“Die, you shrimp-head!!”
“A-b-b-b-b-b!!”
Enraged, Magical Girl Grey Moon instinctively threw an uppercut, sending Captain 19 soaring like a shooting star across the night sky once more.
Then, with a swift backhand, she snatched the DSLR camera that had been left suspended mid-air by inertia, gripping it firmly.
The camera then exploded, scattering into dust and fragments.
“Honestly… that’s why all those ‘turn-off’ guys are just…”
Gazing at the shining meteor in the sky, Magical Girl Grey Moon had originally intended to hurl more “shrimp-head” insults, a broad attack against such men.
However, she suddenly recalled that even she had a “shrimp-head” best friend in her daily life.
Magical Girl Grey Moon swallowed the profanities she had been about to utter.
At that moment, the blare of police sirens echoed loudly from outside the pedestrian street, signaling that the area had already been cordoned off by law enforcement.
In the distant sky, the Magical Girl Tri-color team—Scarlet Magical Girl, Glimmering Yellow Magical Girl, and Emerald Magical Girl—were also rushing toward the scene.
Magical Girl Grey Moon had been the first to arrive today.
A triumphant smile touched Magical Girl Grey Moon’s lips.
She had initially planned to make an appearance and assert her presence before everyone.
However, she considered her current state, which was hardly presentable.
Her identity not yet ready for public exposure, the girl stood impassively, letting out a soft sigh.
Casting a glance at the shattered camera fragments on the ground, Magical Girl Grey Moon propelled herself skyward with a powerful thrust from her smooth, slender legs.
On her return journey today, Magical Girl Grey Moon flew two or three times higher than her usual altitude.
****
“How could that be?”
The Magical Girl Tri-color team descended onto the pedestrian street.
Upon realizing the Half-Awakened had been completely dealt with, they immediately began assisting the trapped civilians.
Scarlet Magical Girl’s face registered surprise when she overheard others saying that Magical Girl Grey Moon had driven away the Half-Awakened.
“How could that girl [Grey Moon] have arrived so promptly?”
Scarlet Magical Girl puffed out her cheeks in annoyance.
Wasn’t this just making it seem like her petty gossip about Grey Moon earlier this afternoon had not only been malicious but also completely wrong!?
Emerald Magical Girl, the captain of Tri-color, wore a ceremonial outfit resembling an Eastern miko’s attire, though her chest was conspicuously full, “bursting with enormous sin,” as it were.
Seeing Scarlet Magical Girl’s slightly aggrieved expression, Emerald Magical Girl first glanced at Glimmering Yellow Magical Girl, silently asking what they should do.
“Just let it be,” Glimmering Yellow Magical Girl replied.
Glimmering Yellow Magical Girl’s ceremonial attire was a lavish Victorian-era long gown, complemented by a bright yellow, feather-adorned wide-brimmed hat.
Pouting her cat-like lips, she was currently wielding a shovel borrowed from a police officer, digging out a human head buried beneath the rubble.
“Oh, got one~”
Glimmering Yellow Magical Girl, her cat-like mouth smiling, disregarded the rubble and dust that threatened to soil her magnificent gown.
She cheerfully pulled a dirty, small, gray-covered person from the ground, cradling them in her arms.
“The Magical Girls are here to save everyone, meow~”
Upon seeing Glimmering Yellow Magical Girl’s demeanor, Emerald Magical Girl understood that her immediate priority was also rescue.
Dispelling all other thoughts, she channeled her magic to heal the injured, one by one.
Seeing that no one was comforting her and feeling rather useless, Scarlet Magical Girl’s mood soured even further.
She wandered alone through the pedestrian street, effortlessly dispatching the remaining weak monsters.
She eventually arrived at a clearing completely covered in white ash.
A small pit lay at the center of the clearing, but Scarlet Magical Girl merely glanced at it, deeming an old broken bottle unworthy of her attention.
But then.
The circle of white ash on the ground…
Could it be the dust left behind after monsters died??
Scarlet Magical Girl was startled by the thought that had suddenly sprung into her mind.
It was common knowledge that the dust from deceased monsters usually dissipated with the wind.
To find such a distinct, sizable pile of ash remaining on the spot was unheard of.
Magical Girl Scarlet Magical Girl recoiled two steps in terror.
“Just how many monsters must have died here?”
“Impossible. Absolutely impossible.”
Scarlet Magical Girl frantically fled the scene, not even knowing why she was running.
She ran a considerable distance, gasping for breath, before finally coming to a halt.
“If that’s the case, then what exactly are we?”
“That detestable… Magical Girl Grey Moon…!”
****
‘It seems I might have overheard something rather extraordinary.’
Unbeknownst to Scarlet Magical Girl, Zhou Huanan, having shed his mask and now clad in a high-grade combat suit, stood openly beside the weeping girl, casually munching on sunflower seeds.
Presumably, many astute audience members have already shrewdly guessed the truth.
Indeed!
The school’s star heartthrob, Liu Li’s best friend, had a secret identity: he was none other than Captain 19 of the evil organization, the Half-Awakened!!
How sinister, how insidious, how utterly unexpected!
As for why Zhou Huanan returned to the crime scene after being sent flying like a meteor, his motive was actually quite simple: he had left his camera behind.
He had hoped to return and try his luck at retrieving it.
Fortunately, although Magical Girl Grey Moon had destroyed the camera, its memory card had survived.
“Hee hee hee hee hee.”
Just as Zhou Huanan cackled both internally and aloud, and as that renowned Magical Girl Grey Moon fan, Liu Li, was about to find something interesting to observe, he noticed Scarlet Magical Girl passing by, brimming with negative energy.
Driven by professional instinct.
Zhou Huanan chose to follow her, even swiping a packet of five-spice sunflower seeds from a nearby store along the way.
“Magical Girl Grey Moon is truly a detestable person.”
‘Munch, munch. Ah, absolutely, absolutely.’
Although Scarlet Magical Girl could neither hear nor see Zhou Huanan, he nodded in agreement after each of her complaints.
Meanwhile, he pulled out his phone and started recording.
As Zhou Huanan watched Scarlet Magical Girl’s words to the camera grow increasingly negative and pessimistic, a wide grin spread across his face.
‘Oh, my.’
‘It’s wonderful that there’s someone else in this world who despises Magical Girl Grey Moon as much as I do.’
Towards the end of the recording.
Zhou Huanan had even considered extending his phone beneath Scarlet Magical Girl’s skirt to film the color of her panties.
However, Scarlet Magical Girl’s ceremonial attire was exceptionally revealing: a short skirt, a breastplate, and a generous display of healthy skin.
Furthermore, Scarlet Magical Girl’s combat moves were always broad and sweeping, meaning the color of her panties was hardly a secret anymore.
Just like a common misconception among many girls, boys don’t necessarily prefer girls who wear less.
It’s that tantalizing sensation of “almost showing, yet not quite” that boys find most appealing.
Or rather.
It’s what boys Zhou Huanan’s age appreciate the most.
As for someone like Scarlet Magical Girl, who revealed too much.
Zhou Huanan shook his head, too lazy to even reach down and film.
He hastily pressed the red “end” button, then pulled out his mask from behind his back and fastened it onto his face, waiting for the moment Scarlet Magical Girl turned around.
He deactivated his device’s interference, then stood directly behind Scarlet Magical Girl.
Scarlet Magical Girl seemed to sense something, and her twin ponytails lashed out violently towards Zhou Huanan.
He, still wearing the Captain 19 mask, chuckled, allowing her hair to strike him like whips.
“Heh~ Is this really appropriate? Attacking without a word?”
“People like you, from evil organizations…”
Scarlet Magical Girl materialized her long halberd from thin air.
Though the magnificent yet rugged weapon was covered in scars, Zhou Huanan had no doubt she could shatter him with a single blow.
“There’s nothing to discuss!”
“Oh, really?”
Zhou Huanan, his expression unfazed, gazed at the tip of the halberd pointed at his face.
He tossed away the sunflower seeds in his hand and took a step towards Scarlet Magical Girl.
As he advanced, Scarlet Magical Girl retreated, a pattern that repeated itself.
Scarlet Magical Girl was forced back until her back hit a utility pole.
“You… if you come any closer, I’ll—!”
Zhou Huanan observed Scarlet Magical Girl’s hand trembling as she gripped the halberd, a clear sign of her wavering resolve.
Magical Girls, after all, were creatures of idealism.
Should they betray their own hearts.
They might not even be considered as insignificant as roadside fodder, would they?
“Come on now, stop pretending.”
Zhou Huanan glared down at the trembling Scarlet Magical Girl, his gaze condescending.
In her eyes, he saw no trace of battle intent; even with her weapon drawn, she was akin to a groundhog standing up to scare away a threat.
‘How unbecoming.’
‘Compared to that child [Grey Moon].’
‘But now is the time to make use of her.’
Just as Scarlet Magical Girl was on the verge of steeling her resolve to utterly eradicate the evil before her, Zhou Huanan suddenly spoke.
To Scarlet Magical Girl, his voice was like a devil’s whisper, utterly captivating and manipulative.
“Deep down, don’t you also wish for it?”
“For that girl, Magical Girl Grey Moon.”
“To simply disappear.”