Chapter 36: A Witch’s Secret Admiration and the Fan Club’s Zeal

“This… alright.”

Although Bai Li had more or less anticipated such an outcome, the reality felt akin to a public execution.

Now, she truly understood the feelings of those who, in their youth, were *chūnibyō* (TL Note: A Japanese slang term meaning ‘eighth-grade syndrome,’ describing adolescents who imagine themselves to possess special powers or knowledge), only to look back at their past actions as adults with profound embarrassment.

“Speaking of which, aren’t witches usually the enemies of magical girls in some anime?”

Just then, a Weichangzhe agent remarked.

“Sister, are you even awake?”

“No, it’s just that in some magical girl anime I’ve watched, a magical girl experiences something, then turns dark and becomes a witch, only to be vanquished by another magical girl…”

“Alright, alright, that’s enough. Don’t say another word.”

The moment she began recounting the plot of a once-incredibly famous magical girl anime, several people quickly moved to silence her.

Naturally, many had seen this classic work from long ago, and as a result, they all harbored a certain degree of PTSD (TL Note: Post-traumatic stress disorder) from it.

Her words instantly brought back memories of their innocent youth, when they had clicked on it without a second thought, only for the series to abruptly pivot from a comforting, ‘healing’ genre to one that was profoundly ‘depressing.’

As for what happened next… it was best not to ask.

They were still waiting for the conclusion, even after countless fan-made secondary creations had emerged over the years, while the official sequel remained unreleased, perpetually delayed until the present day.

Yet, rumors whispered of a recent reboot, suggesting a continuation might finally appear soon.

For now, however, they preferred not to dwell on it, nor did they wish for similar events to unfold in reality.

After all, magical girls truly existed in this world, and many individuals possessed abilities and experiences eerily similar to those stories.

Should any ‘decapitation’ or ‘dark transformation’ incidents genuinely occur, they simply wouldn’t be able to bear it.

“Hmph! This era is entirely different now!”

However, just as everyone was trembling with apprehension, one person suddenly shouted, drawing everyone’s attention.

“In those stories, magical girls were forced to fight alone, even held back by ordinary people, which is why they met such ends.

But what about *this* era?

This is an age where everyone can use special abilities!

Everyone possesses power!

Who cares if it’s a witch or a monster or whatever—we’ll just elbow them all flying!”

“That… seems right.”

“Indeed?”

“Is there even a need to ask!”

Upon hearing the argument presented by that individual, everyone nodded in agreement.

If a scarcity of magical girls meant they couldn’t win, then simply increasing their numbers would suffice.

As the saying goes, ‘there’s strength in numbers’; if they couldn’t win, it simply meant there weren’t enough people.

Regardless of whether the opponent possessed physical damage reduction or an enormous physique, it was inconceivable that the combined powers of billions of people wouldn’t be enough to defeat them, and surely, some among them would have specialized attacks.

Yet, hearing these words, especially as the witch herself, Bai Li found them to possess a peculiar flavor.

After all, they were speaking of vanquishing a witch—her, specifically—yet she neither denied it nor disagreed; in fact, she found herself in considerable agreement with their sentiments.

To Bai Li, a magical girl meant Lin Xi, a being entirely worthy of protection by the entire world.

However, when it came to personal, close-quarters guardianship, that role undoubtedly belonged to her alone.

She would not cede that position to anyone.

“By the way, why does your way of speaking sound so much like someone from a fan club?”

“Hmm? Could it be you too?”

As they spoke, the conversation gradually shifted from grander objectives to more mundane, everyday topics.

However, the next moment, they produced an identification card distinct from those of the Weichangzhe.

More precisely, it was a club-like card, emblazoned with a very magical girl-esque magic circle background and the nine prominent characters: “Magical Girl Fan Club.”

‘Wait, how did something like this even come into existence?’

Yet, it was understandable.

Many ability users, it was known, enjoyed considerable fame.

Not only did they have numerous fans, but some ability user organizations even acted like talent agencies, selling merchandise or arranging endorsements for them.

Lin Xi, of course, was no exception, though as a student, she hadn’t taken on many such engagements.

Nevertheless, by resolving numerous Unusual Creatures incidents, the name “Magical Girl Shio Kaze” had become widely recognized, even garnering a dedicated fanbase.

Bai Li was one of them, indeed, the number one fan.

Her “Magical Girl Shio Kaze Number One Honorary Fan Certificate” from the Magical Girl Fan Club remained safely on her person even now.

Returning to the topic, the Magical Girl Fan Club, as its name implied, was an unofficial organization spontaneously formed by those who adored magical girls.

Essentially, all magical girl-type ability users were cataloged in its roster, which was even more comprehensive than the data held by some official ability user organizations.

While other ability users also had their own fan groups, none matched the sheer scale of the magical girls’ organization.

This fan club had even expanded across different continents, and among its members were even magical girls themselves who were fans of *other* magical girls, much like Bai Li.

One probable reason for its immense scale was the significant overlap between the characteristics of magical girls and idols.

Both roles brought hope and positive emotions to people, and their attire often consisted of light, flowing garments.

From this day forward, however, the fan club’s magical girl roster would likely include the name “Magical Girl Bai Ye.”

It remained unknown who her number one fan would be, especially since a ‘Sanwu’ (TL Note: A Japanese term, ‘sanmu,’ referring to a character who is emotionless, quiet, and apathetic) magical girl was a relatively rare phenomenon.

“Ugh… while seeing that makes me happy, it’s also quite embarrassing.”

As a magical girl, Lin Xi naturally felt the fervent enthusiasm of her fans, but how could she describe it?

Much like many idols, the pressure from fans was immense, and with a portion of those fans also being her colleagues, the level of awkwardness skyrocketed.

After she gained recognition and realized many of her colleagues were fervent fans of her or magical girls in general, she initially worried about sudden requests for autographs.

Fortunately, the unwritten rule of largely respecting an ability user’s private space was generally observed within ability user organizations, preventing any scenarios like “My colleague is my idol.”

“Well, that’s just how it is once you join an ability user organization and become famous.”

However, as Bai Li was both her number one fan and childhood friend, there was naturally no question of her infringing on Lin Xi’s personal space.

After all, they were already bordering on cohabitation; Bai Li hadn’t returned to her original home in quite some time, not even once, and was practically on the verge of registering her household residency there.

Benefiting from this advantage, whether it was hugs or holding hands, Bai Li could indulge in them at every moment, even sleeping together.

Naturally, there were no restrictions on photos either, and Bai Li had secretly taken quite a few.

“Mmm… then in the future, I’ll let you, Little Bai, experience a taste of my feelings too.”

Lin Xi stated with dissatisfaction, her expression seeming to be deep in thought.