Chapter 13: Transformation? She’s become a magical girl?.

“Heh… little one, you want to get in my way too?”

Xi Ran’s voice was ice-cold, laced with a trace of irritation at being interrupted.

She clearly didn’t take the tiny fox seriously at all. Her gaze slid past A-Li and locked onto Bai Linlin once more. Her fingers continued reaching forward.

Just as her fingertips were about to brush the trembling collar of Bai Linlin’s uniform—

“Wuu!”

The pink little fox blocking the way, A-Li, suddenly let out a cry different from its earlier warning growl.

The sound was short and piercing—like the beep of a switch being flipped.

In the next instant, everything changed!

A burst of pink light erupted without warning from the center of A-Li’s small body.

The light wasn’t blinding, yet it was unusually dense—like a drop of pink pigment spreading through clear water, blooming outward in an instant.

It expanded rapidly, forming a cocoon of light centered on A-Li.

When the edge of the light cocoon touched the collapsed Bai Linlin on the ground, it seemed to find its rightful place. The glow immediately came alive, creeping gently yet irresistibly up her ankles, calves, and arms, wrapping her completely inside.

The entire dim, cluttered storage room was suddenly flooded with this sudden, dreamlike pink radiance.

Xi Ran’s movement halted completely.

She narrowed her eyes against the unexpected light, which stung slightly. What annoyed her even more was the unfamiliar energy fluctuation woven within it—something she instinctively disliked.

“What is this…”

She muttered under her breath, the chill in her tone deepening.

Without further hesitation, her free left hand whipped forward. An invisible wave of frigid, malicious power surged toward the pink cocoon, intending to shatter it.

But the force collided with the edge of the light cocoon and—silently rebounded, as though it had struck a soft, yielding wall. It only caused faint ripples across the surface.

Xi Ran’s brows furrowed slightly.

The pink glow lasted roughly ten or so seconds before, just as suddenly as it had appeared, it began contracting inward and dimming.

When the light finally faded, the storage room returned to its gloomy darkness.

But the scene before her eyes made even Xi Ran—who rarely showed any fluctuation in expression—freeze in genuine astonishment.

The little pink fox A-Li had vanished.

The spot where it had stood was empty.

And Bai Linlin, who had been collapsed on the floor… had changed.

She no longer looked like the “Bai Linlin” in the standard St. Marianna Academy uniform with slightly disheveled pink long hair.

What met Xi Ran’s eyes now was a figure that seemed to have stepped straight out of an extravagantly ornate fairy-tale stage production—or the most exquisitely crafted display window of a collector’s doll shop.

The main piece was a pure white dress, its design so elaborate it dazzled the eye.

Layer upon layer of frilled ruffles cascaded from the shoulder lines and sleeve cuffs down to the hem, creating an exaggerated, fluffy silhouette full of rococo-style ultimate sweetness and decadent luxury.

A golden clasp at the chest glimmered with tiny sparkles in the faint light; the neckline was edged with pink trim that only emphasized the overwhelming sweetness.

A pale-pink long cloak draped over the outside, its fabric looking light and soft.

Her hands were encased in pure-white elbow-length gloves, the cuffs adorned with fluffy pink pompoms that trembled gently with her slightest movement.

Her legs were clad in vertically striped tights in two shades, the pattern bold and striking.

On her feet were white high-heeled ankle boots with delicate pleated detailing at the openings.

Most eye-catching of all was her hair.

The formerly loose long locks had transformed into tall twin tails, the ends curling. Each tail was tied with an enormous pink-and-white bow.

And in her slightly trembling hand… she gripped a magic wand?

The staff was slender, topped with a translucent pink gem that emitted a faint, soft glow.

The entire look piled every possible meaning of “sweet,” “gorgeous,” and “dreamlike” to the absolute extreme—forming an absurd, almost comical contrast with the dark, filthy storage room around her.

Bai Linlin herself was completely stunned.

She looked down at her ridiculously over-the-top outfit, then reached up to touch the massive bow on her head.

Feeling the weight of the “magic wand” in her hand—which actually seemed to carry a faint warm current—she suffered a total mental crash.

This was… a transformation? Because of A-Li?

But now was not the time to analyze fashion choices (or maximum embarrassment level)!

She snapped her head up and looked at Xi Ran.

Xi Ran had clearly been momentarily dazed by this transformation far beyond normal comprehension. She was staring thoughtfully at the outfit—especially at that magic wand.

Opportunity!

Survival instinct surged over everything else once again.

Ignoring how the heavy skirt and high heels hindered her movement, she used the magic wand (treating it for now as a makeshift walking stick) to push hard against the ground. She scrambled upright in a frantic scramble and bolted toward the half-open iron door of the storage room!

Click-clack!

Her high heels crunched over scattered debris on the floor, making sharp sounds.

The noise jolted Xi Ran back to awareness.

Watching the petite figure in absurdly luxurious attire fleeing desperately, Xi Ran’s brief bewilderment gave way. A more twisted, blazing heat suddenly ignited in her pitch-black eyes.

It wasn’t anger.

It was the extreme excitement of a hunter discovering that her new toy had unexpectedly revealed a fascinating new side.

“Heh…”

A low chuckle slipped from her lips, soon turning into a clear, delighted exclamation.

“Interesting…”

“Linlin…” she murmured softly, watching Bai Linlin frantically push open the iron door and vanish into the corridor’s light outside.

“…you really are so cute.”

She did not immediately give chase.

Instead, she stepped forward unhurriedly and walked out of the storage room.

The sound of her own footsteps on the corridor floor was steady and calm—as though the hunter already knew exactly where the fleeing prey would end up, and was simply savoring the pursuit itself.

Bai Linlin had never (in either of her lifetimes combined) run so pathetically.

The heavy skirt kept tripping her up. Layers of ruffles scraped against walls and doorframes.

The high heels were a complete disaster—she had no idea how to walk in them!

She nearly twisted her ankle several times.

The magic wand in her hand showed no sign of actual magic at the moment; it was purely dead weight, yet she didn’t dare drop it. It might be her only “weapon.”

Her mind was a complete mess.

What the hell was up with A-Li?

What was with these clothes and the wand?

What even was she right now? A magical girl? Give me a break!

But the single thought “I can only figure things out if I stay alive” kept her going.

Don’t stop! Don’t let Xi Ran catch you!

In her panic she ran blindly, instinctively rushing into the denser, more secluded wooded area behind the building.

The darkness and trees might offer some cover.

Xi Ran was following her—like a cat toying with a mouse.

As she stumbled deeper into the woods, lungs burning, steps growing increasingly unsteady—

“Ugh!”

A sharp pain suddenly stabbed the back of her neck!

Intense paralysis spread instantly from her nape through her entire body.

Her vision blacked out. All strength drained away in an instant.

She didn’t even have time to cry out. Her body simply crumpled forward limply.

The lavish skirt fanned out across the cold forest floor like a flower blooming tragically, then wilting in seconds.

In the very last moment before consciousness sank completely into darkness, her blurred peripheral vision caught a figure approaching.

It wasn’t Xi Ran.

It was a tall silhouette dressed in a style completely unlike anything from St. Marianna Academy.

Most striking of all was the head of hair… catching faint glimmers of moonlight in soft golden waves.