After a bout of playful banter along the way, Meng Xingyao seemed uncomfortable under the gazes of the surrounding pedestrians and quickly withdrew her hand with a pout.
She then held up the object in her hand, leaned toward Cipher, and asked curiously,
"By the way, what is this thing?"
Resting in Meng Xingyao's palm was a dark blue metal sphere. It wasn't very large, fitting comfortably in one hand.
No one knew what it was for. The only thing known was that it had been confiscated from Cipher's belongings when she was taken to the police station.
After everything was sorted out, it was ultimately returned to the hands of this so-called "guardian."
Cipher glanced at it and replied casually,
"Oh, I was planning to return it to you today anyway. Although it got delayed a bit, it's finally back with its rightful owner."
"'Rightful owner'? How come I don't remember ever having something like this?"
"What, does that mean you don't want your Magic Wand anymore? If so, I'll take it back."
As she spoke, Cipher reached out to retrieve it, but Meng Xingyao swiftly dodged to the side.
"This thing is my Magic Wand?"
Meng Xingyao's voice rose in disbelief. Holding the metal sphere up to eye level, she turned it over repeatedly, her skeptical gaze seemingly trying to see through it.
She had every reason to suspect that Cat Sister was teasing her again.
Seeing through her thoughts instantly, Cipher rolled her eyes dramatically and complained with an aggrieved expression,
"What do you know! My wallet was practically drained just to repair your Magic Wand, and now you're looking down on it?"
Although Cipher sounded genuinely heartbroken, Meng Xingyao wasn't buying it.
Instead, she frowned and repeatedly compared Cipher to the metal sphere in her hand, her suspicions only growing stronger.
"Cat Sister, did you deliberately cut corners and pocket the difference?"
Regardless of whether Cipher could actually repair her Magic Wand, this metal sphere couldn't merely be described as different from the original wand—it was completely unrelated.
Upon hearing this, Cipher immediately put on a look of utter despair, clutching her chest as if the sky were collapsing.
"Oh my goodness! What kind of accusation is that? Little Princess, you can question my character, but you absolutely cannot question my abilities! I, Cipher, am famous throughout the circle for being honest and trustworthy. When have I ever cut corners?"
Meng Xingyao (￢_￢): Do you, a half-god Cat Girl, even have any character to speak of?
Although she silently mocked her in her heart, Meng Xingyao still looked up and asked,
"Cat Sister, what exactly does this thing do?"
She secretly figured that even if it wasn't a Magic Wand, having some kind of magic sphere was still better than being completely unarmed.
"Wait a second."
Hearing that, Cipher slipped her fingers into the gap in her chest. After rummaging around for a moment, she pulled out a small slip of paper that carried a faint milky scent.
"Here. It's the manual. Read it yourself."
Meng Xingyao accepted the manual with a complicated expression. Her eyes couldn't help drifting toward Cipher's mysterious "treasure bag."
It looked completely ordinary, yet it somehow produced all kinds of unexpected items...
Letting out a helpless sigh, she finally focused on the manual.
[Punklorde—Magic Wand Promax Edition]
[Essential Equipment for the New Era Magical Girl]
[A painstaking masterpiece created by the genius Hacker Girl of the Stellaron Hunters when she had absolutely nothing... to do]
[You won't lose out, and you won't be fooled! Do you want to become a qualified Magical Girl? If so, order now!]
[...]
Meng Xingyao: (ノ_＜.)
With a snap, she slammed the manual shut.
Her face instantly darkened, and the corners of her mouth twitched violently.
This thing was obviously a joke product, wasn't it?
From beginning to end, every page practically screamed the word "unreliable."
Meng Xingyao glanced sideways at Cipher, who wore an expression that practically said, You can trust me completely!
In the end, she could only sigh and swallow the retort on the tip of her tongue.
Patiently, she reopened the palm-sized manual and finished reading it.
Unfortunately, the moment she reached the instructions, another vein began throbbing on her forehead.
Ignoring all the useless nonsense, the instructions could be summarized in a single sentence.
[To activate this item, loudly shout the following lines:]
[For love and justice! For the people important to me! For world peace!]
[Please grant me the power to protect all living beings!]
[Awaken! My ultimate magical power!]
[Magical Girl—Transform!!!]
[End of Instructions]
[Important: You must shout these lines with genuine emotion and passion.]
[Failure to do so will result in transformation failure.]
Meng Xingyao: （ᗜ_ᗜ）...
"Sigh. Little Princess, didn't you finish reading it? Why are you handing it back to me already?"
"I suddenly feel that becoming a Magical Girl isn't actually necessary."
"Don't say that! This thing cost me quite a few gold coins! Why don't you at least try it once?"
"Absolutely not! Even if I, Meng Xingyao, never get to use my Special Ability again and end up getting captured by tentacle monsters on the spot, I still refuse to use this thing! Then let me ask you this—who exactly created this transformation device?"
The vein on Meng Xingyao's forehead pulsed violently. Her face was as dark as the bottom of a pot as she pointed at the metal sphere in her hand.
She had already complained about this ridiculous thing at least eight hundred times in her head.
If Cipher hadn't stopped her repeatedly, she wouldn't have wanted to hold it for even one extra second.
Hearing the question, Cipher answered honestly,
"Isn't it written right there? Besides, you should already know this person—the Stellaron Hunters. As for their actual identity... I'll keep that a secret for now."
"Nani!? Could it really be the Stellaron Hunters I'm thinking of?"
"If nothing unexpected has happened, then yes, probably."
Seeing Meng Xingyao's eyes widen in shock, Cipher merely shrugged and answered casually.
After all, aside from the famous one on the internet, there shouldn't be anyone else known as the Stellaron Hunters.
Upon receiving confirmation, Meng Xingyao's expression changed at a visible speed.
The disdain and skepticism that had filled her eyes moments ago were instantly replaced by disbelief and astonishment.
Of course she had heard of the Stellaron Hunters.
Initially, she had assumed their ability was simply some kind of advanced Network Mastery.
However, Liu Xiyue's aunt, Liu Yunshuang, had once casually warned her:
"Never underestimate the Stellaron Hunters."
At the time, Meng Xingyao hadn't fully understood what that meant.
But now, feeling the heavy, cold sphere resting in her palm, she finally realized that the object in her hand might be far more extraordinary than she had imagined.
It's just...
Meng Xingyao (; ´ ༎ ຶ ◡ ༎ ຶ ` ):
It... it's just... couldn't they have made the transformation incantation a little simpler?