Chapter 9: Arrival at the Scene

What should I do… what should I do… what should I do…

Ke Xin tried to seek Qisi’s help, but the moment the class‑ending bell rang, Qisi dashed straight to the sports field — today was apparently soccer club practice. In other words, now Ke Xin would have to face things by herself.

If I directly revealed my identity here, handling the aftermath would be way too troublesome.

But yesterday I did use the memory suppression spell, following all the standard procedures. There’s no way it would utterly fail by the next day, right?

Then how do I explain that four people went out — and they even brought along a new transfer student they barely know? They must know by now!

Since things have come this far, Ke Xin resolved to continue playing dumb.
“Th‑that… can I ask why?”

Please, even if they already know the truth, don’t say it outright.

Ruolin tilted her head and thought for a moment, as though hesitating whether to speak.
“I don’t really know either. It just feels like if you were there, things would go smoothly.”

“Oh? So, um, you’re going somewhere, investigating… I mean—”

These people can’t seriously be planning to go to some spot where anomalies might be active. That’s not being bold — that’s being reckless without knowing your own limits.

She knew the four had always been obsessed with anomalies, gathering information online. If that were all, it might be harmless. The Special Investigation Bureau also monitored forums about anomalies, but most of the posts are elaborate stories — some so well done you wouldn’t need agents to insert “fake info.”

Ke Xin considered whether to agree to go. Either choice had pitfalls. If she followed them and a real anomaly appeared, what would she do? She couldn’t just stand by — but if she intervened, that would be something else entirely.

If she refused here, it would seem like the decision a normal person would make. Without getting into why she believes in anomalies — to normal people, they’d seem ludicrous, dangerous even. Ordinary folks would avoid them entirely, not intentionally seek them out. Without a protagonist’s special protection, that’s just asking to get yourself killed.

Having died once at the hands of an anomaly, Ke Xin deeply understood how powerless ordinary people feel facing such creatures.

Before Ke Xin could answer, Liu Yumeng grabbed Ruolin’s arm and tried to drag her out of the classroom:
“If she doesn’t want to go, fine — we’ll go ourselves, Ruolin.”

“Don’t pull me like that.”

Watching them leave, Violet and Sasaki Ayano glanced at Ke Xin (who stayed behind) and hurried after them.

Rather than agonizing over whether to follow, first she should confirm what they were talking about. The Dongzhuang Garden complex is in a central area of Muzhou City. After a heinous case like this, even the Special Bureau can’t fully contain all the news.

Just when she was about to message Agent Guan Mengyao — who is also their class’s homeroom agent — her phone rang first.

“Hello? I was just about to call you.”
Ke Xin hurriedly took her bag and stepped out of the classroom. After scanning around to ensure no familiar faces were near, she put on her wireless earpiece.

“What a coincidence. I have something to tell you too.”

“Let me guess: There’s been an anomaly incident at Dongzhuang Garden?”

She lowered her voice just enough to be picked up by the mic, while also watching her surroundings. If someone got too close, she’d go silent until she could reach the rooftop, where fewer people were around.

“You’ve already heard, huh? That saves me some trouble.”

She walked to the rooftop edge and looked toward the school gate direction. Spotting the four people in the crowd wasn’t hard — especially Violet, with her golden hair. In such a short time they wouldn’t have wandered far.

“I’ve already notified Qisi. You guys should hurry to the scene. That anomaly might not have moved far. We can’t keep evacuation in the complex going for much longer.”

“We’ve gotten this far already?”

Ke Xin launched the livestream app on her phone. The front page was a breaking live broadcast of the Dongzhuang Garden incident in Muzhou City.

The video feed was from a helicopter overhead. From about six kilometers away, you could see the housing complex. Police cars surrounded the perimeter. Ambulances and fire trucks were on standby.

Some exits were still being evacuated; fully armored tactical police escorted residents out. Officers were maintaining police lines to prevent bystanders from gathering near.

Just from the setup, it was reasonable to claim there was a group of terrorists in the complex.

“So what’s the excuse this time?”

“The current explanation is that the murderer is still hiding within the complex. To ensure residents’ safety, all occupants are being evacuated temporarily.”

Such a story would be accepted by most people immediately. But if the evacuation drags on and there’s no visible progress from police, doubts will arise.

Descending from the rooftop, Ke Xin exited the school from the side gate closer to Dongzhuang Garden and ordered a ride via ride‑hailing app, dropping the destination a few hundred meters from the complex. Because the area was already under traffic control, she couldn’t get any closer.

On the way, Agent Guan messaged via the special app developed for contacting magical girls, sending the current case files.

Often, anomalies have the ability to slip into some kind of non‑real space to escape the scene. Despite all the police and rapid response teams deployed, if an anomaly has that power, there’s little you can do.

But this anomaly clearly lacked that capability.

Ke Xin hadn’t finished reading all the documents when the car stopped. She paid and got out immediately. The driver glanced at the crowd gathering ahead, then turned away — clearly not wanting to get tangled up.

“Agent Guan, I’m near the destination, but… it doesn’t feel safe to go in.”

Now on site, she saw more people than she expected. Multiple media outlets had already arrived. In the air, not just TV helicopters but many drones too. Even transformed, sneaking in and being filmed by one camera could blow everything.

“Don’t worry. Our supporting magical girls have prepared a singularity. We just need to drag the anomaly into it and clear it out.”

“That sounds easy enough.”

As she spoke, Ke Xin arrived at a rooftop from which she could peek down into the dense crowd — fortunately, most people weren’t looking upward.

“By the way, didn’t the four from our class say they were coming here?”

“I’ll take care of that. You just do your job.”

At that moment, a figure in yellow landed beside Ke Xin. Even without turning, she knew who it was.