Chapter 7: Magical girl? No, it’s the girl carrying bricks at the construction site!

“Um… catgirl sister, why aren’t you saying anything?”

Weire’s curiosity was thoroughly piqued as she began to study the snow-white catgirl magical girl with interest.

Perhaps because she was an incurable cat lover, she felt an inexplicable fondness for Lin Qingya.

Especially those adorable cat ears, trembling slightly with their owner’s nervous emotions…

Mmm, she really wanted to pet them!

Unable to resist, she leaned closer to Lin Qingya, almost face-to-face, a sweet strawberry scent wafting over.

“What’s wrong, catgirl sister? You’re so pale, almost as white as your hair~ Are you feeling okay?”

Weire asked with concern, her sparkling eyes fixed unblinkingly on Lin Qingya, causing her already overloaded brain to crash completely.

Oh no, oh no, oh no…

She’s too close!

Lin Qingya felt her personal space being wildly invaded, instinctively taking a big step back, her entire body trembling.

The subconscious command Bai Wanting had implanted took its sinister effect at this moment.

It made Lin Qingya fear interacting with strangers, left her at a loss in social situations, and instilled an instinctive urge to flee.

Yet, her magical girl identity demanded she stay and cooperate with these people.

It was pure torture!

Seeing Weire’s eagerness to practically glue herself to her, Linglan finally couldn’t take it anymore. She sighed helplessly, reaching out to pull Weire back.

“Alright, Weire, you’re scaring her.”

“Huh? Am I?” Weire pointed at herself, looking innocent. “I’m just being friendly!”

“Too much enthusiasm becomes harassment,” Linglan said bluntly, her tone carrying a touch of exasperation.

She turned to Lin Qingya, her icy blue eyes calm but reassuringly steady.

“Don’t be nervous. We mean no harm. We’re just here to meet up for the same task.”

“Yeah, yeah!” Xinlu, the petite green-haired lolita, chimed in with a sweet, sticky voice.

She waved her microphone, as if cheering Lin Qingya on.

“Don’t be scared of us, big sister! We’re all nice people! You’re so cute, like a little kitten!”

Three people, three completely different vibes.

One fiery and enthusiastic, one cool and composed, one sweet as candy.

Lin Qingya felt like she’d stumbled into the set of some bizarre anime.

What a classic magical girl traffic light trio!

But, truth be told, her heart, which had been pounding from social anxiety, was starting to calm down unexpectedly.

They… seemed like really nice people.

And they didn’t show any impatience or judgment at her silence.

Bai Wanting’s subconscious command made her instinctively resist deep interactions with anyone but her.

Yet, at this moment, her magical girl identity seemed to form a unique bond, giving her a faint sense of belonging with these three strangers.

She took a deep breath, finally mustering the courage to squeeze out a sentence.

“Y-you… hello, I’m…”

She paused, her mind racing to come up with a codename.

Her transformed appearance was pure white—what should she call herself?

A name popped into her head instinctively.

“I’m… Magical Girl Baixue.”

Baixue.

Partly because she was a white-themed magical girl.

And partly because…

Her mind uncontrollably conjured Bai Wanting’s face, smiling gently.

Little Sister Bai…

The thought of her brought a faint blush to Lin Qingya’s cheeks, her ears growing warm.

“Waaaah!!”

An exaggerated squeal interrupted her thoughts.

“Oh my gosh! Baixue, you’re so adorable! You even blush during introductions! Your voice is so soft!”

Weire’s eyes sparkled at Lin Qingya’s shy, innocent demeanor, practically melting from the cuteness.

Magical girls typically used codenames to conceal their identities.

If possible, Weire wanted nothing more than to get to know this adorable Baixue after their transformations ended.

She was even starting to consider what paperwork she’d need to adopt a catgirl…

Excitedly, she grabbed Linglan’s arm and shook it wildly, looking ready to take off.

Linglan, dizzy from the shaking, landed a precise chop on Weire’s head.

“Quiet down.”

“Ow…” Weire clutched her head, pouting pitifully as she shut her mouth.

Linglan coughed loudly, patting Weire’s shoulder to signal her to tone it down and not scare the newbie.

She turned to Lin Qingya—Baixue—and gave a simple nod.

“Nice to meet you, Baixue. Since we’ve all gathered, let’s complete this task together. We can talk more afterward.”

“Sounds good! Let’s listen to Big Sister Linglan!” Xinlu chirped, agreeing immediately. “The park’s huge, so let’s split up to work faster.”

“No problem,” Linglan said concisely.

Weire raised her hand eagerly. “I’m in! Let’s split up and see who gets the most done!”

“Okay.”

Lin Qingya nodded quickly, responding softly before turning and darting into the depths of the park, throwing herself into the task.

Watching her hurried retreat, Linglan and Xinlu exchanged a glance.

“She’s quite the action-oriented kid…” Linglan commented.

“Yeah, she doesn’t seem to like talking much,” Xinlu added quietly.

Weire, meanwhile, clasped her hands over her heart, swooning. “Silent but adorable! That gap moe… slurp… I’m in love!”

Linglan ignored the lovestruck fool, turning to head to another area.

“Let’s go. Work.”

At that moment, Lin Qingya was struggling to drag a large bag of cement.

Yes, you read that right—cement.

Per the task’s instructions, they were to assist the construction team in speeding up the park’s renovation.

In other words, they were free labor.

She was seriously starting to doubt whether she’d signed a magical girl contract or not. This wasn’t about protecting love and justice—this was straight-up unpaid construction work!

Using a magical girl’s powers for manual labor? She couldn’t fathom what that blasted cat-ear device was thinking.

Still, being alone did ease her tense nerves considerably.

She laboriously dragged the cement bag to a foundation-laying site, preparing to pour it into the mixer as instructed, when her enhanced catgirl senses suddenly picked up an odd scent in the air.

It was… a mix of rust and cloying sweetness.

Faint, nearly masked by the dust and cement, but unmistakable to Lin Qingya’s heightened sense of smell.

Blood?

Her movements froze.

Why would there be a smell of blood?

This was a construction site—minor injuries weren’t unheard of, but this scent… it wasn’t right.

It wasn’t the smell of fresh blood. It carried a faint whiff of decay, as if it had been there for some time.

Lin Qingya instantly went on high alert.

She set down the cement bag, her orange eyes scanning the darkness around her.

The site was eerily quiet, not a whisper of movement, everything appearing orderly and normal.

Had she smelled wrong?

She frowned, sniffing carefully again.

No mistake.

The faint smell of blood was definitely there.

And… it seemed to be coming from a dark corner nearby, piled with discarded construction materials.