At dinner, Bai Xiaoxiao brought up the zoo trip with her brother again. Last time, she’d only said they were going tomorrow, without giving him a specific time.

“Big Brother, my friends and I are going to Tianhai Zoo tomorrow. We’ll probably leave around eight, so don’t save me any lunch. We’ll most likely eat near the zoo.”

“Oh, remember to have fun. If you need money, just tell me.”

Li Xinghe cradled his bowl in his slender hands and picked up a piece of meat. They were so slender and fair that Bai Xiaoxiao wondered if she was seeing things.

How strange. Why were her brother’s hands so pretty? They were so pale and soft, they almost looked like… a girl’s hands?

She secretly compared them to her own. Yeah, they really were strange.

Maybe she’d just never noticed before. She hadn’t expected her brother to take such good care of his hands. They were good enough to be a hand model. If he got a manicure, no one would ever guess they belonged to a man.

“No need, Big Brother. I still have some pocket money on my card. It should be enough, and how much could I possibly spend at the zoo?”

That was true. Now that his little sister mentioned it, there wasn’t much to spend money on at the zoo. The tickets might be a little expensive, but once you were inside, there was no need to spend anything else.

Unless you wanted to buy some souvenirs to take home. But buying souvenirs at a zoo or tourist attraction? That was just asking to get ripped off.

Anyone with even a little sense of thrift wouldn’t pay several times the usual price for some useless decoration.

The two didn’t talk much more over dinner. Li Xinghe was the kind of person who rarely started a conversation unless the other person did first. Bai Xiaoxiao also tended to wait for the other person to make the first move. Both were rather introverted, so most days they exchanged a word or two and then fell quiet.

They were less like people living together and more like roommates sharing a place.

The evening flew by. Bai Xiaoxiao watched a few videos, and before she knew it, it was past ten. Time to go to bed.

Lying in bed, she thought back over what had happened that day. She still hadn’t fully absorbed the information about the Fallen Witch Organization.

It was an organization founded only five years ago by a retired S-Rank Magical Girl. And yet, it had gathered several powerful Magical Girls with antisocial personalities.

A villainous organization that used its power to do whatever it pleased should’ve been wiped out in no time.

Tianhai City was only a small city. She still didn’t know for sure if anyone from that organization had shown up, but it never hurt to be cautious.

When she thought back to the beginning, her magic level had been rated A-Rank as soon as she made a contract with a spirit. It was an unprecedented achievement.

Unfortunately, she was still too weak to manifest a magical weapon. She could only fight using magic.

A magical weapon was exactly what it sounded like: a weapon made tangible from magic, something a Magical Girl could only wield after reaching a certain level of strength.

At the moment, Captain Qu Mengting was the only one in Tianhai City’s Magical Girl team who could manifest a magical weapon. Starlight, the Magical Girl who had come to help from the neighboring city and was about to be transferred here, used a scythe. And Silver Spear Battle Maiden, who had once saved her life, wielded a long silver spear.

Each of their magical weapons had its own unique qualities, but there was no doubt that they were all incredibly strong.

Forget it. Thinking about it wouldn’t help her manifest a magical weapon. She might as well go to bed early.

At seven the next morning, the first rays of sunlight shone through the window and fell across the floor. Bai Xiaoxiao rubbed her sleepy eyes and blinked her vision into focus. Her alarm had gone off right on time. She stretched, then slowly climbed out of bed.

She took off her pink pajamas and changed into something cooler. She had to be at the zoo by eight to investigate whether any magical beasts had formed, so she wouldn’t wear a skirt.

She wore a white summer T-shirt. Her chest stretched the fabric dramatically, revealing a patch of pale skin. Bai Xiaoxiao had deliberately picked a loose top, but her impressive bust had other ideas. Her proud breasts refused to bow their heads, boldly claiming everyone’s attention.

Was it that she’d developed too well, or had she inherited her mother’s proud figure? Bai Xiaoxiao shook her head and stopped worrying about it. She could use magic to lower her presence later, so she wouldn’t draw anyone’s eyes.

For her bottom half, she wore an extremely short pair of blue denim shorts. They were a little absurdly short, but they were cool and showed off her long legs. Senior Lu Wanxin had called them a national treasure.

After admiring herself in the mirror for a moment, Bai Xiaoxiao decided to wear her hair loose, just like before. Her shoulder-length bob felt nice when the wind blew through it. She didn’t like the feeling of having her hair tied up.

After putting on a little light makeup, Bai Xiaoxiao headed downstairs. Li Xinghe had already made breakfast.

Rice porridge with preserved eggs always left her with a nice, full little tummy.

Her brother’s cooking was just too good. Before she knew it, she’d eaten far too much. If this went on for long, she’d have a hard time maintaining her perfect figure.

But the delicious food was right in front of her. She could always worry about dieting later.

Bai Xiaoxiao stuffed a big mouthful of porridge in with satisfaction and couldn’t help letting out a little sigh of appreciation.

“Xiaoxiao, you’re leaving at eight, right?”

Her brother’s concerned voice reached her ears. Li Xinghe got to enjoy watching his adorable little sister eat every day, and that was where his good mood began.

“Mm. We’re meeting at eight, then heading to the zoo. Why?”

Li Xinghe wanted to ask if she needed him to drive them there. But he’d never even met Bai Xiaoxiao’s friends. If he acted too eager, it might have the opposite effect.

“No, it’s nothing. Have a good time.”

In the end, he still couldn’t say it. It had been several days, and he still hadn’t grown any closer to his little sister. The only time they spent together each day was at meals.

“Thanks, Big Brother. We’re definitely going to have a great time.”

Her brother was great in every way. He just seemed a little… clueless.

There were so many things he could’ve talked about with her right now. No wonder she got the feeling he’d always been single—though she wasn’t exactly in a position to say that about him.

Bai Xiaoxiao ate quickly. Once Li Xinghe had finished clearing the dishes, she picked up a white handbag and headed out.

“Big Brother, I’m heading out! Don’t save me any lunch.”

“Oh, got it!”

Li Xinghe, washing dishes in the kitchen, called back to Bai Xiaoxiao. A moment later, he heard the door close.

Looking down at his delicate hands, now soaked, Li Xinghe felt a faint sense of discontent.

Last time, he’d just happened to be there by pure luck. He hadn’t expected such a powerful magical beast to show up in Tianhai City. If he hadn’t used that power, the entire city might have been wiped out in the previous magical beast attack.

By the time Magical Girls from other cities arrived to help, Tianhai City might already have been reduced to rubble.

Standing alone and quietly thinking like this, Li Xinghe couldn’t help feeling wistful.

He hadn’t had anything to do with Magical Girls or magical beasts for eight whole years. So why…

When ordinary people were suffering from magical beast attacks, why couldn’t he let go of everything and live peacefully as an ordinary person?

Maybe there was still some conscience left in him. Even after learning the whole truth, he still couldn’t abandon everyone.

It was almost laughable. He’d become a Magical Girl only after another Magical Girl saved him, and a contract spirit suddenly came to him and offered a contract.

But things had changed. He’d killed the contract spirit without hesitation, and the vast amount of soul power it had drawn from him had proven his suspicions right.

Who could’ve guessed that the existence of Magical Girls had been a tragedy from beginning to end?

After washing the dishes, Li Xinghe went back to his room and idly fiddled with his phone. He looked at the huge poster on the wall, where Crimson Red Lotus stared ahead with a resolute expression and breathtaking beauty. No one would’ve noticed that the corners of the man’s eyes had grown damp.