I'm a magical girl in the future

Chapter 6 The Encounter of Magical Girls

After seven o'clock, the sky gradually darkens. As the city lights come on, it also marks the beginning of the city's nightlife.

Qin Xiaoling and Ye Han strolled along the not-too-dense commercial street, each holding a cup of milk tea. It wasn't the busiest time of night, so there weren't many people around.

"Xiaoling, there's something I'm curious about and want to ask you," Ye Han asked. "Your brother's name is Shen Zixin, and your sister's name is Lu Yue, right?"

Qin Xiaoling turned her head to the side. "Hmm, what's wrong?"

"Why do the three of you have different surnames? Are you a blended family?"

As soon as Ye Han finished speaking, she seemed to realize that she might have asked something she shouldn't have, and quickly added an explanation:

"Oh, well, I didn't mean anything bad! I was just curious, so I asked. If you feel uncomfortable answering, just pretend I didn't ask!"

Qin Xiaoling sipped her milk tea while glancing at Ye Han out of the corner of her eye. She didn't seem to mind the topic. "It's not like it's something that can't be talked about..."

Despite having known this magical girl for less than a month, Qin Xiaoling already trusted her considerably.

So during dinner tonight, she talked to Ye Han about her family situation, which led to Ye Han's question.

As for how they met, it was also a coincidence—

About two weeks ago, Qin Xiaoling was walking home after school when a monstrous beast appeared in front of her without warning. Qin Xiaoling instinctively tried to run away, but she tripped and fell.

Just as the calamity beast's claws were about to strike, a magical girl appeared amidst a beam of light—it was Ye Han.

However, Ye Han did not come to the rescue like a hero; instead, she was completely overwhelmed and almost fell under the claws of the calamity beast.

In that critical moment, Qin Xiaoling felt a power within her body—a flash of light, and when she came to her senses, she had awakened herself and transformed into a magical girl.

Finally, with their combined efforts, they managed to barely defeat the monstrous beast.

From that day on, the two, who shared a secret, became good friends.

From this perspective, the story is just as beautiful as the plot of a magical girl anime—the girls defeat powerful enemies side by side, which is truly wonderful.

However, since they attend different schools, they don't see each other very often.

So, after school or on weekends, they would meet up for dinner or go out together.

"I've lived with my older brother and sister ever since I can remember."

Qin Xiaoling threw the empty milk tea cup into the roadside trash can.

"There are no 'parents' in our family. As for earlier times, I can only vaguely remember that my older brother, sister and I lived together in the same institution."

The same institution...? Ye Han's first thought was a place like a "welfare home" or "orphanage," but she wisely refrained from saying it aloud.

"Although I asked my older brother and sister where my parents were, their answer was that we were both children abandoned by our parents."

Qin Xiaoling's tone did not fluctuate much.

"However, my older brother and sister always tell me very gently that even though we are not directly related by blood, we are already a real family."

"This seems to be a rather heavy topic..."

Ye Han sensed that the atmosphere had become somewhat awkward because of her question, and she was immediately filled with regret. "Um, Xiao Ling, I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have asked those questions..."

"It's nothing," Qin Xiaoling said nonchalantly, a relieved smile on her face. "What my older brother and sister said is absolutely right; we've been a family for a long time."

"As for parents... to me, they are just words that exist only in the concept."

"I've never met them, so I can't really say I have any particular feeling about it. Perhaps, because I had no expectations, I won't be disappointed either."

"Hmm... Even though you say that... I still feel that I shouldn't have talked about this..." Ye Han still felt a little guilty, and her voice became much more subdued.

Qin Xiaoling couldn't help but laugh when she saw her like this.

"Alright, Ye Han, you don't need to be so nervous. I really didn't take it to heart. Speaking of which, Ye Han, you became a magical girl before me, so you should be my senior. Why are you so timid?"

"Um, don't say that... It was only a few days ago... And I originally wanted to save someone, but unexpectedly..."

As the two were chatting and taking a walk, a huge roar, like that of a monster, instantly pierced through all the surrounding noise and commotion.

A ferocious creature resembling a giant, upright-walking lizard appeared without warning on the side of the street a dozen meters away.

It stood a full four meters tall, its murky yellow vertical pupils greedily scanning the crowd that had been stunned by the sudden turn of events. Thick saliva dripped from the edge of its massive, fang-filled mouth, making a soft "sizzling" sound on the ground.

"Whoa whoa whoa whoa—!!!"

Another deafening roar erupted, accompanied by a nauseating, fishy stench.

The once bustling street fell into a deathly silence in an instant, and just a second later, an even greater panic and chaos erupted. Screams and cries mingled together as people began to scatter and flee in all directions.

"—Disaster Beast!!"

"Run!!"

Ye Han and Qin Xiaoling, who were not far away, exchanged a glance, their expressions turning serious.

Actually, their first encounter was, strictly speaking, Ye Han's first real confrontation with a calamity beast after completing her awakening. The one before them, however, was their second encounter together.

In other words, neither of the girls had much experience fighting the monsters.

Without any hesitation or unnecessary communication, a tacit understanding flowed silently between them, and two beams of light of different colors burst forth from Qin Xiaoling and Ye Han respectively.

In the light, their everyday clothes rapidly decomposed and reconstructed.

Qin Xiaoling changed into a light and airy combat dress with orange as the main color, and her originally loose black short hair was tied into a vibrant orange ponytail.

A soft cyan-green light emanated from Ye Han's body, and after transforming, she wore a cyan long dress that blended classical and modern styles.

"Let's all attack together!"

The two shouted almost simultaneously, waving their wands, and two magic bullets, containing all the magic power they could muster at the moment, shot towards the ferocious beast.

However, a desperate scene unfolded.

The two magic bullets, carrying the girl's determination, vanished without a trace when they touched the beast's rough, thick hide.

This one... is completely different from the calamity beast we encountered last time!

Qin Xiaoling clearly remembered that although the last calamity beast had also put them in a tough battle, and they had only managed to defeat it by relying on almost all their strength, their attacks were at least effective.

But this time, their attacks on the calamity beasts... had absolutely no effect?!

Before the two girls could react, the monstrous beast seemed enraged by the provocation. It let out a low roar, its massive body charging towards them, its gaping maw wide enough to devour anything—

Everything around seemed to slow down. The screaming crowds and chaotic streets receded rapidly. All that remained in sight was the ever-approaching gigantic maw.

There was none of the back-and-forth battle scene they had imagined. Qin Xiaoling and Ye Han froze on the spot almost simultaneously; this was simply not a battle they could participate in at this time.

That ugly and hideous face was clearly reflected in their pupils, which were dilated with fear.

Is everything... coming to an end?

However, at that very moment, the ferocious beast that was charging forward suddenly stopped without warning. It was as if a movie playing at high speed had been paused.

Immediately afterward, under the astonished and bewildered gazes of Qin Xiaoling and Ye Han, the massive body of the calamity beast began to crumble and disintegrate piece by piece, as if it had been sliced ​​countless times in an instant by some invisible and sharp blade, eventually turning into a pile of lifeless fragments that collapsed to the ground with a thud.

The process was bizarre and swift, like a tower made of building blocks whose key support was removed from the inside, causing it to collapse instantly.

There were no violent explosions, no dazzling light effects, only an extreme efficiency that sent chills down your spine.

Faced with this sudden and completely incomprehensible turn of events, Qin Xiaoling and Ye Han stood frozen in place, their gazes passing over the pile of remains of the calamity beast, still emitting wisps of black smoke, and landing on the spot where the beast had originally stood—

There, a figure stood quietly.

A silver-haired girl dressed in a gorgeous red and white dress. In her hand, she held an astonishingly long katana. A gentle breeze stirred, lifting her long, silver hair, as radiant as moonlight.

Qin Xiaoling stared blankly at the girl... Such a figure was deeply etched into her heart.

The girl's deep red eyes gazed at them with an indescribable tenderness.

"This calamity beast has a psionic level of 34, which is not something you can approach."

Qin Xiaoling slowly recovered from the scene she had just witnessed. Only then did she notice that there were two other people beside the mysterious silver-haired girl.

One is a girl with long black hair, wearing a black short dress.

The other one is a girl with short silver hair, wearing a red and white dress in a similar style to the first girl, but with a more petite figure.

Her face held a complex expression, and her gaze seemed... to be fixed on him?