A Sudden Summons

“Ugh~ Hmph… Finally, school’s out! Mo Yan, where should we go after this? Hey! I heard there’s a new dessert shop on the snack street nearby. How about we go try it?”

In a classroom at Mingtu High School in Aomeier City, a vibrant girl with bright red hair, dressed in her school uniform, was enthusiastically inviting a cool and aloof girl with long black hair sitting next to her.

However, the aloof girl seemed uninterested in the red-haired girl’s invitation.

She simply replied while packing her belongings, “No thanks, I still have a lot to do. Maybe next time.”

“Aww~ Why not? Alright then, we’ll go together next time you’re free, Mo Yan.”

The black-haired girl, known as Mo Yan, nodded, then slung her backpack over her shoulder and quickly left the classroom.

After waving goodbye to Mo Yan, the red-haired girl let out a dejected sigh.

Yet, her cheerful disposition meant her spirits only flagged for a brief moment before she instantly brightened, turning to approach a green-haired girl who was also tidying her belongings, preparing to leave.

“Yimeier~ Are you free today? How about we go wander around the snack street together?”

The red-haired girl sat backward on the chair in front of Yimeier’s desk, her face alight with expectation as she questioned her.

“Ah? Oh… well… I’m sorry, Aimelusen. My sister said that the frequency of the Hui Xing (TL Note: A type of shadowy, ominous entity) appearing has increased recently, and she’s worried about my safety, so she told me to go straight home after school.”

Yimeier offered an apologetic smile, clasping her hands together and bowing slightly towards Aimelusen with closed eyes, conveying her heartfelt regret.

“No, no, it’s fine. You don’t need to apologize. After all, the Hui Xing have indeed been very active lately, so it’s perfectly reasonable for your sister to be worried. Well… let’s wait until things calm down then.”

“Mm-hmm, well… bye-bye~”

Yimeier slung her satchel over her shoulder, gave Aimelusen a sweet smile, and then exited the classroom as well.

Watching Yimeier’s retreating figure, Aimelusen sighed once more.

‘Ugh, it seems I’ll have to go to the snack street alone today. Hmph, it’s all the fault of those wicked cadres and the Hui Xing they send out! If I see them again next time, I’ll make sure to teach them a good lesson so they won’t dare to come back!’

“Quite determined, aren’t you, Aimelusen?”

“Woah!”

Aimelusen, who had been rocking back and forth on her chair while inwardly cursing the wicked cadres who repeatedly invaded, was startled when a strange white creature resembling an anthropomorphic mouse suddenly materialized before her.

She lost her balance, toppling directly onto the floor along with her chair.

“Ugh… that hurts, Minita. Can you please stop appearing so suddenly every time you show up?”

“Don’t worry, ordinary people can’t see me, only you magical girls can.”

The peculiar creature, with its triangular ears and a pair of pink, diamond-shaped eyes, clearly failed to grasp Aimelusen’s intended meaning, responding with remarkable tranquility.

“No, that’s not what I meant! You always appear so abruptly; it’s easy to scare people.”

Aimelusen scrambled to her feet, then surveyed the classroom.

Only after confirming that no one else remained did she finally let out a sigh of relief.

‘Whew… good thing everyone else has already left. No one saw how embarrassing I just looked.’

“Alright, enough chatter for now.”

The moment the mysterious creature known as Minita uttered those words, Aimelusen immediately sensed something was amiss.

Her demeanor turned serious as she inquired of Minita:

“Have those Hui Xing and wicked cadres returned?”

“Indeed. And this time… a new face has appeared. We’re currently unsure if it’s a new wicked cadre or Maositog’s new subordinate.”

“Maositog? You mean that yak-headed wicked cadre we’ve defeated so many times? Then there’s nothing to worry about~”

Upon hearing that Maositog, the wicked cadre, was among the opponents this time, Aimelusen’s serious expression instantly softened.

After all, from the day she first became a magical girl until recently, when she befriended the magical girl Youlan — also known as Xin Moyan — she had already battled this cadre named Maositog no fewer than ten times.

While she had suffered crushing defeats in their first couple of encounters, by their subsequent meetings, she had grown capable of confronting him.

By a rough count, this wicked cadre named Maositog had been defeated about five times.

“Do not be careless. Although we have defeated the wicked cadre Maositog many times, it must be acknowledged that his ‘Liberation Form’ is exceptionally difficult to handle. Furthermore, we are still unaware of the new face’s identity and abilities… so do not let your guard down.”

“Oh, don’t worry, Minita! No matter how strong the enemies are, we’ll definitely defeat them in the end! Don’t underestimate the bonds between me and my companions!”

Gazing at the vibrant, utterly confident red-haired girl before it, the mysterious creature known as Minita had no intention of urging her to be more cautious.

This wasn’t due to absolute faith in Aimelusen’s combat prowess; rather, it simply knew that trying to convince her would be less effective than hoping the enemies would suddenly abandon their plans to invade the planet.

“In that case, without further ado, I shall transport you to a secluded area near the enemies.”

“Mm-hmm, hurry up! I’m ready for battle!”

Minita shook its head in resignation, then raised a hand, causing a magic circle with intricate patterns to materialize before it.

A flash of white light immediately followed, and Aimelusen vanished from her spot.