The forest ahead looked as if it had been struck by a meteorite.
A terrifying, fan-shaped scar was carved into the ground, and countless trees still burned with residual flames, filling the air with a pungent, charred stench.
She also noticed the shattered doll fragments scattered around.
Judging by the exquisite lace of the dress, which had not yet been burned to charcoal, this was the “troublesome one” Elwen had mentioned.
This girl had fought her way this deep into the forest all alone, even defeating that Danger Class Monster, the “Head Maid Doll”?
Suhō couldn’t help but gasp in awe.
“Whoa…
so amazing…” She looked at the girl standing in the center of the scorched earth.
It was a red-haired Magical Girl wearing a Spirit Dress woven from crimson and pure white, wielding a peculiar Microphone Staff.
Her back was turned, and the air around her still shimmered with undissipated heat, making her look like a Valkyrie who had just emerged from Purgatory.
Suhō’s throat bobbed up and down as she hurriedly stepped forward, calling out with concern, “Um…
Senpai!” “Are you okay?” She had seen the anomaly here from far off in the forest.
The Black Mist had the property of blocking sound and light, but even so, the flash of fire from just now was still clearly visible, showing just how fierce the battle had been.
Hearing the voice, the Red-Haired Girl’s body suddenly stiffened.
Swish.
She turned around with astonishing speed, the Microphone Staff in her hand almost instantly raised, its sharp five-pointed star tip aimed directly at Suhō’s throat.
Suhō saw a pair of burning eyes shining with a ruby-like glow.
No trace of thought appeared in this Magical Girl’s eyes; it was as if she were reacting purely on instinct, delivering an indiscriminate strike against a presence that had suddenly approached.
Suhō lost her voice for a moment.
However, in that very instant, a hand pressed down on her shoulder, forcibly pulling her back while simultaneously stepping forward to stand in front of her.
At the same time, the Red-Haired Magical Girl also came to her senses and abruptly stopped the staff in her hand.
A fierce wind whipped Elwen and Suhō’s long hair, seemingly carrying with it sparks of fire and a scorching heat.
The three of them were suddenly locked in a confrontation, separated by an extremely delicate distance.
The Red-Haired Magical Girl said nothing, merely maintaining her posture with the staff raised, while Elwen’s hand had already tightly gripped the longsword behind her back, her black eyes narrowing slightly, yet unable to conceal a hint of shock deep within them.
The atmosphere at this moment seemed to have plummeted to freezing, as if the slightest extra movement would cause the two to directly attack.
“Ah, wait!
Wait!!” Suhō realized something in an instant: “Everyone, calm down!” She snapped to her senses, immediately and hurriedly stowing her twin pistols back into the holsters at her waist, raising her hands to signal she meant no harm, and then gazed at the Magical Girl before her.
“S-Senpai!” “We…
we aren’t bad people, we just sensed the mana fluctuations and thought a Magical Girl was fighting, so we rushed over to help.” Suhō stepped out from behind Elwen on her own initiative, speaking stumblingly.
It was only then that she suddenly noticed something.
The mana fluctuations within this Magical Girl had already grown very faint, suggesting she was about to completely exhaust her strength.
Her expression looked quite weary, and her breathing was considerably disordered.
But even so, the hand gripping her staff did not tremble in the slightest.
Upon hearing Suhō’s words, the Red-Haired Girl seemed to slowly come back to her senses.
She blinked, yet she did not take the initiative to speak, instead maintaining her posture and fixing her gaze on Elwen, who was holding the sword hilt.
Looking at the girl before her who remained in a combat stance and was filled with such distrust toward the two of them, Suhō pursed her lips.
Even the youngest children in Fūmei Town knew that Magical Girls were the incarnations of love and hope, and that they would definitely help each other.
The television also frequently showed scenes of Magical Girls cooperating to fight invading monsters and protecting the town together.
However, the wariness and strangeness in her eyes were so jarring.
Why?
What could she have possibly gone through to make this Senpai so instinctively reject our arrival, choosing to fight alone in this terrifying forest full of monsters until her strength was completely exhausted?
“Um, my name is Suhō!” Suhō took a deep breath.
Crack.
With a crisp sound, the water-like pale blue spiritual light surrounding her body suddenly shattered, and her Spirit Dress dissolved into countless crystal-clear points of light.
As the dreamlike light and shadow faded, she reverted to the middle school girl with wine-red hair wearing a black and white sailor uniform, with only the azure magic gem in the shape of a brooch pinned to her chest.
“See, I’ve already deactivated my transformation!
I won’t hurt you, Senpai!” After speaking, she looked imploringly at the silver-haired girl beside her.
“Elwen Senpai!” Elwen seemed to hesitate for a moment, glanced at Suhō, then at the Red-Haired Girl, and finally slowly loosened her grip on the sword hilt.
Suhō patted her chest, a bright, innocent smile unique to her age appearing on her face as she looked at her with sincere eyes.
“Senpai, what is your name?” The Red-Haired Girl still hadn’t lowered her weapon.
Her red eyes stared at Suhō, her gaze sweeping back and forth between her and Elwen as if confirming that she truly posed no threat.
The air seemed to freeze.
After a full ten or so seconds of deathly silence, the blazing fire in the Red-Haired Girl’s eyes finally began to fade.
Hum.
Crimson motes of light danced in the air, and the magnificent Spirit Armor and staff dissolved.
A hint of sakura pink returned to her crimson hair and eyes as she once again wore her white shirt and black hot pants.
Her clothes were disheveled from her earlier intense movements, the collar slightly open to reveal a section of her delicate collarbone.
The sharp gaze finally softened, exposing the deep exhaustion she had been hiding.
Only at this moment did Suhō realize…
The Senpai’s eyebrows and face were naturally imbued with a touch of timidity and gentleness, and even a hint of innate childishness.
It was just that the overwhelming presence of her eyes before had made her overlook this point.
With her exhaustion now fully visible and her fangs no longer bared, she actually seemed quite endearing.
Whoa…
Suhō’s eyes instantly lit up as she looked at Leon after her transformation was undone, and she couldn’t help but marvel inwardly: Senpai is so beautiful!
And she looks only a little older than me?
Yet, even with her transformation undone, the Sakura-haired girl’s face remained a blank mask of indifference.
She stared at Suhō and Elwen in silence for a long time before slowly speaking, her voice heavy with estrangement and ethereal detachment.
“…I don’t remember.” The girl’s voice matched the impression her face gave: sweet, and even a bit soft and youthful.