Chapter 43: Can I Really Become a Magical Girl?

Like many math teachers, even at a private school like Crescent Moon Academy—which doesn’t place heavy emphasis on exam results—there were still teachers who would walk into the classroom, say nothing, and immediately start writing problems on the blackboard with traditional chalk.

Although being called up to the board was completely unexpected for Ke Xin, by the time she walked from the back of the classroom to the podium, she had already solved the problem in her mind. A problem that would require effort for an ordinary student posed little difficulty for her.

She quickly picked up the chalk and wrote down her solution and answer, then glanced at the middle-aged math teacher standing nearby. Seeing no reaction, she immediately returned to her seat.

In just one year at Muzhou No. 1 High School, Ke Xin had already completed the entire compulsory high school curriculum, practicing far more problems than students at other schools.

Once everyone had answered the questions, the math teacher began reviewing the solutions. As expected, Ke Xin’s answer was flawless, not only using concepts learned just last week but also applying knowledge from the next stage.

The other students’ answers had more mistakes—unsurprising, as the teacher tended to call on students with weaker grades or those who annoyed her.

However, Ke Xin wasn’t paying attention. Although her face was directed forward, her mind had drifted elsewhere.

It was late September, almost the end of the month. After this week, students would have the longest consecutive break of the year aside from the Spring Festival—nine days in total, including the usual weekend, for the Federal Commemoration Holiday.

As soon as she entered the classroom, Ke Xin heard classmates discussing their plans for the break—some were going on road cycling trips, some camping, and some casually asked her about her plans. Ke Xin had to answer that she was returning to her hometown and couldn’t join them.

Of course, this was a lie. Her eyes drifted to the window, thinking of the troubling news Agent Guan had recently shared at a meeting.

The Corpse Mother had seemingly appeared again.

Ke Xin hadn’t been in the Special Investigation Bureau long and didn’t know the full details, but she immediately checked the bureau’s database after the meeting.

During the same time she was attacked by the Bat-Woman Villain impersonating the Rift Girl, Muzhou City had experienced an even larger anomalous attack, with the number of anomalies reaching the lower limit of a full anomaly wave.

However, the exact details were beyond Ke Xin’s access. She only knew that on that day, the Special Investigation Bureau had lost multiple top-ranked magical girls and suffered heavy casualties among its agents.

Among the villains involved was the so-called Corpse Mother, whose power allowed her to magically turn humans into genuine zombies indistinguishable from ordinary people. One moment a teammate might be standing behind her; the next, they could already have been taken over and were firing a gun at her.

Ke Xin had always known that being a magical girl carried risks. She had even witnessed one magical girl fall into unconsciousness and not wake up.

But seeing the long list of fallen heroes in front of her shook her more than she expected. Could she really handle this role?

Her path to becoming a magical girl had been strange and almost effortless; though fighting villains was dangerous, there was always a solution in the end.

Now, however, she could no longer convince herself of that. If she had been part of the operations at the time of that incident, could she even still be sitting in this classroom?

The list included multiple A-rank magical girls. Currently, in Muzhou City, registered A-rank magical girls were exceedingly rare, while B-rank magical girls made up the core forces.

Ke Xin’s only advantage was her bottomless magical power, but combat against anomalies had taught her that raw power alone wasn’t enough. Combat skills and experience were equally essential.

Even in Muzhou City, such strong enemies had appeared, and across the Federation, not even all the elite magical girls could eliminate all anomalies. After tremendous sacrifices, many villains still escaped.

The thought of facing another anomaly wave, counting countless new enemies, wondering how many would die, and whether she would be one of them made Ke Xin clench her fists.

“Why is every math teacher so scary? What do you think, Ke Xin?”

The class bell rang, ending the teacher’s silent problem-solving session. The teacher, carrying no materials or textbooks, left the room as efficiently as she had arrived, a living example of decisiveness.

With the teacher gone, the classroom pressure instantly eased. Everyone could breathe normally again.

Seeing that Ke Xin hadn’t responded, Ruo Lin waved a hand in front of her face, bringing her back from her thoughts.

“Huh? It’s fine, I guess.”

Compared to other Crescent Moon Academy teachers, the math teacher was strict, but compared to teachers at Muzhou No. 1 High School, she was gentle—and she never ran over time.

“Ke Xin always writes answers so fast. Are you secretly taking extra classes?” Violet, who had been called up to the board during class, had stared at the problem for a long time without figuring it out, and then sheepishly returned to her seat.

It turned out the problem was basically the same as the one Ke Xin had solved, just with different variable names and constants.

“No way,” Ke Xin protested. She barely had time to play games now—training on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, nighttime patrols on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, and staying up late to complete homework afterward. Class time was actually the most relaxed part of her day.

“You really seem absent-minded right now.”

“Is it that obvious?”

The four girls nodded in unison. Ke Xin didn’t bother defending herself; there were too many things on her mind.

“Did something happen? If you don’t mind, you can tell me. We may not be able to help, but…” Sasaki’s voice was gentle and soothing, enough to calm anyone just by listening.

“No, it’s fine. Just talking like this already makes me feel better.”

To an outsider, these four looked like ordinary high school girls, but Ke Xin had seen their fearless actions firsthand. They actively sought evidence of anomalies that others avoided.

If she revealed what was truly on her mind, her identity would probably be fully exposed. She glanced at Violet, the seemingly carefree English girl who also possessed unusual abilities, even able to communicate with her through the magical network. Violet clearly knew something but hadn’t revealed it to the others.

This group’s survival in repeated encounters with anomalies was mostly thanks to Violet.

After some thought, Ke Xin decided to speak indirectly about her concerns:

“Actually, I recently read a novel, and its story made me feel a bit uneasy.”

“A novel…” Violet murmured thoughtfully.

“Sounds immersive,” Ruo Lin said.

“What kind of novel?”

“You read novels too?” Yu Meng said, astonished, as if she had just discovered a world-changing secret.

“Read novels? Who said I used to read them?”

“Umm… never mind.”

Ke Xin didn’t argue further. She carefully explained:

“It’s a story like many classic superhero tales. The protagonist gains powers by accident, joins a superhero alliance, and fights villains trying to destroy the world. At first, things go well; the hero thwarts multiple villain plots and grows stronger. But one day, the hero realizes that the alliance has lost too many people in the battles—many stronger than the hero—and some missions fail. The hero then becomes conflicted and unsure if they can continue.”

“That’s a classic trope,” Ruo Lin said. She loved unusual stories and often found that novels were based on real events, offering useful clues.

She analyzed Ke Xin’s words:

“The protagonist is confused, unsure if they can defeat the villains, and also worried about their own safety. Fear, in other words.”

Ke Xin nodded; it made sense.

“What happens next? Does the protagonist overcome their confusion or succumb?”

“Huh?” Ruo Lin had asked unexpectedly. Ke Xin paused but quickly came up with an answer:

“The story is incomplete and hasn’t been updated yet.”

“I see… no wonder you’re so conflicted, Ke Xin.”

The others agreed and lightly criticized the incomplete author. Luckily, no such person existed in reality, so Ke Xin felt no guilt.

“Although it’s a novel, are you asking what you would do if it were your situation?”

“Huh?”

Ruo Lin had hit the nail on the head again. While the situation differed from reality, Ke Xin wondered if her identity was already exposed.

“That’s normal. Everyone wants to be the protagonist of a legendary story,” Ruo Lin paused, then continued, “I think the protagonist should accept reality and find their own motivation—abstract or concrete—as long as it gives them the strength to keep going.”

“Yeah… how can one keep going?”

Ke Xin pondered the question.

The discussion ended with the arrival of the physics teacher, and by lunch, everyone had forgotten the conversation. After all, high schoolers discuss countless topics every day.