This is… a cosplayer?
Lu Yushan was completely puzzled.
Although he had been busy cleaning, the layout of the bookstore was simple and clear at a glance.
He had no idea when this girl had gotten inside; he hadn’t noticed her at all.
Moreover, even for a cosplayer, this outfit was way too hardcore.
The wizard hat had signs of genuine aging and wear.
The silver hair looked impossibly soft and lustrous to be a wig, and even the thick hardcover book carried a sense of age along with an indescribable feeling of pressure.
This set of props must have cost a fortune.
Lu Yushan tried calling Snowball out, wanting to confirm whether this girl was perhaps a lost magical girl from somewhere.
“Snowball, come out for a second.”
“…”
Dead silence.
“There’s food.”
“…”
Still dead silence.
Snowball, who would normally pop out instantly at the mention of food, was now as quiet as if it were dead.
Just as Lu Yushan was about to force-summon Snowball—
A tiny magic circle flashed briefly beside his hand, spitting out a small note.
Two crooked Chinese characters were written on it in shaky handwriting.
—Don’t!
Lu Yushan’s heart skipped a beat.
Just who was this girl, to make his familiar this terrified?
It seemed the brief fluctuation of magic power earlier had disturbed her.
The girl on the rattan chair fluttered her eyelashes and slowly opened her eyes.
They were red pupils.
Not the vivid scarlet of fresh blood, but more like aged red wine.
Deep, calm, and carrying only a trace of drowsiness from just waking up.
No other emotions could be read from those eyes.
She slowly sat up, looking at Lu Yushan.
Yet it also felt like she was looking through him at something else.
Buzz—
The air trembled slightly.
The thick hardcover book in the girl’s arms floated up by itself.
Its pages flipped without any wind, stopping on a blank page.
Purple magic power gathered in the air and raced across the paper with a soft rustling sound.
“Record, complete.”
The girl spoke indifferently, her voice ethereal and clear.
Snap—
The book closed and fell back into her arms.
She slowly got down from the rattan chair, straightened her crooked hat, and stepped directly onto the dusty floor with her small, fair, bare feet. Strangely, not a single speck of dust stuck to them.
Ignoring the wary Lu Yushan, she walked straight toward the shop entrance.
As she passed by him, she suddenly stopped, turned her head, and looked him up and down with those red eyes.
“You haven’t grown taller.”
A remark that came out of nowhere.
Her tone carried a hint of familiarity mixed with a touch of regret, like she was commenting on a junior she hadn’t seen in many years.
Lu Yushan froze.
Could it be… this girl knew him? But why didn’t he have any impression of her at all?
The girl offered no explanation. She withdrew her gaze and continued walking out.
Right before stepping over the threshold, she seemed to remember something important and turned back to give him a serious reminder.
“I’ll come again.”
“Next time I come, I want to eat sausages. The kind without starch.”
“Wait a second…”
Lu Yushan reached out, wanting to stop her and ask for clarification.
The self-writing book, the baffling comment, and this sudden food order—what did it all mean?
However, before his hand could reach her—
Buzz—!
A complex purple magic circle expanded at the girl’s feet.
Space twisted instantly.
With a flash of light, the girl’s figure vanished without a trace, leaving only a faint, fresh scent in the air—like a forest after rain.
Lu Yushan stared at the empty street, extremely surprised.
Spatial teleportation… Was that also a magical girl’s ability?
Only then did Snowball finally open a magic circle with trembling movements and drop out, looking as if it had survived a great disaster.
“Is she gone? Did she leave?”
“Who was she?” Lu Yushan asked.
“I don’t know! Don’t ask me! I didn’t see anything!”
Snowball shook its entire round body like a rattle drum, clearly traumatized.
“There’s only one thing! Don’t call me out when she’s around in the future!”
Snowball’s tone was extremely sincere, almost pleading.
After saying that, it opened another magic circle and fled back inside as if escaping for its life.
Lu Yushan let out a helpless sigh and looked at the rattan chair where the girl had been lying.
He had a feeling he would be dealing with her again in the future.
What did she say again? Sausages?
Just as Lu Yushan opened his phone to check the wholesale price of starch-free sausages—
Buzz buzz buzz—
Buzz buzz buzz—
His phone suddenly wouldn’t stop vibrating. Messages from the class group chat flooded the screen.
Lu Yushan was about to set it to Do Not Disturb, but when he saw the sender was the homeroom teacher who had @everyone multiple times, he patiently opened it.
—Homeroom Teacher: @Everyone Students! Tomorrow is the Autumn Sports Festival! Our class still has several long-distance running events with no one signed up. Everyone, be more active! Show some class spirit!
—Class President: Teacher, everyone’s afraid of getting tired, and we have heavy coursework in second year.
—Zhang Yang: Tch, what’s so fun about running around like an idiot? I’d rather spend that time practicing with my new car.
—Random A: Yeah, it’s hot, tiring, and there’s no benefit.
The group was filled with wailing and excuses.
What a waste of time.
Lu Yushan scrolled through the nonsense with an expressionless face, ready to exit the chat.
The next message popped up.
—Homeroom Teacher: Ahem, here’s some good news for everyone! To encourage participation, the school has gone all out this time! They’ve secured sponsorship from the Gu Group!
—Homeroom Teacher: Special guest “Amber Flowing Light” will provide autographs, along with various limited-edition magical girl merchandise.
The group chat instantly exploded.
—Random B: What?! Amber Flowing Light? That newly rising super popular idol magical girl?
—Zhang Yang: Limited edition figures? Holy shit, I’ve been trying to grab one online for ages and couldn’t get it! Teacher, sign me up! I’ll sign up for every event!
Lu Yushan frowned as he read the excited messages.
Figures, autographs, limited editions.
He remembered that Qinghai Starlight’s autograph was already very valuable.
But selling it would be troublesome.
He would much rather go out and hunt monsters for money.
Just as his finger was about to press the exit button, the homeroom teacher sent one final follow-up message.
—Homeroom Teacher: Oh right, besides the grand prize for the champion, the school has also set up consolation prizes for other placements.
—Homeroom Teacher: 2nd place gets 1000 yuan in cash, 3rd place gets 500 yuan in cash.
Lu Yushan’s finger froze in mid-air.
His eyes locked onto that previously inconspicuous line.
Cash: 1000 yuan.
That was real, red, tangible cash that could buy rice and oil, or even pay off a small portion of interest.
Even a mosquito’s leg is still meat.
Lu Yushan took a deep breath and quickly typed two words on the screen before hitting send.
—Lu Yushan: I’ll sign up.
The group chat fell silent for a brief moment.
Everyone seemed surprised that the “Sleep God,” who usually only slept or zoned out in class, would actually volunteer for such a grueling event.
But the silence lasted only a second.
Soon, everyone went back to enthusiastically discussing who would get the mysterious limited-edition figure.
No one paid any more attention to Lu Yushan in the corner.
No one cared about the cash prizes, which suited him perfectly.
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