Chapter 12: My Alternate Identity’s Identity Isn’t Mine

The identity issue was extremely serious.

A mask is for disguise; no one can wear a mask forever. Unless Ren Huazhi could manage to have her true self perfectly avoid the other magical girls at all times, there might be a sliver of room to maneuver.

‘The mask of my mask is not my mask. The mask has become the real self, and the real self is now the mask.’ Truly profound! She felt that if she wrote it down, she would soon lose the meaning of the words “mask” and “true self.”

At this point, the white knight was no longer the core of the problem. It didn’t matter who was under the mask; it could be “Ren Huazhi” or any random passerby, it made no difference.

It just couldn’t be The Flower Arranger.

“—Or rather, I need to start creating a distinction between the two completely equal entities, ‘Ren Huazhi’ and ‘The Flower Arranger’.”

“Good.”

In the alley on her way home, Ren Huazhi smiled.

“Finding a hidden plot hole, revising the outline to make it work, and making the readers think the bug was a planned foreshadowing from the very beginning! My favorite kind of mind game.”

Still, it was a bit of a shame.

For a year, she had strictly guarded against all flags that could expose her identity, never succumbing to the temptation of showing off. As a magical girl, as a hero, she had truly experienced the ups and downs, and then personally buried this artificial flower watered with lies.

However, all her efforts had become a fleeting shadow of the past. In the end, she still showed off. The result was entirely her own doing.

While waiting for a fresh sweet pancake to be baked, Ren Huazhi would occasionally lean against the thin blue tin wall next to the shop, unconsciously picking at the small, stubborn advertisements plastered on it.

These “psoriasis ads” were extremely annoying. They absolutely refused to be peeled off. Even if the attacker used tools and brute force, they would hauntingly leave behind scraps of paper or traces of transparent tape.

Just like the nightmares of the night, congealing into the Nightmares that rampaged in broad daylight. ‘It’s all the Nightmares’ fault that I’ve ended up in this state…’ Ren Huazhi vented all her resentment on the “Certificate and Seal Engraving” ad in front of her.

Peel, peel, peel.

“Miss, just moved in?” the owner asked.

“Yeah.”

“There are only a few familiar faces in this alley, and you look new. There was a kind young man who used to help me peel these little ads, but he hasn’t been around for two days…”

“He moved away.”

“You know him?”

“I’m his younger sister.”

Ren Huazhi answered smoothly, following the persona she had created.

She had to be extremely cautious when creating an identity for the residents of Huangnitang Urban Village because she had prepaid a full year’s rent and couldn’t afford the cost of being forced to move if her identity was exposed.

First, she had to ensure that the information Xu Panpan and the pancake shop owner received was consistent. The people living in this alley communicated much more frequently than the magical girls, and it was mostly gossip. Who knew when someone might compare notes with someone else at a makeshift chessboard on the street, and Ren Huazhi would lose her two-square-meter shelter and her security deposit.

The pancake was ready, steaming hot in a plastic bag. The transparent bag immediately fogged up.

“My name is Ren Huazhi. I’ll be coming by often in place of my brother from now on.”

Besides—

In the turmoil of the past two days, she had gradually discovered another potential source of fun and research material.

Disguising herself in daily life… playing another person, even a flimsy, parachuted-in setting like “his own younger sister,” completely changed her perspective on things.

It was like switching from a first-person to a third-person narrative. The perspective broadened, and she even unlocked a narration function.

She stepped over the concrete cover of the sewer and ducked through the doorway.

“But, a kind young man? I don’t think I’ve ever acted particularly kind. It was just necessary social interaction for neighborhood life. A ‘harmonious and friendly neighborhood youth’ is an easier persona to shape…”

Walking into the small courtyard, she saw Xu Panpan.

She had brought out a small wooden stool and was sitting in the atrium, staring wide-eyed at the evening sky as it turned from orange-red to dusky black.

“What’s wrong, having a bout of teenage angst?” Ren Huazhi asked.

“…I was fantasizing again.”

“?”

Xu Panpan’s eyes were lifeless, looking quite frightening. She was completely immersed in her own world:

“I fantasized that I awakened as a magical girl, hunting Nightmares to protect Nancheng. Everyone praised me as a good and promising child.”

“It really is teenage angst.”

“I went on a mission with the beautiful and cool magical girl, Miss Flower Arranger. This time, our target was the calamity entrenched on Purple Mountain, the Boar God corrupted by a Nightmare. The Boar God was once one of the gods of the wilderness, and its power is immense. This trip is likely to be perilous, but I still went without hesitation.”

“Been watching too many fantasy videos?”

“The night before we set off, I was spacing out in the courtyard. Brother Ren Huazhi saw my inner turmoil, forcefully pushed me against the wall, and with one hand braced next to my cheek, he interrogated me about the mission.”

‘…Is that what Ren Huazhi is like in your world? He’s completely different in mine,’ Ren Huazhi thought.

“He confiscated my Magical Hunting Gear and stopped me from going to the battlefield. I anxiously asked him: If I don’t go, how can The Flower Arranger deal with the rampaging Boar God alone? The stampede of ten thousand boars will completely destroy Nancheng!”

“Brother Ren smirked, the device at his waist no longer concealed—a knight’s belt! He said: Simple, I’ll just transform, won’t I?”

Ren Huazhi decided to ignore her.

She stuffed the guitar case containing the gunblade and belt into the corner behind the door and sat down on the toilet to relieve herself. Thanks to the extremely poor soundproofing of the plastic-steel door, she could still hear Xu Panpan’s storytelling session:

“Brother Ren is… a Kamen Rider? I was both surprised and ashamed, because I always used to mock him for being a hikikomori loser. It turns out he had been secretly protecting me all along, and I never knew who he was…”

“Watch your influence,” Ren Huazhi couldn’t help but shout, “Your Brother Ren’s actual sister is listening right here!”

“In the end, Brother Ren and Sister Flower Arranger worked together to defeat the Boar God. No one in Nancheng will ever be killed by a wild boar again. Under the warm setting sun, Brother Ren walked out of the ruins of the observatory, waving and smiling as he ran towards me…”

The fantasy finally came to an end. Xu Panpan regained her senses, got up from the small wooden stool, and walked to Ren Huazhi’s door.

“Since you’re his sister, can you tell me the truth? Where did Brother Ren go? Is he safe now?”

“Your sassy brat persona is about to go OOC.”

“He’s not here, what’s the use of me being difficult?”

Ren Huazhi rested her head on the bathroom door and remained silent for a long while before finally giving her answer: “You guessed right. He is indeed secretly protecting you… and he is still fighting.”

“…!”

“He doesn’t allow me to reveal his whereabouts. But I can assure you, he is doing well.”