Thursday

Morning sunlight filtered through the sheer curtains, scattering softly across the girl’s body.

A corner of lace trim peeked out from the edge of the blanket.

One bra strap hung loosely off her arm, exposing a smooth shoulder.

She lay sprawled across the bed in a starfish position.

The dress discarded on the floor, the rumpled bedsheets, and the pillow kicked far away all testified to just how terrible her sleeping posture was.

6:15.

An alarm of unknown origin rang inside the room.

The girl struggled for a moment before finally opening her eyes and shutting it off.

After sitting up, she began fumbling around on the bed, patting and flipping things over.

She lifted the blanket, picked up the pillow, and only when she kicked aside the hem of a dress did something hard clatter onto the floor.

It was her phone.

She picked it up, turned off the alarm properly, and only then began dressing at an unhurried pace.

When putting on her underwear, he clumsily adjusted the straps.

When pulling up the zipper of the skirt, his movements were clearly unfamiliar.

Standing in front of the mirror, he examined himself.

He knew his current appearance was far less polished than yesterday’s “Xia Yuhe.”

After all, he had no experience with makeup.

He frowned, then relaxed his brow.

Compared to that, something else bothered him more.

‘I need to completely deal with that body…’

The image of that frail original form surfaced in his mind, filling him with disgust.

He looked himself over again.

It was true that he didn’t look nearly as good as Xia Yuhe had yesterday, but that didn’t really bother her.

Finally, she slipped into a pair of well-fitting high heels.

Her steps were unsteady.

Each stride felt like walking a tightrope.

She moved cautiously, afraid that a single misstep would twist her ankle.

As a student, the first place she went wasn’t school, but her own residence outside.

Opening the wardrobe made his head ache.

Colorful dresses filled it to the brim.

Still, this was preferable to opening it and seeing nothing but erotic lingerie.

That would’ve been truly unsettling for a first-year high school girl.

After some effort, he dug out a dark-colored casual outfit from the corner and let out a sigh of relief.

He felt much more at ease dressed like this.

Fortunately, Xia Yuhe’s new school didn’t require uniforms.

Otherwise, walking through the streets in a JK skirt would’ve been deeply uncomfortable.

Thankfully, Xia Yuhe owned plenty of flats.

If she only had high heels, that would’ve been a nightmare.

Following her usual routine, she took the city bus that cost 1.5 yuan per ride.

While riding, she scrolled through her phone, browsing Xia Yuhe’s social media.

She wanted to familiarize herself with her speech patterns and social circle, to avoid trouble once she returned to the Xia household.

When it was finally time for school—

Standing on the podium beside the teacher, facing rows of black-haired heads, she felt a little intimidated.

“Let’s welcome our new transfer student,” the teacher said, clapping her hands to quiet the class.

“H-Hello… I’m Xia Yuhe.”

He Zunyi stood at the podium, his gaze drifting, his speech stiff.

“Please… take care of me.”

At that moment, Fang Yutian suddenly straightened in his seat.

He stared intently at the new transfer student.

After a moment of recollection, he recognized her.

She was the girl who had been knocked to the ground yesterday.

If it weren’t for him appearing as Red, who knew what might’ve happened to her.

Ma Guohao noticed Fang Yutian sitting up.

He rested his bandage-wrapped mechanical hand against his cheek.

“You’d better not get your hopes up.”

Ever since Ma Guohao’s monsterization ended, he wrapped his mechanical hands in bandages in public.

He claimed the bandages sealed dark power, and removing them would trigger a world crisis.

Everyone assumed it was just middle-school syndrome.

“What’s wrong with her?” Fang Yutian asked.

“Well…”

“She’s the Xia family’s daughter.”

“The daughter of the chairman of Tianyu Group.”

“A textbook spoiled rich kid.”

“She’s polite, sure, but ordinary people don’t stand a chance.”

“I’ve never heard of her liking anyone.”

“Playboy?”

“You’re one to talk.”

After all, if anyone was the richest young master in the city, it was Ma Guohao.

If he didn’t count as one, then who did?

“Uh… well…”

Ma Guohao stared at Fang Yutian, then sighed.

“I’ve heard rumors.”

“Back in middle school, some clueless guy kept writing her love letters.”

“He tried everything.”

“Day after day, no response.”

“And then one day… he disappeared.”

“Along with his entire family.”

“Some said they saw Xia family people entering that neighborhood.”

“Others said the boy had a big argument shortly before vanishing.”

“Anyway, no one ever saw them again.”

“So… she likes girls?” Fang Yutian asked.

He recalled that when he appeared in front of her as a Magical Girl, she hadn’t shown much disgust.

“Anyway, my point is, don’t get too close.”

“Whether there’s interest or not, keep a polite distance.”

“Well, that’s awkward.”

“Because the only empty seat in this classroom is next to me.”

“So how polite is ‘polite distance,’ exactly?”

Fang Yutian pointed to his left.

A window-side seat sat empty.

Ma Guohao’s expression froze.

Like a puppet, he slowly turned his head toward the podium.

“There’s only one seat left.”

“Go ahead and sit next to Fang Yutian.”

“Okay.”

“Okay.”

He Zunyi walked over.

Her face carried a faint look of fatigue, but in others’ eyes, it gave her a unique charm.

She stopped beside Fang Yutian and studied him carefully.

His features were delicate.

His skin was fair.

His frame was slender.

Especially his eyes—bright and expressive, as if they could speak.

She thought to herself, ‘Judging by the name, he’s a boy… so why is he prettier than most girls?’

‘And his Adam’s apple is barely noticeable…’

‘Could he be… a femboy?’

As Xia Yuhe took the seat, her shining eyes lingered on Fang Yutian.

Then the young miss asked bluntly,

“Um… are you a boy or a girl?”

The moment the words left her mouth, He Zunyi felt every pair of eyes in the classroom snap toward her.

It felt like a volcano was about to erupt.

Was that really such an offensive question?

Am I the only one curious?

Fang Yutian’s expression remained calm.

Ever since becoming a Magical Girl, his appearance had grown increasingly feminine.

That wasn’t something he could ignore.

People caring was normal.

What surprised him more was that no one had said it outright until now.

Still, being questioned so directly stung a little.

“I’m a man.”

“Sorry if that disappoints you~”

“Oh, not at all.”

“You’re just really good-looking.”

Seeing his expression darken slightly, He Zunyi felt a strange sense of kinship.

As a man, you must’ve struggled too.

Even though she was now fully female and had no right to say it, she empathized deeply.

“Yeah.”

“I’ve stopped caring about that.”

Fang Yutian pinched his arm.

All he felt was soft fat, barely any muscle.

He clenched his fist.

He was going to start working out.

He couldn’t let himself keep deteriorating like this.

Meanwhile—

Xia Yuhe carried a bag of fragments into a repair shop.

Inside were parts she didn’t recognize.

Red, blue, and yellow wires of various sizes.

Chips.

Ports.

A man in a black tank top and work pants lay on a chair, sleeping under a fan.

“I heard you can fix anything here.”

She placed the bag on the counter and asked hoarsely.

The man didn’t respond.

He just scratched his belly in his sleep.

Xia Yuhe was about to call out again, but Kada didn’t give her the chance.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

His fist slammed against the counter.

The man jolted awake and stared blankly at Kada and Xia Yuhe.

A cyborg with a mechanical prosthetic.

And a withered-looking man with a deadwood complexion.

These days, anyone really does come to my shop.

“I heard you can fix anything?” Xia Yuhe pointed at the bag.

Though visibly displeased, the man upheld the customer-is-god principle.

He got up and opened the bag.

Inside was a pile of shattered components.

Judging from the larger pieces, it had once been a pair of electronic helmets.

“Hmmm…”

“At this point, I’d recommend just buying a new one.”

“That’s not something you can buy on the market,” Xia Yuhe said flatly.

“Oh?”

The man’s face lit up with excitement.