Let’s rewind to this morning.
After Liu Li awoke in Zhou Huanan’s room, her first instinct was to rush over and check on him.
She confirmed that Zhou Huanan had only lost a bit of hair, with no lingering after-effects.
He hadn’t, for instance, transformed into an old man.
Aside from looking a bit like a young man freshly released from a labor camp, there was nothing else noteworthy.
Liu Li breathed a sigh of relief.
She gently backed away, heading to the bathroom to wash up.
Gazing into the mirror, she saw the graceful young woman reflected there.
It was her own appearance, one she hadn’t seen in a long time.
Liu Li was momentarily stunned.
She didn’t react immediately.
When she touched her finger to her lips, the girl in the mirror mirrored the gesture, leaving Liu Li in a daze.
Ever since becoming a girl, Liu Li had frequently transformed into Magical Girl Grey Moon, playing the part of a magical girl and getting close to Zhou Huanan. She rarely used her original appearance.
Even when not as Magical Girl Grey Moon, she often wore a black mask.
Coupled with her naturally long hair, she often didn’t feel much different after becoming a girl.
Yet, seeing herself in the mirror now, Liu Li’s fingers traced the spot where Zhou Huanan had passionately kissed her yesterday.
‘I don’t understand.’
Liu Li watched the girl in the mirror, who was slowly becoming bashful and shy. To think she had changed so much because of Zhou Huanan! Her heart cried out, her face flushed with panic, and she felt an urge to hide.
“Transform!!”
Moments later.
The person before the mirror shrank, and Magical Girl Grey Moon, clad in a beautiful, pristine little dress, appeared in the bathroom.
She looked at Magical Girl Grey Moon’s stunning, aloof face.
It was the girl’s most cherished mask, a powerful disguise and shield. Under its protection, even the shyest, most insecure girl found the courage to face the one she liked.
‘Hmph.’
‘I don’t understand.’
‘Magical Girl Grey Moon is clearly more adorable and beautiful, no matter how you look at it.’
“But why?”
Magical Girl Grey Moon in the mirror touched her soft cheek, her ahoge drooping as she asked herself, perplexed.
‘Why is it that even when Magical Girl Grey Moon tries to get close to Zhou Huanan, seduces him, or even offers herself up, he always acts so indifferent?’
‘Only when she goes too far will Zhou Huanan touch her as a ‘punishment.’
‘Normally, the most he’ll do is pat her head.’
‘It’s gotten to the point where Magical Girl Grey Moon has awakened a terrible desire: to dance on the edge of Zhou Huanan’s patience, to provoke him until he orders her to kneel in punishment.’
‘Then I’d pretend to be forced, and even if he did something truly outrageous, I’d still secretly anticipate the next time…’
‘Just thinking about how she’d be treated next time…’
Magical Girl Grey Moon’s formidable poker face was subtly in danger of slipping.
‘The white thigh-highs, unseen by the mirror, also instinctively tightened.’
All this was because Grey Moon was meticulously recalling the details of those ‘punishments.’ But as she pondered, a realization dawned on her.
‘Zhou Huanan has never actually initiated a kiss with Magical Girl Grey Moon.’
‘Even when she sacrificed her dignity to utter words a magical girl shouldn’t, Zhou Huanan was only momentarily stirred. Normally, he still treated Grey Moon like any ordinary girl.’
‘Could it be…?’
A preposterous thought surfaced in Magical Girl Grey Moon’s mind.
‘Could Zhou Huanan actually like *me* (Liu Li) all along, and that’s why he’s restrained himself with Magical Girl Grey Moon?’
“No, that’s not right.”
Grey Moon quickly dismissed the notion. ‘Putting everything else aside, I’m not that cute. There’s nothing about me that Zhou Huanan would like. Besides, Liu Li and Zhou Huanan are good brothers! It just doesn’t feel right for them to be together, does it?’
‘Could Zhou Huanan actually like Magical Girl Azure Bloom!?’
Grey Moon shook her head repeatedly, chiding herself for overthinking and fantasizing about a mutual secret crush with the person she liked.
Still, she couldn’t quite explain why Zhou Huanan never initiated anything with Grey Moon.
‘As for the possibility that he might like Xiaonanniang…’
‘Don’t forget, Zhou Huanan has had girlfriends before, and Liu Li has secretly peeked at his phone. The boy’s orientation is undoubtedly very normal.’
‘If anything, he might have a slight crush on Dalei?’
‘But even compared to Dalei, it’s clear that Zhou Huanan ultimately cares most about appearance.’
‘It couldn’t possibly be because he likes *me* that he doesn’t get lewd with Grey Moon, could it?’
Grey Moon dispelled her transformation.
She took off her adored mask.
She gazed at the black-haired, waist-length girl in the mirror. Even without filters or heavy makeup, she was beautiful enough to draw praise. Walking down the street in her school uniform, bare-faced, her head-turning rate would likely be quite high.
‘Would Zhou Huanan like a girl like this?’
Liu Li inwardly searched for excuses, conjuring a myriad of reasons why he wouldn’t like her. Yet, instinctively, she felt that if it were Zhou Huanan, he just might.
‘If he didn’t know I was a girl…’
‘But that wouldn’t work at all!!!’
Liu Li closed her eyes in front of the mirror, cutely clenching her fists and pressing them to her chest.
‘After all, I’m not a complete girl; I’m just a girl who can’t turn back into a boy, boohoo,’ Liu Li thought, on the verge of tears.
‘For Zhou Huanan to like me like this would be fraud, a misrepresentation, a complete deception.’
‘Because beneath this beautiful girl’s skin is the soul of a good brother!’
‘It’s like buying a can of shark fin, only to find it filled with some other fish. While both are fish and taste similar, you might not notice at first.’
‘But in the long run…’
‘Once Zhou Huanan truly encounters a beautiful girl, truly encounters a can of shark fin…’
‘This fake product will definitely be returned!’
‘Liu Li had this much confidence in herself (the fake product)!!’
‘No, not that!’
She nodded, almost crying, in front of the mirror. She didn’t want to experience being abandoned ever again.
This was why she wanted to be Magical Girl Grey Moon.
Because such a thing would never happen to Magical Girl Grey Moon. She could already play the part of a powerful magical girl perfectly. And what else could a magical girl be, if not a girl?
‘It’s just that the actual person and the ‘girl’ vibe are a little different.’
Still, Liu Li believed no one would ever suspect.
‘Understood.’
By this point, Liu Li had an incomplete, yet almost perfect, answer in her mind as to why Zhou Huanan hadn’t made a move on Magical Girl Grey Moon.
‘It must be that some of Magical Girl Grey Moon’s unnoticed behaviors made Zhou Huanan realize something was amiss!’
In other words, to explain it simply:
‘I’m like a small cake in a sardine can right now. Even if the outer packaging looks super delicious and tempting, the contents inside are so fake that they’re recognized at a glance, causing Zhou Huanan, who wants to date a girl, to hesitate!’
‘So, if my (soul) becomes more genuine!’
‘More like a girl.’
‘Wouldn’t that be enough!?’
Liu Li felt like an absolute genius!
“I see~”
“I’m slowly starting to understand everything~”
“If I didn’t properly examine myself, I really wouldn’t have discovered this (loophole).”
Liu Li adopted an expression of profound enlightenment, as if she had just learned a great lesson. She immediately resolved to change, to transform herself, inside and out, into a complete girl.
However, such a transformation,
if undertaken as Magical Girl Grey Moon,
would likely become city-wide news by tomorrow.
There was no other way. If Liu Li wanted to keep a low profile, she had to take matters into her own hands.
She recalled the walking styles of girls in her memory; Glimmering Yellow Magical Girl’s posture, for instance, was very ladylike.
Having chosen her role model, Liu Li looked at the bathroom tiles, unsure how to even lift her feet.
She took a tentative, awkward step, only for her heels to knock together as her back foot followed.
Liu Li’s expression instantly changed!!!
The girl tripped over her own feet.
“Ouch! Oh, dear!”
Because the bathroom in Zhou Huanan’s house faced directly onto the staircase,
when Liu Li tripped over her left foot in the bathroom, she pushed the door open at precisely the wrong moment, tumbling onto the stairs. A clattering, bowling-ball-like commotion echoed through the stairwell.
“Ow-woo—”
Liu Li finally landed, seeing stars, splayed out at the second-floor landing.
Fortunately, despite the mishap,
Zhou Huanan’s stairs were made of wood and relatively narrow, flanked by walls. Even after tumbling down, Liu Li only bumped her nose. Crying, she found the first-aid kit above the refrigerator and applied a bandage.
For Liu Li, who would be celebrating her eighteenth birthday tomorrow, this was quite the experience.
She was fine, all things considered.
However, Liu Li’s plan to relearn how to walk was officially scrapped.
Passing by the dark television screen,
she saw the bandage on her nose. She couldn’t help but sigh, feeling that not only was she not a girl on the inside, but her exterior had also regressed, turning her into a tomboy.
Liu Li felt a humiliating sense of being captured by goblins as a sacrifice, despite her intention to fight monsters and level up.
Tears welled in the corners of her eyes as she calculated Zhou Huanan would soon be waking up.
‘How could I possibly face anyone looking like this!!’
Grabbing her phone, she pushed the door open and hastily fled the house.
Having failed her ‘level-up’ at home, Liu Li mused that there must be more paths to improvement out on the streets!
She ran out, determined to ‘do beauty’!
‘Many girls do this! It’s a great opportunity to boost my ‘girl power,’ isn’t it?’
Liu Li shook her head, deciding that such an entry-level activity wasn’t suitable for her.
She continued onward.
Nearby, girls were mostly gathered in groups of three to five, and the option of ‘making friends with girls’ popped into her mind!
But Liu Li shook her head again. ‘Making friends with girls…’ She watched them largely embracing without inhibition. ‘I’m not an original girl,’ she thought. ‘It wouldn’t be right to take advantage of them like that—’
‘That’s unreasonable! Unreasonable!’
Liu Li walked past the boisterous girls, pressing on—
A trendy women’s clothing store appeared!!!
‘Ah, this…’
Liu Li had initially intended to act shy and hesitant.
However, her peripheral vision caught sight of the cute little dresses inside the shop. Then she looked down at her own long-sleeved shirt and trousers. While she had grown somewhat accustomed to wearing dresses as Magical Girl Grey Moon—even more revealing ones—
Liu Li, as Liu Li the girl, had never actually tried on a dress.
Logically, this was the perfect entry point.
Still, Liu Li hesitated, standing there, her eyes growing a little hazy with longing.
Although from any angle, Liu Li appeared to be a remarkably quiet and somewhat introverted beautiful girl,
‘to wear women’s clothing with this body, this unworthy body…’
Fine beads of sweat trickled down Liu Li’s forehead as she stood on the street, steeling herself mentally.
‘Liu Li, oh Liu Li,’
‘If you truly want to become a girl,’
‘this is a step you absolutely must take! As Grey Moon, you’ve even accepted skirts that don’t accidentally reveal anything, so choosing a conservative long skirt won’t be that difficult.’
‘Actually, there are skirts for boys too!’
“Alright! This will be the first step of the sardine!!”
Liu Li declared with grim determination, uttering a rather strange line.
A cute girl suddenly spouting such ‘denpa’-like lines made passersby chuckle.
Unaware, Liu Li, having made up her mind, stiffly stepped into the trendy women’s clothing store.
The moment she pushed the door open and entered,
Liu Li froze by the doorway, her legs trembling, almost turning to leave.
‘Alright, Liu Li, you’ve already done great just by stepping into a women’s clothing store,’ she thought. ‘As for buying clothes, maybe next time?’
Just as Liu Li was about to push the door open with her back and leave, a gentle voice from a store assistant reached her.
The voice was so soft and warm, not intimidating in the least.
“Welcome~”
The enthusiastic, yet non-intimidating, female sales assistant noticed Liu Li’s awkwardness. Under her careful guidance,
Liu Li mustered her courage. She tried to find a denim-like fabric, a short skirt that could barely be called a skirt, and then grabbed a white shirt. This was ‘newbie’ level women’s clothing, something even a boy might feel confident wearing.
She took them to the fitting room.
While she had worn women’s clothing before as Grey Moon, back then Liu Li could find excuses. Grey Moon was a magical girl, after all, and it would be strange for a girl not to wear feminine clothes. Moreover, watching the beautiful Grey Moon change into skirts made Liu Li feel somewhat like she was playing an online RPG.
But now…
It was her actual self who was about to put on a little dress…
‘Ugh…’
‘I just hope the assistant doesn’t find it strange when I wear it…’
Even though it was the most basic style of skirt,
this feeling of ‘transgression’ was enough to make Liu Li’s heart pound.
Liu Li shed her school jacket and trousers, revealing her snow-white, girlish skin. Her feet, encased in clean cotton socks, lifted her smooth, hairless calves into the skirt.
Unexpectedly, Grey Moon’s experience wearing dresses also applied here.
Though a bit breezy below, Liu Li quickly adapted to the sensation of wearing a skirt.
‘Ugh~ At this point, should I be glad, or sad that as a boy, I can’t go back…?’
Soon, Liu Li buttoned up the white shirt as well.
Looking into the full-length mirror in the fitting room, she saw a girl who had become somewhat spirited and cute. Liu Li let out a delighted ‘Oh,’ as if she vaguely understood why girls loved changing clothes so much.
‘I’m really cute.’
Liu Li pulled open the fitting room curtain. The sales assistant complimented her, whether genuinely or not, saying she looked beautiful. Liu Li returned her smile, feeling a touch of regret. If only Zhou Huanan were here to offer an opinion.
‘But that wouldn’t work.’
Liu Li was merely indulging in a wild fantasy.
If he knew that Grey Moon was actually her, and that she was secretly undergoing ‘girl training,’ he’d probably die laughing.
Then he’d say something like, ‘It’s no big deal,’ or ‘Since you want to be a woman so badly, I’ll help you become one.’
And she’d say, ‘No, no,’ only to be pushed down by him in some super-intense, heart-pounding development—
‘Light novels don’t actually have plots like that, do they?’
Liu Li gasped, scolding herself for being so lustful. The lewd scenes she’d read in those *doujinshi* always popped into her mind so naturally!!
She sniffled, both a little pleased and a little disappointed.
Even the adorable, seductive Grey Moon’s advances had failed on Zhou Huanan.
She figured if she stripped down to just a pair of black stockings in front of him, he’d probably ignore her, or even mock her.
‘Bro, bro, why are you a trap with nothing there?’
If something like that really happened, a mortified Liu Li would definitely stab him, stab him, stab him, stab him, stab him, then forget the beginning and forget the end.
In short, the ship sailed.
“So, will you be purchasing this outfit?”
“Ah, no…”
Liu Li looked up at the sales assistant, but her gaze met hers, causing Liu Li to immediately lower her head. The assistant found this adorable. Liu Li’s peripheral vision caught sight of more dresses in different styles around her.
“I, I’ll look around more.”
“Alright~” The sales assistant looked at the somewhat introverted Liu Li before her, recognizing that this cute girl in a school uniform was determined to change herself and buy a few pretty dresses.
She inwardly sighed, ‘Ah, this is youth!’ She wondered which lucky boy had captured the attention of the girl before her.
Then, she adopted a serious, professional demeanor.
The sales assistant’s gaze suddenly sharpened, the lines on her face hardened, and her tone of voice became firm.
“Don’t worry, I won’t let you down, little sister!”
Liu Li: ?
Ignoring the sales assistant, whose aura had suddenly become exceptionally powerful,
Liu Li continued to browse, trying on several more dresses. Throughout, the assistant spared no effort, explaining the advantages of various styles to Liu Li.
This left Liu Li, who had zero fashion knowledge, utterly astonished, and she felt her ‘girl experience points’ increase.
‘So exciting~’
Then, in the fitting room, she tried on every little dress she could.
The sales assistant grew more and more excited, for no matter what style Liu Li wore, it suited her perfectly. Every girl dreamed of having a dress-up doll.
Now, with Liu Li — possessing both online-worthy looks and figure (excluding her chest) — appearing, it was as if the sales assistant’s dream had come true.
She didn’t mind Liu Li’s fuss, gathering piles of clothes in her arms, waiting for Liu Li to try them on one by one.
Black shiny leather shoes paired with a cool, cat-style black trench coat—this was ‘cool Liu Li.’
“Good!!”
White knit sweater with a beige pleated skirt and bubbly knit socks—this was ‘girly Liu Li.’
“Good!!!” The sales assistant was almost bleeding from her nose.
And so on, and so forth…
The girl looked stylish in everything she wore.
Soon, an hour or two passed.
Both Liu Li and the sales assistant felt a sense of mutual satisfaction, wishing it didn’t have to end.
“So, little sister, which style did you finally settle on?”
After the fitting, the sales assistant didn’t forget her main duty, asking Liu Li which one she liked.
However, the sales assistant didn’t hold out much hope.
Liu Li looked very young, and she had come in wearing a school uniform. A student’s pocket money probably wasn’t much, and this was a fairly trendy chain store.
The sales assistant estimated that if the introverted girl before her decided to buy even one dress, that would be good.
There was even a high possibility she wouldn’t buy anything.
“Um, um, I…”
Liu Li’s face was still flushed with lingering shyness, as if she had just engaged in an intense athletic competition. Changing clothes was indeed a physically demanding activity for girls, driven by the feminine instinct to adorn oneself beautifully.
This was what gave Liu Li the endless motivation to keep trying on clothes.
But as for which set she truly liked, Liu Li was very hesitant.
‘If I only buy one set, Zhou Huanan will probably get tired of it quickly. A fake that’s easily grown tired of will only be returned, returned!’
Moreover,
Liu Li was too embarrassed to say it, but she genuinely liked most of the little dresses she had tried on…
And then she remembered that her wardrobe, as a girl, had virtually no clothes…
Liu Li made a slightly bold move.
“Um, excuse me…”
The sales assistant adopted a resolute expression. She had already begun to console herself. It was normal for customers not to buy anything, especially when Liu Li, a natural clothes hanger, was just trying things on.
“I, big sister, already had fun, you know?”
‘So, little sister, it’s fine even if you don’t buy anything.’
Liu Li: “Can I have them all packed up for me?”
“Hm?”
“Can I have them all packed up for me?” Liu Li felt the sales assistant hadn’t heard clearly, so she repeated herself.
The sales assistant, nearing thirty, dreamed of owning her own shop.
Just yesterday, she calculated that the commission from selling about a hundred items would be enough for her to get a bank loan and open her store.
The number of clothes Liu Li had tried on was almost exactly that figure.
So the sales assistant blinked.
“Say that again?”
Liu Li: “Second round… No! Please pack all the clothes I just tried on!! And send them to this address!”
“Little sister, don’t tease me…” The sales assistant chuckled, advising Liu Li and explaining that the clothes here were expensive, costing seven or eight hundred yuan each.
But Liu Li, far from backing down, shook her head, stating she had money and could pay by card.
The sales assistant had no choice; her profession prevented her from refusing. She could only help Liu Li count the items one by one. After discounts, Liu Li’s total came to fifty or sixty thousand yuan.
The sales assistant presented this figure to Liu Li.
Her eyes were triumphant, as if saying, ‘See? I wasn’t lying, little girl. You can’t afford it.’
But the introverted girl, who usually avoided eye contact, didn’t flinch. Instead, she pulled a silver bank card from her pocket and swiped it.
“Hm?”
Just as the sales assistant was thinking it wouldn’t go through,
the card machine whirred to life.
“Thrum-thrum-thrum—”
The receipt grew longer and longer. Soon, the white slip dropped from the counter to the floor, coiling into a messy ball.
The sales assistant instinctively leaned over the counter, watching the receipt accumulate on the floor, finally forming a heap.
“Holy crap…”
When she came back to her senses,
the sales assistant’s eyes widened in surprise, and her gaze upon Liu Li changed.
It was the look one gives to a sugar daddy.
Her lips curved into an uncontrollable smile. Before Liu Li could react, she left the counter and embraced her.
“Holy crap, holy crap!!”
“I never thought, little sister, that not only are you well-behaved and adorable, but you’re also an invisible rich lady!”
“You’re practically a magical girl sent from heaven to save me from the bitter sea of work!!”
“Woohoo—!”
“Now I, big sister, won’t have to put up with that old hag’s face anymore!”
“Thank you, thank you, thank you so much~~”
The sales assistant hugged Liu Li, secretly kissing her on both cheeks.
Liu Li was suddenly embraced and didn’t know how to react, but seeing the joyful expression on the sales assistant’s face, Liu Li could only remind her not to forget to pack her clothes. The sales assistant happily declared she wouldn’t forget!
Before Liu Li left, she even gave her a free handbag.
Liu Li hadn’t originally wanted it.
But the sales assistant spoke earnestly, telling her that this was how a girl truly carried herself.
This immediately struck a chord with Liu Li, who, despite being biologically a proper girl, still longed to become a *true* girl.
Liu Li subtly took the bag in her hand, her head bowed, secretly delighted.
‘With this, I’ve somewhat become a true girl, haven’t I?’
“Ah, right.”
“There’s one more thing.” The sales assistant called out to Liu Li just as she was about to push the door open. Liu Li turned back, puzzled.
“Little sister, you’re starting to develop, too. It’s best to wear a bra. There’s a store just two steps away, selling them.”
After the sales assistant finished speaking, she watched as Liu Li’s face instantly turned crimson. Liu Li nodded repeatedly, pushed the door open, and ran off, leaving the assistant filled with emotion.
“So adorable.”
****
Let’s return to the present.
Liu Li had finished shopping, dressed in her new clothes, eaten lunch, and then spent the entire afternoon standing in front of a lingerie store.
Finally, bolstered by her brand-new little dress,
she mustered the courage to walk in and choose something suitable for her size.
She didn’t need to measure; Liu Li simply chose the smallest cup size without thinking, as the girl’s budding chest could only be described as ‘not non-existent.’
However, as she was about to casually pick one, she remembered the specific function of lingerie.
It was primarily to excite boys who saw it.
If one were to pursue its intended use—
Liu Li’s rational, former-male mind kicked in. She reached for a very daring black lace bra from the shelf.
‘Then this one,’ she thought, ‘is the most cost-effective?’
Liu Li’s face burned with heat at the thought.
Meanwhile,
the sales assistant, who had been observing Liu Li from the start, took a deep breath. Although Liu Li had a quiet temperament, surely the bandage on her nose wasn’t just for show?
About the injury on the girl’s nose, the assistant covered her mouth, her mind conjuring a ten-thousand-word melodramatic battle.
‘Have I underestimated modern youth?’
Just as the assistant was marveling at how terrifyingly impressive the girl was, surely destined for greatness, outside the store, screams from the citizens of Kindheart City echoed through the street.
Liu Li turned her head. In her sight, her arch-nemesis, Captain 19, wearing his mask, was leading a riot on the outskirts.
And when she remembered who was actually beneath that mask…
“Ugh, ugh…”
The girl let out a dissatisfied whine.