A Newcomer and a Request

(Bai Ziye)

Though I desperately wanted to distance myself from the situation, I couldn’t bear to leave Yang Yan’s condition unchecked. I followed her to the treatment facility and stayed by her side through the entire examination.

This facility was a subsidiary of the Magical Girl Association. The Association fully understood the desire of many magical girls to hide their identities, so even unregistered “wild” magical girls were welcomed. Any magical girl could receive top-tier, completely free treatment here.

As pleasant as it sounded, I had never once taken advantage of it before today.

Partly, it was because I was strong enough that I had never actually been injured in combat. But more importantly, I couldn’t shake the suspicion that there was an ulterior motive behind this “free” treatment. I didn’t fully trust the Association. In my experience, organizations like this were often the real masterminds behind the scenes.

“You’ve got eighteen fractures throughout your body, plus internal bleeding, soft tissue damage, and several severe sprains… The doctor said you can’t get out of bed for at least a month and can’t fight for three. Right now, de-transforming could even be life-threatening, so they’re going to leave the Star Crystal inside your body for the time being.”

Yang Yan, unable to move, nodded weakly. “Thank you, Miss Miluno.”

The one who should be thanking her was me. If she hadn’t risked her life to save that idiot A-Yao, I would have lost my best friend.

Her battle suit had been retracted into her Star Crystal for repairs. Dressed in the institution’s hospital gown and stripped of her flashy attire, she looked like nothing more than a frail, bandaged girl. Her personality was far less explosive than her “Fire Turkey” title suggested—at least in front of me, she was quite docile.

“Don’t say that,” I replied, keeping my voice cold and distant as Miluno. “To keep my identity hidden, I can’t move around during the day. You’ve had a hard time covering this sector for me all this time.”

“Then why did you come this time? Did you see through the enemy’s traits?”

Because some idiot ran into the cordon…

But I couldn’t say that out loud.

“No, I didn’t know the enemy’s abilities either. But your final explosion wasn’t useless. That thing became brittle after it turned red-hot, so I was able to shatter it with a single kick.”

She gave a bitter smile. “Miss Miluno doesn’t need to comfort me. You’re so strong that thing was probably never a threat to you, right?”

“Was it?”

“Definitely!”

As we talked, a woman in a business suit walked into the room. Apart from the medical staff, only injured magical girls and Association workers were allowed in this facility, so her identity wasn’t hard to guess.

“It looks like the Association has business with you. I’ll take my leave now, Yang Yan. Get some rest.”

“Mm, take care, Miss Miluno.”

I was about to head out, but the suited woman called out to me.

“Please wait! I’d also like to have a word with you!”

Being addressed with such high honorifics by someone clearly older than me made me feel a bit awkward.

“What is it? If it’s about registering, save your breath. I’m a strict advocate for identity concealment.”

“Of course, the Association understands your situation. All your rewards so far have been accumulated, and they will be handed over to you in a lump sum whenever you decide to formally register.”

In other words, if I didn’t register, I wouldn’t get a cent. They could have just given me the cash; the implication was far too obvious.

“Then what is it you want?”

“Miss Miluno, the Association would like to ask you to be active during the daytime as much as possible. After all, no one else can fill the gap left by Miss Yang Yan for the time being.”

“That’s fine.”

“Also, the Association has assigned a new recruit to this sector. We’d appreciate it if you could take some time to guide her.”

“I don’t need a partner,” I refused immediately.

It sounded like a massive hassle. Though it would reinforce my “Ice Queen” image, I had always made it a rule to minimize interaction with others while transformed. The more contact I had, the greater the risk of exposure.

Yang Yan, immobilized in her bed, sighed. “Sigh… How about I handle guiding the new girl?”

“Yang Yan? You’re in no condition to guide anyone.”

“Miss Miluno only needs to ensure the new girl’s safety. I’ll communicate with her and guide her remotely. You can maintain your mystery, and the rookie can adapt quickly. What do you think?”

“Just being a bodyguard, with no direct contact required… Fine. I can do that.”

Yang Yan’s proposal was constructive, so I agreed.

“Really? That’s great!” The suited woman’s face lit up with surprise, and she handed me a business card. “Oh, I forgot to introduce myself… My name is Yin Lu. I’m the Association’s liaison, responsible for contacting magical girls and handling various aftercare matters. If you two need anything, you can ask me directly.”

“A liaison?”

“If you don’t mind, you can call me Lu’er.”

“Lu’er? Sounds like a magical girl’s name.”

Yin Lu gave a wry smile. “If I could find a matching Star Crystal, I’d love to be a magical girl myself. Instead, I silently support everyone else and train new subordinates on how to help magical girls prepare for battle and hide their identities.”

That wasn’t surprising. Being a magical girl was the most prestigious job in society today. Not only did it come with high bounties, but they also had dedicated staff to prepare strategies, clean up the mess after battles, and help conceal their private lives. They didn’t even have to worry about being stalked like idols.

Of course, as an unregistered “wild” magical girl, I didn’t enjoy many of those perks.

But becoming a magical girl wasn’t exactly a choice. Those who could resonate with a Star Crystal were rare, and finding the specific crystal destined for you was even harder.

“Miss Lu’er, I still have things to do. If there’s nothing else, I’ll be going.”

“Oh, okay! Miss Miluno, if you ever decide to register, please feel free to contact me anytime!”

****

After leaving the medical facility, I found a secluded alley to de-transform, then took the bus back to my high-rise apartment in Sector D3. I made sure to stop by the KFC first to pick up my backpack and A-Yao’s.

By the time I got home, it was already evening. I knocked on the door next door… A-Yao hadn’t returned yet. Given what happened, he’d been hauled off by the police. Who knew if he’d be spending a few nights in a detention center?

I went into my own place, turned on the air conditioner, and picked up my tablet from the couch.

“The battle footage has been uploaded already. The Association is efficient today.”

Reviewing my own combat replays from a third-person perspective was a habit of mine—not to critique my fighting style, but to make sure I hadn’t accidentally done anything that might reveal my identity.

It was rare for me to act during the day, but surprisingly, I wasn’t the main topic of conversation regarding that afternoon’s battle.

[An otaku barged into the scene to take photos and almost got a magical girl killed…]

The footage of A-Yao being filmed by a drone—leading to Yang Yan being carried off on a stretcher—had been broadcast live.

“……I’m screwed.”

I finally realized the scale of the disaster. For a moment, public outrage was focused entirely on A-Yao, with some extreme commenters even calling for the death penalty.

Online mob mentality was irrational, yet expected. As humanity’s only defense against External Invaders, magical girls held immense status. Even Yang Yan, a bomb fanatic who leveled a street every time she fought, had a huge following.

Most of those followers were magical girl fanatics—just like A-Yao.

But now, it was exactly those fanatics who wanted to tear A-Yao apart. Knowing that crowd as I did, I knew that if any of them had been given the chance to witness a battle in person, they might have done the exact same thing. Irrationality was their common trait, and the long history of zero casualties had dulled their sense of danger.

“Sigh. A-Yao is ‘socially dead’ now.”

I rubbed my forehead and let out a long sigh. Just then, the doorbell rang.

Must be A-Yao, I thought as I went to open the door.

“Released so fast? You—um, who are you looking for?”

Standing at the door wasn’t A-Yao. It was a pink-haired, incredibly cute girl I had never seen before in my life.