Lin Xingyao stood before the mirror in the laboratory, looking at the stranger who was also herself in its reflection.

The beautiful girl in the mirror was looking back at her with a helpless, sorrowful gaze. Her hair had changed from black to black streaked with deep purple. Compared with the handsome, refined male face she’d had before, her features were softer and more feminine—she looked every bit like a beautiful girl. A pair of little horns, each about four centimeters long, sprouted from her head. Since they pointed straight forward, they looked just like hair clips.

Her height had shrunk from 1.74 meters to 1.68. Her once-trained, sturdy build had become a girl’s slender arms and waist. Even her legs—the most muscular part of her body before—were now toned and shapely. As a leg enthusiast, Lin Xingyao found herself thinking she could enjoy them for a whole year.

On top of that, a pair of tiny leathery wings had grown from Lin Xingyao’s back. They weren’t even wider than her back. A slender little tail, about forty centimeters long, had grown from her tailbone. Its tip was shaped like a heart, and it swayed back and forth without obeying her will, as if it were a separate creature.

And then there was Lin Xingyao’s little brother...

That was a sad story.

She could almost see a little eagle flying toward the sun as it sank below the horizon... The bird was gone...

Poor second son of the Lin family. He’d never even seen a battlefield, yet he’d already died before his mission was accomplished. Compared to his previous life’s battle-hardened predecessor, he was simply... Alas! What a tragedy. What a tragedy.

“Xingyao-ge...” Su Xueqian took her hand and gently comforted her.

“All right, enough sighing! Let’s talk about something important.” An Wan kicked open the laboratory door and came over to Lin Xingyao with a stack of files.

“Have you figured out how to turn me back?” There was a hint of hope in Lin Xingyao’s voice.

“No.”

“Then do you have any other way to turn me back? Like some strange artifact or something?”

“Some Containment objects could do it, but they all come with serious side effects and risks. The higher-ups won’t approve it for you.”

“Sorry to bother you. I’m leaving.”

“Wait!” An Wan grabbed Lin Xingyao by the collar and hauled her back as she tried to slip away.

“At least we’ve figured out roughly why you turned into what you are now.”

“Huh? Tell me!” Lin Xingyao was desperate to find out what had happened.

“Here’s the gist of it.” An Wan picked up a few reports and spread them across the table. “Our research suggests that you had some succubus blood in you. When you transformed into a Magical Girl, the magic throughout your body was further activated and purified. As a result, you went from being a human-succubus hybrid to a pure-blooded succubus.”

“Then why did I turn into a woman?!”

It made no sense. Leaving aside the question of how an ordinary person like her could have succubus blood in the first place, why had awakening that bloodline turned her into a woman?

“Don’t rush. Here’s some information about succubi. Take a look.” An Wan handed her a sheet about succubi.

...

《Containment Facility Creature Files—Demihuman Species—Succubus (Abridged Edition)》

Succubi are an ancient species that still exists today. They were once classified as humanoid monsters, but are now considered a branch of the demihuman species. They live longer than ordinary humans and age more slowly. There are currently no more than 3,000 pure-blooded succubi.

In appearance, succubi are indistinguishable from humans. They are all beautiful women, with a pair of horns on their heads, a heart-shaped tail and a pair of wings on their backs. Adult succubi also have distinctive markings on their lower abdomen. Like other demihumans, succubi can reproduce with one another and have hybrid offspring.

Succubi have a strong aptitude for mental magic, but their physical abilities are comparatively poor. In all other respects, their physical functions are the same as those of humans. Succubi are naturally able to bewitch others, disturbing their minds to a certain extent or causing them to lose control of their actions.

Succubi have a unique physiological need to periodically absorb the life essence of other panhuman species. This behavior is highly addictive and brings succubi intense psychological gratification. Most succubi can interact normally with humans, but many lack self-control. There have been many cases of succubi draining humans of their life essence and causing their deaths.

During the ■■, there were many succubi who overindulged in draining human life essence. As a result, the succubi sided with the monsters during the ■■. Their bewitching abilities inflicted severe damage on human leadership. By the time the ■■ ended, most of the succubus clans had been wiped out. Only a few clans that had cooperated with humans survived.

...

That was the Containment Facility’s basic record on the creature known as a “succubus.” The file went on to cover the current habitats and circumstances of several succubus clans, but some of the information had been redacted. Lin Xingyao was told she didn’t have sufficient clearance to access it.

Which raised another question: where had the succubus blood in Lin Xingyao come from?

An Wan’s answer was, “How should I know? Go ask your mom. You might get some interesting answers.”

“Xiao Qian, what’s wrong?” Lin Xingyao noticed that Su Xueqian had been acting unusually excited for a while now, nervously clasping her hands.

“N-Nothing!” A rare blush appeared on Su Xueqian’s usually cool face. Then she changed the subject. “I want to know, if a Magical Girl’s contract ends, can Xingyao still turn back?”

An Wan shook her head. “Probably not. You know the physical transformation that comes with becoming a Magical Girl is permanent. Even if her contract ends, the fact that her succubus blood has been purified can’t be changed.”

“Then what am I supposed to do?!” Lin Xingyao felt as if she were standing in a fog, unable to see what lay ahead.

Seeing that the subject had changed, Su Xueqian let out a long sigh. In her hand, she clutched a note she’d just torn from the report:

“PS: According to Dr. Zhao Xi’s latest research, although all succubi are female, their species’ traits allow them to reproduce regardless of sex. Any hybrid succubi born with a relatively pure bloodline are female.”

Seeing how lost Lin Xingyao looked, Su Xueqian stepped over to comfort her. “Don’t worry. We’ll definitely find a way to turn you back. Besides, Xingyao-ge, you’re so pretty now...”

“No, Xiao Qian. You don’t understand. This is a matter of male dignity.” Seriously! Lin Xingyao had been a man for a total of forty-three years across her two lives. How was she supposed to accept suddenly becoming a girl? And the report said succubi had to periodically drain humans of their life essence. Was she supposed to drain men? No way!

Wait... It didn’t say she could only drain human men, did it?

“Commander An, I have a question. The report says I need to periodically absorb the life essence of panhuman species... What does that mean?” Lin Xingyao hurriedly asked.

“Well... I’ll get someone to explain it to you.” An Wan made a phone call. A moment later, the young female doctor who’d given Lin Xingyao her physical came into the room.

“Hello. Allow me to introduce myself properly. I’m Zhao Xi, a doctor at the Containment Facility who specializes in rare demihuman species.” The doctor shook Lin Xingyao’s hand.

“Hello, hello!” Lin Xingyao warmly shook Zhao Xi’s hand. She’d probably be dealing with her a lot from now on.

“I’ll explain the habits of the succubus species to you.” She pushed up her glasses and stuck several diagrams to the laboratory’s glass board.

“First, succubi need to periodically absorb human life essence. I’m sure you already know that. How often depends on your stage of development. A succubus who’s still growing needs life essence about once a week. After she’s fully grown, that can be extended to once every three weeks or even once a month.”

“What stage am I at?”

“Your age would normally put you in the development stage, but judging by the length of your horns and wings, you seem to be in the juvenile stage. Succubi of this age usually don’t have much need for life essence.”

“Phew... That’s a relief.”

“But there’s something strange! You should clearly be at the development stage for your age! It might be because you only just transformed into a succubus, but we expect your horns and wings to grow rapidly over the coming period, reaching the development-stage size. I recommend you prepare yourself.”

Lin Xingyao had just started to feel relieved, but now she froze on the spot.

“Then... what should I do?”

“What else? Drain some.”

“Oh, but don’t worry. Absorbing life essence isn’t as lewd as you think! You don’t need to do anything too intimate. Just get close enough to feel the other person’s life essence flowing, then use magic to draw it out through their mouth or pores.”

“Of course, if you do something intimate, it’s more efficient—and feels better for both of you...”

That was a dangerous way to put it. Lin Xingyao shuddered inwardly. Were all succubi perverts? (Yes.)

“Are there any requirements for who you absorb life essence from?” The studious Su Xueqian raised her hand.

“Not really. Adults naturally have the most abundant life essence, but be careful: after being drained once, it generally takes over half a month for someone to fully recover. Otherwise, you could harm their body.”

“Of course, if it’s a Magical Girl, her healing ability means she’ll recover in two or three days.” An Wan used a special method to send that line to Su Xueqian alone, then winked at her.

Su Xueqian seemed expressionless as she listened, but she was already making plans in her head.

“Finally, aside from the physiological habits I just mentioned, succubi also have immense mental power and a certain authority over ‘dreams.’ The two are often used together to create the succubus ability known as ‘bewitchment.’ People with low mental resistance are easily affected.”

“Oh, right.” Zhao Xi flipped through the files. “I remember your previous records mentioned mental contamination from the Containment object E-175. Do you still have any interest in muscular, well-built men?”

“Wait, you know about that too?”

“The therapist you see regularly is an outside contractor,” An Wan replied.

An Wan took out her phone, searched for a picture of a muscular hunk, and held it up in front of Lin Xingyao.

“Hmm... Nothing!” Lin Xingyao was overjoyed. She could finally escape her nightmare of muscular men!

“Good. That suggests becoming a succubus has improved your mental resistance,” Zhao Xi analyzed, pushing up her glasses.

“But don’t get cocky just yet. The Containment object E-175 was left behind when a powerful succubus died. You’re of the same species, and your abilities are somewhat similar, so it’s no surprise that the object affects you less. Don’t go trying your luck with other Containment objects.” Seeing Lin Xingyao looking so pleased with herself, An Wan hurriedly warned her.

“Oh.” Lin Xingyao answered. Who in their right mind would want to collect a bunch of things that caused mental contamination?

“That’s everything you need to know about being a succubus.” Zhao Xi tidied up the files on the table, then took out her phone. “Let’s exchange contact information. I specialize in succubi and other rare demihuman species. You can contact me if anything comes up.”

“Sure. I’ll be counting on you! Please, you have to find a way to turn my bloodline back into a human one!”

“Come on. Isn’t it nice to stay a gorgeous girl?” An Wan teased her with a smile. “Xingyao-chan~”

Brr! The nickname “Xingyao-chan” sent a shiver through Lin Xingyao. It was just too weird for a grown man to be called that.

“All right, all right. I’ll stop messing with you.” An Wan laughed and waved a hand, pleased to see she’d gotten a rise out of Lin Xingyao. “Now that we’ve explained the succubus stuff, it’s time to ask an expert to talk to you about being a Magical Girl.”

“And if we’re being honest, the strange things you’ve shown as a Magical Girl are the really unusual part,” she added.

“An expert on Magical Girls? Where?” Lin Xingyao looked around. Aside from the three of them, there was no one else in the laboratory.

“Right in front of you!” An Wan pointed at herself.

“Let this retired Magical Girl senpai give you a proper crash course!”