Lily sat on the floor, her legs splayed out, hands pressed against the tiled ground, listening to the talking black cat describe the benefits of becoming a magical girl.
Having already seen the black cat speak, her initial shock had started to fade, and the impact on her worldview was gradually lessening.
Her expression remained as cold as ice, though a hint of curiosity appeared in her eyes. She finally regained the strength in her legs and, with an indifferent face, used the wall to stand up.
“Magical girl?”
Only now did she start to show a bit of interest in the contract the black cat was offering.
“Yes! A magical girl! Don’t you have any wishes? By becoming a magical girl, I can help you fulfill one!”
“Aren’t you tired of the repetitive life of school and study? Don’t you feel powerless seeing people you don’t like but being too weak to do anything about it...”
Ning Chu pressed her hand firmly onto the cat’s head, cutting off its manipulative spiel.
“Don’t listen to it! If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”
She had no intention of letting Lily become a future breeding ground for tentacle monsters, even if it was just a possibility.
“The only price you’d pay is defeating the demon lurking on your campus.”
Not knowing if Lily was tempted, Ning Chu grabbed her wrist and pulled her over to a corner.
After sneaking a glance at the black cat and Qian Qian, Ning Chu leaned close to Lily’s ear and whispered, “The demon it’s talking about... is a really powerful tentacle monster!”
Lily froze, turning to look at Ning Chu’s serious face.
“A tentacle monster... really?”
“Yes! And it’s terrifying! Just like in those... explicit comics. If you go up against it alone and lose, you might °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° end up...” Ning Chu’s voice trailed off, suddenly unsure if her words would scare or intrigue Lily.
After all, this succubus did have some rather intense tastes...
“Anyway, don’t let the black cat trick you! Why would I lie to you about something like this?”
Lily blinked and nodded blankly.
Though she was coming to terms with the talking black cat, her brain was still a bit muddled.
“Hey, hey, hey! She’s the most suitable girl on campus for this role! If she signs the contract, that weak little demon wouldn’t stand a chance!”
The black cat sprang over, glaring. “Besides, how do you know so much? I didn’t tell you!”
It had deliberately hidden the fact that demons were enemies of women when it explained things to Ning Chu.
Ning Chu glanced at Qian Qian for backup, and after a brief hesitation, Qian Qian covered for her, saying, “I told her.”
“No wonder she rejected me!”
The black cat jumped around the balcony, clearly agitated.
Ning Chu ignored the cat, turning back to Lily, ready to continue convincing her, but Lily, the succubus, had already nodded with understanding. “Got it.”
“Good.”
Ning Chu sighed in relief. “Once the black cat contracts with a magical girl, we’ll have them check the octopus you’re holding. Though I’d still recommend sprinkling some salt and grilling it.”
“No.”
Around others, Lily rarely spoke, keeping her expression stiff and aloof, making most people think of her as an icy goddess.
This demeanor seemed to leave a favorable impression on Qian Qian. Ignoring the cat’s futile kicking, she eagerly leaned over. “I’m the new transfer student next week—figured we could meet a little early~”
“My name’s Qian Qian! I’ve been a magical girl for over six months now! Although, I haven’t actually seen a demon yet... maybe?”
This magical girl was quite the chatterbox, chirping away like a little sparrow.
“Before I became a part-time magical girl, I was actually a high school sophomore! I don’t know what kind of magic Xiao Hei used to transfer me here...”
“Lily.”
Lily tugged at the corners of her mouth, attempting a soft smile for her introduction, but ended up just nodding stiffly.
“Oh, you’re so cool, sis~”
“That’s just her personality,” Ning Chu replied, curious how Qian Qian would react if she ever learned about Lily’s... niche tastes. “Let’s go back; it’s almost ten. The buses will stop running soon.”
“Okay! See you Monday, Lily!”
With that, Qian Qian, holding the wriggling black cat, followed Ning Chu out of the girls’ dorm.
In the meantime, Yan Xinya and Lin Li slowly stirred awake, rubbing their eyes.
“Did we fall asleep? Where’s Ning Chu?”
The wolf girl twitched her ears and looked up to see Lily standing by the door with the water cup, gazing absent-mindedly at it.
She happily trotted over to Lily, her tail wagging like a fan. “Lily! What’s up? Lost in thought?”
“It’s nothing.”
“Where did Ning Chu and that girl go?”
“They just left.”
“Not even a goodbye before they left...”
Wen Yang was already waiting outside the girls’ dorm. Despite the light drizzle, a few enthusiastic girls had gathered around him.
Hands tucked in his pockets, Wen Yang remained aloof, ignoring the girls asking for his contact information, his gaze fixed firmly on the dorm entrance.
The moment Ning Chu walked out, his carefully maintained stoic expression softened into a warm smile. Gently brushing past the surrounding girls, he immediately headed her way.
“How did it go?”
“We didn’t find anything.”
Ning Chu glanced at the girls trailing behind Wen Yang, then boldly wrapped her arm around his, pressing close with a smug look, silently declaring her claim to him.
“So he already has a girlfriend... and she’s gorgeous.”
“Look at those horns on her head—is she a sheep?”
“Could be a succubus.”
Ning Chu overheard their whispered conversation, her face freezing slightly.
Just because I have horns, they immediately think I’m a succubus? Did my tail slip out?
She reflexively tightened the tail coiled around her thigh.
“Relax. We’ve got a year,” Wen Yang reassured her, sensing her tension.
“Yeah... Oh, by the way, Lily found an octopus tonight.”
“Tonight?”
Even if he was slow to react, Wen Yang instinctively connected the octopus with the recently descended tentacle monster.
Ning Chu nodded vigorously. “I suspect it’s a tentacle monster! But it’s almost too cute... Qian Qian and the black cat couldn’t tell for sure just by looking at it.”
“Cute?”
Wen Yang couldn’t quite reconcile the idea of a cute octopus with the image of a tentacle monster.
“Here, I took a picture! It looks a lot like a Dumbo octopus, except the tentacles are a bit longer.”
Ning Chu pulled out her phone and showed him a photo of the octopus. “See? It’s adorable—I kind of want to keep one myself!”
They continued chatting as they walked to the bus stop. Just as they arrived, Ning Chu looked back and noticed Qian Qian following them, her hands now empty.
She looked around, puzzled, unable to find the black cat anywhere. “Where’s the cat?”
“It said it had something to do, maybe off to find another magical girl?”
“Well... that works too, I suppose.”
