At that moment, Su Xueqian and the Yellow Knight were chasing two monsters through the air. The Man-Bat had slowed down after grabbing the Spider Monster, but the spider beneath it kept spitting corrosive acid at the two Magical Girls behind them. Su Xueqian and the Yellow Knight had to dodge the attacks while keeping up the chase, and the gap between them was steadily growing.

“This won’t work. At this rate, we’ll never catch up.” Su Xueqian knitted her brows.

Suddenly, a fierce whoosh sounded behind them. A purple figure with enormous wings shot past the two of them.

The two fleeing monsters had no idea what was happening. Suddenly, a purple girl with a sexy figure and outfit appeared right in front of them.

“So sexy!”

That was the first impression the two monsters had of the girl before them. Then a massive hand made of magic seized them in its grip.

“What is that?! So... sexy!” the Yellow Knight cried out.

“Stop saying that!” Lin Xingyao lowered her face, embarrassed. The purple giant hand formed from magic tightened its grip.

“Wait, wait, wait! We can talk this out!” the Spider Monster cried, squeezed tight.

The Spider Monster looked at the girl before it. With those huge horns and wings, not to mention that enchantingly provocative outfit, she was obviously no good. She was probably one of the Demon Lord’s Followers, some kind of officer. Since they were both members of evil organizations, maybe it could still appeal to her sense of reason.

The Spider Monster thought it over, then carefully chose its words. “You there, mighty... Miss Succubus?”

“Who are you calling a succubus?!” Lin Xingyao snapped. The purple giant hand crushed the two monsters with a squeeze...

Spider Monster. Man-Bat. Deceased.

“That was brutal! But still so sexy...” The Yellow Knight stared in stunned disbelief at the whole display.

“Could you please shut up?” Su Xueqian could tell the girl before them really didn’t like being called “sexy,” so she hurried to silence her teammate.

“May I ask who you are?”

“It’s me! The one in red just now!” Lin Xingyao was clearly still emotionally unstable after transforming.

“Oh! So you’re a succu—mmph!” Before the Yellow Knight could finish, Su Xueqian clapped a hand over her mouth.

“No, I don’t know why I turned out like this either! If you don’t believe me, see for yourselves!”

Then Lin Xingyao recited the incantation she’d used to transform into her red form again. A red lotus of flame bloomed in the air, and she changed back into the red outfit she’d worn earlier.

“See? I told you—”

Before she could finish, the red form—with no wings—plummeted through the air at tremendous speed.

“KRA-BOOM!”

She slammed into the ground, leaving a huge crater. Luckily, everyone on the street had already been evacuated.

……

Afterward, the two of them spent some time pulling Lin Xingyao out of the ground. She looked so utterly mortified she could barely show her face.

It was around five in the afternoon. The sun was already sinking toward the western horizon. In an empty park, the three of them found a few seats and sat facing one another.

“Ahem. Let me introduce everyone. This is the Magical Girl Blue Butterfly, and this is the Yellow Knight.”

Luna floated between the three of them, hands on her hips, looking very pleased with herself.

“You two, this is your new teammate, a Magical Girl... Oh, right. What codename do you want?”

“Just call me ‘Red Lotus.’” Lin Xingyao still had her face covered and didn’t dare look at the other two.

“Hmm, Magical Girl Red Lotus. Nice name. You’ll be a three-person team from now on. No, wait—counting me, that makes four.”

“Wait! There’s something I want to confirm!” Su Xueqian raised her hand.

“Yes, Blue Butterfly?”

Su Xueqian walked up to Lin Xingyao and stared at her. Then she crouched down and gently pulled Lin Xingyao’s hands away from her face.

“You’re Lin Xingyao, right?!”

“Huh???”

“It’s me.” As Su Xueqian spoke, a flash of pale blue light passed over her, dispelling her transformation and returning her to her usual appearance.

“Xiao Qian?” Lin Xingyao’s mouth fell open. She stared in shock at the childhood friend she’d grown up with.

“That’s right.”

Lin Xingyao wanted nothing more than to dig a hole and bury herself in it. Her childhood friend had found out she was a Magical Girl—and that her outfit was especially sexy. This was social death at its absolute worst!

“Wait! Isn’t Lin Xingyao your boyfr—”

“Childhood friend.” Su Xueqian cut off her best friend.

“Isn’t he a boy? How did he turn into a Magical Girl? And why are her boobs so big?!”

“Please... I’m begging you, just shut up, okay?”

“Xingyao-ge, could you transform back first?”

Rarely, Su Xueqian called Lin Xingyao by the name she’d used for him when they were little. She gently took Lin Xingyao’s hands in hers.

“Um... how do I transform back? I was in a hurry earlier, so I didn’t read a single page of *Magical Girl Guidelines and Precautions*...”

“Relax. Calm down. Think about changing back. Just picture what you usually look like.”

Su Xueqian guided Lin Xingyao slowly and gently.

“The injuries I had before transforming won’t all come back at once, will they?”

“No. When you signed the contract just now, magic altered your entire body. Your previous wounds have already healed,” Luna replied.

“Okay...”

Lin Xingyao closed her eyes and silently thought, I want to change back. A flash of pale red light passed over her, and she returned to her usual appear—

“Pop!”

The instant Lin Xingyao’s transformation ended, the school uniform jacket she’d worn out that day burst open. A button shot off and smacked Luna right on her little head.

“Ow!”

A beautiful girl appeared before them, looking almost exactly like the original Lin Xingyao. Her black-and-purple hair fell to her shoulders, and her bright eyes sparkled like they held stars within them. She looked like someone you’d want to cradle in your hands and protect, yet there was also a hint of confidence about her. Her features hadn’t changed much from Lin Xingyao’s clean-cut, boyish appearance, but subtle adjustments had elevated her beauty to an incredible degree. She also carried an innate air of seduction. Two tiny horns grew from her head, and a pair of small wings and a tail were hidden behind her clothes. Her breathtaking face was frozen in utter shock.

The “Lin Xingyao” application stopped responding, like a corpse.

“Luna, can you explain this to me???” Su Xueqian wore a bright smile that looked like the rising sun on a freezing day, yet somehow radiated immense pressure. She swiftly grabbed Luna, who was trying to flee into the shadows, and pinched both of her fluffy cheeks.

“I... I don’t know either!” Luna stammered as her cheeks were vigorously kneaded.

“Then why did you trick him into signing a Magical Girl contract?”

“I had no choice at the time... W-wah... I was trying to save both our lives!”

“Then why was a boy able to successfully sign a Magical Girl contract?” Su Xueqian kept up her terrifying smile.

“At the time... I just had a feeling! The kind where you think, ‘If it’s this kid, they can definitely become a Magical Girl!’ I found you two the same way, remember? Stop kneading my face!”

“Sigh...” Su Xueqian let out a long breath, then released Luna. She walked over to Lin Xingyao, who was still completely unresponsive, took off her torn jacket, and draped her own over her.

It fit, but... it was still a little tight across the chest. Su Xueqian quietly made a note of it.

……

A few minutes later, the Containment Facility’s cleanup team arrived and began taking them back to file a mission report.

The door of the vehicle at the front of the convoy opened. A mature-looking woman who appeared to be around thirty stepped out. She wore sunglasses and had her hair in a ponytail. It was the beautiful commander from the operations room.

“Xiaoxue! Xiao Lan!” She greeted the two warmly while ordering her subordinates to handle the cleanup.

“Director An!” The Yellow Knight, Ji Lan, saluted.

“Xiao Lan, how many times have I told you? Once we’re done working, just call me Big Sis An.” An Wan gently patted Ji Lan on the head.

“Um... who’s this?” An Wan looked curiously at Lin Xingyao, who was being supported by Su Xueqian. During the fight with the Spider Monster, the sudden intense heat had burned out all the nearby surveillance equipment, so she had no idea what had happened afterward.

“Big Sis An, this is Lin Xingyao.”

“Crack!” An Wan felt as if a fissure had just appeared in her sunglasses.

“Xiaoxue, could you say that again?”

“I said, this is Lin Xingyao.”

An Wan calmly took off her sunglasses, then crushed them in her hand. The glasses—and her hand—crunched loudly, and veins were already bulging on her forehead.

“So, can someone explain this to me?” An Wan’s voice was clenched with rage.

Everyone pointed at Luna in unison...

“Um... if I said I don’t know either, would you believe me?”

“An Wan, why are you making that face?! Don’t come any closer!”

……

After Luna had been thoroughly reprimanded, everyone decided to take Lin Xingyao to the Containment Facility for an examination. Maybe they could figure out what had happened.

“The Containment Facility? I’m not going. You’re sure you’re not planning to lock me up?” Lin Xingyao still had misgivings about the place after being invited in for tea once before.

“Kid, the Containment Facility isn’t the kind of criminal organization you’re imagining. Our only goals are to maintain order across the continent and fight the Abyss’s corruption. We treat anomalies that pose no threat to society with kindness.”

“I don’t care. How do I know you won’t trick me into going there and dissect me? I’m not going!”

“Xingyao-ge, the Containment Facility really isn’t like that,” Su Xueqian added, trying to smooth things over.

“Lin Xingyao, I’ll remind you one last time: the Containment Facility specializes in dealing with all kinds of anomalous phenomena and occult incidents. Given your current unusual condition, we might be able to find a way to turn you back.”

Lin Xingyao slowly came back to her senses. It was true: if anyone could turn her back, it might be the Containment Facility, with its command of mysterious powers! At the moment, there was no way she could go home like this. She might as well go and see what they could do. Besides, Xiao Qian wouldn’t hurt her. She’d just have to trust them and hope for the best...

In the end, Lin Xingyao agreed to go to the Containment Facility and got into the vehicle with the others. A little while later, they drove into the “Shangdu City Auto Salvage Yard.”

“I thought we were going to the Containment Facility?” The last time the Containment Facility had invited Lin Xingyao in for tea, they’d blindfolded him on the way there—and on the way back, too. By the time he came to, he was already home.

“Don’t worry. Organizations like ours have to keep up a disguise,” An Wan said with a smile.

When they drove into the open space in the center, the enormous lot suddenly sank. An underground fortress made of steel appeared before them.

“Welcome to the Tianhai Province headquarters of the Containment Facility.”

An Wan held out her hand to Lin Xingyao, who awkwardly shook it.

“Let me introduce myself again. I’m An Wan, director of the Tianhai Province headquarters of the Containment Facility. I’m in charge of all Containment Facility affairs across Tianhai Province. From now on, I’ll be your superior.”

“My superior?”

“Didn’t Luna tell you? Once you become a Magical Girl, you’re basically considered part of the Containment Facility’s special operations team. Since all the Magical Girls of this generation live in Tianhai Province, command falls under me.”

“Can I quit...” Lin Xingyao suddenly felt exhausted.

“Nope.”

“Why not?! You’re forcing a minor to work!”

“Take a closer look at the terms you signed with Luna. There’s a hidden clause requiring every Magical Girl who signs a contract to work for it for free until they turn eighteen.”

“What kind of predatory contract is that?! I didn’t even read it properly! I want to protest!”

“There’s nothing we can do. That contract is binding under the rules, and every generation of Magical Girls has been caught by it. But don’t worry. It’ll automatically expire once you turn eighteen.”

“Why?”

“Because Magical Girls only accept girls between the ages of 12 and 18! Didn’t you read the Magical Girl Guidelines and Precautions back then?”

“Back then... I was almost eaten by that giant spider... I didn’t have time to read it.”

“It’s fine. I’ll have someone put together a copy for you later.”

“Um, if there’s nothing else, can I head off to work now?” Ji Lan raised her little hand.

“Sure. Go ahead, and come back early.”

“Got it! Oh, and don’t forget to deposit my overtime pay into my account today!” She didn’t forget to bring it up before leaving.

“Ji Lan lives at the Containment Facility?”

“Yeah. Our facility has staff dormitories. You can move in too, if you want.”

“I think I’ll pass. I still have a mom at home I need to take care of.”

When An Wan heard Lin Xingyao mention her mom, she seemed to think of something, but in the end, she didn’t say it. Since Lin Xuanyin didn’t want to talk about it, An Wan, as an outsider, didn’t feel she should interfere.

“Suit yourself. Now go with these people and get a physical examination.”

As soon as she finished speaking, a group of researchers in white lab coats walked in and stared at her curiously. Lin Xingyao felt completely uncomfortable under their scrutiny.

“A succubus transformed from a human? That’s quite valuable for research.” An elderly doctor pushed up his glasses.

“She’s so cute! I want to marry her!” a young female doctor whispered. That is a very questionable thing to say!

“Wait!” Su Xueqian’s voice came from behind. “I’m going with her.”

“That’s fine. It’ll be good to have someone with her.”

With Su Xueqian accompanying her, Lin Xingyao underwent a blood test, X-rays, and various other examinations. Before long, she received a message from the research team.

“Congratulations, Miss Lin Xingyao. You’re a perfectly healthy pureblood succubus.”

“Pureblood what???”