Chapter 4: The Fading Dream of Magical Girls

Jin Shiling, like any other child her age, naturally pondered how one might become a magical girl, her young mind filled with an ardent longing for a vibrant splash of color to burst into her world.

Confident smiles, beautiful costumes, incredible and fantastical magic—radiant as flowers, sparkling like stars, sweet as candy, captivating as rainbows—this was the magical girl of Jin Shiling’s childhood imagination.

She yearned to become a magical girl, to protect the small world before her eyes, and to use magic to bring happiness into the lives of many, just as she wished for herself.

****

…That was a dream she could never return to.

Sunlight streamed through the window, bathing the desk piled high with books, and casting a comfortable warmth upon Jin Shiling, who sat beside it.

“Snack, let’s go grab lunch together.”

“Mm, coming.”

Jin Shiling closed her notebook, filled with practice problems, and slowly rose from her seat, a gentle smile gracing her lips as she walked towards her friends in the class.

As lunchtime approached, the school buzzed with its liveliest energy; free from the constraints of lessons and the torment of abstruse knowledge, students seized this period of relaxed rules to enjoy their brief moments of freedom in their own ways. Watching a few boys, having received a teacher’s nod, sprint out of the classroom towards the cafeteria even before the bell fully ceased, Jin Shiling also felt herself relax, momentarily casting aside the formulas and diagrams that had occupied her mind.

Inside the somewhat noisy cafeteria, Jin Shiling and her friends enjoyed their lunch at a table near the transparent glass, a coveted spot that offered convenient access to the food counter while also providing a clear view of the playground and the park just beyond the campus wall with minimal effort.

Such a prime location wouldn’t typically be available to these leisurely strolling girls, but thanks to a boy in their class volunteering, they secured the privilege of savoring delicious food while enjoying the scenic view.

As for the boy’s ulterior motives, how could these discerning girls, in the prime of their youth, possibly be unaware?

“Final exams are at the end of the month. So annoying. I really don’t want to see those dreadful geometry problems again.”

“Ah, you said it. I was trying so hard not to think about it.”

“Same here. Geometry is the worst. I have a bad feeling about this exam, might as well just give up.”

“You said the same thing before the last monthly exam, and in the end, you all scored better than me in math. I won’t believe a word from you wicked women anymore.”

The girl, well aware of the adage ‘a woman’s words are a deceptive ghost,’ pursed her lips and mashed the soft, stewed potato chunks on her plate into a pulp with her spoon.

“Indeed, while you might pretend to be struggling, you’re all secretly working hard behind everyone’s backs. Quietly becoming an overachiever while acting humble—now that’s a pretty sneaky move, you know.”

Jin Shiling, savoring the potato stew before her, interjected into the conversation at just the right moment.

As an incomplete mini-social model, schools see students living within them divided, either actively or passively, by various factors. The most direct of these is academic performance; like attracts like, and these girls were consistently among the top students in their class, naturally forming their tight-knit group.

“Oh, don’t say that, Snack! Aren’t we good girlfriends, fighting on the same front? This time, my old man said if I get into the top fifteen in our grade, he’ll take me to ‘Sugar’s’ (TL Note: ‘Sugar’ is the translated name of a popular fictional magical girl idol) concert this summer. I’ve been looking forward to it forever, so please, please help me, Snack-A-mon!”

“Sugar? That magical girl? You’re still following her? Isn’t she already thirty… thirty-something this year?”

“That’s not important! Sugar’s setting is sixteen, so she’s sixteen. Sugar on stage is always sixteen. You stay out of magical girl business.”

“Huh, magical girls, huh? Always maintaining youthful, beautiful appearances and healthy bodies, and I hear they earn quite a bit too. My mom has been watching a live stream where a retired magical girl sells products. Compared to other streamers, she just sits there and opens her mouth a little, and she earns a lot of money. So easy.”

“…That doesn’t sound very romantic. But then again, I probably never would have imagined in elementary school that the magical girl I admired would end up being arrested for a crime. What about you, Snack? Do you still like magical girls?”

‘Magical girls…’

Jin Shiling tilted her head slightly, feigning thought, then shook it with a faint smile.

“Hmm… I’m not really interested in magical girls.”

Jin Shiling gazed at her own reflection in the glass, a perpetual faint smile gracing her lips. She blinked, then cast her gaze through the transparent medium towards the playground.

The cafeteria was filled with a cacophony of voices, a myriad of topics swirling from every direction, yet Jin Shiling seemed to hear none of it.

The afternoon passed as usual, though the cicadas, arriving with summer, added a fresh touch to the unchanging routine. As the dismissal bell rang, another day of campus life drew to a close.

“Understood, Teacher Chen.”

Closing the teacher’s office door, Jin Shiling turned to see her friends waiting for her in the hallway.

“Snack, want to go to our usual spot today too?”

The ‘usual spot’ the girls referred to was a Maimen (TL Note: A common Chinese slang term for McDonald’s) located near the subway station. They habitually went there after school to finish their homework, discuss problems, and chat about daily trivialities, sometimes also trying Maimen’s new drinks and desserts.

“Sorry, I have something to do today. You all go ahead.”

“Hmm? What’s up, Snack? Aren’t you usually the most eager?”

“Could it be… a boyfriend…”

Hearing this, the girls immediately adopted a wary, battle-ready stance, eyeing Jin Shiling suspiciously. In response, Jin Shiling merely shrugged, a suitable curve gracing her lips as she put on an equally sincere expression.

“Of course not. I’m just secretly going to a cram school behind your backs.”

“Eh—?!” (In unison)

Jin Shiling turned and walked towards the classroom, raising her left hand to wave at the girls.

“Just kidding! See you tomorrow.”

Seeing that Jin Shiling truly had no intention of going with them today, the girls were slightly surprised, but they quickly changed their mood and walked out of school together.

“I feel like Snack is in a good mood today.”

“Is she? I don’t think she’s any different from usual.”

“Speaking of which, why did Old Chen want to see Snack just now?”

“You idiot, have you forgotten what Old Chen said before school ended?”

“Hmm? Ah… ah, right, it was about the parent-teacher conference notice…”

“…”

After tidying up the stack of books on her desk, Jin Shiling, carrying her shoulder bag, walked out of the school gates. Her ‘home’ was in the somewhat old-looking building separated by an iron fence right in front of her. However, rather than calling it a home, Jin Shiling felt it would be far more accurate to call it an “address.”

A true home shouldn’t merely be an empty shell bearing its name, but a place where family lives and grows together—sharing laughter, tears, and perhaps even occasional quarrels—yet still spending the long journey of life side by side. A home, she believed, should be such a warm place.

But now, that warmth, fitting for a home, had long since vanished from within its walls, both for herself and for that other person.

Taking a step, Jin Shiling turned and walked towards the subway, for just as she had stated earlier, she had other arrangements for the day.

Boarding the subway, she retreated to a corner, leaning her back against the carriage. Amidst the gentle swaying and the occasional rush of wind in her ears, Jin Shiling’s thoughts drifted back to the existence of “magical girls.”

She had forgotten when exactly she stopped being enthusiastic about collecting magical girl stickers, stationery, picture books, or other merchandise. Perhaps it was when she realized that real magical girls weren’t as romantic as she had imagined, or perhaps when she discovered that, at their core, magical girls were merely humans with all their emotions and desires. The rose-tinted glasses she once wore had long since faded.

Or perhaps, it was when she could conjure a seemingly perfect smile in the mirror, her heart utterly devoid of emotion, that not only her yearning for magical girls, but many other, far more important things, were obscured and then forgotten within that mirror that ought to reflect truth.

Squeezing out of the station with the bustling crowd, Jin Shiling looked up at the station sign overhead: Pingchengfu Dajie (TL Note: A street name, literally ‘Pingchengfu Grand Street’), one of Jingping City’s (TL Note: A fictional city name) liveliest and most prosperous streets, close to the city center.

Ignoring the long queues for popular internet-famous snacks and the uniquely shaped buildings lining the street, Jin Shiling focused on the navigation app on her phone, which indicated her destination was near. She paused, her gaze settling on a cafe named “U·M·A” not far ahead.

“This must be it.”

Standing before the shop, Jin Shiling observed the not-so-conspicuous cafe. Its cream-colored signboard simply displayed the shop’s logo in black lettering. Beside the not-so-wide entrance hung a sign glowing with warm yellow light, indicating “Open.” Without prior knowledge of its location, one could easily overlook this establishment in a cursory glance.

As the wind chimes on the door tinkled, Jin Shiling silently pushed open the door and stepped into the cafe.

The interior of the cafe was somewhat more spacious than Jin Shiling had imagined. Grays, whites, light browns, and touches of metallic hues formed the shop’s color scheme. Unlike a cafe Jin Shiling had visited before, this one didn’t feature modern, minimalist tables and chairs; instead, it offered soft-looking brown sofas and tables draped with red tablecloths for guests to relax and enjoy their drinks.

“Hello, welcome to U·M·A. Are you alone?”

Looking towards the source of the voice, Jin Shiling saw a middle-aged woman in a deep red French-style dress emerge from behind the counter. She bowed slightly, a warm smile on her face, as she looked at Jin Shiling.

“Hello, I’m meeting someone here. It’s a girl, about this tall—”

Jin Shiling gestured with her hand to a height just below her shoulder, trying her best to recall the other person’s appearance.

“I’m here, I’m here!”

At that moment, another voice came from behind the middle-aged woman, accompanied by a flurry of hurried footsteps. Moments later, a girl dressed as a server appeared in view.

“Ah! It’s really you. Welcome, welcome~”

The girl before Jin Shiling was petite, with light brown, inward-curled short hair that slightly obscured her eyebrows. Her bright, lively eyes revealed an undisguised excitement and anticipation, and her delicate features instantly transformed into a joyful smile upon seeing Jin Shiling.

With both hands, she clutched a tray to her chest, her demeanor making Jin Shiling inexplicably conjure the image of a squirrel clutching a hazelnut in her mind.

Before the girl could say anything further, the woman reached out and gently tapped the back of her head with her hand.

“Zhenzhen, how many times have I told you not to run around the shop? What if you bump into a customer or spill a drink?”

A hint of helplessness could be discerned in the woman’s tone, though it seemed she didn’t truly intend to scold the girl.

“Oh, Mom, I know! There aren’t many customers right now, so it’s fine. Besides, I’m not clumsy anyway.”

Upon realizing the two were mother and daughter, Jin Shiling immediately greeted the woman politely with “Hello, Auntie,” successfully easing the slight frown on the woman’s brow.

Meanwhile, despite the verbal complaint, the girl remained completely unfazed. After a couple of offhand replies, her attention immediately returned to Jin Shiling. Taking two steps forward, she reached out and quite naturally grasped Jin Shiling’s wrist, intending to lead her away.

Jin Shiling’s body stiffened, and she instinctively wanted to shake off the other’s hand, but in an instant, she consciously relaxed her body, allowing her expression to soften once more.

“Um…”

Jin Shiling was utterly taken aback by the girl’s actions. In her view, such a gesture shouldn’t occur between them; after all, this was only their second meeting, and they didn’t even know each other’s names.

‘What an uninhibited person.’

“Come on, come on, it’s not convenient here. Let’s talk inside.”

The girl, without a word, pulled Jin Shiling towards another area of the shop, casually placing her tray on a nearby table.

“Zhenzhen, don’t just leave shop items anywhere!”

“I know, I know. Just bear with me, I have something urgent here.”

“This child…”

After leading Jin Shiling into a private room in the cafe, the girl casually locked the door, then looked at her with shining eyes. Under Jin Shiling’s slightly bewildered gaze, the girl extended her hand.

“Cheng Zhenzhen.”

Realizing the other was introducing herself, Jin Shiling hesitated for a moment, then decided to reciprocate the initiative and took the girl’s hand.

“Hello, Classmate Cheng Zhenzhen. My name is Jin Shiling.”

“Jin-shi-ling? How do you write that?”

Jin Shiling opened her shoulder bag and handed Cheng Zhenzhen a notebook with her name written on one side.

“Jin Shiling… OK. (Whispering) What an amazing name.”

Although Jin Shiling didn’t understand the meaning of Cheng Zhenzhen’s whispered ‘amazing,’ she smiled and nodded outwardly, taking her notebook back from the other girl and placing it in her bag.

Knowing each other’s names was typically just the first step in building a relationship, but Cheng Zhenzhen, it seemed, didn’t view it that way.

“Classmate Jin Shiling.”

“Hmm?”

Cheng Zhenzhen spread her palm, and a luminous orange glow suddenly gathered in its center. As the light receded, Jin Shiling saw a wooden carving-like ornament in Cheng Zhenzhen’s hand, shaped like an animal, with a noticeable groove on its surface, resembling a keyhole.

Clutching this ornament, Cheng Zhenzhen’s gaze turned even more fervent as she looked at Jin Shiling.

“Join me in becoming a magical girl, Classmate Jin Shiling.”

“Hmm… Hmm?”

After many years, Jin Shiling never expected this existence, which she had once forgotten, to reappear before her now. Although she had indeed simulated the possibility of such a development in her mind, she hadn’t imagined Cheng Zhenzhen would actually do it.

“…”

Jin Shiling wanted to say something, her gaze flicking between Cheng Zhenzhen and the ornament in her hand. The other girl’s appearance stirred an ineffable emotion deep within her, repeatedly crashing against her reason like a tide, attempting to awaken something dormant in her heart.