The city’s outskirts.
Magical Girl Azure Bloom, along with Magical Girl Tri-color, finally arrived as reinforcements. The corrupted Magical Girl, the newly awakened Magical Girl, the seasoned Magical Girl, and the Magma Demon were all entangled in a fierce struggle.
Reports of these battles captivated the entire city, drawing the gaze of everyone across the region.
Meanwhile, in a tranquil meadow on the plains, ignored by all.
In this sparsely populated suburb, only a couple of houses stood distant from each other.
A small, clear river flowed silently through the landscape.
Its banks were lined with octagonal stone bricks, resembling a honeycomb, from which vibrant green blades of grass stretched out, as if waking from a slumber.
There was no wind.
The clouds above seemed to be asleep, too.
It was a peaceful, undisturbed sanctuary, untouched by any damage.
The only active inhabitants here were the fish in the water.
Lacking cell phones, they were oblivious to the events unfolding just ten meters away, much less the battle raging ten thousand meters in the distance.
Thus, they swam freely, blowing bubbles on the surface.
A small stone bridge spanned the river, a structure so rarely trodden since its construction that few even knew of its existence.
Today, however, it welcomed its first—and most extraordinary—guest.
A sonic boom ripped through the sky, scattering the still white clouds and shattering the pervasive calm.
The sound dispersed the natural fish, coveted by countless anglers.
“Tap, tap.”
Magical Girl Grey Moon, cradling Zhou Huanan in her arms, her slender high heels clicking softly on the small stone bridge.
She glanced left and right, her gaze finally landing on a secluded spot that offered both solitude and concealment.
With Zhou Huanan still in her embrace, she leaped down from the bridge.
Magical Girl Grey Moon sought refuge beneath the small stone bridge, shielding Zhou Huanan from view.
With utmost care, as if handling a fragile glass artifact, she gently laid Zhou Huanan on the ground.
A look of desperate urgency clouded Grey Moon’s crimson eyes.
Her initial intention had been to bring Zhou Huanan to a safe haven.
However, upon arriving, she realized her true objective should have been to seek out Emerald Magical Girl.
Yet, seeing Zhou Huanan’s rapidly deteriorating condition, his breathing growing shallower with each passing moment, she knew rushing back to find Emerald Magical Girl, whose whereabouts were unknown, was no longer an option.
Magical Girl Grey Moon removed Zhou Huanan’s helmet, revealing a sight that pierced her heart.
His life force was visibly ebbing away.
The vibrant, sun-kissed boy from her memories was gone, replaced by a withered, decaying form, reminiscent of a dying elder.
A sharp pang struck Grey Moon’s heart, but she fiercely suppressed the tears welling in her eyes.
This was not the time for weeping.
She took Zhou Huanan’s hand, transferring her own magical energy to sustain his life.
To Grey Moon’s immense relief, her magic proved effective.
Zhou Huanan’s breathing began to steady, and the signs of aging showed a noticeable improvement.
However, a palm-to-palm transfer was simply too inefficient for the critical situation.
Without a moment’s hesitation or a single reservation, Grey Moon leaned over Zhou Huanan.
She gently straddled him, careful not to exert any actual pressure.
Even her petite frame, which might tempt one to sin, barely brushed against him.
Even the slightest weight, she knew, could inflict irreversible damage on the now-fragile Zhou Huanan.
Gazing so closely at the “boy’s” tormented face.
Zhou Huanan, who now resembled an old man on the verge of death.
The anguish in Magical Girl Grey Moon’s eyes threatened to spill over.
She had promised to protect him, yet even now, she felt she had failed.
“I’m so sorry…”
Magical Girl Grey Moon didn’t even pause to wipe away her tears.
She lowered her head, offering her soft, cherry-blossom lips to the now-withered Zhou Huanan, kissing him deeply.
One might imagine the scene: an exquisite, youthful Magical Girl straddling and forcefully kissing Zhou Huanan, who appeared as a wrinkled old man. The visual might seem overwhelmingly intense.
But for Grey Moon, saving him was all that mattered.
She would willingly tear out her own heart if it meant bringing him back.
“Mmm…”
The Magical Girl’s kiss had a profound effect, suppressing the chaotic, evil magic rampaging within Zhou Huanan.
As she continued to kiss him.
Zhou Huanan visibly regained his vitality.
Though the boy’s luxurious hair was lost, replaced by a “strongman’s” baldness, his shriveled skin regained its elasticity.
Its color gradually lightened, returning to a normal, healthy flush.
The boy’s breathing grew strong and vigorous, slowly transforming into the familiar, masculine scent that filled Magical Girl Grey Moon’s nostrils.
Their lips parted, and she took a deep breath.
Magical Girl Grey Moon, like a helpless white cat, nestled against Zhou Huanan’s chest.
Her tender pink tongue pried open his lips, guiding her delicate, fragrant tongue and the accompanying magic within.
She did this not merely out of dependence on the boy.
It was because, in the briefest pause of Magical Girl Grey Moon’s breath, Zhou Huanan’s body visibly began to wither once more.
At this, Grey Moon’s heart solidified: she could not let him go.
Limitless, eternal—she would cling to him forever, even if it meant becoming a living, magical battery to sustain his life.
Magical Girl Grey Moon could forsake her own life.
But she absolutely could not forsake him.
Her normal life had long been shattered; it was this boy before her who gave her a reason to cling to the ruins.
It was a kiss that felt as deep as an entire century.
It was a kiss where the young girl offered her entire heart, her complete devotion.
Only their lips and teeth moved, prompting the fish in the river to wonder what the humans on the bank were doing.
They surfaced to see a loli Magical Girl pinning down a bald combatant from an evil organization, while the elegant Grey Moon, clad in a sacred dress, passionately bestowed a wondrous kiss, revealing a breathtaking glimpse of her panties.
The fish couldn’t comprehend it.
Fish couldn’t speak.
If any passing netizen had witnessed this scene, they would undoubtedly have erupted with the most outrageous comments imaginable.
****
The moon emerged.
A nascent moon, barely above the horizon, cast its glow upon Grey Moon’s sacred attire beneath the bridge, enveloping her in a faint, ethereal radiance.
Grey Moon had been pouring out her magic without reserve for several hours.
Even for her, even with the Magma Demon’s core serving as a second heart, the strain was immense.
Magical Girl Grey Moon’s forehead began to glisten with the sweat of her struggle.
She frequently gasped for breath, her voice fragile and weak, while the arms supporting her weight trembled uncontrollably.
Her lithe body had no choice but to settle onto Zhou Huanan’s burning abdomen.
Her magical energy had already dipped below a critical threshold.
If she continued to push herself like this, there was no telling what might happen.
But Zhou Huanan remained unconscious, preventing Grey Moon from daring to rise and leave.
Instead, she continued their desperate kiss.
Zhou Huanan had now fully reverted to his eighteen-year-old appearance.
Yet, he still hadn’t awakened.
Under the moonlight, the faint silver glow surrounding Magical Girl Grey Moon began to flicker erratically.
The tips of her beautiful, smooth silver hair started to turn black.
Her slender arms, devoid of magical replenishment, were completely drained of strength.
Grey Moon’s entire body went limp, collapsing into Zhou Huanan’s embrace.
Her white gauze skirt billowed up then settled, like a discarded doll in the wilderness.
Tears streamed down Grey Moon’s face as she looked at Zhou Huanan, heartbroken that even this wasn’t enough to save the man she loved.
Her magic was almost completely depleted, yet tragically, she still hadn’t managed to save him.
She dared not stop the flow of magic, terrified that in the next second, Zhou Huanan would crumble into dust and vanish.
Or worse, that she might accidentally crush him in his most vulnerable state.
‘Absolutely not…’
However, Magical Girl Grey Moon was almost out of the magic needed to maintain her transformation.
Her waist-length hair had already turned black, and her crimson eyes slowly reverted to their ordinary color.
Though her petite, loli-like form remained, the girl’s magical reserves were utterly exhausted.
No matter how much more she tried to draw, there was simply no magic left.
Gradually, it became nothing more than a girl’s ordinary kiss.
Tears traced paths down Liu Li’s cheeks.
Resigned, she finally released his lips.
She dared not open her eyes.
Sobbing, she buried her face in the chest of the man she loved, feeling his familiar, comforting warmth.
“I’m sorry…”
“Why are you sorry?”
A familiar voice echoed from above, causing Liu Li to snap her eyes open.
Her heart fluttered as she slowly lifted her head to look at Zhou Huanan.
A sigh of relief escaped her.
She wanted to exclaim, ‘That’s wonderful!’ and smile.
But in Zhou Huanan’s eyes, she saw her current reflection: not the Magical Girl Grey Moon he would adore, but just her ordinary self, transformed into a girl.
“No…”
Liu Li panicked, reaching out to cover her face.
However, Zhou Huanan had finally found the lover he had sought in his dreams, and merely two seconds of gazing at her face would not suffice.
He firmly intertwined his fingers with Liu Li’s.
As he gently pulled her hands away, Liu Li kept her eyes downcast, a look of endearing shyness adorning her face.
Zhou Huanan didn’t overthink it.
Liu Li found herself tightly embraced by his arms around her waist.
She was about to tell Zhou Huanan not to move when, “Mmmph.”
She watched as Zhou Huanan’s face drew closer and closer, an unavoidable kiss heading straight for her.
Liu Li’s eyes widened, then slowly narrowed into a comfortable squint.
This time, it wasn’t a girl’s one-sided offering of a kiss.
It was an active, passionate response from him.
Liu Li arched her back, held captive in Zhou Huanan’s unyielding embrace, unable to move even a finger.
Her dark hair cascaded, soaking into the water behind her, like the alluring willow branches by her side.
Then, with a soft splash.
Zhou Huanan pulled Liu Li into the water, and together they sank into the cold, dark river.
At the unseen depths, where moonlight could not penetrate, they swayed with the currents and eddies along the riverbed.
Beneath the surface, their visual senses were completely stripped away.
Only the warmth of each other’s bodies remained.
The girl’s tender tongue and the boy’s slightly rougher one intertwined, driven by desire, greedily seeking each other’s warmth and breath.
The river’s surface today.
Bathed in moonlight, it appeared exceptionally calm.
Near the small stone bridge, about thirty to forty meters away.
A sound of someone emerging from the water was heard.
Liu Li dragged the unconscious Zhou Huanan to the riverbank, both of them drenched.
Liu Li sat on the bank, gulping down oxygen, still reeling from the intense encounter with Zhou Huanan underwater.
Her pleasant voice, eyes squinted into crescent moons, let out a demure laugh towards the sky.
She knelt by the stony bank.
Then, she lowered her head.
Liu Li gently rested the unconscious Zhou Huanan’s head in the soft hollow of her lap, unwilling to let him sleep directly on the ground.
She reached out a hand and stroked Zhou Huanan’s smooth, bald head, much like a braised egg.
A soft laugh escaped her.
Next, a mischievous impulse led her to poke his cheek.
“Big dummy~”