Chapter 31: New transfer student arrives!
Dongfang Cheng sat at the dining table, demolishing breakfast—three fried eggs, half a loaf of toast, and a large glass of milk.
For some reason, his appetite had skyrocketed lately, as if his body was instinctively stockpiling energy. Even he was shocked at how he could go from full to starving in under an hour.
“Is this another transformation side effect…?” he muttered, licking the last bit of sauce off his plate before tossing it into the sink.
The TV blared Duhuang City’s morning news. The anchor’s sweet voice reported: “Last evening, Ouroboros’s giant tentacle monster, codenamed ‘Deep Sea Devil Plant,’ caused chaos in the Black Coast Industrial Zone. Thanks to the valiant efforts of the magical girls, the monster was repelled…”
On-screen, Phoenix Red, Shizuku Blue, Evergreen Green, and Sakura Pink fought side by side, unleashing a dazzling four-color beam.
“Another tentacle monster?” Dongfang Cheng mumbled. Was Ouroboros running out of ideas?
Why only four magical girls instead of the usual five? Because Meteor Yellow had been missing for a while.
Since the “campus festival incident” with undisclosed details, Hoshino Kirara had vanished from public view. Only a handful knew the full story.
Meanwhile, Tao Gong Qi, previously sidelined by a “bicycle accident,” had recovered from her leg injury and rejoined the fight.
“A fire broke out again in the city’s eastern abandoned residential area. The fire department reminds—”
Dongfang Cheng switched off the TV, tossed his dishes in the sink, grabbed his backpack, and headed out to meet Lin Feng for school.
As he locked the door, a news ticker scrolled across the TV’s bottom: [Duhuang City’s prominent Hoshino Group is reportedly embroiled in financial disputes, facing potential bankruptcy and restructuring—]
“So, A-Cheng,” Lin Feng leaned in with a gossip-hungry grin, “online chatter about magical girls is heating up again.”
“More fanfiction?” Dongfang Cheng rolled his eyes.
“Nah, let’s talk serious stuff.” Lin Feng lowered his voice. “Two big names are trending: the elusive Zero-sama and…”
He paused, his expression turning odd.
“Meteor Yellow?”
“Exactly!” Lin Feng slapped his thigh. “Before, everyone dragged Sakura Pink for crying and holding the team back. Now she’s back, performing decently, so the heat’s shifted to the missing Meteor Yellow!”
Clearing his throat, he mimicked online trolls: “‘Yellow’s damage is pathetic and she’s all talk!’ ‘Her flashy magic looks cool but hits like a joke.’ ‘The team’s got three Cs, she’s the only B-rank, total deadweight—kick her out!’”
Dongfang Cheng listened impassively. He wasn’t fond of Hoshino Kirara either—last time, if he hadn’t transformed to intervene, Sakura Pink might’ve been gunned down by her own teammate.
Lin Feng kept dishing gossip as they walked into Class 2-4’s classroom.
“Yo, you two!” A vibrant voice rang out from behind the door.
An arm shot out, hooking Dongfang Cheng and Lin Feng’s heads, yanking them close. Huang Yu Tong’s sunny grin appeared between them.
“Class Prez, did you eat a power pill for breakfast?!” Lin Feng grimaced under her grip.
“Morning, Prez,” Dongfang Cheng sighed, prying her arms off. Thanks to his body’s feminization, his normal strength was probably weaker than Lin Feng’s now.
“Speaking of,” Dongfang Cheng said casually, “how’s Hoshino doing? Haven’t seen her at school.”
Huang Yu Tong’s smile froze briefly, a flicker of worry in her eyes, quickly masked by a bigger grin.
“Haha… Kirara’s… got some family stuff! Yeah, urgent stuff she’s handling herself! She took a long leave, but she’ll be back soon! Probably…”
The air grew slightly awkward until a gentle voice cut in.
“Yu Tong, I brought the student council files.” Senior Lin Yao Yao approached, arms full of documents, offering a soft greeting.
“Yao Yao-senpai!” Huang Yu Tong latched onto the distraction, eagerly pulling her over. “Come, let me introduce! This is Lin Yao Yao from third year, our super-capable student council officer who’s helped me tons! Yao Yao-senpai, these are my classmates, Dongfang Cheng and Lin Feng!”
Dongfang Cheng and Lin Yao Yao exchanged glances, both catching a hint of awkwardness. As one of the magical girl five, Lin Yao Yao often visited their class to see the class president or Hoshino, so they’d crossed paths before.
“Senior Lin, hi,” Dongfang Cheng broke the silence.
“Dongfang, Lin Feng, hello,” Lin Yao Yao nodded politely.
The atmosphere stayed stiff.
“Ahem!” Their homeroom teacher, Mizuse Kazuha, entered, holding a stack of notices, her usual faint smile in place. “Everyone’s here, perfect. I’ve got an announcement for morning homeroom.”
“Another event?” Lin Feng whispered, nudging Dongfang Cheng.
“…No more, please.”
“We have a new transfer student joining our class today,” Mizuse said calmly, glancing at the door. “Come in, Reida-san.”
“I bet fifty it’s a hot guy,” Lin Feng muttered, sounding sour.
“I’m in. I say it’s a girl,” Dongfang Cheng shot back.
As their back-row banter ended, the classroom door opened, and a figure stepped in.
“Fifty, pay up, A-Cheng,” Lin Feng smirked.
But Dongfang Cheng barely registered the transfer student’s appearance or Lin Feng’s gloating. His mind was fixed on the chilling unease he felt the moment they entered—
A gut-twisting sense of wrongness.
The last time he felt this was during Dan’s chaotic campus festival stunt. He hoped this new arrival wouldn’t disrupt his hard-earned peace.