Chapter 9: The Brutal Reality of a New Magical Girl

Su Qianyu was unsure what had transpired, yet one undeniable truth remained.

It felt as though something extraordinary, something truly immense, had been thrust upon her.

Regaining her senses, she felt as though she had just imbibed something profound.

Clutching the Magical Girl crystal in her hand, Su Qianyu was then escorted out of the building.

The moment they returned to the rooftop where they had first entered, she and Illo exchanged a brief, knowing glance.

‘Hmm, unsettling desu (TL Note: A Japanese copula, often appended to sentences in a cute or quirky manner in Chinese web novel translations to indicate a specific character’s speech pattern or internal monologue.).’

When she emerged, the night still hung deep and heavy.

Their movements had been so swift that the moon, still high in the sky, seemed barely to have shifted.

It was a pity, though; the mission appeared to have failed.

Yet, it also seemed as though it hadn’t failed completely.

At least for Su Qianyu, this certainly seemed to be the case.

Gazing at the dazzling gem in her hand, she felt an unexpected sense of familiarity and warmth.

Moonlight streamed through the crystal, casting a faint, ethereal violet glow across her face.

Perhaps driven by instinct, Su Qianyu subconsciously found the object exquisitely beautiful.

Unfortunately, no matter how she tried to activate the gem, she couldn’t summon the Magical Girl transformation device.

It was common knowledge that Magical Girl transformation devices came in all shapes and forms.

The ability to transform only with a device was practically a universally accepted truth among Magical Girls.

Of course, the Magical Girls in this world differed significantly from those in Su Qianyu’s imagination.

There were both downsides and upsides to this.

At the very least, when she saw that the so-called white mascot was nothing more than an ordinary doll, she breathed a sigh of relief.

‘Oh, right.’

‘It seemed she had never seen Illo produce a transformation device herself, had she?’

“So, where do we go next?”

Lifting her head, Su Qianyu spoke, her gaze fixed on Illo’s back.

Illo was currently perched on the rooftop, letting the cool breeze wash over her, seemingly lost in thought.

The clamor of the night drifted past her ears, and as she observed the streetlights below, the girl let out a long sigh.

Her gaze wandered, circling back to finally settle upon Su Qianyu.

“Do you… want to see what I usually do?”

Illo smiled faintly, as if genuinely extending an invitation to Su Qianyu.

Unfortunately, Su Qianyu had no choice in the matter.

And Illo, too, was thinking along the same lines.

After all, at this juncture, her capabilities remained far too limited.

Neither her own strength nor the progression of the worldline had advanced enough to truly alter the future.

Therefore, her optimal solution was to first cultivate her ‘little one.’

Illo believed Su Qianyu wouldn’t be easily swayed, necessitating a demonstration of force.

What’s more, that old geezer had also slipped a Magical Girl gem to Su Qianyu.

There was no telling if this person might, like her best friend in the previous life, cruelly stab her in the back.

‘Sigh, another variable to contend with.’

Gazing at the sky, Illo felt a pang of pity.

Yet, this flicker of pity merely passed through the girl’s eyes in an instant.

It was not yet time for sorrow.

A Magical Girl’s mission was straightforward: simply patrol the various streets.

During each time slot, different Magical Girls almost entirely protected the city.

From a distance, Su Qianyu spotted a streak of green light arcing across the sky.

Pointing towards a corner of the sky, the light itself emitted sounds reminiscent of a girl band.

For Su Qianyu, who was encountering such things for the very first time, her face was alight with curiosity.

After all, it was her first time observing such a being up close.

Of course, that one time Illo had sought her out and thoroughly thrashed her didn’t count.

The Magical Girls she had seen before were typically found more on [Censored] Comic Heaven or Pink [Censored] Ka.

Ideally, the search terms would even include “fallen” or “corrupted.”

Illo, however, clearly had no interest in lingering on such matters, instead pulling Su Qianyu along as she plummeted straight downwards.

Illo’s hands itched with an unbearable desire to fight.

The saying went that art imitates life, but after witnessing a petty thug transform from a living, breathing person into a ‘zip file’ (TL Note: A humorous way to describe someone being compressed or utterly flattened, implying extreme violence.), Su Qianyu suddenly found Magical Girl doujinshi (TL Note: Fan-made comics, often with mature themes.) utterly bland.

Illo’s move was simply too brutal.

After using her phone to document the scene and send a request for medical assistance, Illo’s gaze fell upon Su Qianyu standing beside her.

“What, was that too violent?”

Gazing at the thugs now contained within a ‘barrel’ (TL Note: Likely a metaphorical description of how the thugs were compressed or confined by Illo’s power.), Su Qianyu didn’t know whether to nod or shake her head.

Although she had mentally prepared herself, witnessing the scene firsthand still left her feeling utterly bewildered.

‘Should I be grateful that I’m still alive?’

Before she could even speak, Illo reached out and, once again, dragged Su Qianyu to several other locations.

Without exception, all these locations were filled with individuals who had been thoroughly thrashed by a certain unknown red Magical Girl.

There was no belief in punishing evil and promoting good; there was only the relentless pursuit of violence.

Observing the scattered broken teeth and the thugs groaning in agony on the ground.

Now, Su Qianyu finally understood why no one dared to commit crimes in Illo’s jurisdiction.

‘If it were me, I’d be well-behaved too.’

After wiping the blood from her knuckles, Illo’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Noticing Illo’s gaze return to her, Su Qianyu quickly averted her head.

‘So… so terrifying!’

‘Is this even a Magical Girl?!’

Without a shadow of a doubt, if someone told Su Qianyu that Illo was a murderer, she would believe them instantly.

Such methods could hardly be executed by someone who hadn’t experienced life-or-death situations.

Seeing Su Qianyu’s fear, Illo felt a deep sense of satisfaction.

This was precisely the effect she desired.

A scare today, another scare tomorrow.

In a few more days, she would bestow some favors upon this Su Qianyu.

A carrot and stick approach (TL Note: A Chinese idiom, ‘dǎ yī gùnzi gěi kē zǎo,’ meaning to alternate between punishment and reward.), and eventually, she would gain a loyal subordinate.

However, just as the two were preparing to head back, readying themselves for tomorrow’s enrollment.

From outside the alley, the distinct crunch of a crushed soda can reached their ears.

“Who’s there!” Almost simultaneously with the utterance, Illo had already thrust the iron rod from under her foot towards the source of the sound.

Yet, upon seeing that the newcomer was none other than the person who had handed her documents at Magical Girl Headquarters, Illo belatedly realized she had acted a bit too rashly.

‘Habits from my previous life… they truly are hard to break.’

“You’re Lin Li, right?”

“What are you doing here at this hour?”

Illo looked at her, a hint of confusion in her eyes.

But the other person offered no reply, instead staring intently at Su Qianyu beside Illo, her gaze unnervingly piercing.

“H-hello?”

Tentatively, Su Qianyu greeted her.

‘Could this person be one of my online enemies?’

Considering Illo standing next to her, Su Qianyu instinctively gravitated towards that possibility.

However, Lin Li seemed to realize her impropriety, quickly coughed twice, and waved her hand dismissively.

“Um, hello there, little one?”

“I was just passing by here after work… right!”

“I heard some commotion inside, so I came to check it out!”

With a forced laugh, Lin Li took a step forward.

Illo, however, paid little mind to all this; seeing that the newcomer was not an enemy, she simply took Su Qianyu’s hand again, preparing to leave.

Before departing, seeing Lin Li, a mere office worker, still standing there dumbfounded, Illo sighed and offered a reminder.

“It’s not very safe around here, so remember to go home and rest early.”

Having left that parting remark, the figures of Illo and Su Qianyu once again vanished into the night sky.

Gazing in the direction where they had disappeared, Lin Li remained in a daze for a long time.

It wasn’t until the thugs on the ground began to groan that the girl finally snapped back to reality.

“This time, I absolutely, absolutely must protect you…!”