Chapter 20: Magical Girls: Civil War (Part 1)

Dongfang Cheng’s phone buzzed in his pocket.

He glanced down to see a text from Hoshino Kirara, dripping with her usual high-handed tone, even the punctuation screaming orders:

“Dongfang Cheng, get to the main auditorium NOW for the final play rehearsal. Immediately! Right now!”

He smirked, about to head out, but paused at the classroom door, a strange instinct tugging at him. Turning back to his desk, he dug into the deepest part of his pencil case, pulled out the cold, black rhombus crystal, strung it on a chain, and tucked it under his school uniform shirt.

That dumb cat had warned him repeatedly not to transform for two weeks, or the consequences would be dire, and he had no intention of transforming… but for some reason, carrying the crystal felt reassuring.

As if confirming his uneasy premonition, within a minute of leaving the classroom, Dongfang Cheng sensed a bizarre atmosphere permeating the school.

The girls’ gazes weren’t their usual fear of him as a delinquent but raw hostility and hatred, like they’d tear him apart given the chance. Frowning, unease stirred in his chest.

—Something’s definitely wrong with this school.

“Hey, stupid cat, any magical auras around?” He tried questioning the mascot lounging in his contract space, but, unusually, the black cat didn’t respond.

Meanwhile, inside the gym.

Fengxiang Hong froze mid-step as she burst through the curtains, the sight before her making her gasp in shock.

The vast gym floor was packed with nearly every male student and teacher from Saint Flower Academy, bound, gagged, and sprawled like stacked cargo, their fates unknown.

Mizuse Kazuha followed, her face darkening instantly.

“What… what is this?!” Fengxiang Hong roared in fury.

Before they could act, groups of blank-faced female students poured in from every entrance, moving like marionettes, surrounding Mizuse Kazuha and Fengxiang Hong.

“These students are giving off magical fluctuations. Can you feel it, Sensei?” Fengxiang Hong asked.

Mizuse Kazuha nodded, pulling a translucent, ice-blue crystal from the inner side of her teacher’s ID lanyard. The magic from these zombie-like students felt familiar, but she couldn’t place why.

“Don’t harm innocent classmates. Make this quick.”

“Got it!” Fengxiang Hong clenched her fist, pulling a fiery red crystal from her track pants pocket.

[Heart of Courage, Insert, Load!]

[Fountain of Serenity, Insert, Load!]

“Transform!”

Both shouted in unison, light erupting.

When the glow faded, Fengxiang Hong wore a fiery red magical girl outfit, its tight design accentuating her vibrant, athletic curves, with energy wings like phoenix feathers trailing behind.

Mizuse Kazuha, now Jingxi Lan, donned a deep blue, flowing dress-style combat outfit, adorned with rippling water patterns, emphasizing her mature, refined aura. The chest design was notably bold—her usual teacher attire had been holding her back too much.

No wonder Jingxi Lan was the most popular among male fans of all ages in the magical girl quintet. Big is justice.

Though their styles differed, compared to Zero’s near-lingerie-level embarrassing outfit, theirs were practically wholesome.

“Too many controlled students!” Fengxiang Hong eyed the dense crowd of blank-eyed girls closing in, exasperated. “Knocking them out one by one will take forever!”

“Then we don’t engage. Let’s blast through the gym roof and find the mastermind.”

“The roof?” Fengxiang Hong gaped at her teammate and teacher. “Sensei, you really don’t care about school property, do you?”

“As a teacher, that’s exactly why I don’t,” Jingxi Lan replied flatly, as if commenting on the weather.

But as they agreed to break out, the Class 1-1 girl who’d blocked them earlier reappeared, eyes vacant and crazed. She grabbed a long-handled shovel from the equipment room, pointing it at a bound boy under the basketball hoop.

“Stop right there, both of you!” Her voice wasn’t her own, more like a possessed snarl. “Move, and I kill him!”

“You can stop me, but can you stop all these hundreds? Every sister here has her target…”

“Not one man will live.”

On another side of campus, Tao Gong Qi, hyper-sensitive to magical fluctuations, followed the unsettling aura with her crutch, arriving outside the main auditorium.

Taking a deep breath, she nudged open a side door and peeked inside. On the brightly lit stage, Hoshino Kirara, in an ornate noblewoman’s costume, gazed lovingly at Dan, dressed as a knight, mid-rehearsal.

Below, the auditorium seats were packed with girls from every grade, all with heart-shaped eyes, staring adoringly at Dan, letting out dreamy sighs and suppressed squeals.

Why some were wearing wedding dresses, Tao Gong Qi couldn’t fathom—she was too scared.

She’d just realized the magical aura’s source was the suave, smiling male lead on stage!

“Kirara-senpai, danger! Something’s off with Teacher Dan!” Tao Gong Qi, unable to hold back, shouted toward Hoshino Kirara with all her might.

But instead of alarm, Hoshino Kirara froze, as if a nerve had been struck. The lovesick smile on her face twisted into something ugly.

Slowly, inch by inch, she turned, her usually haughty, pretty face now bearing a chilling, warped grin.

Her gaze on Tao Gong Qi was filled with unmasked coldness, jealousy, and hostility.

“Xiao Tao Gong? What nonsense are you spouting… ha, hahaha!” Hoshino Kirara’s composure was gone. Under “Lover’s” influence, her heart was consumed by obsessive possession.

“Don’t you dare take Dan away from me! He’s mine! My prince, my hero, my everything! Anyone trying to steal him, anyone who dares touch him, is my enemy and deserves to die!”

She yanked a gleaming golden crystal from a strap on her thigh.

[Wish of Obsession, Insert, Load!]

“Transform!!!” Hoshino Kirara roared with all her strength, engulfed in blinding golden light.

Beside the manipulated magical girl Meteor Yellow, “Lover” Dan maintained his gallant knight pose, a faint smile on his lips, as if savoring a theatrical performance.

He watched with amusement as the two adorable magical girls faced off over him, tension rising to the point of drawing swords. This clash of intense emotions over a woman was exactly the drama he loved.

“Kirara-senpai! Snap out of it!” Tao Gong Qi, tears welling, looked at the transformed Meteor Yellow, radiating violent aura.

Clutching her pink crystal tightly, she made a final effort to reach her teammate.

“Danger? Heh…” Meteor Yellow let out a sickly, sharp laugh, caressing her cheek with a dazed, fanatical look. “To be with Dan forever, what’s a little danger? For him, I’d do anything! But you, Tao Gong Qi—you’re the one in the way, trying to ruin our happiness!”

In an instant, an ornate flintlock pistol appeared in Meteor Yellow’s hand. Without hesitation, she aimed at her former comrade.

“Die, you meddling bitch!”

A magical bullet, laced with destructive force, shot toward the still-injured Tao Gong Qi!

[Prayer of Love, Insert, Load!]

Golden streaks exploded outward as pink light blocked the bullet, gently enveloping Tao Gong Qi.

When the glow faded, she stood in her pink, heart-adorned magical girl outfit as Sakura Pink.

Wiping tears from her eyes, her gaze was resolute:

“For everyone, and for you… Kirara-senpai, I’ll stop you!”