At the dining table, the warm aroma of rice porridge still lingered in the air.
Hua Niao leisurely set down her bowl and chopsticks, her fingertips gently brushing the corner of her lips, her eyes filled with a satisfied smile.
Ye Ning stood before the mirror, meticulously arranging her long hair.
She rose slightly on her tiptoes, her fingers combing through the strands, her gaze focused.
Soft footsteps sounded behind her, and in the next moment, a warm figure pressed against her back.
Hua Niao’s reflection appeared clearly in the mirror.
The Hua Niao in the mirror wore the same light gray JK school uniform as Ye Ning, yet she carried an entirely different aura.
The neatly pressed collar of her shirt was fastened with a proper navy blue tie, accentuating the elegant lines of her slender neck.
The hem of her pleated skirt hung down, outlining her tall and graceful figure.
Her long hair, a gradient from black to purple, transitioned slowly from jet black at the roots to deep violet at the tips, shimmering with a cool-toned luster under the morning light.
The silky strands cascaded over her shoulders, a few locks falling across her chest.
That exquisite, aloof, and reserved face was so beautiful it was hard to look away.
Looking at the reflection, Ye Ning unconsciously swallowed, grumbling internally:
‘This woman, how is she still this good-looking?’
Hua Niao seemed to sense her gaze. She tilted her head slightly, resting it gently on Ye Ning’s shoulder.
Her warm breath brushed Ye Ning’s neck, carrying a faint scent of mint.
“What are you looking at, Ning Ning?”
Ye Ning stiffened slightly all over, quickly averting her gaze.
She scratched at her own pink-and-white hair, her tone tinged with distress.
“Nothing. I was just thinking… isn’t my hair color a bit too eye-catching? At school, everyone will definitely suspect I dyed it.”
Ever since Hua Niao reawakened Ye Ning’s memories, allowing her to use the power of a Magical Girl once more, Ye Ning’s hair had never returned to its original black after detransforming.
It had remained this pink-and-white color.
“I’m a good girl! I can’t just dye my hair willy-nilly!”
Ning Ning patted her chest with a serious expression.
Hua Niao raised her hand, gently patting Ye Ning’s head.
“Don’t worry about it. Ning Ning is so cute, no one will say anything bad.”
Ye Ning sighed.
For now, she could only take things one step at a time.
She took a deep breath, turned, picked up the schoolbag resting on the sofa, and slung it over her shoulder.
Then, she deliberately softened her voice, making it sweet and gentle.
She squeezed out a standard, gentle smile and curved her eyes at Hua Niao.
“Shall we go then, classmate Hua Niao~”
Hua Niao recoiled as if she’d seen a ghost, her lips twitching.
“Don’t do that voice. It’s scary.”
“Ara~ What are you saying, classmate Hua Niao? We Magical Girls don’t do cutesy voices~”
“…”
It was the peak time for students arriving at school.
The entrance was bustling with students in uniforms, a lively scene.
The two of them walked side-by-side to the school gate, instantly attracting everyone’s attention.
Students at the entrance stopped in their tracks, their gazes falling on the pair.
Whispers and murmurs rose and fell.
“Wow, who are those two girls? They’re so pretty!”
“The pink-haired one on the left, her smile is so gentle and cute! She looks like such a good kid!”
“The gray-purple haired one on the right, her aura is incredible. So aloof and reserved, a total ice queen goddess!”
“I’ve never seen them at school before. They must be new transfer students? Definitely school belle material!”
“They’re so beautiful.”
Facing the surrounding stares and chatter, Ye Ning maintained her gentle smile.
Hua Niao, on the other hand, looked completely unfazed.
She stared straight ahead, holding Ye Ning’s wrist, and walked directly towards the principal’s office, completely ignoring the surrounding noise.
The two arrived at the principal’s office door.
Ye Ning raised her hand and knocked lightly.
“Come in.”
A steady male voice came from inside the office.
Ye Ning pushed the door open and walked in with Hua Niao.
Behind the desk, a gray-haired principal was looking down at some documents.
Seeing them enter, he quickly looked up, a kindly smile appearing on his face.
“Ah, you must be classmate Hua Niao and classmate Ye Ning, correct? I’ve already been notified. You’re the new transfer students.”
The principal stood up and gestured to the chairs in front of him.
“Please, have a seat. But before enrollment, I’ll need you to present your relevant identification documents and transfer certificates for verification.”
Hearing this, Ye Ning was instantly dumbfounded.
She blinked, instinctively looking at Hua Niao—what identity documents and transfer certificates did they have?
She didn’t even have a real “identity” now; it was all fabricated by Hua Niao, let alone these official documents.
Just as Ye Ning was at a loss, she saw Hua Niao beside her calmly set down her schoolbag, pull out a few blank sheets of paper from inside, and hand them to the principal, her tone flat.
“Principal, the documents are all here.”
The principal glanced at the blank papers but still reached out and took them, looking down to scan them.
The next second, the principal’s eyes momentarily glazed over, as if disturbed by some force, the confusion on his face gradually fading.
A moment later, clarity returned to his eyes.
He smiled kindly again and handed the blank papers back to Hua Niao.
“Alright, the documents are complete, no issues. I’ll notify your class teacher right away to take you to your classroom.”
Ye Ning:
“???”
Her eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at the principal, then she sharply turned her head to look at Hua Niao, her eyes full of accusation:
‘Bad woman! Using shady magical tricks again!’
Feeling her gaze, Hua Niao gave her an innocent yet sly smile:
‘Or would you prefer to prepare the documents yourself? You “died” on the battlefield three years ago. Where are you supposed to get official documents?’
Ye Ning was instantly speechless.
She glared at Hua Niao fiercely and said nothing more—
‘Well, she does have a point. I’m technically a “dead person” now.
There’s no way I could have proper identity documents.
I guess we have to rely on Hua Niao’s magic to get through this.’
Not long after, there was a knock on the office door.
A young female teacher wearing a simple blouse with her hair in a high ponytail walked in, a gentle smile on her face.
“Principal, you asked for me?”
“Yes, Teacher Li.”
The principal pointed at Ye Ning and Hua Niao.
“These two are the new transfer students, classmate Hua Niao and classmate Ye Ning. They’ve been assigned to your class. Please take them over.”
“Understood, Principal.”
Teacher Li nodded, then turned to Ye Ning and Hua Niao with a gentle smile.
“You two, please follow me.”
Ye Ning and Hua Niao followed Teacher Li down the hallway to a classroom door.
Teacher Li pushed the door open and walked in.
“Class, quiet down, please. We have two new transfer students joining our class. Let’s give them a warm welcome.”
The classroom instantly erupted in enthusiastic applause.
The students all looked up, curious eyes fixed on the doorway.
Teacher Li stepped aside and waved towards the door.
“You two, come in and introduce yourselves to everyone.”
Ye Ning took a deep breath and walked in first, still maintaining her gentle facade.
She stood at the front of the classroom, gave a slight bow to the whole class, then, softening her voice to a sweet, gentle tone, spoke.
“Hello everyone, my name is Ye Ning. I’m very happy to transfer to this class. I look forward to getting to know you all.”
As she spoke, she lifted her head, her gaze slowly sweeping across the classroom.
But when her eyes landed on the face of a certain girl sitting in the back row, Ye Ning’s pupils contracted sharply.
The gentle smile on her face instantly froze, and she almost lost her composure.
‘Holy crap, why is that kid here?!’