Chapter 2: The Transfer Student

The class bell had just rung.

Amid the faint scraping of chair legs against the floor, a group of Ye Ning’s friends immediately gathered around her desk.

“Ningning, what happened to you in class?”

The girl from the front row leaned on the edge of the desk, her eyes sparkling.

“This is the first time we’ve ever seen you space out!”

Surrounded in the middle, Ye Ning scratched her cheek with a fingertip and offered an apologetic smile.

“Well, they were talking about Magical Girls, after all. I accidentally got lost in thought.”

“Of course!”

Her friends immediately chorused in understanding.

“After all, our Ningning loves Magical Girls the most!”

Amid the chirping clamor, a boy’s voice suddenly cut in, tinged with a hint of confusion.

“But if someone as gentle and kind as Ye Ning is, why hasn’t she become a Magical Girl yet?”

The moment those words were spoken, the surroundings instantly fell silent.

Everyone knew the Research Institute had long ago announced the conclusion—the core requirement for becoming a Magical Girl was possessing a heart pure and beautiful enough.

Therefore, every single Magical Girl in the world was a girl filled with a sense of responsibility, gentleness, and kindness.

What the boy said was no different from asking, “Is Ye Ning not pure and kind enough?”

A girl immediately glared at him, her tone sharp.

“Hey, what are you saying! That’s basically saying Ningning is…”

The second half of the sentence—”an unkind, bad child?”—got stuck in her throat, unsaid, but it made the atmosphere even more awkward.

The boy also belatedly realized he had said the wrong thing.

His face flushed bright red, and he waved his hands repeatedly.

“Sorry, sorry, Ye Ning, I didn’t mean it like that…”

“It’s okay.”

Ye Ning quickly waved her hand gently, her jet-black long hair swaying softly with the movement.

She curved her eyes, her smile clean and soft.

“Maybe I just haven’t reached that pure and beautiful standard yet. I’ll have to work harder in the future.”

Her tone was sincere and forthright, without a trace of grievance or resentment.

The girls’ hearts instantly melted, and they swarmed over again, hugging Ye Ning and rubbing against her.

“Ningning, you’re just too cute!”

“Exactly, exactly, you must be the purest and most beautiful!”

Warm breaths carrying the fresh scent of girls washed over her.

Squeezed in the middle, Ye Ning’s cheeks instantly flushed a light pink as she flusteredly pushed at the people around her.

“Really now, stop teasing me!”

Just as they were making a ruckus, the classroom door was gently knocked.

Everyone looked toward the sound to see the class teacher—a similarly young female teacher—standing by the doorframe, holding her teaching plan, a gentle smile on her face.

“Alright, alright, everyone hurry back to your seats. I have an announcement to make.”

The gathered girls finally scattered with giggles and laughter.

Ye Ning let out a sigh of relief, slumping back in her chair.

Gazing at the distant white clouds outside the window, she sighed softly.

“Magical Girls…”

She murmured quietly, a flicker of disappointment passing through her eyes.

“Why can’t I become a Magical Girl?”

The girl’s voice was as light as the wind, drifting unhappily in the air.

“Anyway,”

The class teacher cleared her throat, pulling everyone’s attention back.

“Our class has a new student transferring in this semester. Let’s all welcome her.”

As she spoke, she turned slightly toward the door and nodded.

A girl’s figure slowly walked in from outside the door.

The classroom instantly erupted in a collective, synchronized intake of breath.

She was an exceptionally tall and beautiful girl, with a graceful figure.

Even wearing the same blue-and-white school uniform as everyone else, she somehow managed to give it an air of luxurious quality.

Her long hair was loosely tied into a low bun, the ends dyed in a gradient from gray to purple.

A few stray strands hung by her cheeks, accentuating that stunningly beautiful face.

Her eyes and eyebrows were born with an alluring charm, the outer corners slightly upturned with a captivating curve.

“Hello everyone, my name is Hua Niao. I’m very happy to study with all of you.”

The girl’s voice was clear and crisp, carrying a hint of lazy magnetism.

Her self-introduction was simple and straightforward, yet enough to make everyone remember her name.

Only then did Ye Ning snap out of her own little mood and look up.

The moment their eyes met, she unconsciously felt a slight daze.

‘What a beautiful girl.’

The thought had just popped into her head when she saw Hua Niao seemed to notice her gaze.

Hua Niao actually curved the corners of her lips at her, revealing an extremely faint smile.

Ye Ning’s heart skipped a beat. Feeling a bit shy, she returned a shallow smile.

“As for where Hua Niao will sit,”

The class teacher pointed to the empty seat next to Ye Ning.

“There happens to be a spot next to Ye Ning. You can sit there.”

Hua Niao gave a slight nod, picked up her schoolbag, and walked over with unhurried, measured steps.

Passing by the desks, she nodded at Ye Ning again, extending her hand, a hint of laughter in her voice.

“Hello, I’m Hua Niao.”

“Ah? Oh…”

Ye Ning was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly reached out her hand.

“I, I’m Ye Ning.”

The moment their fingertips touched, a slightly cool sensation transmitted, yet it was also startlingly soft, like holding a piece of warm jade soaked in a stream.

Ye Ning’s cheeks flushed bright red in an instant.

Her heartbeat uncontrollably sped up, and even her fingertips felt a little warm.

Hua Niao seemed to notice her fluster.

She leaned down slightly, bringing her face close to Ye Ning’s ear, and asked softly,

“Are you feeling unwell? Why is your face so red?”

Warm breath brushed past her ear.

Ye Ning shook her head in a flurry, her voice as thin as a mosquito’s buzz.

“N-no, I’m fine…”

As soon as the words left her mouth, she heard a soft, melting chuckle by her ear, like a feather gently tickling her heart.

Immediately after, Hua Niao’s voice sounded low by her ear again, warm breath hitting her earlobe, carrying a hint of teasing.

“Ye Ning, you’re really cute.”

“!!!”

Ye Ning’s face was completely flushed crimson, from her cheeks to the roots of her ears.

Embarrassed, she lowered her head, wishing she could bury her face in her textbook.

Watching her like this, the amusement in Hua Niao’s eyes deepened a few degrees.

Only then did she straighten up, deftly placing her schoolbag into the desk compartment and sitting down.

The afternoon classes passed in a flash.

When the dismissal bell rang, a head suddenly poked in through the classroom door.

It was a boy from the class next door, his face flushed bright red, clutching a pink envelope tightly in his hand.

He quickly scanned the classroom.

When his eyes landed on Ye Ning’s figure, they lit up, then quickly dimmed again.

As if mustering the courage of a lifetime, he charged in, shoved the envelope into Ye Ning’s hand,

and then ran off without looking back, even his retreating figure radiating a panicked, fleeing chaos.

Ye Ning, holding the envelope that still carried some warmth, was stunned for a moment, then carefully opened it.

The stationery was light blue, the handwriting neat and elegant, writing that he hoped to see her in the club activity room after school.

There was no need to think to know it was an invitation for a confession.

The girls who had gathered around to watch the excitement immediately started chattering, advising her.

“Ningning, don’t go, don’t go! For this kind of confession, just stand him up!”

“Yeah, yeah! Anyway, you don’t like him. It’d be so awkward if you went!”

Ye Ning, however, shook her head seriously.

Her fingertips gently rubbed the edge of the stationery, her eyes gentle.

“No, that won’t do. This is something someone gathered their courage to send. It’s a very serious attitude, so I must seriously go and give a reply.”

The girl put on a serious little face, but clearly, in everyone’s eyes, she looked more like an adorable little animal.

The girls hugged her into their arms again, ruffling her hair into a mess.

“Ningning, you’re just too good!”

“You look so cute when you’re being serious too!”

Ye Ning made a pitiful face, begging for mercy.

“Stop teasing me!”

What she didn’t see was Hua Niao, sitting beside her, propping her chin up, tilting her head to look at Ye Ning.

In her eyes was a look of keen interest, as if watching an extremely fascinating toy.