Tianhai Province is a large coastal province in the south of the Holy Spirit Empire, and Shangdu City is its provincial capital. In recent years, frequent trade with the elves of the Emerald Empire across the strait had lifted it from a second-tier city to near first-tier status. But as the city’s economy prospered, so too did the number of anomalies. Especially after the large-scale containment breach at the Containment Facility a year ago, Tianhai Province had seen more new anomalies than anywhere else in the country.

8:00 p.m., Port of Shangdu City

Shangdu City’s port was always busy. Cargo ships packed with supplies streamed in and out at all hours, earning it the title of the “Port That Never Sleeps” throughout the empire. Its many lights illuminated every shadowy corner—but beneath that peaceful surface, countless undercurrents were stirring.

Beneath the pitch-black water, beyond the reach of the lights, a small black fish slowly swam toward shore. Then a huge wave crashed in and swept it onto the pebbled beach. Stranded on land, the fish thrashed desperately, flinging its body around as it tried to get back into the water. But the water was too far away. All its efforts seemed futile.

Even so, the black fish kept struggling, flinging its body around in every direction. Then both its eyeballs popped out... They rolled across the pebbles, but the black fish didn’t bleed. It seemed not to feel any pain at all, and continued to struggle.

As it thrashed violently, its fins were flung off, then its gills, and finally every scale on its body...

Under the cover of night, a little orange kitten happened to pass by the shore. All it saw were fish scales and various organs scattered along the beach. Beside them, the black fish that had just been struggling was nothing but a rotten piece of driftwood...

“Meow?”

The young kitten didn’t seem to notice anything strange. Curiosity filled its adorable little face as it toddled forward on its short legs.

Suddenly, the fish scales on the ground sprang back to life and raced toward the kitten. Before it could react, they clung to its skin. The fur began to fall away where the scales had attached, revealing skin with the sheen of a fish. The kitten’s spine began to rise, as though a dorsal fin were about to grow from its back.

Next, the various fish organs scattered on the ground came rushing toward the kitten too.

But the kitten didn’t seem alarmed. It simply opened its little mouth toward the oncoming organs.

Then countless tentacles burst from the little orange kitten’s mouth. Each was covered in suction cups, with sharp teeth and mouthparts at the tip. The tentacles opened their own mouthparts, and all kinds of animal limbs emerged from within: human hands, crab claws, frog legs, and even undigested chunks of rotten flesh.

The limbs snatched the incoming fish organs. Then they withdrew, and the tentacles and limbs—more than three meters long in all—slipped back into the kitten’s body, which was less than twenty centimeters across. The scales clinging to the kitten began to fall away. Its skin and spine returned to normal, and the fur that had just fallen out quickly grew back.

The kitten simply sat there, elegantly licking its paw. Then, in a very humanlike gesture, it patted its belly before swallowing every last one of the fallen fish scales.

After its meal, the kitten strode elegantly through the nighttime port.

Suddenly, a blue light shone from beneath it. The kitten’s whole body lifted into the air. It was just about to open its mouth and release its tentacles when a pale-blue energy barrier appeared around it, trapping it inside. The barrier shrank and shrank until it became a small blue cube. The kitten trapped inside couldn’t move at all.

“This is Control. Target C-217, code name ‘Cute Kitty,’ has been contained. Beginning further containment procedures now.”

Containment Facility agents emerged from the darkness. They’d been waiting for some time. Several wore special operations gear, and they placed the blue cube containing the kitten into a black briefcase.

It was just another ordinary day for the Containment Facility agents. In a corner of the world no one knew about, they’d once again protected the city’s residents—then vanished into the night.

On the way back, one agent felt an itch and scratched his hand. No one noticed the transparent fish scale appearing just below his elbow...

…

In the car.

“An Wan, what’s up? You look like you’re in a pretty good mood.” Lin Xingyao noticed in the rearview mirror that the frown on An Wan’s face had suddenly relaxed, and asked curiously.

“Mm. A C-class containment object was just recovered, and there were no casualties.” As she spoke, An Wan adjusted the earpiece she used to stay in contact with the control room.

“A C-class containment object?”

“That’s right. You’ll find out when you come to the Containment Facility’s employee training tomorrow. Sealed objects are ranked by danger from A to E. The elves came up with that system, so we use their order.”

In the early days of the world, the written languages used by humans had all evolved from pictographs. The elves across the strait, on the other hand, had a language that evolved from symbolic writing. In terms of language, it was a bit like the difference between Chinese characters and English. But thousands of years ago, their writing systems were unified, combining the strengths of both to create the continent’s current common language, “Blue Star.” In daily life, though, the elves still preferred words that leaned more toward symbols, and their names tended to be the likes of “Alice” and “Jack.”

“So, what exactly is the Containment Facility?” Though Lin Xingyao had somehow ended up as one of its employees, she was still completely in the dark about the organization.

“The Containment Facility is a pan-continental organization. It has branches in the lands of the elves, beastfolk, and dwarves. Its headquarters are in the capital of the Holy Spirit Empire. Its main duties are to keep the continent running normally and resist the Abyss’s corruption.”

“The Abyss? You mean that corrupted region where the old Beastman Empire used to be?”

Lin Xingyao remembered seeing a world map once. The lands at the far north were all marked as dangerous forbidden zones. They were said to have once belonged to the beastfolk, and there had even been a human kingdom there. But the sudden appearance of the “Abyss” thousands of years ago had turned the region into an uninhabited wasteland. Rumor had it that all kinds of monsters often came crawling out of the Abyss.

The Abyss first appeared more than two thousand years ago, and it was still expanding. It now occupied the continent’s northernmost region, covering one-sixth of the entire continent. Defending against the Abyss was one of the most important military priorities for every nation.

“That’s right. Besides the Abyss, we often have to deal with anomalies caused by ancient magical creations.”

“Magical creations? Like Magical Girls?”

“It’s not the same. Magical Girls are one of the few groups in the modern age who can use magic safely. The ancient system of magic changed when the Abyss appeared. Anything that comes into contact with magic can be corrupted by the Abyss. Even Magical Girls can only use magic under the protection of a ‘Revered Name.’ As for ancient magical creations, most of them have turned into all kinds of bizarre things under the Abyss’s influence.” An Wan added.

“Take the containment object in your hands, E-175. It’s a magical relic from an ancient succubus, and its danger level is E. Its abilities are interesting, but it poses little danger to society. You’ll have plenty of reports to write about it tomorrow.”

“Then... should I keep E-175 for now?”

“Mm. Since 175 won’t have much effect on you right now, and we can’t find a way to turn you back anytime soon, we’ve decided to leave it with you for observation. Write up an application to use the containment object, and I’ll approve it later. We still have to follow procedure.”

“Thanks, An Wan!” Lin Xingyao clasped her hands together in gratitude.

“No! I don’t think the Containment Facility has fully researched E-175 yet. What if something dangerous happens while it’s with Xingyao-ge?” Su Xueqian suddenly objected.

“That’s why I said we’d leave it with her for a few days and keep an eye on it. If anything unusual happens, the Containment Facility will take it back immediately. Besides, she needs help from 175 right now, doesn’t she?”

“What do you mean?” Su Xueqian blinked in surprise.

“I mean 175’s disguise ability! I’ve turned into a girl—how am I supposed to go to school tomorrow? And when I get home, how am I going to explain this to my mom?” Lin Xingyao scratched her head. She had a whole pile of problems to deal with.

“Sorry... I didn’t think of that.” Su Xueqian lowered her head.

An Wan glanced at the two in the back seat and smiled. Xiaoxue was usually pretty clever. Around strangers, she always stayed calm and kept people at a distance. But whenever something involving Lin Xingyao came up, she’d get flustered in the most unexpected way.

Ah, to be young.

“Still, Lin Xingyao, let me give you one piece of advice. You’d better be honest with your mom about becoming a succubus. Don’t you still have plenty of questions about your succubus bloodline?” At the mention of Lin Xuanyin, An Wan couldn’t help thinking about the past. Now that Lin Xingyao was grown up, she had the right to know the story of her parents’ generation.

“Besides,” An Wan added, “E-175 can only create a visual illusion. Anyone who actually touches you will notice something’s off. You and your mom live together. There’s no way she won’t see through it.”

And Lin Xuanyin might seem sweet and ditzy, but she was actually sharp as a tack. An Wan had been on the receiving end of her tricks plenty of times when they were young... Now this nephew of hers had followed in his mother’s footsteps. Was it some kind of bloodline destiny?

Well, at least Lin Xingyao was steadier than her mom had been at that age. Lin Xuanyin back then had been... Heh. Maybe she wasn’t famous for anything good, but she certainly had a fearsome reputation. An Wan had spent plenty of time running herself ragged cleaning up her messes.

Before long, An Wan had driven them home. Lin Xingyao lived with her mother in a two-story house, while Su Xueqian lived next door with her grandparents.

Before they got out of the car, An Wan tossed Lin Xingyao a voice changer about the size of a button. Used together with 175’s illusion, it would make her disguise even more convincing.

“Remember to come to the Containment Facility with Xiaoxue after school tomorrow. You still need to complete your employee orientation, and we need to assess your combat ability in both forms,” An Wan added.

“Oh, An Wan, I have one more question.” As she got out of the car, Lin Xingyao suddenly remembered something.

“Go ahead.”

“What was your code name when you were active as a Magical Girl?”

“......”

The moment Lin Xingyao finished speaking, she felt a powerful pressure fill the air around them. She could almost see An Wan’s palpable killing intent in the rearview mirror. Beside her, Su Xueqian clutched the hem of her clothes.

“Kids, some things are better left unknown.” An Wan looked at them with a smile, but behind that smiling gaze was a terrifying aura straight from hell.

“I... I understand!” Lin Xingyao hurriedly shut the car door and dragged Su Xueqian away.

“Sigh...” An Wan let out a long sigh in the car. Given Lin Xingyao’s relationship with her mother, she’d probably find out sooner or later. But... even when you knew you couldn’t escape your embarrassing past, you still hoped you could put off facing it a little longer.

An Wan rubbed the bridge of her nose hard, remembering those painful memories...

“Hello, everyone! I’m everyone’s cutest Magical Girl, Hongyin~☆! Ehehe~☆! Today, let’s give it everything we’ve got and defeat all our troubles and bad guys! Hongyin Flash Strike~☆!”

“Aaaaaah!!!!” In the lonely darkness of the night, An Wan clutched her head and let out a heartfelt scream at the memories she wished she could forget.

…

“What’s wrong with An Wan?” Lin Xingyao watched the car disappear, her eyes full of confusion.

“We all make mistakes when we’re young.” Su Xueqian, who knew some of the story, quietly watched the car drive away.

“Huh?”

“Rule One of the Tianhai Province Containment Facility: Don’t try to find out Director An’s Magical Girl name.” Su Xueqian pointed at Lin Xingyao and spoke with a serious expression.

“Xingyao-ge, if you want to survive at the Tianhai Province Containment Facility, you’d better follow the rules.” Su Xueqian folded her arms across her chest and nodded at Lin Xingyao.

Watching Su Xueqian’s serious expression, Lin Xingyao suddenly burst out laughing.

“What is it?”

Lin Xingyao studied the girl in front of her. “It feels like it’s been ages since you made such a cute face, Xiao Qian. I missed it.”

“Xingyao-ge!” Su Xueqian pouted at her.

“Do you remember why I like calling you Xiao Qian instead of Xiaoxue?”

Lin Xingyao smiled warmly. “The first time I saw you, I thought a cute little girl like you ought to smile more. The word ‘snow’ sounds so cold. Xiao Qian is much cuter.”

“...” Su Xueqian lowered her head, cheeks flushed, and said nothing. Her left hand gripped Lin Xingyao’s sleeve tightly.

Beneath the moonlight, the two stood at their respective doorways. The area around them was deserted, and the girl’s gentle gaze made it feel as if everything were just right.

“The mood seems right for a confession...” The thought suddenly crossed Lin Xingyao’s mind. Beside her, Su Xueqian had lowered her head too, as if waiting for her to say something.

It was awkward. Lin Xingyao knew her situation all too well. This absolutely wasn’t the time to talk about feelings. Until she figured out what had happened to her, she didn’t dare make the girl in front of her any promises. So all she could do was pretend not to catch the hint, turn her head slightly, and act as if she hadn’t noticed a thing.

Just then...

“Xiaoxue, you’re back!” Su Xueqian’s grandmother opened the door. “I thought I heard you talking just now, but your grandpa didn’t believe me. Huh? Who’s this?”

“Th-this is a classmate of mine! She just walked me home!” Su Xueqian hurriedly replied. Then she darted inside, rushed to her room, and slammed the door shut before burying herself under the covers.

“Oh dear, look at this girl of mine—she never knows when to stop. She didn’t even thank you. Have you eaten, young lady? Why don’t you come in and sit for a while?” Grandma Xueqian looked at Lin Xingyao, now a girl, without the slightest idea that this young lady was the boy next door.

“It’s all right, Grandma. I’ve already eaten, and I need to get home soon. I’ll come by another time.” Lin Xingyao politely declined. Grandma Xueqian still tried to pull her inside for a while, but Lin Xingyao smiled and made up an excuse to get out of it.

Lin Xingyao wasn’t clueless about romance. She’d noticed Su Xueqian’s feelings for her, but... after everything that had happened, she needed time to think about her situation and her future. At the same time, she knew she had to give the girl in front of her a clear answer...

Lin Xingyao first circled around near her home. Once she was sure nobody was watching, she used E-175’s ability to transform back into her original male appearance and put on a voice changer. Then she walked up to her front door.

Now she had to face today’s big boss. How was she supposed to explain this to Mom?

Thinking it over, Lin Xingyao pushed open the door to her home.

Then her pupils suddenly contracted, and her heart seemed to stop for a split second.

Because she saw her mother’s body lying in a pool of blood, a dagger embedded in her chest...