Thud— Thud— Thud—
My heart… it’s beating so fast.
Bai Ning pressed tightly against the door panel, clearly feeling her heart slamming against her ribcage.
Her nose twitched slightly.
A fresh, youth-specific scent of shower gel slipped into her nostrils, laced with a faint trace of hormones that left her a little dizzy.
She looked up.
Those calm, water-like eyes were right in front of her, now carrying a flicker of anxiety and icy coldness.
Was it fear? Anger? Or both?
All of this was because she had stumbled upon something she absolutely should not have seen.
She had not only witnessed the true identity of a magical girl—she had also discovered that the other party was a boy!
A TS magical girl.
That was a setting that only existed in fantasy comics and light novels.
It was also one of her absolute favorite tropes as a hardcore otaku girl.
And now, that exact plot was unfolding right before her eyes.
What kind of backstory did he have?
A slacker who used to be the world’s number one?
A big brother who couldn’t reunite with his little sister because of past traumas?
Or someone burdened by fate, cycling through countless reincarnations just to…
In an instant, Bai Ning’s mind raced through countless storylines from the works she had devoured, flashing past like a rapid slideshow.
The real reason her heart was pounding wasn’t the embarrassment of being pinned against the wall.
It was the exhilarating thrill of the fourth wall shattering.
The excitement of getting to star in the very story she loved.
No matter why the youth before her had become like this, no matter where the plot was headed—she was going to seize this chance.
Even if she ended up as nothing more than a random extra handing the protagonist a cup of water, she was willing to give everything for it.
Thud— Thud thud—
Her heartbeat quickened even more.
“I-I-I-I’ll keep your secret!!!!”
Bai Ning stammered, her panicked eyes now completely free of fear and instead sparkling with unmistakable anticipation.
Lu Yushan had no idea about the whirlwind raging inside the girl’s head.
He only felt trouble—massive trouble.
In fact, he felt it was even more troublesome than killing a monster.
I want to kill someone.
Whenever he felt this level of trouble, that was the thought that came to mind.
If he couldn’t solve the problem, he would simply eliminate the person who caused it.
The hand he had unconsciously rested on the doorframe slid down and landed on Bai Ning’s slender shoulder.
Then it slowly traced along her collarbone, inching toward her fragile neck.
“Ah wah!”
Bai Ning let out a soft, timid yet adorable squeak.
The sound hit Lu Yushan like a bucket of ice water, snapping him back to his senses in an instant.
He yanked his hand back, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead.
He glanced at Bai Ning and was stunned to see that although she was trembling slightly, her eyes actually held a trace of… disappointment?
Why does everyone I meet have something wrong with their brain?
Lu Yushan’s head throbbed.
He had only just decided to officially enter the magical girl business; he needed to find a way to seal her mouth.
“Snowball, if you’re here, come out for a second.”
Lu Yushan spoke softly.
No response. The air grew awkwardly silent.
Lu Yushan clicked his tongue in irritation.
“There’s food.”
“Coming~”
Almost the instant the words left his mouth, a ripple spread through the air and a white circular magic circle materialized out of nowhere.
Bai Ning’s eyes widened at the sight.
She couldn’t see the familiar that emerged from it, but she instantly connected the dots with what Lu Yushan had just said.
It must be the magical girl’s familiar!
“Got any memory-erasing magic or something like that?”
Lu Yushan asked in a lowered voice, trying not to let Bai Ning hear.
But at this distance, there was no way she could miss it.
Bai Ning’s heart tightened with fear. Was she really about to lose the golden opportunity that had just fallen into her lap?
“Yes,” Snowball answered immediately.
“But this world doesn’t have it. Getting it would cost a hundred thousand, and we’d need to file a report in advance.”
Snowball’s voice trailed off with hesitation at the end, and Lu Yushan immediately knew it was a no-go.
Did he really have to spend the money he had just “sold” himself to earn on this? Might as well kill him.
Snowball watched Lu Yushan’s disappointed expression, then glanced at Bai Ning beside him, sensing the hidden excitement and anticipation bubbling inside her.
This girl…? Could it be…?
But it quickly suppressed the thought and leaned close to Lu Yushan’s ear.
“Why don’t you try tricking her? She doesn’t look very bright.”
“Come on, I’ll tell you…”
Trick her?
Lu Yushan listened to Snowball’s plan.
The tight furrow between his brows eased slightly.
It didn’t feel very reliable, but right now there was no better option.
He took out his phone right in front of Bai Ning, his expression deadly serious as he opened the browser and typed into the search bar.
—Overpowered chuuni contract lines
Lu Yushan scanned a few lines with a straight face, forcing himself to memorize a couple of particularly impressive-sounding phrases despite the embarrassment.
He put the phone away, took a deep breath.
Buzz—
A complex red magic circle bloomed beneath his feet, spinning rapidly and stirring up currents of air.
Bai Ning held her breath at the sight.
She had seen other magical girls’ magic circles before, but experiencing one this close was a first.
A dazzling burst of light erupted, enveloping Lu Yushan completely.
When the light faded.
The refined youth had vanished. In his place stood a red-haired, twin-tailed girl draped in a cloak, gripping a magic staff as tall as she was.
Fei Xia’s face was expressionless. She raised her staff high, pointing the tip straight at the center of Bai Ning’s forehead.
She cleared her throat and began in a solemn, chanting tone.
“Hear my words—”
“The sun and moon as witness, the stardust as pact, you and I both swear before the Dragon God—”
She got stuck halfway.
“Uh, wait. What’s your name?”
“Bai Ning! White as in the color white, Ning as in lemon!”
Bai Ning immediately stood at attention and answered loudly.
“Oh, got it. Let’s continue.”
Fei Xia picked up the rhythm again with zero emotion.
“Under the gaze of the exalted, here we establish the oath of the soul—”
“Bai Ning, from this moment forth you shall become my dependent—”
“I shall grant you power, grant you a future, grant you every possibility—”
“And you must remember: under no circumstances are you to reveal my identity to any person, any being, or any thing—”
“Violators shall…”
Bai Ning’s eyes instantly lit up, her whole body practically on fire.
She didn’t hear a single word of the threatening part that followed.
All she knew was that she had formed a contract with a magical girl!
She had become a magical girl’s dependent! What a perfectly classic, hot-blooded development!
She even felt a warm current surging inside her body and was certain it was proof of the power she had received!
Fei Xia watched Bai Ning’s inexplicable excitement and secretly breathed a sigh of relief. It looked like the girl had bought it.
“All right, you may leave.”
Right now her scalp was crawling with embarrassment, as if ants were marching all over her body.
She could barely keep her cool facade from collapsing.
What kind of person could say something like that with a straight face?
“Yes, Master!”
Bai Ning answered instantly and bent down to pick up the tray from the floor.
Just as she was about to turn and leave, the words she had just heard echoed in her mind.
‘Bai Ning, from this moment forth you shall become my dependent—’
Since she was a dependent, shouldn’t the way she addressed her change?
She stopped, turned back, and called out in an extremely worshipful and shy voice.
“Master!”
Pfft—
Snowball, who had somehow climbed onto the table and was happily munching snacks, couldn’t hold it in and sprayed crumbs everywhere.
Fei Xia’s face twitched violently, as if she had just bitten into a live gecko. She could no longer maintain her aloof persona.
Bai Ning didn’t notice anything strange.
The earlier panic had completely vanished from her face.
She walked out of the lounge with light, cheerful steps and even thoughtfully closed the door behind her.
Click.
Fei Xia felt all the strength leave her body.
She collapsed onto the sofa, tossed the staff aside, covered her face with both hands, and let out a long, miserable groan.
“Just kill me…”
Snowball greedily devoured the fruit and snacks beside her, mumbling through a full mouth.
“Congratulations on gaining a little fangirl, Master~”
“Just eat your food already…”