. He just wanted to quickly pick out a gift and go home to prepare a surprise for Su Xiaoyou, so he continued to select merchandise.

And Li Yu’an, who was still feeling like she had socially died, waited for a long time but didn’t hear the expected ridicule or the sound of a camera shutter.

She looked back and found that Yang Yuan was still there, calmly selecting items.

Li Yu’an put her mask back on and asked in a deliberately maintained cold tone.

“Didn’t you recognize me?”

Yang Yuan simply replied: “Mmm.”

“Then… you’re not planning to post this online and make me socially die?”

“Do you have a persecution complex…”

The question the other person raised left Yang Yuan a little speechless. Did he really not look like a good person?

“Sorry, I misjudged you.”

Li Yu’an was instantly relieved. She felt that this man in front of her seemed to be a pretty good person.

“Next time you come, I can recommend you some hidden models.”

Just like that, she hurriedly scooped up a large pile of selected merchandise from her side, preparing to leave and pay.

“That’s a lot, are you sure you can carry it all?”

“Of course I can.”

The next second, the mountain of merchandise in her arms lost its balance and all fell to the ground.

“Uh, now I can’t.”

In the end, it was the kind-hearted Yang Yuan who helped her carry half of the “spoils of war,” and the two walked out of the store together.

Li Yu’an felt utterly ashamed to be seen by Yang Yuan in such a disheveled state.

“Today… thank you. How should I thank you?”

“Just don’t kill me to keep your secret,” Yang Yuan said casually.

“What kind of great villain do you take me for!”

Just as her words fell, a woman wearing glasses, walking in a hurry, passed by Yang Yuan and accidentally bumped his left arm.

“Hiss…”

A sharp pain shot through the wound on his left arm, and Yang Yuan’s face turned pale.

“I’m so sorry, are you alright?” the woman with glasses quickly apologized.

“It’s nothing.”

Seeing that Yang Yuan wasn’t pursuing the matter, the other person kept apologizing while quickly walking away.

But Li Yu’an noticed the pained expression on Yang Yuan’s face and asked with concern, “What’s wrong with your arm?”

“I got a small injury a few days ago, it’s nothing serious.”

As a healing hero, Li Yu’an was very sensitive to the reactions of the injured. She felt it wasn’t a small injury.

After the two said their goodbyes, she watched Yang Yuan’s departing back.

At the same time, she brought her right index and middle fingers together and, facing the direction Yang Yuan was in, quietly activated her ability.

A nearly invisible, emerald-green light shot out from Li Yu’an’s fingertips and accurately entered Yang Yuan’s left arm.

Silently, the hideous wound began to heal rapidly under the power of the [Sacred Jade Light].

“Ah, I forgot to get his contact information…”

Li Yu’an only just realized this and said with some annoyance.

“I was even thinking of showing him more of the limited edition merchandise I’ve collected.”

****

Not far away, the woman with glasses who had just bumped into Yang Yuan was walking slowly, deep in thought.

‘I touched Yang Yuan, so the ability should have taken effect.’

‘But… how did he get mixed up with [Saintess]?’

‘Could it be that Su Xiaoyou being NTR’d started from this moment?’