The Cunning Fox and the Flustered Magical Girl

‘These accursed Calamity Beasts, they’ve completely addled my brain! I’m starting to ponder all these bizarre notions! It’s all their fault! The Calamity Beasts bear full responsibility!’

Bai Muxue, having just shifted all the blame onto the Calamity Beasts, secretly pursed her lips.

Seeing that the gang of Nutcrackers wouldn’t be returning anytime soon, the two slowly emerged from behind the mirror. It was then, by the faint light within the tent, that Bai Muxue finally noticed that though Amber was dressed as a cowgirl, she was undeniably far cuter than any cowboy from a Western film.

A pink kitten charm adorned her cowboy hat, and the spurs on her taupe boots resembled soda crackers. Even the two pistols holstered at her side looked more like toy guns than actual firearms.

‘Looking at her, she certainly had the style of a magical girl…’ Bai Muxue mused silently.

Amber, of course, remained oblivious to the young girl’s inner musings. She simply turned her head, her triumphant smile fading slightly, and her tone taking on a hint of seriousness:

“However, this place has completely become a Calamity Beast’s nest. This wretched jellyfish lures ordinary people into this amusement park to drain their life force. If…”

“If we don’t rescue these children soon, the mass disappearances won’t just be limited to them.”

Before Amber could finish, Bai Muxue, with a sigh, gently added.

Once this Calamity Beast devours a sufficient amount of life force, it will inevitably grow far more powerful. At that point, not only children, but adults too, will lose their consciousness, lining up and walking into this amusement park like dumplings being dropped into a pot, to become fodder for this Calamity Beast.

“Children?”

Hearing this, Amber tilted her head slightly, a hint of suspicion arising due to Bai Muxue’s somewhat mature tone. “Speaking of which, you don’t look much older than these kids yourself… How old are you?”

Noticing Amber’s slightly wary gaze, Bai Muxue smiled, pursing her lips, her eyes sparkling mischievously, like a cunning little fox. “Hmm-hmm-hmm, guess?”

‘Guess…’

‘I have a feeling this little one, despite looking harmless, is actually quite precocious and cunning! Her mind is probably brimming with mischievous schemes!’

Amber grumbled inwardly, her characteristic smile stiffening slightly. Yet, she patiently asked: “Alright, if you don’t want to say, I won’t ask. But can you tell me why you ended up in a place like this?”

“I just saw a wrecked car outside. Not far from it, there was an unconscious auntie who had already been bandaged. Does that have anything to do with you?”

‘She even knows about Sister Wang? It seems she really did follow me all this way… I didn’t notice her at all without transforming…’

Bai Muxue was secretly astonished. She tidied her slightly disheveled hair and tried her best to appear nonchalant. “Hmm, that was indeed my family’s car…”

“Sister Wang was supposed to drive me home… But for some reason, she brought me to this place.”

Noticing Amber’s slightly suspicious gaze, Bai Muxue hesitated for a moment. She then secretly pinched her own thigh, forcing a slight moisture into her eyes, and her voice began to tremble slightly:

“But Sister Wang, for some reason, suddenly became very strange. It was as if she had turned into a completely different person. She even tried to attack me… And then the car crashed into a nearby tree stump…”

“Immediately after, once I pulled Sister Wang out of the driver’s seat, I somehow found myself walking all the way here…”

Bai Muxue let out a soft sigh. In a sense, everything she said was the truth.

“Oh… So that’s what happened…”

Seeing the little girl, who moments ago had seemed so cunning, now visibly trembling, her small face pale with the pallor of a narrow escape, Amber, feeling a little flustered, quickly patted her shoulder and gently comforted her:

“Don’t worry, I’ll protect you well. This young lady has defeated countless petty Calamity Beasts like these!”

‘You’d better…’

‘Otherwise, I’ll have to gamble with my life…’

Even though she inwardly felt that the person before her seemed utterly unreliable, Bai Muxue still looked up, her gaze bright and earnest as she met Amber’s eyes. The sorrow that had been on her face seemed to have vanished completely. “Really?”

The young girl’s pretty face was filled with undisguised delight and admiration. “Oh, as expected of a magical girl who upholds justice!”

“With you here, Amber, we’ll definitely defeat the Calamity Beast and rescue everyone!”

Bai Muxue clasped Amber’s hands, speaking with “utter sincerity” in her eyes.

Feeling the soft touch transmitted through her gloves, Amber was momentarily stunned. The young girl’s voice seemed imbued with a magical charm, making her instinctively want to lose herself in it. Her fair, tender earlobes, without her realizing it, began to flush crimson.

“I, I, it’s nothing, really. Defeating Calamity Beasts and protecting unusual people is just what we magical girls do!”

Apparently not expecting such enthusiasm from this “precocious and cunning” young girl, Amber stammered, awkwardly shifting her gaze and gently withdrawing her small hands from Bai Muxue’s grasp.

‘This girl… she’s really strange…’

‘But… this feeling of being relied upon, it’s actually quite nice?’

Excitement sparkled in the magical girl’s pale yellow eyes, but she ultimately suppressed her inner shyness. She cleared her throat twice, attempting to project the image of a dependable older sister.

“Ahem, ahem. No matter what happens later, always remember to stay by my side! Understand?”

“Okay~”

Watching the other’s smile brighten in an instant, Bai Muxue obediently responded, a fleeting glint of amusement in her eyes.

‘Hmm, in a way, Miss Amber is much easier to deal with than Teacher Shen.’

Bai Muxue silently assessed the magical girl in her mind.

****

Meanwhile, on the other side, Qin Xiyao, who had waited in vain for Bai Muxue’s reply, stared blankly at her phone, the confusion and unease on her pretty face growing ever more profound.

It’s almost midnight already… Why hasn’t Xiaoxue replied to my messages?

Qin Xiyao was no fool. She could naturally tell that Bai Muxue in the final moments of the video hadn’t been herself… It was almost as if she had deliberately hung up the call to avoid dragging Qin Xiyao into danger.

Therefore, from the moment the video call ended, up until now, Qin Xiyao had been sending messages to Bai Muxue.

Alas, no reply had come through yet.

Had… something happened?

Her fingertip hovered over the phone screen for a long time. Qin Xiyao bit her lip, seemingly caught in a dilemma.

But in the end, she still dialed the number of the Bai family’s housekeeper. “Grandma Zhang, it’s so late, am I disturbing you?”

This elderly woman, surnamed Zhang, had worked for the Bai family for decades. She was a kind-hearted old lady, and back when Qin Xiyao used to frequently visit Bai Muxue’s home to play, she had received a great deal of care from her.

“Oh, it’s Xiyao. Good evening, why aren’t you asleep yet?” The kind voice came through the phone.

“Hmm, there’s just something I wanted to ask.”

Qin Xiyao pursed her lips, her gaze falling to the dark night sky outside the window, and softly asked: “Has Xiaoxue not come home yet? It’s so late…”

The old woman was clearly well aware of her Young Miss’s habits, having long grown accustomed to her staying out all night, so she casually replied: “Hmm? It’s quite normal for Young Miss not to come home at night. She probably ran off to play with some friend again.”

“Recently, hasn’t Young Miss found a little girlfriend? It’s possible she’s with her… Ah…”

The habitually chattering old woman suddenly realized her slip of the tongue and immediately stopped speaking.

“A little… girlfriend?”

Hearing this, the smile at the corners of Qin Xiyao’s lips suddenly froze.